Knight and Wand

Chapter 313 Long Night and Many Dreams
Leon methodically responded to the questions raised by the daughter of Duke Roman one after another.
Prince Eric, who was standing by, watched Julie chattering like a curious baby, and couldn't help but jokingly said, "Hey, Julie, if you keep chatting with our Lord Snake Slayer like this, I'll be so jealous that I'll challenge Lord Pendragon to a duel."

Hearing this, Julie stopped talking about the topic that she had not finished. She turned her head to look at Eric with an innocent look on her face. She leaned forward and coaxed him softly, "Dear, I just want to help the sisters know more about this great hero who is sung in poetry. Don't be angry, my brave Dragon Prince~"

Eric pretended to be overly happy, and hugged his female companion tightly. Then he looked at Leon and said with a smile: "If it weren't for those fools who came to disrupt the meeting, we would have been competing in the arena. I hope my father can resume the competition as soon as possible, otherwise my hands are itching to compete with you in private. Ha, everyone, continue chatting. Julie and I will leave for now."

After Eric left with his female companion, Ricoto, who was talking to Ines, stopped talking and expressed his gratitude to Leon for the assassin warning he had recently conveyed through his sister, and said that he would reward him handsomely soon.

But before saying goodbye, he thought seriously again, turned to his sister and said, "I'm sorry, I have something to say to Lord Pendragon."

After saying that, regardless of Ines's strange expression, Ricoto pulled Leon away from her and whispered earnestly, "As a thank you, I have to remind you, Sir Leon, that since you already have a wife like Miss Olivia, it is impossible for you to become a 'competitor' for my younger sister's husband. Although I don't know how close your relationship with Ines is, to avoid trouble, you should still pay attention to keeping a distance from her. This is also responsible for your wife, isn't it?"

Leon raised his eyebrows, his eyes puzzled, how come even the royal family members began to believe this rumor?

Rickdo misunderstood his expression and quickly explained, "Don't get me wrong, I don't want to interfere with your personal relationship, nor do I presumptuously accuse you of being loyal to your wife. I just heard that after meeting with Duke West, my father gave up his original plan to marry the Sea Dragon Family and intended to have Ines be engaged to Seavis, the eldest son of the Border Marquis of Deyatuk.

If you and Ines continue to maintain the rumored "close relationship", you will be involved in unnecessary trouble. Although your reputation is becoming more and more prominent now, Deyatuk is also a powerful family in the kingdom that cannot be underestimated. They are also the allies that my father has always wanted to win over for many years. This is my personal well-intentioned advice, please listen to it for the time being."

After saying this, Rickduo stopped talking, nodded and left without saying anything more.

If the other party was not his savior, he really had no interest in getting involved in the political turmoil among the kingdom's nobles.

Leon looked at Rickdo's back, which looked like he had good intentions, and felt speechless.

In the eyes of outsiders, is it true that I am too close to Ines?
To be honest, Leon believed that he had always been well-behaved, and even his partner Olivia had never had such crazy thoughts, which was the best proof.

It's a pity that he couldn't easily let Olivia show up in front of the kingdom's top leaders. Otherwise, as long as he let her and Ines attend public social occasions together in a friendly manner, the rumor would surely be self-defeating.

Leon thought regretfully and sighed.

If Ines were a prince instead of a princess, there would be nothing wrong with his dealings with her that could lead to rumors or accusations.

After all, among modern people with open minds on Earth in the past, few would believe in the so-called pure friendship between opposite sexes.

What's more, this is a different world that is now in the feudal era. If you think about it carefully, it is understandable that rumors and gossip would arise.

Leon shook his head. Whether it was Sevis or Ackerman, it had nothing to do with him. His friendship with Ines was a purely political relationship.

He already had a perfect lover like Olivia, and now he was married and had a family, so he never had any crazy thoughts about Ines.

Thinking about it this way, the reminder from the other brother makes sense. If the princess's future fiancé believes the rumors, wouldn't he be forced to act out a melodrama?

Ines leaned on her elbows, fanned herself, and walked over with a smile on her face: "Are you done talking? Did my nerdy brother Wang say anything funny or stupid to you?"

Leon shook his head: "His Highness Ricoto's reminder is very valuable. He advised me to keep a social etiquette distance from His Highness so as not to deepen the rumors and cause misunderstandings from the Deyatuk family."

Ines's eyebrows moved slightly, and the corners of her mouth sneered: "Why? Do you think I will listen to my father and get engaged to the young master of the Deyatuk family?"

Leon was stunned for a moment, then said cautiously: "I, an outsider, shouldn't interfere in the affairs of the royal family, but judging from your attitude, Your Highness, are you dissatisfied with Mr. Sevis?"

He remembered that "Severus", the eldest son of Marquis Deatuk, whom he had met once in Dragon Claw Fortress, was actually Olivia's "cousin".

The other party looked like a heroic knight who was meticulous in his words and deeds. Although the Holy Lake Knights had treated him badly because of their unauthorized entry, Leon was impressed by his serious and impartial character.

If there is no misconduct or personal moral issues, at least that person is much better than Ackerman's ridiculous fat brother and the arrogant and domineering Aorad.

Ines held up her fan to cover her lips, shook her head, and explained softly but firmly: "I also have no prejudice against Lord Sevis, but for at least five years, I will never get engaged to anyone, let alone enter into a marriage contract with others in the form my father wants."

The girl's lips, covered by the fan, smiled sarcastically: "My father is suddenly anxious to marry me off, not just for the sake of forming alliances as in the past. Brother Rickto doesn't understand how tempting the lands I own in Magya and Sobonitz are to my father.
Haha~, although I know that my father will show his hand and take the cake from me sooner or later, I didn't expect him to be so anxious that he couldn't wait to take the food off the table before it was even cooked."

Leon frowned and thought about it, then understood why the girl was so resistant to engagement.

Aenise now rules as the Lady Sovereign of the Order of the Sea Eagle, over the territories she gained during the Southern Expedition and the Undead War.

However, once Ines is married off as a princess under the arrangement of her father, except for a small part of the core territory and trusted knights that she is allowed to retain as a dowry, most of the other lands, vassals, and armies will be "inherited" by her father and the monarch of Orland, Redwin III, according to tradition.

This has been one of the traditional rules established by the royal family for thousands of years to prevent the royal land, wealth, and power from flowing out when female members are married to outsiders.

For other female members of the royal family in history, such rules did not have much impact, but for Ines, it was like tearing flesh from her body.

There has never been an unmarried princess in the history of Orland who has such a vast territory, army and political reputation as Ines now has.

Leon remembered that according to the information Azerien had learned from the nobles of Orland, Princess Ines, not counting her symbolic territory in Xiwan County, now owned more than 28,000 square kilometers of land in the Kantadar region, several commercial cities and seaports with developed commerce, and ruled over a population of nearly 400,000.

King Ledwin III would certainly not sit idly by and watch his daughter grab such a large piece of fat meat on the edge of the bowl and then put it into the pot of an outsider.

"Then Your Highness, do you have any solution?" Leon asked with a frown.

He realized that if Ines was kicked out of the house by her father using his legal advantage, it would not just be a serious weakening of his political alliance.

Once Ines gets married and moves into her husband's family, I'm afraid she and I won't be able to maintain such a close alliance in the future.

Unless her husband's family intends to form an alliance with her again through Ines.

Ines put away her fan and waved it, smiling confidently, "Of course. Five years ago, I didn't want to let my father manipulate me at will, let alone now that I have all the chips in my hand."

"Your Highness, you are not planning to split the land and start a civil war, are you?" Leon asked suddenly.

Ines' eyes widened, and she coughed repeatedly as if she was choked. She covered her lips with the back of her hand for a long time before she recovered. She tried to hold back her gaffe, and said with a helpless look on her face: "You are still the same as that day, you dare to say anything~"

While laughing, she raised her eyebrows, tilted her head and asked softly, pretending to be wronged: "However, if I really intend to violently disobey my father's will and refuse to hand over the land, if he sends troops to arrest me, will you send troops to help me?"

Hearing this, Leon frowned and felt a little troubled.

Of course he was willing to lend a helping hand to a friend in trouble, but the consequence of breaking with Redwin and confronting the kingdom's army would be too heavy a price to pay.

After all, Ines is just his friend and ally. She is not his own Olivia, for whom he would give everything for her.

“If the situation develops to such a serious conflict, I will do my best to help Your Highness mediate the conflict so that Your Majesty and you can reach an agreement that satisfies both parties.

For example, it would be a good idea to stipulate that the inheritance rights of most of the territories after your death will be stipulated to the next monarch of Orland. His Majesty Redwin will surely consider this compromise carefully. "Leon thought about it. In this way, at least the meat will eventually return to the pot of the Hecha royal family. The only difference is that it will take a few more decades.

"Haha, your method of delaying is quite good. Come on, don't be so serious. I'm just kidding. I'm not stupid enough to go to war with my father. Although my knights are loyal, they will still waver if they go to war with the king. Besides, even if you add your army, how can they fight against the entire kingdom?"

Ines tapped her fan on her arm and said confidently, "When His Majesty Casso fulfills his promise and makes you the true leader of Sobonitz in both name and substance, and consolidates the 'Holy War Alliance' we established together, I will have my own way to deal with my father."

Leon nodded, not delving into the other party's method. In any case, this was not a royal family affair that he could easily interfere in. The palace social banquet ended quickly. Later, he took Lohak and others to visit the beautiful royal landscapes such as the palace garden and the inner lake courtyard with Ines.

When night fell, everyone had the honor of attending a grand court dinner attended by the king. After the banquet, nobles of all ranks followed the palace attendants and went to the outer palace corridor guest rooms where they could stay overnight according to their noble rank, waiting to participate in the imperial assembly the next day at dawn.

After moving into the luxurious guest room of the palace, Leon stretched out on the soft bed and suddenly realized that this was the first time he slept without Olivia's company since the end of the Undead War.

Not being able to sleep with his lover's soft and petite body in his arms made him toss and turn.

Only when he was no longer embarrassed to hold the pillow as a substitute, did he reluctantly fall asleep peacefully.
I fell into a deep sleep without realizing it in the quiet night, and I don’t know if it was because I was not used to it.

I was half asleep, and suddenly I felt a tingling sensation on my scalp and back.

A hazy dream shrouds consciousness
Where do you sit?

Looking down, there is a dazzling golden hair in front of me
Is it Olivia?

I felt a sense of familiarity in the dim light, and instinctively reached out to touch the figure half-kneeling in front of me.

However, the touch was not as soft as that of a girl.

The golden hair on the head that he rubbed back and forth was a little short and a little hard.

This is not Olivia.
Then who is this?
Doubts slowly filled my heart.

Reach out
Try to lift the other person's face.

But everything in sight seems to be covered with fog and is extremely blurry.
The only thing that can be identified is the clear green eyes.
In the gemstone eyes flashed attachment, respect, love, enthusiasm, reluctance, and inextricable longing and guilt.
!!!

Shocked by this strong emotion, Leon opened his eyes suddenly in a trance as if awakened.

In front of me was the dark palace guest room.

He scratched his head, the strange dream becoming a little blurry, with only a little memory of stroking the blonde hair remaining.

Leon sighed deeply.

We've only been apart for one day, but I miss Olivia outside the palace so much?

Feeling inexplicably stuffy in the room, he wiped his forehead and found a thin layer of sweat.

Leon had no choice but to get up from the bed, open the window, and go to the balcony to get some fresh air.

The moonlight was bright, the evening breeze was blowing, and the cool air flow made breathing much easier.

As his eyes swept across the gloomy night of the outer palace courtyard, he always felt that something was missing.

--Um? !
What about the lights manned by the guards who stand guard through the night?

Leon reacted and looked down suddenly from the balcony.

There was not a single light from a lantern in the courtyard!
In the dim moonlight, he saw a large row of palace guards lying silently in the corridor courtyard.

With alarm bells ringing in his heart, Leon glanced around and drew hand seals to detect any movement nearby.

The magic ripples spread out, and in the reverberating perception, there was no movement around in the silent night.

Without further delay, Leon leaned against the railing and jumped off the balcony. After landing, he quickly rushed to the fallen guards to test their vitality.

He was not dead. The guards still had breath in his nose, steady pulse and normal heartbeat, but he was unconscious as if he was asleep, and no matter how they shouted, slapped, or pinched him, they could not wake him up.

Comforting incense?
Leon, who had had similar experiences, first reacted to the anesthetic incense burned by the Atias people.

But in a flash, Leon denied this guess. The soothing incense would not be effective outside in the night breeze. What's more, the palace guards were all strong warriors selected from the best. Even if they stayed in the house and smoked it in their noses, it would hardly have any effect.

But no matter what means were used, it was clearly an enemy attack.

Leon stood up and wanted to shout a warning, but he closed his mouth again after hesitating.

There were more than a dozen palace guards lying in a neat row around him. Who knew if he shouted, were they calling for friendly forces or enemies who had invaded the palace?
Worried about his companions' safety, Leon immediately ran back to the guest room on the corridor. Without even knocking on the door, he pushed it open with all his strength and rushed in.

He broke in with a bang, and after his foot stepped over the threshold, Corvis habitually set up a warning spell. The magic power rebounded and impacted the caster's consciousness. However, when Leon saw Corvis lying on the dim bed, he felt something was wrong as he was still sleeping despite the stimulation of the warning magic.

"Wake up! Aka! Wake up quickly!" He ran to the bed, reached out and slapped and shook Corvis, but his partner did not respond at all. Even the attempt to transfer magic power to circulate the magic elements in his body and stimulate his nerves was useless.

In a hurry, Leon had to pick him up from the bed, put him directly on his shoulder, and rushed to the next room to check on the situation of others.

I kicked open Lohak's door and saw the same situation. My good brother was sleeping like a dead pig and couldn't be woken up even by slapping him.

Even a strong knight with extraordinary physical fitness like Lohak was hit. Leon put down Corvis on his shoulder and knew that he was in trouble.

What should I do? Go out and find someone?
Or should we try to take Akao and Lohak and escape from the palace first?

Not knowing what the situation was like outside, and whether he could take the two unconscious people out of the palace, Leon did not act rashly, but fell into deep thought.

At this critical moment when the riot just ended, the unexpected upheaval in the palace was definitely related to the Atias people.

It is unlikely that the Attias people would go to so much trouble just to pursue a few insignificant goals.

At least, the primary target will never be people like them.

The ones who are truly of the greatest value are Redwin, Eric, Rickdo, and perhaps Ines.
Realizing that Ines was now in extreme danger and that he could not sit idly by and watch his friend in danger, Leon made a decision immediately, pulled out the Neti card hidden in his inner pocket, and summoned Canis with a flick of his hand.

The magic power turned into the entity of the Neti brand hero. When the young master of the Wolf family saw the familiar "dark" environment in front of him, he immediately stepped back, drew his sword, and looked around vigilantly.

He was used to it. Not to mention other places, but as long as it was the dark and freezing underworld environment, he was definitely in a dangerous place.

"What the hell is this place?" asked Canis.

"This is the Palace of Orlanton! The Atias people somehow broke into the palace, and the people around were knocked unconscious by their methods and cannot be awakened." Leon put on his boots and gave him a death order: ". There is no time to explain. Go and move all the nobles from the surrounding rooms here, lock the doors and leave them here. Protect them at all costs and wait for me to come back. I will go and save Princess Ines and the king."

After saying that, Leon ran out of the courtyard, snatched a long sword from a fallen guard, and rushed into the darkness alone.
(End of this chapter)