8. Deceiving Dogs, Spreading Grain
That night, Ke Fei’er and I grew a lot.
Ahem, it was a lot of mental growth, not physical! After all, once the misunderstanding of the trust crisis “taking off the queen’s stockings” was resolved, dealing with Louis IV, who approached and even “seduced” me for some reason, became quite simple.
Since the thigh I was holding, Ke Fei’er, was quite willing, why should I panic? Just spread the dog food and be done with it!
The next day, in the royal conference hall of the Great Ying Empire, as one of the personnel preparing to assist Queen Louis IV with the “reorganization of the parliament,” I had no choice but to attend this meeting. It was true that she was trying to seduce me, but Louis IV was indeed troubled by the “reorganization of the parliament.” To me, whether those who used to listen to the queen could be re-elected after the “reorganization” and how many could be re- elected were crucial to how smoothly the queen’s orders could be implemented next year.
Everyone hopes their subordinates are completely obedient; it’s only natural. So at this moment, although this meeting was said to be a free discussion, in reality…
【Member A is the queen’s trusted aid.】
【Member B is the queen’s confidant.】
【Noble A is serving the queen.】
This place is practically the queen’s home turf, and to me, it’s a den of thieves!
Because of this, even though the conference hall wasn’t too large, it was unusually quiet, and sitting right next to the queen made me very conspicuous, accompanied by a whole bunch of scripts about “Oh, dear, die, die, die ” appearing frequently.
Even so, today, even in this “public setting,” Louis IV’s approach to me was no less than yesterday. My position was right next to the queen, even closer than Ke Fei’er, and the queen intentionally leaned towards me, as if afraid others wouldn’t see her shoulder nearly touching mine.
“What’s wrong with everyone? Why is it so quiet today?”
Isn’t this just asking a question with an obvious answer?
The surroundings were silent; although the queen’s “trusted aides,” whoever they were, were sizing me up with various emotional gazes, the “real power” of Louis IV in the Great Ying Empire was far more than just being an idol. Even if these people had doubts, none dared to stand up and ask.
“Since everyone seems a bit sleepy, I’ll take the liberty of explaining the upcoming tasks. On the surface, this year’s reorganization of the parliament still allows the vast majority of our supporters to enter the parliament and the noble circles, but… . the opposing voices are slightly louder now~”
This innocent and carefree voice, paired with the queen’s cheerful smile, might seem to Ke Fei’er like a simple display from Louis IV, but in my eyes, someone who knew the “true face” of Louis IV through the script, it had completely changed flavor.
“Apart from confirming how many of your respective vassal nobles can continue to support you, everyone can also deliver some speeches in their territories. Earl Glamorgan~”
“In… in~”
The man called by the queen trembled all over like a student called out in class.
“After sealing up the home of Louis XXIII, how much in gold and silver treasures did you find?”
“Replying to the queen, this… this amount~”
The unfortunate noble extra made a significant gesture, and I learned that Louis the Twelfth hadn’t troubled me since losing his family’s backing.
“Very well, distribute it among the nobles as promotional funds,” she said with a wink, “Ah, don’t dabble in it, okay?”
The poor count was scared back into his seat, unsure if the queen’s words held such power. As for me, I didn’t fully grasp it, because something else was about to unfold…
[Louis the Fourth fixed his gaze on Euclid.]
He wouldn’t let me off that easily; although his approach towards me now seemed notably… softer than before?
“Mmm~ Additionally, I need the support of some outstanding individuals within the Great Empire.”
Louis the Fourth flashed a radiant smile, leaving the assembled nobles in awe.
“Is that right, Priest? And by the way, will you stand with me too?”
[Louis sought to exploit Euclid’s vanity, attempting to align him.]
What a cunning tactic, combining seduction with flattery – why did the queen have her sights set on me?
But after last night’s misunderstanding, I would no longer fall victim to his ploy. I had thought long and hard with Keffel’s consent to evade Louis’s advances.
Remaining composed, I maintained a distance from him and directed a “loving” gaze at Keffel.
“As for me, naturally, it’s a yes – Keffel, what about you? What do you think?”
Noticing my intense look, the powerful figure felt slightly embarrassed yet remembered the agreement we had for defensive purposes against Louis. Keffel nodded readily.
“You have my complete support, whatever you say.”
Keffel wrapped her arms around mine and gazed intently at me, ignoring the shocked nobility around us.
We locked eyes in our supposed intimacy, even turning a quiet cough into background noise.
Haha, do you expect me to be oblivious? You haven’t seen newlyweds display affection, have you? I’ll let you know when my tactic has its desired effect.
This was my strategy to guard against Louis’s advances – planting seeds of our relationship in public. By consistently showing our affection, he wouldn’t be able to disrupt it and risk upsetting Keffel.
To Keffel’s response, she had no objections and seemed quite pleased with the idea. Together, we acted out this loving display until the queen’s interruption.
“Keffel, Priest, please remember that you can’t be overly affectionate
As for me?
I’m shameless anyway, so saying anything embarrassing is no problem.
“Hey? Is that so? Then you two really are quite affectionate~”
This time, there was a hint of shadow in the queen’s smile.
Next, I would have to directly say: “Queen, please stop harassing me, we are very happy.” That should do, right? However, I originally thought that Louis IV would “retreat in the face of difficulties,” even if it meant “taking a hit,” but this script…
【Louis IV assassinated O’Keefe!】
Suddenly, it turned into a clear death script!
And clearly, Kephir was still beside me!? What the hell is going on!? Kephir’s protagonist halo should be able to keep me alive, yet now Kephir is still holding me, and a death script has appeared again…
Could it be that there’s trouble in Kephir’s script, and she can’t care about me anymore!?
I didn’t have time to think, and the next moment, the queen’s script abruptly disappeared, accompanied by a familiar voice.
“Ahem, I think today’s meeting should be paused; my two students seem to be a bit unaware of etiquette. By the way, the queen also seems a bit unwell.”
One person removed their hood, and upon closer inspection, I was surprised to find…
It was Moriarty!
【Moriarty’s reminder calmed Louis IV down temporarily.】
“Queen, you must be tired, right? Let me help you back to rest.”
Thanks to Professor Moriarty’s appearance, the queen calmed down, which means…
Louis IV’s fixation on my actions is also related to Moriarty!? Does the professor… know some secret about me!?
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