After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

The day after Elena left, Red began to miss the days when she was there.

He wasn't saying that the treacherous minister was any good, but anyone with eyes could see that the Duke was in a terrible mood, like a volcano about to erupt. With the young lady already absent, and now Elena gone, Reid truly didn't know what to do.

The Duke was very kind to his servants, except for the old butler.

Therefore, they had no need to worry at all that the Duke would vent his anger on them.

The residents of the Ice City could even joke with the Duke. There were always a few old men who liked to grab Oswald in loud voices and tell him their lifelong strategies for governing the country.

No matter how outrageous their claims were, Oswald would simply laugh it off, occasionally adding a few words of agreement, making the old men blush or perhaps get drunk, and before leaving, he would pretend to regret being born at the wrong time or something like that.

So now there's a problem: Red is now the only one facing the Duke's wrath directly.

As a veteran and a general, he couldn't very well talk to the Duke in a joking manner.

Does he want to put his arm around the Duke, ask him why he's in a bad mood, and then say, "Brother, let's go for a drink and then go to a place like that"?

In the empty room, looking down at the back of Duke Oswald as he meditated, Red felt every second was torture.

After a long while, Oswald readjusted his breathing, and his bones made a series of cracking sounds.

"Red, do you think all of this is really just a coincidence?"

The Duke's voice seemed very distant, and Red's eyelids twitched wildly. He felt as if the throbbing of his heart could echo throughout the entire house.

Is this... a sign of doubt about Elena?

In an instant, Reid thought of many things. The Duke had already planned for the princess's arrival, but he never expected that no one had informed him that the princess had already begun her actions.

Everyone else is one thing, but what exactly is Elena doing? Why is she also hiding this? What else is involved in this matter?

Countless questions filled his mind. Logically, the Duke's suspicion of Eleanor, this treacherous minister, should have been a great thing for him.

First of all, the trust between the two is still there. The Duke just has a knot in his heart, otherwise he wouldn't have let Elena lead the troops into battle.

He absolutely could not take advantage of her misfortune at this time. He had secretly reported that Elene was embezzling noble salaries, but that was just a minor incident.

But the situation is different now. If he says the wrong thing, it won't just be nobles who lose their heads.

"Your Highness, I believe that anything can happen. No matter how well we plan, we may still encounter unforeseen variables."

Seeing that Oswald did not react, Reid calmed down a bit and continued, "First of all, I think the Duke is right. When we can't see the situation clearly, we should make a decision immediately."

"Alini has too many things to deal with every day, and the information from the outside world is mostly a mix of truth and falsehood, making it difficult to distinguish. It's like walking in a fog; you're bound to be caught in a dilemma, hesitant and undecided."

"She carries a heavy burden, and the Duke has given her the power to decide everything. She can certainly make decisions on small matters, but what if she is dealing with major issues involving many nobles and royalty?"

"Just as we still don't know whether the princess acquired strategic materials for her own benefit or on the king's orders."

Oswald chuckled. "You mean, nobody's at fault in this?"

Red quickly bowed his head and explained, "Your Grace is wrong, and we are certainly wrong, but our mistake was that we did not have the same belief in victory as Your Grace."

"Your Grace, you must not let your mind be disturbed, your will must not be broken..."

"Alright, stop flattering me." Oswald's brows relaxed, and he waved his hand impatiently, saying, "Count Rondo is leaving Broad Valley City, so you'll take over his work now."

"Yes, sir." Red breathed a sigh of relief. Alenei, you owe me a huge favor this time.

He got up, ready to leave, but was suddenly stopped by Oswald.

"Wait, there's one more thing I need you to do."

……

At the royal palace, six urgent reports appeared on Frank's desk.

If he could still comfort himself with the fact that the first report about Luna's massacre of nobles in the eastern part of the Northern Territory was just a noble war and he could laugh it off, then...

The news that the northern army was being mobilized and that a civil war had broken out in the south was like a bolt from the blue.

In comparison, the news of another necromancer appearing in the Western Territory seemed insignificant.

"Say it again, whose banner are they flying under?"

The attendant trembled violently. "Your Majesty, they are using Her Highness the Princess's name, and they also said, they also said..."

"What else is there to say!"

"It is also said that the nobles of the southern commercial district of the Northern Territory incited the princess to rebel. Duke Oswald has already ordered that all these nobles be executed in the name of the princess to give her justice."

Frank was stunned. Since the founding of the nation, the southern commercial district had been a barrier between the northern territory and the central district. Successive kings had a tradition of bribing southern nobles to restrain the growing power of the northern territory.

Of course, Frank was no exception.

This was a tacit political understanding between the two sides, but now Oswald has taken the initiative to break this balance, which is almost tantamount to rebellion.

Diana... what exactly did Diana do in the Northern Territory?!

Frank was so angry he had a headache. He pressed his forehead and said, "Where's the princess? Where is she now?"

The attendants knelt on the ground, weeping and pleading, "Your Majesty, send troops immediately! Princess Diana has been captured by the Northern army! They are plotting a rebellion, Your Majesty!"

Everyone's telling him to send troops, but if he actually gives the order, a major war will break out, and the country will truly be in chaos...

Frank was lost in thought. He didn't know why this was happening. Was it simply because he wanted to buy some strategic materials?

But I made it very clear in my letter that the royal city would acquire it at a price higher than the market price. Even if the northern territory couldn't raise the money in time, it wouldn't matter, as it could be delivered before the end of this year.

He simply wanted to use this opportunity to improve his relationship with Oswald.

It's impossible that Oswald couldn't even see his own meaning.

Oh, and believe me!

When the letter was mentioned, Frank suddenly remembered that Luna had written him a letter.

Frank opened the drawer and quickly found the rough, cheap-looking letter... Luna was always good at playing the victim, and the paper had a strange smell, probably from something she ate while writing it.

He hadn't wanted to look at it before because he seriously suspected the paper wasn't clean, and had only glanced at it briefly.

But he couldn't worry about that now. He unfolded the envelope and began to read the letter carefully, line by line.

Most of the preceding information was trivial. Luna boasted about having a guaranteed lucrative business deal and asked him to sponsor her with some funds, promising to repay the entire amount within her lifetime once she made a fortune.

The following section details some of the things Diana did in Ice City, including but not limited to: awarding bonuses to the Duke's direct knightly order, disappearing suddenly using magic with her whereabouts unknown, verbally provoking and insulting the Duke, turning servants in the Duke's mansion against her, meeting with nobles in secret, bribing members of the merchant guild, and offering bounties for military intelligence, etc.

In short, Diana has openly done everything a spy should do.

After reading the letter, Frank remained silent for a long time. Luna had no reason to lie to him, because Luna's main point was that she hoped he could provide her with financial support, which she mentioned every few sentences. Speaking ill of Diana was secondary.

But did Diana have a grudge against the Duke? Her actions didn't seem like those of a peace envoy; rather, they seemed like she was trying to bring down Oswald.

"Go, immediately summon Archbishop John."

After thinking for a long time, Frank looked up. He couldn't start a war without careful consideration. He had to send someone respected by both sides to find out the whole story.

However, before the servants could get up and leave, Queen Barbara, trailing her long skirt, gracefully walked into the study.

The servants hurriedly bowed, but Barbara ignored them and walked straight up to Frank, lifting her chin as she spoke.

"Your Majesty, how can you keep giving in? Oswald has already made moves to rebel. If you let him go today, what will happen when he completely controls the entire Northern Territory? Will Your Majesty still be able to sit on the throne in peace?!"

Frank frowned. "What does the Queen want to do?"

Barbara tossed aside her long hair and smiled confidently, "Has Your Majesty ever owned a dog? If a dog can't guard the house and even bites its owner, does Your Majesty know what we would do?"

"We will use sticks to beat them until they back down, until they dare not resist anymore, until they can only bow their heads and fawn over us from now on."

Frank didn't know where Barbara's confidence came from, but listening to her talk just made him feel exhausted.

All the men in the country believed that the king, having married such a beautiful queen as Barbara, would surely have a very happy married life.

But in reality, the two have met very few times in the past month or so. The so-called marriage is nothing more than a political necessity, a mutual exchange of benefits.

After all, she was the wife he had personally chosen, so Frank gave her enough respect. Even though he lost face on their wedding night, he never blamed Barbara for it afterward.

It's just... it's really agonizing for two people who have nothing in common and can't even talk to each other to live under the same roof.

Frank had Barbara learn to handle government affairs, but Barbara always made a mess of it, so she quickly gave up on paperwork and instead sat beside Frank while he worked, constantly picking at her food...

Frank wished he could go back to his school days and have that grumpy teacher smash a piece of chalk into Barbara's head: "If you're not going to study, then don't bother others!"

So, in an effort to avoid Barbara, Frank even went to work in his study, but she still managed to find him.

"Raising a dog... What kind of nonsensical analogy is that? And do you even know what the country will end up like if this war breaks out?"

“Who says His Majesty has to send troops?” Barbara opened her fan, elegantly obscuring half her face. “We can fight a noble war just like them. His Majesty can simply stay behind the scenes and secretly direct a duke to launch an attack on Oswald.”

"Heh." Frank felt more and more that she was daydreaming. "I wonder which duke Your Majesty thinks would be willing to fight for us in the Northern Territories?"

"I can't guarantee anything else, but Duke Dale of the Eastern Territory will certainly be willing to share His Majesty's burdens."