The villain queen eavesdropped on my inner thoughts and won't let me lie down?

In the third year of the Eternal Night Calendar, in the middle of July.

The Eternal Night Empress personally led an expedition against the Orc tribes, defeating 300,000 enemies and capturing the Orcish capital, Sirena City, to avenge the blood debt of Audu that night.

Three days later, a triumphal celebration was held in the Arcane Capital.

Countless commoners and nobles of the empire rushed to Audu upon hearing the news, eager to witness the empire's first major victory in three years.

At dusk, the bells rang throughout the city, and countless citizens emerged from their homes, standing on the main roads leading into the city, while nobles reserved viewing boxes in taverns and hotels along the streets.

The sound of unified footsteps came from outside the city, rumbling like thunder, growing closer and closer.

Leading the procession was a figure in a military dress uniform, adorned with shining epaulettes and white gloves, none other than the commander of this battle, Erwin Rommel the Younger.

Behind him followed 17,624 elite soldiers selected from the five legions that had fought against the Orcs.

They might not have been exceptionally tall, but the muscles beneath their uniforms stirred envy in many noblewomen.

They were from seventeen nations within the empire, yet each possessed a fierce demeanor and sharp eyes.

They held no swords or blades in their hands, but rather carried heavy black wooden boxes.

The citizens, who had been preparing to welcome the triumphant heroes, suddenly froze, the garlands and ribbons they waved hanging motionless in the air.

They guessed what was in those black wooden boxes.

But those things seemed incompatible with the atmosphere of a triumphal celebration, didn't they?

It was clear that they contained the ashes of those who had died in the Kampsack Desert.

The battle had been glorious, but 17,624 soldiers had died far from home, unable to return to Audu in person, and could only return to their beloved homeland in this way.

The nearly 20,000-strong procession marched through the city's main streets, their unified footsteps shaking the hearts of the people, yet also creating cracks in the joyous atmosphere that had persisted for several days.

Just then, a projection of the Eternal Night Empress appeared in the sky above Audu. No matter which direction one looked from within the city, she seemed to be facing them, through some form of magic.

"The heroes have returned. Do you believe that those who gave everything for the empire are not worthy of respect?"

Her slightly dissatisfied question echoed throughout the city.

The Eternal Night Empress, clad in a pure black gown, stood before the menacing and terrifying Star Throne, devoid of any jewelry.

She gazed down upon the entire city, her gaze filled with both pressure and compassion, causing many to lower their heads in guilt.

"Join me in honoring the fallen!"

The Eternal Night Empress gently closed her eyes, placed her hand on her left chest, and slightly lowered her noble head.

She, who would not bow even before gods, lowered her brow for the fallen soldiers?

Whether commoner or noble, all were moved by her actions, subconsciously mirroring the Eternal Night Empress's gesture, honoring the fallen.

Clack!

Clack!

Clack!

The silent Arcane Capital was filled only with the sound of military boots striking the marble ground, escorting the ashes of the fallen towards their final glory.

A minute later.

The Eternal Night Empress opened her eyes and raised a hand: "Those who sacrificed themselves in this battle, regardless of race, shall all enter the National Guardian Forest!"

She opened a cross-dimensional teleportation gate, and Rommel and his soldiers walked into a lush green forest.

There were towering trees, vigorous trees, and newly planted trees.

This was a demi-plane originally created by great mages during the early years of the Green Vine Empire to reward meritorious generals. After their deaths, they were buried here, and a tree was planted for each of them.

Over the centuries, the Green Vine Empire had become a forest, hence the name National Guardian Forest.

After the National Defense War, the Eternal Night Empress expanded the National Guardian Forest into a spectacle-level structure, so that not only generals, but also fallen soldiers could be buried in the National Guardian Forest.

Behind the Green Vine Empire's glorious sweep across seventeen nations, the National Guardian Forest was constantly expanding, recording the blood shed along the way.

"Your Majesty is benevolent!" the citizens replied in unison.

"Is this the magnanimity of the Green Vine Empire..." The citizens of other nations, watching the celebration from the former territories of the seventeen nations, had complex thoughts.

"Nonsense! Do the inferior people of the seventeen nations deserve to enter the National Guardian Forest?" Many imperial nobles revealed angry expressions.

The Eternal Night Empress revealed a faint smile, as if the reactions from all sides were within her expectations, and her figure dissipated in the air:

"Enjoy the celebration, my people!"

The citizens raised their heads and cheered with twice the enthusiasm as before:

"Triumph! Triumph! Triumph!"

This was not only a celebration for the living, but the gloriously fallen soldiers also had the right to enjoy the victory.

The people of the empire were warlike and unafraid of death. The Eternal Night Empress gave the dead such high honors, further inspiring their morale and making them even more fanatically devoted to the Empress!

Including Rommel, the soldiers marching through the central streets of Audu had been somewhat uneasy about carrying ashes to the celebration, fearing that it would cause resentment among the citizens and spoil the festive atmosphere.

But thinking that their fallen comrades had the opportunity to return to Audu in such glory, they couldn't bring themselves to refuse such an arrangement.

It was not until they heard the Eternal Night Empress's speech and the cheers that resounded throughout the city that their uneasy hearts were put at ease.

Each of them stood even straighter, their eyes burning with the flames of war!

Such an empire, such an empress, we are willing to fight to the last drop of blood!

As the sun set and night fell, the true celebration that everyone had been waiting for began.

Food, wine, fireworks, and dances.

Who knew how many beautiful stories would be born?

It was just that beneath the atmosphere of revelry, many great nobles exchanged glances.

Their "patience" had run out, their estrangement from the Empress was growing, and they felt the urge to do something.

Chapter 103: Gathering at the Starry Han Palace

Outside Ice Drink Manor.

Roger, along with the entire editorial department of "New Arcana," chartered five luxurious carriages to head to the main venue of the Starry Han Palace.

Due to the large number of attendees, teleportation was temporarily prohibited for safety reasons.

Regardless of status or background, everyone had to travel by normal means of transportation tonight, except for the Eternal Night Empress.

In fact, the nobles were secretly happy about this slightly troublesome arrangement.

Because teleportation was just a matter of a moment, and adding more special effects would only result in a few 'biubiubiu' flashes.

Carriages, on the other hand, would remain parked outside the Starry Han Palace, allowing them to show off the carefully crafted designs and configurations that matched their status.

Compared to the nobles' elaborate displays in their carriages, the carriages Roger rented were as plain as potatoes just arriving from the countryside.

But this was enough.

Most of the editors of "New Arcana" came from common backgrounds and were not qualified to attend the Starry Han Palace ball.

It was a special privilege granted by the Eternal Night Empress in recognition of their contribution to the industrialization of magic.

Most of them were young people who had just graduated from the Imperial Magic Academy, recruited by Little Joey to revise manuscripts and write articles. The fact that they could attend a ball for great nobles and see the world filled them with uncontainable excitement.

If Roger hadn't been present, the place would probably have already become lively.

After all the full-time employees had boarded the carriages, Roger bowed in front of the luxurious carriage with the Charles family crest at the head of the line, extending his hand gentlemanly to Little Joey, who was at the back of the line:

"The carriages in front are all full. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to share a carriage with me, beautiful lady."

Little Joey was meticulously dressed today, wearing a dress custom-made from Audu's top clothing store that morning, adorning her youthful and invincible aura to the fullest.

"Stop with the act. This is all your arrangement. Your ulterior motives are obvious to everyone~" Little Joey grabbed Roger's hand and used it to help herself into the carriage.

In the past, she would definitely have blushed, but at this moment, she directly met Roger's admiring gaze, more generously displaying her proud figure, looking down at him with a hint of provocation.

Even without revealing the ears and tail characteristic of the Fox bloodline, just this moment of freedom and ease showed that this girl had learned to flirt.

"Correct answer. Reward: a personal full-body treatment from this manor lord."

Roger grinned, jumped into the carriage as well, and lowered the curtain.

The motorcade slowly accelerated and drove away from Ice Drink Manor. Whether something that television stations wouldn't allow to be broadcasted happened in the soundproofed carriage, only certain people themselves knew.

...

...

A hotel beside the central avenue of the Arcane Capital, in a guest room with a view of the Rommel Legion entering the city.

Charlotte Veronica sat on the bay window, hugging her legs, watching the Eternal Night Empress's figure dissipate in the air, and sighed softly.

The sigh contained helplessness and envy.

Her enemy was not only terribly strong but also increasingly skilled at manipulating people's hearts.

Giving the fallen the same glory as the living, and opening the National Guardian Forest to the citizens of the seventeen nations, would probably raise the empire's military cohesion to a new high, and the morale to fight to the death in the face of adversity would also become increasingly high.

Soldiers used their bravery as the emperor's sword, and the emperor rewarded them with glory, prospects, and wealth. Such a country would probably never lack young people with aspirations to join the army.

The methods were not complicated, but the emperors of the Veronica family, not to mention whether they could even think of them, the main problem was that they couldn't afford to play them.

The triumphal celebration and the National Guardian Forest both required considerable national strength to maintain.

Everything was easy to say when the country was founded, but as time passed, the country decayed and became short-sighted, and even the best system would have problems.

Now, it was clear that the Green Vine Empire was being forced to promote the National Guardian Forest by the Eternal Night Empress, but she had indeed succeeded, which was a big problem for Charlotte's restoration path.

Just then, a clearly rhythmic knock came from outside the guest room.

Charlotte jumped off the windowsill, sat gracefully at the table, and put on the elegance that a noble should have before saying, "Come in."

A Skybreak Army soldier said, "Your Majesty, the First Prince of the Sea Country has arrived."

He stepped aside to reveal a young man with green seaweed-like hair.

The young man's clothes were extremely gorgeous, and his appearance could be described as top-tier handsome, but what was special was that he had no legs.

Below the waist was a thick fishtail.

A merman, the master of the four seas outside the continent, a natural king in the water.

The merman royal family now worshiped the God of Knowledge.

"After many years, Princess Charlotte is still as beautiful as ever, making my heart flutter and making me want to propose to you again," the Sea Country's First Prince's voice was very pleasant to hear, almost like singing.

It was just that his gaze was quite presumptuous and aggressive, staring straight at Charlotte's moving face, not concealing his emotions.

The need to propose again naturally meant that the last time had failed.

"Shark, I think you, who is already the Crown Prince of the Sea Country, specifically made an appointment to meet me not to say such boring things," Charlotte said coldly.

At that time, the Veronica Dynasty was already full of problems, but the land always had a sense of superiority over the ocean.

Now that so many years had passed, the Veronica Dynasty was no more, and the Sea Country was becoming more and more prosperous. Things had changed, and the status of the two had quietly changed.

It was just that the two were no longer young. If the Sea Country's Crown Prince would do useless things for a youthful impulse, Charlotte was unwilling to believe it.

So she dared to sternly maintain her momentum, intending to turn the topic to business.

But Shark had a mocking smile on his handsome face: "How is this boring? If I have to say it, I still haven't forgotten Princess Charlotte's beauty."

"Sorry, I have no interest in you——"

"At tonight's ball, I have taken control of the soul of a duchess's daughter. She can help you catch that Roger, or test out the information you want again."

Shark's words still successfully attracted Charlotte's interest.

Charlotte pondered and said, "If it succeeds, I can agree to the marriage proposal and become your royal concubine."

"It's a concubine. Your current status is not enough to be the Sea Country Crown Prince's first wife!" Shark laughed.

"Are you humiliating me?" Charlotte stood up angrily.

"You better think about your situation before answering," Shark looked at him coldly.

The two's gazes sparked in the air. Charlotte was the one who softened first: "Okay, as long as you can fully help me catch Roger... I promise..."

"Hahahaha, I knew you had no choice!"