Chapter 125: Every Family Has Its Difficulties
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Having been publicly contradicted, Sir Evan began coughing violently, tearing at his lungs.
Calanthe had no intention of letting him off so easily. She turned and instructed the eunuch: "Quickly, support Sir Evan. He's about to pass out if he coughs any more."
The eunuch hurried over to assist Sir Evan, but the old man shoved him away. The surrounding nobles glared collectively at the eunuch.
The nobles' wrath wasn't aimed at the eunuch, but at Queen Calanthe, the true power behind Cintra.
Of course, this rage was not new; it had been suppressed for thirty-one years.
That year, the old King Dagorad died of gangrene. The noble ministers, suffocated by his iron-fisted rule, impatiently united to push for the 14-year-old Calanthe to ascend the throne, ignoring the fact that Queen Adalia was still alive.
Their calculations were sound: what did a 14-year-old girl know of court politics? Even if she had the talent, they could find one of their 'own' to marry her in a couple of years, thereby keeping the kingdom firmly under their control.
They were, unfortunately, terribly wrong.
Calanthe inherited her mother's beauty, but her political acumen was not only equal to her father's—it surpassed it in ruthlessness.
In her first year, relying on the base her father left, Calanthe used thunderous methods to purge the court of officials with ulterior motives. In her second year, the stakes across the land were decorated with the corpses of 'Commissioner Smiths'—they had mistaken the 'Reprieve Period' the Queen specifically provided for a 'Golden Age of Graft.'
A continuous storm of blood and strife carved a deep fissure between the Queen and the nobility.
They schemed and conspired in private, using rumors and gossip as weapons to scare off the husbands Calanthe selected for herself. This was meant to be the start of their victory, but the nobles, seemingly deranged, then deliberately sought a marriage alliance with a Duke from far-off Ebbing, purely to humiliate the Queen. Yet the Duke from that small land was so utterly bewitched by the Queen the moment he saw her that he willingly surrendered all authority, never questioning her politics until he died of smallpox.
A series of setbacks almost forced the nobles to accept the reality of being ruled by a woman. After all, though the Queen's methods were harsh, she was also excellent in foreign warfare. Over the years, while suppressing the nobles with an iron hand, Calanthe had continuously won battles against Nazair, even earning the epithet 'The Lioness.'
To the south, she incorporated the entire Manadar Steps into the kingdom, forging an unbreakable defense line on the realm's southern border. To the east, she supported Sodden in shaking Nazair's presence in the Rivendell River Valley, turning it into a semi-autonomous region not fully controlled by any one party. As Nazair was being completely swallowed by the Nilfgaardians, the importance of the Queen's two military feats became increasingly apparent.
So, when Calanthe, at her daughter's engagement banquet, married the Skellige adventurer Eist with lightning speed, the nobles were shocked but grudgingly accepted it.
Compared to Pavetta's monster-transformed husband, Eist was at least a normal man, wasn't he?
And surely they could still rely on the little Princess Ciri?
But who could have known that Princess Ciri would be even more impulsive than her grandmother? Fleeing her betrothal was one thing, but running into that primitive forest that swallows people whole, almost turning into a dryad!
And Queen Calanthe's response to all these reckless acts was merely to give the Princess a severe spanking with a leather strap, with no further consequences—wasn't that tacit approval?!
Calanthe had been fighting the nobles for half a lifetime and understood their petty calculations perfectly. She immediately turned to Arthur:
"We are finished discussing the dryads. Now, what is this business about the Verdeners artificially creating a massacre in Brugge?"
Arthur recounted the incident of his group stumbling upon the Night Crows, emphasizing:
"Ciri was clearly with us at the time, yet the Night Crows claimed she had already died at the hands of the dryads. It's hard to say what madness they might have committed if they had recognized Ciri."
The hall instantly erupted into a low buzz, like a swarm of hornets flying in.
Immediately, someone shouted, his face red with indignation: "What do the Verdeners think they are doing? Are they planning a rebellion?"
"A sacrilege, what sacrilege! To dare use Cintra's Princess in such a vile conspiracy! We must strike hard!"
Others feigned objectivity: "Verden has always been an obedient vassal state. How could they possibly commit such an act? I suspect this young man is lying!"
Someone immediately rebuked sharply: "Mind your words! Are you accusing a Knight of the Royal Seat of Temeria of lying?"
...
Seeing the hall threatening to descend into a marketplace again, Calanthe signaled her husband. The King immediately pounded the armrest and commanded: "Silence!"
The King rarely spoke, so his authority had to be respected. Everyone fell silent, waiting for the King's pronouncement.
But Eist merely pointed at James and Frederick: "You two, one is the Brugge Royal Guardsman, and the other a General guarding Cintra's border. You were the first to encounter this matter. Tell us what you know."
James knelt down, looking up at the King and Queen:
"An attack did occur in the western border of Brugge. Investigation confirmed that while the attack happened outside Lynbach village, no villagers from that locale were found among the dead."
"Furthermore, upon examining the wounds, I found the deceased fell into two distinct categories:"
"The former group was smaller and physically frail. They were first stabbed with knives, then shot with crossbow bolts at close range. This aligns with Arthur's account that the Verdeners attempted to frame the dryads."
"The latter group numbered thirty strong. Judging by their muscle and calloused hands, they were seasoned veterans with at least three years of training."
"These men died from either swords, spears, or arrows, but they generally only bore wounds from one type of weapon—suggesting they encountered an enemy of formidable strength."
After James finished, Frederick, who was carrying a large bundle, stepped forward and cautiously opened the cloth on the floor. Inside lay a chainmail shirt, a crossbow, and a longsword:
"The items Arthur and his companions brought with the ship included a large quantity of warhorses, armor, and weapons."
"Based on the materials and craftsmanship, this armor and these weapons are indeed from Verden. The breed of the warhorses is excellent, and I believe their origin can also be quickly traced."
"In addition, Arthur handed over a captive, allegedly from the Night Crows organization, who has not yet been interrogated."
Calanthe nodded slowly:
"You have done well. This matter simultaneously involves Verden, Brugge, and Brokilon. If mishandled, it could easily trigger chaos."
She rose to her feet, her face solemn:
"Inform Ambassador Kealton. Order him to dispatch envoys to Verden and Brugge, demanding they come to Cintra to jointly investigate this matter!"
.......
I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to those who support me on this journey. Your contribution make a real difference!
As a patron, you unlock:
Exclusive Access: Get advanced +120 chapters ahead of everyone else.
👉 Join now: P-a-treon/Chaos_God
(Just remove the- hyphen to access normally)
Thank You so much For your Support and for Reading!