Free Web NovelChapter 1161: Chapter 291: First Round of Engagement
"Truly, heroes emerge from the young!" Liwu sighed.
"Mr. Brand..."
"Just call me Brand," Brand interrupted her, responding.
"Brand, I would like to hear your thoughts on the current situation, if that’s alright?" Princess Griffith placed her hands on the desk, gently cradling a white porcelain teacup—the Hong Cha slightly rippling like waves on the crystal surface—she lifted her head, eyes shining, her beautiful pupils seeming to shimmer with a silver glow.
Brand’s gaze swept over everyone in the study, the Royalist as calm as ever, Her Highness the Princess appearing naive yet exceedingly shrewd, only the Little Prince seemed a bit shy, cautiously observing him from behind a noble; only one sharp, cold gaze remained fixed on him. Brand met it, seeing the black-haired Female Knight standing behind Griffith—apparently named Nemesia, every time Brand saw this woman, he felt a slight throb in his heart.
He averted his gaze.
"Forgive my bluntness, but from the perspective of the Royalist faction, there is no real situation to speak of at present," Brand stated candidly, "The North has long leaned towards Duke Xifah, and both of the Kingdom’s major legions—the White Lion Legion and the Black Blade Legion—are under the control of the northern nobles, while the Southern Army has been attacked by Madara, its structure unclear even now, probably the reason why Count Denier has yet to sign an agreement with Instarlon."
He paused, wanting to say that although the South still had Viero, Karasu, and the Duke Goran-Elsen Domain, they were mostly bystanders in the grand scheme, the disparity between the North and South’s Strength so vast that the Princess was the only one truly raising the Kerkova banner; the winter had blocked the Northern Army’s march south, but once the snow and ice melted, the hope sustaining the Princess would collapse.
However, this was precisely why the Royalist had chosen to collude with Anlek, so he held back from speaking further.
"The Kingdom is surrounded by formidable foes, the situation precarious, the Ambeser meeting does not belong to you all. In fact, I fear you are here more to persuade the Ambeser merchant guild and the Holy Temple to stay neutral, rather than to genuinely participate in this meeting?" Brand queried.
The study fell into silence, everyone looking at Brand with some surprise in their eyes. Since the death of Oberg the Seventh, the Kingdom’s situation had changed dramatically, but reaching this point, anyone with eyes could see the Royalist faction’s weakness; yet Brand not only saw through the facade but also deduced their true intentions, which was exceptional—most believed they aimed to leverage Anlek’s power to turn the tables at the Ambeser meeting, yet this young man directly exposed their motives without a hint of hesitation.
Macaro and Liwu felt a chill in their hearts, thinking how terrifying it would be if this young man were an enemy. Only Ou Fuwei’er looked at Brand with some appreciation, after all, Brand was chosen by him from the crowd fleeing Ridenburg. The more outstanding Brand was, the more it proved his own insight.
Princess Griffith’s eyes were also filled with admiration, her gaze towards Brand like looking at someone closest to her—a secret layer between them that others didn’t know; the Half-Elf Girl, when responding to Brand’s letter, was influenced by Ou Fuwei’er and her recounting of that ’story,’ and there was undoubtedly a touch of a young girl’s romantic yearning for a knight in her mind—along with the precarious situation of the Royalist at the time, or perhaps out of the consideration of taking a chance, she privately appointed Brand as her knight.
Her Highness the Princess was only seventeen this year, not yet at the age to ascribe everything to luck, but besides luck, there was only destiny in the unseen.
Thinking of this, the Half-Elf Girl felt slightly moved.
"I have met Princess Magdalene, heard she is the close friend of Her Highness the Princess," Brand replied. But in fact, he knew the Royalist’s true purpose was not due to this reason, history before him unfolded like an open Big Book, the decay of Erune’s noble class and its pursuit of profit was clear under his scrutiny, let alone the Royalist’s ’plot’ laid bare. The reason he said this was simply to avoid being seen as an Evil.
Macaro, Liwu, and Ou Fuwei’er nodded slightly, now relieved. Considering the Nun Princess’s relationship with the Holy Temple and the influence of the Temple in the merchant guild, it was not hard to deduce the connection. However, while everyone focused on the whirlwind of noble meetings, this young man still paid attention to the surrounding details, and this steadiness and acuity made him a top-tier talent among the nobles.
