章 413: 97th Queen of the Alzar Kingdom
"What will it take for you to forgive them?" Elizabeth sighed. She had a feeling the Sword King aimed to do this from the very beginning. Although the man seemed like a simple-minded sword maniac, he had a surprisingly deep cunning! He intended to fully squeeze her until she ran dry!
"It's good that Your Highness understands," he chuckled. "I might be willing to forgive them if you grant me a lifelong amnesty."
"What? What are you planning on doing!"
She was understandably horrified. Amnesty was the official term for pardoning one's crimes. Earlier, she offered to erase his involvement with the Whispering Shadow and grant him his innocence again. This was an amnesty. It was like getting a second chance at life! A lifelong amnesty, on the other hand, was fundamentally similar except for one key difference. It was permanent! That meant he could do as he pleased without fear of punishment. He could kill a million people and never be held for it. He would forever stand above the law! It was absolute immunity to the law! The Royal Family was the only one that had it in the entire Alzar Kingdom, leading people to call it the Royal Amnesty. Elizabeth had it too, but she never used it; however, a person could do some truly horrible things. Since the Sword King was asking, it meant he had a dangerous idea in mind!
"Do I need to be planning anything? Your friend said so himself. I value my freedom, so a lifelong amnesty would be very useful to me. I don't want the kingdom hounding me again."
Elizabeth gave him a long, hard look. "…I can't grant you a lifelong amnesty as the heir apparent. Only the monarch has the power to do that."
"The inheritance race just ended, so aren't you the new monarch?" Despite being words everyone feared to say, he said it boldly. Anyone else would have phrased it differently. His courage bordered on recklessness!
Thankfully, she was not one to mind as she replied, "I hate to disappoint, but I'm afraid you're wrong."
"What?"
"I don't plan on reporting that I survived the Battle of Liguang, so the capital doesn't know either. They wouldn't choose a dead person to win the inheritance race which means… I'm not the new queen."
The Sword King narrowed his eyes darkly. Without her status as the heir apparent or the new monarch, she could no longer fulfill her end of the bargain. Her words were nothing but a joke now! And to him, who fell for her tricks, he felt nothing short of humiliation! His aura began churning as his sword hand twitched. He contemplated acting! The sudden hostility made everyone shake. That cold and calm anger was far more terrifying than any hot and violent anger, because when it erupts, it would scare god and demon alike!
She gulped and hastily explained, "Once this is over, I'll reveal everything to them. However, until then, I have my reasons I can't. You don't have to worry though. I'll fulfill my end of our agreement."
"Fine… I'll hold you to that," he snorted, his anger fading. From the very beginning, it was not her proposal that attracted him to agree. It was the fact that someone out there exceeded his own mastery of Martial Energy. They proved he could still improve! They were his true good fortune. Compared to that, negotiating with Elizabeth was simply a bonus. Like the Whispering Shadow, he would play along until he got bored. It was that simple.
Hidek asked awkwardly. "Master, what about their punishment?"
"We'll decide that later."
"Understood."
He turned back to Elizabeth and asked, "If you're not the new queen, then who is?"
The loud sound of a bell suddenly rolled over the Yunyun Stronghold, entering everyone's ears. Everyone frowned, including Elizabeth. Was it another enemy attack? It was too soon! She began counting the bell tolls, since they conveyed a different message depending on the number. It was a simple, but effective means to communicate across the stronghold. Meanwhile, she exhaled in relief. One bell toll meant there was no imminent threat, but rather an assembly notice. Every soldier had to assemble in the city square for an important announcement! Since there were too many soldiers for the city square alone, multiple assembly spots were designated throughout the stronghold. One hundred thousand soldiers rapidly filled the streets! The normal citizens were drawn to the commotion too, so they watched from behind closed doors. It was the first time a general assembly notice had been issued after all.
Elizabeth felt her gut twist seeing the crowds outside. She had a bad feeling about this. It was easy to see why as proud flagbearers emerged, waving the Alzar Kingdom's Royal Family sigil. The people were immediately abuzz, murmuring their own speculations about what it could be. Any announcement from the Royal Family was extremely rare, but extremely important. It was bound to shake the realm! Keener folk had a good idea since the timing was incredibly telling. It took roughly three weeks for any message to arrive from the capital, and because three weeks ago, the inheritance race concluded… then the answer was evident. It was about the next monarch of the Alzar Kingdom! As the fanfare settled, General Petra, Admiral Aura, Admiral Jacken, the Legion Generals, and the Brigade Commanders stepped up. The remaining officers saluted, while the soldiers stood in formation. The audience quickly silenced itself. General Petra wore a ceremonial uniform and a solemn look as she observed the crowds.
"I am General Petra Tourelle, the current commanding officer over the Yunyun Stronghold and the northern theatre. Thank you for assembling on this short notice." Her powerful voice was projected using Arcania, passing to the other assembly spots too. "I will now deliver the Royal Family's declaration!"
The flagbearers simultaneously slammed their flags down, creating a loud resonating echo. A horn sounded and one hundred thousand soldiers kneeled at the same time! Although it seemed simple, that degree of discipline and coordination was shocking! Anyone would feel their skin crawl. It showed how well the army had been trained. Their bodies angled towards General Petra, ready to receive the Royal Family's declaration. Upon seeing this, General Petra nodded in satisfaction. She briefly glanced in Elizabeth's direction from the corner of her eye before clearing her throat and revealing a golden parchment.
In a stately voice, she began, "On December 31st, K.A. 514, the Royal Family announced the inheritance race to determine the next suitable monarch for the Alzar Kingdom. This was due to the heir apparent's, Princess Elizabeth Etuvel Reindel's, inexperience. It lasted for exactly one year. On December 31st, K.A. 515, the inheritance race successfully concluded. As a result of Princess Elizabeth's absence, Princess Elizabeth has invalidated her candidacy. Thus, the new monarch… the 97th Queen of the Alzar Kingdom shall be… Princess Samanthie Etuvel Reindel! Her Highness will immediately accede to the throne, and will be henceforth known as Her Majesty, Queen Samanthie Etuvel Reindel!"
"All hail Her Majesty! All hail Her Majesty! All hail Her Majesty!" the soldiers shouted in unison. A hundred thousand voices shouting at once made for a deafening spectacle. It was like they aimed to shake the heavens!
Back in Elizabeth's room, everyone was stunned by the announcement. Elizabeth was not the new queen, but Princess Samanthie was? Certainly, the outcome made sense. They could not exactly appoint a missing person as the new monarch because it would undermine the entire inheritance race. This was the expected result since she hid herself. Yet… it did not lessen the impact at all! Her friends wanted to console her, but they were lost on what to say. What could they say?
They knew how hard she pushed herself to reach the monarch's unbelievable standards. She had to build up eighteen years of education in one year! And since she aspired to become the next queen, she required a far deeper span of knowledge than her peers. An unforgiving schedule by unforgiving teachers, she sacrificed her physical and mental health to succeed. Early in the morning till late at night, there was no rest for her. She had to give it her all! It was hard to imagine how far she pushed herself. It bordered on cruelty, if not downright torture. However, she pushed through and persevered in the hopes of succeeding King Harth and Lord Korogin. She wanted to inherit their last wishes! So, to see her efforts rewarded with this… It was like the heavens themselves were mocking her. It was unbearable to witness.
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