In the Name of the Queen

Roland and Sif sat in the VIP seats next to the Queen and could see the entire banquet clearly.

Seeing little Bagash being carried out like a dog, Sif complained in a low voice:

"What are these guys doing? Do they think this is very impressive?"

Roland smiled and said: "Maybe, after all, the empire has been going downhill in recent years. Although crushing Bagash is not a big victory, it is enough to make small countries tremble."

"This show is not for big countries to see. The struggle between big countries is the comprehensive result of the right time, right place and right people, but small countries must be crushed, otherwise it is better not to fight."

"I don't think the imperial officials will be so abstract. It should be little Bagash who forced the drama. Don't look at him like a dog now. Who dares to mess with the surrounding small countries when he goes back?"

Sif suddenly realized and whispered softly: "I understand, he is relying on the power of others. You are right. Fighting back and forth with Nubia in the southern continent like Talia will only damage the prestige of the country."

"War is a sharp blade stained with blood. It must serve politics and must be very cautious." She remembered the teachings of teacher Wald.

Roland said softly: "War machines are like sharp swords. If you don't intend to kill people, don't pull them out and swing them casually."

"You will slowly experience these things later. Now look at these VIPs and make a simple evaluation. Don't use [Insight], judge by observation."

Hearing Roland's quiz, Sif's eyes lit up.

She used to be trembling with fear when facing the test, but now she is eager to try.

Although she may not be right every time, the number of zero points is getting less and less.

She first locked her eyes on Dilas, the special envoy of the Golden Kite Kingdom.

A mediocre bureaucrat, too.

If Alina was sitting there, it would be worth taking a few more glances.

Sif was a little surprised when her eyes continued to pass and paused on the special envoy Talia.

There is an indescribable special temperament in the special envoy Talia.

Very young, but extremely confident.

He looked at Sif gently and firmly, without any stage fright.

"This person is good, you can pay attention to him."

Sif would make a simple comment every time she looked at someone.

Some were mediocre, some were outstanding, but no one was particularly noteworthy.

Roland just listened to her sharp comments and did not continue to comment on them.

Sif's eyes quickly turned to the Vladimir Empire in the first row on the right.

If Sussex is the most powerful country in terms of sea power, Vladimir is the most powerful country in terms of land power.

Although they were slightly inferior in the industrial enlightenment stage, they had very rich coal and iron resources, vast territory, and a large population. They were only slightly inferior in terms of culture, economy, and industry, and even had the momentum to surpass Sussex in other aspects.

Most people on the Rodinian continent believed that the world's No. 1 throne would change hands in three to five years at most.

The reason was simple.

Vladimir had Sophia, what did Sussex have?

Sif's eyes stayed on Angelina.

Angelina, the special envoy, looked at her with a proud smile.

The eyes of the two sparked in the air.

After retracting her gaze, Sif gave Angelina a fair evaluation, "She may have made a deal with the devil, sacrificing some of her intelligence in exchange for strength. Although she is very strong, it is just so-so."

Roland looked at Angelina with some sympathy and tried to suppress his smile.

If she could hear Sif's sharp comments, she would probably break down on the spot.

Sif paused for a moment and said slowly: "Angelina is fine, but the mysterious woman with a blue veil behind her is scary. I only looked at her once, and I felt that my soul was almost frozen."

"Alas, I really envy them. In addition to Queen Sophia, there are also top-level strongmen."

Roland almost couldn't hold back his laughter.

After trying to adjust his mood, he whispered: "Strong people are not leeks, they will not grow casually. Think about it again."

"Is it that woman?" Sif's voice trembled slightly, and the courage to point out the world just now instantly flew to the farthest colony of Barat thousands of miles away and curled up.

"Is she here to kill me? Roland, save me, I'm still so young, I don't want to die."

Looking at her about to cry, Roland didn't show any contempt, he completely understood.

At this distance, if Sophia attacked Sif, she would die.

Even if she had a million troops, she couldn't protect herself.

This is the pressure of the top combat power on the seventh day of return.

Sophia's slight leak of cold air can freeze Sif's courage.

Roland used his body to block Sif and Sophia, holding her hand tightly, and reminded her softly:

"Don't be afraid, not now."

Perhaps the warmth brought by Roland's big hand worked, Sif's trembling hands finally stabilized.

Roland was right.

Maybe she will die, but not today, not tomorrow, at least in a few years.

It's not certain who will die.

If she can become the queen who inherits the will of the elves, she may not have no chance.

She picked up the wine in the glass and drank it all, and the fear gradually subsided as the alcohol poured into her body.

She gently pushed aside Roland's body and looked at Sophia gently and firmly.

Although she thought she had overcome her inner demons countless times before, it was not until this moment that she truly regarded Sophia as an equal opponent.

Sophia was a little surprised.

In the few days she observed, Sif repeatedly jumped between bravery and timidity, which made her think that this guy had mental problems.

She was somewhat disappointed with Sif's performance and did not think she was a qualified stepping stone.

But now it is different.

Sif's mentality is changing.

As if to test Sif's determination, Sophia stood up and walked towards Sif with a wine glass.

Angelina was stunned.

This was the first time she saw Queen Sophia attach so much importance to someone.

Is Sif worthy of the Queen's attention?

She was three parts jealous, but seven parts solemn.

Although her mind was often off line because of the selection of matches, she absolutely trusted the Queen's judgment.

If the Queen thinks Sif is worthy of attention, then it must be worthy.

"Angelina, be humble in front of the Queen." She muttered in her heart.

She will keep a close eye on Sif and help Her Majesty the Queen take good care of the prey.

When the prey is fattened, it will be the time for the Queen to hunt.

Angelina was a little excited.

Everyone said that Queen Sophia was warlike, but who knew that she hadn't taken action in person for a year and a half.

Before the sixth return day, can anyone really make her take action again?

Angelina was a little curious.

Sophia, covered with a blue veil, walked slowly.

Her steps were steady and capable, just like a soldier.

Although she was wearing a veil, her slender and plump long legs and well-proportioned figure showed that she was a one-in-a-million beauty.

Roland stared at the pattern on the floor, and was surprised to find that the length of each of her steps was exactly the same.

His eyes were as precise as a ruler, but he could not see even a millimeter of difference.

Her control over her body was at its peak.

Even without extraordinary power, ordinary rank eight was not her opponent.

Below rank seven, she was not worthy of calling for winter.

Roland's heart was beating wildly.

He finally understood why some people did not recognize Sussex as the number one power.

In front of Sophia, no matter how many troops you have, how many cannons and muskets you have, they are all toys.

He also understood why some people said that Sophia was equal to three reorganized armies.

If she was serious, 80,000 or 90,000 troops would not be able to stop her.

Can Sif withstand it?

Roland was a little worried.

They were staring at each other. This was a war between Sif and Sophia, and no one else could intervene.

He was afraid that the confidence Sif had just built up would be shattered by Sophia in an instant.

Apart from potential, he really couldn't think of any advantages Sif had.

He was already under a lot of pressure standing next to her, so how should Sif deal with it when she was in the middle of the situation?

As Roland thought, Sif was under a lot of pressure.

Sophia's smile was like the weird expression of a devil, the wine she held was like deadly poison, and every step she took was like an iceberg pouring down, hitting Sif's heart.

When she took the first step, Sif's mental defense line exploded.

She was like a baby thrown into the ice field as soon as she was born. She wanted to cry, but her cry was frozen.

She was like a drowning person, struggling desperately, trying to grab a straw, but couldn't reach out.

Sophia was using mental pressure to force Sif to produce the mental imprint of "not as good as Sophia".

As long as this mark is formed in Sif's mind, she will no longer be an equal opponent, but a prey waiting to be slaughtered.

No matter how she grows, she can't escape the fate of slaughter.

A fair, but shameless means.

Unless Sif has a real advantage other than the illusory expectation of "a promising future", this problem can only be solved by strength.

However, Sif's hard power is not as good as Sophia's eyelash.

What to do?

The whole world is quiet, and everyone's eyes are on Sif.

After all, no one wants to stare at Sophia, just to see the reaction of the loser.

Several cabinet ministers of the Sussex Empire can't bear to watch.

Although they and the little queen are scheming for power and profit, they are people on the same ship after all. They can't do anything when they see the queen being bullied in person.

Shame!

Walder's hands trembled, he struggled to stand up, opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

He is Sif's teacher, and if he speaks to stop it, it means Sif admits defeat on the spot.

Sif is still resisting, why should he surrender?

The White Rose Family only has emperors who died in battle, but no monarchs who surrendered.

He sat down dejectedly and closed his eyes in pain.

Will there be a miracle?

Of course there is no miracle, after all, the gap between Sif and Sophia is too big.

The envoys of major countries also recognized Sophia.

Their faces changed slightly, and their moods were a little complicated.

When Sussex was strong, they certainly didn't like the arrogant island bandits, but the Sussex people were still within the framework of the rules after all.

The Ruriks were different.

They were wild, they were greedy, and they never concealed their desire for territory.

Now they have strength and are even more aggressive.

During the tenure of Queen Sophia, the territory of the empire has expanded by 10%.

Now she is suppressing Queen Sussex in person, just to break the backbone of the Sussex people.

If Sussex falls, they will be the next.

The envoys of several countries bordering the Vladimir Empire were even more bitter and had no words to say.

Although they knew that Sif could not hold out, many people hoped for a miracle.

Unlike the envoys of the big countries, the monarchs of the small countries were mixed.

Some small countries had suffered from Sussex for a long time, and they would be happy as long as someone stepped on these robbers.

Even if the new robbers who stepped on the old robbers were more brutal, that would be a matter for the future.

Some small countries had been dogs for many years, and they wished they could take their masters' place when they saw their masters being pointed at with guns.

Some small countries that were caught between two sides were worried.

They knew very well that when two giants fought, they would probably only get injured, but the dwarves around them would be crushed into pieces.

Unfortunately, they are the dwarves.

The whole place was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and everyone was praying silently.

Some prayed for a miracle, some prayed for Sif, and some prayed for themselves.

Almost no one was optimistic about Sif.

Only Roland was an exception.

He could clearly feel a wet little hand on his palm.

Sif and his hand were tightly clasped together.

She was sweating a lot and very nervous.

But she didn't shake, not at all.

Sif closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the corners of her lips slightly raised.

She raised her wine glass with her other hand and smiled.

"Sif Sussex York, Earl of Tyrone, Sussex Empire."

Sophia's footsteps stopped suddenly.

Roland's eyes, staring at the pattern of the floor frame by frame, caught a slight disorder in her footsteps.

It was imperceptible, but it was real.

Her steps were not completely consistent.

Obviously, Sif's reaction surprised her.

Although she could easily freeze Sif and then break her into pieces like an ice sculpture, Sif did not lose in the spiritual confrontation.

Not only did she not lose, she even had the upper hand.

Sophia was silent for a moment, took two steps closer, lifted her veil in front of Sif, and revealed her true face.

"Sophia, the Rurik, I am honored to toast with you, and look forward to seeing you next time."

The two clinked their glasses in the air and drank them at the same time.

Sophia turned back.

The temperature in the hall returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

The whole audience was stunned.

No one knew what had happened.

Looking at Sophia who returned to her seat, Angelina was hesitant to speak.

The confrontation between Sophia and Sif seemed to be inconclusive, but in fact the winner had been decided.

When the world's top powerhouse and the rookie were evenly matched, it was not clear who would win and who would lose.

Looking at Angelina's concerned and puzzled expression, Sophia was not displeased at all, and even showed a long-lost smile.

"She held Roland's hand to protest to me that she had the best helper, but I didn't."

Angelina's pretty face flushed.

Queen Sophia seemed to be commenting on Sif, but in fact she was pointing at her.

She was not good enough and could not compare to Roland.

Angelina was ashamed and bowed her head and whispered: "I will definitely work harder!"

Sophia didn't say much, but encouraged Angelina with her eyes.

It's enough for a smart person to knock once, but it's useless to knock a fool too much, it will only make him stupider.

Everyone was confused, and Roland was no exception. He couldn't help but get close to Sif and asked:

"What's the matter?"

"No, nothing. My mind was blank at the time, but I just couldn't accept it. I tried hard to think about how I was better than her. Maybe I was prettier than her, but the magic mirror certainly didn't dare to say I was the first at that time."

"Then I thought of you."

Roland laughed happily. Although it was suspected of flattery, he liked to hear this.

Sif smiled proudly, "Let me tell you a secret. Sophia's husband treated her coldly and violently, and she is still a virgin, so she killed her husband out of shame and anger and established herself as the emperor."

"Someone cares about me, but she is a lonely ghost. Do you think I won?"