At the Imperial Palace’s office in the North.
“You asked for me, Regent Freya?”
“Yes, Tanya,” replied Freya.
If you didn’t know their identities, you’d probably mistake them as two kids playing house. After all, the regent in question was just a fourteen year old girl, while Tanya wasn’t that old, either. Nonetheless, playing house on the throne in the Imperial Palace would be bizarre beyond words. The two weren’t playing house. One of them was the North’s regent, and the other was the general of all military personnel in the Imperial Capital.
Freya waved her hand to signal for Tanya to sit. She explained, “Tanya, I need you to lead a team of guards to Troy City. Go and see what exactly happened there. Troy City has gone out of control. Why am I totally unaware of what’s happening at Troy City? I suspect somebody is running it as its ruler behind the scenes. Tanya, you are Brother’s trusted warrior. You need to investigate what exactly happened at Troy City. Find out who is pulling the strings behind the curtains at Troy City.”
“Understood. I will take back Troy City. However, one team of guards is too few. I request an army.”
Freya smiled then waved her hand: “You’ve got it wrong, Tanya. While this is undoubtedly a very serious matter, it’s not what you think. Nobody has declared sovereignty over it or occupied it with a military. It’s merely due to Brother’s rule there weakening as a consequence of his long absence. Lots of the rules he set are no longer being implemented. As a matter of fact, there are people in the Imperial Palace there who have begun to stop serving him.”
“Umm… I am sorry, Regent Freya, but I honestly cannot tell what the difference is. If there is somebody that is doing that, should it not be solved if I were to just kill all of them? I do not really understand politics; I am merely a guard. Please provide me with a clear command. What exactly should I do at Troy City?”
“Uh…”
Freya hopelessly touched her head. Tanya didn’t lie. Tanya would probably resolve the matter in an unacceptable way.
“Who else can I send, though?” wondered Freya.
“Oh, right!” exclaimed Freya, catching a moment of realisation. “Tanya, what do you think of Miss Ling Yue? I mean, what do you view her as?”
“King Troy’s mistress. She may be an anthropoid, but she is different to other anthropoids. She is kind and pretty. Additionally, King Troy really likes her.”
“Would you obey her orders, then?”
“Yes, for she is King Troy’s lover. I will obey the commands of all those King Troy trusts.”
“Great. I will arrange for Miss Ling Yue to accompany you to Troy City. Once you arrive, be active in Troy City. I am sure Miss Ling Yue will be able to discern what happened there. Her tribe did once serve the imperial court here. She’s equipped to discern who is currently in power at Troy City. You just need to follow her directives.”
“Understood.”
Freya let out a breath of relief. Ling Yue may not be a political genius, but in the past, her Moon Fox Tribe was in charge of assisting the King of the North; therefore, she definitely learnt something from then. Even if Ling Yue couldn’t figure out what exactly happened, she, at least, wouldn’t allow Tanya to go on a killing rampage at Troy City. Having Ling Yue restrain Tanya was enough.
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Current time in the Royal Palace at Hilles City.
Nier and I went to check in on Daisy after we returned to the Royal Palace, and then I went to look for Mommy Elizabeth. I was eager to know what happened.
I pondered, “Something related to me happened at Troy City? Or rather, something related to Mommy Elizabeth and me at Troy City? Something at Troy City that could impact Hilles City would have to be connected to the new church. Furthermore, their pope just came looking for me, which means that they must’ve done something. Not only is whatever happened related to me, but it’s also affecting Hilles City. What could it be?”
I went into the study. Castell nodded and shut the door behind him. I remembered what happened with Mom in the study last time. The thought made me feel a little fearful, yet strangely eager, for some reason. However, Mom didn’t look as relaxed as yesterday.
“Son, do you know why I called you here? Have a good think. Have you done anything that’s related to Troy City?”
“No.”
I didn’t even need to think. I wanted to go and investigate the new church, but Mommy Elizabeth kept me by her side. As a result, I didn’t get to go and look into things at Troy City. Had it not been for Mom telling me that something related to me had happened, I probably wouldn’t have remembered Troy City.
“Did you lose or lend the seal Mommy gave you to anyone, then?”
“No. The seal should be with Freya at the moment. I wouldn’t carelessly leave something so important somewhere and most definitely wouldn’t loan it to anyone.”
“Is that so?”
“Are you suspecting me of something, Mom?”
Mom stood up. She assumed a thinking posture and sauntered over to me. She shook her head: “No, Son, Mommy will unconditionally trust you; but nonetheless, it’s precisely because Mommy unconditionally trusts you that this matter is perplexing. Mommy shall tell you what happened. A batch of guns was sent into Troy City. The new church instructed a team to deliver them here.”
“That’s impossible! Hilles City…”
“Hilles City forbids the import of any guns; however, if it was under your or my orders, then weapons are allowed in. I never gave such an order. The reason they were able to import the guns was because they had your hand-written letter with the royal family’s seal. The guards let them in because they saw that. In addition, Troy City produced the weapons. When you combine all of these points with the fact that the new church’s pope just called out to you, it’s difficult for people to not suspect you have some sort of under-the-table agreement with the new church to help them bring weapons in.”
“I didn’t…”
“Didn’t Mommy say that Mommy unconditionally trusts you? Mommy knows you wouldn’t do such a thing. If you wanted the throne, it would’ve been yours long ago. You have no reason to go there. Moreover, you don’t have any reason to sympathise with the new church, let alone have chances to interact with them. That’s why Mommy is bewildered. Firstly, how did they obtain your seal? Secondly, what does the new church want those weapons for? Even if they have your seal and letter, my influence is more significant at Hilles City. Starting trouble here would only result in me annihilating them. What does the new church want? Mommy can’t figure it out now.”
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