Chapter 16 The King’s Birthday Feast…
Chapter 16
16.1
Osborne Karagarang really didn't know what he had done wrong.
He had only quickly treated the wounds on his face caused by Euridsi's beating with a folding fan, and was thinking in his mind how to retaliate against Euridsi Aquitas at the banquet.
However, for some unknown reason, he inexplicably offended Prince Rokolan——
Prince Rokolan, that is the Queen's only companion.
When Prince Rokolan just arrived at the banquet hall, nothing had gone wrong; the prince just wore a platinum velvet cloak, walked slowly into the banquet hall, and greeted the guests with a smile.
However, the moment the prince saw Osborne Karagaran, everything went wrong.
Prince Rokolan stared at Osborne Karagaran, and the smile on his face completely disappeared, causing Osborne, who was about to salute the prince, to freeze slightly.
"Osborne Karagaran," Prince Rokolan said slowly, "what are you doing?"
Without even a polite greeting, a low but clear question instantly spread throughout the banquet hall:
Prince Rokolan was born into the "Moman Mermaid Clan". The voice of a mermaid has great energy and ability. Therefore, the prince just said one sentence calmly, but everyone in the banquet hall heard it.
The banquet hall, which was originally filled with low laughter, suddenly became quiet, and people looked over in surprise.
The musicians in the banquet hall subconsciously stopped playing, and the air became slightly stagnant, as if it had fallen into a dullness before a storm.
Osborne Karagaran froze, a bewildered look on the young knight's face.
He really didn't know what he had done wrong.
Prince Rokolan's expression was cold, and his eyes revealed a sense of offended violence.
"Let me see, a young and handsome knight... Do you want to replace me and become the queen's companion?"
These words were like a huge stone, hitting the center of the banquet hall with a bang, making everyone's face turn pale and plunging the hall into silence.
Replace the prince?
Become the Queen's companion?
This was an extremely serious accusation. Facing the prince's gloomy face, the guests lowered their heads and held their breath. One of the waiters shuddered, slipped, and unconsciously overturned the silver plate. After a series of "ping-pong" sounds of tableware falling to the ground, someone whispered a cry of surprise.
However, Prince Rokolan did not even look at the servant who had caused the trouble, but stared closely at Osborne Karagaran.
Osborne's heart sank completely.
As a child of the Karagaran family, he was no fool who didn't know how to adapt. Osborne immediately knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and said in a deep voice, "Prince, I absolutely do not have such thoughts. I don't know what caused this misunderstanding."
Rokolan lowered his eyes condescendingly and looked at Osborne Karagaran coldly.
"Do you take me for a fool?" The prince sneered, "If you didn't have such thoughts, why would you wear the black opal earrings?"
—Black opal earrings.
Euridice Arquitas earrings.
16.2
When Osborne Karagaran knelt on one knee before Prince Rokolan, Oulidesi stood in the crowd and quietly covered her face with a lady's folding fan.
She was afraid that she would laugh out loud.
Amidst the utter silence and anxiety, the illegitimate child, Hesong Karagaran, unconsciously huddled beside Olidesi. Olidesi heard him mutter to himself, "What...just happened?"
Like everyone else, Ollido showed an expression of panic and confusion on his face, but he couldn't help laughing in his heart.
What happened? No one knows better than Euridsi.
Prince Rokolan is old.
King Lucinda was born into the extremely long-lived Iriswing people, with a long lifespan of nearly seven to nine hundred years.
Even though everyone was celebrating her 252nd birthday, King Lucinda was still in her prime, her body and mind were very sharp, and she showed no signs of aging.
However, Prince Rokolan is old.
He has been with the Queen for nearly fifty years, from a twenty-year-old young man to a silver-haired old man.
Even though Prince Rokolan once topped the "Ethereal Continent Beauty List" when he was young and was extremely charming, the passage of time spared no one.
No matter how beautiful a woman is, there will come a day when she grows old and has gray hair.
Olidisi once said to Lorenz privately: "You should be careful in front of Prince Rokolan."
Lorenz was puzzled: "Why? The prince is a fair man."
Euridsi smiled and said, "Even the fairest of people have their own inner dangers, like a mermaid's reverse scale. I believe Prince Rokolan's danger is his aging—he will uncontrollably regard every handsome young knight as his replacement."
Lorenz was startled: "Replacer..."
Olidesi shook his head with emotion. "Prince Rokolan has grown old, no longer able to offer the Queen a pleasing appearance or considerate tenderness. However, the Queen has neither changed her appearance nor lost her power or influence. Naturally, there is a sense of crisis within the Prince."
Lorenz, however, had a different perspective: "Prince Rokolan's significance to Your Majesty goes beyond his handsome appearance. He was once the king of the Morman mermaids, a link between them and other tribes. He is a staunch ally of the Queen in administration, more than just her personal companion."
Olidesi shook his head slightly. "Indeed, the fact that 'the prince is of Murman descent' has significance in the governance of the empire. However, the Murman mermen have gained freedom over the years, gradually intermingling with other races on the Void Continent and gaining equal status with other races. Prince Rokolan, as the link between the Murman mermen and the mermen, has an increasingly less important role in the governance of the empire. In fact, aside from the king's favoritism and old feelings, he no longer has anything else to consolidate his position as 'prince'."
Lorenz thought about it carefully and nodded. "You are right. Although the Queen has kept her promise to the Prince and has no lovers around, it is probably difficult for Prince Rokolan to truly feel safe."
Olidesi curled his lips. "And that's not all. Aren't all the noble families waiting for Prince Rokolan's death so they can replace him?"
When Euridsi said this, Lorenz quickly shushed her.
"Be careful, Tisi."
However, Lorenz and Euridsi's eyes met, and they both understood what the other meant.
The Queen is in her prime and is likely to give birth to many new heirs.
Among the three heirs born to the Queen and Prince Rochlin, the eldest, Prince Richard, is mediocre in ability and his intelligence is not satisfactory; Prince Constance is handsome and romantic, but his attitude seems very casual and not serious; the youngest, Princess Matilda, has an indifferent personality and obviously has no intention of becoming the heir to the empire.
None of the three heirs were completely satisfactory, which was exactly why the major noble families were eager to make a move:
When Prince Rokolan dies, the Queen will have a new lover and partner.
When the queen has a new lover, it is very likely that she will give birth to a new heir.
If the heir's father came from any aristocratic family, if the heir's father could personally participate in royal affairs, if the heir became the emperor of the empire... this would trigger countless undercurrents.
Therefore, all the nobles were waiting for the death of Prince Rokolan and were planning to quietly send the right person in the family to the king's pillow.
This also became the biggest thorn in Prince Rokolan's heart.
No one knew that the two teardrop-shaped "Black Opal Stone" earrings were the excuse used by a man who offered himself to the king in Kaderin Castle, where the queen lived, not long ago.
No one else knew, except Euridsi, who had died at the stake: Prince Rokolan was furious and ordered his men to cut off the ears of the young knight wearing the "Black Opal Stone" teardrop earrings.
Therefore, when Prince Rokolan saw the identical "Black Opal Stone" teardrop earrings appear on Osborne Karagaran, he couldn't help but reveal a sense of offense in his eyes.
"A young and handsome knight... Do you wish to replace me and become the queen's companion?"
Osborne Karagaran could only kneel on one knee and said, "Prince, I never had such thoughts. I don't know what caused such a misunderstanding."
Rokolan lowered his eyes condescendingly and looked at Osborne Karagaran coldly.
"Do you take me for a fool?" The prince sneered, "If you didn't have such thoughts, why would you wear the black opal earrings?"
Osborne shuddered.
He turned his head sharply and looked at Euridsi in the crowd——
Euridice Arquitas hid in the crowd, covering her cheeks with her lady's folding fan, and looked as surprised as all the guests; she was an ordinary guest at the banquet, no one noticed her, and no one knew her connection with the pair of "black amber stone" earrings.
Osborne Karagaran opened his mouth and was about to call out her name, but the next moment, the name was stuck in his throat again:
It was he who arrogantly and brazenly used a blunt sword, resorted to violence at the king's banquet, and snatched the earrings from Euridice. This was dishonorable and disrespectful to the king.
Moreover, Osborne was a countess; she had no need to be the queen's lover. If Osborne had mentioned her name, it would have been hard for people to believe that this was a conspiracy by Osborne. They would have simply thought he was making excuses.
Osborne knew perfectly well that he had fallen into O'Riordan's trap.
However, he gritted his teeth in hatred, but had no way to solve the problem.
Prince Rochlan certainly didn't let him go. He took a half step forward and spoke in a low voice, which made the heartbeats of all the nobles in the banquet hall slow down.
The prince said coldly, "Are you testing the attitude of the Wanzeta royal family towards the next prince on behalf of the Karagalang family?"
Prince Rokolan said this, and the expressions of the other members of the Karagalan family present also changed slightly.
Yes, if Osborne Karagaran wears such earrings and the Queen is very tolerant of this, does it mean that the Queen has no objection to choosing the next prince from the young people of the Karagaran family?
And by wearing these earrings, is Osborne Carragalan trying to test Queen Lucinda's thoughts on the next prince?
Such an accusation is far more serious than Osborne Karagarang's own mistakes. It might give the Queen an excuse to punish the Karagarang family.
Therefore, the current head of the Karagalan family, Duke Hugh Karagalan, who was also Osborne Karagalan's father, immediately stepped out and knelt on one knee in front of Prince Rokolan.
The old duke was wearing a dark blue robe, his eyes were deep, his body was steady, and he was not panicked.
"Your Highness, the Prince of Mercy," said the Duke, "allow me to clear the name of the Caragaran family—"
The Duke said, his eyes clear and calm, "I am convinced that the 'earring' incident was caused by someone else at the banquet."
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