People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Defiance didn't dwell too much on these ideological issues; after all, there were more important things to do now.

Carefully putting away the speech, Daphne raised her head again, hands on her hips, and said calmly. Her golden pupils were fixed on Ernst.

Ernst felt a little uneasy under the stare and couldn't help but glance at his clothes, asking curiously:

"Do you have any other questions?"

"Aren't you going to explain to me what you and Miss Lavshine were doing just now?"

"Huh?" Ernst was taken aback.

What did I do? I didn't do anything. I just comforted the little stove.

"I've never even held you."

Defien slightly averted her gaze, her face flushed.

"I... I mean, my mother is also on the front lines, and I'm very worried. I also wish it weren't so."

Before Daphne could finish speaking, Ernst understood what she meant.

That makes sense, Daphne's mother is also on the front lines. The Duke of Windermere and the Duke of Wellington are theoretically equal, but in reality, everyone knows that the Duke of Wellington's troops are superior to the Duke of Windermere's. Even so, the old general was assassinated. Although the Victorian Allied Forces will definitely strengthen their defenses after this, who knows what new tricks the Sarkaz might have up their sleeves and whether they can replicate them a second time.

In other words, the Duke of Windermere is actually in danger as well.

It's normal for Daphne to be worried about her, but after living away from home for so long, she's become more sensible and knows that she is the Duke of Windermere's biggest weakness. She didn't rush to the front lines and cause trouble for the Duke of Windermere.

But ultimately, she is still a child, and it is understandable that she lacks a sense of security and wants comfort at this time.

But Daphne is a strong-willed child, just as stubborn as her mother, Amphilis Windermere, which makes her unwilling and afraid to show her vulnerable side in front of others.

I was the one who was negligent; I was only thinking about Victoria and neglected the feelings of Victorians like Defiance.

Vina probably feels something similar to Yue Feiqun's: ...—★?

After a moment's self-reflection, Ernst bent down, reached out, and gently embraced Daphne. The kitten's small body trembled as if electrocuted, then quickly went limp and nestled into Ernst's arms.

"Feeling a little more at ease? Don't worry, Duke Windermere will be proud of you!"

"Ugh, no."

"What's wrong?" Ernst asked, puzzled.

Defiance gritted her teeth, broke free from Ernst's grasp, reached out and hugged Ernst, resting her head on Ernst's shoulder.

"That's good."

Ernst stood there for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile.

No, what's going on? Who's trying to comfort us?

Ernst didn't say much, but raised his tail and patted Daphne.

Perhaps because the kitten was dressed very thickly and warmly, Ernst felt as if the perceived temperature had risen by a few degrees.

A little hot.

"Dong dong."

The peace didn't last long again. An untimely knock from Hinterlaya rang out, followed by the languid announcement from the Kuranta receptionist:

"Master, the Duke of Caesar's messenger wishes to see you."

Ernst instinctively loosened his grip, but Daphne's grip tightened even more.

"Um, Defiance."

“I know,” Defiance said softly, “right away.”

A moment later, the Duke of Caesar's messenger, the poet, the grey-hatted Bellingham, entered the room and immediately saw Ernst sitting in his office chair, Raphsini standing not far behind him, and Defiance sitting on the sofa with an exceptionally cold gaze.

In that instant, Bellingham suddenly felt that the cold wind of late January in Sherag wasn't so biting anymore, the warmth in the room wasn't so inviting, and the task the Duke of Custer had given him wasn't so important—no, it was quite important.

He did his best to ignore the gaze from Defiance's eyes, which bore a striking resemblance to those of the Duke of Windermere, and bowed to Ernst:

Prime Minister Ernst

"Ahem." Ernst had clearly noticed Daphne's expression and coughed lightly twice, trying to remind him, but Daphne remained unmoved. He could only look at the gray top hat somewhat awkwardly and nod, "What's wrong?"

The polite smile of the man in the grey top hat looked somewhat stiff.

"Did I come at the wrong time?"

Chapter 552 Horhaya: I am a Colombian

Because of the overwhelming pressure emanating from Defion's gaze, which seemed to practically devour the grey top hat, coupled with the grey top hat's repeated pleas, Defion ultimately left first.

After personally seeing her off as she left the office building, waving goodbye, and confirming that she was really gone, the man in the grey top hat returned to Ernst's office and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is there any need to be so scared?"

Ernst was somewhat amused and exasperated.

"She's not going to eat you."

The man in the grey top hat, Bellingham, rolled his eyes at Ernst, somewhat speechless.

“You are absolutely right, Prime Minister Ernst. I think we should all give credit to this civilized society today.”

Ernst didn't quite understand what he meant at first:

"why?"

"It is precisely because of the high level of civilization in society that cannibalism has been prevented. Even though she is the daughter of a duke, she cannot eat my flesh raw after killing me."

Ernst couldn't help but chuckle.

He hadn't expected that Bellingham, as the Duke of Caesar's envoy, would also have a knack for telling jokes.

To be honest, it didn't quite fit his impression of a cold and ruthless high-ranking intelligence officer.

However, on the other hand, Ernst also realized that he had been in this world for so long and had never actually seen such a cold and ruthless high-level intelligence officer.

Holheimia, Ahmonie, Hedalley, Ines, and even Sir Bellingham, whose attire most closely resembles that of a "black-clad intelligence officer," are not the "cool, silent" type.

Come to think of it, how can intelligence agents and spies obtain intelligence if they are not good at speaking and cannot gain the trust of others?

Is this some kind of stereotype?

Ernst was quite interested, while Bellingham looked rather troubled. He let out a long sigh:

"Sigh, to be honest, when I saw Miss Defiance here, I knew that the mission might have failed."

Ernst composed himself and asked curiously:

"Why do you say that? Are you here to ask for the speech draft too?"

Bellingham shrugged:

"Did she take the speech? More or less. The Duke hopes to obtain something from you that can boost the morale of the current Duke's coalition forces. She didn't specify what it was. I think Mr. Ernst can guess the reason, so I don't need to elaborate."

Ernst nodded. It wasn't hard to guess; it was essentially a matter of power within the Allied Forces, something Ernst had already heard about from Daphne.

The kitten had nothing to hide from him, so Ernst naturally didn't need to get secondhand information from the grey top hat again, just like he did from Kess's perspective.

"However, I don't think Prime Minister Ernst prepared a second speech."

Bellingham looked up, and although he said "no," there was still a hint of expectation in his eyes.

Until Ernst shook his head with a regretful expression.

He did have a speech draft; after all, there are quite a few classic wartime speeches, but he couldn't give it to him again.

As for power leveling, one service is enough. He gave one to Duke Windermere because of Daphne's influence and because Duke Windermere, an angel investor, had given him his first pot of gold since taking office.

The grace of dripping water is reciprocated by the fountain.

But what about the Duke of Caesar?

She initially supported Enciodes. Ernst, who had never studied in Victoria, had not been exposed to Victorian ideas, and did not have much of a foothold in China, was someone she initially looked down upon.

It was only after Ernst demonstrated his extraordinary value that the Duke of Käst gradually came to his attention and began to try to get closer to him.

The relationship between the two was neither particularly good nor particularly bad; they were simply normal strategic partners, not something that could be described as "24/7".

So, if she had arrived before Defenne and offered a price that satisfied Ernst, Ernst would have been willing to make the deal with her. But since she arrived late, the principle of first come, first served applies, and even if she offered a higher price, Ernst would not have given it to her.

It wasn't entirely because Ernst was swayed by personal relationships and cared about the kitten that he abandoned the potentially bigger offer from Kester.

Politics is essentially a more sophisticated and ruthless interpersonal relationship game, and most politicians are just human. Besides, refusing to give actually makes it easier to raise the price.

After all, if he gave them more, not only would there be a farce of internal conflict, but Ernst would also offend both Kester and Windermere.

I can still tell the difference between being full at one meal and being full at every other meal.

Bellingham lowered his head in disappointment, an expression that Ernst found somewhat heartbreaking.

Although Bellingham was likely faking it, he was, after all, an old acquaintance of the Sherag people.

Note that it was people from Kjerag, not just Ernst. His performances on Kjerag trains and at the train station have continued to this day, although the frequency has greatly decreased from daily to two or three times a week. However, many people from Kjerag and tourists still buy tickets to take the train just to hear him play a piece.

He brought some small benefits to the tourism industry in Shelag in a way that even Ernst hadn't expected.

Ernst couldn't help but ask with concern:

"If you fail to complete the mission, will you be dismissed by the Duke of Caesar when you return?"

Bellingham was startled and looked at Ernst with disbelief. Indeed, it was Han: (IV) Only after confirming that he didn't mean "expulsion from physics" did Ai breathe a sigh of relief and reply:

"Of course not. Those who wear grey top hats have a secure job from birth to death; there's no such thing as being fired."

Ernst clicked his tongue and nodded with some emotion.

This is the Duchy of Caesar. Caesar may be inhuman, but the Duchy of Caesar is undeniably wealthy.

Looking back on when I first started hiring, I was really strapped for cash and had to be very frugal. Even the salary had to be calculated based on the internship period. It was truly...

It makes one think of that lyric: "Become rich, I'll become rich!"

After calming his aching mood, Ernst asked:

"If this mission fails, how are you going to explain yourself when you get back?"

"To be honest, we can just shift the blame to Duke Windermere. The Duke won't care about such a small matter. I'll just lose a little performance bonus."

Bellingham said slowly,

"After all, the Duke's goal is not to win the position of leader of the Allied Forces. She can't hold the position herself. In the end, it will still have to be handed over to Duke Windermere. This interruption is just to make Duke Windermere realize the reality and respect the authority of [Caster].

"As for what His Majesty the Duke truly desires, it has always been very clear."

Bellingham's voice paused slightly, then turned serious as he looked at Ernst and said earnestly:

"His Excellency the Duke has already agreed to your and Miss Vina's request, so what do you think about the Key to the Breath of Kings?"

Ernst nodded:

“Vina has already sent the letter to Lungmen, but we cannot guarantee when Governor Wei Yanwu will reply or whether he will agree.”

Bellingham nodded: Search:

"That's enough. Governor Wei Yanwu will understand."

Ernst shrugged and said nothing.

Bellingham stood up with satisfaction, his earlier dejection completely gone, seemingly proving he had indeed been faking it.

After he left, Ernst sat for a while longer, making sure no third person would barge in and say, "I've come at the wrong time," before pressing the bell on the table.

Holhaya walked out of the cubicle, and Ernst's expression relaxed a bit.

"Congratulations, Boss. With this, we are now certain that we will secure at least the Duke of Caesar's share of Victoria's support."

Ernst set three conditions, one of which was that if the Duke of Kester obtained the Breath of the Kings, then when Ernst submitted the Sarkaz proposal at the World Summit in the future, the Duke of Kester would have to vote in favor.

Some might wonder, didn't the Duke of Caesar already express his support for the plan?

That's right, but there are conditions.

The condition was that Ernst must support the Duke of Caesar and become Victoria's representative.

Ernst did not want to take a stand on this matter, as it was dangerous; Ernst wanted to "avoid this sensitive issue."

After all, some issues are best left unsaid. A private agreement is one thing, but something made public is another. Never fully trust verbal promises; without a written agreement, anything can be reneged on at any time. You could call it cunning, but that doesn't stop someone like the Duke of Custer from seeing it as wisdom.

Especially for someone like the Duke of Castells, no matter how well she agrees now, no one can say for sure what she will do after she takes office. If Ernst had followed the original terms, he wouldn't have been able to make the matter public, and the Duke of Castells might have gone back on his word. But now, with a concrete agreement in hand, Ernst can eliminate that possibility.

The fact that “a kind-hearted person voluntarily handed over a seven-year-old Victorian antique” is something no one can fault. As for what kind of agreement Ernst and the Duke of Caesar reached in private, no one will disclose it to the public; the two of them know it in their hearts.