114. The Rhine Cabinet And The Schubert Family
Two little loli silver dragons sat together on the grass, watching the fireworks bloom in the sky.
Xia Yi snuggled up to Xia Lulu, while Xia Lulu slowly savored the cake made by her daughter's own hands.
The two stuck together.
Sticking close~
After the fireworks finally ended, the Dragon Palace quieted down again.
Xia Lulu stood up and said, "Let's go back, since we've already celebrated, it's time to rest."
"Mm…"
Xia Yi nodded her head.
As the two prepared to return together, Xia Yi bowed her head, nervously fiddling with her fingers.
Hesitating to speak.
"Mother, I, I…"
"What is it, daughter?"
"That… Wuu!"
Xia Yi became even more embarrassed.
This was just like acting coquettishly!
But she still wanted to do it in her heart.
"Can we… sleep together tonight?"
Xia Yi's voice was very soft, she felt ashamed but also hoped Xia Lulu could hear her.
"Of course, if my cute daughter wants to act spoiled, then as a mother, I'm definitely willing to indulge her," Xia Lulu said with a light laugh.
"It's not acting spoiled… It's not…"
Xia Yi weakly protested, but her face was always smiling, her attention fixed on Xia Lulu.
Even the Holy Sword's mark on the back of her hand lit up several times without her noticing.
The two returned to Xia Lulu's room, and after a quick wash, Xia Lulu changed Xia Yi into a set of pajamas.
These weren't her pajamas, but ones Xia Lulu found in her own wardrobe.
Wearing them, Xia Yi thought about the fact that these were Xia Lulu's clothes, and felt inexplicably ashamed, as if with a little concentration, she could smell Xia Lulu's scent on the clothes.
She felt like she was about to fall, her mind filled with thoughts of Xia Lulu…
This isn't right!
She couldn't help it anymore and dived into Xia Lulu's bed, feeling a bit strange about her behavior tonight.
Wasn't she supposed to use Xia Lulu's weakness to break her and complete her revenge?
Why did she end up in her bed?
Was there a mistake in her operation?
It shouldn't be!
Xia Yi thought about it, her plan was perfect, not a hint of it leaked out, even Xia Lulu was caught off guard.
Why did it turn out like this…
"Xia Yi, do you want to hear a bedtime story?" Xia Lulu also returned to the bed, leaning close to her daughter.
"No, no need!!" Xia Yi quickly objected, "I'm an adult now, I don't need to be coaxed to sleep!"
"I see." Xia Lulu blinked.
Thump thump thump.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Sorry, Your Majesty, to disturb you at this late hour, there are some matters I need to report…" the person outside said.
Xia Yi recognized the voice.
It was Lucia's voice!
She was about to have Xia Lulu send Lucia away quickly, but Xia Lulu said:
"Come in."
"As you wish."
The door opened, and not only Lucia came in, but also Sera.
But for some reason, the red dragon sisters looked like they had encountered a formidable enemy, with obvious signs of battle on their bodies, even the black stockings on their long, fair legs were torn, revealing several holes and their delicate skin.
At this moment, Lucia was stunned to see Xia Yi in Xia Lulu's bed, while Sera smiled, as if she had expected this situation to occur.
Faced with the sisters' gazes, Xia Yi felt her cheeks were hot enough to fry an egg, and she quickly grabbed a pillow to cover her head.
It's over, she's been seen by the Royal Maid Corps!
But her starting point wasn't like this at all, it was for revenge!!
Now she really couldn't explain herself.
"Princess, why are you… here?" Lucia was at a loss for words.
Because she was originally planning to inform the Queen that tonight's event was orchestrated by the Princess.
But the Princess had already run to the Queen's bed.
"Lucia, Sera, are you here to report about tonight's events?" Xia Lulu asked.
"Yes," Lucia replied.
"I already know about it, it was all Xia Yi's doing, she indeed caused a lot of trouble for the Dragon Palace, I will educate her later."
"…As you command, Your Majesty, we have nothing else to report for now, we will leave and not disturb your rest."
"Go ahead," Xia Lulu nodded, acknowledging their departure.
With that, the red dragon sisters closed the door behind them and left.
"Sera, did you know about this beforehand?" Lucia inquired.
"If you're referring to the Princess setting off the fireworks, I'm not too clear on that," Sera replied, "I just happened to notice last night that the Princess sneaked into the kitchen to make a cake."
"The Princess?" Lucia expressed her surprise.
After all, the little princess of the dragon clan had never set foot in the kitchen before. If one were to speak of status, within the entire Dragon Palace, only the Queen herself would be worthy of tasting something personally made by the Princess.
Lucia paused for a moment.
She had just seen the Queen's genuine smile, one that came from the heart.
It was hard to imagine that when she first entered the Dragon Palace, Lucia's heart held only fear and trepidation towards the Silver Dragon Queen. It seemed impossible to find any weakness or vulnerability in the Queen, as if she were a flawless being.
To describe it another way, she seemed unreal.
But after having the Princess as a daughter, the Queen had changed a lot.
Such changes were brought about by the Princess.
"The Princess really isn't straightforward, is she? Despite usually resisting expressing her true feelings to the Queen, she still went through so much trouble and even made all these efforts for the Queen," Lucia commented.
"That's very normal, sister. Because if you truly like someone, you can't hide it," Sera said with a knowing smile.
…
…
In the Rhine Kingdom.
In a room dimly lit by a flickering hearth, several solemn figures were cast in the firelight.
"How many years has it been since Wright Schubert set out to the land of dragons to challenge the Silver Dragon Queen?"
"It should be six years now, soon approaching seven."
Around the round table sat several people of extraordinary identity, who wielded significant influence in the Rhine Kingdom.
Some had white hair, aged by time.
Others were middle-aged, yet had lost their sight.
But their words could determine the future direction of the country.
They were from the Rhine Cabinet, the center of power in the Rhine Kingdom.
"Is the Prime Minister not present today?"
"The Prime Minister is busy. The Pope of the Holy Knights invited the Prime Minister for tea today."
"What does the Pope intend to do? The Holy Knights have never looked favorably upon our cabinet."
"Who knows, perhaps he's considering waging war, to challenge the dragon race?"
Someone attempted a joke.
However, the joke fell flat, as for the upper echelons of the Rhine Kingdom, it was no laughing matter.
In the Rhine Kingdom, a dazzling hero emerged—
Wright Schubert.
In the eyes of humans, he was the Sword Saint who challenged the dragon race, the brave dragonslayer who entered the realm of dragons to challenge the Silver Dragon Queen and returned alive, a legend.
Since humans learned of Wright's legend, their confidence soared, believing that dragons were not invincible, that times had changed, and even that the power of Rhine could rival the Dragon Kingdom.
But the Rhine Cabinet knew that the Human Sword Saint was a fabricated legend.
The real dragonslayer had already died in a foreign land.
The Rhine Cabinet knew these secrets mainly because of its composition.
The current Rhine Kingdom was different from the ancient Rhine.
The ancient Rhine Kingdom was once the strongest human nation on this land, with the ancient Rhine Emperor as a dominant ruler, conquering the south and the north, bringing unparalleled prosperity to the Rhine Kingdom.
The Rhine Kingdom annexed many nations, conquering smaller countries with military force and incorporating them into its territory.
That was known as the ancient Rhine.
However, what rises must fall. It seemed as if the appearance of the ancient Rhine Emperor exhausted the Rhine royal family's millennium of fortune. After his death, none of his descendants had the talent or temperament to match him, not even qualified to sit on the throne, and several incompetent rulers appeared. Under their ignorant rule, they squandered the nation's strength, causing the prestige of the Rhine royal family to decline, and the glory of the Rhine Kingdom faded.
The small nations conquered by force began to have their own thoughts, even planning to rebel against the rule of the Rhine royal family.
When the Rhine royal family could no longer support the operation of this vast empire, the four great families of the Rhine Kingdom stepped onto the stage of history, saving the collapsing empire.
The Schubert family was one of the four great families of the Rhine Kingdom.
Since then, most of the substantial rights of the Rhine royal family were divided among the four great families of the Rhine Kingdom, with the royal family serving more as a spiritual leader.
The Schubert family, for instance, completely controlled the Rhine Cabinet.
Most of the cabinet members were nurtured and supported by the Schubert family, loyal to them.
Sending Wright Schubert to slay the dragon was the decision of the Schubert family, and those at the core of the cabinet were aware of this.
Including the fact that Schubert never returned from slaying the dragon.
The current Human Sword Saint had a different identity.
"Since it's been six years without a single word, that means Wright has died in the Dragon Kingdom, right?"
"It seems so."
"…What a pity."
The speaker sighed lightly.
Wright was adopted from an orphanage by the Schubert family, a crucial secret of the family.
He showed amazing talent at a young age, likely to become a Holy Sword wielder.
Thus, the Schubert family took him from the orphanage and declared him the future heir of the family.
The Schubert family also invested many resources in his upbringing.
Wright did not waste his talent and truly became a Holy Sword wielder, elevating the prestige of the Schubert family in the Rhine Kingdom.
Most importantly, having a Holy Sword wielder allowed the Schubert family to subtly suppress the other four great families.
Making him the heir, a puppet of the Schubert family, would ensure the family's peak of power in the Rhine Kingdom.
Unfortunately, an accident occurred.
The original heir of the Schubert family awoke.
That was one thing.
Secondly, it was a matter of bloodline.
No matter how excellent Wright was, the Schubert family always had a thorn in their side; his birth was that of a lowly orphan, and for the Schubert family, with blood considered base, he was, after all, just a foreigner.
Pure bloodline is the bond between families.
A foreigner gaining such immense power, if he were to harbor ulterior motives…
This instilled a hint of fear in the Schubert family.
Previously, they had no choice, but now, with the original heir of the Schubert family awakened, they did.
Thus, the Schubert family ordered Wright to go and confront the Silver Dragon Queen.
Although it was a pity to lose a Holy Sword wielder they had painstakingly nurtured, it didn't matter; they could always train another.
After all, the Holy Sword could be reclaimed, and after its recovery, they would simply find another qualified wielder within the nation.
Wright was not irreplaceable.
His mission was complete; he could burn himself out as fuel, propelling the ancient family forward.
"Let's begin, guide the return of the Holy Sword."
Today was actually a summoning ceremony.
The Holy Sword only recognizes the souls of humans and belongs solely to the human race.
If the Holy Sword wielder falls, the Holy Sword's power residing in the weapon will vanish, reverting it to a mundane blade.
And the Holy Sword will return to the human world, waiting for the chosen one to awaken it.
At that moment, a new Holy Sword wielder will be born.
At the center of the round table floated an ordinary iron sword, lifted by a column of blue light.
The core members of the Rhine Cabinet stood up, their expressions solemn.
Then the mages began to chant, guiding the return of the Holy Sword to the human world.
However, under everyone's watchful eyes, after a long time, the iron sword that was supposed to carry the power of the Holy Sword showed no change, as still as the surface of a calm lake.
"What's wrong, why hasn't the Holy Sword been summoned back? The former Holy Envoy Wright is dead, the Holy Sword should be masterless."
"No, no…"
The mage conducting the ceremony showed a shocked expression, murmuring in disbelief.
"What's happened?"
"The Holy Sword is resisting its return."
-This paragraph says:
ReplyDelete"Lucia, did you know about this beforehand?" Lucia inquired.
-Shouldn't it be:
"Sera, did you know about this beforehand?" Lucia inquired.
Sorry about that
Delete