Cat Princess and Human Knight

Estelle, also known as the Crown of Wheat Fields, is located in the center of the vast and fertile Starfall Plain, adjacent to the shipping route of Starfall Lake, with rolling wheat fields and vineyards extending outside the city walls.

The central white castle's palace is a square main castle built of gray-white limestone, with cylindrical arrow towers standing at the four corners, thick stone walls, and narrow windows.

The fortress was fortified with double-layered brick walls. The outer wall was trapezoidal, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. Two carriages could walk side by side on the top of the wall. The city gates were equipped with iron gates and rock-falling mechanisms. Two hundred cats were stationed to protect the royal court.

The blacksmith street outside the citadel is responsible for forging farm tools, armor, and weapons.

The market next to Blacksmith Street, with its central square radiating out in a spiderweb pattern of narrow streets, became the center of commodity trading.

On either side of the square are distinct residential areas for nobles and commoners, while walking south along the market toward the lake, a magnificent Gothic church with a pointed spire comes into view.

The Church of Saint Louis was built by the current King Louis of the Golden Harvest, serving as both a hospital and a school, and its priest also served as a doctor and teacher.

The conference center, not far from the church, has a two-courtyard structure. The upper courtyard is the Seven-Tailed Parliament, and the lower courtyard is the Salt Licker Parliament. Noise can be heard from inside all year round, as the conference delegates are arguing and debating.

Further out, you'll find the lakeside area where the docks are located, with numerous wooden docks and warehouses built along the north shore of Zhuixing Lake.

The fish market here provides fresh fish, the boatyard builds and repairs boats, and the shantytowns, populated by displaced people, are a haven of filth and provide essential labor for the city.

Following the cat knight who had given the order, Alsa and the other two cats left the dock and walked along the streets past the buildings into the Acropolis, arriving at the political center of Starfall Plains, the Wheat Wave Court.

---

In front of the palace, Arsa looked back at his friend and lover, and hesitated.

"You guys wander around, I'll come out to find you soon."

Rick nodded, and the British Shorthair Blue Cat spoke heartily.

"Okay, we'll wait for you."

Gina, standing to the side, looked worried. She leaned in and kissed her lover, whispering in his ear.

"Smile, my dear Alsa, and remember to be gentle and not talk back to your father."

Alsa returned Gina's kiss and forced a smile.

"I see."

Rick, standing to the side, muttered helplessly.

"You're treating me like I don't exist, aren't you?"

The two cats, a couple, smiled at each other, and then Alsa walked into the main hall.

---

The deep corridor was covered with a red carpet, which was softer underfoot than the tenderest grass.

Alsa strode forward, the cat knights guarding him on both sides bowing to him. The gate at the end was opened by the knights on the left and right, and a mature Abyssinian cat sat on the throne in front of him.

His hair was slightly darker than Alsa's, and his eyes, clouded by the passage of time, were far less bright than Alsa's golden pupils.

This is Louis, the King of Starfall Plains, the master of the Wheat Fields Royal Court, and the current King of Golden Ears. Golden Ears.

As Louis watched Alsa approach, a tender, paternal look appeared in his eyes, and his voice was deep and powerful.

"Let's see who's here?"

My dearest son, on the day you were born, the entire Starfall Plain cheered for you, and your name resounded throughout the plain.

Alsa.

I watched with pride as you grew day by day, from a curious kitten peeking out from my arms into a righteous cat knight, standing proudly before me.

Alsa stood respectfully at attention and gave a knightly salute to his elderly father, Louis, who sat on the throne.

Faced with his father's doting tone, the still-young prince felt rather helpless. He glanced at the golden shaded cat standing beside the throne and coughed lightly.

"My father, Your Majesty the valiant and wise King of Golden Harvest, did you summon me here just to say these embarrassing things to the Archbishop?"

Alsa's shyness made Louis and the archbishop laugh at the same time.

This golden shaded cat is named Richelieu, the archbishop of the Starfall Plains diocese and the chief minister of the King of Golden Harvest.

It was he who assisted Louis in eliminating the influence of the Papacy, securing the local lords, and consolidating power to further strengthen the rule of the Golden Harvest royal family, reaching an unprecedented peak.

Louis smiled and said to Richelieu.

My son is shy.

Richelieu bowed and took his leave.

"I've finished dealing with most of today's business, and I think I should leave to give the time and space to a father and son who have been separated for a long time."

"I'll take my leave now, my king."

Watching Richelieu's departing figure, the palace doors closed again from the outside, leaving only the father and son cats.

Louis waved and said.

"Come closer, Alsa, let's talk privately."

I was surprised to hear that you had some disagreements with your teacher.

Because you have always held the Holy Claw Knight Milor in high esteem, even to the point of worshipping him, as your father, I admit I've been a little jealous of him.

I never imagined that one day you would have a conflict with him and even leave the front line without permission because of it.

This is unlike you, my child. As a knight, a soldier, your actions would be misinterpreted by the cats as desertion.

Alsa bowed slightly and said.

"Father, I did not desert my post, because there was no battlefield there at all, so how could I be considered to have deserted my post?"

I just can't understand why Professor Milor had to compromise.

We have enough troops to garrison the oasis settlements, cut off the retreat of those filthy nomadic cats, and make them pay a heavy price for their past harassment and raids on our borders.

But the teacher chose to retreat in the face of the Ice Knights' banner, watching helplessly as the remnants of the nomadic cat pack retreated back to the boundless plateau.

You didn't see how arrogant that aggressive Icemark Knights branch leader, that Earl of Don, was, spouting nonsense in front of me.

This was originally our best chance to completely annihilate the Nomad Cats' fighting force!

I am certain that as long as we eliminate these clan cats that have blasphemed the Earth Mother, within ten, twenty, or even thirty years, the nomadic cat population will no longer be a threat to our northern border.

Louis listened quietly to Alsa's complaints, then suddenly asked a question.

"You mean to wipe out the young and strong of the nomadic cat pack, leaving the old, weak, and disabled of the clan to struggle on the barren, boundless plateau?"

"Yes, as long as we kill all those clan cats, the old, weak, sick, and disabled nomadic cat populations won't survive this year. Their numbers will plummet, and they will no longer be a threat to us, ensuring peace on the northern border for at least ten years!"

Louis shook his head and looked at Alsa, sighing.

"You're wrong, my child. Things aren't as simple as you think."

Why have I tolerated the nomadic cats' audacity all this time? Is it because Starfall Plains is powerless to deal with these clan cats?

But in fact, it's not.

You need to understand that killing a cat is easy, but cleaning up the mess afterwards is very difficult.

The nomadic cats struggling on the boundless plateau are fearless because they have nothing, so they are not afraid of losing anything more.

The threat I feared from the north was never the nomadic cats, but rather the queen from even further north, the leader of the Frostwhisper royal family.

For thousands of years, the nomadic cat population on the boundless plateau has never been eradicated. They are like leeks; once one crop is cut, a new crop will quickly grow back.

If Milor thought like you and slaughtered all the clan cats returning north, then we would be mortal enemies with the nomadic cats, and the nomadic cats would surely fall into the arms of the Frostwhisper royal family.

The Frostwhisper royal family only needs to provide a small amount of food to the old, weak, sick, and disabled to gain the loyalty of the nomadic cat pack.

The kittens of those clans grow up very quickly; in just a few years, they will be adults, skilled in archery and swordsmanship. They will become the tool cats of the Frostwhisper royal family, sharp swords aimed at us.

The 100,000 nomadic cats will be like a small knife that keeps drawing blood, tearing at us repeatedly, while the Frostwhisper royal family can just watch from behind and wait for us to weaken before pouncing on us.

These ferocious cats from the north are masters of bullying the weak; they will bite your throat when you are at your weakest.

We shouldn't drive a group of fearless cats into a corner, forcing them to the enemy's side. Besides, they are a population of 100,000 cats; creating such a blood feud will do us no good.