The old Marshal lifted his head toward the sky. He could only see a narrow view of the heaven. The arrows fired by the Narcissus Knights were traveling back and forth in the air as if the arrows were produced cheaply. Fernandy's chest had four to five feathered arrows embedded in them. At the same time he felt his blood draining away, he was also aware that he had lost to the shameless invaders.
Not knowing when, the rain of arrows subsided. The giant boots of the invaders stepped over the Slovenian soldier's supreme commander. Although the time of victory was late by an hour, which was predicted by Marshal Figg, the Narcissus Knights won after all! Just as the repeat of thousands of times before, the cavalry galloped to and fro on the battlefield which housed no enemy and rejoiced in it. The infantries arranged themselves into a skirmish line. The new recruits were responsible for stabbing the wounded enemy on the ground while the veterans were in charge of checking for loot.
A team of knights dragged a weeping man over and Marshal Fernandy turned his head around with difficulty and saw his own king. It was difficult to imagine that Tirana XI, who charged at the very front of the battlefield, was left unscathed. It was as if only his legs were weary. He limped and hopped under the escort of the Narcissus Knights.
The king of Slovenia saw Marshal Fernandy lying on his back. He suddenly broke away fiercely from the Narcissus Knights and ran directly toward the Marshal's side and knelt.
The king cried with joy. He cried and blabbered on, but nobody could make out what he was saying. The old Marshal had possibly been infuriated by the timid king because his expression was exceptionally fierce before he departed as if Tirana XI owed him a few buckets of gold.
Figg did not have the mind to deal with Tirana XI, who made one feel intolerable like a young lady. When he had gone far away, he gave an order to send the king directly to the Southern Army Group's headquarters. This man was only useful to Oscar.
The commander of the Narcissus Knights quickly walked down the watchtower along the wooden steps. The orderly who stood in attention at the tower immediately led a huge Raytheon toward him. Figg leaped onto the horse's back agilely. Before the horse broke into a wild gallop, he snatched up an enormous military flag. Painted on the military flag were a Fierce Tiger and Narcissus. When confronted by the commander who was rushing toward them like mad, the Narcissus Knights in the wilderness evaded one after another. The blood-stained weapons in their hands were extended toward the sky as if they were reporting to the gods and asking them to take note of the knight's accomplishment.
Figg spurred the giant horse to circle the plains, and more and more knights and flag bearers joined in. They shouted "Andrew Haila" and repeated the chant and blew shrill whistles. The knight's merry parade stirred up a smoke and dust everywhere. The people could only make out the multi-colored military flags fluttering up and down. On the other side of the plains, the wilderness was silent and completely different from the jubilant atmosphere not far away. It was as strange as if there were two different spaces below the same sky.
Countless horse carcasses and human heads had fallen on the battlefield in a variety of bizarre poses. A great deal of blood and corpses soaked the soil. Even the grass that had absorbed the nutrients of the soil had a faint red line formed at the center of the leaves. Blood bubbles gradually evaporated under the action of the terrestrial heat and sunlight. The sky above the wilderness appeared as if a layer of fog had risen. The faint red fog, following the caress by the monsoon, drifted to the left and right. The Narcissus Knights only had to reach out their hands to wipe their faces and they would discover that they were covered with extremely fine blood droplets.
"But this doesn't matter..."
"I'm not joking! You're bleeding!" Oscar rolled off from Sasha's delicate pale naked body. He lifted the quilt and confirmed once again. Sure enough, his lethal weapon that he specifically used to deal with women had a shocking wisp of blood. The trail of blood was connected to an inexplicable white liquid and appeared with a kind of unspeakable disgust.
Oscar scowled. He took Sasha, who was still trembling, into his arms. "Silly child! You should have told me to be a little gentler. You've been injured…"
Sasha blushed. Her heaving chest and the increasingly swollen breasts already indicated just how intense and passionate the love affair a while ago was!
"I'm not injured..." the mistress of Andrew snorted stubbornly. Compared to the amount of blood she was losing every month, that wisp of blood was really nothing worth mentioning. However, she didn't even have the energy to move her little finger now. She could only let her husband bring her some hot water and a towel to wipe her extremely delicate lower body.
After Oscar had finished all these, he looked at the soul-stirring female body and his thoughts became heated again. The man's huge hairy hands teased Sasha and made her draw in a breath. However, good things do not always come by. Just when Sasha thought that another new lust was about to erupt, Oscar suddenly stopped. He sat at the bedside disappointedly. Through the strand of light that passed between the curtains of the bedroom, he gazed over the scene outside the window.
Sasha mustered all her strength to push herself up. She wound her little finger around Oscar's tiny strands of hair. "What is it?"
The Prince of the Empire exhaled softly, "Alanis has replied. She has given her consent to the union between Elizabeth and William to be a royal wedding."
"Isn't it great?" the Mistress of Andrew blinked several times.
"Don't pretend that you know nothing!" Oscar's good mood came to an end. In fact, it should be said that there was nothing great about his mood all this while.
Sasha shrugged. "I'm your wife. I only things that you want me to know."
Oscar stared blankly at his sister for a while. After some time, he embraced the intelligent woman tightly. "Sasha, you are a good wife!"
The mistress of Andrew gave a slight smile. She cupped the man's face. "So, the problem is that we can't put the relationship with the kid, right?"
"That's right!" Oscar could only force a smile. He knew that Sasha must be well aware of this matter. Her words were just what a wife would say, but as the mistress of Andrew, Sasha had reason to have a grasp of everything around him.
"How is the secret work going?"
Oscar pondered. "The Military Intelligence personnel who were previously responsible for guarding Elizabeth were all replaced. They are also not very clear about the actual situation. I think that there are no more than five people who know of this."
"It should be reduced to four!" the mistress of Andrew suddenly said under her breath, resolutely and decisively. "You, me, Elizabeth, and the rigorous Janin! As for the last Military Intelligence secret agent…"
Oscar looked at the young lady incredulously. These words were definitely not the kind that his Sasha was capable of saying. What happened during the time when he was not in Vielonna? He suddenly realized that Sasha's temperament was moving toward an extremely dangerous side. However, it was absolutely illogical for such a thing to happen because since young, Sasha was the jewel of other's eyes, nurtured with love and pure crystal-clear spring water of the Narcissus Corolla.
Looking at the man's bewildered eyes, Sasha knew that she had surprised Oscar with her words. In return, she could only give a wry smile.
"Oscar, don't look at me this way, please! You know I don't want to..." the once young lady leaned into the man's embrace weakly. "Until I marry you only then did I know what it means by not having the bodies to ourselves! I am the mistress of Andrew. When I became aware of the meaning behind this identity, only then did I realize that if we do not harm others, then someone will harm you! I can only comfort myself this way when I'm doing something that I'm unwilling to do or I don't wish to do or couldn't bother to do.
Oscar did not utter a word. He never seemed to have cared about his wife's psychological pressure.
"Actually, Janin came to me about this matter two days ago..."
Oscar's eyes widened. Just what was Janin Sherman doing? Did such a matter require him to bypass him and seek advice directly from the mistress of Andrew?
Sasha cupped the man's face again. "Don't make this look of being violated. Janin has done nothing wrong! You have selfish motives towards Elizabeth. This will cause you to be blinded by feelings when dealing with this matter, so he can only come to me to discuss this matter."
"So, how do you plan to handle this matter?" Oscar calmed down. He was looking forward to his wife's reply.
Sasha wrapped herself with a fleece blanket and deliberately pulled away from her husband. "Remove those guards around Elizabeth, let her restore her freedom and then point out to her the actual meaning of this marriage toward the Andrews and Titan. This way, she will know that the flesh and blood in her womb cannot have anything to do with the Andrews. So, she has two options to choose from. First is to abort this child…"
"Don't be worked up, Oscar!" Sasha paused aptly at the sight of the man who widened his eyes abruptly. She continued to stroke her husband's hair with her hand. "Let me finish, okay? Listen to me!"
Oscar nodded his head, refusing to comment. He had a new understanding of Sasha's transformation. Let a woman abort a child? This was a great sin written in the religious scripture. One will go to hell after death! He didn't expect Sasha to not even blink when speaking of this matter.
"The second choice..." having learned from the previous experience, the mistress of Andrew intentionally softened her voice. We can confirm that Elizabeth's pregnancy is only less than two weeks. From time wise calculation, as long as she can have such a relationship with Prince William now, then the birth of this child will not be questioned. By the time during delivery, we need a doctor to explain the premature birth then…"
"Enough, Sasha!" Oscar suddenly broke away from his wife and jumped out of the bed. After glaring at Sasha for a long time, only then did the Titan Prince broke the silence by muttering, "Is this your idea or a game of Janin Sherman?"
"This is the idea of the Mistress of Andrew!" to one's surprise, Sasha did not show any weakness and returned her husband's steady gaze.
Oscar looked closely at his wife's face for a moment. After a long while, only then did he avert his head with a bitter laugh.
"Thank goodness, Sasha is still the Sasha who don't know how to lie! This is Janin Sherman's idea. Call him here. I will have a proper discussion with him."
"No!" the mistress of Andrew shook her head urgently. "This is my idea, not..."
"Seriously, you!" Oscar bellowed impatiently. "Sasha, you are my little sister! And you have been for the past twenty years! How do you expect me to believe that those words can be said by now?"
Sasha bit her lower lip, not knowing how to explain. "Okay, even if it was General Janin's idea, but the main point is that I've been convinced! Keeping that child has both benefit and harm to the Andrews. So, I will let Elizabeth choose for herself…"
"Wait!" Oscar suddenly called out for her to stop. "You're letting Elizabeth decide for herself? What does this mean?"
The mistress of Andrew seemed to have turned back into the little girl who would hide into a hole when she did something wrong. She turned her head away, prevaricating for a long time, not daring to meet her husband's eyes.
It suddenly dawned on the Head of the Andrews. "Could it be that…you've already discussed this matter with Elizabeth? Furthermore…"
Sasha lifted her head sharply. She also did not know where she obtained such immense courage.
"Yes, you have guessed it right!" the mistress of Andrew nodded firmly. "The longer this matter is dragged on, the more troublesome it will become. Just when you replaced Elizabeth's guards, I sought her out to discuss this matter. Moreover, she only decided to keep that child after careful deliberations because she did not wish to cut off her relationship with you so heartlessly! After all, you have had a seemingly divine grace toward her, so…"
"So, she tried to keep my flesh and blood and friendship…and listen to you and Janin Sherman's advice to stealthily climb into William's bed? This is the first time I've heard of such method to retain a friendship!" Oscar glared at his wife furiously.
Sasha released her pursed lips. She just knew that her husband's reaction to the matter would be as intense as now. "Oscar, listen to me! Elizabeth…"
"Really, enough!" the man swept the woman's hand aside forcefully. He turned around and headed toward the bedroom door, naked. "By the God of Light, what has become of this world? I never dreamed that you would become like this!"
The powerful slam of the door startled Sasha and left her mind in a mess. Sasha looked toward the doorway with resignation. At that moment, she wanted to cry, but there were no tears. Since the day she became the mistress of Andrew, she just knew that she would encounter a situation such as this, but she did not have any regrets. Even if she could not get her husband's understanding, it was not such a big deal - the mistress of Andrew had to have the stand and decency of the mistress of Andrew.
The mistress rang the golden bell at the head of the bed. The maids whose faces were stricken with horror, filed in immediately. They had probably seen His Highness the Prince storming away naked outside the door.
Sasha got down slowly from the bed as if nothing had happened. "I wish to bathe..."
The maids got to work. They looked at the mistress' eyes, filled with awe as if the person they were serving was a goddess.
When O'Neil Andrew Morisette, flustered and exasperated, pulled out the stark-naked Head of the Military Intelligence Southern Sub-bureau from the bathroom of Janin Sherman's lodgings, he only said one sentence to Janin, "Paul is just outside, do you want to die or live?"
Although Janin was terrified, he could find fault in His Highness the Princes' words that were seething with anger. According to O'Neil Andrew Morisette's nature, if His Highness wanted to kill a person, he would definitely not let anyone else do it. So, there was really nothing to worry about. Hence, Janin put on a frightened expression and with reverence and respect, invited the young master who had a dark expression into the master seat in the study. After he draped on a few clothes carelessly, he instructed his madam and daughter to send some refreshments.
Sure enough, Oscar did not dare make a scene before the other man's wife and daughter. He and Janin exchanged conventional greetings for a while and the teasing from Sherman's young lady, who adored him utterly, momentarily cheered him up. Hence, the rage that stemmed from the incident that was intolerable to him had been reduced a notch.
Janin Sherman took the opportunity when his wife was blocking his figure to shoot a questioning look toward Sandinand who was accompanying His Highness the Prince. The little devil nodded unobtrusively, hinting Janin that His Highness the Prince had completely grasped the ins and outs of the incident. The Head of the Military Intelligence Southern Sub-bureau could not help but felt a little flustered. It seemed that his master had come to denounce his sin.
The study of General Sherman's house fell silent. The chattering ladies were all sent on their way. Oscar immediately pulled a long face, with a look that said, "All that just now did not count".
"Come on, explain! Who gave you the power? Who gave you the guts? When you offered a word of advice to my wife, whose consent did you get?"
Janin scratched his head in embarrassment like a schoolboy. In this matter, he had completely evaded the intervention of His Imperial Highness the Prince, but the result was good. However, he could not mention that now to His Highness.
"Uhhh...Your Highness, Lady Elizabeth..."
"Answer my question first!" Oscar interrupted the Military Intelligence impatiently.
"Okay..." Janin reluctantly spread his hands under questioning. "I didn't get anyone's secret instructions beforehand, especially you!"
"Then the matter is explicitly clear!" Oscar, who had received a definite reply, turned to the doorway. "Paul..."
"Hold on, Your Highness!" Janin Sherman caught up hurriedly. "Have a little patience! Give me a little time and listen to my explanation!"
Oscar did not withdraw his eyes from the door. However, Sandinand, the southern bigshot, had used his body to block the doorway. It seemed that he also had the intention to defend the charming Head of the Military Intelligence Southern Sub-bureau who was astute in his dealings.
The Prince of the Empire reluctantly withdrew his gaze. He grunted unpleasantly, "I'm listening..."
Janin Sherman breathed a sigh of relief. He was already covered in cold sweat. Just a while ago, he did not think that it was that serious, but he suddenly realized that it was difficult to use common sense to guess O'Neil Andrew Morisette's temper.
"Your Highness, I know it is useless to say anything now because you are stuck with the first impression and think that…the things that the mistress and I have done have seriously offended your authority!"
Oscar did not respond to Head of the Military Intelligence Sub-bureau who was sincere in his words, but he admitted that the things that he said was a fact.
"Then, let us regard this issue from another angle!" He was like an old fox that followed behind the fierce tiger. "Your Highness, since Her Majesty's decree has already arrived in Vielonna and you have reached a written agreement with the Engelish, then the marriage between Lady Elizabeth and Prince William is a given fact. What's more, it was you who intended to marry off your adopted daughter and matchmake a pair of lovers! It's just that in the process, unforeseen incidents arose. For instance, Lady Elizabeth was pregnant before marriage. And we can't pass on an unclean woman to the Prince of Engels, even if William accepts this woman. Hereafter, I dare not even imagine the kind of treatment Elizabeth will receive from the Engels Royal Family."
Oscar was momentarily speechless. His reason had once again slipped back into its original position in his mind after his rage had cooled off. Although earlier on, he had already affirmed the two options that Sasha E. had given Elizabeth deep down in his heart, but as a man, he could not admit to that fact after all.
"Your Highness, how much do you know about the Engels Royal Family?" Janin questioned suddenly.
Oscar sighed, "A widowed old king bringing up three princes with completely different personalities."
"Mmhmm!" Yanin nodded. "Let's not comment on the king and the princes because it's none of our business. What I want to talk about is the issue of the Engels Royal Family's next generation."
"The next generation?" Oscar frowned.
The Head of the Military Intelligence Sub-bureau rolled his eyes. "My Lord, how can you forget? As you said, the Engels Royal Family of the present age has a ruler and three princes. It seems that there are also several other related princes, but since the King's direct line of descent has three candidates, then it is natural that the throne will not pass on to the nephews. We are talking about the next generation! Prince William is already in his early thirties. It is a good age to settle down and get married! His elder brother, His Royal Highness the Great Prince of the Engelish married six years before him. He married the sister of King Luth VII of the Kingdom of Hoilland. This Hoilland Princess has given birth twice after marriage, adding two princesses to the Engels orthodox Royal Family. Up until now, she hasn't had anymore. So…"
Oscar waved his hand, "So Steward IX is eager to embrace grandsons."
Janin Sherman shook his head. "The old king being anxious is one matter. If Lady Elizabeth… oh, that's right, if Princess Elizabeth becomes pregnant with Prince Wiliam's little prince, then this boy will be His Majesty Steward IX's first grandson, the first heir in line for Engel's Steward Dynasty's next generation!"
"Ola..." Oscar acted as if he had suddenly come to comprehension but his eyes were still hazy. "Janin, I must tell you the truth! Aren't you a little far-fetched? Even if the old king Steward eagerly embraces other's son, so what? His throne will surely be inherited by the great prince, and the great prince will definitely get a son from somewhere to replace the second brother's son."
"Not Your Highness!" Janin expressed a decisive look. "Since you have thought of this problem, you should make the great prince of the Engelish away from the throne! Letting William become Steward X isn't such an absurd thing! Moreover, since you and Prince William have had such contact and have a close adopted father-daughter relationship with Her Highness Princess Elizabeth, you should do your utmost to build this quick foreign connection. This will benefit Andrew's future expansion on the ocean immensely!"
Oscar suddenly waved his hand. This issue was too distant. He could not establish any definite concept regarding it.
"You said that Elizabeth chose to keep the child that could cause her to be caught up in a desperate situation in Engels. Is it because she saw that this child is expected to become the King of the Steward dynasty?"
"Hehe, so you're worried about this!" Janin suddenly saw the light. He nodded in understanding, but his face became gloomy instead. "Be it whether Lady Elizabeth is taking into consideration your friendship or throwing herself into a dangerous heroic gamble, how she seizes the road in life will always be her own business. Since she has gotten onto William's bed and created a cover for the child's birth, then she mostly hopes that…"
"Forget it, forget it! Stop!" Oscar suddenly called out. Now he would rather think that Elizabeth did it for the inseverable friendship.
The Head of the Military Intelligence Southern Sub-bureau smiled slightly, "Your Highness, I just hope that you can understand! Elizabeth is a smart girl, she knows the kind of things that need to be paid for the birth of this child."
Oscar shook his head and smiled bitterly. He believed he was already fed up over this matter.
"May it...be a girl!" the Titan Prince said.
Janin Sherman shook his head. "No, Your Highness! It must be a boy! You should think about it. The future ruler of Engels is your son. This is more appealing than conquering that powerful island's nation!"
Oscar thought for a long time. Under the unbearable silence, he finally blurted out his intentions. "William is not an idiot. Don't tell me he didn't suspect?"
The Head of the Military Intelligence Sub-bureau laughed happily. He knew that His Highness the Prince had already accepted his sad design. "Your Highness, Lady Elizabeth is the most famous soprano singer. Her performance is even more impeccable when she puts in her feelings."
The Prince of Titan nodded subconsciously. He was already fed up with this topic because it made him feel like he was a cold and ruthless hypocrite, but he knew that he really was so.
"Notify the Engels to prepare for a wedding! If this is advantageous to us..." O'Neil Andrew Morisette said lastly.
And in his heart, he said, "Elizabeth...bless you..."