Chapter 369: Her Majesty the Queen's Life is Coming
At dusk.
Island of Glass, Palace of Silver and Tin.
"Look, Sophia. You really aren't nervous at all."
The clear voice of a little girl rang out in the queen's bedroom.
Ligeia sat at the foot of the bed, swinging her legs and chewing a red apple, her tail sweeping the quilt from time to time, sweeping out wrinkles and then smoothing them out again.
The queen lying in the quilt did not answer.
Compared to her a month ago, she looked noticeably older. Her eyes were so swollen that she could barely open them, and she looked much more depressed.
She simply spread out the sweater she had just knitted, admired it for a while, then carefully folded it up and placed it on the bedside.
"Sophia?"
Seeing that her old friend did not respond, Ligeia turned back to look at the silent old lady in dissatisfaction: "I'm asking you a question!
"Don't we all know that Miss Aleister is Lily Droste's daughter? Now that Charles is dead, why don't we just announce her identity? Do those Droste family members dare to object?"
"—It's better not to. Former Minister Droste is still 'not dead'."
Janice's voice suddenly came.
In a painting depicting a summer seaside scene in the bedroom, Janice, wearing a white gauze dress and a straw hat, sits leisurely under the shade of a parasol, slowly peeling grapes while casually remarking, "And Aiwass would probably prefer this method."
The information about the murder of former Minister Droste remains confidential.
In other words, he was still alive in society, just being secretly imprisoned, occasionally revealing some key information - and these things could become handles for punishing someone at any time.
Because he knows so much.
It is also because of this that Aiwass, as the Minister without Portfolio, was attacked by those old guys.
In their view, the inauguration of the new Minister without Portfolio, Aiwass, and the arrest and detention of Minister Droste are not two different things.
It's the same thing.
Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is directly under the royal family, the Queen's time is coming to an end.
With the new king Isabel unable to hold up the stage, it is still unknown how much real power the minister will ultimately have.
——However, if we add the "evidence" that Minister Droste keeps spewing out, the situation will be different.
The combination of these two will have sufficient deterrent effect.
"So they desperately want to weaken the power of Aiwass. Even if his inauguration can no longer be interfered with, at least they must prevent the expansion and actions of the independent department."
Janice explained slowly, "Even if this intelligence hadn't arrived, they would have found another excuse to attack. Rather, this was an opportunity for Aiwass—because this incident came too early and was so ingenious that the knights couldn't continue to plot in secret.
"They don't want to miss this golden opportunity, so they launch an attack prematurely despite being incompletely prepared. And since they're in a hurry, there are bound to be loopholes."
"Oh... because we all know that there is actually no such person as 'Aleister'. And it is even more impossible for Aiwass to be related to Xingbi... Is this what you mean, Yannis?"
Ligeia also reacted.
But she still didn't understand: "Then why does Sophia act as if this is really happening?"
Queen Sophia's attitude seemed to be very nervous - she issued an order to the Inspectorate, prohibiting the matter from being published in the newspapers "before it is verified." And this order itself would spread among the circle.
"Stupid thing..."
Sophia looked at her lively and energetic little girl-like old best friend, forced her eyes open, and sighed: "Isn't it the same as before..."
"Before?"
Ligeia was stunned for a moment.
But she soon realized what Sophia was referring to.
——Just like when the royal family was cursed in the past.
Queen Sofia particularly liked the tactic of showing the enemy weakness - or more accurately, she liked to lay traps as soft as honey, making the enemy think that her plan was going smoothly, thus luring the enemy deeper. Then, at a critical juncture, when the enemy was no longer able to withdraw, she would strike back.
If the "Shadow of Avalon" ceremony had not been tampered with, Sophia's plan would be completely feasible.
The founding king, Lancelot I, whose strength rivaled that of the temple's apostles, was resurrected, returning to his peak in physical form. Whether it was the ancestor's inherent combat prowess, the power of the sixth-level path of authority to suppress his subjects, the founding monarch's high popular prestige, the power to deter foreign enemies, or the political influence that enabled him to implement his policies with unwavering success, all these factors directly contributed to Avalon's rebirth.
At that crucial moment, a resounding victory would be achieved—and they would be the righteous invaded party. Demonstrating military might to the powerful nation would instill confidence in the people, while simultaneously eradicating those corrupt knights.
To achieve this goal, the lower the political desires, the better.
Otherwise, it might lead to the division of Avalon.
Then Isabel, who can inherit Sofia's desire for reform, is the best successor.
Isabel's lack of political understanding and adaptability to the path of authority can also be perfectly resolved. She only needs to stand with the ancestors and clarify the goals of those ministers who are confused about whether to obey the modern monarch or the founding monarch.
Queen Sofia has calculated everything.
The only thing she hadn't anticipated was that something went wrong with the sage Merlin's ritual itself—she had placed too much trust in Merlin. This directly disrupted her entire plan, and even left her feeling lost for a time.
It wasn't until Merlin personally explained to her where the problem lay and advised her to give up the plan... that she finally let go of the anger she had been holding.
From then on, she watched her health deteriorate day by day, becoming increasingly depressed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Compared with the approaching death, her will and thoughts became clearer.
The events of the past kept resurfacing in her mind.
Sophia not only did not become confused, but gradually sorted out the situation.
This isn't a defeat, nor is it a dead end. It's the moment to break free.
Now that the information had been stolen, they seemed to be unable to do anything but issue a warning... It was exactly the same attitude as when they were cursed.
Just as she hadn't ordered Meg to seal off the entire city and conduct a thorough investigation when the curse was cast, Sophia also didn't allow Ligeia to physically dispel the rumors this time.
"They won't miss this opportunity and will definitely take the initiative to provoke Aiwass..."
Sophia looked particularly listless and her voice was weak.
But compared to her previous period of confusion, she now looks much more determined.
The old queen spoke slowly and softly, "It looks like a handle, but it's actually full of flaws... Once this matter is handled, no one will dare to provoke them... I can leave with peace of mind..."
Seeing the old lady taking a breath after every sentence, Janice in the painting simply added, "Evans is a young man, and his children are young and immature. It's understandable that he would 'go a little too far' when fighting back. Although he's a pastor, even honest people can get angry. After all, with such obvious hostility on display, how can it not make people angry?"
"...That does make sense. After all, that guy isn't a pushover. So, I'm looking forward to it... But you haven't communicated with Aiwass yet, right?"
Ligeia raised her eyebrows and jumped off the bed. "How about I go to Eagle Point Village and tell him about the situation so he can be on guard when he returns? I'm also a little curious about my disciple's living conditions. I can go there on a griffin, and the round trip is quite fast."
"That's not necessary."
While chewing the grapes in the painting, Janice said gracefully, "He's back. He's chatting with little Isa now.
"I'll ask him to come over later."
"……fine……"
Hearing that Aiwas was coming, Queen Sophia raised the corners of her mouth slightly, murmured softly, and gradually fell into a state of confusion.
Not far away.
Also in the Hall of Silver and Tin, in Isabel's bedroom.
Aiwass was happily sharing with Isabel what he had seen and heard on the trip.
Yes, Aiwass did not immediately start investigating the idea of the missing letter.
He is not Sherlock after all.
As Edward said, it didn't matter whether Aleister was a spy or not—similarly, it didn't matter whether Aiwass found the letter or not. It didn't even matter whether Aleister existed or not.
——On the contrary, it is most important to confirm the attitude of the Queen and those "big-name" powerful people towards this matter.
Seeing that it was getting late, Aiwass hinted to Edward to send Captain Camus back. They agreed to meet again tomorrow morning to officially begin the investigation.
After Camus left, Aiwass went to the palace immediately.
What surprised Aiwas was that Isabel had guessed that he would come and had already changed into the pure white dress she usually wore for family dinners.
However, Aiwass quickly realized that it must be the Golden Dawn camera at home that informed Janice, so Isabel was able to get the news from her teacher.
But after sharing her travel experiences, Isabel, who was originally excited about seeing Aiwass, showed a look of worry instead.
The first sentence she said after that made Aiwass stunned for a moment:
"It's just a thought, I'm not sure...
"But, Aiwass, your path...hasn't it deviated significantly?"
(End of this chapter)
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