The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

In the royal capital, since Claire, representing the Augustinian family, issued a statement appointing her as Lilith's advisor, the capital has enjoyed a rare period of peace and tranquility.

Although the old party is still bickering with the new party and reforms are still difficult to implement, at least compared to before, they are able to move forward. It's just a pity that the serf reform that Prime Minister Nora was so eager to implement encountered greater resistance than expected, and the bill died before it was even put into practice.

On matters that could harm the fundamental interests of the nobility, the new and old parties would remarkably reach a consensus, especially in an increasingly stable environment.

The old party also ceased its collusion with the Augustinians.

However, although he did not associate with the Augustinians, he unknowingly became involved with Claire, who represented the Augustinian family.

It's hard to say whether Claire represents herself or the entire Augustine, but at least as an aide, it's also Claire's job to appease the various factions on the surface.

The biggest news in the capital right now is probably the war in the North. Her Majesty the Queen's sworn brother has broken through Whitefrost Fortress with unstoppable momentum. Many people have begun to praise Her Majesty's foresight. With such a sworn brother, the North is now secure.

Most people no longer criticize the fact that a queen of a nation calls a regional governor "brother." Calling someone "brother" can get you the entire North, so it's a deal that couldn't be more worthwhile.

Some people have even started advocating that gray-collar workers are the true representatives of Lars, and that Doug, who murdered his father to seize power, should be hanged.

Of course, these people didn't say a word about how Doug killed his father.

In the southwest, the effects of artillery were gradually becoming apparent. Although they were still no match for the Kingdom of Anjou on the main battlefield, defending the southwestern border was no longer a major problem.

Everything seemed to have returned to a peaceful and serene state.

But at that moment, Nora, like a raging bull, stormed into Lilith's study.

Before Lilith could even ask, Nora bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please take a look at this letter first."

Not understanding why Nora was blushing, Lilith took the letter and began to read it. It was sent to Lilith by the current king of the Kingdom of Anjou.

After reading it, Lilith's expression became unpredictable.

"I am very sorry, Your Majesty, but in principle, I am not allowed to open and read letters of this rank without authorization."

"It's alright, this was the right I gave you in the first place."

Lilith waved her hand. These male protagonists, who had a high level of affection for her, were among the few people she could trust in the capital.

But it was precisely because Lilith knew how much Nora liked her that she understood why Nora blushed after seeing the letter.

The current King of Anjou, Alberto Ferdinand, has proposed to Lilith.

In the letter, Alberto, who calls himself Al, writes a love letter to Lilith from his own perspective. The letter is not only quite cheesy, but he also says that if he marries Lilith, Crane will be happy, at least Lilith won't have to be a widow.

Not only that, Alberto also directly identified Lilith as a descendant of the old empire, and said that after he married Lilith, Anjou and Capet could be merged to restore the glory of the old empire, and the two countries would no longer have to fight.

This isn't a proposal; it's a blatant humiliation.

Just by looking at the wrinkles Nora has made in the letter, you can tell how hot Nora is right now.

"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! Your Majesty, I will convene a roundtable meeting immediately. We must strike, we must strike hard!"

Looking at the prime minister before her, known for his composure but occasionally prone to making bad ideas, Lilith shook her head and said, "Calm down!"

"How can we remain calm, Your Majesty? He is not only insulting you, but also His Majesty Crane, and our entire kingdom!"

"Even so, we should remain calm."

Lilith got up and looked out the window at the capital. Although the letter had been sent through special channels and no one but Nora could have seen it, Lilith could already imagine that the contents of the letter were probably all over the capital by now.

It seems that artillery has indeed caused the Kingdom of Anjou a lot of trouble, otherwise they wouldn't have started these underhanded tactics.

Alberto was admiring Lilith's portrait in the Anjou palace at that moment.

Unlike the opulent style of the Kingdom of Capet, the palace in Anjou was more composed and solemn, its interior eerily empty.

There were even traces of blood from the coup that hadn't been cleaned off the walls and floors.

Because the portrait in his hand was created using magic, it is practically identical to Lilith herself.

Alberto was very young, and it's hard to imagine how such a young king could have broken through the brutal political environment of Anjou and successfully staged a coup.

Moreover, the art style is very similar to the male protagonists around Lilith. If Lilith saw it, she would probably recognize Alberto's art style at a glance, as it resembles those romanceable male protagonists.

"Is this Her Majesty the Queen of Capet?"

Alberto looked at the portrait with a strange expression.

"Yes, Your Majesty, she is undoubtedly the new Queen of Capet."

A bard standing next to Alberto bowed in greeting.

Although Alberto had never met Lilith before, that did not stop him from writing that passionate love letter. After all, his original purpose was to annoy her, not to actually marry her queen.

However, since he had written a love letter, Alberto thought he should at least meet the Queen. What if she was ugly?

But it was precisely because the other party was the widow of Crane, the rightful heir of the Kingdom of Capet, and was of minor noble birth, that Crane could take a liking to her despite political factors. She couldn't possibly be ugly, which is why Alberto wrote that love letter without any psychological burden.

"Well, so Clan Augustine likes this style?"

Alberto shook his head. Lilith was indeed not ugly, at least quite in line with human aesthetics, but Alberto's first impression of this petite queen was that she was cute.

This left a strange impression on Alberto.

Although some of Kran's reputation has been damaged, after all, the dead can't speak for themselves.

Alberto was unaware of how many people had feelings for Lilith; otherwise, the reputation of the nobility in the entire Cape Kingdom's capital would likely have been ruined.

"Have you investigated everything about this queen?"

Alberto turned to the bard beside him and asked.

“That is natural, but Your Majesty, some of my colleagues seem to be investigating this queen as well, and they are closer to us than the queen herself, which makes it difficult for us to dig out any useful information or to confirm whether this queen is a descendant of the old empire.”

"Are they members of the compilation faction?"

After receiving confirmation from the bard beside him, Alberto picked up Lilith's portrait again with amusement.

"The fact that those people are helping this queen conceal her background means that this queen is someone of great importance, doesn't it?"

"No, Your Majesty, this could also be a smokescreen. My colleagues love to do these kinds of things."

Upon hearing this, Alberto put down the portrait and said regretfully, "Cassius, when will you learn from your colleagues and help me with some underhanded things?"

“Your Majesty, we are the school of historical record studies, not the school of forgery like them.”

"Alright, alright, but your colleagues are about to unify the northern borders of Capet."

"A place where crickets infest everything."

"Cannons and muskets also originated from the North."

Cassius finally stopped being stubborn and said, "These things do have some of the style of the old empire, but they are ultimately just imitations, and they are not unusable by Your Majesty."

Cassius glanced at the musket at Alberto's waist: "Our artillery and muskets will surpass Capet's southwestern coalition."