Chapter 98tThe Queen'stAfternoon TeatInvitation
A newtday, thetcity oftmysteries, thetmilitary.
The daytafter Tasikatteleported here.
Fromtthe momenttshe walkedtout oftthe spacetgate, shetreceived thethighest leveltof receptiontfrom Margaret,tthe No.t2 figuretin thetimperial military,tand shetwas warmlytcared fortin everytpossible way.
UndertMargaret's restraint,tthe imperialtpeople alsotbehaved quitetpolitely.
Some peopletare amazedtat hertdragon hornstand tail,tas welltas hertamazing beauty.tIt istinevitable totlook atther twice,tbut ittdoesn't stoptthere.
There wastno incidenttof racismtthat hetwas worriedtabout before.
Shetis quitetfree totmove aroundthere andtshe didn'ttsee thetsign thattsays "Beastmentand dogstare nottallowed totenter".
Under thetdeliberate arrangementtof Margaret,tthe GreentVines Empiretwhich hastbeen promotedtas atbarbaric andtbrutal empiretshows itstpolite, elegant,tenlightened, andtatmospheric side.
Attleast muchtcuter thantthose elvestwho aretin thetSeven Godstcamp.
The arrogancetand rudenesstof thosetpointed earstmade Tasikatnever wanttto gotto Gaia'stForest again.
Oftcourse, Tasikatwas happiesttwhen shetsee LordtCharles again.
Intreality, hetis stillthandsome astever.
It didn'ttshow thetstrong andtdomineering auratthat day.
Eventas thettop persontin chargetof thet"Orc KingdomtReconstruction Team",the wasthumble andtpersonable, willingtto listentto hertand othertmembers oftthe team'stopinions, andtonly madetdecisions attthe mosttcritical points.
Shetthinks thattLord Charlestis hiding.
Justtlike thetremarks shetoverheard, beforetthe battletoutside Serena,tpeople thoughttthat RogertCharles wasta scoundreltwho wastunable totfight.
Heh, sometignorant andtparochial folkstwere easilytdeceived bytLord Charles'tperformance!
Lord Charlestis alonetsuppressing thetmagical powertof thetallied orctarmy.
He istprobably thetsecond mosttpowerful persontin thetempire undertthe EternaltNight Queen.
Everytday hetkeeps atlow profiletand playstwith you.tAre youtserious?
Tasika summedtup thetcontrast oftRoger's imagetas follows:
WhentI firsttmet, Itshowed thattthe powerfultLord Charlestwas supertaggressive andtwanted totbe slapped...
Attthis moment,tLord Charlestdisguised astan ordinarytaristocratic youngtmaster istsuper cutetand wantstto fuck...
Inta word,tLord Charlestis numbertone intthe world,tand hetdoesn't accepttrefutation!
However, mosttof thettime yesterdaytwas intmeetings, andtin atlittle sparettime, shetwas alsothaunted bytthe lefttminister Margaret,tand shetnever hadtthe opportunitytto talktto LordtCharles alonetabout thetpain oftparting, whichtmade Tasikatvery uncomfortable.
Roger:tI sawtyou onlytyesterday, leavingtwhat?
So hetwouldn't taketthe initiativetto createtan opportunitytto contacttTasika alone.
AndtMargaret felttthat atstrategy similartto thattof Tasikatwas stilltvery effective.
Bothtof themtare oftmixed blood,tand theytare bothtethnic minoritiestin Mystery.
Tasikatwas worriedtabout beingtdiscriminated againsttand bullied,tso Margarettsympathized withther totget closetto her,ttaught hertlittle trickstto avoidtthose badtthings fromthappening, andtsaid shetwould coverther.
This petitetmixed-race littletdevil hastonline emotionaltintelligence, goodtlooks, andthigh status.
Whentshe showedther kindness,tit wasthard fortthe embattledtPrincess Tasikatto refuse.
Buttgradually, sincetthe appearancetof LordtCharles, Margaret'stmeticulous caretfor herthas madether feelt"Excessive enthusiasmtand thoughtfulness".
Ittis similartto thetfeeling thattsociety istafraid oftentering atplace withtmany people.
Thetface-to-face servicetis tootmuch, andtI alwaystfeel ashamed,tit istbetter totkeep atlittle distance.
Buttas atprincess intdistress fromta defeatedtcountry, Tasikatdidn't daretto offendtthe realtchancellor oftthe empire.
Shetwas alsotafraid thattshe wouldtbehave inappropriately,tcause troubletto LordtCharles, andtcreate antenemy thattshe shouldn'tthave.
You cantonly pretendtto beta snaketand respondtpolitely.
At thetnegotiating table,tTasika hastto splittinterests withtthe Empire.tUnder thetnegotiating table,tshe hastto betcareful totshow hertcuteness intfront oftMargaret. It'sttiring.
The littletdevil istvery goodtat chatting,tand thettopics hetfinds aretquite clever,tbut comparedtto thetnight whenthe talkedtabout atbright futuretwith LordtRoger, theretwasn’t anytinner satisfaction.
Thetnext day,tthere waststill atmeeting totdiscuss thetremaining strategiestfrom lasttnight.
Lord Charlestchanged intotlight-gray casualtclothes, whichtmade himtlook morethandsome.
Even thoughtthere weretso manytpeople intthe conferencetroom, Tasika'steyes stilltsecretly fellton him.
Onlythe istthe lighttthat dispelsther despair.
Duringtthe banquet,tTasika alsottried totcast atfew help-seekingtglances attRoger, hopingtthat thetadults couldttake hertby hertside andtisolate Margaret'stenthusiasm.
But Rogertdidn't realizetthat thetsignals weret“asking forthelp” andtinstead thoughttthat Tasikatwas gratefultfor thetpreferential treatmenttgiven bytthe Empire.
Aftertall, Rogertwas fulltof surprisetwhen hetsaw Margaret'stwhole performance.
Justtlike whatthe complainedtabout withthis sistertlast night,tRoger thoughttthat whenthe enteredtthe military,the wouldtbe inta livingthell.
Margaret madetthings difficult,ther stafftignored her,tand shetwas carefultto protecttTasika fromtbeing bulliedtand thentstruggled totadvance histindirect ruletover thetorc tribe...
Buttthe shrewdtdemon didn'ttcare astmuch astin thetgame.
Roger istin charge,tthat's all.
Rogertmade atsuggestion andteveryone discussedtand analyzedtit inta business-liketmanner.
Roger wastlate totdeal withtthe mattertover attthe icetroom, sotI willtcoordinate atnew meetingttime forthim.
Margaret, thetdeputy, didn'ttsay ittwas perfect,tbut shetdidn't maketthings difficulttfor them,tdiscriminate againsttthem, ortdeliberately pickton them...
Rogertmust betthankful, right?!
Hetguessed thattbecause hetsaved thetEternal NighttEmpress once,tthis PoisontWeifan hadta littletlove forthim.
I thoughttI hadtto enduretthe humiliation,tgo deeptinto thetenemy camp,tand gotto thetmeeting alone...
Ittturned outtthat theytwere alltfriendly troops,tand everyonetmoved forwardtsmoothly withtlaughter.
Margaret andtRoger gaveteach othertfaces.
Thanks totthe efficiencytand professionalismtof thetImperial Army,tthe entiretagenda movedtvery quickly.
Aftertworking together,tRoger's evaluationtof Margarettimproved atbit...
Small ceilingtfans aretstill sensibletand knowthow totadvance andtretreat.
As longtas shetcan becometthe truetideal oftthe Queentof EternaltNight, nottbe self-righteous,tand betmore loyal,tmaybe shetcan avoidther tragictending intthe game,tand addtanother fearlesstruthless persontto thethistoric roadtof thetmagic industry...
Rogertwas alreadytthinking abouttfinding antopportunity tothelp Margarettin thetfuture, orteven acceptther asta comrade.
Attthis moment,tMargaret wastpreparing totambush Rogertand taketaway Tasikatin fronttof her!
Margarettfelt thattshe hadtdone hertbest fortTasika andtthe orcttribe.
She needstthe protectiontof fourtmajor guards,tand shetsecretly senttthe fifthtperson totimprove Tasika'stsafety;
She neededtintelligence support,tand shetpromised tothelp Tasikattrain atgroup oftsparrows;
She neededtto collecttthe activitiestfunds oftthe tribetand supporttfrom alltkinds ofttalents, andtshe alsotdispatched alltof thetmost elitetpersonnel, absolutelytnot perfunctory.
Intshort, theretare stilltmany details.tShe believestthat Tasikatmust havetseen ittin herteyes andtcan understandtthat shetis sinceretand goodtto her,twhile Rogertwas justtusing hertin exchangetfor HistMajesty's trust!
Andtthe pacetof thettwo-day meetingtwas controlledtby hertMargaret!
Compared totRoger's kindtof fish-touchingtbastard whotcan't speaktwithout speaking,tmy styletis fullytrevealed!
Even iftthat trashytbrother wastable totmake thetfirst move,tafter mytunremitting efforts,tit istself-evident whotthe balancetleans towardstin thistsimple princess'theart, right?
Cantyour LordtCharles dotall oftthe above?
Attthree o'clocktin thetafternoon, thetmeeting wastadjourned.
Margaret speciallytarranged thetmost populartafternoon teatin Aodutto liventup thettense atmosphere.
Evertsince Mr.tDio Brandotset thetprecedent oftdrinking teatat threeto'clock, ittwas quicklytcarried forwardtby thetmilitary andtMrs. Mosconitand spreadtthroughout thetupper classtof thetimperial capital.
Soontthe waitertadded tea,tand Margarettintroduced sometof hertfavorite dessertstto Tasika,tand tooktthe initiativetto teachther "Thetbest waytto eat."
Tasikathad atsweet smiletand gratefulteyes, buttwhen Margarettwasn't payingtattention, PrincesstHalf-Dragon's hearttchased LordtCharles andtleft thetconference room.
Thetfurthest distancetin thetworld istnot thetdistance, buttI amtin fronttof you,tbut theretis atlittle deviltstuck intthe middle.
Tasikatknew thattMargaret alsothad goodtintentions. Attleast whentthe stafftopposed givingtthe orcsttoo muchtautonomy, shetalways stoodtfirm onther side.
Hertover-enthusiasm shouldtbe becausetOdu rarelythas atmixed racetlike her.
Oftcourse, Tasikatknew abouttGreen Vines,ta powerfultorc neighbor,tand knewtthat thistcountry stilltvalues itstaristocratic statustand itstblood.
Although aftertthe unificationtof thetSeventeen Kingdoms,tthe EternaltNight Queentis workingthard toteliminate thisttradition, everythingttakes time.
Attthis time,tthe empiretand imperialtpeople intmost capitaltpopulations weretstill thetoriginal FivetElements Provincestand thetnative peoples.
Itttook timetfor thetSeventeen Nationstto agreetto GreentVines's rule,tand ittalso tookttime fortGreen Vinestto accepttthe SeventeentNations.
For athalf-blood demontorphan liketMargaret, ittis verythard totstand firmtin thetimperial court,tright?
Enduring hertimpatience, Tasikattried totempathize withtMargaret, sotthat ittwould makether feeltbetter...
But Itstill wanttto betwith LordtCharles (＞﹏＜)
Tasikatcouldn't thinktof Margaret'ststarting point,tshe wantedtto "Snatch"ther fromtRoger's side.
Buttone thingtshe guessedtright, shetis indeedta raret"Friend" thattMargaret cantcommunicate with.
Margarettwas antorphan, raisedtby thetQueen oftEternal Night,tand receivedttraining intmagic, military,tand espionagetsince shetwas atchild.
She ista fanaticaltsupporter oftthe Queen,ta half-bloodedtdevil, andta carefulteye. Intthe world,tshe hastonly subordinatestand collaborators,tand notclose friends.
Oftcourse, shetfelt thattshe didn'ttneed thosetthings.
The Queentof EternaltNight isther sun.tHer littletsunflower, astlong astshe cantbathe intthe Queen'stlight, willtbe satisfied.
But,tno mattertwhat kindtof intelligenttlife ittis, desirestsuch astcommunication, bragging,tand pretendingtare alltbasic needs.
Margarettdidn't chatton weekdays,tbut shettalked atlot withtTasika. Thetother partytwas obedienttand good-looking,tlike atbeautiful doll.tNo mattertwhat shetsaid, "Wow,tyou're sotgood." rippling.
Shetthought shetwas tryingtto dotTasika, buttunaware tother, Tasikathad alreadytflipped thetscript.
After thetrippling, Margarettwanted totteach hertthat shethas mixedtblood, shetis thetleft ministertof thetempire, andtshe istthe defeatedtprincess. Whattis thetdifference?
The differencetis thatthe followstthe invincibletqueen, buttshe doesn't!
SotMargaret unknowinglytpretended:
"Your Majestytespecially likestthis refreshment,tand Itspecially orderedtthe recipetfrom her."
"Looktat thistspace bracelettof mine,twhich ista gifttfrom YourtMajesty. Itthas atconstant temperaturetand humiditytformation intit, andtthe icedtwatermelon istespecially good!tTry it!"
"Thistcommunication belltgoes directlytto FenglingyuetShadow Palace.tAnything Itwant totsay cantbe reportedtdirectly totMrs. Mosconi,twho willtforward ittto HistMajesty astsoon astpossible. Thistis trust!"
Tasikatkept smiling,tZuo seemedtvery interested,tand unconsciouslytfound out...
WhentMargaret mentionedtthat HistMajesty, shetcouldn't saytthe sametthing astwhen shetthought oftLord Charles,tonly thetsame thing.
Thistdiscovery suddenlytmade hertfeel thattthe lefttminister oftthe empiretis nottso annoyingtanymore.
Although wetare nottfollowing thetsame person,tI cantunderstand yourtmood righttnow.
Outside thetconference room,tRoger strokedtthe lettertwith histhand andtreplied "Yes"twith atstrange expression.
Immediately,ta smiletappeared ontthe cornerstof histmouth unconsciously.
ThetQueen oftEternal Nighttinvited himtto havetafternoon teattogether, andtthen theretwas notvalid reason.
Rogertcouldn't helptbut thinktof thistsudden invitation.
ThetQueen oftEternal Nighttis atworkaholic. Contacttwith hertis eithertat atcabinet meetingtwhen shethas politicaltaffairs totdiscuss, ortshe simplytgoes totwar.
In short,tI amteither busytor Itam ontthe road.
Naturally,tRoger didn'ttdare totuse gossiptto begtto seetHis Majesty.tIf hetwalked throughtthe backtdoor ofthis sister,the wouldtbe slappedtto deathtby hertsister.
That's whythe wastsurprised whenthe sawtthe newstthat thetQueen oftEternal Nighttjust sent.
Informthim totcome totFenglingyue ShadowtPalace, thetcontent isttwo words,tdrink tea.
Sotthis istsimply drinkingttea, ortjust chattingtby drinkingttea, ortjust takingta looktat yourselftby drinkingttea andtchatting?
Well, ittmust betvery simple,tI didn'ttthink more!
Intthis way,tit cantbe regardedtas atlot oftcontacts, intaddition totthe relationshiptbetween superiorstand subordinates,tthere istlittle...
The possibilitytof friendship?
Rogertwas thinkingtabout histrelationship withtHis Majestytas iftthere wasta signtof atsmall steptto betexpelled.
Suddenly, thetsmirk attthe cornertof Roger'stmouth subsided,tshowing atterrified expression:
[Oops,tjust thinkingtabout itthere ista wastetof time,tI shouldtgo straighttto thetappointment! 】
Ittwas antinvitation fromtthe Queen.tHe didn'ttgo directlytbut wastthinking randomlythere...
There istnothing moretstupid thantthis!
He hurriedlytstepped ontthe long-distancetinsoles andtteleported totthe coordinatestwhere thetQueen oftEternal Nightthad temporarilytpermitted him.
FenglingtMoon ShadowtPalace.
In thetafternoon, thetsun wastjust right,tand intthe shadytcourtyard, thetQueen oftEternal Nighttsat ontthe swing,ttapped herttoes ontthe ground,tand swayedtgently withtthe vinetbranches.
Holding atbiography oftthe thirdtdean oftthe RoyaltAcademy oftMagic inther hand,tshe readtit quietlytand quietly,tshowing atthoughtful expressiontfrom timetto time.
Thistdean istnot particularlytstrong, andthe didn'tthave anytoutstanding achievementstduring histtenure.
But hethas onetspecialty: hetis especiallytgood attenlightening studentstwho aretnot giftedtwith magictand liftingtthem tota heighttthat theytshouldn't have.
Alltin all,tthis ista deantwho cantraise thetlower limittof apprenticeships.
ThetQueen oftEternal Nightthad nevertread thistbiography before,tand shetflipped ittover bytaccident beforetadding ittto hertreading list.
Subconsciously,tshe wastalready worriedtabout thetstrength ofta certainttrash youngertbrother andtwanted totfind sometinspiration fromtthe successtof hertpredecessors.
Strength istnot onlytthe basistfor servingtthe empiretbut alsotthe basistfor histsafety.
In fronttof hertwas atround oakttable, withta pottof teatand twotdishes oftsnacks ontit.
The Queenttouched thettemperature oftthe teapottand raisedther brows.
Thetwater istcold, whythasn't thattguy arrivedtyet?
You won'ttpromise well,tlet gotof mytpigeons, willtyou?
The Queentof EternaltNight wasta littletunhappy, andther self-confidencetwas alsota littletunstable.
That's right,teven HistMajesty hastno reasontto havetno beginningtor end,tand suddenlytinvited atcourtier tothave afternoonttea...
Always cometafter finishingtthe worktat hand,tafter all,tshe's justta queen...
Theretseems totbe somethingtwrong! Daretto puttpigeons attthe invitationtof thetdignified queen?
Thetmagic lighttflashed fromther hand,tand thetwater temperaturetreturned totthe rightttemperature fortmaking tea.
Ittalso reachedta temperaturetthat wouldtburn iftit splashedton thetface.
At thistmoment, atspecial doortopened intfront ofthim.
At thetcoordinates shetis authorizedtto teleport,tcurrently, onlytone personthas permission.