NOVEL NEXT Chapter 683: -131- Thorn
(Note: Marquis Howard is the Chief of Internal Affairs, not the Military Chief, the mistake has been corrected.)
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"They... none of them came?"
Upon hearing Marquis Howard's response, Count Stafford's brow furrowed instantly.
He was about to press further, but after glancing at Charlotte behind him, who was receiving the homage of many nobles and engaging in friendly conversation with Campbell, the Grand Priest of the Holy Royal Court, he ultimately forced himself to hold back and whispered:
"Marquis, let's set aside their matters for now... The Red Palace should be in order, right? Her Majesty is tired after the journey, so let's take Her Majesty to the Red Palace to rest first."
However, this time, Marquis Howard and Count Greenville Roman both hesitated with matching expressions.
"What now? Marquis, Count, don't tell me there's also a problem with the Red Palace?"
Seeing their troubled looks, Count Stafford couldn't help but ask.
Marquis Howard nodded and said:
"Lord Chairman, the Red Palace is... currently not very suitable for accommodation, but we have prepared the Royal Palace on the outskirts of Falling Star. That place was originally a Royal Mansion, and the scenery is not bad, it can serve as a temporary abode for Her Majesty."
"The Royal Palace? Marquis, are you serious? How long has that place been in ruins! With Her Majesty arriving in Falling Star, is she to stay in a decrepit mansion instead of the Royal Palace?"
This time, Count Stafford was truly angry.
Seeing him looking as if he might leap up at any moment, Count Greenville Roman quickly stepped forward and sighed:
"Lord Chairman, this is not the fault of Marquis Howard. As Chief of Internal Affairs, the Marquis has done all he can, but the Knight Order is not cooperating... Commander Camden refuses to relinquish the defense rights of the Red Palace. He believes that the throne is still vacant, and Her Majesty, who has yet to be crowned, should not stay in the Red Palace..."
Hearing this, Count Stafford finally could not contain himself:
"Refuse to relinquish the defense of the Red Palace? How dare they?! Her Majesty is the rightful heir designated by the late King! Haven't they already agreed to the Council's proposal, supporting Queen Charlotte?"
Count Stafford was visibly infuriated, and his voice involuntarily rose.
Behind him, Charlotte, who had long heard every word of the low conversation with the Bloodline's Spiritual Sense, also slightly raised her eyebrows.
As expected, succession to the throne was never going to be smooth sailing.
Look, she had just finished receiving the loyalist nobles' welcome, and now there were troublemakers again?
However...
"Duke Wester and the Knight Order?"
Charlotte repeated the names with a raised eyebrow.
Hearing Charlotte's voice, Marquis Howard stepped forward and quickly said:
"Your Majesty, I am very sorry... but please rest assured, we have already expedited the repairs of the residence, and it is certainly adequate as a temporary abode. We are also continuing to communicate with the Knight Order and will resolve the issue as soon as possible..."
Charlotte was noncommittal in response to Marquis Howard.
She glanced at Yulster by her side and asked a question that left the nobles completely baffled:
"That matter... are they the ones behind it?"
Yulster stepped forward, speaking softly:
"Yes, Your... Majesty, it is them."
That matter?
What matter?
The nobles of Falling Star were completely clueless.
However, at the same time, Count Stafford seemed to grasp something and his complexion changed instantly.
He stared intently at Yulster, his expression a mix of astonishment and disbelief:
"Count, you... you mean..."
He was about to inquire further, but upon seeing the signal from Charlotte's eyes to remain silent, he forcibly swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
But even so, he couldn't help but ask:
"Count, are you... sure?"
"Of course, I have gathered enough evidence,"
Yulster said.
Count Stafford's eyes immediately widened.
His expression complex, he couldn't help but mutter to himself,
"Them? It's actually them? How could it be them? When did they fall?"
Listening to Stafford and Yulster's enigmatic conversation, the nobles of Falling Star exchanged puzzled looks.
Only Charlotte understood what they were talking about.
After the Kraken, a sea beast, attacked, Charlotte ordered Yulster to search for the "suspects" behind the assault.
The results of the "interrogation" pointed to none other than Duke Wester, the Military Chief of Falling Star Kingdom, and the Kingdom Knight Order.
Of course, this matter should not be made public yet, at least... not until Charlotte had settled the score.
She was also worried that those who plotted might flee before their scheme was exposed.
However, given the current situation, that likelihood seemed much smaller.
The other party was even bold enough to openly defy her. With the Knight Order in control of the Red Palace at the Falling Star Royal Palace, they were refusing her entry, clearly quite confident.
No...
Perhaps they never anticipated she would actually be able to make it to Falling Star.
That was perfect.
Although she had just set foot on Falling Star's soil, as a monarch from overseas, Charlotte felt she needed to find some targets to assert her authority in this unfamiliar realm.
Otherwise, many nobles might indeed treat her as an unseasoned child to be trifled with.
Having had one experience with noble inheritance, Charlotte could roughly guess this would be the case.
With this in mind, Charlotte narrowed her eyes and suddenly smiled.
She looked towards Marquis Howard and smiled,
"Marquis, I appreciate your hard work, but... let's head to the Royal Palace."
"I may not have been crowned yet, but as I understand it, the Red Palace of Falling Star is not only the royal palace but also the property of the Roman family."
Saying this, Charlotte caressed the Roman Sword at her waist and said lightly,
"I am the designated heir of the late King Edward, and I am also the chosen one of the Roman Sword. As the master of the Roman Sword... I would like to see who would dare to stop the future monarch, the Quasi Patriarch of the Roman family, from entering their own family property."
After finishing speaking, Charlotte said to Count Stafford,
"Count... no, Lord Chairman, may we set off now?"
Watching Charlotte's defiant demeanor, Count Stafford hesitated to speak.
Recalling the sight of the young queen driving off the giant Kraken in the sea, a strange sense of anticipation welled up in his heart.
Taking a deep breath, he said in a deep voice,
"Her Majesty is right; even if she has not been crowned yet, the Red Palace is also the property of the Roman family. There is no issue with Her Majesty residing there."
"Her Majesty has been recognized by the Roman Royal Family; Her Majesty is the Quasi Patriarch of the Roman family!"
"Anyone who dares to stop Her Majesty is committing an offense against the Falling Star Royal Family!"
After speaking, Count Stafford looked towards Marquis Howard, the Chief of Internal Affairs, and intoned firmly,
"Marquis, did you hear Her Majesty's words? Take our queen back to the palace!"
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This chapter makes up for last night, and there will be another this evening, though it will be a bit late.