Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 197 The New King
Goodwin and Horst left one after the other, with servants following at a distance on horseback to prevent Horst from killing in a moment of panic. Only when they entered Landinium did the servants finally relax and allow the Danish raiders to return to their courtyard in the northern suburbs.

"You've all worked hard. There's mead and smoked meat in the cellar. Get some rest tonight. I have something to trouble you with tomorrow."

“No problem. Serving the Queen and the Grand Eunuch is the greatest honor of my life.” Swalin saw off the servants and ordered his men to light a bonfire and indulge in the wine and meat in the cellar.

Perhaps due to its long storage time, the mead had a peculiar bitter taste, prompting everyone to loudly curse and complain that the palace steward had served them inferior goods.
Meanwhile, at the royal palace.

Goodwin carried the wooden box into Ragnar's bedroom and asked the chief steward, "Where is the key?"

After searching for a while, Horst, anxious and impatient, drew his sword, broke the copper lock, and tremblingly took out the edict.

The will was brief: the eldest son, Ivar, the second son, Bjørn, and the third son, Hafdan, would continue to govern their respective territories; the fourth son, Uber, would go to northern Denmark to become Duke of Denmark; the youngest son, Sigurd, would inherit the throne; and Aslach would serve as regent. Ragnar's coffin was transported back to Gothenburg and buried with Lagossa.

After everyone had taken turns reading the edict, Goodwin said solemnly, "His Majesty did mention to me that he would be buried in the countryside of Gothenburg after his death. So it seems that the edict is genuine."

“That’s right,” echoed the chief steward, Paffees. “His Majesty said the same thing to me.”

At this moment, Goodwin's voice suddenly rose, announcing to the palace guards and servants outside, "By His Majesty's decree, Sigurd inherits the crown of the Kingdom of Britain and pays homage to your new king."

After saying this, the Prime Minister knelt down on one knee first, followed by Theowough and Parfice, then Alfred and the other young servants. The palace guards and servants outside also knelt down, leaving only Sora and Horst, the brother and sister, frozen in place.

Amid the shouts of the crowd, Horst realized he had no chance of winning, and slowly knelt down on one knee, pondering his future.

Sigurd became king and Aslaci became regent. He would not tolerate an outsider like himself controlling Londinium. Would he follow Uber to northern Denmark to live a hard life?
"Long live the king!"

"God bless the new king!"

To be on the safe side, Goodwin decided to hold the coronation ceremony early the next morning. He instructed the chief steward, "The treasury is empty, so keep it simple."

"Understood." Parfait bowed and slowly walked out of the old king's bedroom.

Noticing that no one was behind him, he quickened his pace and arrived at an inconspicuous door, where he knocked three times.

A trusted voice came from inside, "My lord, I'm here."

Parfais entered the room, her voice barely audible, "Is everything settled?"

The servant nodded. "Those raiders are drinking mead like crazy. The drug has probably already taken effect. There's no need to worry about them leaking information."

Paffeus showed no pity for such dirty workmen; this was a lesson he had learned from the Eastern Roman court: once caught up in this vortex, one should be prepared for the consequences.

He stretched out his thick right hand and asked his confidant for the original copy of the will, but the other party replied indifferently: "Burn it. I'm worried that this thing will cause trouble. It's better to destroy it as soon as possible."

Burned?

Paffees stared at his confidant for a long time, then suddenly smiled and patted him hard on the shoulder. "Parker, you're such a clever fellow. It's a shame you're staying in Lundinium. How about going to Constantinople? You'll have more room to grow there."

Parker smiled amiably in return. "No need, Your Excellency. I only wish to live a peaceful and prosperous life." "Of course, with such achievements, what is a little silver?"

Upon leaving the room, Parfais immediately changed his demeanor. Parker was unwilling to hand over the original will because he feared suffering the same fate as Swalin.

"I reckon this kid entrusted his will to a friend, who will deliver it to Queen Sora as soon as he hears of his death. Not a bad way to save his life. Until I find that mysterious friend, I'll let Parker live in peace for a while."

The following day, all the nobles and wealthy people of Londinium gathered at the palace to attend the coronation ceremony of the new king.

Sigurd, only eight years old, wearing a crown and a heavy red cloak, walked to the throne under the watchful eyes of the crowd, sat upright, and began to receive the people's pleas of allegiance in turn.

Sigurd's left sat his birth mother, Queen Mother Aslaci, who occasionally turned her head to whisper the names of nobles to her son.

The seat to the right of the throne belonged to Queen Sora and had been removed. Asraci sent her maid that morning to hint to her that she should move out of Lentneum as soon as possible.

"Although we've been fighting for so many years, we're still decent people. As long as she gets out of my palace, the past is forgotten."

With this thought in mind, Asura glanced at Queen Sora and the fourth prince Uber in the crowd. Sora's expression was indifferent, as if all of this had nothing to do with her, while Uber looked dazed, still unable to accept reality.

"A simple-minded fellow, only concerned with drinking and having fun with that bunch of hooligans, even missed seeing his father one last time. He's nothing to worry about."

The will stipulated that Uber would become the Duke of Denmark, nominally ruling all of Denmark, but how could he control Nils, the ambitious Schleswig lord?

Aslaci recalled the situation in Denmark, saying that Niels had married another woman, a stout woman from the most powerful Slavic tribe in Pomerania, who was the chief’s only descendant.

It must have been quite a feat for him to abandon the stunningly beautiful Princess Eve and willingly marry such a boorish country woman.

Thinking of this, Asura became even more wary of Niels, ranking him fifth after Ivar, Gunnar, Vig, and Esselbad.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to give everything for you."

"May the gods protect your rule, King Sigurd."

Listening to the nobles' pledges of loyalty, Asra felt dejected, sensing the perfunctory nature of their words. She raised her head, her gaze sweeping across the entire hall, but she could not find a single minister who was truly loyal to her.

Prime Minister Goodwin didn't care whether Sigurd or Uber was on the throne; he only cared about his own power.

The Grand Steward Parfait was involved in the conspiracy because of greed; the damned eunuch wanted a fiefdom and coveted the vacant Earldom of Cambridge.

Theowough reacted coldly; he had never wanted to take over as Lord of the Seas from the beginning, and had been forced to leave his stronghold out of fear of Ragnar. Now that the old king was dead, he would soon submit his resignation and return to Oxford to live a carefree life.

"As the Duke of Mercia, this man's command skills are poor, his popularity among the people is extremely low, and his danger level is far less than that of the other dukes, not even as good as a count like Nils. Oh well, let him be."

(End of this chapter)