Chapter 29
Early in the morning, the capital seemed a bit chaotic, like a baby whimpering after waking up early.
One carriage after another lined up in an orderly formation and headed towards the palace.
People opened the doors of their own shops and saw carriages speeding past and leaving in a cloud of dust.
Passersby also retreated to the sides and could only look around in the shops to avoid the carriages.
"What happened?"
"I don't know... It looks like something big is going on."
Soon, the last carriage that stopped in front of the castle was an extremely luxurious carriage.
Duke Levi got off the carriage gently and looked around.
Most of the mages had already arrived, but without exception, all of them were staring at him with hostile eyes.
If eyes could be turned into bullets, Duke Levi would probably be riddled with holes.
Duke Levi's reputation had fallen to the extreme in the mage circle after the volcanic incident.
There were no rumors or slanders, and everyone saw it with their own eyes.
No one took the initiative to greet the Duke, and even the close noble Baker shook his head helplessly.
He stood alone in front of the door, neither humble nor arrogant.
After a while, the towering gate of the castle slowly opened, and a strong wind burst out from the castle, blowing the clothes of all the mages present.
Like a vicious beast, it wanted to devour the pride of everyone present.
A knight came out with a noble man with silver hair.
The man looked less than 30 years old, still very young, dressed luxuriously, and had an extraordinary demeanor.
Seeing this face, many people recognized it and all bowed.
The Duke stood in the front, facing one of the most distinguished men in the empire, he also bent down and saluted respectfully.
"Your Highness, the Second Prince."
The Second Prince nodded to the Duke, raised his hand, and signaled that everyone should stand up without being polite.
"Since everyone is here, please go in first."
After receiving permission, the mages entered one after another. When it came to the Duke, they were stopped by the Second Prince.
He smiled at Duke Levi:
"Duke Levi, shall we go somewhere else to talk?"
Duke Levi looked at the Second Prince, who was smiling but not smiling, and responded:
"Your Highness, I don't want to keep His Majesty waiting for a long time."
The Second Prince shook his head and continued to persuade Duke Levi:
"My father is old and needs more rest."
"If you go in now, you will have to wait for a while."
"Besides, I really want to communicate with you."
The Second Prince leaned towards Duke Levi. He covered his mouth with one hand and whispered in his ear:
"Maybe, I can help you get out of your current predicament."
Duke Levi listened to his words expressionlessly and did not respond.
Now the Second Prince smiled with relief.
The Duke did not respond, so he naturally agreed.
He said to Duke Levi, "My Lord, please follow me."
Under the protection of the knights around them, the two did not enter through the main gate, but went to a palace through a fork road.
"This is my place, my Lord, you can speak freely here."
The Duke glanced at the guards around the second prince.
"These guards are naturally our own people."
He waved his hand and signaled his subordinates to bring a seat to Duke Levi.
The Duke did not hesitate to sit down directly, and the two looked at each other.
The Duke laughed and said, "Your Highness, you started to develop your own confidants so early, isn't it... a bit inappropriate?"
"His Majesty, he is not dead yet."
The Duke's question was a bit chilly, which made the second prince tremble slightly.
He showed a helpless expression and responded with a smile:
"My Lord Duke, I don't want to die inexplicably anytime."
"Sitting in my position, it is not up to me to fight or not."
The Duke fell silent and did not reply.
The atmosphere between the two of them suddenly dropped to the freezing point, and they were silent with each other.
The second prince took the lead in breaking the deadlock:
"Let's not talk about this, Lord Duke, the current situation is not good for you."
"There are too many people impeaching you, and my father may not be able to bear the pressure."
"To be honest, this is what I want to talk to you about."
Before Duke Levi responded, the second prince took a sip of the teacup and continued:
"I heard that the daughter of the Duke's family will be an adult in another year."
Hearing this, the Duke slowly raised his head, his eyes were a little cold, and there was some mockery in his eyes.
"So what?"
The second prince put down the teacup, looked at the guards around him, and smiled elegantly.
"My Lord Duke,People really want me to speak directly. "
"If I get engaged to your daughter, the Duke will have a kinship with the royal family. At that time, my father will naturally have a reason to protect you..."
Crack!
Before the second prince finished speaking, the teacup in his hand broke instantly.
The knights panicked and drew their swords to point at Duke Levi.
The second prince was not afraid, but clapped his hands, patted off the debris in his hands, and looked at Duke Levi quietly with a smile in his eyes:
"Duke, this is the palace."
"You don't want your daughter to lose all her future because of your recklessness."
Duke Levi stood up, and the powerful magic pressure dissipated instantly when he stood up.
The second prince's eyes froze slightly in his smiling face, and he sighed in his heart.
What a precise magic control.
Suddenly, Duke Levi asked:
"Your Highness, how old are you this year?"
"Twenty-nine, how about it? For your daughter, my age is suitable. "
"Really? Twenty-nine."
Duke Levi muttered this number, as if he was comparing something.
Soon, he suddenly asked:
"Your Highness, I have watched you grow up, but have you made any progress in the past twenty years?"
The cold words stabbed into the heart of the second prince like daggers. He felt annoyed immediately, as if his head was pressed by a huge rock, and his smile froze on his face.
"Indeed, you are very smart, you know how to use the resources around you, and you know how to figure out people's hearts."
"But you are not strong, and the resources you can use are only reflected in your blood advantage."
Duke Levi did not say it clearly, but the second prince understood it.
The implication is that you are protected by your father.
Without this blood relationship, you are nothing.
The second prince's smile slowly disappeared, replaced by a cold and playful expression.
"Then what? I am a prince. Apart from me, is there anyone more suitable and better than me? "
Suddenly, he was stunned because he thought of someone.
There really is one.
Duke Levi also smiled and looked at him with obvious contempt in his eyes.
"I suggest you say this to the head of the Cravenna family in person."
The second prince slammed the table, waved his hand, and roared:
"He is just a viscount! And he is dead! Do you understand? He is dead!"
The second prince became more and more excited, and finally wanted to grab Duke Levi's collar and point at his nose to tell him the truth.
But he didn't do it. As the second prince, he must maintain the proper etiquette. Even if he is not calm, he can't be like a beast. This is his last dignity as a member of the royal family.
He took a deep breath and then said to Duke Levi:
"He has disappeared forever in that volcano. This is something everyone knows. "
"Dead? "
Duke Levi laughed as if he had heard a great joke.
He shook his head and looked at him with pity in his eyes:
"In my eyes, your arrogance is not as good as his."
After that, Duke Levi walked out of the door without looking back.
The second prince had a gloomy face, stroked his silver hair, took a deep breath, and adjusted his mood.
"Let's go, let's go to the hall too."
"I am looking forward to him being able to remain so calm when being pointed at by everyone. "
......
The palace was already full of people. The knights around were wearing heavy armor and holding knight swords, guarding the order around them.
Gwen stood near the throne. As the Knight Commander of the Royal Knights, the person she needed to protect was the emperor.
The person kneeling in the front was Duke Levi.
Seeing the Duke, Gwen's expression was a little complicated.
Of course, she knew what this powerful minister had experienced today.
That was definitely not good.
But it must be said that he loved his daughter very much.
Gwen quickly left the sight and glanced among the mages.
He didn't come.
She couldn't find Victor. .
"He, didn't come back..."
For some reason, she felt a little uncomfortable.
Maybe it was because Victor was someone she had known since childhood.
Suddenly, with the eunuch's announcement, the emperor sat on the throne with the support of the crowd.
Aubrey Sol, the eighth emperor of the Carencia Empire.
He looked very old, with white hair.
Although the emperor was only sixty years old, he was not much different from Duke Levi.
All the mages who saw the emperor knelt on one knee and expressed their highest respect to the emperor.
Emperor Aubrey waved his hand and asked everyone to stand up.
OnlyDuke Levi did not move, still kneeling in the same place.
The old king looked at Duke Levi, closed his eyes and sighed.
He looked at him quietly and asked:
"Levi, when the volcano was about to erupt, did you stop the magic array?"
"Yes."
Duke Levi did not hesitate at all.
The emperor asked again: "Levi, they said you wanted to kill all the wizards, including the residents under the mountain, to bury your daughter. What explanation do you have for this?"
"Your Majesty, I have no explanation."
The emperor looked at him silently and sighed heavily.
"Alas..."
He looked at Levi, his eyes full of reluctance.
Once, they were best friends and comrades-in-arms.
But now, Levi still looks so young, but he has stepped into the journey of life and death first.
He wanted to protect the old friends who had been with him for so long in the last few years.
But Levi's move affected the reputation of the royal family.
If it is not dealt with severely...it will only chill the hearts of others.
"Levi, understand me, forgive me."
He closed his eyes, ready to make the final judgment on Levi.
Suddenly, all the knights outside the door drew their swords.
A vortex of flames rose from the sky outside the hall, attracting everyone's attention.
The strong heat wave made them unable to open their eyes, and waited until the heat wave dissipated.
The mages present slowly opened their eyes.
A figure appeared from the light.
Gwen stared at it, with a gleam in his eyes.
"Victor!?"
Victor appeared in front of everyone, and the windbreaker with red stripes moved with the heat wave.
He looked at the emperor, but did not kneel, but just bowed.
"Sorry, Your Majesty."
"I'm late."