I will be crowned king

The next second, the uneasiness of being watched suddenly disappeared, as if it had never existed.

Is it an illusion?

On the ceremonial stage, Sophia resisted the chill rising in her heart, looked around at the nobles, wealthy businessmen, church clergy, and all the ladies and gentlemen who were present, and said with a gentle smile:

"First of all, I would like to thank you all for coming tonight. Tonight's charity party can be held smoothly, all thanks to your noble moral character and cultivation; kindness and compassion are the cornerstones of the stability of an orderly world."

"In the past nearly fifty years, the upper class in Clovis City has established countless charitable funds and established one welfare home, orphanage and nursing home after another; and this number continues to increase every year, and there are more and more Those who know enough to join in this noble act.”

"Support people who have lost the ability to work and have no one to rely on, provide the poor people from poor backgrounds with enough food and shelter from wind and rain; so that children who have lost their parents will not lose their ability to create wealth with their hands due to hunger, disease and poverty. opportunities.”

"This noble behavior has become extremely common among the upper classes in Clovis City, and has become a moral consensus among the rich and aristocratic classes; in addition to blood and wealth, the standard for evaluating a gentleman has a new standard - Social responsibility."

“It’s not just the sudden sympathy that arises when seeing a beggar, it’s not just the self-satisfaction of moral pursuit; it’s that a nobleman takes the initiative to contribute to the stability, prosperity and healthy development of society while enjoying the favorable conditions brought by wealth and status. , make the contribution you can.”

"This unprecedented moral concept is enough to set a new model for the entire world of order..."

Before Sofia finished speaking, the entire hall burst into warm applause; the guests present showed excited expressions, and some even had tears in their eyes, moved by their selflessness and nobility.

Angelica, the little maid in the audience, clapped vigorously and secretly breathed a sigh of relief - it seemed that the fifty gold coins paid to the priest Carlin Jacques for retouching was really well spent.

“However, as a brand-new moral concept, ‘social responsibility’ should not be limited to what is seen in front of us, otherwise it will be no different from the ancient ‘chivalry’ and will be nothing more than a commonplace topic.”

Sophia raised her hand slightly and suppressed the applause of the audience. She continued to smile and said:

"I believe that social responsibility should be expanded to a larger scope and should not be limited to one behavior, one city or one area."

“Prosperous trade, convenient transportation, clean drinking water, heating fuel, fresh air, bright sunshine...these things that we take for granted and even take for granted should make us take up our sense of social responsibility to protect them. !”

"And among all of this, the most important and sacred thing is nothing less than security and peace; it is tens of thousands of soldiers and their commanders who are extremely loyal to the royal family that can keep us away from the flames of war."

"It's not that the war doesn't exist, it's that a group of people built a wall for us!"

Having said this, Sophia paused for a moment, then took out "The Battle of Eagle Point City" according to the pre-planned plan, and spoke to the audience in an emotional voice:

"This note has been published in every newspaper in Clovis City, but what moved me was not the victory in Eagle Point City, but the soldiers who won the victory themselves."

“…They had to endure the unimaginable cold and march for nine hours in a snowstorm; after a day of exhaustion, the only food they could eat was simple dry bread and cured meat; the bread was so hard that it could be used as a weapon, and the cured meat Often there is not even enough to make soup; and they even lack fuel, so that they can only drink ice water on the snowy mountains..."

"There was always a shortage of supplies on the march. The soldiers with worn-out boots had to march barefoot; the warrant officers with leaky clothes draped blankets on their backs... Even the deputy commander himself, before the capture of Eagle Point City, always wore His only decent military uniform..."

When weak sobs sounded in the silent hall, Sophia slowly closed her notebook and looked at everyone with twinkling eyes:

"I am not telling you this to blame the army and the Privy Council for their dereliction of duty. They have done the best they can and cannot ask for more; but on the other hand, those who serve for the glory, prosperity and peace of the kingdom The soldiers who fought bloody battles were indeed enduring a very harsh environment."

"Yes, we can't do much, but at least some of the things within our power can and should be done; fund your favorite levy corps and turn the spoils of their bloody battles into the money they really need, Clothing and food.”

"Even if we can't fight like them, we should at least let them get rid of the harsh conditions and worries..."

With rounds of warm applause, the orphans from the orphanage who had been put into beautiful formal clothes in advance and carefully dressed up by Mrs. Coney opened the curtain behind Sophia and handed over the precious "trophies" ” presented in front of the guests.

Sabres, muskets, pocket watches, ink pens, diaries, brooches, cap badges, armor... all charity items are placed individually and have not undergone any post-processing, maintaining their "original flavor" on the battlefield. status.

In other words, it should be a little dusty when it was transported by a baggage truck - but to the imaginative Clovis nobles, it was just dust, the smell of wrapping paper, and some traces of bumps and bumps. , is enough for them to imagine the battlefield.

“This is the ancestral sword of an Iser Elf officer. It is not only decorated with exquisite silver plating and ruby ​​as a weight ball, but also has the unique patterns of the Iser Elf on the blade. It is a very valuable collection. "

"Ah, this pistol in your hand was made on the night of the Battle of Eagle Point. A brave line infantryman, after being hit, endured his injuries and took it away from the enemy with his bayonet; please pay attention to the position of the handle. , there are very slight knife marks and blood stains on it..."

"Oh, your Excellency is really discerning. Yes, this oil painting is hung in the commander's room in Eagle Point City. It is said to be called "Natural Danger"; please pay attention to its color and the painter's brushwork. It has both It is really rare to combine the two artistic styles of Empire and Iser;"

"What, this lady plans to fund the Storm Division and the commander himself? Uh... I'm not saying it's not possible, but... I mean, there are many soldiers living in poverty who need your help more. Why don't you take a look at this How about the cap badge? It was given to you by a brave captain about your age who..."

The smiling Sophia changed her usual arrogance and calmly introduced their favorite trophies to every guest who came forward to inquire. Her touching smile and gentle words made the inquirers feel like spring breeze, and they were written on the donation list unknowingly. Each and every touching number was played.

For Sophia, who often has to "run errands" for her father on behalf of her beloved brother, this kind of scene is not only familiar to her, it is even one of her strengths.

Nobles and wealthy businessmen may be afraid of the power of the Franz family, but they will not accept orders and capital injections from the Franz family just because of fear.

In addition to the charity items, there are also some exquisite red donation boxes on the ceremony table, next to them are small nameplates with exquisite fonts - "Outer City Community Road Fund", "Low-rent Housing Fund", "Orphans Autumn and Winter" "Clothing donation", "Respect the elderly and love donation"...

Various types and amounts of fundraising activities fully satisfied the preferences and tastes of the guests with different experiences, origins and classes for charity activities, as well as their pursuit of their own "social responsibility".

For noble gentlemen, this is an excellent opportunity for them to show themselves in front of the ladies they like, while ladies full of love and compassion can take this opportunity to express the tears accumulated in their eyes.

There are also some more innocent people who regard noble and pure charity sales as a God-given opportunity to purchase art and luxury goods at low prices...

Of course, no matter what the purpose was, everyone was fully satisfied at this charity party, including the hospitable Mrs. Keni. In addition to the share of the charity sale promised by Sophia in advance, she and the Renai Welfare Home she is responsible for running I received a donation of eight thousand gold coins and made a lot of money.

"Good evening, His Excellency Viscount Bognar."

Seeing the steady-stepping old gentleman walking toward her with a smile on his face, Sophia lifted up her skirt and curtsied like a junior to an elder: "Have you seen the collection you like?"

"I have passed the age where my blood will boil because of the war. No matter how many collections I have, I can only add one or two pieces of furniture that I encounter occasionally in the corridor at home."

Viscount Bogner smiled and said, extinguishing his pipe before approaching Sophia: "But I am very interested in this young man Ansen Bach, and I owe him a promise and favor - so please pick out enough for me. An expensive gift."

"When it comes to expensive things, it has to be paintings."

Sophia's eyes swept across the face of the girl behind Viscount Bogner, and she said with an elegant smile: "There are many paintings harvested from Eagle Point City here tonight. I don't know which one is lucky enough to be hung in the Bogner Mansion. Woolen cloth?"

She doesn't know why, but she always feels that this girl's appearance is inexplicably familiar, and it also reminds her of some not-so-good memories...

"That one."

At this moment, the girl holding Viscount Bogner's clothes suddenly spoke and raised her finger to point behind Sophia:

"How much does that painting cost?"

That pair?

Sophia was suddenly startled, and she looked at Viscount Bogner, who looked a little embarrassed. Their eyes followed the direction pointed by the girl.

The portrait shows a young man who looks a little thin and pale. He is wearing a Clovis-style red and black military uniform and a three-cornered hat with white feathers. He is wearing a large cloak and holds his head high with a pious expression, revealing the hair around his neck. Ring of Order Necklace.

He waved his saber in his right hand and pointed forward, while his left hand held a calling posture behind him. He rode on a chestnut horse with its front hooves raised, galloping on the snow-covered ice peaks, followed closely by countless people holding high flags. figures of soldiers.

Well, it's the one called "Storm Master Climbs Over the Morning Ice Peak".

This painting was originally planned to be used on the front page of the newspaper the next time news of the Stormtroopers' victory came; but Sophia felt that having such a symbolic oil painting would make it easier for guests participating in the charity sale to take the initiative I paid and moved here in advance.

Because it was taken out in advance, the entire painting was actually not completed and lacked a lot of details; especially the face of the protagonist in the center of the painting, which looked like some annoying bastard...

"This one won't work!"

Sophia blurted out without thinking.

Thalia blinked her big emerald eyes: "Why not?"

"Why? Because this, this..." Sophia, who woke up instantly, was suddenly speechless and didn't know what to do.

Yes, why not?

It's just an oil painting. As long as the other party is willing to pay, why can't it be sold?

Why...are I so resistant?

"Because it's not finished yet."

The moment Sophia was stunned, Viscount Bognar immediately took over the words and smiled at the girl: "Dear Leah, you see there are still a lot of blank spaces in this painting; obviously, this is still An unfinished work—do you want to see something else first?”

"Ah...yes, besides this painting, there are many other good works."

The next second, Sophia reacted and cast a grateful look at the old gentleman who came to her rescue. She smiled gently at the girl and said, "If you really like this painting so much, wait until it is completed before giving it to you, okay? It's lovely." Miss Leah?"

While speaking, Sophia involuntarily clenched the cuffs of her clothes.

The girl hiding behind Viscount Bogner's trousers hesitated for a long time. After a few seconds, she nodded her delicate little head vigorously and turned her attention to the donation box.

Seeing this scene, Viscount Bognar and Sophia secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and were careful not to be discovered by the other party.

Late into the night, this impromptu charity party finally came to a successful conclusion; the happy guests, surrounded and sent off by orphans from the orphanage, left the outer city in a carriage.

After saying goodbye to Mrs. Coney, Sophia was in a happy mood. Before she even approached the carriage, she saw Angelica running towards her with a pale face, holding the donation list tightly in her arms.

"What happened?" Sophia immediately asked alertly.

The little maid, who pursed her lips tightly, turned to look at Mrs. Coney, who was a few steps away, and nodded quickly; Sophia silently tensed her heartstrings and took the list from her hand:

"bad thing?"

The little maid nodded first, then shook her head quickly, and finally looked at Sophia with a complicated and meaningful expression.

"What on earth is it?" Helpless Sophia glanced at her and flipped through the list:

"The Storm Master investment list... The Rafto family has three thousand gold coins, the Horn family has one thousand, and the Bogner family has five thousand... Isn't this still pretty good? The total adds up to only... huh?!"

Sophia's pupils suddenly shrank, and her surprised expression was clearly visible even in the dark night.

"Three to thirty thousand gold coins from the Luen family?!"

The girl's voice trembled slightly:

"Run?!"