Knight and Wand

Chapter 343 Transfer of Power
Time passed slowly, and the discussions of the nobles gradually died down.

During the long wait, a noble, unable to bear the impatience, pulled open the curtain on one side of the hall.

The hazy morning light before dawn made the outside slightly brighter, and along with the view of the palace courtyard, what came into view were the palace guards surrounding the outside and standing high in the tower.

The strict control that prohibited entry and exit had already made people in the hall vaguely aware of something, and speculation spread among the crowd.

Suddenly, several Dusk Blood Guards entered the hall, came in front of several nobles, and whispered respectfully in their ears.

Then they left Twilight Hall together.

Leon silently watched the nobles and lords leaving in the corner.

Except for special cases like the Sea Dragon Duke of Westral, most of the princes and nobles who were suspected of being summoned by the king were those who supported Redwin III and the most loyal nobles, even including Count Feodor of the Thorn Flower Family.

Leon stroked Olivia's fingers, lowered his head to think, and secretly made some guesses.

Thanks to the many movies I watched in my previous life, I have seen pigs run even if I haven't eaten pork. Ledwin III has not shown up until now, and the Royal Guards are controlling the situation in this way.
Lying on the small bed in the side hall bedroom, the somewhat sleepy Ines looked at Agatha who was sitting beside the bed and guarding solemnly. With her confidant who had just woken up and was guarding her closely, she finally relaxed and closed her eyes to take a nap.

I don’t know how much time had passed, but when the sky could illuminate the curtains through the glass, the call of the Dusk Blood Guard came from outside the door.

Agatha had to turn around and gently wake up the sleeping princess.

She stood up and tidied her messy hair. Although Ines had made expected preparations upon learning that she was summoned, she still felt uneasy when the moment came.

Coming to the hall outside with Agatha, several of the king's favorite concubines and his younger half brothers and sisters were also summoned by the king's guards.

However, Ines did not see Prince Rickdo in the crowd.

The gathered royal family members, followed by the escorting guards, came to the main hall of the palace which had been blocked all night.

Walking in the corridor, Ines saw that the Blood Guards did not lead everyone to the throne room, but went all the way to her father's bedroom. At this moment, she had no other speculation in her heart.

As if they had realized something as well, the king's concubines' eyes also turned slightly red, and their suppressed sobs were covered up by these beautiful women with handkerchiefs.

Of course, Ines knew that even if three out of ten of their sobs were out of genuine sadness, it would be an overestimation. These women were more worried about whether they could continue their previous palace status and treatment in the future.

At this moment, perhaps only the younger brothers and sisters who were held or hugged by the favored concubines still did not understand what was going on.

Arriving outside the king's bedroom filled with candlesticks, the kingdom's ministers and direct descendants of princes and lords were standing on both sides. It was obvious that the handover at the highest level had been quickly concluded in the night.

As a direct blood relative of the deceased queen, Princess Ines was led at the front and entered the huge room.

A cool breeze blew, and the king, who was lying quietly with his eyes closed on the luxurious bed with curtains, seemed to have aged a lot overnight, as if he was sleeping tiredly.

His face was tense, but not that of a living person. His body, which was covered from the chin to the collar of his robe, was lying on the couch, and there was no movement of his breathing.

Sitting on a chair beside the bed was Crown Prince Eric, dressed in king's robes and a crown on his head.

His left hand was holding the cold hand of his deceased father, and his right hand was holding the golden dragon claw scepter that symbolized royal power. His face was gloomy, and in addition to sadness, there was also visible suppressed anger in his eyes.

The crying sound quickly spread among the concubines.

Ines looked at her father lying lifeless on the bed. She witnessed her father's death with her own eyes. She couldn't tell whether she felt regret or joy in her heart.

Even if he didn't die on the battlefield fighting the Golden Lion Queen, he would have died at the hands of an assassin in the turmoil. No matter which fate it was, was this the destiny of Redwin III?

Was he destined to die this year?
Years of hard struggle, resistance, calculation, helplessness, hatred and resentment finally turned into Ines's mixed sigh.

Even if you are a monarch who is above millions of people or a king who fights on the battlefield, when the end of fate comes, life is still so fragile.

Eric glanced at everyone, his face serious, no longer his usual carefree temperament.

".The king was unfortunately assassinated and returned to the kingdom of Vinolys. I have inherited my father's crown and will continue to protect the kingdom. I hope you will mourn with me today."

Ines, who was at the front of the royal procession, nodded slightly, walked quietly to the bedside, stroked her skirt, slowly knelt on the cushion, bowed her head and clasped her hands in prayer.

Such occasions are not only a time to mourn the king's death, but also a symbol of submission to the authority of the new monarch.

Closing her eyes, she tried her best to send her father off as a daughter rather than a princess, but she did not shed tears.

Since she was born, she had never shed tears of sadness, not even when her dear mother passed away alone, let alone this guy who had never fulfilled his responsibilities as a father.

The royal family members in the room also knelt down following the third princess's actions.

The next moment, the king's concubines began to mourn and sob, and the young princesses and princes also sobbed ignorantly along with their mothers' crying and the depressing atmosphere.

In Ines' silent mourning, compared to the complicated emotions about her father's death, her sadness was more for her second brother who had not even shown up at such an occasion.
After everyone bid farewell to the body of Ledwin III and witnessed the new King of Orland taking over the throne, the royal family members left the scene one by one and returned to their residences, anxiously waiting for the next arrangements.

When they were alone, Ines got up from the rug and stayed alone.

"Has Brother Rickdo been killed?" she asked directly.

Eric stared at the girl with sad eyes and nodded slowly.

"I came back from the Dragon's Nest last night and stayed in a separate palace near Dragon Mountain. Fortunately, the guards rescued me in time and I escaped the disaster. But Rickduo and my father were resting in the main palace area and were not so lucky.

Masques has captured the wizards who tried to kill my father and Rictor, and I have sent people to torture these damned bastards."

Hearing this, Ines couldn't help but lower her brows and sigh.

The Atias people colluded with Vizmara and other sorcerers to assassinate my father and two brothers, presumably in order to cause unrest in the kingdom.

Using such incredible means, the king and two direct male crown princes were murdered in one night. The father had no brothers, so the right to inherit the throne would naturally fall on the heads of the remaining princes born to the concubines.

Once such a situation occurs, the families behind the favorite concubines who helped their father win the civil war will undoubtedly fully support their grandsons to take the throne. Such unrest is not without precedent in the history of the Northern Kingdom.

It's a pity that my second brother, who was harmless and only cared about learning rather than power, met with an accident. He was truly the most innocent person in this turmoil.

The only thing that made Ines feel fortunate was that thanks to Leon's timely interruption of the magic that paralyzed the palace, one of her two brothers survived after all.

At least from the perspective of the kingdom, it was the greatest blessing for Orland that his brother Eric, the crown prince, was not killed.

"The minions of the Atias Empire have repeatedly caused chaos, and their spies have obviously infiltrated the kingdom long ago. Brother, we can't let them bully us." Ines suggested calmly: "I learned from the Undead War that they also played a role in the war between Kantadar and Serian. Brother, why don't you send reliable sea merchants to cross the sea to the wizard kingdom and find out why they frequently stir up the storms of the kingdoms even though they are thousands of miles away."

Eric's face was gloomy, and he gritted his teeth in anger: "Once the situation in the kingdom is stabilized, I will send spies there."

Ines frowned, remembering what she had learned from Leon and Master Atias in another destiny, and quickly reminded:
"We can't just send spies to infiltrate. Those Atias wizards are cruel and brutal. As long as they have the slightest suspicion, they will use magic to forcibly read the souls and memories of ordinary people. They can also use magic spells to control the life and death of ordinary people. We can lure and encourage ordinary sea merchants to explore that mysterious country, so that we can get more real intelligence."

Eric raised his eyebrows slightly and asked casually, "Do you know Atias well?"

Ines did not tell the truth, but nodded naturally: "I heard Brother Rickdo talk about some of the Atias Empire before he died. He has always been very interested in the customs and practices of the other side of the continent."

After thinking about it, Eric seemed to accept his sister's advice and responded, ".I understand."

Seeing that her advice was accepted by her brother, Ines lifted her skirt and bowed respectfully to her brother who had become the king. Without saying anything more, she was about to leave.

But Eric raised his hand and called Ines.

He looked back at his father on the bed, stood up and put his cold hand back under the quilt, then turned to his sister and said, "When my father was alive, he was always worried about your marriage. Ines, you are now over eighteen and will be nineteen by the end of the year. It has been delayed for almost seven years. Your marriage cannot wait any longer. How can a princess not be engaged before she is fourteen? I know you only like men who are worthy of you, but Rickdo's example is a bloody lesson."

Eric's eyes showed some pain. "He was as willful as you. He delayed his marriage for the so-called soul mate, but now he has been murdered and not even his bloodline is left. I can't let you continue to act like him."

Ines looked at her brother in surprise, his face full of concern and seriousness, but soon she saw through his true purpose from his seemingly caring words.

The same statement, even though it seems to be more sincere than my father's attitude, the intention is exactly the same as my father's when he was alive.

The vast territory, army and title under his name.

Pursing her lips, Ines was surprised. After the unexpected events overnight, the girl began to look at her silly brother with a new respect.

However, she was not so anxious about this rhetoric in the name of family affection.

"What do you think, brother?"

"Savis of the Deyatuk family, Aurad of the Osdor family, or even Ackerman of the West family."

Eric tapped the ground with his scepter, and Yin Ran already had a parental attitude.

"Brother, you are so anxious about Ines' marriage, but aren't you not engaged either?" Ines asked back calmly.

Eric shook his head. "My father was in his prime before this, and you are not unaware of the intricacies of the royal party. As the crown prince, I cannot rush into an engagement. But now that I am the king, I will not delay the appointment of a queen. You don't have to worry about this."

"Who does your brother want to enthrone? Could it be Ms. Julie?" Ines crossed her arms.

Eric's heroic brows trembled slightly, and he lowered his voice helplessly, revealing a sad look.

"Julie has been murdered."

Ines couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. She thought that the eldest daughter of Duke Roman, who was sticking to her brother, should be safe as well.

"In order to appease and compensate the Osdor family, I decided to marry Julie's sister, the third daughter of Duke Roman, as the queen."

Eric waved his hand and turned the conversation back to his sister. "You don't need to ask more questions about this matter. I want to get a definite answer from you in front of our father. This is your responsibility as the daughter of the Hecha family."

Faced with her elder brother's relentless pressure, if she hadn't been in such a situation, Ines would have been unable to help laughing.

But she had already witnessed with her own eyes that she was also qualified to be king, so she didn't buy into this argument.

Besides, from today on, there will only be one choice for your husband, no matter in the past or in the future.

"Please forgive my willfulness, brother Wang. Perhaps you don't need to worry about my affairs." The girl refused without giving in.

Eric frowned: "Of course I have the right to ask, I am not only your brother, but now I am your monarch."

"Not entirely." Ines put down her arms and held her waist calmly: "For the duchesses of Xiwan County and Shuangxia City, it is indeed true."

"But for the deputy commander of the Jihad Alliance, the Countess of Kachin County, I can decide my own fate. The Sobonitz Territory is not under the rule of King Orland."

The prince's brother has not yet obtained the full authority of their father. She knows that he will not break away rashly just to covet her territory. Now it is just a test.

As expected, Eric slowly put away his majestic face and stopped forcing her. Instead, he sighed helplessly, "Are you really in love with Baron Pendragon? As the daughter of the Hecha family, are you willing to be his mistress?"

"Don't say such harsh words. The gods have never stipulated that a man can only have one wife." Ines was too lazy to say anything more and turned away.

When she reached the door, she turned around and looked at her brother as if she was recognizing him for the first time.

"Besides, does Brother Wang really care about my marriage?"

The backs of the three princesses of Orlando who refused to give in disappeared.

Eric slowly relaxed his frown, as if he had given up his plan for the time being.

The new king of Orland turned around and looked at the body of Ledwin III lying on the bed.

".Are you too anxious?" A hint of amusement slowly appeared in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)