It seems that the villain is targeting me.

Her hair was still a little damp, and it hung loosely, looking quite smooth.

After taking a shower, her ears were a little red from the steam, which made the lines of her cheeks look softer. Gwyneth looked at her and realized something. She thought she should have seen it earlier: Butcher was not beautiful like a girl, but was just a girl.

Xiao Niao walked into the study, moved a chair and sat down, then reached out to take the dried figs. His manners and actions seemed very casual, and he did not act like the Prime Minister of the Empire in front of Gwyneth.

People tend to relax unconsciously when they feel safe. Xiao Niao felt that he and Gwyneth were already very familiar with each other, so there was no need to be too restrained. If he was too polite, it would damage the relationship.

Xiao Niao had a good impression of the child, and was even gradually becoming desensitized to the burning gazes that Gwen would occasionally cast on him - these were all signs that his vigilance was declining.

The Prime Minister of the Empire was thinking about whether to invite Gwen to stay for dinner later, because she had promised to let Gwyneth try the French fries made by the chef of the Prime Minister's Office.

The timing today was quite coincidental. After they finished their discussion, it was probably time for the kitchen to start cooking.

If she cares about someone, she will pay attention to such small things. Even if the person who hears it is careless and doesn't remember it at all, Xiaoniao will seriously fulfill every promise she makes.

Gwyneth raised her eyes slightly and looked at the person opposite her while pretending to drink tea.

Before this, when Gwen didn't know the bird's true situation, her feelings for her were full of longing and desire.

Now that she knew that Prime Minister Butcher was actually a girl, she did not feel deceived, but instead felt deep pity for her.

Gwen noticed that a slightly longer strand of hair had fallen down beside Xiao Niao's ear. Usually, this strand of hair would be tied into a small braid, but now it just hung down softly, making people want to catch it in their hands and play with it around their fingertips.

Gwyneth was staring intently, but was too embarrassed to keep staring, so she pretended to admire the decorative painting hanging on the opposite wall.

The Prime Minister of the Empire was now neatly dressed, but Gwen inexplicably thought of him wearing only a thin robe and being wet from head to toe.

She constructed every detail of the picture and her ears burned with it.

Gwyneth didn't realize that she was opening the door to a new world, she just felt that her thoughts were blasphemous.

Xiao Niao was not very anxious when he saw that Gwen had not spoken.

She had just finished taking a hot bath and was feeling limp and lazy. She leaned back in her chair and slowly ate two dried figs before she regained her energy and prepared to get down to business.

Xiaoniao probably knew why the Duke of Tudor sent Gwen to find her.

After the imminent war was over, this matter was gradually put on the future agenda. If the Duke of Tudor did not send someone to find her, Xiao Niao would probably bring up this matter with Lawrence soon.

Xiao Niao's face was full of understanding: "Grand Duke Banur asked you to come here to discuss disarmament, right?"

Gwyneth gathered her chaotic thoughts and nodded to the bird: "Yes, my father is going to

Before formally raising the issue of disarmament in the Imperial Council, he wanted to consult the Prime Minister's Office."

That’s right, disarmament.

In order to cope with the war with King Jialan, the empire's army had been expanding continuously for several consecutive years. In order to support this large-scale professional army that did not produce any products, countless resources and manpower were poured into the military expenditure that was like a bottomless black hole.

You have to know that in the Middle Ages, it took more than a hundred farmers to support a heavily armored knight - this was only a good thing in rich territories. Even if the poor areas squeezed the residents' bones, they could not afford to support an armored knight.

After all, the empire was only recently established. Even if Xiao Niao tried his best to mediate and use cheats, he could only just balance the funds on the books. At least he didn't have to deal with the headache of borrowing money from foreigners and going to war.

On the surface, the empire was not affected much by the war, and the cities were not suffering from war or famine.

But Xiao Niao knew in his heart that this calmness was only a superficial phenomenon.

In fact, because of the war, the development of domestic productivity has stagnated for a while, and a large number of young and strong laborers are in the army. If this continues, the country's development structure will become deformed.

Disarmament is the top priority at the moment, but this matter must be discussed and negotiated.

At times like this, one can understand why Lawrence had to go all the way to summon the Duke of Tudor from High Court - at times like this, it is really a relief to be able to deal with someone who is clear-headed and sensible.

The emperor's evaluation of Banur was very accurate: the Duke of Tudor put the country first in everything he did and did not have a particularly strong desire for power. His greatest strength and greatest weakness were both loyalty and integrity.

In short, she was able to reach a consensus with the Duke of Tudor very smoothly on this issue, so now the discussions with Gwyneth were particularly smooth.

They talked seriously for about two hours and chatted for a while after the business was settled.

Neither of them was arrogant, and they talked about interesting things. After a while of communication, they could be said to have a very pleasant conversation.

The atmosphere between them was just right, and Gwen's gaze towards the bird was particularly gentle.

She rarely had the opportunity to talk so intimately with her peers. There was no purpose, just chatting casually, wasting time, and leisurely drinking tea and eating snacks.

This kind of thing is enjoyable in itself, not to mention that the person she is wasting time with happens to be the one she likes, so even the wasted time feels more like time.

Gwyneth's young and restless heart rarely calmed down in such an atmosphere.

She felt a sense of peace and security, a feeling Gwen had only ever felt with her own family.

Gwyneth thought silently: I want her to be my family.

------

-

The atmosphere of the two people's pleasant chat continued until the adjutant Bi'er walked into the room and handed Xiaoniao a document.

Beau was slightly surprised when she saw Gwyneth, but she still showed the qualities of a capable subordinate. She didn't ask any questions and just handed the thing to Xiaoniao for inspection.

While the Imperial Prime Minister was immersed in his reading, the other two people in the room looked at each other silently.

Logically speaking, Beau and Gwyneth had met each other before and had a lot of interactions due to work, so they shouldn't seem so unfamiliar.

But unfortunately, when the two looked at each other, with some extremely sharp sixth sense, they both noticed the emotions hidden in each other's hearts.

Gwyneth became slightly alert: she was actually a person with a strong possessive desire. She longed to be exclusive and refused to share, but most of the time she endured and restrained this character flaw.

——But that also depends on who it is and what it is about.

Beau sensed the danger, and vaguely realized that if Gwyneth wanted to fight, she would have little chance of winning.

She is a smart and pragmatic person who always looks at things very thoroughly, so she feels particularly uncomfortable at this moment.

The adjutant smiled bitterly for a moment and looked at Gwyneth opposite her.

"Thank you for your hard work," Bi'er said. "It's getting late. Do you want me to prepare a carriage to take you home?"

Gwyneth was a little stunned, not knowing why Beau suddenly changed her attitude.

Xiao Niao had finished reading the document by this time and turned his attention back to the two people in the room.

Xiao Niao thought for a moment and felt that Gwen should stay for dinner. They had been discussing for a long time on an empty stomach, and by the time Gwen returned home, she would probably be starving.

Xiao Niao then invited: "Gwen, if you don't mind, please stay for dinner before leaving. The people in the kitchen are already cooking. Don't waste the ingredients."

Gwyneth's face showed a mixture of hesitation and joy. "Oh, they've already opened fire? Then I'll respectfully obey."

Beau witnessed the whole thing and used her keen intuition to testify to Gwyneth: this person has bad intentions and has unspeakable intentions towards Butcher.

She was heartbroken, but she couldn't open her mouth to remind him. She felt the pain of having spent five years of childhood sweethearts together and then having her love snatched away by a stranger.

Bi'er: Angry rat.

The adjutant lady didn't want anyone to see her expression, so she lowered her head slightly.

head.

At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door. After receiving the answer, a maid dressed as a cook came in panic, walked straight towards the adjutant Bier, and whispered something very quickly.

When Bi'er heard the maid's words, she no longer cared about being sad. Her face showed an expression of disbelief and dullness, followed by deep fear.

She trembled and asked the maid: "You, why didn't you stop her?"

The maid was also in tears: "We tried our best, but the lady seemed to be in a particularly good mood today..."

Bi'er stopped talking. She was silent, her lips trembling, as if she was about to be tortured to death.

Xiao Niao saw the adjutant's reaction and asked in surprise, "What happened? Why are you all so sad?"

Bi'er shuddered violently as if she remembered something.

She became anxious and reported the situation in the briefest terms: "The Red Moon Knight went to the kitchen to make a dish, saying that he wanted you and the guests to try it."

Beau's words left Gwyneth a little confused. She couldn't understand why this person suddenly turned pale and looked gloomy, as if a disaster was about to happen.

She subconsciously looked at Xiao Niao beside her and found that the Prime Minister of the Empire also had a solemn expression on his face, as heavy as if he was about to attend a funeral, as if what the adjutant said was not that the Red Moon Knight went to the kitchen to cook a dish, but that the Red Moon Knight set fire to the ammunition depot.

What surprised Gwen even more was that a trace of fear rarely appeared in Xiao Niao's eyes, which were always resolute and calm.

She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why do you all have such expressions? Is Hongyue's cooking terrible?"

Bi'er shook her head desperately: "No, you don't understand, Miss Gwen, the dish is not bad, it's that kind, that kind."

This matter is difficult to describe. For the first time, the adjutant felt the insufficiency of her own vocabulary. She racked her brains for a long time but could not find a suitable description.

Xiao Niao, who was standing aside, completely ignored the two of them.

The Prime Minister's face was filled with a blank expression, her lips trembling, her eyes wandering around the room in panic, and she was visibly thinking about which direction to escape.

Gwyneth was suddenly struck in the heart when she saw the bird's distraught look. She wanted to catch the bird that was about to explode and give it a kiss.

Just when she was distracted, the head chef came with a weak expression to inform them: Dinner is ready, everyone, please go to the restaurant for your meal.

Now there's no escape.

Xiao Niao kept shaking his head in despair, his wings curled up, and the feathers exposed outside his sleeves stood up.

Bi'er also looked as if she had lost her parents, just like a little bird.

Gwyneth saw it all.

She thought Butcher looked adorable, but at the same time she thought the two of them were making a big fuss out of nothing.

It's just a dish. At most, the seasoning is weird and it's half-cooked, and you'll have diarrhea after eating it.

Gwyneth had a good impression of the Red Moon Knight, and she had just been forced to deceive him, so she secretly decided that no matter what the Red Moon Knight brought, she would praise it.

Even if it tastes bad, it doesn't matter. At most, she can just take a small bite and then mindlessly praise the Red Moon Knight's cooking skills.

Gwyneth walked into the restaurant with such innocent thoughts in mind.

She walked to the table and just as she pulled out the chair, she found that Adjutant Bi'er had disappeared at some point.

Xiao Niao himself was still there, but he looked very reluctant, as if he had only come here to entertain her.

A bad premonition flashed through Gwyneth's mind, but when she saw the first dish being pushed over on a cart, she had no choice but to sit down.

The chef stood aside and stammered, "This is the appetizer soup prepared by Sir Luna herself."

Gwyneth nodded and picked up the spoon.

She already felt something was wrong, but her original thoughts did not change.

Gwen hoped to have a good relationship with the Red Moon Knight. No matter how bad the appetizer soup was, she was ready to swallow a spoonful and then start praising Red Moon.

This thought continued until Gwyneth lifted the lid of the soup bowl.

It was a bowl of fish soup, an appetizer fish soup.

Gwyneth saw a strange light flash in the pale eyes of the fish in the bowl.

And gently wagged his tail at her.

Some feedback, and a late update today...

I carefully read the feedback from everyone on the thread about the pacing of the plot and decided to adopt the suggestions of the readers.

When it comes to the more depressing part of the plot, Ale will use the method of accumulating updates and then updating them all at once to quickly complete the transition, writing all the way to the plot turning point in one go to ensure everyone's reading experience.

I might be able to rush down the list by then, it should be arranged like next week

And everyone has noticed that the recent update time has been a bit weird... I'm a slow typist to begin with, and I stay up late too many times, which makes me feel dazed and unable to write during the day, and then I have to continue staying up late, which is a vicious cycle.

The updates have been late these days, and I have consciously added more as compensation. Please understand...

I have to be taken out for dinner by my parents today, so the update will be a little later in the evening

But I will try to update before midnight, Ale, please adjust your work and rest schedule

Thank you all, love you all

O3O

Chapter 4000: Birdie: Fainted by Lesbian (+)

What a mistake, Xiao Niao thought secretly in his heart, he must never let the Red Moon Knight enter the kitchen again.

In the end, Gwyneth didn't drink the spoonful of soup. After all, the bowl of fresh and lively fish soup had obviously exceeded the limit of human taste buds and entered the realm of Cthulhu's creation. If she really drank it, something might happen.

To be honest, Xiao Niao once seriously considered whether to use the food cooked by the Red Moon Knight to punish criminals. With a little expansion, it could even be used as a simple version of truth serum.

For example, if the criminal is stubborn and refuses to tell the truth, then force him to drink fish soup cooked by Hongyue or crabs steamed by Hongyue...

But in the end, the bird gave up this tempting idea.

She tried to tolerate her loyal knight and found reasons to comfort herself: This was nothing for a knight. Hongyue was just not good at cooking, and she didn't intend to poison anyone to death.