Huggins bowed and indicated that he would take care of it immediately.
Finding that the other party showed no signs of leaving, Todd asked curiously, "Is there something else?"
Huggins gave a forced smile: "Your Majesty, my energy is not what it used to be. If you would like, I would like to find a few people to share my workload..."
Hearing this, Todd understood Huggins's idea.
Because of the Raglan couple's affair, partly out of anger towards Todd and partly to avoid suspicion, Huggins, who was considering stepping down, hoped to return power to the king.
"Stand here and wait for me."
After saying this, Todd walked towards his bedroom without looking back, leaving Huggins alone in the corridor, stunned.
A few minutes later, Todd, now dressed in a long robe, concealed his figure with a large cloak and his face with a low-brimmed hat, walked up to a bewildered Huggins and gestured: "Come with me."
The two boarded the royal carriage, accompanied by a group of disguised guards, and headed towards the city center at the foot of the royal palace mountain.
Hearing the lively chatter around him, Todd stopped the carriage in a secluded corner, opened the door, and walked onto the street.
Seeing this, Huggins quickly climbed out of the carriage, called to his guards, and followed the king.
Todd got off the bus near Twilight Plaza, the most bustling and lively place in the entire Twilight City.
Although it was already eight or nine o'clock in the evening, the crowds on the streets showed no signs of abating. Thousands of people gathered around the square, enjoying the evening's entertainment. A newly adapted romantic comedy was being performed at the theater, with the actors giving their all and the audience laughing heartily. Busy officials, merchants, and craftsmen left their workplaces and flocked in groups of three or five to the taverns and inns in the commercial district to indulge in revelry. Vendors pushed all sorts of carts, hawking their goods to passersby, and the sounds of bargaining filled the air.
Holding a bowl of seafood stew in his left hand and a dozen skewers in his right, Todd, who showed no signs of being a king, strolled south of the square while heartily eating street food.
Huggins followed behind him, glanced at Todd's expression, and thought to himself, "Your Majesty, it's getting late, we should go back."
“It’s not far, it’s just ahead.” Todd finished his food, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and pointed ahead to Huggins.
The group that came out of the palace walked for another twenty minutes and came to a lonely hill.
This hill is located in the center of Muxi City, but compared with the surrounding bright lights and noisy city, it is as quiet as an isolated island.
As Huggins climbed the hill, he looked around.
The ancient trees with lush foliage, the endless green grass and wildflowers, and... hundreds of tombstones standing silently in the night.
He recognized the place.
This place was originally Alfonso's residence, and later became the cemetery for the Knights of Favonius who died in battle.
Todd walked to the top of the hill, looked back at the myriad lights at the foot of the hill that shone like a galaxy, and asked, "What do you think of the view?"
Unsure of the king's intentions, Huggins thought to himself, "Your Majesty, it's beautiful."
"That tower-like building is the nearly completed Muxi Cathedral in the kingdom. Elijah is leading a group of master artists, rushing to finish the last part of the murals on the cathedral's roof; that area that looks like a noble manor is Muxi Academy. By the end of next month, the academy will be officially renamed Muxi University, at which time it will have seven colleges, nearly one hundred academic departments, and more than two thousand students; and there's that brightly lit area near the sea, where Muxi Harbor has just completed its expansion and can now accommodate the largest ships in the Southern Empire. The Muxi Shipyard will soon begin construction on its third dock, which will be the largest dock in all the diocesan kingdoms..."
Todd turned his head toward Huggins and said calmly, "Do you know who you should thank for this beautiful view?"
The latter paused for a moment, then said softly, "Of course it's Your Majesty. Without you, this place would just be a desolate beach."
"You're wrong!"
Todd pointed to the ground not far away and said, word by word, "We owe the city of Twilight to them!"
Following the direction the king pointed, Huggins stared at the dense array of tombstones in his field of vision, frozen in place.
Todd slowly walked to the nearest cross-shaped tombstone and looked at the inscription: Seth Drummond, 1152-1171, Eleventh Lancer of the Knights of the Twilight, died in the Battle of the North Stone.
Todd knelt down, gently brushing away the dust from the tombstone, and whispered in a voice only he could hear, "Perhaps the first instinct a ruler should possess is to take the sacrifice of others as a matter of course, but after all these years, I still can't do that..."
After squatting silently in front of the tombstone for a long time, Todd stood up again and said to Huggins, "I have never thought that being king is a pleasant job, nor have I ever considered power to be a supreme glory. Precisely because of my high position, the first thing I think about when I wake up is not what I can enjoy today, but what I should do for my subjects today."
“Huggins, my rebuke of you and the Raglans is not because you have deceived me or offended the King’s majesty; but because you have begun to place your own interests above those of the people.”
“Unlike the time at the San Siro Monastery, where we fought and struggled for food and survival, now we fight to honor the fallen warriors and to protect everyone behind us!”
After finishing his words, seeing Huggins deep in thought, Todd patted him on the shoulder and smiled, saying, "Everyone makes mistakes. Today I'm pointing out your mistake. Someday, perhaps it will be your turn to warn me."
After saying this, Todd left Huggins standing there in a daze and walked down the hill alone.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com