Free Web NovelChapter 121: Are You Sure?
The atmosphere in the main hall was tense.
Simon and Adelaide stared at each other for a long time before Adelaide let out a soft sigh. "It’s only been half a year, yet Your Highness treats me like a stranger."
"Miss Adelaide, let’s get to the point. Do we really need to exchange sweet nothings and talk about eternal love? Besides, you’ve always been entangled with the Goldwynd family. Do you think I don’t know that?" Simon said indifferently.
Adelaide chuckled lightly. "Your Highness has indeed changed. It seems that over the past five years, Your Highness has truly been biding your time. Back then, I found it strange that a prince of the empire would mingle with the Goldwynd family."
Simon frowned and remained silent.
Adelaide had first met Simon at a banquet hosted by the Goldwynd family. That very night, Walter had sent Adelaide to Simon’s castle, and Simon had been overjoyed at the time.
But now, things had changed. Looking back, Simon couldn’t help but feel wary of her.
Turning to gaze at the blooming peach tree outside the main hall, Adelaide continued. "Now that the Goldwynd family is gone, I have no more reservations. Your Highness is of noble birth, and I know I am unworthy of entangling with you. All I ask is for my freedom and a comfortable life in my later years."
Hearing this, Simon breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t that he was heartless, but the ’entanglement’ had happened before his time. However, from his memories, Adelaide had always been a shrewd woman, and now it seemed that was indeed the case.
If she had thrown a tantrum or made a scene, she would have been driven away. But by offering a secret about the Goldwynd family in exchange, she had earned herself a favour.
"What do you want? As long as it’s not excessive, I will grant it." Simon said, treating this as a debt his predecessor had left behind.
Adelaide thought for a moment and spoke. "I hope Your Highness can redeem my freedom and provide me with some silver. After this, we shall never meet again."
"That’s simple enough," Simon replied. "I can agree to that. Now, can you tell me the secret about the Goldwynd family?"
Adelaide lowered her head, as if weighing her words, before finally saying. "Cedric conspired with the Alkamite tribe to launch a joint attack on Brambleford this autumn and winter."
"What?!" Simon’s expression changed drastically. "This is no joking matter."
Adelaide explained. "I was in the Goldwynd mansion at the time and overheard this while passing by the rooms of Cedric and his son. At first, I thought it was just a joke between father and son, but after returning to Brambleford and learning about the reaver cavalry, I realised it was true. Those reaver cavalry had entered Brambleford through a cave in Dunmere to scout the area."
Simon’s expression turned grave. Only a few people, including Lancelot, knew about the cave in Dunmere. Now that Adelaide mentioned it, there was no doubt about the truth of her words.
"Traitors!" Simon slammed his fist on the table. In history, it was not uncommon for borderland noble families to collude with foreign tribes, but he never expected it to happen in his own domain.
Adelaide sighed. "Though I am just a woman, I understand the importance of loyalty to one’s country. That’s why I came to inform you, hoping Your Highness can report this to the court and prepare early."
"Thank you, Miss Adelaide. Though you may have fallen into the world of pleasure, your sense of righteousness surpasses that of many men." Simon said with a faint smile.
Adelaide shook her head. "I am just a woman who wishes to live a peaceful life. I do not want to see the world plunged into chaos."
"Regardless, your information is crucial. I will have Steward Roland redeem your freedom and prepare five thousand caps of silver for you." Simon said.
Adelaide nodded, gave Simon a deep curtsy, and then slowly walked away.
Watching Adelaide’s retreating figure, Simon fell deep in thought. From the very beginning, he had been puzzled by the appearance of reaver cavalry deep within Brambleford.
The cave Lancelot had discovered was extremely well-hidden. How could the reavers have known about it? The only explanation was that someone had colluded with them and provided the information.
Moreover, the recent ban on warhorse trade by the reavers now made sense. Prohibiting the sale of war materials before a conflict was a clear sign of impending war.
However, now that the Goldwynd family had been eliminated, the Alkamite tribe had lost their internal collaborators. It was unclear whether their plans would change.
If this were part of the reavers’ grand strategy, they might still attempt to attack Dunmere, regardless of the Goldwynd family’s involvement.
"Six months! This is going to be tough." Simon muttered, stomping his foot in frustration.
The reavers were a constant threat hanging over the Eldorian Empire like a sword. The empire’s repeated defeats in wars had left its officials terrified at the mere mention of the reavers.
The Eldorian Empire was no longer the ambitious nation it had been at its founding. It had become a nation focused on maintaining the status quo. The officials were only concerned with maintaining internal control, while they chose to retreat step by step in the face of the threat.
Tribute payments and land concessions seemed to have become the go-to solutions for dealing with the reavers. But a wolf could never be satiated, and the reavers were precisely such insatiable wolves.
This matter was of grave importance, as it threatened the safety of his domain. Simon couldn’t afford to take it lightly.
Moreover, he had to admit a harsh truth: the reavers held a relative military advantage over the Eldorian Empire. Due to the empire’s chaotic horse administration, there were virtually no cavalry units within the empire.
This meant that the empire was perpetually on the defensive, lacking the ability to launch offensives, while the reavers could come and go as they pleased, leaving the empire in a passive position.
However, in Simon’s view, human factors played a significant role in the empire’s repeated defeats against the reavers.
In any war, the training, discipline, and fighting spirit of the soldiers were crucial. Yet, the Eldorian Empire’s armies lacked the fighting spirit to face the reavers, and their training and discipline were relatively weak.
This only exacerbated the empire’s already disadvantageous position in wars.
"It seems it’s time to start propaganda and foster hatred," Simon muttered to himself as he slowly walked out of the main hall. Only by making the people of his domain despise the reavers could they unite to fight against them in the future.
Otherwise, if the people remained fearful of the reavers and lacked the will to fight, his domain would remain in grave danger. freewёbnoνel.com
As he stepped out of the main hall, Roland had already seen Adelaide off. He spoke. "My Lord, Miss Adelaide has left. Hehehe, it seems Your Highness has truly changed. Even Miss Adelaide is no longer of interest to you."
"Do I have time to indulge in women now? Adelaide told me that Cedric had colluded with the reavers, planning to attack Dunmere this autumn. This is what we should be worried about." Simon said sternly.
Roland’s face immediately paled. In his eyes, Simon saw fear. "My Lord, what should we do? Should we report this to the emperor? The reavers have always coveted the Central Plains. It seems they are planning to make a comeback."
"Report to the emperor? Hmph, three years ago, he didn’t care if I lived or died. Do you think he’ll care now?"
