After confirming once again that "the fleet has suffered a devastating blow," Isabella's face, which rarely showed her true emotions, finally became genuine at this moment.
She leaned on the desk with one hand, her back slightly bent, while the other hand pressed against her chest, which was tightly bound by a corset. Her usually bright and clear eyes were now wide open, with fine blood vessels appearing on her eyeballs. Her pale face and bright red lips were pressed tightly together, making her slightly twitching left cheek appear somewhat out of sorts.
This sudden bad news exploded in Isabella's mind like a cannonball.
In that instant, it felt as if an invisible hand had suddenly gripped her heart. Disappointment, anger, grief, and confusion mingled together, making it almost impossible for her to breathe, and her mind went blank for a moment.
If the past few days were the happiest day, welcoming the Falcon Fleet back in triumph, then today is the most painful day, like falling from heaven to hell, with Isabella enduring a constant barrage of shocks.
James, who was giving the report, kept his head down, looking at the ground, and wisely remained silent, knowing that Her Majesty needed some time to calm down.
For Her Majesty the Queen, the two fleets that set out on the expedition carried her great ambitions. How much she hoped to have another overseas colony under her command! The greater her ambitions, the more severe the blow she suffered.
"call......"
After about ten breaths, Isabella lowered her hand from her chest, opened her mouth, and began to breathe softly.
“Your Majesty…” James called out softly.
"The warriors of the Empire...have they...all sacrificed themselves?" Isabella raised her hand to cover her mouth, her face first showing an expression of extreme grief.
This grief naturally affected James, who said in a sorrowful voice:
"According to the people of Shenglu, most of us have died in battle, and Marshal Clemento has also been killed."
"However... a very small number of people are still alive, including General Winston, but they have all been taken prisoner by those damned Yan people and imprisoned on Coral Island."
Hearing this, Isabella's grief-stricken face softened slightly, but her voice still trembled:
"If it falls into the hands of the Yan Kingdom, then they..."
Before he could finish speaking, a surge of anger welled up in James's heart. He gritted his teeth and said, "Those damned Yan people destroyed our fleet, and now they want us to pay compensation!"
"Only in this way can we bring General Winston and his men back."
Upon hearing this, Isabella lowered her hand from her mouth, her delicate eyebrows furrowing tightly as she said with a stern face:
"Compensation?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, the Yan people are demanding five thousand tons of gold from us as compensation."
"Those damned Yan Kingdom bastards! This is shameless extortion!!"
James's face turned ashen. Despite the Queen being right in front of him, he could not contain his emotions and began to shout and curse.
Isabella didn't speak, but slowly walked to the chair and sat down. She held her forehead with her hand and remained silent, as if she hadn't yet recovered from her pain.
Her silence quickly made James realize his lapse in composure, and he immediately lowered his voice, speaking as calmly as possible:
"Your Majesty, this time..."
Before she could finish speaking, Isabella, who had been holding her forehead, raised her head, her expression shifting from grief to coldness:
“I need to know why we lost.” Her words had become calmer than before.
This calmness gradually quelled James's agitated emotions. He took a deep breath and then relayed his conversation with Lucart from several days ago to Isabella in detail.
After Isabella listened, she remained silent for a moment before speaking:
"How do you view the role of the Shenglu people in this battle?"
James was taken aback at first, then said coldly, "A bunch of cowards! They can't do anything but surrender."
"The fact that they were able to return safely this time suggests that they may have done something dishonorable behind the scenes. Perhaps our defeat to the Yan Kingdom is related to them."
“That kid Lucat was being evasive. He only said that the Yan people had more advanced warships and cannons, but he claimed he didn’t know the specific details. How can I believe him completely?”
"The fact that our fleet suffered heavy losses while they returned speaks volumes."
At this point, James's face darkened, and he said in a low voice:
"Your Majesty, I think these Sheng Lu people most likely defected to the enemy before the battle even began."
"They betrayed our alliance!"
Isabella didn't respond much to James's words; she simply bit her lip and looked down at the table.
Then, she suddenly said, "Is he sure our warships have been completely destroyed?"
James nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"This should be correct."
Isabella then asked, "How many people are still alive?"
“They said there were fewer than three hundred people.” James said with a look of regret.
Isabella shook her head slightly and rubbed her temples.
James then whispered, “Your Majesty, there is something I must tell you.”
Isabella raised an eyebrow, and James clenched his fist, saying in a deep voice, "We cannot agree to the Yan people's demands!"
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