Rose Empire

After listening to this, Charlotte nodded and asked, "Cecilia is working for me now and doing a good job. It's just that she feels a little lonely living alone in Viscount Lanwan's territory. You can go and keep her company."

"Hmm? Forget it," Adela shook her head apologetically, "I don't have the knowledge of Cecilia, so I can't help her. If I go, I will probably just cause trouble for her."

"What if I also want you to live with Cecilia?" Charlotte tilted her head, blinked her right eye, and smiled.

Adela was slightly stunned, and then her cheeks gradually turned red. She obviously remembered some ambiguous past events.

"This, this requires asking mom and dad..." Adela said with a blushing face.

Charlotte didn't waste any time and stopped by Adela and Cecilia's house to meet the two girls' parents and their younger brother.

Adela and Cecilia's parents did live in poverty, they wore plain clothes and looked pale, but their younger brother was plump and looked like he had never done any heavy work.

Charlotte told Adela and Cecilia's parents that she wanted to buy Adela. The couple did not seem reluctant to let her go, but were rather excited. They offered twenty fusos, which was the price of a skilled male slave. Ordinary maids could not be sold at such a high price. However, Charlotte was too lazy to bargain and let Renee pay.

Adela and Cecilia's parents happily accepted the money, thanked them repeatedly, and hinted to Charlotte that Adela was still pure and had not had sex with anyone else since she and her sister served Charlotte.

In fact, Adela and Cecilia's parents had thought about letting Adela exchange her body for some money. But before leaving Platinum City, Cecilia lied to make her sister's life easier. She said that Charlotte liked her sister's service very much and might come back to take her sister away in the future. If the noble found out that her sister was no longer pure, he would be angry.

Therefore, the couple did not dare to push Adela too hard.

Now, this is the reason why they offer a high price to Charlotte.

Adela was in low spirits when she left with Charlotte. Compared to her sister, Adela had no objection to serving Charlotte. For a commoner girl like Adela, being a mistress of a nobleman was a good fate. However, her parents' eagerness to replace her with Fuso still made her feel uncomfortable.

When Charlotte returned to the manor, the sun had just set and Jose Melefield was still in the palace. Charlotte thought that this trip would end perfectly, but she encountered an obstacle at her own doorstep.

When Charlotte was about to enter the manor, her carriage was unexpectedly stopped by someone.

"what happened?"

Charlotte stuck her head out of the carriage and was surprised to find that Count Philip's manor was surrounded by a group of soldiers.

The appearance and clothing of these soldiers were unfamiliar, but from the crown emblem on their armor, Charlotte could tell that they were most likely soldiers of the Oran royal family.

"Stop!"

A soldier who looked like a team officer raised his hand to block Charlotte's carriage and guards.

"Who are you?" the officer asked loudly.

Charlotte got out of the car, saluted the officer, and said softly, "I am Charlotte Melfield, the daughter of the Duke of Greenfield. Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"We are the Platinum City Guards, and we are ordered to protect the safety of Duke Greenfield and his family." The team officer replied.

"Then why did you stop me from going home?" Charlotte asked.

The officer raised his chin and said, "We cannot confirm that you are Miss Melerfield. We must report to the commander to confirm your identity."

Charlotte raised her eyebrows and said, "Do I need to report to your commander before I go home?"

"Of course." The officer answered without hesitation.

"What a joke! I'm going in like this, what can you do to me?" Charlotte stared into the other person's eyes.

The team officer slowly drew out the long sword at his waist, pointed it at Charlotte, with a fierce look in his eyes. The soldiers behind him also drew out their long swords one by one.

Crash.

The guards behind Charlotte also drew their swords one by one and glared at the city guards.

The two sides confronted each other, the atmosphere became increasingly solemn, and the battle seemed to be imminent.

For a moment, the only sounds around were the whistling wind and the restless snorting of horses.

After an unknown amount of time, a sneer broke the heart-pounding silence. The person who laughed was Charlotte. She took a step towards the sword in the officer's hand.

"Do you want to kill me?"

Charlotte asked, smiling and looking into the officer's eyes, then took another step forward.

"Do you dare to kill me?"

Charlotte took another step.

"Why is your sword shaking?"

At this moment, the sharp tip of the sword almost touched Charlotte's throat, but Charlotte seemed to not care at all and took another step forward.

The city guard officer holding the sword quickly took a step back. He couldn't help swallowing his saliva: "Please, please don't move forward! Otherwise, I can't guarantee that I won't hurt you!"

"No, I just want to move forward."

Charlotte took another step forward, and the officer took another step back.

"what can you do?"

Charlotte took another step forward and the officer took another step back.

"What do you dare to do?"

Charlotte walked a little faster, and the team officer retreated so quickly that he almost tripped over the rocks on the ground. He looked so embarrassed that it seemed as if the person holding the sword was Charlotte.

"Why are you blocking the door?"

A tall general wearing gorgeous silver armor and silver feathers on his helmet hurriedly ran out of the manor with his entourage.

The officer seemed greatly relieved to see the general, and quickly put down his sword and explained the situation to the general, as if the sword was pointed at his own neck.

After listening to his subordinate's explanation, the general frowned and said to Charlotte, "Miss, we are just following orders. Even if you are really a member of the Melfield family, you should not take your anger out on these soldiers."

"Are you their leader?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes."

The general nodded.

He seemed to want to say something else, but Charlotte interrupted him directly: "Whose orders did you follow?"

"Of course it's His Majesty the Emperor!" the general answered without hesitation.

"Where's the proof?" Charlotte spread out her hands.

The general was somewhat reluctant, but still took out a warrant and showed it to Charlotte: "Here is the certificate."

Seeing the warrant, Charlotte laughed again and said, "The emperor's order is stamped with Marco Lehmann's seal?"

Marco Leman was the Privy Councilor of the Oran Empire, one of the seven ministers who made up the Emperor's Privy Council, whose duty was to handle paperwork for the Emperor.

"Isn't the Privy Councilor's seal enough?" the general said in a deep voice.

Charlotte did not answer, but turned around and snatched the whip from her groom: "The Privy Councilor is nothing!"

As Charlotte spoke, she slapped the general on the head.

This general was obviously taller than Charlotte, but he could only cover his face and dodge when being whipped. He warned Charlotte not to disobey the king's orders, but he did not dare to actually arrest Charlotte.

The same thing happened to the city guards who gradually gathered around. They were wearing armor and holding swords, but they could only watch as Charlotte beat their commander and officers into a miserable state.

Charlotte entered the manor, raised her whip and pointed at a flag of the Green Plains Principality in the manor, but her voice became gentle again. She said, "Everyone, do you see? This is the Duke's residence. You are not qualified enough to guard the Duke's house. Let Marco Lehman do it himself. With his title of earl, he should be qualified to guard the Melfeld family."

After saying that, Charlotte dropped the whip and turned away.

PS: Thank you for your monthly tickets and blade recommendation tickets, and thank you for the tips from Shuke371014647669, muyi, and Yanzhishou! Thank you everyone!

PS2: Thanks to a lazy man, the sweat of the world, and Vamos for reminding me that the previous errors have been corrected. @q@q@群一⑥巴2①7⑦一6

Volume 82: Chapter 74 Chapter Undercurrent

The reason why Charlotte picked up the whip was that there was no precedent for the city guards to send soldiers to guard the Duke's mansion.

Jose Melfield and the previous Dukes of Greenfield had come to Platinum City many times. Every time they came, they stayed wherever they wanted, and the defense of the residence was also the responsibility of the knights and knight attendants brought by the Duke himself.

When has it ever been the turn of the city guards to send troops to guard?

At such a sensitive time, the city guards suddenly surrounded the manor where the Duke of Greenfield and his family lived. Charlotte could not understand this behavior as "protection" at all.

Charlotte felt that this behavior was more like "hostage" than "protection"!

If the Duke of Greenfield had reacted a little more gently and accepted this kind of "protection", Charlotte had no doubt that the mastermind behind this would have made this kind of "protection" a routine in the future.

It is not difficult to guess the purpose of the mastermind behind the scenes in wanting to "protect" Duke Luyuan and his family - the empire is about to undergo a major change, and everyone wants to gain more control in this major change. The mastermind behind the scenes is just another chess player with growing ambitions.

On the surface, the mastermind behind this was the Privy Councilor, Marco Lehmann.

But it was obvious that Marco Lehman had no reason to offend the Duke of Green Plains, and he was not qualified to challenge the Duke of Green Plains. He could only be a representative of a certain force.

Charlotte was very curious, which faction did Marco Lehmann belong to?

However, she was not familiar with these ministers. The only one she had met a few times was Archbishop Maitland Contao, who was also the court chaplain. Therefore, even if it was just a blind guess, Charlotte had no idea where to start.

"Charlotte, are you okay?"

Andre came running towards them with a team of guards, and asked Charlotte hurriedly when he saw her.

"What can I do?" Charlotte waved her hand casually.

"I heard from the servants that you had a fight with the city guards outside?" Andre looked Charlotte up and down, but found that there was not even a speck of dust on Charlotte.

"I was just about to ask you, brother," Charlotte stopped and asked, "Why are you letting so many people block our house? What are you doing as the eldest son of the Duke of Green Plains? Why don't you chase them away? Are you sleeping?"

"But they have His Majesty's orders..."

Andre was a little hesitant. He originally felt that it was inappropriate for these strange soldiers to appear at his doorstep. This was out of the instinctive vigilance of a "prince's" son. But the city guards kept saying that they came on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor, so Andre did not insist.

Charlotte rolled her eyes at her brother: "Do you believe everything they say?"

If it is said that Emperor Leopold acquiesced to the actions of Marco Lehman and the City Guards, Charlotte felt that it was indeed possible. As the guard force of Platinum City, the City Guards were under the control of the Imperial Conference and could represent the face of the royal family to a certain extent, but not too much, which was just right to test the attitude of the "princes".

But Charlotte would never believe that Marco Lehmann's actions were ordered by Emperor Leopold.

Emperor Leopold was dying, so he invited two kings, two dukes, and one marquis to Platinum City to hold a grand wedding for Henry. Wasn't it to appease the powerful officials and ensure a stable transfer of the throne? He had no reason to do something that would anger the Duke of Green Plains and be counterproductive.

"I have seen their warrant. They are here on the orders of the Earl of Red Pine Mountain."

Count Red Pine Hill is the title of Privy Councilor Marco Lehmann.

Charlotte knew that what she said was enough, and her brother would never think too deeply about it.

"Damn it! A mere earl dares to show off in front of my Melerfield house!"

Sure enough, after Andre heard what his sister said, he immediately took his guards out to drive them away.

Half a day later, in the evening, Duke Jose Melfield of Greenfield returned with Duchess Rosie.

Rosie also went to the palace later than Charlotte and Jose Melfield, but not to meet the emperor, but to meet her sister, Queen Mary Holloway.

After hearing what happened in the manor, even Rosie's face darkened.

"This wasn't done by my sister..."

Rosie subconsciously defended Queen Mary Holloway, but after she said it, she felt that she seemed a little guilty.

In fact, it was normal for Rosie to have such a reaction. There were only a few people in Platinum City who were capable and courageous enough to plot against the Duke of Greenfield, and Mary Holloway was one of them, and the most suspicious one - because she had a criminal record.

After Helen committed suicide, Mary Holloway was the first to arrange the marriage between her sister and Jose Melfield, and she had many correspondences and negotiations with the Duke of Greenfield.

At that time, José Melefeld had already had a very bad relationship with Helen's family, the Kingdom of Cato, and he really wanted to find another ally for himself, and the Cochin royal family was a good choice. However, his wife had just passed away, and José Melefeld was not in the mood to get married again immediately, so his reply was rather vague.

As a result, Mary Holloway accidentally lost the letters, causing them to circulate outside the palace. The news that the Duke of Greenfield was discussing a marriage with the Koxin royal family became known to everyone.

I have to say that Mary Holloway's move was both accurate and ruthless.

King Ethel Hollowen of the Kingdom of Cato was furious. His daughter had just died, and his son-in-law was eager to find a new wife. He almost mobilized his troops and marched west to fight against the Principality of Green Plains. Jose Melefield was forced to immediately marry the royal family of Kosin and find an ally to resist the army of his former father-in-law.

Without Mary Hollowen's calculations, it would have been unknown whether Jose Melefield would have really married Rosie. After all, no matter how much King Ethel loved his daughter, Helen was just a princess, and it was still possible for the Principality of Greenfield and the Kingdom of Cato to maintain diplomatic relations at the political level.

The message conveyed by the letters that Mary Hollowen "accidentally" leaked - the Principality of Greenfield may have joined forces with the Kingdom of Koxin - was the spark that completely intensified the conflict between the Principality of Greenfield and the Kingdom of Cato.

Because the Principality of Greenfield is to the west of the Kingdom of Cato and the Kingdom of Koxin is to the east of the Kingdom of Cato, if the two countries join forces, the Kingdom of Cato will be attacked from both sides, which is something Ethel Hollowen can hardly tolerate.

Jose Melfeld was also a very clear-headed person. He understood that when Ethel Hollowen suspected that he had formed an alliance with the Kingdom of Koxin, he had better have actually formed an alliance with the Kingdom of Koxin, so that Ethel Hollowen's anger would turn into concern and fear.

It can be said that in this matter of marriage, Mary Holloway was indeed the mastermind behind the scenes who treated the Duke of Greenfield as a chess piece. It is not impossible for her to use the Duke of Greenfield to do something else now. After all, Henry is not her biological son.

However, Jose Melfield shook his head: "I know it's not Her Majesty the Queen."

Seeing the puzzled look in Charlotte's eyes, Jose Melfield explained: "The city guards have also been sent to protect the residence of His Majesty King Alphonse."

"How is father?" Rosie asked hurriedly, worriedly.

"It's nothing. His Majesty Alphonse had all the city guards beaten up and driven away," said Jose Melfield.

Charlotte raised her eyebrows and asked, "Are there also city guards from Duke Bonan's side?"

"Yes, and... there are also some from His Majesty Ethel's side." Jose Melfield still felt a little uncomfortable when he mentioned his former father-in-law. "However, Duke Bonan did not have any conflict with the city guards."