Chapter 157: 157 Welcome_1
The snow finally stopped.
The sun showed its long-absent face, illuminating this world wrapped in a silver coat.
In the south of Silver Moon City, a large number of East captive Easterners were working hard under the watchful eye of the Dark Cavalry warriors.
A luxurious motorcade passed by them, many captives curiously looked up, and then were shocked by the badge on the flag of the motorcade.
It’s someone from the Royal Family of the Empire!
Prince Harrison lifted the carriage curtain, looked out for a while, then curiously asked, “Mother, why are they digging such a big pit?”
Queen Midela glanced at the scene outside the carriage and sneered, “That’s not a pit, it’s their grave.”
“A grave?” Prince Harrison didn’t react for a moment.
But soon, he understood what his mother meant, and his face went pale with fright.
The curtain fell, separating the inside and outside of the carriage into two worlds.
“What, scared?” Queen Midela lifted the curtain again, leaving her young son nowhere to hide from the harsh reality.
“I… I’m just a bit shocked…” Prince Harrison attempted to explain.
“There’s nothing shocking. The cruelty of this game lies in this, the victor takes all, and the loser dies in the grave they dug themselves.”
Prince Harrison steadied his nerves and hesitated, “Isn’t kindness and mercy a virtue?”
“Yes.” Queen Midela nodded but immediately shook her head, “But a qualified lord only extends kindness and mercy towards those who submit to him.
The Pegasus Army will never submit to the Half-Elves or the North Territory, so they can only die.
What’s more, there’s the blood debt of the Dark Cavalry. Under such circumstances, if Viscount Angler shows mercy to these Eastern captives, he will not be able to win the loyalty of the Dark Cavalry.”
Prince Harrison tucked his head in, feeling more and more that the world was horrific.
Looking at the Easterners outside the carriage laboring in the sun, Prince Harrison was puzzled, “Why don’t these Easterners resist then?”
“Because they are oblivious to their fate.” Queen Midela sneered, “In fact, how many people are very clear whether they are digging their own graves with their current actions?”
Knock Knock.
The carriage door knocked, the voice of a knight from the Lorenzo family came, “Your Highness the Queen, the welcoming party of the Half-Elf Kingdom is ahead.”
“I see.” Queen Midela let down the carriage curtain, ruffling Prince Harrison’s hair, “Do not pity the defeated. As the eldest son of the Lorenzo family, you should pay more attention to the winners, comfort them, win them over, gain their support.”
“Yes, mother.” Prince Harrison nodded, then adjusted his expression, revealing a naive smile typical of boys his age.
The royal motorcade soon reached the outside of the South Gate of Silver Moon City.
With melodious music, Queen Isa stood personally at the very forefront of the reception party.
Behind her, on either side, stood Vera and Colin, and further back, a group of Half-Elf nobles.
Under the gentle winter sun, the eight knights of the Lorenzo family almost simultaneously stopped their horses and planted their flags into the ground.
Whoo——
Amid the sound of the long horn, the door of the luxurious carriage in the middle of the motorcade gradually opened, and Queen Midela and Prince Harrison walked out, one after the other.
Queen Isa took a few steps forward and performed a standard court bow, saying,
“Honoured Queen, Your Royal Highness, allow me to welcome you to Silver Moon City on behalf of the Elf Clan. Your presence is a blessing to the Half-Elf Clan and a supreme honour to Silver Moon City!”
Prince Harrison stepped forward somewhat stiffly and returned the bow, saying in a childish voice, “Beautiful Lady Isa, thank you for your reception!”
Because the coronation ceremony has not yet taken place, Prince Harrison could not publicly address Isa as Her Majesty the Queen.
Even though she is now practically the Half-Elf queen.
Then, Prince Harrison looked at Vera behind Queen Isa, and greeted her with a warmer tone, “Cousin Vera, I’m so happy to see you here!”
“Your Highness Prince Harrison, I’m also happy to see you here!” Vera replied with a sweet smile, seemingly fond of this adorable cousin.
Prince Harrison turned his gaze to Colin, admiration clear on his face, “Viscount Angler, my mother mentioned your excellent horsemanship. If you have time, could you teach me?”
Colin blinked, at a loss for words — ‘Since when have I become so skilled at riding? How come I don’t remember?’
However, he certainly couldn’t decline Prince Harrison’s request in public, so he smiled and said, “Of course, it would be my honor, Your Highness.”
“That’s enough, let’s get inside the city. I heard Miss Isa is pregnant. We shouldn’t let her wait in the cold wind for too long.” Queen Midela proposed, interrupting the ongoing conversation. She naturally held Queen Isa’s arm and led her towards her carriage.
“Harrison, go chat with your Cousin Vera. Miss Isa, please, have a seat in my carriage.”
“Thank you, Your Majestic Queen.”
Although Colin frowned at Queen Midela who simply walked away with Queen Isa, he didn’t say anything.
The motorcade restarted its journey towards Silver Moon City.
Inside the royal carriage, Queen Midela and Queen Isa sat opposite each other.
It was as if two exquisite roses were blossoming, each showing their radiant beauty.
Looking at Queen Isa’s barely noticeable bump, Queen Midela commented with a laugh, “This is your first child, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Queen Isa slightly lowered her head, seeming somewhat reserved.
“Then you must be careful. The first few months are the riskiest for miscarriage.”
After hearing the Queen’s words, Isa was taken aback, somewhat puzzled. However, she just nodded and replied, “Thank you for the reminder, Your Majesty.”
“Not at all. I’m a woman, and a mother of two. I know how hard it is to carry a child.” There was a lot of concern in Queen Midela’s tone.
“Not only are you a woman and a mother, but you are also a role model for all the women of the Empire.”
Queen Isa was always wary, suspecting that the Queen’s concern may have ulterior motives.
“I’m hardly a role model.” Queen Midela laughed, “When I was pregnant with Harrison, I was still carelessly riding horses around. I even fell off once and nearly had a miscarriage, it scared me half to death.”
Queen Isa frowned, somewhat puzzled why the Queen kept bringing up miscarriages.
But when she heard what the Queen said next, she finally understood.
“I later found out that the saddle had been tampered with, leading to my fall.” Queen Midela looked at Queen Isa with a mysterious gaze, “Do you know who tampered with it?”
“It might be an enemy of His Majesty, the Emperor.”
“Yes, everyone seemed to think so. Moreover, the knight on duty that day was the son of that political enemy.” Queen Midela showed a cold smile, “As a result, the Emperor seized the opportunity and stripped that enemy off his court position.”
Queen Isa remained silent, finally understanding what Queen Midela was trying to say.
“I heard you survived an assassination attempt recently?”
“Yes.” Queen Isa nodded her head. She wanted to explain that she and Colin had planned that assassination attempt together, but she ended up not saying it.
“Isa…” Queen Midela suddenly grabbed Queen Isa’s hand, speaking with concern, “Don’t be content with being a pawn of men, because a pawn can be abandoned at any moment.”
Queen Isa bit her lip, looked at Queen Midela, and sincerely asked, “Then…what should I do?”
Queen Midela smiled, “Keep a firm grasp of what you can really rely on, such as the Half-Elf Kingdom, or, the child in your belly.”
“I understand.” Queen Isa gave a meaningful nod.
“Also,” Queen Midela smiled with satisfaction at the subtle change in Queen Isa’s expression, “the Lorenzo family will always be your strong backing.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty! I will always remember the kindness of the Lorenzo family.”