Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 406 The Last Chance for Peace (Part 2)
The Alliance Congress has not yet officially opened, and tonight's reception in the St. Andrew's Hall of the Imperial Consulate is just one of a series of preliminary diplomatic activities.

For the League representatives and foreign envoys invited to the reception, it was not new that Henry the Oathbreaker had appointed Prince Richard to replace the Count of Narcissus on a trip to the south, but tonight was Richard's first public social appearance since arriving in Hirano Castle.

All the guests' eyes were drawn to the young prince and his retinue, each with their own thoughts, silently observing the offspring of the most powerful man on the continent.

Richard of the Sunfire Clan calmly accepted the gazes from all directions, as if he had been born to prepare for this moment.

Count Vares—the Imperial Ambassador to Varen and also the host of the reception—rushed out of the crowd and strode to the Prince.

The prince was not on Count Vares's guest list, as he had only arrived in Hirano Castle this morning. According to the original schedule, Prince Richard was supposed to make his formal appearance as host at a reception held in his honor the day after tomorrow.

But this did not prevent Count Vares from greeting the prince with utmost respect: "[Old language] Your Highness."

“[Old language] Earl.” Richard nodded in acknowledgment.

Count Vares bowed obsequiously: "[Old saying] Your presence greatly honors my humble abode. Please forgive me, but this banquet is far too meager and does not do justice to your esteemed status..."

“[Old saying] Alright, alright, no need for such formalities.” Richard smiled and nudged the arm of the count, who was twenty years his senior. “[Old saying] I just happened to be passing by and stopped by.”

Faced with the prince's slightly affectionate gesture, Count Vares's face responded with an expression of boundless honor and emotion. He wiped his eyes a few times, unsure if they were wet with tears, and, still slightly bowed, asked in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, do you still remember my wife?"

Having said that, Count Vares beckoned. A graceful noblewoman stepped out of the crowd, approached the prince, curtsied, and greeted him softly: "[Old language] Your Highness."

“[Old saying] Of course, how could I forget?” Richard maintained his elegant smile, took the Countess’s hand, and leaned down to kiss the back of her hand: “[Old saying] Madam, you are even more charming than I have in two years.”

On the eve of the Alliance Conference, the reception at the Imperial Consulate was attended not only by representatives of various republics, but also by envoys from various forces on the continent and overseas.

With Countess Vares's appearance as a starting point, other guests from the Empire also stepped forward to pay their respects to the Prince in turn.

For example, the consuls and their wives appointed by the various great emperors and marquises to reside permanently in Hirano Castle, the envoys sent by local dukes and marquises to attend the alliance conference, and the liaisons of the major guilds and merchants of the empire...

As for the Alliance's representatives and envoys from more distant lands—such as Saracen, Murro, and the Broken Lands—most remained reserved and observed from their positions.

They weren't in a hurry. Clearly, it would be after the Imperials had finished their formalities that Earl Vares would introduce the other guests to Prince Richard.

It was during this process that the previously silent banquet hall gradually returned to its previous atmosphere—but the topic had inevitably shifted to the Prince.

People stopped laughing and talking loudly and instead whispered about everything concerning Prince Richard: his relationship with the Emperor, the origins of his attendants, and even the style of the lace on his coat.

As a result, the east and west sides of the banquet hall exhibited two completely different temperatures.

On the east side of the hall, the imperial subjects eagerly approached the prince, waiting for their turn to be received.

On the west side of the hall, where the alliance representatives were gathered, a sprightly old man in a magnificent robe commented with undisguised sarcasm and contempt: "Look, the son of the oathbreaker has captured everyone's hearts as soon as he arrives. The crown really works; even without wearing it on his head, it can still make people's knees buckle."

After speaking, the old man in the splendid robe turned his head and asked the thin man in plain black clothes beside him, "Isn't that right, Mr. Lionel?"

The First Secretary of State of the Union Province, John Lionel, calmly replied, “It is not the crown that brings you to your knees, but power, Your Excellency the Consul.”

First Consul of the Viceroyal Government of Venetta [Giano de Bella] laughed loudly, raised his glass slightly, and greeted the Secretary of State.

The reception hosted by Count Vares was of a high standard, but not high enough to invite both the heads of state of the United Provinces and the head of state of Vineta.

It was quite a sight to see Cordebella and Lionel—two of the most powerful men in the alliance, two enemies who should have been sworn enemies—currently appearing together in St. Andrew's Hall—on Imperial territory.

But it is only on such occasions that the leaders of the United Provinces and the nation of Vineta can speak face to face without restraint or consideration for their words.

The guards and assistants around them formed a barely perceptible barrier, separating Debella and Lionel from the other representatives. The other guests could only see their faces but couldn't hear what they were saying.

"So what's your decision?" Lionel asked.

The State Secretary of the United Provinces was almost skin and bones, his cheeks deeply sunken, and his eyes bloodshot. But his gaze remained sharp, unwavering... even carrying a hint of madness, making it difficult to look directly at him.

Debera avoided direct eye contact with the Secretary of State, glancing at the scene on the other side of the hall, and said with a double entendre, "I don't know if you can keep your promise."

“Simple.” Lionel replied coldly, his expression unchanged. “We’ll see in a few days.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the hall, Siegfried—the prince's blond military attendant—was already tired of the "performance" before him.

Absolute power brings absolute status, and every glance, smile, and gesture of a prince is magnified and interpreted by onlookers. Therefore, public communication between royalty and nobility follows a complex set of procedures to avoid conveying incorrect information.

This set of formalities may have its necessity, but Siegfried had seen it far too many times in the court, and he never expected to have to come back to the territory of the Southern rebels, which was rather annoying.

Richard quickly noticed Siegfried's change in mood—after all, Siegfried and the other orphans had been Richard's playmates until they were sent to military school.

He knew very well that Siegfried, who had a strong sense of self-respect, had hated formalities since childhood, and the emperor’s high regard and tolerance for Siegfried had reinforced this nature.

After dismissing yet another minor nobleman, Richard turned around and asked Siegfried with a smile, "[Old saying] Still sulking because His Majesty dismissed you?"

“[Old saying] I have never had any dissatisfaction with Your Majesty, nor will I ever.” Siegfried replied solemnly, “[Old saying] Your Highness.”

“[Old saying] You’ve always lacked a sense of humor, and it seems you’ll never be.” Richard said in a lighthearted tone, “[Old saying] The Castiles are holding you tight, and the reason they’re temporarily keeping you from leading troops is to protect you and also to prevent the Castile barbarians from causing trouble. Don’t keep a straight face, how about you go and have some fun?”
Siegfried frowned: "[Old saying] I don't think there's any fun to be had here, Your Highness."

"[Old saying] Isn't chasing after ladies fun enough? I can see several ladies and young misses with their eyes always on you."

"[Old saying] I have no interest in them."

"[Old saying] What's fun?" Richard asked with a smile.

Siegfried replied earnestly: "[Old saying] It's rare to come to the South, and I want to see the rebel army, understand their organization and tactics, and preferably watch them fight up close... This is probably the only interesting thing about this land."

“[Old saying] I’m afraid there’s no chance in Varne.” Richard chuckled. “[Old saying] You should go after the lady. Go ahead, sow your seeds and nourish the soil. Don’t worry about my safety.”

Siegfried was about to say something, but after glancing at the prince's other attendants, his icy expression softened somewhat.

He nodded to the prince, and after receiving a response from the prince, Siegfried walked to the edge of the hall.

……

Long tables with drinks and food are set up at the edge of the hall.

From the moment Aaron saw Prince Richard enter the banquet hall with his entourage, his behavior suddenly became abnormal.

While everyone else stood on tiptoe, eager to catch a glimpse of the prince, Aaron almost hid under the table, like a rabbit trying to escape a hunter.

But Aaron soon realized with despair that despite his best efforts to avoid attracting attention, the tall, blond man still walked straight toward him.

With nowhere to hide, Aaron crawled under the dining table and, using the tablecloth as cover, used his hands and feet to climb to the other end of the long table.

As soon as she cautiously peeked out, a tremendous force came from behind, grabbing her by the back of her collar and lifting her up.

It was Siegfried. Although Siegfried tried his best to maintain a blank expression, the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably: "[Old saying] What are you doing here?"

Now that she'd been caught red-handed, Aaron—or rather, Princess Elizabeth—simply gave up entirely. She stopped trying to lower her voice and instead flashed her brightest smile, waving and greeting, "Good evening, Earl Harlan. Isn't it a bit impolite of you to lift me up like that?"

"What's wrong with your voice?" Siegfried asked coldly.

“Oh!” Elizabeth replied proudly, “It took me a lot of effort to make my voice hoarse. Don’t worry, it will be fine in a while.”

Siegfried remained cold: "Does His Majesty know you're here?"

“I…I really didn’t tell Father…” Elizabeth shivered involuntarily, then protested, “But! Nothing in the Eternal City can be hidden from Father! Since…since I wasn’t taken back, that means Father tacitly approved…”

Over there, Maverick walked over with a bottle of liquor in his hand and asked Siegfried cheerfully, "You two know each other?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened as she looked at Mavy and then at Siegfried, asking incredulously, "You two know each other?"

Siegfried ignored Elizabeth and looked at Mavy instead: "I guessed you were here too."

“Wherever there’s free wine,” Mawei said proudly, raising his hands. “That’s where I am.”

Elizabeth was very dissatisfied with being ignored. She tried hard to break free from Siegfried, but his hand, which was holding Elizabeth's collar, remained unmoved.

She had no choice but to temporarily give up resisting, and asked angrily, "You two have known each other for a long time?"

“Of course.” Mave nodded as if it were a matter of course, pointed at Siegfried with his thumb, and said with a smile, “I came to Vane in his carriage. If it weren’t for Siegfried, I might have been killed by some clumsy swordsman in the alley of the capital long ago.”

Siegfried continued to ignore Elizabeth, and simply asked Mavy, "Now that you've arrived in Varne, what are you planning to do next?"

Mawei stretched, took off his hat, and scratched his thinning hair with some distress: "Anyway, I can't go back to the Eternal City right now, so I'll just have to continue 'gathering materials'."

"Source?"

Mawei replied nonchalantly, “I’ve pretty much traversed the Empire’s territory. Next, I plan to visit the rebels’ lands. I’ve discovered… the stories here are far more interesting than those of the Empire.”

"Do you have money?" Siegfried asked bluntly.

“No.” Mawei chuckled. “But don’t worry about me, I won’t starve anywhere—I can even play the lyre.”

The two talked to themselves, but Elizabeth was ignored, which made her feel inexplicably wronged.

After the gladiatorial contest in Castile, Siegfried's attitude towards Elizabeth suddenly turned cold—though it never appeared to be warm on the surface, Elizabeth could sense that the fire beneath Siegfried's iceberg had been extinguished.

As always, Elizabeth was proud and refused to admit defeat, but a piece of her heart also felt empty.

At this moment, Siegfried's deliberate disregard for her infuriated Elizabeth, causing tears to stream down her face. She began to struggle desperately again: "Let me go! Let me go!"

Seeing the questioning looks from those around him, Siegfried released his grip. Elizabeth didn't run away, but began to sob softly.

"Why are you crying?" Ma Wei asked curiously, unable to resist teasing, "Like a girl!"

Siegfried frowned upon hearing this, stared intently at Mavy for a moment, then took a deep breath and sighed deeply. At that moment, the Earl was suffering from a splitting headache.

Just as Siegfried was struggling to say to the princess, "Please don't cry," a commotion suddenly broke out outside the banquet hall.

The sounds of horses' hooves, shouts, and even faint gunfire could be heard.

The doors to St. Andrew's Hall were forced open, and a squad of menacing, fully armed Allied officers strode into the hall.

On the west side of the hall, Secretary General Lionel, who witnessed this scene, breathed a sigh of relief.

For the first time, his tense shoulders and back relaxed, and the madness and sharpness in his eyes disappeared completely. He seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, yet he also revealed an unprecedented sense of relief.

Lionel picked up the first glass of wine from the table, looked directly into the eyes of Consul Debera, and said with a smile, "Farewell, Your Excellency Consul—to our destruction."

Having said that, the State Secretary downed his drink in one gulp and walked confidently toward the uninvited guest.

The sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard. On the other side of the hall, Prince Richard, as the natural leader of the imperial subjects present, was the first to face the intruders.

"This is the Imperial Consulate!" Count Vares demanded. "State the purpose of your visit!"

The leading officer, his face hidden beneath his helmet, gripped his sword and said, "Don't get in the way. We only need to take one person with us."

“[Old saying] Everyone here is our guest.” Prince Richard said slowly, “[Old saying] If you want to take someone away, you need my permission first.”

A cool voice came from behind: "Don't be nervous, gentlemen, they're here to see me."

Elegantly dressed men and women made way for John Lionel, who was dressed simply in black, and walked out of the crowd alone.

The officers who came to arrest the man were about to step forward, but they were stopped by the prince's attendants. The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and the banquet hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

“Your Excellency Lionel,” Prince Richard stepped between the soldiers and the Secretary of State, extending an invitation to the latter: “You are my guest, and I am willing to provide you with all the necessary protection. You are safe here.”

“No need, Your Highness,” Lionel replied with a cold smile and no mercy. “I’d rather they take me away.”

Having said that, Lionel walked straight up to the soldier who had barged in and asked, "Are you going to tie me up?"

The leading officer paused, then saluted respectfully: "No need, please come with me... I guarantee you will be treated fairly."

“I don’t need any fair treatment.” Lionel stared intently at the officer in charge of his arrest. “I only need you to answer one question—who betrayed me?”

The leading officer could not answer and could only raise his hand in salute again: "Sir, please leave with me."

Lionel repeated his question, word by word: "Who betrayed me?"

"Sir," the officer said, reluctant to resort to force but unable to give a direct answer, "please come with me."

"Who?" Lionel's eyes were bloodshot, and that crazed look returned to him. He gritted his teeth and said, "Who betrayed me?"

“No one betrayed you, Mr. Lionel.” A steady, magnetic voice came from outside the door: “You betrayed all of us.”

Richard Myerhouse—Assistant to the Chief Secretary of State of the United Provinces and John Lionel’s most trusted deputy—entered St. Andrew’s Hall.

Under the dome, everyone who recognized Milehouse was shocked like never before, while everyone who didn't know Milehouse was desperately trying to find out who the stranger was.

Amidst the chaos and disorder, only Maverick's eyes shone brightly, his breathing rapid. He gripped Elizabeth and Siegfried's arms tightly, excitedly asking again and again, "Look! Look! Isn't the story happening here far more interesting than the infighting among the nobles in the Eternal City?!"

[I can't write 226 anymore, *crying*]
[I probably won't be able to update the next chapter tomorrow, because it will be a long chapter, and the last chapter of this volume.]
[Regarding the story of the runaway princess, although it's outrageous, similar outrageous things have actually happened in history (facepalm)]
[On the night of March 17, 1623, a man claiming to be Tom Smith knocked on the door of the British Embassy in Madrid, insisting on seeing the ambassador.]
[The then-ambassador, Digby, was shocked to discover that the man claiming to be Tom Smith was actually the Duke of Buckingham (1st generation), a favorite of the King of England.]
[That's not all, the bigger part is yet to come—when the Duke of Buckingham knocked on the door, a man claiming to be John Smith was hiding across the street.]

[John Smith is none other than Charles, Prince of Wales, first in line to the English throne.]
[This incident can be described as the greatest diplomatic farce of the seventeenth century, in which the Prince of England and the Duke of Buckingham, disguised with fake beards, secretly slipped out of England and into Spain, the whole process resembling illegal immigration.]
[This occurred during the Thirty Years' War. Although England did not directly intervene, it indirectly supported the Protestant Union on several occasions. Both England and Spain hoped to change England's stance through marriage, but negotiations dragged on. Charles won over the Spanish princess with a romantic surprise, but after being nearly imprisoned by Philip IV for seven months, they still failed to reach an agreement, and the princess was never married.]
[The movie "The Mercenary" cleverly adapted this historical event; the two people the protagonist was initially hired to assassinate were "Prince Charles" and "the Duke of Buckingham."]
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(End of this chapter)