Unspeakable bubbles

After hearing Carmen's words, the little girl looked thoughtful.

As for the duke, she defined him as 'a bad guy who wanted to rob Bubble'.

However, even though he's a bad guy...

Thinking of the letters Carmen had shown her last time, Bubble realized that William might still be salvageable.

"Bubble wants to take advantage of this holiday to visit William at Boyle's house."

"Your Majesty, you must take me with you!"

Carmen quickly said, "Things in the Southern Alliance aren't going well; only a few lords around the Yog territory have immediately gotten involved."

“The other lords were clearly interested, but they were hesitant to agree because of William’s reaction.”

"If Your Majesty can persuade William to join, then the formation of the 'Southern Grand Alliance' will be a foregone conclusion!"

"..."

"Carmen, why doesn't William agree? You contacted him, didn't you?"

The little girl was very puzzled. Wasn't William going to all that trouble just to get 30% of the profits from the Golden Trade Route every year?

Now that Carmen wants to cooperate with him, it's like handing over what he's always wanted.

This time, William was unwilling?

"I have written several letters to Duke William, but they have all disappeared without a trace, and I have not received a reply at all."

"I'm afraid Your Majesty will have to speak with him personally."

"As for why I disagree..."

Carmen smiled, and William, of course, couldn't agree at this point.

At this critical juncture, William's agreement was tantamount to admitting defeat. If even the "big brother" of the South had backed down, it would be only natural for his underlings to side with the Yog family.

It can be said that once William accepted that 30% cut, it was tantamount to automatically relinquishing his hegemony in the South and surrendering to the Yogites.

Gold coins are tempting, but power is more captivating.

"William still can't see reality; he's already lost his chance."

Carmen shook her head: "Stubbornly refusing to admit defeat is not good for anyone. I hope Duke William can be a rational person."

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

William frowned as he looked at the letter in his hand over and over again, appearing preoccupied.

Several letters had previously arrived from Yogtis, but as soon as he saw that they weren't signed by Bubble Yogtis, he immediately threw them in the trash, showing absolutely no interest in opening them.

This time, however, it's different!

The young count not only wrote a letter himself, but also said in the letter that he would visit him soon.

William immediately sensed that the visitor was up to no good, but at the same time, he also felt a slight sense of relief.

He's not afraid of anything else now, but he's afraid that the little count will act unpredictably and insist on stirring up internal strife to fight him to the bitter end!

'Fortunately, it seems the young count still wants to talk to me.'

'But, do I really have to back down?'

William hesitated greatly. Sometimes, taking a step back is not a way to open up a vast expanse, but rather a bottomless abyss!

"Someone come here!"

"Your Grace?" His attendant immediately approached.

"Call Thorne over here."

"Yes!"

As soon as Thorne entered, William immediately dismissed everyone around him.

"Thorn..."

He was about to ask something when he noticed that the Blue Wing Army commander reeked of alcohol and looked dejected.

"Thorne, you need to shave."

"Master, it's all my fault!"

Thorne knelt on the ground, and said painfully, "You trusted me so much, yet I let my brothers lose their lives in vain..."

"enough!"

William was furious. He slammed his fist on the table and yelled, "Look at the state you've become! I thought your dejection was just temporary, but it seems you're really going to be completely ruined!"

"Patriarch, patriarch, I suffered a defeat. I caused heavy losses to the Blue Wing Army. I am guilty, I am a sinner..."

"Ha, you'd be a fool to win!"

William said in a deep voice, "The other side is an entire legendary legion. What are you going to do with the few men you have? It's a miracle that you were able to escape."

"You are innocent. If anyone is guilty, it is me!"

“I made the wrong decision; you were just an executor, nothing more.”

"Don't take all the blame on yourself. Humph, to put it bluntly, you're not qualified to shoulder such a huge mistake by yourself!"

"But, but..."

Thorne stared blankly at William: "If my men hadn't ignored their ominous premonition and decisively ordered a retreat, brothers..."

“Thorne, how do you compare to Kelly?” William asked.

"Your subordinate is naturally far inferior to the Commander-in-Chief."

“Then let me tell you, even if Kelly had been in command before, he couldn’t have done a better job than you.”

William said calmly, "The Kheshig army was renowned, and given the truly unfavorable circumstances at the time, Kelly was able to make the decision to sacrifice a pawn to save the king."

"But those skeletons seemed to appear out of nowhere. Before the fight started, who would have thought they were legendary?"

"Based on this inexplicable feeling that something is wrong, who would dare to retreat?"

"..."

"Thorne, stop being so down. Think about what Kelly expects of you."

"He gave his life to bring us back..."

William stared at Thorne and asked, "Is this how you repay him?"

Thorne trembled all over, and suddenly burst into tears.

'It'll be better if you cry it out.' William breathed a sigh of relief.

He had high expectations for Thorne and didn't want the young man to be unable to get back up after just one failure.

After a while, Thorne wiped his face and asked, "Master, why did you call me here this time?"

"Thorne, I'm asking you."

"Do you think those skeletons held back so your hundred riders could escape?"

"..."

Thorne was silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

“Master, if the enemy intends to annihilate us, we will definitely not be able to return.”

"I see, I understand."

William tapped the table lightly with his knuckles: "Did you meet that young count on the battlefield?"

Thorne recalled carefully: "Countess Yog, she was sitting on the shoulder of a huge golden skull, and she herself did not go to the battlefield."

"kindness"

"..."

"Thorne, one last question."

William waved the letter in his hand: "Countess Yog is planning to visit the Boyle family soon; she is probably here to negotiate with me."

Do you think we can accept this kind of negotiation?

Thorne's expression changed, and he gritted his teeth, wanting to say something.

Seeing William staring at him expressionlessly, he felt a chill run down his spine, but didn't speak immediately.

"...Master, I believe we can talk!"

"Even if that count killed many of your good brothers, almost causing you to collapse?"

"..."

Even so,

Thorne said with difficulty, "Even so, we must talk!"

"Nothing is more important than the interests of the family."

Section 566, Chapter 565: Prior Offenses

William neither agreed nor disagreed with Thorne's answer.

But judging from the Duke's expression, he seemed quite satisfied.

"Once you've sobered up, go to the barracks more often. Don't let people think you, Thorne, have really become despondent," William reminded him.

"Understood!"

"Okay, go down."

William had already made up his mind, and he decided to have a good talk with the young count who was about to visit.

If that young count was indeed able to tolerate the Boyle family, it wasn't because he was trying to stabilize himself first and then settle scores with the Yog family later when they became more powerful.

that……

"Taking a step back is not necessarily a bad thing."