You don't even want to call me godfather

After a moment's hesitation, she hurriedly took off her high heels and ran towards the horse barefoot.

She pulled the hitch off the fence, grabbed the saddle on the horse's back, and climbed up.

“Gee!” Elizaveta tried to keep her voice as low as possible, but the horse did not move. She pulled the reins and tried again to get the horse to move. “Gee!”

The black horse shook its head, took leisurely steps, and under Elizaveta's control, headed in the direction she came from.

After the horse left its original position, its other side was revealed, with Koshei and Abel Khan sitting on the steps.

The two men, cigarettes in their hands, stared at Elizaveta as she rode away on her horse as if no one was around.

"Godfather, isn't that your horse?"

Both of them seemed confused for a moment, and Abrhan was the first to react, asking Koshei with some uncertainty.

Koshei slowly stood up and walked slowly to the side of the road. Abrhan also stood up and followed him.

"Uu——"

Looking at Elizaveta's back as she rode away on her horse, Koshei put his fingers to his mouth and whistled.

After hearing the whistle, the black horse suddenly sped up, but turned around and ran towards Koshe.

"ah!"

Elizaveta was nearly thrown off the horse, so she had to lie down, grabbing the mane on both sides of the horse's head, and watched herself return to the horse's original position.

The horse stopped in front of Koshei. Elizaveta looked up and saw Koshei and Abraham standing there with their hands on their hips, staring at her with questioning eyes and looking at her helplessly.

Chapter 12 Political Marriage

In the Koshei mansion, four people were sitting face to face on the sofas on both sides of a coffee table in the living room.

"I hope you can forgive the confusion of the little girl, Mr. Cascade."

Alisa pressed down Elizaveta's head with her hands, and forced her to lower her head as well to express her apology.

Koshei looked at Abraham who was sitting next to him. The latter shook his head slightly, indicating that he could not help him out.

Although Abraham had been engaged before, he had never encountered such a situation before and was helpless in the face of the scene before him.

"Let's ignore the minor details," Koshei said awkwardly, skipping over the matter and then asking about the main business, "Mr. Alisa has come all the way to Syracuse. If you had informed me in advance, I would have treated you with great courtesy. I wonder why you are here?"

"Thanks to Godfather for your kindness," Alisa raised her head, released her hand that was pressing on Elizaveta, and glanced at her fiercely, then said, "But this time I came here on my own initiative, and I did not discuss it with the other dukes of Ursus, so it is not convenient for the news to leak out. I hope Mr. Cascade will understand."

"Please say."

Koshe glanced at Alisaveta who was looking away and acting unhappy, pretending to be confused and letting Alisa continue to explain.

"As far as I know, you just came of age last year, right?" Seeing Koshe's calm attitude, Alisa also put on her usual fake smile, put her hands in front of her, fingers interlocked, and looked very relaxed. "Mr. Cascade is so young, I wonder if his family has arranged a marriage?"

Koshe's heart skipped a beat. Although he had guessed the purpose of Alisa bringing her daughter here, and had also anticipated the possibility of marriage, when this possibility was really put before him, he was unable to make a decision for a while.

"…When my father was alive, he never arranged a marriage for me."

After a moment's hesitation, Koshe answered truthfully.

"Then could you please tell me, Mr. Cascade, if you currently have a lover or someone you like?"

After hearing Koshe's answer, Alisa's smile became even brighter and she asked further.

Koshe leaned back slightly on the sofa, looking at Alisa's uncertain expression. He turned his head and signaled to Abraham with his eyes.

Abraham immediately understood and stood up and walked out the door. He knew that Koshei was going to talk to Alisa about something that should not be known to others, so he chose to avoid it.

"Alizaveta," Alisa also looked at Alizaveta and said coldly, "Get out."

Elizaveta pursed her lips, struggled silently for a few seconds, then stood up, lifted the hem of her skirt perfunctorily, stepped back with her left foot, performed a noble etiquette, and walked out the door.

Abraham stood at the door, and after Elizaveta came out, he closed the door of the mansion and stared at her outside to prevent her from escaping again.

"There are only two of us left now, Mr. Alisa," Koshei began to act after the door was closed. He tried to appear calm and said to Alisa, "I think Mr. Alisa must have come for something important, otherwise why would he come to a small place like Syracuse and propose a marriage? Why don't we speak frankly? Only after I understand the actual situation can I make a decision on this matter, right?"

"That's great," Alisa suddenly laughed, seeming to be very satisfied with Koshe's idea. He glanced at the teapot on the coffee table, reached out and poured two cups of tea, picked up one of the cups with both hands and handed it to Koshe. "In that case, I won't beat around the bush with you, let's just get it straight."

"All ears."

Koshe took the teacup, but did not drink it. Instead, he held it in his hand.

"I wonder if Mr. Cascade understands the political system of our Ursus?"

Alisa didn't drink the tea either. The tea in the pot was cold to begin with. It was more like pouring tea was just a formality to show politeness. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Koshei.

"I've heard a little bit about it, but I can't say I know it well." Koshe nodded and told what he knew. "I heard that there are many nobles in Ursus, and they have considerable power in the country."

"To be honest, when the previous king was alive, the nobles of Ursus didn't have as much power as they do now," Alisa sighed and shook her head helplessly. "Then, the previous king passed away a few years ago, and the new king who took office in a hurry was too young. He neither won the support of the people nor all the nobles. He was caught in a dilemma and unable to do anything."

"Mr. Alisa... you don't want me to interfere in the internal affairs of Ursus, do you?"

After hearing what Alisa said, Koshei felt panicked. He knew that Alisa must have something to ask of him, but he didn't expect it to be related to her country's internal affairs.

"Later, the nobles gradually split into two factions," Alisa did not rush to answer Koshe's question, but continued, "One faction is the absolutist faction, which intends to control the emperor and cause chaos. The other faction is the royalist faction. Although the new king is incompetent, all matters in Ursus have been decided by the emperor for generations. The royalist faction strives for stability and does not want to lose tradition. They also do not want the absolutist faction to rule. If the nobles rule, Ursus will be in chaos."

Having said that, perhaps driven by her own emotions, the smile on Alisa's face gradually disappeared and her expression became serious.

"Based on your tone and the inclination of your words, I guess Mr. Alisa is a royalist aristocrat?"

Koshe listened quietly, then speculated when Alisa paused.

Alisa nodded in agreement, but Koshe's interruption made him unable to remember what he was about to say.

Koshe reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette case, took out two cigarettes, and handed one to him.

"Snapped."

The sound of a lighter was heard, and as the tobacco was lit, Alisa took a few deep puffs before she remembered what she wanted to say.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat and continued, "You guessed right. In terms of stance, I do belong to the royalist side. A country cannot lose its king. As nobles, we should only give advice to the emperor, not usurp his power. But it takes too long to wait for the new king to grow up. Nearly half of the nobles are unwilling to wait. They value the current situation more. Under their extremely radical attitude, we, who are more conservative than them, are often blocked and unable to refute or speak."

After Alisa finished speaking, she smoked quietly and waited for Koshe to speak.

Koshe lowered his head, staring at the cigarette in his hand, thinking for a long time before asking, "What does this have to do with your marriage proposal to me?"

"Please forgive me for deceiving you just now, Mr. Cascade. It's not that I didn't negotiate with other nobles, but I reached a consensus with a group of royalists. As long as it is a way to expand the influence of the royalists, they will adopt it. I had no choice but to come up with the idea of ​​uniting with other countries. There are very few ways to bring the monarchs of other countries into the circle of Ursus nobles, and marriage is the simplest one among them." Alisa stood up, bowed lightly to Koshe, and solemnly extended an olive branch to him. "Your performance in Lateran impressed me. Your methods are exactly why I chose you. I, the Ursus diplomatic noble, Yaros Alisa, on behalf of all the Ursus royalist nobles, sincerely invite you, the monarch of Syracuse, to join us in destroying the ambitions of the overhead faction and restore the former glory of Ursus."

Now, Koshe was in a difficult situation.

The request made by Alisa was too heavy, and to be honest, it could not even be called a request. If a big country like Ursus chose not to accept the olive branch extended to a small country like Syracuse, its fate could be imagined.

But this is bound to be a thankless task. It is easy to say that it is easy to destroy the ambitions of the top leaders, but interfering in the internal affairs of other countries is not a glorious thing in itself.

"What benefits do I get?"

After thinking for a long time, Koshe asked.

"You have just met my daughter, Elizaveta Yaros Alisa. Although she is just an adult, her appearance is one of the most beautiful in Ursus. She has been educated by the noble elite since she was a child. She has in-depth studies in etiquette and politics. I believe she can help you in various ways." The question raised by Koshe made Alisa secretly happy. He hurriedly laid out the benefits. "This is only the first betrothal gift. After the relationship between you and my daughter deepens, I will invite you to Ursus to be awarded the medal. At that time, in addition to being the monarch of Syracuse, you will also have the status of the Duke of Ursus. You can also enjoy the rights of the duke, including but not limited to financial power and military power."

"You mean... military power?"

Koshe frowned. He didn't care much about other privileges, but the military power alone was enough to make him consider it seriously.

What was Syracuse most lacking?

They are soldiers and the army.

And now Alisa regards this as one of the exchange prices for the marriage. Although I don’t know how much of what he said is true or false, it is indeed a very tempting condition.

"Yes, Mr. Cascade," Alisa saw Koshe waver and knew that he had grasped the point, so he continued, "The Ursus army has more than a dozen branches. Except for the most special 'Inner Guard' that is directly under the control of the emperor, the other branches are forces that our noble dukes can mobilize."

Koshei couldn't help swallowing his saliva. He tried his best to suppress his trembling fingers, clenched his teeth, and calmed himself down.

"How can I be sure that the conditions you proposed are true? This is only the second time we have met, and you suddenly proposed a marriage, invited me to get involved in internal affairs, and were willing to hand over military power to me. Don't you think this is a bit too ridiculous?"

Koshe flicked the ash off his cigarette, still looking unmoved.

"It's not surprising that you're skeptical," Alisa smiled. His years of experience as a diplomat were enough for him to understand Koshei's thoughts. All he needed to do now was to prove the conditions he proposed. "But I can promise you that everything I say is true. If you really don't believe me, I can first mobilize a minimum-scale military force for you to show my attitude and sincerity."

After Alisa finished speaking, she did not give Koshei a chance to ask further questions, but directly extended a hand to him in the hope of getting his answer.

Koshe secretly clenched his fists. He knew that he had already negotiated the terms to the most favorable point. If he pressed for more, the other party might turn against him, and then it would be a waste of time.

After a long while, he let out a long sigh, loosened his clenched fists, put out the cigarette in the ashtray, and then stood up.

"I suppose we are settled, Mr. Cascade?"

Alisa smiled and asked knowingly.

"I will wait for the military team that Mr. Alisa promised, and then when the time is right, I will go to Ursus to pay a return visit."

Koshe stretched out his hand and shook Alisa's hand to show his attitude.

"Of course, Mr. Cascade, the military team will arrive in Syracuse in three days," Alisa could no longer suppress the smile on his face, and he and Koshe's hand kept swinging up and down slightly, "and one day in the future, the emperor will personally confer honors and titles on you - Duke of Cascade."

PS: Let’s start diplomacy ()

PSS: Elizaveta's character design has been released. You can view it by opening the catalog and selecting a character design.

PSSS: py a book by a big guy

Here is a brief introduction:

In the 137th year of Yongchang, the Great Zhou ushered in the best era so far, with peace and prosperity throughout the country.

As a once-in-a-millennium disaster star, a person destined to live in troubled times in the Qianqing Realm, Lu Yusheng made an indelible contribution to the beginning of disaster and chaos.

"The system will reward one villain point for stealing a string of candied haws, and five points for bullying a pretty fairy. As for small cases like 'stealing candied haws from junior sister', I can do more than 300 of them a day."

"There are more than 300,000 serious crimes in the Great Zhou every year, and I can steal at least 110,000 strings of candied haws a year, totaling 660,000 villain points, which is a huge sum of money that is enough to greatly increase my strength."

"In this way, as long as I kill all the serious criminals except me, and do less bad things myself, the crime rate will drop almost in half. This is a result that the Heavenly Supervisor of the Great Zhou Dynasty cannot achieve even if he tries his best!"

Lu Yusheng took a bite of the candied haws he had just snatched from the beautiful fairy beside him, and immediately felt happy.

"Thinking about it this way, isn't it true that I alone am worth the entire Heavenly Guardian? Oh my god, I really am a good person!"

Chapter 13 Lavinia

She had had many expectations for the new head of the Cascade family.

She thought that perhaps she could truly practice a beginning of justice.

But the reality is that things often go against our wishes.

"Good morning, Judge Lavinia."

A passing judicial official greeted her.

"Hello."

Lavinia paused and nodded slightly in response.

After the new head of the Cascade family took office, Syracuse was called a new city, and the new city had different meanings for many people.

The Cascade family's dominance has eliminated the possibility of conflicts over interests. Common people are no longer without the right to care about where they should live. Everything seems to be changing for the better.

But as a judge, she was standing on the shoulders of family power to enforce justice. Behind every Syracuse judge was the support of different families. Later, this was partially unified in the hands of Godfather Ulysses.

All the existing judges in Syracuse had relied on Father Ulysses or the government for support, including her, and the appointment of Father Koshe changed the system again.

With the collapse of the government, Syracuse's judicial system finally achieved true unification, and it also had more freedom.

But this time, Lavinia had to face things that she originally had no time to think about.

From birth to study and then to becoming a judge, even though she thought that this judicial system had too many unreasonable aspects, she had grown up in Syracuse and had not experienced it firsthand, nor had she been exposed to the legal systems of other countries.

She hopes that Syracuse will no longer be restricted by her family, but what will be left of the Syracuse judicial system without her family?

Faced with such a new city, building a new system is more difficult than destroying the existing one. Moreover, Syracuse has not yet left the control of the family. How should she establish a new order?

She knew that she was just a judge and did not have that much ability. Establishing a new order was not an easy task. What she had learned and experienced in the past few years was not enough to support her in establishing a new judicial system that people could accept.

A Syracuse without a family was a crazy ideal for her, and a new city with true justice was also a crazy ideal.

Finally, Lavinia was left with only one problem.

What was she supposed to do as a judge when all the people of Syracuse were used to serving their families in court?