In the Name of the Queen

Winter Palace.

This magnificent palace located in the bustling area of ​​the city was once the bedroom of the former emperor of the Vladimir Empire, but after the former emperor died of a "cold", the palace temporarily lost its owner.

The new Queen Sophia moved to the Summer Palace on the mountain, and the Winter Palace, which was more superior in all aspects, was put on hold.

Although it was put on hold, it was an important property of the royal family after all, and daily maintenance and upkeep should still be carried out in accordance with the specifications of the palace.

At least hundreds of maids and guards were stationed here. They ensured the normal operation of the palace every day under the command of the housekeeper, waiting for the arrival of the new owner.

This palace is good in everything, but it is a bit deserted. It is obviously in the bustling city, but it feels like it is in the suburbs.

But it's good this way. The maids and guards who stayed here punched in and out every day, and their wages were not low, so they lived a good life.

Just as the guard at the door was yawning lazily, the sound of horse hooves rang.

He was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked up at the road, and saw a carriage with the royal emblem driving slowly.

He was stunned for a few seconds, and then he realized that an important person had arrived.

He was about to stop the carriage and ask questions, but was slapped away by the captain of the guard next to him.

The captain of the guard stood up straight in a standard posture that the young guard had never seen before, and the salute was textbook-like.

Watching the carriage enter the Winter Palace, the young guard couldn't help but touch his face that was hit hard, and muttered softly: "Captain, whose carriage is this, why don't you ask."

"Shut up."

The captain of the guard glared at him unhappily, and after a moment of silence, he slowly said: "I don't know who is in the carriage, but the driver is General Sakhalin."

"Are you talking about His Majesty's most trusted general, Lord Sakhalin, the Blade of Destruction?"

The young guard took a breath, looking at the carriage going away, with a lot of question marks in his mind.

Who could have such a big face to let General Sakhalin be the coachman himself.

The young guard trembled slightly and thought of someone.

The carriage with the royal emblem, the general personally drove the carriage, the whole empire could only have one person who was so prestigious, Her Majesty the Queen.

No wonder the captain was angry, blocking the Queen's carriage was simply courting death.

The young guard lowered his head embarrassedly, and was about to say thank you to the captain of the guard, but saw the captain of the guard saluted again in a standard posture.

This time he also learned to be smart, and stood at attention and saluted without waiting for the captain's call.

The same royal carriage, but this time the coachman was changed.

It was the Queen's most trusted minister, Prime Minister Miss Angelina.

The female prime minister with the name of Winter's Grip looked majestic, sat casually in the coachman's seat, and nodded slightly in return.

After watching the second carriage enter the Winter Palace, the young guard finally couldn't help asking: "Captain, who is in the second carriage?"

"How should I know?"

The captain of the guard glared at him unhappily, "Stand your post!"

Watching the second carriage disappear at the end of his sight, the captain of the guard sighed in his heart. He had a premonition that the good days of slacking off and getting paid every day were coming to an end.

Her Majesty the Queen had not returned to the Winter Palace for many years. She suddenly came back, and it seemed that she would probably live here for a long time.

Serving the emperor certainly had the opportunity to make a name for herself, but the degree of hardship would also double.

The captain of the guard sighed in his heart. If he was in his twenties this year, he would definitely cherish this rare opportunity, but he was already in his forties, and his grandson had begun to read and write. What else could he pursue?

Unlike the captain of the guard's sentimentality, the young guard's eyes burned with flames.

Although he was a little dazed at first, he quickly realized that the Queen had lived in the Summer Palace for many years, and her sudden return to the palace represented a major political signal.

If the empress lives in the Winter Palace for a long time, those who are closest to the empress will have a chance to show themselves.

Unlike some negative old guys around him, the young Plushenko is full of expectations for the future. He doesn't want to rot in the Winter Palace like the captain and live a muddle-headed life.

Strong curiosity tortured Plushenko. Who was sitting in the other carriage?

"Lord Roland, this is the famous Sun Square. Do you see the fountain? It is the largest fountain in the entire Rodinia continent."

Sakhalin looked at the fountain that did not spray water, was silent for a moment, shrugged his shoulders, and slowly added in an almost self-deprecating tone: "If it sprays water."

Very good, really good. The fountain in the palace is actually dry. Where does the annual maintenance fee go? It seems that someone is going to lose his head.

The housekeeper is one, and the officials who manage finances can't escape either.

These people must be liquidated!

It's so ugly. How does Roland, who has just arrived, look at it and think about it? Will he think that all Rurik people are this kind of stuff?

Seeing Sakhalin's somewhat ugly expression, Roland could probably guess what was going on.

When the emperor is not in the palace, all kinds of demons and monsters will pop out.

As long as there is enough profit, people will do it even if the end of corruption is skinning and stuffing.

In those days, the Knights of the White Rose had only a few hundred cats and kittens left, and the annual budget was only tens of thousands of Soviet pounds, but they still gave birth to a group of termites like Walton Stanley.

The annual maintenance budget of the Winter Palace is higher than that of the Knights of the White Rose, so it would be strange if there were no termites.

This is the standard darkness under the lamp.

For well-known reasons, Sophia didn't like this cage-like palace.

After sending off her ex-husband and the late emperor who died of a "cold" here, she moved away and went to the Summer Palace.

Of course she didn't want to say that this was where she had been trapped in a konggui and where her ex-husband was strangled, so in theory this was still the emperor's palace and the summer palace was just a temporary palace.

Since it is still the palace where the emperor lives in name, it must be well maintained.

But because Sophia didn't like it, foreign ministers didn't dare to approach the palace, so it became a place where filth and evil spread.

After thinking about this, Sakhalin was a little confused, so he had to quickly wave his hand to a maid, and after giving some instructions, he took Roland to continue the visit.

"here."

Sakhalin's expression became more and more ugly, and he said coldly: "The "Picture of the Holy Child" by Leonardo, the three great painters of Thalia, was once displayed here."

"Perhaps the housekeeper put it away because no one appreciated it."

Roland smiled and helped Sakhalin find the steps to go down.

Anyway, this is an internal matter of the Vladimir Empire and has nothing to do with him.

Although his status as a cardinal minister is far above that of the prime minister, and his position is theoretically the same as that of the vice-emperor, his position is very correct.

He is here to fulfill the contract.

After working for Sophia for five years, he worked hard and contributed, but he could tell the difference between closeness and distance.

Even if you work for three countries, there are still differences.

The Queen of Sussex was his favorite wife, so this was his homeland.

The Queen of the Jin Yuan Republic is his future wife, so she is his second motherland.

Vladimir Empire? They are completely unfamiliar with each other and were even enemies before.

If Sophia's shocking sword wasn't so terrifying, Roland wouldn't have wanted to sign the contract.

Even though he is here, he must work hard. Although his moral standards are relatively flexible, he still understands that he cannot defeat the enemy without provocation.

Vladimir Empire, just go to work.

Roland's understanding made Sakhalin feel a little better, but he still silently wrote down these moths that secretly dug into the royal family.

I'll wait for you. This matter must be reported to the Queen.

None of these damn rats can escape!

Sakhalin cast a grateful look at Roland and continued walking to the banquet hall with Roland.

There are many very precious works of art and statues along the way.

Sakhalin no longer dared to continue the introduction. He simply skipped the tour stage with the all-purpose excuse of "Don't let His Majesty wait for us" and went straight to the banquet hall.

Because they hurriedly skipped the scheduled tour, they arrived a little early. The welcome dinner was still being prepared in the banquet hall, so they had to drink tea in the lounge next to it.

"Last time in Vaal City."

"We were in Baishan a few days ago."

Perhaps because they felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward, the two of them were ready to chat for a few words, but they happened to speak at the same time.

After being stunned for a few seconds, the two laughed together, which relieved the awkward atmosphere a lot.

Sakhalin was somewhat dissatisfied with Roland in his heart, but how dare he question Sophia's decision, and thinking of Roland's future immediate boss, he had no choice but to lower his stance.

He smiled and said: "Lord Roland, I just remembered the past when we competed outside the square when we first met. After so many years, I can no longer understand your strength."

Sakhalin and Roland only met twice in total, one was the battle in Vaal City, and the other was the Battle of White Mountain.

The Battle of White Mountain was Roland's highlight moment. Sakhalin didn't want to mention it, so he simply mentioned their first battle.

Although he suffered a loss in that contest, at least he was able to defeat Roland with his physical strength and was only fooled by Roland's cunning.

Roland naturally knew about his little thoughts.

Of course Roland wouldn't care, and he completely understood Sakhalin's mood.

If you think about it from another perspective, the largest country in the world cannot find an all-around talent internally, so Her Majesty the Queen has to hire someone from abroad. This is somewhat embarrassing.

As a high-ranking official in the empire, it is strange that Sakhalin is not in a temper.

Roland even thought this was a good thing. He has a good temper, but if the Winter Palace left-behind team is as lifeless and waiting to die, who else can he count on?

Roland was of course willing to give Sakhalin face.

"General Sakhalin, I have always remembered this. Your hand was too strong. After I went back, I found that the tiger's mouth was cracked. It took me a long rest to recover."

"Actually, I lost that time. I was just taking advantage."

It is true that Roland was no match in the strength competition, but it was not that serious.

He was completely giving Sakhalin face.

When he said this, Saharian felt embarrassed and quickly skipped the topic and started talking about the Battle of White Mountain.

In the Battle of Baishan, although they were on the Flower Sea Battlefield and the peripheral battlefield respectively, and faced completely different levels of opponents, they were all winners after all.

Their extraordinary path is not the type of practicing in the deep mountains and old forests. Sakhalin needs to continue to make achievements in the army, and Roland needs to preach and teach in more places.

The Battle of White Mountain spans directly across three Return Days, and they have a lot of time to wait for the next Return Day.

Time is the most amazing force.

After all, it is the first year of the Seventh Era, so there is no need to rush.

The two were chatting happily, and unknowingly they started talking about the Battle of White Mountain to the aftermath of the war.

Sakhalin told Roland about the demands of the two allies and asked Roland for his opinions sincerely.

Roland thought for a moment and said slowly: "You are two allies of the Vladimir Empire."

Before he could finish speaking, a cold voice came from outside the door.

"Qing Luolan, this is our Vladimir Empire, not you."

When Sophia arrived, she happened to hear Roland's habitual statement and immediately corrected it.

The half-open door of the lounge slowly opened, and it was Angelina who appeared at the door.

She looked at Roland with a smile and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, the reception dinner is ready. Your Majesty is waiting for you in the restaurant."

She really wanted to find a little embarrassment and embarrassment on Roland's face.

Unfortunately, she failed.

Roland acted as if nothing had happened just now, and even thought of inviting Sakhalin to go with him.

Dining room.

There is a long dining table.

Sophia sat at the head seat at the long end of the long dining table, Roland's seat was arranged opposite, and Angelina and Sakhalin accompanied him on the side closer to Roland.

This distance is really far, and it even feels like being thousands of miles away, but Roland and others are not surprised.

Sophia has always had this temperament.

If she suddenly became enthusiastic, everyone would find it difficult to accept her.

Roland would not be dissatisfied with Sophia's cold attitude.

In fact, Sophia's attitude was much better than he imagined. When she swung a shocking sword, she could have sent everyone else away and enjoyed the results alone, but she didn't.

She could also break the contract and force Roland to kneel down and beg for mercy under the sword energy, but she still didn't.

She fulfilled her agreement and asked Roland to come over and become a cardinal minister, and gave him a wealthy territory and a title of duke. On the contrary, Roland was busy making babies at home and delayed his appointment.

Fortunately, his marksmanship improved rapidly after breaking through to level five, and he finally planted precious seeds of life in Sif's fertile garden.

The gestation cycle of the elves is longer, almost twelve months.

Roland's mood was naturally different when he thought that he would be a father early next year.

His manner of speaking was kinder than before, and his smile was much more obvious.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with coming to work here at Sophia.

The boss is capable and the company has a good foundation. Although the relationship between colleagues is not harmonious, they can still get along with each other with the support of the boss.

The only problem is that it is too far away from home. It takes more than 2,000 kilometers to go back home.

Thinking of this, Roland suddenly felt that the fresh and tender shark fins no longer tasted good.

Sophia, who was tasting caviar, saw Roland's lonely eyes from the corner of her eye and said softly:

"Cardinal, if you have something on your mind, you might as well say it."

Roland did not hide it, but said softly: "I miss my wife."

Angelina kept winking at Roland, but she still didn't stop her words.

You can say that you miss home, or even that you are not used to eating, but it is a bit rude to directly say that you miss your wife.

Would it make any sense to mention this in front of a woman who has never been favored by her husband or even had a ruthless husband?

Sakhalin lowered his head and did not dare to speak.

The Queen has always had a bad temper, but she is quite tolerant to her ministers and will not get angry under normal circumstances.

Unless someone pokes her scar.

The spoonful of caviar Sophia had just scooped up was suspended in the air.

The temperature in the room seems to have dropped, but it seems to be just an illusion.

Roland vaguely felt that Sophia seemed angry, but she seemed not angry.

Just when he was thinking about what Sophia was thinking, a cold voice floated over.

"It's easy. Let's settle down here. Angelina, ask Roland privately which girl he likes and propose marriage for him. Since she is the Cardinal's new wife, you have to keep a close eye on her."

Roland: "."

Wait, what's the logic in Sophia's mind? When an employee complains about being away from home and missing his wife, the boss will definitely promise to arrange more vacations. How can there be any argument for arranging a wife?

Although I complained bitterly in my heart, this was indeed like Sophia's way of doing things.

He had no choice but to raise his glass, smile and shake his head, "Thank you for your grace, but I have very high requirements for marrying a wife. She must be strong, good-looking, and able to go on with me. With all due respect."

"I understand, you're talking about Angelina, right?" Sophia asked directly.

"I have brought this child up since he was a child. He is very good. Even compared with your wife, lover, and sister, he is not inferior. What do you think?"

Sophia's eyes were clear, like the blue sky. She was serious.

Sakhalin lowered his head like a brown bear and gnawed at his elbow angrily, pretending to be deaf and dumb.

Angelina was stunned by Sophia's sudden proposal.

After an unknown amount of time, she jumped up as if on fire.

"Your Majesty, what are you talking about? I have never thought about getting married. I want to stay with you forever."

Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Roland quickly stood up and expressed his position.

"Your Majesty, the basis of marriage is emotion. A marriage without emotion is doomed to tragedy. Miss Angelina has her own life, you."

Roland regretted it mid-sentence.

He wanted to give himself two hard slaps.

There is no need to mention any pot. Mentioning a loveless marriage in front of Sophia is not looking for trouble.

Angelina was also frightened.

Roland has touched Sophia's scar more than once today. Is he coming to work or to duel?

She even forgot that she was a bargaining chip.

The atmosphere was extremely tense, and just when everyone thought Sophia was about to run away, she slowly put down her knife and fork, with a smile on her lips.

"You are right, a marriage without emotion is unfortunate. I feel deeply about it."

She smiled calmly because she really let go.

Compared with her glorious past and the fiercer battle in the future, her emotionless ex-husband is as insignificant as a buzzing mosquito.

It used to bother her, but it was over.

After the Battle of Baishan, how could she be bothered by such a trivial matter.

Sophia could laugh, but Roland and the others didn't dare to agree with her. She was generous when she laughed at herself, but they felt a little disappointed when they laughed along with her.

"Cardinal, I was just joking just now. I know your relationship with Sif, and I have sent you gifts. When will the formal wedding be held?"

"Wait until the peace talks are over. Business comes first." Roland wiped his sweat and said with a smile.

"Then it will be held at the end of March, right here. You are the Duke of Kazan, the Cardinal Minister, and the most important minister of the empire. As the lord, I have the obligation to prepare a grand wedding for you."

Seeing Roland hesitated, Sophia smiled and asked, "Cardinal, if you have any requests, you can just ask."

Roland wanted to say that he wanted to hold his wedding in the sea of ​​flowers in Baishan, but he had to swallow it back.

"No, I just asked where the wedding house is and whether there is wedding leave?"

"Of course there is wedding leave. According to imperial law, public officials can take a week of wedding leave. Cardinal, you are the head of the imperial ministers, please set a good example."

Sophia's words were soft, but they did not allow for bargaining.

One week is enough.

A poet in my hometown once said that if the relationship can last, there is no need to hug each other every night.

We can't hold the wedding in the sea of ​​flowers, but at least we can enjoy the newlywed moments in the sea of ​​flowers.

Seeing Roland accept the arrangement, Sophia nodded with satisfaction.

She pointed to the magnificent building outside the window and said with a smile: "This used to be my residence and the bedroom of emperors of all dynasties. It's quite impressive, right?"

"This is a perfect combination of elegant artistic atmosphere and heroic northern style. Sometimes I also want to own such a palace."

Everyone can say nice things, and this is not difficult for Roland.

However, Sophia's next sentence made Roland crash again.

"Since you like it, I'll give it to you."

Sophia picked up the wine glass and smiled to put an end to the matter, "Angelina, you will handle the transfer procedures, and you should also take care of Roland's wedding and let them prepare it according to the specifications of the emperor's wedding. After all, the wife of the cardinal is the queen of a country, and we can't be rude."

Angelina quickly agreed.

Although it sounds outrageous, if you think about it carefully, it is reasonable for Sophia to send people to prepare a wedding for Roland.

Roland has no parents and no family, so it is reasonable for the master to care about the life of his subjects.

The banquet ended in a "happy" and "peaceful" atmosphere, and everyone was very satisfied.

Roland, who got the Winter Palace inexplicably, watched Sophia and others leave in the carriage. Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly thought of something.

Wait, the Winter Palace is mine now, and those termites embezzled my things!

That's my money! My artwork! (End of this chapter)