So I'm a sheep.

She has a good impression of the chubby little boy, Kant, but she gets involved in a potential future battle for the throne because of him.

Sorry, we don't have enough of a relationship.

..................................................

"My lord, would you have time to visit me?"

Most people now address Sasha as 'Princess,' but Pepin is an exception; he still calls her 'Count.'

It's very empty.

Sasha nodded and followed behind Pepin when she suddenly remembered something.

The queen was clearly giving herself a hint, but how could she know that she could understand that hint?

'Is Pepin the Queen's man?' Sasha had this thought.

Upon arriving at a reception room, Pepin dismissed the maid and said seriously, "My Lord, you've seemed rather quiet the whole way here?"

"Is there?"

"Sigh, maybe it's just my imagination, but I feel like you've suddenly become much more distant from me."

Pepin stroked his beard and said slowly, "My Lord Earl, I really don't want some misunderstandings to affect our friendship."

Sasha immediately raised an eyebrow: "Prime Minister, what do you mean?"

"I am not the Queen's person."

For a moment, Sasha almost thought the short man in front of her could read minds.

But she quickly realized what was happening and looked Pepin up and down with surprise: "Prime Minister, your power is beyond my imagination."

He was able to learn the details of his conversation with the Queen immediately and made it clear without any hesitation that he was not the Queen's person.

Pepin wields considerable power in this palace!

"In this palace, some people have become weaker, and naturally some people have become stronger."

"But she is, after all, the Queen..."

Pepin shook his head: "If I hadn't gone so far this time, I would never have gone so far as to lose face completely."

............................................

Through a subtle hint, she tricked the dragon slayer into 'realizing' that he was working for her.

Given Count Salier's personality, it's unlikely he'll take sides and make a commitment now; naturally, he'll keep his distance from me in the future.

Pepin had formed a friendship with the dragon slayer by chance, and he could not tolerate the queen ruining it with a casual remark.

"The Queen and I have known each other for over a decade, and we know each other very well."

"She might be able to guess some of the things I tell you."

After a pause, Pepin corrected himself, "Wrong. Now the Queen knows me very well, but I feel completely unfamiliar with her."

"After the great upheaval, the Queen became radical in her actions, sometimes even to the point of being extreme."

“I’ve found it very difficult to predict her moves, just like this time.”

The Prime Minister smiled wryly and said, "I never expected that she would give you such a hint."

Sasha was also shocked; she never imagined that the Queen's thoughts were so complicated.

She thought it was just a hint that she was taking sides, but little did she know that the real purpose was to drive a wedge between her and Pepin.

"Do you have a conflict with the Queen?" Sasha couldn't help but ask.

Volume 1: Chapter 703 The Dauntless

“Your Excellency, you still haven’t figured it out.”

"Even if it were just me, the Palace Attorney, or you, the Dragon Slayer Earl, the Queen would not have lost your composure."

"And yet, we ended up together..."

Pepin smiled wryly and said, "You have a bright future ahead of you, while I have some influence in the palace."

"If they collude with outsiders in the future, tsk tsk, Prince Kant will probably be in a lot of trouble after he ascends the throne."

After hearing this, Sasha remained silent for a long time.

"The palace is too complicated. I think I should go back to my territory as soon as possible," the dragon-slaying hero said wistfully.

"The Queen is not the most important person; the key lies with His Majesty."

Since we've already started talking about it, let's be even more open about it.

Pepin exclaimed in admiration, "His Majesty's decision to recognize you as his sworn sister was a truly brilliant move."

"It gives you honor, but also prevents you from becoming too arrogant in a short period of time."

"Please don't feel uncomfortable. His Majesty truly has good intentions towards you and is doing this for your own good."

Sasha nodded, indicating that she understood.

"Furthermore, with this identity, you won't become very close to His Majesty or the Queen, but you'll become much closer to Prince Kant, won't you?"

Sasha paused for a moment, then looked thoughtful.

"His Majesty's attitude is very clear; it will not be detrimental to you."

“Your Excellency, you can rest assured.”

"..."

"Now that you've said that, I feel more at ease."

"But are you alright over there?"

Sasha thought it was good to have Pepin as an ally, but after the misunderstanding was cleared up, she became a little worried about his situation.

"It's important!"

Pepin's face fell: "I dare not upset the Queen in her current state."

"I'm really worried because I know I won't be able to have close contact with the Earl anymore."

Avoiding suspicion is necessary, and not just because of the Queen.

Don't be fooled by His Majesty's lack of warnings and his apparent confidence and open-mindedness; this is the present moment!

Who knows what the situation will be like ten years from now?

“Prime Minister, even if we don’t have close contact in the future, I think our friendship will not fade,” Sasha said with a smile.

"Haha, with the Earl's words, Pepin is relieved!"

.........................................

Since their last conversation, Pepin and Sasha have had no further private contact.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye, and the day to conquer the dwarves finally arrived!

"This is the Dauntless!"

At a famous lakeside location outside the capital, a colossal creature rises from the lakebed.

The Dauntless was completed during the reign of the previous king.

To maintain secrecy, the wizards cast various protective spells on the Dauntless before sinking it to the bottom of the lake.

Now that the Golden Fleece has arrived, the great warship has finally seen the light of day again!

"The ship can easily accommodate five thousand elite soldiers."

King Charles VII proudly stated, "Various supplies take up a considerable amount of space; otherwise, it could accommodate more troops."

Sasha showed an expression of admiration at the right time, but to be honest, apart from its size, she didn't find anything particularly impressive about the Dauntless.

and......

"Brother Wang, are five thousand elite soldiers enough?"

The dwarves are not to be trifled with, as they are capable of competing with the kingdom for mines.

With only five thousand elite soldiers, even a surprise attack would probably not be enough to take down the three major settlements of the dwarves.

"Haha, look over there!"

King Carlos VII pointed to what the soldiers were carefully moving, which Sasha thought were wine barrels.

"That's the wizards' masterpiece—an exploding barrel."

"When they fall from the sky, the dwarves will taste fear."

.......................................

Before even witnessing the power of the explosive barrels, Sasha was already amazed by the speed of the Dauntless.

Jack can no longer boast that the Black Pearl is the fastest ship, because it is far inferior to the Dauntless!

"incredible"

Sasha gazed at the Golden Fleece hanging on the sails, her voice full of admiration.

"Your Highness, it's not just about the Golden Fleece."

One wizard proudly declared, "Without the various magical enhancements, the Dauntless's speed would probably only be half of what it is now."

"I see"

The princess smiled and said, "You wizards are truly remarkable."

The wizard's face lit up with pride upon receiving the dragon slayer's praise.

"Once we win this battle, we wizards will once again appear before the world openly and honestly."

"Then we will be able to do even more for the kingdom!"

Is the wizard, no, King Carlos VII, really so ambitious as to challenge the Elven Court?

Sasha's feelings were quite complicated for a moment.

"..."