The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

In fact, on the first day of martial law in the capital, the army only patrolled the streets and did not arrest people directly. Most of those detained by the soldiers were people who wanted to force their way through the inner city gates or sneak away.

Running away is pointless; after all, where can you run to? And you can't possibly take your entire family with you.

The brainless old nobles were still fantasizing about escaping to the Kingdom of Anjou to surrender to the enemy, while the truly intelligent old nobles were already writing their confessions.

Although the Queen is cruel, she is not bloodthirsty. Even the former prime minister, Cordick, is still alive and well, although he is lying in prison. You can tell whether he is alive or not.

Many of the extreme measures were taken by those soldiers, but Lilith's control over them is now completely different. At least these soldiers no longer simply obey their superiors or masters as before, but are now truly following Lilith's orders.

But this was only the first day. Starting from the second day, nobles were constantly being dragged out of their mansions and taken to prison for trial.

By the third day, although nobles were still being arrested, some of the bolder nobles were going out to socialize as usual.

Especially those members of the old party, who have realized that Her Majesty the Queen has not gone too far this time and has not arrested people indiscriminately, have begun to boldly visit each other, hold dinners and even dances to exchange information.

"I served the late king, my ancestors shed blood for the kingdom, I want to see Your Majesty, I want to see Your Majesty!"

Pete was dragged away by the soldiers in a very undignified manner, but no matter how much Pete wailed, the soldiers still dragged him away without paying any attention.

Pete didn't dare use magic yet, at least not now, since he had only captured himself. Pete had seen someone use magic to resist in the mansion yesterday, so the soldiers immediately switched to firing indiscriminately.

Even now, Pete still vividly remembers what the knight said back then: "Her Majesty the Queen is reasonable, but if you don't want to reason with Her Majesty the Queen, then I also know a little about gunpowder and magic."

So no matter how rough or undignified these soldiers were, Pete only dared to shout a few words to vent his frustration.

On the way, Peter saw Marcel and other members of the Old Party who were on their way to the ball that night. They weren't in a carriage, but were talking as they walked. Peter immediately shouted, "Sir Marcel, help me, help me!"

It would have been better if he hadn't shouted. As soon as he did, Marcel noticed Pete being dragged away. Still furious, Marcel pointed at Pete's nose and yelled, "It's all because of you bastards that the late king was killed and the capital was turned into a mess! You deserve to die!"

These nobles had just been talking to Marcel on the road about nothing other than reminiscing about the late King Cran.

Because death is a serious matter, coupled with the stark contrast between Crane and Lilith's current governing styles, and the nostalgic filter of these old nobles, Crane has been elevated to an incredible height in the minds of these old party nobles.

Seeing Marcel begin to speak, another nobleman who had been chatting enthusiastically immediately knelt down and bowed before the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, where Crane's body was kept, saying, "Your Majesty, do you see? The culprit who killed you has been caught, and you can now rest in peace in the Kingdom of God."

Immediately, more nobles, acting like drama queens or perhaps genuinely expressing their feelings, knelt down: "What a fine king His Majesty was! Diligent, tolerant, and ambitious. How could he have been murdered by treacherous people? If His Majesty hadn't died, how prosperous and powerful our Kingdom of Capet would be now!"

Pitt was completely bewildered. Had these people forgotten the pressure exerted by Crane during her reign? Had they forgotten Crane's efforts to expand the Queen's power against the old nobility? Had they forgotten Crane's intention to seize the nobles' core lands and taxes?

However, compared to the current Queen, Pete felt a pang of regret.

After all, even if Ukraine were to implement reforms more thoroughly, it would still sit down and discuss things properly; why would it need to bring the army into the city?

At this moment, another nobleman wailed, "I even held His Majesty Crane when he was a child. He was such a good boy, so sensible and polite, and now he's gone."

That's true; quite a few long-established nobles in the capital have indeed held Kran in their arms.

For a moment, the nobles couldn't tell whether their pleas were feigned or genuine, and they actually started wailing for Crane Augustine right there in the street.

Even Pete was caught up in the atmosphere and started crying, repeatedly apologizing and saying that he would definitely try his best to reform himself after going in. In any case, the atmosphere was right.

However, the soldiers didn't seem to feel anything, since they were loyal to the dukes of the southwest and the west, and Her Majesty the Queen had provided them with weapons and equipment. As for the late king, they wished him all the best in the divine kingdom.

So the soldiers roughly dragged Pete away.

Seeing this, Marcel and the rest of the old party got up. In any case, their attitude was right, and the group continued walking toward the ballroom for the evening.

The ball was attended by members of the old party who had not been affected. The nobles toasted and drank as usual, but most of them looked somber.

Although many of the clues were provided by the old guard, and Her Majesty the Queen will surely reward them for their contributions in the future, these old guard members are not happy at all.

Even though the separation has been carried out, the impact on the old party is still enormous. On the surface, the power in the capital seems to have been balanced again, but in reality, the old party has simply cut off a group of people and gained some prestige that is not very useful at present.

After all, no matter how high the prestige of the old party is, can it surpass that of Her Majesty the Queen?

While it wasn't without its advantages, at least the people in the southwest stopped giving the old party a hard time. At least outwardly it was wrong, but behind the scenes everyone knew what was going on. The old party not only didn't provide any clues at the beginning, but also helped cover it up.

"I heard that Her Majesty the Queen is going to become a saint again."

A nobleman began to sigh to Marcel. Her Majesty the Queen already had considerable prestige among the people of the capital. If she were to become a saint, Her Majesty the Queen could legitimately intervene in the affairs of the Papacy, and her prestige would be enhanced to an unprecedented degree.

The Kingdom of Capet will give birth to its first theocratic queen since its founding.

Marcel understood what the nobleman was worried about, which was also the main concern of the Old Party: that after this incident, Her Majesty's reform efforts would be unstoppable.

But Marcel clinked glasses with the nobleman and said, "This is not a problem for us to consider. Or rather, it's not us who are anxious about Her Majesty the Queen becoming a saint again; there are people who are much more anxious than us."

"You're right."

Upon hearing Marcel's words, the nobleman understood. The Augustins, guarding a palace without a king, were probably even more anxious than the old guard after hearing that Lilith would once again become a saint.

Marcel had to admit that Her Majesty the Queen had some skill, but was ultimately too young. Cooperating with the Papacy could indeed expand her power, but greater power meant greater risks.

Moreover, the current situation of the Vatican is complicated.