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Chapter 74
Chapter 74: Plotting
The Royal Capital Library was located in a quiet, secluded place near the palace at the center of the city. According to rumor, it held most of the books and records accumulated throughout human history.
However, although the library occupied a large area and claimed to be open to all citizens, there were very few visitors.
Compared to reading, the nobles more often regarded this place as a hidden location for private conversations.
The weather was just right. Nicole, dressed in gorgeous and expensive clothing, stepped down from the carriage, her pale pink ponytail fluttering in the wind.
Е́ n um̆ ă.ї d̃
As the main attacker in the team, she had a tall figure. Her long legs were well-proportioned and powerful, and her entire person looked valiant and heroic.
Nicole raised her head and looked at the library. After pondering for a moment, she walked in alone.
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Nicole had not cared much about those mystical-sounding things Saintess Maria had said back then. Were clergy members not all like that? At the slightest provocation, they would speak of reincarnation, the will of god, destiny, and the like…
What had truly made her resolve to come to the Royal Capital was a letter from Princess Diana.
In the letter, the Princess had mentioned that Duke Oswald, their enemy from the previous life, had already begun slaughtering nobles under the instigation of that vicious maid Eileen, who had stolen Nicole’s Wishing Star.
At first, Nicole had not believed it. Why would a Duke kill the nobles on his own territory? Was that not weakening his own strength?
W̆.ĕb̀n̆ о̀ v̌ еĺ Еn ǔ m̆а̂
Without the support of the nobles under him, who would he rely on to manage the territory? Who would provide money and grain to resist the demon race?
Yet when news reached the Southern Territory that the great and small nobles of the Northern Territory had basically been purged clean, Nicole panicked.
So all of this was true. They truly were facing an enormous disaster. Especially after realizing that Duke Oswald was particularly fond of slaughtering merchant nobles, Nicole felt so panicked that she could barely breathe.
It was as though an invisible rope had been looped around her neck.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Looking back now at what Maria had said, every single thing had unfortunately come true. Even if it was not time flowing backward, Maria had to at least be a great prophet!
Nicole’s mind was in chaos, and the news spreading through the Royal Capital recently made her feel even more restless.
Е̂.ñ u̇m̀а̃
With Young Lady Luna acting as a go-between, the King had successfully reconciled with Duke Oswald. The Northern Territory would continue to pledge loyalty to the King, and both sides would soon exchange envoy delegations to demonstrate goodwill.
This was no ordinary enemy anymore. They had to unite!
Walking into the elegantly decorated library, Nicole would have thought she had arrived at an art collection room if not for the orderly rows of bookshelves in the center. She stepped across the waxed mahogany floor and looked at the display cabinets along the walls.
The environment inside the library was silent. Although sunlight shone through the glass windows, the air was very cool.
Nicole followed the spiral staircase up to the third floor and saw Maria, with her long golden hair, sitting beside a long table by the window.
Hearing footsteps, Maria closed her book and turned back to smile at Nicole.
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“Only you came? Where are Her Highness the Princess, and that who was it, and that other one?”
“Her Highness the Princess is still grounded. It was already very difficult for her to send you a message. Lilith and Thorne went out for training. As for Annie, she may still need some time alone to calm down.”
Nicole nodded and sighed as she sat down. “It seems none of you are in a very good situation.”
Pinching her fingers, Maria frowned slightly, slowly shook her head, and said with a sigh, “The main issue is that Thorne has no memories. In the previous life, he had enough time to grow and set his ambition. But this time, the situation has already changed.”
“Duke Oswald of the Northern Territory is already an ambitious figure with real power, and now Eileen is providing him with intelligence…”
Combining her own experiences with what the spies had seen and heard, the thing Maria feared most had ultimately still happened.
Е n̈ u̇m̌а
The degree of trust Oswald had in Eileen exceeded everyone’s imagination. Now, who among the residents of the Northern Territory did not know that when the Duke was absent, Lady Eileen managed everything in the territory, and even Young Lady Luna could not interfere?
Seeing the enemy become more and more united and powerful, while the Hero on their side still had not realized where his duty lay, Maria felt deeply troubled. Besides, Lilith spoiled him far too much. The two of them did that kind of thing day and night, regardless of the occasion…
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“I actually think we do not need the Hero for the time being. In any case, he also needs time to grow,” Nicole said. Since she had no memories, she was instead more open-minded.
“The Princess has political authority. As the Saintess, you have ecclesiastical authority. That whatever-her-name-is, Lilith, has the Royal Knight Order’s military backing. Add in that Marquis’ daughter’s territorial rights, as well as my family’s wealth, and we can completely establish ourselves as a separate force to resist the Northern Territory.”
Maria blinked and said to Nicole with some embarrassment, “Sorry, I do not understand your idea.”
“We need a piece of territory to develop ourselves.” Nicole quickly stood, took down a map of the kingdom from the wall, spread it across the table, and said to Maria, “That Marquis’ daughter can legally become a lord. As long as the Princess manages things properly, and I spend money to buy a piece of territory, we can use that territory from now on to develop and strengthen our own power.”
Е n u mа . і̀ d
Nicole’s eyes shone brightly. She had long wanted to accomplish a great undertaking. How had those nobles come to power in the first place? Had they not taken advantage of chaos in the country to recruit soldiers and fight their way up?
Do not be fooled by the current rule that those without noble status could not manage territory. In the past, who cared what status one had? The bigger fist was the true principle.
Maria brushed aside her bangs and looked seriously at the map. It was not only Nicole. After returning to the Royal Capital, Lilith had also said the same thing.
However, Lilith’s plan was more along the lines of gaining the appreciation of the Duke of the Western Territory, then becoming a landed noble under the Duke.
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“Where do you think we should place our territory?”
In her heart, Maria leaned toward the West. Her godfather, Saut, was the knight commander of the Western Territory. If they went there, it would be more convenient for them to do anything.
Wе̊ b̃.no v ӗ l̇ Ĕn̈ um̀a
However, Nicole pressed her finger heavily onto the South.
Meeting Maria’s puzzled gaze, Nicole laughed softly and said, “Have none of you ever thought about why the King keeps trying again and again to win over Duke Oswald?”
Maria shook her head, indicating that she did not understand. “Why?”
“Because His Majesty the King will definitely move against the Southern Territory! He is winning over Oswald not only because the Northern Territory bears the heavy responsibility of resisting the demon race, but also because as long as the Northern Territory merely stands in the neutral faction’s position, His Majesty can free his hands and boldly clean up his political enemies in the Southern Territory!”
Chaos was the ladder of progress. If they handled this properly, they would gain countless benefits.
These words suddenly enlightened Maria. That was right. Before Thorne became a hero, they could absolutely take the first step and cultivate their own force.
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And the Southern Territory was indeed their best choice at present.
It seemed there were still capable people on the team. Admiration showed in Maria’s eyes. “Good. I will contact everyone right away. When the time comes, if we all work together, we will definitely be able to make up for the regrets of the previous life.”
…
According to Paul himself, in order to better carry out his guard duties, he had to fully understand Young Lady Luna’s living habits. He also had to cultivate tacit understanding between the two of them so they would not be at a loss when an emergency occurred.
Oswald slapped his palm down. Listen to that. This was what professionalism meant. As expected of someone capable of guarding the Archbishop’s safety during travel.
Thus, Luna had been in an exceptionally bad mood recently. Paul’s body had clearly not even fully recovered, yet he ran faster than she did at her peak.
Е̃ n̆um̂ а . і̃d
Unable to shake off the tagalong, Luna obediently walked instead. Seeing her keep a stern face, the residents of Ice City were also happy to tease her.
“Young Lady, there is newly made honey cake. Do you want some?”
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Luna snorted gloomily. “Eating, eating, all you know is eating. You sugar-addicted people, did you not hear what Brother said? Diets must be regular and healthy. Eating too much sugar and oil is bad for your bodies!”
The residents burst into laughter. Although the Duke had indeed said this, when had Young Lady Luna’s figure ever been absent from the entrance of a pastry shop?
Sure enough, Luna’s next words were, “Give me one portion. Let me inspect whether the honey on it is real.”
Sitting at the small outdoor table in front of the shop and eating dessert, Luna’s mood improved considerably. It would have been even better if no one beside her spoke.
E̊ n u m̈а
“After Young Lady goes to the Royal Capital, even if you encounter food you like, do not rush to eat it. You must hand it to us first to…”
Paul’s words stopped. As if he found it difficult to say, he lowered his head and did not know how to continue.
Luna stopped her knife and fork, stared at him suspiciously for a while, then called over a server. She separated one layer of the honey cake and had it placed on a new plate before handing it to Paul.
“You just live too seriously, Holy Knight. Even someone as serious as my Brother occasionally lets himself get drunk. I heard he even lay in Lady Eileen’s arms, crying and sobbing.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Paul took the plate, somewhat incredulous. No matter what, he could not connect the Duke with the word crying.
To speak from the heart, Duke Oswald was the most dignified lord he had ever seen. He acted decisively and was extraordinarily brave… Are you sure he was not the one making others cry?
Eṅ u̇ m̃а̀ . і d̆_
Children of nobles probably could not even cry now when they heard the Duke’s name.
“Hurry up and eat. After you finish, I will take you somewhere fun.”
Paul hurriedly took a bite. It was sweet and cloying. He did not especially like desserts, but after eating it, his mood did indeed improve considerably.
During the free time when she did not need to study or train, Young Lady Luna always seemed to have endless things to do.
She was busy eating, busy running, busy arguing noisily with the residents… In the height of July’s summer, Young Lady Luna took Paul out of the city and came to a small creek in the forest.
The creek was very shallow. At its deepest, it barely reached past the knees. Beneath the clear water were large patches of fine sand and pebbles.
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Luna placed her removed shoes and socks on the grass. While rolling up her sleeves, she quietly warned Paul, “There are patrol soldiers by the big river. They are specifically there to catch people who privately go into the river. Remember, you absolutely must not shout or make noise. If we are discovered, we will be finished.”
Paul was silent for a long time. “Then why did you come here…”
“To catch crabs. The crabs here are small, but they are delicious after being fried.” As she spoke, Luna had already walked into the creek. As if she had suddenly thought of something, she turned back and sized Paul up. “Your coat looks pretty sturdy. Hurry up and take it off to hold the crabs.”
Paul stepped barefoot into the creek. A cool wind blew through the forest. He looked at Luna as she busily overturned stones to search for crabs, and his eyes filled with the image of his childhood self.
When had that child who could have fun even when playing alone left?
When had I placed my own happiness upon someone else’s joys, sorrows, anger, and delight?
Е̊nù m̄ а̌
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