42. The Anglo-French Family Ties
I had already experienced the underhanded tactics of Queen Louis IV of the Great Yīng Empire once before, but this time, I had transformed from a victim into a bystander.
That evening, after capturing Louis XXV and a faction of noble vassals loyal to him, Louis IV did not cower just because Louis XXV was a big fish in the “Louis” hierarchy. In the following days, with news flooding the Great Yīng Empire, Louis XXV was transformed into a villain colluding with the notorious O’Keefe, attempting to overthrow the royal authority of the Great Yīng Empire, and was promptly imprisoned.
All of Louis XXV’s vassals underwent thorough investigations without exception. Even those fortunate enough to escape imprisonment faced the punishment of “deprivation of electoral rights” for their attempts to undermine the parliament, a direct declaration of the death of their ambitions.
With “irrefutable evidence” already in hand, combined with Louis XXV’s poor reputation and his recent association with the infamous O’Keefe, there was no dissenting voice within the empire. Louis XXV’s influence crumbled to dust. The ballots in Louis XXV’s possession were deemed pending and were to be voted on solely by the queen of the Great Yīng Empire, in accordance with the law.
I didn’t even need to think about how the queen would vote, so the results of the first round of the parliamentary restructuring had already been firmly grasped by her. With her people inside and out, what could anyone use to fight against the queen ?
A few days later, as a “meritorious person,” I received an invitation from Louis IV. Having previously forced her into an agreement, I wasn’t worried that this invitation would be a trap, so I met with the queen at the palace , straightforwardly, alongside Kephiel.
“Kephiel, Mr. O’Keefe, you’ve come~”
The guest room prepared exclusively for us by the queen had no one else present, so she even called me by my real name. Most likely because Kephiel was still there, upon our reunion, Her Majesty maintained her “idol” demeanor.
She flashed a bright smile at the two of us.
“Especially Mr. O’Keefe, I’m truly grateful for your help before~”
I shot a glance at Louis IV; this queen was clearly trying to set me up again, the so-called “gentle trap,” deliberately confusing the concept of my previous actions, just waiting for me to slowly fall in.
I wouldn’t fall for it.
“No need for thanks; we were just looking out for ourselves. If you really want to express gratitude, Your Majesty, please adhere to the agreement we made back then.”
—
Let me know if you need any further assistance!
I stepped forward in place of Kefier, watching as Louis IV stood up to face me.
There was no way around it; due to Louis IV’s previous actions, the powerful Kefier behind me now had some reservations about her royal sister and was unwilling to engage.
Eliminating the recent worsening reputation of the Oquiliad… that was probably impossible. All I hoped for now was that the great Queen Louis IV of the Daring Empire would stop threatening me and also refrain from threatening Kefier.
“Sure~”
Before I could finish stating my conditions, Louis IV had already agreed.
Having heard the queen’s evasions and schemes too many times before, I found her straightforwardness now somewhat disconcerting.
“However, this will require the most ordinary exchange conditions. Since Mr. Oquiliad is unwilling to serve me and Kefier does not want to let go, then you both must fulfill your duties as members of the noble class of the Daring Empire, which is to provide as much assistance as possible when the queen is in difficulty~”
“No problem, I agree.”
Fearing that the queen might change her mind and pull some tricks, I hurriedly agreed. To deal with this queen, I had always said: direct threats and the use of ‘prophecy’ are difficult for me to comply with, but if it’s just based on “Kefier’s royal sister needs help,” then with the intention of alleviating the burden for the big shot, I could certainly offer some suggestions within my capabilities.
After all, she is the queen of the Daring Empire; it never hurts to keep her happy, just like with Letty.
But…
“Why must you bring this up?”
Louis IV smiled. Having just eliminated Louis XXV and toppled the largest opposition in her empire, I didn’t feel that she was particularly happy at this moment.
“Can’t you see with your prophecy?”
Looking skeptically at the script of Louis IV, it turned out that the content that appeared not only did not please her, but I couldn’t feel pleased either.
【There still exists opposition to Louis IV within the Daring Empire.】
That was secondary; what did the affairs of the Daring Empire have to do with me, Oquiliad? The important thing was what came next…
【Oquiliad is targeted for helping Louis IV!】
“Oquiliad, what did you see?”
“Nothing, nothing at all…”
It was just the usual death script. I forced a smile.
The actual situation might be worse than I thought, because if it were just an ordinary death script, that would be one thing. The key was that this time, Louis IV seemed to have that kind of excitement and tension as if facing a formidable enemy , keenly capturing the change in my expression before slowly speaking.
“The noble powers of the Daring Empire are numerous; even someone like Louis XXV is merely a gunman pushed to the forefront. Even if eliminated, new ones will emerge. So… this is not yet a moment for me to be happy, but fighting against some of the ‘behind-the-scenes’ old-timers is certainly better than just going around in circles~”
“Kefier, Oquiliad, we are all on the same line now; you must help me~ Otherwise… you won’t be able to save yourselves either~”
I sighed, knowing Louis IV was not lying.
“Your Majesty, if you could remove the last sentence, it might sound a bit more persuasive.”
Don’t make it sound like you’re threatening me.
Then, Louis IV really did change her wording.
“Mr. Oquiliad, I beg you to help me; I will do anything to repay you!”
Before I could respond, Kefier had already pulled me behind her.
“Queen Wang, please take this seriously!”
“～”
The big shot was definitely feeling a bit sour, as she immediately grabbed my arm and pulled me outside.
“We’ll consider it! What are you staring at? Is it nice to look at!? Let’s go!”
Don’t worry, Ke Fei’er, the queen’s thighs really aren’t appealing at all!
——
Afterward.
As I watched the two leave, Louis IV returned to the table, and at the same time, Moriarty, who had been waiting outside, hurried in.
“Your Majesty, we can almost convict Louis XXV now. Please attend… I wanted to say that, but I can’t believe you actually agreed to a ‘deal,’ something you dislike the most.”
“Mm~ because a change is needed~”
Louis IV blinked.
“Otherwise, using the old methods, there’s been no progress at all.”
Her gaze remained fixed on the direction the two had just departed.
—