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

The king's intention in awarding him the medals was probably this: Leopold was the future monarch and would award many medals to others, but how could he bestow medals upon others that he himself had not received? Therefore, the king awarded him as many medals as possible to glorify him and make him more convincing to the people.

Leopold stood confidently on the stage, ready to receive his medal.

The king awarded him the Medal of War Hero, a medal from the military to recognize his bravery in war. Instead of patting him on the shoulder with his sword, the king pinned the medal directly to his chest, then patted him on the back and began to applaud him.

After the King's investiture ceremony, the Natural Church's sword-granting ceremony followed. His Highness the Prince possessed countless swords, but when he saw the ancient longsword covered by a wooden scabbard in the Holy See's hand, a pious expression appeared on his face. He humbly lowered his head and accepted the longsword from the Holy See's hand.

After the sword-granting ceremony, there was another medal-awarding ceremony. Even Lord was honored. He said he was not joking when he said he was a national hero. The king also awarded him the medal of war hero. Aaron heard shouts of "hero" from the crowd.

Even Zain received a medal. He and Simon were awarded by the King together. Simon received the second class medal, while Zain received the third class. Although the rank was not high, he was still one of the youngest holders of this medal. After receiving the medal, Zain looked down at the audience with great pride, as if showing off his medal.

After the medal-awarding ceremony ended, Leopold turned to look at Claire, and only then did Aaron realize Claire's purpose in being there; she had also come to award Leopold a medal.

As the archangel of the Church of Judgment, Claire represents the Church of Judgment, and in ancient times, the conferment of honors by the Church of Judgment was almost the highest level of glory.

Although Leopold had enough medals to decorate a wall, he couldn't help but feel excited when he saw Claire. He had never received a medal from the Church of Judgment, nor had he ever received a personal commendation from His Holiness the Angel, let alone the one who awarded him a medal, who was the very person he respected, Princess Claire.

Claire watched Leopold slowly approach, her face expressionless. Despite Leopold being a prince, Claire's scrutinizing gaze was like that of a god scrutinizing a mortal.

Leopold strode to the front of the stage, walking briskly towards Claire on the higher platform. As he approached, he slowed his pace. The crowd watched him with expectant eyes. Besides his soldierly, iron-blooded aura, he also possessed the composure and confidence of a prince.

"Your Majesty Claire," Leopold called softly as he approached Claire.

Claire took the medal from the servant's plate and pinned it on Leopold's chest. Applause followed, and usually, the ceremony would then be over.

Leopold turned around, smiled, and bowed to those who were applauding him. He was so familiar with the process that everything was done perfectly.

But then Claire took out a medal from her collar. Her cool voice rang out. It was the first time Leopold had heard Her Majesty Claire's voice so closely. She said, "I have another medal that I hope to award to the hero who saved the city."

At the top of the steps, Claire held the silver medal aloft. Her face was expressionless, but the seriousness in her eyes was evident in the way she held the medal so high.

This sudden action stunned the nobles. Many of them saw Claire take the medal out of her collar. The medal seemed to be an unexpected addition. In the original plan, the ceremony would end after Leopold received the medal, but Claire's actions interrupted this process.

But no one dared to disregard the medal Claire held aloft. Although the medal was silver and seemed plain compared to the brilliance of the White Oak Knight Medal and the Battle Hero Medal, no one felt that it was not an honor, as it came from Her Majesty Claire.

It was a special medal. There was no special awarding ceremony, no fireworks, no music, only the girl's clear and cold voice, but no one could ignore it, and no one could fail to regard it as an honor.

Aaron clearly hadn't expected the award ceremony to be related to him. Not only him, but many others were also surprised. When they heard Aaron's name, they remembered that he was the hero who had made the newspapers and saved Birmingham.

“Mr. Aaron…” Nadine whispered.

After Nadine's reminder, Aaron hurriedly stood up. He then realized that the seats in the stands were really narrow, and it wouldn't be easy to get out. Squeezing out under everyone's gaze would even be somewhat embarrassing. But when he turned around in a fluster, he found that everyone around him had stood up. Some noble ladies clasped their hands in front of them and stared intently at him, while some gentlemen removed their brimmed hats, a courtesy to distinguished people. Regardless of their expressions, they all showed respect to Aaron at this moment. They all made way for Aaron in the narrow stands.

Chapter 137 Awarding Ceremony III

Aaron was taken aback by this situation and stood there stunned for a moment. It was only after Nadine gave him a push from behind that he walked over.

Aaron walked silently past these people, each of them staring at him with strange eyes. Because they were very close, they were staring intently, as if trying to find something out about him.

As he stepped down from the stands and looked at the imposing white steps, Aaron realized that he was the center of attention. All the nobles in the stands, all the servants in the garden palace, and even the king and queen, the Earl of Iron, the prince, the bishop, and Freya in the stands were watching him.

Suddenly receiving such attention, even Aaron seemed nervous. His body tensed as he slowly climbed the white steps along the red wool carpet. When he reached the top, Aaron looked up and saw Her Majesty Claire standing at the far end, gazing at him from afar. Beside him, on the path he was about to walk, were the King and Queen, who had just been holding an award ceremony.

As Aaron walked past these important figures, he felt uneasy, but he still walked straight toward Claire, under the watchful eyes of thousands of spectators.

Suddenly, a man in magnificent robes appeared before him. It was His Highness Leopold, who had not yet left after receiving his medal.

The two passed each other on the platform. Aaron stared straight ahead without looking to the side, while Leopold turned around a few meters past him to look at the boy's back.

Leopold had received countless medals, honors, and swords enough to fill a room. He had received almost every honor a country could offer, and even honors bestowed by foreign monarchs. Logically speaking, no one was more glorious or noble than him. Yet, at this moment, as he watched the figure walking towards Claire, about to receive her first medal, he felt a jealousy that even he could not understand.

Aaron slowly approached Claire. Apart from the time at the government building, this was the first time he had seen Claire so closely. Standing closer, he could smell the fragrance of cold flowers on her body. Also, this empress draped in a silver-white cloak was actually a very young girl.

But this very young girl resolutely grabbed his hand and, amidst countless gazes, raised it high into the sky.

"In recognition of Aaron S. Brandon's heroic actions in Birmingham, I hereby award him the Order of the Angel of Justice in the name of the Angel of Judgment, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to saving lives in Birmingham."

Claire's voice was not loud and rarely fluctuated, but when she recited these oath-like words, Aaron could clearly feel the fluctuation of her emotions. Her voice was clear and pleasant, and although it should never have been tinged with personal emotion, it was very powerful and resounded throughout the quiet hall.

She held the medal high, appearing more like the recipient than the king. She was already taller than the king, and at least for this moment, the medal was taller than everyone else present.

"........."

At first, there was only scattered applause, with almost only Nadine clapping in the stands. Then the applause gradually grew louder, eventually turning into a wave of applause like during the earlier mass ceremony. Soon, the celebration was filled with enthusiastic applause.

It's extremely rare for a celebration to be like this. Even awarding medals or swords is usually a lively and joyful affair. But the medal ceremony that Claire held for Aaron was unusually quiet, with only waves of applause. It was unclear whether it was due to the sacred voice of Princess Claire or something else.

After the applause subsided, Claire pinned the medal on Aaron's head. Compared to the previous awarding ceremonies, Claire's ceremony was much shorter. The oath was only one paragraph long, and there was no blessing from the Pope, nor was there a king patting his shoulder with a sword or draping his shawl. But this special awarding ceremony was more memorable than any other ceremony.

After receiving the medal, Aaron glanced at it out of the corner of his eye. It was indeed just a silver medal with the symbol of a six-winged angel on it, and it didn't seem particularly special.

But then Aaron did something special: he placed his hands on his chest, bent at a 45-degree angle, and bowed to Claire, making a gesture of respect that was different from that of ordinary people.

The entire room fell silent.

That was the gesture of a knight. Since the advent of steam technology, this ancient etiquette has been abolished, and people rarely see this gesture nowadays. Even kings may be unfamiliar with it. But looking at his 45-degree bow, anyone would think he was a knight.

After making this gesture, Aaron walked down with his head held high and chest out. As he passed the king, the Earl of Iron, and those who had received medals, his gaze remained fixed ahead.

When Aaron left the stage, Claire returned to her original position. The king coughed and gave the bishop beside him a meaningful look, clearly indicating that he should say something to bring the celebration to a perfect close. Afterwards, there would be a reception at Shelton Palace, which all nobles could attend.

At this moment, a person who was standing close to the audience, whose eyes were constantly darting around and keeping a close eye on everything, suddenly stood up. He waved his arms in the air to attract attention and shouted, "There's another piece of good news that hasn't been announced yet!"

His actions immediately attracted everyone's attention, even the king couldn't help but frown. Just as people were wondering what he was going to do, he actually climbed onto the stage, exaggeratedly raised his hands and said, "Not only Princess Helena and Simon, but Miss Freya and Mr. Aaron are also getting engaged!"

The entire audience erupted in uproar. Aaron, who had just returned to the stands, froze. He looked up at the stage with disbelief, only to see Freya on the stage looking equally bewildered. Everyone else looked surprised, but the person in charge of the whole affair sat on the stage, unmoved, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

The people in the audience quickly reacted and began to celebrate. The atmosphere was lively, and many people were blessing the marriage, looking at Aaron with envious eyes. Only Aaron stood there blankly, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat. He felt as if he were standing on the edge of an abyss because he suddenly realized that he had fallen into some kind of trap. He had fallen into the trap set by the person behind the scenes, and it was an open conspiracy with no way to escape.

He slowly raised his head to look at the man who was in charge of everything. He saw the man silently watching everything before him, as if it had nothing to do with him.

But things were clearly out of Aaron's control. Marriages between nobles are major events, especially marriages between the Iron Earl Jagger family, who had just married off a princess!

Chapter 138 Aaron and Freya's Wedding

But more importantly, the news was explosive enough. Simon, the eldest son of the Earl of Iron, had just become engaged to the princess, and then the Earl of Iron's daughter announced her engagement to a commoner. This news was big enough to be a major story.

Miss Nadine was also surprised. She was about to congratulate Aaron when she found that several etiquette officers who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere had come to Aaron's side and led him to the stage.

Most people on the stage already knew about this matter. They were just wondering why it would be announced at this time. However, considering that today was a rare celebration, and based on the principle that good things come in pairs, it was understandable to announce it today. Nevertheless, they were still a little puzzled as to why someone who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere would be announcing this.

Instead, the king looked surprised, while Queen Mary smiled and said, "Good things are happening one after another, shouldn't we do something to celebrate?"

“Since good things come in pairs, how can Freya and Aaron not have gifts?” the king said. “Helena and Simon both received engagement gifts, so Freya and Aaron should also receive engagement gifts.”

The king glanced at Falk, and seeing that Falk didn't react, the king continued, "How about this?"

"Since it's an engagement gift, of course it needs a ring. Freya and Aaron don't have rings yet."

Queen Mary smiled and said, "Why don't we give Freya and Aaron a gift?"

Gifts from the king, in older times, were known as state gifts.

State gift...

Queen Mary's words sent a chill down Aaron's spine. He wanted to say something, but when he looked up, he saw Queen Mary smiling at him.

“How can a newlywed couple not have rings?” Queen Mary said with a smile. “It just so happens that the jeweler made an extra pair of rings while forging jewelry for Simon and Helena. Why don’t we give these rings to Aaron and Freya as an engagement gift?”

A waiter brought a silver tray, from which Queen Mary took out a ring: "These rings are engraved with royal precepts. The wearer of these rings will be blessed with eternal intimacy and sweet love."

The waiter presented the rings to Aaron, who stared blankly at them, feeling a lump in his throat. He couldn't utter a single word. Above him was Queen Mary's flawless smile, the King's watchful gaze, and beside him stood the Countess, moved and happy, and Freya, filled with unease. Behind him, countless eyes were watching him intently. Aaron's body stiffened; he simply couldn't refuse this gift.

He had realized that he had fallen into a trap; he had been caught in a snare the moment he entered the celebration, but he was powerless to resist.

As cheerful music filled the air, Aaron, his hands trembling, slowly slipped the ring onto his finger. At that moment, a huge firework exploded in the sky, officially marking the end of the celebration. The celebration concluded with the perfect union of yet another couple, bringing the event to a perfect close.

As the celebrations came to an end, Prince Ali on the stage turned to Earl Iron and said, “What a brilliant two birds with one stone! You not only received a state gift, but also consolidated your political position by using Aaron’s heroic status. From now on, when people mention heroes of Birmingham, they will probably think of you first.”

Count Iron remained silent. He merely glanced coldly at Prince Ali before turning away, disappearing from everyone's sight, and silently retreating. No one realized what he had orchestrated; people simply assumed that Count Iron had once again used Aaron's identity to consolidate his political power, viewing Aaron and Freya as an unexpected yet plausible interlude.

Everything was planned from the beginning. Aaron was not good at political struggles at all, not to mention that his opponent was an old fox who had been in charge of the kingdom for decades and whose power was immense. He had no chance of winning from the start.

Aaron's desire to break up with Freya is a thorny issue for the Iron Earl. He neither agrees to Aaron's request nor wants to make things ugly, but he has plenty of ways to end things gracefully.

But at the same time, he was also willing to give Aaron a chance to repent.

He understood Aaron. From their first long drive-through conversation, he had completely grasped the young man in his early twenties and knew how he would choose in different situations.

As the Earl of Iron, he didn't need to directly refuse Aaron, nor did his status and perspective allow him to do so. In fact, if the other party were just an ordinary young man, he could have resolved the matter without even having to bother.

Aaron fell into the trap because he was unable to resist from the beginning, but also because he did not know in detail how his predecessor was "dealt with" by the Iron Earl.

Those who fail to learn from history are destined to repeat its mistakes.

His biggest mistake was failing to learn from his predecessor's experience.

In fact, Falk had already dealt with the same incident once before. The first time Freya was deceived, he neither frantically dealt with the matter nor, as many people had imagined, let the man's body sink into the gutter and never see the sun rise again.

In fact, Falk neither sent anyone to exert pressure nor said anything; he simply invited the man to dinner.

He treated the man with the same standards the Count of Iron always applied to his guests, preparing the finest wines and the best Lucerne chefs in the best restaurant and private room in Lodoran.

To enter the best restaurants in Lodoren, one must first be properly dressed, as even the waiters are dressed more elegantly than some nobles.

However, decent clothing alone is not enough. If you want to appear elegant, it is best to know the etiquette of the upper class. Since those who frequent restaurants are all nobles, etiquette alone is still not enough. It is also best to have decent speech and elegant manners, and not make any mistakes.

Count Iron can guarantee that even the lowest-ranking waiter in the restaurant will be more elegant and sophisticated than the most renowned person that man has ever met—a sight that the lower-class man has never seen before.

A musician will perform during the meal, and a single bottle of wine on the table could pay the man's salary for the next ten years.

The Iron Earl will let him know that even the nobles of Lodoren rarely dare to step into that place, but that is just the standard the Iron Earl usually uses to receive guests.

But don't misunderstand, Earl of Iron didn't want to humiliate that man. He wasn't that bored. This was just an unassailable, open scheme, even one with a solution.

Chapter 139 Conspiracy

All of this seems insurmountable, but for an outstanding young person like Prince Leopold, who has undergone rigorous training since childhood and has been influenced by his family environment, this situation poses no threat whatsoever.

Not only will they not pose a threat, but they will also handle everything in front of them with elegance, showcasing their own strengths and turning the trap set by the Iron Earl into a stage for them to perform. When that time comes, the Iron Earl will not only not reject them, but will accept them, or at least keep them under observation.

Therefore, for Earl of Iron, it doesn't matter if the plan fails. If the young man can still act boldly and properly under such pressure, and show a kind of mentality as if he was born to be a great man, then even if he doesn't understand the etiquette of nobles, he will be a promising talent in Earl of Iron's eyes. So what if Earl of Iron really betroths his daughter to him?

The hero has passed the test and proven his ability, so he should receive the corresponding reward. Count Iron has always been a man who accepts defeat in a bet.

Conversely, if the other party fails, even if they are a petty person who tries to use someone else's identity to rise to the top, he will show them what ruthless methods are.

He knew perfectly well that for someone in his early twenties who had never stepped into aristocratic society and had rarely experienced a respectable life, this would be an extremely heavy burden, even if he came from the best university in Rhodoron.

At that time, she only needs to make a slight provocation and show off her attitude, and he will inevitably be defeated without him having to do anything extra.

The Earl of Iron treats his guests with utmost courtesy, and no one else can find fault with him. On the contrary, his courtesy to his servants is a great respect to them. If a servant speaks rudely, he would be the one who is disrespectful, and he would be the one who has let the Earl of Iron down. If word gets out, it will ruin his life.