Iron Powder and Spellcaster

The Alliance Congress has not yet officially opened, and the reception held tonight at the St. Andrew Hall of the Imperial Consulate is just one of a series of preliminary foreign affairs events.

For the alliance representatives and foreign envoys invited to the reception, it is not new news that Henry the Oathbreaker appointed Prince Richard to replace Count Narzia to visit the south, but tonight is the first time Richard has attended since arriving in Plains City. Public social events.

The eyes of all the guests were firmly attracted by the young prince and his attendants. Everyone had their own thoughts and silently observed the heirs of the most powerful man in the continent.

And Richard of the Lieyang family calmly welcomed the gazes from all directions, as if he had been preparing for this moment since birth.

Count Varès, the imperial ambassador to Varn and the host of the reception, ran out of the crowd and walked up to the prince.

The prince is not on Count Varese's guest list, because the former only arrived in Plainfield City this morning. According to the original schedule, Prince Richard should make his official debut as the host at a reception specially held for him the day after tomorrow.

But this did not prevent Count Varese from greeting the prince with a respectful attitude: "[Old Slang] Your Highness."

"[Old Slang] Earl." Richard nodded.

Count Varese bowed diligently: "[Old saying] Your presence makes the house shine brightly. Please forgive me, this party is too poorly prepared and is really not worthy of your respected status..."

"[Old Speech] Okay, ok, there's no need to be so formal." Richard smiled and touched the arm of the Earl, who was twenty years older than him: "[Old Speech] I just stopped by to take a look."

Facing the prince's body movements with a touch of intimacy, Count Varese's face responded with an expression of infinite glory and emotion. He wiped his eyes hard a few times, unsure whether there were tears, but still bowed slightly, and asked with a slight trembling: "Your Highness, do you still remember my wife?"

After saying that, Count Vales waved his hand. A graceful lady walked out of the crowd and came to the prince. She knelt down and saluted, and greeted softly: "[Old saying] Your Highness."

"[Old phrase] Of course, how could you forget?" Richard kept an elegant smile, took the countess's hand, leaned down and kissed the back of the latter's hand: "[Old phrase] Madam, I haven't seen you in two years, You’re even more charming.”

It was now the eve of the opening of the Alliance Conference. At the reception at the Imperial Consulate, there were not only representatives from the republics, but also envoys from various forces on the mainland and even overseas.

Taking the opportunity of Countess Varese's appearance, other guests from the empire also took the initiative to come forward and pay tribute to the prince in turn.

For example, the consuls and consul wives appointed by the various elector princes to be stationed in Plainfield City, the envoys sent by local dukes and marquises to observe the alliance conference, the liaisons of the major guilds and chambers of commerce in the empire...

As for the public representatives of the Alliance and the envoys from more distant countries, such as Saracen, Muro and the Broken Land, most of them reservedly stayed in their positions and watched.

They were not in a hurry. Obviously, it would be Count Varese's turn to introduce other guests to Prince Richard only after the Imperial people had gone through the process.

It was during this process that the originally silent banquet hall gradually returned to its previous atmosphere - but the conversation inevitably turned to focus on the prince.

People no longer laughed loudly, but whispered about everything about Prince Richard: the relationship between the prince and the emperor, the origins of the prince's attendants, and even the style of the lace on the prince's coat.

As a result, the east and west sides of the banquet hall showed two completely different temperatures.

On the east side of the hall, the imperial subjects eagerly approached the prince, waiting for their turn to see him.

On the west side of the hall, where the representatives of the alliance gathered, a spirited old man in Chinese robes spoke with unabashed sarcasm and contempt, commenting: "Look, as soon as the son of the Oathbreaker came, he broke everyone's hearts. Caught it. The crown is really effective, even if it is not worn on the head, it can make people's knees weak."

After saying that, the old man in a gorgeous robe turned his head and asked the thin man wearing plain black clothes next to him: "Do you think so? Mr. Lionel."

The Chief Secretary of State for the United Provinces [John Lionel] replied calmly: "It is not the crown that breaks the knee, but the power, Your Excellency the Consul."

The first consul of the Veneta Directory [Giano de Bella] laughed loudly, raised his glass briefly, and paid tribute to the Secretary of State.

The standard of the reception hosted by Count Varès was very high, but it was not high enough to invite the heads of state of the United Provinces and Veneta at the same time.

But Debella and Lionel, the two most powerful men in the alliance and two enemies who should be like fire and water, actually appeared at the same time in the St. Andre Hall-the territory of the empire. Call it a wonder.

But only on this occasion can the national leaders of the United Provinces and Veneta talk face to face without any scruples, without having to think about the wording.

The surrounding guards and assistants formed a vague barrier, separating Debella and Lionel from the other representatives. Other guests could only see their faces, but could not hear what they were saying.

"So what do you think?" Lionel asked.

The Secretary of State of the United Provinces was almost bone-thin, his cheeks were deeply sunken, and his eyes were filled with bloodshot eyes that could not be hidden. But his eyes were still sharp and firm...even with a hint of madness, making people afraid to look directly at him.

Debella did not directly meet the Secretary of State's gaze. He looked at the melodrama on the other side of the hall and made a pun: "I don't know whether you can keep your agreement."

"Simple." Lionel replied coldly without changing his expression: "We will see the result within a few days."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the hall, Sigfrid, the prince's blond military attaché, was growing tired of the "performance" in front of him.

Absolute power brings absolute status. Every look, every smile, and every body language of the prince will be magnified and interpreted by onlookers. Public communication between royalty and nobles therefore involves a complex set of protocols to avoid sending the wrong message.

This set of red tape may be necessary for its existence, but Siegfried has seen it too many times in the palace, and he never thought that the rebels in the south would come again, so he was a little annoyed.

Richard quickly noticed Siegfried's change of mood - after all, Siegfried and the other orphans were Richard's playmates until they were sent to military school.

He knew very well that Siegfried, who had a strong self-esteem, had hated being rude and polite since he was a child, and the emperor's respect and tolerance for Siegfried strengthened this nature.

After sending away another minor noble, Richard turned around and asked Siegfried with a smile: "[Old saying] are you still sulking because His Majesty dismissed you from your post?"

"[Old Speech] I have never had any dissatisfaction with Your Majesty, nor will I ever." Sigfrid replied seriously: "[Old Speech] Your Highness."

"[Old Speech] You lacked a sense of humor before, and it seems you will be the same in the future." Richard said in a brisk tone: "[Old Speech] The Castilians are biting you and won't let go, so they won't let you lead troops for the time being. To protect you, and also to not give the Castilian barbarians an excuse to cause trouble. How about you stop being so stern and go have some fun for yourself?

Sigfrid frowned: "[Old Slang] I don't think there will be any fun here, Your Highness."

"[Old Slang] Isn't it fun enough to chase ladies? I can see several ladies keeping their eyes on you."

"[Old Slang] I have no interest in them."

"[Old Slang] So what's the fun?" Richard asked with a smile.

Siegfried replied seriously: "[Old saying] It's rare to come to the south. I want to see the rebel army and understand their organization and tactics. It's best to watch the battle up close... This is probably the only interesting thing in this land. thing."

"[Old saying] I'm afraid there's no chance in Vane." Richard laughed dumbly: "[Old saying] You'd better go after the lady. Go ahead and sow seeds to nourish the fertile soil. Don't worry about my safety."

Sigfrid originally wanted to say something, but after looking at the other attendants of the prince, his ice-like expression softened a little.

He nodded and saluted the prince. After receiving the prince's response, Sigfrid walked to the edge of the hall.

…

At the edge of the hall, there are long tables with drinks and food.

From the moment he saw Prince Richard walking into the banquet hall with his attendants, Aaron's behavior suddenly became abnormal.

While everyone else was standing on tiptoes, scrambling to catch a glimpse of the prince's true face, Aaron almost hid under the table, like a rabbit hiding from a hunter.

But Aaron quickly discovered in despair that even though he had tried his best not to attract attention, the tall blond man still walked straight towards him.

With no way to hide, Aaron got under the dining table and, using the cover of the tablecloth, climbed to the other end of the long table using his hands and feet.

As a result, as soon as she cautiously stuck her head out, a huge force came from behind, grabbing the back collar of her shirt and lifting her up.

It's Siegfried.

Although Siegfried tried his best to maintain an expressionless state, the corners of his eyes were still twitching uncontrollably: "[Old Slang] Why are you here?"

Now that she was caught, Aaron - or Princess Elizabeth - simply gave up on herself. She no longer deliberately suppressed her voice, but showed the brightest smile and waved hello: "Good evening, Earl Harlan, you are like this Isn’t it impolite to mention me?”

"What's wrong with your voice?" Sigfrid asked coldly.

"Oh!" Elizabeth replied proudly: "It took a lot of effort to make my voice hoarse. Don't worry, it will get better after a while."

Siegfried was still cold: "Your Majesty knows you are here?"

"I...I did not tell dad..." Elizabeth shuddered subconsciously, and argued forcefully the next second: "But! Everything in the Eternal City cannot be hidden from dad! Since...since I have not been captured, , that means dad acquiesces..."

Over there, Mavey came over with a bottle of wine and asked Siegfried happily: "Do you know each other?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened, she looked at Mavey and then Sigfrid, and asked in disbelief: "Do you know each other?"

Siegfried ignored Elizabeth, but looked at Mavi: "I guess you are here too."

"Wherever there is free wine." Ma Wei raised his hands and said proudly: "Wherever there is free wine, I will be there."

Elizabeth was very dissatisfied with being ignored. She tried hard to get away from Siegfried, but the latter's hand holding Elizabeth's collar did not move.

She had no choice but to give up her resistance temporarily and asked angrily: "Have you known each other for a long time?"

"Of course." Ma Wei nodded as if it was a matter of course, pointed his thumb at Siegfried, and said with a smile: "I am the one who came here in his carriage. If it hadn't been for Siegfried, I might have been there long ago. Killed by some clumsy swordsman in an alley of the imperial capital."

Sigfrid still ignored Elizabeth and just asked Mavey: "You have arrived in Varn, what are you going to do next?"

Ma Wei stretched out, took off his hat, and scratched his sparse hair with some distress: "I can't go back to the Eternal City anyway, so I have to continue to 'go out to collect materials.'"

"Fetching materials?"

Ma Wei replied coolly: "I have almost visited the territory of the empire. Next, I plan to travel to the territory of the rebel party. I found... the stories here are much more interesting than the stories of the empire."

"Do you have money?" Sigfrid asked bluntly.

"No." Ma Wei chuckled: "But don't worry about me, I won't starve to death anywhere - I can also play the lute."

The two talked to each other, but Elizabeth was ignored, which made her feel inexplicably aggrieved.

After the beast-fighting performance in Castile, Siegfried's attitude towards Elizabeth suddenly became colder - although it never seemed warm on the surface, Elizabeth could feel the flames under Siegfried's iceberg. went out.

As always, Elizabeth was proud and refused to admit defeat, but her heart also felt empty.

At this moment, Sigfrid's attitude of deliberately ignoring her made Elizabeth feel aggrieved and extremely angry, and tears flowed out unsatisfactorily. She began to struggle desperately again: "Let me go! Let me go!"

Seeing the doubtful looks from others, Siegfried let go of his hand. Elizabeth didn't run away, she just started sobbing quietly.

"Why are you crying?" Ma Wei asked curiously, and he couldn't help teasing: "Like a girl!"

Siegfried frowned upon hearing this, stared at Mavey for a while, took a deep breath, and sighed. At this moment, His Excellency the Earl had a splitting headache.

Just as Siegfried struggled to say "please stop crying" to the princess, there was a sudden commotion outside the banquet hall.

There was the sound of horse hooves, shouts and even the faint sound of musketry.

The door to St. Andrew's Hall was forced open, and a group of murderous and heavily armed Union officers stepped into the hall.

On the west side of the hall, Secretary-General Lionel exhaled after witnessing this scene.

His tense shoulders and back relaxed for the first time, and the madness and sharpness in his eyes disappeared. He seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, but he also showed an unprecedented feeling of relief.

Lionel took the first glass of wine from the table, looked directly into the eyes of Consul de Bella, smiled and said the toast: "Farewell, your lord consul - to our destruction."

Having said that, the State Secretary downed his drink and walked towards the uninvited guest with his head held high.

The sudden change caught everyone off guard. On the other side of the hall, as the natural leader of the imperial subjects present, Prince Richard was the first to face the intruder.

"This is the Imperial Consulate!" Count Varese shouted: "Tell us your intention of coming!"

The leading officer held his sword, his face hidden under his iron helmet: "Don't get in the way, we only want to take one person away."

"[Old Slang] Everyone here is our guest." Prince Richard said unhurriedly: "[Old Slang] If you want to take people away, you need my permission.

A cold voice came from behind: "Don't be nervous, gentlemen, they are here to see me."

Men and women in fine clothes gave way to the road, and John Lionel, dressed in plain black, walked out of the crowd alone.

The officer who came to arrest the person was about to step forward immediately, but was stopped by the prince's attendants. The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and the banquet hall was so silent that you could hear a pin drop.

"Your Excellency Lionel." Prince Richard stood between the soldiers and the Secretary of State and extended an invitation to the latter: "You are my guest, and I am willing to provide you with all necessary shelter. You are safe here. ."

"No need, Your Highness." Lionel sneered and replied mercilessly: "I would rather let them take me away."

After that, Lionel walked straight to the intruding soldiers and asked, "You want to tie me up?"

The leading officer was startled and solemnly saluted: "No, please leave with me... I promise that you will be treated fairly."

"I don't need any justice." Lionel stared at the officer responsible for arresting him: "I only want you to answer one question - who betrayed me?"

The leading officer could not answer, so he could only raise his hand and salute again: "Your Excellency, please leave with me."

Lionel repeated his question word for word: "Who betrayed me?"

"Your Excellency." The officer couldn't bear to use force, but he couldn't answer directly: "Please leave with me."

"Who?" There was blood in Lionel's eyes, and the crazy look came back to him. He gritted his teeth and said, "Betrayed me?"

"No one betrayed you, Mr. Lionel." A calm and magnetic voice came from outside the door: "It was you who betrayed us all."

Richard Milehouse—Assistant to the Chief Secretary of State for the United Provinces and John Lionel's most trusted lieutenant—entered St. Andrew's Hall.

Under the dome, everyone who recognized Malhouse was in unprecedented shock, and everyone who did not recognize Malhouse was desperately trying to find out who the stranger was.

In the chaos and disorder, only Mavey's eyes were shining and his breathing was rapid. He held the arms of Elizabeth and Sigfrid tightly and asked excitedly over and over again: "Look! Look! What's happening here!" Isn’t it much more interesting than the intrigues of the nobles in the Eternal City?!”

[226 can’t be written as 226, crying]

[I shouldn’t be able to update the next chapter tomorrow, because the next chapter will be a big chapter and it will be the last chapter of this volume]

[As for the fugitive princess, although it is outrageous, similar outrageous things have really happened in history (face covering)]

[On the night of March 17, 1623, a man who called himself Tom Smith knocked on the door of the British Embassy in Madrid and insisted on meeting the ambassador]

[The then Ambassador Digby was shocked to discover that the man calling himself Tom Smith turned out to be the Duke of Buckingham (1st generation), a favorite of the British King]

[This is not all yet, the bigger one is yet to come - when the Duke of Buckingham knocked on the door, there was a man who called himself John Smith hiding across the street.

[John Smith is Charles, Prince of Wales, first heir to the throne of England]

[This incident can be called the biggest diplomatic farce in the seventeenth century. The prince of England and the Duke of Buckingham wore fake beards and disguised themselves, sneaking out of the UK and sneaking into Spain. The whole process was like smuggling]

[It was during the Thirty Years' War. Although Britain did not end the war directly, it indirectly supported the Protestant Union on many occasions. Britain and Spain hope to change Britain's position through marriage, but negotiations have been delayed. Charles moved the Spanish princess with a romantic surprise attack. As a result, they were almost put under house arrest by Philip IV for seven months, but they still could not reach a conclusion, and the princess did not get married in the end]

[This historical event was cleverly used in the movie "The Mercenary Legend". The two people the male protagonist was hired to assassinate in the first place were "Prince Charles" and "The Duke of Buckingham\