in the name of the queen.

Hermitage.

This magnificent palace located in a prosperous area of ​​the city was once the bedroom of the former emperor of the Vladimir Empire, but after the former emperor died of a "cold", the palace temporarily lost its owner.

The new Queen Sophia moved to the Summer Palace on the mountain, and the Winter Palace, which had better conditions in all aspects, was put on hold.

Although it has been shelved, it is an important property of the royal family after all, and its daily maintenance must still be carried out in accordance with the specifications of the royal palace.

There are at least hundreds of maids and guards stationed here. Under the command of the chief steward, they ensure the normal operation of the palace every day, waiting for the arrival of the new owner.

This palace is good in every way except that it is a bit deserted. Although it is located in the bustling city, it feels like it is in the suburbs.

But it’s also good this way. The maids and guards who stay here punch in and out every day, and their salaries are not low, so they live a good life.

Just as the guard at the door was yawning lazily, the sound of horse hooves was heard.

He was stunned, and subconsciously looked up at the road, and saw a carriage with the royal emblem driving slowly towards them.

He was stunned for a few seconds, then instantly realized that an important person had arrived.

He was about to stop the carriage and ask questions, but was slapped away by the captain of the guard next to him.

The captain of the guard stood up straight in a standard posture that the young guard had never seen before, and his salute was textbook standard.

Watching the carriage enter the Winter Palace, the young guard couldn't help but touch his face that had been severely beaten, and muttered softly: "Captain, whose carriage is this? Why didn't you ask?"

"Shut up, you."

The captain of the guard glared at him unhappily, and after a moment of silence, he slowly said, "I don't know who is in the carriage, but the driver is General Sakhalin."

"Are you talking about His Majesty's most trusted general, Lord Sakhalin the Blade of Destruction?"

The young guard took a deep breath and looked at the carriage going away, his mind full of questions.

Who would have the honor to let General Sakhalin be the driver himself?

The young guard trembled slightly and thought of someone.

The carriage was marked with the royal emblem, and the general himself was driving it. There could only be one person in the entire empire who was so prestigious: Her Majesty the Queen.

No wonder the captain was angry. Stopping the Queen's carriage was simply courting death.

The young guard lowered his head embarrassedly and was about to say thank you to the captain of the guard, but he saw the captain saluted again with the standard posture.

This time he learned his lesson and stood at attention and saluted without waiting for the captain's call.

The same royal carriage, but this time the coachman has changed.

She is the Queen's most trusted minister, Prime Minister Miss Angelina.

The female Prime Minister, nicknamed the Winter's Grasp, looked dignified. She sat casually in the driver's seat and nodded slightly in return.

After watching the second carriage enter the Winter Palace, the young guard finally couldn't help but ask: "Captain, who is in this second carriage?"

"how could I know?"

The captain of the guard glared at him unhappily, "Stand by your post!"

Watching the second carriage disappear at the end of his sight, the captain of the guard sighed in his heart. He had a premonition that the good days of slacking off at get off work and getting paid every day were coming to an end.

Her Majesty the Queen has not returned to the Winter Palace for many years. She came back suddenly, and it seems that she will probably live here for a long time.

Serving the emperor would certainly give you the opportunity to rise to prominence, but the level of hardship would also double.

The captain of the guard sighed in his heart. If he were in his twenties this year, he would definitely cherish this rare opportunity. However, he was already in his forties and his grandchildren had begun to read and write. What else could he pursue?
Unlike the sentimental captain of the guard, the young guard's eyes were burning with flames.

Although he was a little stunned at first, he quickly realized that the empress had lived in the Summer Palace for many years and her sudden return to the palace represented a major political signal.

If the Empress lived in the Winter Palace for a long time, those who were closest to her would have the opportunity to show themselves.

Unlike some negative old guys around him, the young Plushenko is full of expectations for the future. He doesn't want to rot in the Winter Palace like the captain, living a muddle-headed life.

Plushenko was tormented by a strong curiosity. Who was sitting in the other carriage?

"Lord Roland, this is the famous Fiery Sun Square. Do you see that fountain? It is the largest fountain in the entire Rodinia continent."

Sakhalin looked at the fountain that was not spraying water, was silent for a moment, shrugged his shoulders, and slowly added in an almost self-deprecating tone: "If it sprays water."

Very good, really good. The fountain in the palace is actually dry. Where does the annual maintenance fee go? It seems that someone is going to lose his head.

The chief steward of internal affairs is one person, and the official in charge of finances cannot escape either.

These people must be liquidated!
How would Roland, who had just arrived, see and think of such an ugly scene? Would he think that all the Rurik people were this kind of people?

Looking at Sakhalin's somewhat ugly expression, Roland could probably guess what was going on.

When the emperor is not in the palace, all kinds of monsters and demons will pop out.

As long as there is enough benefit, people will do the corruption even if the result is skinning and stuffing.

Back then, there were only a few hundred Knights of the White Rose left, with an annual budget of only tens of thousands of Soviet pounds, but they still gave birth to a group of parasites like Wharton and Stanley.

The annual maintenance budget of the Winter Palace is higher than that of the Knights of the White Rose. It would be strange if there were no termites.

This is the standard darkness under the lamp.

For well-known reasons, Sophia disliked this cage-like palace.

After seeing off her ex-husband and former emperor who died of a cold, she moved away to the Summer Palace.

Of course, she didn't want to say that this was the place where she was once trapped in her empty room and where her ex-husband was strangled to death, so in theory this was still the emperor's palace, and the Summer Palace was just a temporary palace.

Since it is nominally the palace where the emperor resides, it must be well maintained.

But because Sophia didn't like it, outsiders didn't dare to approach the palace, so it became a place of filth and dirt.

After realizing this, Sakhalin felt a little overwhelmed, so he quickly waved his hand to call a maid over, and after giving her some instructions, she took Roland to continue the tour.

"here."

Sakhalin's expression became more and more ugly, and he said in a cold voice: "Leonardo's "The Son of God" by one of Talia's three great painters used to be placed here."

"Perhaps the housekeeper put it away because no one appreciated it."

Roland smiled and found a way for Sakhalin to get off.

Anyway, this is an internal affair of the Vladimir Empire and has nothing to do with him.

Although his status as a cardinal minister was far above that of the prime minister and theoretically the same as that of the vice emperor, he was in a very upright position.

He was here to fulfill the contract.

He worked for Sophia for five years, doing both work and effort, but he could tell the difference between close and distant friends.

Even if you work for three countries, there are differences.

Queen Sussex is his favorite wife, so this is his homeland.

The Queen of the Golden Kite Republic is his future wife, so it is his second homeland.

Vladimir Empire? I'm not familiar with them at all. We were even enemies before.

If it weren't for Sophia's terrifying sword, Roland would not have wanted to sign this indenture contract.

Now that he's here, he must do his job well. Although his moral standards are relatively flexible, he still understands that you can't defeat the enemy by provoking others.

Vladimir Empire, just going to work.

Roland's understanding made Sakhalin feel a little better, but he still silently kept in mind these parasites who were secretly digging into the royal family.

Just wait for me, this matter must be reported to the Queen.

These damn rats, don’t let any of them escape!
Sakhalin gave Roland a grateful look and continued walking towards the banquet hall with Roland.

There are many very precious works of art and statues along the way.

Sakhalin no longer dared to continue the introduction. He simply skipped the tour stage with the universal excuse of "don't let His Majesty wait for us" and went straight to the banquet hall.

Because they hurriedly skipped the scheduled tour, they arrived a little early. The welcome dinner was still being prepared in the banquet hall, so the two had to drink tea in the lounge next door.

"Last time in Val City."

“In Baishan a few days ago.”

Perhaps because they felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward, both of them were ready to make some small talk, but they happened to speak at the same time.

After a few seconds of silence, the two of them laughed in unison, which eased the awkward atmosphere a lot.

Sakhalin was somewhat dissatisfied with Roland in his heart, but he dared not question Sophia's decision. Thinking of Roland's future boss, he had to lower his posture.

He smiled and said, "Lord Roland, I just remembered the time when we first met and we were competing with each other outside the square. After so many years, I can no longer understand your strength."

Sakhalin and Roland had only two encounters in total, one was the battle in Val City, and the other was the Battle of White Mountain.

The Battle of White Mountain was Roland's highlight moment, and Sakhalin didn't want to mention it, so he simply brought up their first fight.

Although he suffered a loss in that contest, at least his hard power crushed Roland at that time, and he was just fooled by Roland's cunning.

Roland naturally knew about his little thoughts.

Roland certainly didn't care and completely understood Sakhalin's feelings.

Put yourself in their shoes. It is somewhat embarrassing that the largest country in the world cannot find an all-round talent internally and Her Majesty the Queen has to hire one from abroad.

As a high-ranking official in the empire, it would be strange if Sakhalin didn't have a bad temper.

Roland even thought this was a good thing. Having a good temper was a plus. If the team left behind in the Winter Palace was as lifeless and idle as this, who else could he count on?

Sakhalin was a man of great reputation, so Roland was of course willing to give it to him.

"General Sakhalin, I've always remembered this. Your grip was so strong that I found my knuckles were cracked after I returned. It took me a long time to recover."

"Actually, I lost that time. I just took advantage of it."

Roland was indeed no match for his opponent in the contest of strength, but it was not that serious.

He was just giving face to Sakhalin.

After he said this, Sakhalin felt embarrassed and quickly skipped the topic and started talking about the Battle of White Mountain.

In the Battle of Baishan, although they were on the flower sea battlefield and the outer battlefield respectively, and faced opponents of completely different levels, they were all winners after all.

Their extraordinary path was not the type of cultivating in the deep mountains and old forests. Sakhalin needed to continue to make achievements in the army, and Roland needed to teach in more places. The Battle of White Mountain directly spanned three return days, and the next return day would take a long time to wait, so they had a lot of time.

Time is the most amazing force.

After all, it is the first year of the Seventh Era, so there is no need to rush.

The two were chatting happily, and before they knew it, they were talking about the Battle of White Mountain and the aftermath of the war.

Sakhalin told Roland about the demands of his two allies and sincerely sought Roland's advice.

Roland pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Your two allies of the Vladimir Empire."

Before he could finish, a cold voice came from outside the door.

"Sir Roland, it's our Vladimir Empire, not you."

Sophia had just arrived and happened to hear Roland's habitual statement, and immediately corrected it.

The half-closed door of the lounge slowly opened, and it was Angelina who appeared at the door.

She looked at Roland with a smile and said, "Your Excellency the Duke, the welcoming dinner is ready. His Majesty is waiting for you in the restaurant."

She really wanted to find some embarrassment and embarrassment on Roland's face.

Unfortunately, she failed.

Roland acted as if nothing had happened and even wanted to invite Sakhalin to go with him.

restaurant.

There is a long dining table.

Sophia sat at the main seat at the end of the long dining table, Roland sat opposite her, and Angelina and Sakhalin sat on the side closer to Roland.

The distance was really far, and even felt a bit distant, but Roland and the others were not surprised.

Sophia has always been like this.

It would be hard for everyone to accept her if she suddenly became enthusiastic.

Roland was not dissatisfied with Sophia's cold attitude.

In fact, Sophia's attitude was much better than he thought. When she swung the sword, she could have sent the others away and enjoyed the results alone, but she didn't.

She could also break the contract and force Roland to kneel down and beg for mercy under the sword energy, but she didn't.

She fulfilled her promise, allowing Roland to come and serve as the cardinal minister, and also gave him a rich territory and the title of duke. However, Roland was busy having children at home and delayed his appointment.

Fortunately, his marksmanship improved rapidly after he broke through to rank five, and he finally planted the precious seeds of life in Sif's fertile garden.

The gestation period of the elves is longer, about twelve months.

Roland naturally felt different when he thought about becoming a father at the beginning of next year.

He spoke in a kinder manner than before and smiled more obviously.

Actually, there is nothing wrong with working here at Sofia.

The boss is capable and the company has a good foundation. Although the relationship between colleagues cannot be said to be harmonious, they can get along with each other with the boss's support.

The only problem is that it is too far from home. It takes more than 2,000 kilometers to go home.

Thinking of this, Roland suddenly felt that the fresh and tender shark fin he had picked up was no longer fragrant.

Sophia, who was tasting caviar, saw Roland's lonely look from the corner of her eye and said softly:
"Cardinal, if you have something on your mind, just speak up."

Roland did not hide it, but just whispered: "I miss my wife."

Angelina kept winking at Roland, but still couldn't stop him from saying this.

You can say you miss home or even that you are not used to the food, but isn’t it a bit rude to just say you miss your wife?

Would it be possible to have a conversation if I mentioned these things to a woman who had never received favor from her husband or even killed her ruthless husband?

Sakhalin lowered his head and dared not speak.

The Queen has always had a bad temper, but she is relatively tolerant towards her ministers and generally doesn't get angry.

Unless someone pokes her scar.

The spoonful of caviar Sophia had just scooped up hung in mid-air.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop, but it seemed to be just an illusion.

Roland vaguely felt that Sophia seemed angry, but also not angry.

Just as he was wondering what Sophia was thinking, a cold voice floated over.

"That's easy. Let's settle down here. Angelina, ask Roland privately which girl he likes and help him propose marriage. Since she is the Cardinal's new wife, you have to keep a close eye on her."

Roland: "."

Wait, what kind of logic is Sophia thinking? When an employee complains about being away from home and missing his wife, the boss would normally promise to give him more vacation time, not to give him a wife.
Although I complained bitterly in my heart, this is indeed Sophia's style of doing things.

He had no choice but to raise his glass, smiled and shook his head, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty, but I have very high requirements for my wife. She must be strong, beautiful, and able to walk with me. Excuse me for being frank."

"I understand. You are talking about Angelina," Sophia asked directly.

"I raised this child from childhood. He is very outstanding. He is in no way inferior to your wife, lover, or sister. What do you think?"

Sophia's eyes were clear, just like the blue sky; she was serious.

Sakhalin lowered his head and gnawed his elbow like a brown bear, pretending to be deaf and dumb.

Angelina was stunned by Sophia's sudden proposal.

It was unknown how long it was before she jumped up as if she was on fire.

"Your Majesty, what nonsense are you talking about? I have never thought of getting married. I want to stay with you forever."

Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Roland quickly stood up and stated his position.

"Your Majesty, the foundation of marriage is love. A marriage without love is doomed to tragedy. Miss Angelina has her own life, you..."

Roland regretted what he said halfway through.

He wanted to slap himself twice.

You are just asking for trouble. Mentioning a loveless marriage in front of Sofia is just asking for trouble.

Angelina was also shocked.

Roland has touched Sophia's scar more than once today. Is he here to work or to duel?

She even forgot that she was a bargaining chip.

The atmosphere was extremely tense. Just when everyone thought Sophia was about to lose her temper, she slowly put down her knife and fork, with a hint of a smile on her lips.

"You are right. A marriage without love is unfortunate. I feel that deeply."

She smiled very calmly because she had really let it go.

Compared to her glorious past and the more brutal battle of her future, her emotionless ex-husband was as insignificant as a buzzing mosquito.

It had bothered her before, but it was over.

After the Battle of White Mountain, how could she be bothered by such a small matter.

Sophia could laugh, but Roland and the others didn't dare to join in. She was generous when she laughed at herself, but they felt like they were asking for trouble when they laughed along.

"Cardinal, I was just joking. I know about your relationship with Sif, and I have sent you gifts. When will the formal wedding be held?"

"Let's wait until the peace talks are over. Business comes first." Roland wiped the sweat off his forehead and said with a smile.

"Then let's set it for the end of March, and hold it here. You are the Duke of Kazan, a cardinal minister, and the most important official in the empire. As your lord, I have the obligation to prepare a grand wedding for you."

Seeing Roland hesitate to speak, Sophia smiled and asked, "Cardinal, if you have any requests, just ask directly."

Roland really wanted to say, "I want to hold my wedding in the sea of ​​flowers in Baishan," but he had to swallow the words back.

"No, I just want to know where the wedding room is and whether there is wedding leave."

"Of course there is wedding leave. According to the imperial law, civil servants can take a week of wedding leave. Cardinal, you are the head of the imperial ministers, please set a good example."

Sophia's words were gentle, but not negotiable.

Just one week, that's enough.

A poet from my hometown once said that if a relationship is to last, there is no need to hug each other every night.

Even though we can’t hold our wedding in a sea of ​​flowers, at least we can enjoy our honeymoon moments in it.

Seeing Roland accept the arrangement, Sophia nodded with satisfaction.

She pointed at the magnificent building outside the window and said with a smile, "This used to be my residence. It was also the bedroom of successive emperors. It's pretty grand, isn't it?"

"It's a perfect combination of artistic elegance and the grandeur of the North. Sometimes I want to own a palace like this."

Everyone knows how to say nice things, and this is not a problem for Roland at all.

However, Sophia's next words caused Roland to crash again.

"Since you like it, I'll give it to you."

Sophia picked up the wine glass and ended the matter with a smile, "Angelina, you take care of the transfer procedures. You should also take care of Roland's wedding and have them prepare it according to the standards of an emperor's wedding. After all, the cardinal's wife is the queen of a country, so you can't be disrespectful."

Angelina quickly responded.

Although it sounds outrageous, if you think about it carefully, it is reasonable for Sophia to send people to prepare a wedding for Roland.

Roland has no parents and no family, so it is reasonable for the lord to care about the life of his subjects.

The banquet ended in a "joyful" and "peaceful" atmosphere, and everyone was very satisfied.

Roland, who had obtained the Winter Palace inexplicably, watched Sophia and others leave in a carriage. Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly thought of something.

Wait, the Winter Palace is mine now, and those parasites are embezzling my things!
That's my money! My artwork! (End of this chapter)