Botched Scheme
When I woke up the next day, seeing Veirya made me feel absolutely awkward. Veirya, however, didn’t say anything. I noticed the stain on her had vanished, so I presumed she had cleaned it off. I suppose Veirya did care about her appearance when meeting with Queen Sisi, after all.
It was the first time we had so many people around the table at breakfast, and I had a rare opportunity to actually savour the food. Achilles must’ve specifically informed the kitchen. We had lots of dishes, and they were all delicious. Leah was fond of the atmosphere. She sat there and fed everyone. I sat opposite Veirya. I felt so nervous whenever I looked at her that I lost my appetite.
“Ah, Mr. Lin, Lord Veirya, it is my honour to meet you. Lord Veirya… especially Lord Veirya… Umm… sorry for interrupting your breakfast… umm… umm… how about… how about… we come a bit later. We will come around later…”
The young man jolted so hard that he nearly dropped to his knees when he entered and saw Veirya. I didn’t understand why he was so scared of her; actually, he must’ve revered Veirya. Veirya was, without question, a hero to the soldiers, but there was no need to actually worship her, was there? If Queen Sisi saw him worshipping her, she’d definitely be jealous of Veirya. Queen Sisi wanted to be a god everyone worshipped, after all.
Veirya shook her head: “No need.”
The young man looked at Angelina with a look of surprise then shifted his gaze over to Veirya’s face. Apparently, he didn’t distinguish between them. I said to him, “This is Veirya. That is Veirya’s mother. Have you come to see Veirya for something?”
“No, I am here for you… Mr. Lin.” The young man looked over to me. He vigilantly looked at the people around and said, “It is better for no one else to hear this. If you are free, I hope I can discuss with you want I want to say. It is very important.”
“Okay,” I responded.
The look on the young man’s face was very serious. You could even say he looked imposing, as a matter of fact. I thought it was safe to assume he had something very important to say.
I stroked Leah’s head then gave Veirya a small nod. She didn’t care what I was about to do or what I wanted to say. I stood up and looked back at the young man. Then, I pointed to the room. He nodded: “All right.”
We entered the room and shut the door. He expressed, “Are you certain there will not be any eavesdroppers? What I would like to discuss with you is of utmost importance. I trust you. Of course, it is also because I do not have anyone else to discuss it with. Achilles is a useless and spineless coward, while Zero is just an oversized wild dog that is not worthy of consulting. What I am about to talk about has to do with the nation; it is very important. This pertains to the survival of the nation and Her Majesty. I hope you earnestly listen to me and not tell anyone else.”
I folded my arms: “This has nothing to do with me, does it? I think you’ve come to the wrong person. My loyalty belongs to Lord Veirya, not Her Majesty. This nation and Her Majesty have nothing to do with me. Her Majesty and I merely cooperated, because we had our own agendas that aligned. We have no other associations with each other. Don’t misunderstand I have devoted myself to her.”
“I trust you; however, this time, my goal is not to talk to you about how to serve Her Majesty. I am not here to recruit anyone for her.”
The young man was particularly serious; no naïve young man would sport that look. He tightly clenched his teeth. He had arrived before me, yet still wrestled with whether or not he should go forward with the thought. I paused for a moment as I scanned him.
I had the feeling what he wanted to say was something troubling. I assumed he was Queen Sisi’s most loyal soldiers’ representative. Given that he was wearing a purple cape, she must’ve really trust him, but it seemed as if what he came to talk about with me was… about wanting to revolt…
I thought, “Can you please all stop with that?!! This nation is Queen Sisi’s business, and she’s not even a tyrant. I won’t argue that she’s quite arrogant, but, at the very least, the things she does are, for the most part, correct. It’s just that she goes a little too far with her means. Did you not see what happened to the chapel? If she finds out you’re planning to revolt, you’ll face the same ending. Moreover, she doesn’t mistreat you military personnel; why do you want to revolt?”
I sure as anything wasn’t going to revolt; I’d die. Revolting when Queen Sisi’s reputation and power were at the apex is called seeking death. Normally, people do it when the nation is being toppled. Try it in that situation, and you’d just be cut down on the spot. No two ways about it.
There was no way I’d do something only someone brainless would. To add, he might’ve loved the nation, but I didn’t have a speck of emotional attachment. I just had some qualms about Queen Sisi. Even if I respected her and was loyal to her, I still wouldn’t share the same sentiments for the nation.
I wasn’t going to give up everything I had for something unrealistic. Furthermore, they were too simple-minded. Who would be the next monarch if they killed Queen Sisi? A kid, who’s only capable of leading an army, is bound to never become a qualified King. He’d forever be the toy for the ambitious. In fact, I reckoned the fellow might’ve been misled and hypnotised by nationalism, because he wielded power.
“You mean?” I asked.
“Are you willing to offer your intellect and determination for this land, this land that Lord Veirya fought on, was wounded on, made sacrifices on and bled on?” The boy walked up to me. He wasn’t as tall as I was, but the look of determination in his eyes was firmer than I ever imagined possible. He tightly clenched his fists and quietly continued, “We defend this land. Through every inch of land here runs our predecessors’ blood. Our blood has stained every flower here. We cannot allow Her Majesty’s pride to ruin all of this. If she betrays the nation, then we can only repair it all. I hope you can help us. The overlord trusts you at the moment. If you agree, I believe Lord Veirya will also help us.”
“Not happening.” I cut him off. I slowly walked to the door and opened it, which showed that I didn’t plan to consider his suggestion. I pivoted around and seriously added, “You don’t understand a thing. If you want to change everything, a simple revolution can’t end it. All you’re doing is seeking death. Without a Queen who can replace Queen Sisi, removing her from power is what would truly bring the most suffering for this nation.”
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