Chương 103: The Crown Contenders

"How was the previous banquet?"

Upon meeting, Isabella tilted her head slightly and smiled, saying, "Dining with old-fashioned nobles can be a bit more formal than usual. If you haven't had enough, I can arrange a late-night snack separately."

Richard quickly waved his hand: "Let's not bother the chef. I'm afraid he'll put double the salt in the dishes."

Grace smiled and said, "That's perfect for me~" Isabella chuckled, then changed the subject: "By the way, I'm going to put on a good show next, would you like to come and see?"

Richard squinted and began to think.

Grace, however, exclaimed eagerly, "Ha, then I absolutely can't miss it!"

Seeing this, Richard could only nod in agreement.

Then, Isabella took out two invisibility scrolls from her dimensional bag, which was filled with an unknown amount of stuff and resembled a certain blue Doraemon's bib, and made Richard and Grace invisible so they could follow behind her.

The three walked through the corridor and arrived at a tower on the north side of the castle.

After a few seconds, Marek's eldest son also appeared.

"Your Highness, thank you for accepting the invitation."

He bowed deeply to Isabella.

"I apologize for inviting you here for this late-night talk, but it's because I have something important to tell you."

"My father—he was absolutely loyal to the Empire and was undoubtedly willing to fight against vampires, but it is undeniable that he was also very close to His Highness the Second Prince."

"Therefore, not long after you arrived, he secretly wrote a letter to the Second Prince informing him of your whereabouts."

"Although he is my father, I do not condone his actions. Compared to His Highness the Second Prince, I believe you are the true future of the empire. Therefore, I have decided to inform you of this news, hoping you can prepare yourself—" Isabella nodded, thanked Marek's eldest son, reassured him, and gave him some vague promises.

The eldest son then bowed and turned to leave.

Just when Richard thought the show was over, less than half a minute later, Malek's second son also came up to the tower.

Richard: "————" Marek's second son: "Your Highness, thank you for accepting the invitation! I took the liberty of inviting you here for a late-night chat to tell you that my brother has secretly written to His Highness the Sixth Prince—" Isabella thanked them again.

The second son was then satisfied, bowed, and turned to leave.

However, his movements were too large, and his arm almost touched Grace, so much so that she had to hastily take half a step forward, which resulted in her bumping into Richard.

Richard was knocked off balance and fell onto Isabella.

For a moment, he was sandwiched between Grace and Isabella, able to feel the magnificent yet soft peaks behind him, smell the faint fragrance in front of him, and see, through her collar, her snow-white shoulders and the barely visible, smooth collarbone— What a subtle feeling — Luckily he's a poet, otherwise he probably wouldn't have been able to hold back his cries.

What was that sound?

Although the investigator kept quiet, Marek's second son still vaguely sensed something was amiss.

Isabella stopped in her tracks and said nonchalantly, "It's nothing, you must have misheard me."

"Really nothing?"

"Yes—yes."

That's how they managed to keep it from people.

A few seconds later, the footsteps faded into the distance. Grace took a half step back, dispelled her invisibility spell, and casually stretched, saying, "That was close!"

Richard rolled his eyes at her, then turned to look at Isabella, only to find that she had turned her head slightly to the side. It was dusk, and he couldn't tell if she was blushing.

Forget it, now is not the time to observe these irrelevant details.

Richard, reflecting on what he had just seen and heard, finally summarized it in just eight words: Father is kind, son is filial, brother, friend and brother are respectful!

He rubbed his temples and asked Isabella, "So, what are you planning to do about this?"

Isabella shook her head and smiled: "Deal with it? There's no need to deal with it. Let Schneider handle his family affairs. As for writing to my brother—whether it's true or not, it will only affect our situation after we return to the Empire. I'm too lazy to think that far ahead for now."

What you're saying sounds both wise and willful— Richard pursed his lips and pressed, "So, what's the purpose of bringing us here? It can't just be to watch a show, right?"

Grace muttered under her breath, "What's wrong with just watching a show? —" Isabella gave a slightly forced smile and replied, "Didn't you want me to tell you about the internal struggles of the Empire? I think this is a suitable opportunity."

"Let's start with something small."

"Count Marek has three children. His eldest and second sons are close in age and have similar talents, but the second son is slightly more favored."

"Therefore, the second son always felt that he was qualified to inherit the title and was in fierce competition with the eldest son. The eldest son also felt a strong sense of crisis and took various countermeasures."

"What we just witnessed is the result of this competition. Of course, this may also be due to Count Marek's own instructions, since nobles have always liked to bet on multiple fronts—"

"Anyway, the scene was indeed a bit comical."

Isabella shook her head and turned to look at the crimson sunset on the horizon: "And this is the epitome of our Holy Roland Empire."

"My father, the great wise King Charles VII, had nine living children. As he grew older, his children, like the two sons of the Schneider family, set their sights on his crown."

"These nine children are not all direct competitors, after all, there are children who have just turned ten years old among them. There are roughly three who are truly competitive at present: the second prince, the sixth prince, and —"

"And you?" Richard added.

Isabella nodded.

"As a princess and a paladin who swore an oath of conquest, I doubt anyone would believe me if I said I didn't have this thought."

"However, believe it or not, I did not participate in this competition out of personal ambition. I genuinely hope to save the empire from its predicament."

"You might think that the empire is still powerful and doesn't need anyone to save it."

"But in my view, this country is terminally ill, its military is in disarray, central revenue has plummeted, nobles in various regions are acting on their own, and the people in the countryside are suffering terribly."

"In such a critical moment, there must be an emperor capable of controlling the overall situation—" As a non-Imperial, Richard didn't feel much connection to what Isabella was saying.

But thanks to his education from his previous life, he was able to understand what Isabella was saying.

You can better feel the other party's sincerity and trust from the detailed descriptions.

Without sincerity, the princess wouldn't have said so much, and without trust, she wouldn't have brought Richard to the tower or spoken to him about these things.

Therefore, Richard showed no impatience and seriously became a listener.

Five or six minutes later, Isabella finally stopped talking.

"Sorry, I seem to have said too much at once."

Richard shook his head and smiled: "No need to apologize. I was the one who first asked to hear it. Besides, it will help me understand you better."

What happens after you understand it better?

Richard paused for a moment, unsure of what to say next.

Isabella stared into Richard's eyes and, finding no disgust in them, breathed a long sigh of relief.

Then she took over Richard's line of conversation, smiling slightly, and said, "Anyway, let's leave the small talk here."

"Many things can't be said with words alone. The future is long, and if you don't mind, I'd be happy to show you myself then, so you can understand me more deeply~"

"As for now—how about taking this opportunity to practice your Rose Sword Technique again? As your teacher, I don't want you to neglect your skills."

Seeing that Isabella had already taken out the wooden sword, what could Richard say? He could only smile and spread his hands, saying, "Yes, Master Isabella."