Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

Aaron was naturally flattered by such special treatment, but he wondered if it was just his imagination. After Helena finished speaking, all the attention that had been on Simon suddenly turned to him. This gave him a bad feeling. Helena seemed to be the kind of person with a devilish personality who liked to draw everyone's attention to others.

"However, it's still best to give an introduction."

Simon coughed and said in a serious tone, “This is Princess Helena Gregory of the Kingdom of Dok.” Then his tone softened, “But soon, she will become my wife.”

Aaron was shocked. The rumor was indeed true. The man who was betrothed to the Jagger family was not a high-ranking nobleman, but His Majesty the King.

Chapter 125 Royal Marriage

"Honestly, I really don't know how you two got together. We were best friends in the manor when we were kids," said the Third Prince, sitting at the bar.

“Not everyone is as silly as you were when you were a kid, only thinking about fighting,” Helena retorted.

“You won’t blame me for stealing Helena, will you?” Simon said, looking at Leopold.

“Of all the people I played with at the manor when we were kids, you are the one I trust the most,” Leopold said. “Remember, in the war games we played when we were kids, I always made you my knight commander.”

Aaron knew about that kind of game. For both noble and commoner boys, war games were one of their favorite childhood pastimes. But unlike the commoners' game of just grabbing a stick and charging forward, the nobles' war games evolved from military exercises. They would be equipped with special armor and ponies, and would even launch a charge. The level of professionalism was no less than that of military training. Many noble boys built their friendships through this game. It seems that Simon was quite a skilled warrior when he was young, not only befriending Prince Leopold but also gaining his trust.

What surprised Aaron even more was that Helena and Simon were in a free-love relationship, which could be seen from the way they looked at each other; few men and women are as affectionate as they are.

This made Aaron sigh, Simon's life was as lucky as a novel protagonist. Not only was he born as the eldest son of a great nobleman, but he also married the kingdom's princess and obtained the most precious luxury in the world: love.

Aaron was sighing, but for some reason, Helena's gaze remained fixed on him the whole time, never leaving him.

Aaron initially thought the princess was simply curious, but after Simon finished speaking, Helena immediately and eagerly steered the conversation back to him:

"Aaron, is he the great hero from Birmingham?"

Even Leopold put down his glass and said, "Aaron, isn't he the great hero of Birmingham?"

Lodoren, Shelton Palace

Haldon Palace is one of the oldest buildings in the Lordoren district. It is located in the east of Lordoren and is characterized by its white exterior walls and spires, but what is most astonishing is its luxurious architectural style and massive size.

Built by the Duke of Sherton, Holton Palace became his private residence, serving as his private memorial hall, art gallery, and garden. It was also used to entertain nobles and for rendezvous with his mistresses. It is said that Holton Palace still preserves the basement where the Duke of Sherton and his mistresses used to meet.

Duke Shelton likely built this palace purely for pleasure, thus sparing no expense to pursue his artistic dreams, creating the most magnificent white building of its time in a luxurious style.

But now Scherton Palace has a more prestigious name: the Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Doc.

Most people think of the royal palace as the place where the royal family lives, but in fact most royal family members prefer to live outside the palace. Compared to the royal family members' homes, the palace is more like the king's office, where a large number of palace staff live. But one thing is true: Herdon Palace has always been the power center of the Kingdom of Doc.

Beneath a spacious Baroque-style staircase paved with white marble, ochre-red walls are covered with portraits of past kings, leading to a lounge at the end of the corridor.

A huge world map hangs on the wall of the lounge. Count Falk of Iron stands in front of the map and outlines the border of Batmont, which is surrounded by the sea on three sides, with a red pen.

A strategic meeting was being held in the room, attended by only two people, and the topic of the meeting was Barthemont.

Batmont is a geographical concept, and for most of the millennium, it was merely a geographical concept, never having been a nation. But recently, Batmont has undergone an astonishing change. After a thousand years of war and countless monarchs, Batmont declared independence and established the Kingdom of Batmont.

After drawing the border line, Earl Iron put down his pen, and behind him sat the furious king in a leather chair.

"Is this the border line the Batmont people demanded?" The king's voice was filled with suppressed anger.

“Yes, just this morning, the people of Lucerne recognized the founding of Batmont and declared today their national day. Batmont is now celebrating nationwide,” Falk said.

"Aren't any countries objecting?"

"Diplomatic recognition largely depends on precedent. Once one country publicly recognizes it, other countries will follow suit. If our country does not express its opinion, it is only a matter of time before Batmont is recognized. Even if our country expresses its opinion, Batmont will still be recognized by some countries."

"You've dealt with the Batmons before, what's your opinion?"

“The people of Batmont don’t have that ability.”

"Are the Lucernes interfering?"

“This whole affair was orchestrated by Queen Lucerne,” Falk said, pointing to the map. “Queen Lucerne believed that it was a better choice to allow Bartmont to be autonomous and open to the people of Lucerne than to let it fall into the hands of our powerful nation or other wary countries. Therefore, as soon as Bartmont declared its independence, Lucerne immediately recognized it publicly.”

"You bastard..."

The king muttered a curse, picked up the whiskey on the table, poured a glass for himself and the Earl of Iron, leaned back in his chair, and began to drink.

Count Iron was already quite familiar with the king's way of doing things, and he picked up his glass of wine from the silver tray, which meant that his work was temporarily over and it was time for men to rest.

The king once said in public that a man who doesn't know how to rest will never be a good soldier, which to some extent represents the king's style of doing things.

Many people assume that the king simply rests in the lounge after the meeting, but they don't know that working during breaks is their habit. In fact, many far-reaching decisions are made while they smoke cigars and drink spirits. The cigars and spirits in the lounge are less consumables during breaks and more fuel for them.

The king took a puff of his cigar: "How's Helena doing?"

“They’re buying and picking things out every day, they wish they could buy the whole of Lodoren,” Falk said with a laugh. “They all know the celebration is being prepared, and they’re incredibly excited.”

"Hahaha……"

The king grinned and said, "Soon, we'll be in-laws."

"This is the highest honor, Your Majesty."

"What time is it? Why are you still calling me Your Majesty? We were as close as brothers before, and after our children got married, we are even more like brothers. Come, have a drink."

"A toast."

boom.

As their glasses clinked, the king seemed to suddenly remember something: "Your daughter... Freya seems to be getting engaged too? I remember she's the same age as Helena."

“Freya…” Falk looked troubled.

"What? Do you need the king to find you a good son-in-law?" the king joked.

Seeing Falk's surprise, the king burst into laughter: "Don't always be so serious, Falk. Do you think the king doesn't read the newspapers? That matter has spread everywhere. You have a good son-in-law. I remember his name is... Aaron, right?"

"Yes, Aaron."

"Truly remarkable," the king exclaimed. "Ordinary people dealing with extraordinary individuals—that's something that only happens in dramas. You've always had a good eye for talent. Who knows how the media will report on him? Why didn't you introduce someone like him to me?"

The king rarely praised someone like that, so Falk had to explain: "In fact, it wasn't him who dealt with the superhumans; it was Claire who killed them."

"What does it matter? The media believes he did it, and he's a hero in Birmingham now."

The two toasted each other again, and after watching Falk finish his drink, the king suddenly asked, "What do you think of him?"

"How is it?" Falk clearly did not understand the king's meaning.

"Of course, we'll use him as a weapon against the Lucerne. We can make him our military representative to spread the word about how we defeated the Lucerne," the king said calmly.

Falk paused, his hand holding the wine glass still, realizing this was no casual suggestion. The king's demeanor seemed relaxed, smoking a cigar and drinking wine, but this was precisely the king's style; beneath his calm words often lay his true intentions, like an undercurrent beneath a calm surface. Falk had to take this seriously.

Falk put down his wine glass and said slowly, "No, Your Majesty, I don't think it's appropriate."

A long silence suddenly fell over the lounge. The king remained silent, making it seem as if the air had frozen.

The king put down his wine glass and said softly, “He is your son-in-law, a hero of Birmingham, and the one who defeated the Lucerne. His very existence is a slap in the face to the Lucerne, and I think there is no better way to retaliate.”

"What kind of person is he? I heard he's only in his twenties, still a young man. How many young people in this world can resist the temptation of early fame? Just imagine, the hero of Birmingham, an ordinary person defeating a superhuman. The public would love this story, the newspapers would praise him to the skies, he would be admired by thousands, floating on clouds, practically thinking he's a savior. What young person in the world wouldn't yearn for such a story?"

The king turned his head and stared into Falk's eyes: "What do you think?"

“No, Your Majesty, I think his ability to resist the temptation of early fame is precisely his strength,” Falk said.

The king was stunned and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

“Your Majesty, I know that man,” Falk continued, seizing the opportunity. “Aaron is just an ordinary person, without much ambition. He tried to gain supernatural powers in university, but failed twice. The reports also indicated that he was not suited for the path of superhumans. He never volunteered for the military. While everyone on campus was enthusiastically participating in conscription, he also signed up for the civil service exam… I think he also believes that he is more suited to clerical work…”

“I asked him about his future plans, and he showed me the answer with his actions. He went to Birmingham right after graduation. Putting someone like that in the position of military representative is like putting a sheep where a lion should be.”

"Since you think he's just an ordinary person, then why did you choose him as your son-in-law?" the king frowned.

“A family always needs an ordinary person, and besides, he has a good personality, and Freya likes him too.”

"Why not let him give it a try? You wouldn't have thought he could defeat the Lusset spy before, would you? Perhaps there will be unexpected gains." The king still wanted to struggle.

Knowing he had the upper hand, Falk continued unhurriedly, “Your Majesty, before I came, he was just a second-level clerk. Now he has been promoted from clerk to office director, a promotion that many people in the area envy. I think he is very satisfied with his current job and probably doesn’t want to move easily. Moreover, if I may be frank, putting a sheep in a position that a lion should be in will probably only have the opposite effect.”

"You mean, this matter still depends on his own opinion?" The king frowned.

“He may have the talent, but it depends on his own opinion,” Falk said confidently.

The king suddenly smiled mysteriously: "You really believe he can resist temptation?"

-----------------

At the same time, in Birmingham, at the villa

"Is this the hero of Birmingham?"

When Leopold's voice rang out, the room suddenly fell silent. Both Lord and Zane wisely shut their mouths, as if the king in the room had spoken. Only Helena looked at him with schadenfreude, like the kind of woman who would laugh whenever you were embarrassed.

Leopold, what a dazzling name, as famous as the ships of the Kingdom of Dok, so famous that even young people in the far east of the world have heard of a prince in the West named Leopold.

Aaron always felt that Simon occupied the center of the room, but that was actually an illusion. Simon was able to occupy the main position only because he was the owner of the house. Leopold stayed out of respect, but the power center of the room was always that prince who stayed out of respect. As soon as he spoke, the position of power immediately changed.

These are the true holders of power; they never care where the center of power is, because the center of power will naturally shift the moment they speak.

From a young age, he was knighted as the Knight of White Oak, Prince of Oberwin, Earl of Morton, Duke of Marden, Duke of Raeburg, and had countless other titles. Just as many titles as he had virtues: handsome, elegant, and chivalrous. If you were to ask who the most suitable prince charming in the dreams of every girl in Dok is, it would undoubtedly be Leopold.

Furthermore, the young and ambitious Leopold has already served in the army for three years. It is said that the prince is a skilled swordsman and has even participated in real wars, making him a true national hero.

This was also what Leopold himself was most proud of: he had participated in real wars, which set him apart from other noble sons.

Unlike Aaron, who only appeared in the newspaper once, Leopold appeared in the newspaper three times for his military achievements, each time with outstanding accomplishments. Although some people believed that the media only adored him because of his status as a prince, it could not hide the aura surrounding him. Any young person standing next to him seemed unworthy.

Chapter 126 Heroes of Birmingham

Even Aaron paled in comparison to the nation's war heroes, but he didn't care; he didn't need to compare himself to a prince of another country.

At these kinds of gatherings, Aaron usually liked to find a quiet spot to freeload and then sneak away after the party. But the prince seemed to pay special attention to him, and Lord, standing nearby, was also very concerned about him, his eyes practically glaring at him. Aaron couldn't understand what he had done to deserve being looked at like that by the prince; he felt like a rare beauty...

Simon, on the other hand, simply smiled and drank his wine, seemingly not intending to join the conversation.

“I heard you personally killed a Lucretian spy,” Lord asked as he stepped forward.

Lord was a robust young man, broad-shouldered and nearly two meters tall. When he stood tall in front of Aaron, he was like a giant.

“Strictly speaking, it was Her Majesty Claire who killed him,” Aaron replied.

"You mean the media reports are inaccurate, and you're not actually living up to your reputation?" Lord's question was as aggressive as his gaze.

"Hey, how can you talk to people like that? Brother, you're so rude." It was Helena who stepped forward and scolded him.

"I apologize for being so direct, but I am the White Oak Knight, and that's how we talk in the army." Lord's eyes remained fierce, showing no remorse whatsoever.

Aaron then remembered something: apart from himself and the two ladies, everyone else in the house had served in the army of the Kingdom of Dok.