RLAAQ - Chapter 6 < Dances With Wolves >

Refusing Love as a Queen

I apologize for my rash suspicion." 

Dalton let go of the gun and knelt down on one knee again.

"But Your Majesty, if the soldiers are betrayed by the monarch, who would dare to do their best for you?"

He stepped into Rose Garden and did not expect such a reaction before.

However, neither her rage nor her tears seemed fake, and a slap in the face was better than betraying the Queen.

"They shouldn't break the hearts of those who trust you,"

Adele replied.

"How can you inflict such a shameful accusation of 'traitor' on me? Don't you know that Roland regards 'Glory' as his life?"

The motto of the Roland royal family is "Glory above," The betrayal of allies and treachery will dishonor their emblem and be spurned and reviled by the world. During Adele's three years in power, she has worked hard to fulfill this.

"They hoped to meet at the Summer Palace and conduct peace talks there." Dalton said, "What do you think?"

The Queen calmed down, and she handed Dalton again.

"I believed in your arrangement."

Dalton kissed the back of her hand.

The two sides are reconciled.

After Dalton leaves with the handprints on his cheek, Kelly returns to the Queen. Kneeling beside her, she looked softly at the hand that the Queen just slapped Dalton. The Queen felt hot tears dripping down the back of her hand.

"Kelly, it wasn't me who was slapped." She reminded with a smile.

"Your Majesty..."

Kelly's tears fell even more fiercely, how much the Queen valued glory, and how firm and noble character she once had.

"Don't worry." The Queen sighed, "I've already become a snake and a scorpion."

"But..." Kelly couldn't help crying out, " This is not what you should bear."

Why are kind, fair, and merciful, and the righteous Queen be fatally wrong? Isn't this what God praises and protects?

"Don't worry," said the Queen, touching her hair tenderly.

"I know what I'm doing."

She trudged through the muck, only to one day return to glory.

***

The Summer Palace, also known as the "Hall of Glory."

The first monarch of the Roland family was crowned here, and the Queen escaped from there with the help of Dalton on the night of the mutiny. Later occupied by rebels, as an important condition of reconciliation, the Queen will return to the Summer Palace. But before that, Dalton had a series of tedious negotiations with the noble representatives.

On the first day of August, the contract was finalized and the two parties, including the Queen, met at the Summer Palace.

The rebellion nobles will renew their oath of allegiance to the Queen at the Summer Palace, and the Queen will also forgive their previous usurpation, and both Parliament and the nobles will have to accept Dalton as the new 'Marshal of the Empire.'

"God will forgive your mistakes, and I obey God's will."

Adele wore a low-necked square-cut dress with rose embroidered with gold and silver threads. She sat on a royal chair of velvet and silk, and every reconverted nobleman stepped forward, and she held out her hand for them to kiss the King's ring on her finger.

She had a friendly voice and a smile on her face as if she had already forgotten all the unhappiness before.

After seeing her smile, some nobles who were full of doubt couldn't help dispelling their doubts. After all, for the past three years, Adele Roland has always had a good reputation for tolerance and kindness. Compared with the Queen herself, they did not care more about the person standing beside the Queen.

Robert Dalton.

"Look!"

The Minister of Accounting stood beside Heinrich and complained.

"he almost surrounded her. Hell, do we have to get the approval of a mud seed to see the Queen's face in the future?"

From the time the Queen arrived at the Summer Palace in the gilded royal coach, Dalton himself was virtually inseparable from her. The Queen's own personal guards were all replaced by Dalton's men, which made some gentlemen who used to serve as the Queen's guards feel particularly unhappy. They could do nothing about it now.

Heinrich did not speak a word.

He stood behind the chandelier, his face flickering in the light of the candle.

He was looking at the Queen and the young officer standing beside her.

Dalton was wearing a crimson jacket of fine satin today, a black cape with two rows of shining silver buttons, and knee-high boots. On his chest, he wears a dazzling jeweled badge symbolizing the ' Marshal of the Empire.' When the rebel came forward, the Queen would turn her head and smile to talk to him, and Dalton would lean down from time to time and whisper something to the Queen.

He was the one who stood by the Queen's side to remind her all the time.

At that time, he never felt that the position was so precious, but when he was replaced by someone, Heinrich still felt that a snake bit him in his heart. The snake was called 'jealousy.'

"It's only natural.

The coat of arms of the Heinrich family is a double-headed snake, but in fact, they are a group of people known as the 'viper family', possessing all the characteristics of a snake: cruelty, greed, and possessiveness for what belongs to them. When Dalton looked at it, Heinrich nodded to him, but he was thinking about the secret letters in his heart.

Did he think that he could really stand in that position safely?

Heinrich thought maliciously, now his student has become a poisonous snake that can bite.

But immediately, he couldn't help thinking, even if Dalton disappeared from that position, would he really be able to get it again?

He stopped thinking, not thinking about what the answer would be.

Beside the throne, the young military officer leaned over to the ear of the extraordinary Queen, with an intimate gesture.

"Your mentor has been watching you." Dalton said," He doesn't look happy at all. As your mentor, shouldn't he be happy that you have returned to the throne?"

"You have to know," Adele stretched out her hand to the last official who stepped forward, without turning her head, "the place you are standing now belonged to him."

"Then he will be even angrier."

Dalton laughed.

The tedious process finally came to an end. The Archbishop stepped forward and read out the long contract, witnessing the reconciliation between the monarch and her subject in the name of God, From this moment on, the Queen and the nobles let go of their previous suspicions. After the Archbishop finished reading, Adele stood up, looked around the hall, and spoke in a cordial tone.

"Everyone, I would like to take this joyful opportunity, and I would like to ask you to be valuable witnesses for the next thing."

Dalton took a step forward and knelt down on one knee in front of the throne.

Adele picked up the national sword from the waiter at the side and put it on Dalton's shoulder. Robert Dalton, in the name of the Queen of the Roland Empire,, I canonize you as a knight of this Empire. Fight for me, and I want you to guard me with a shield."

The moment the Queen drew the sword, the faces of the nobles present changed suddenly. For a long time, one of the most important points they attacked Dalton was his origin, Now that the Queen canonized him as a Knight of Honder, he got rid of the biggest fatal point and at the same time, he will own a fief in accordance with the laws of the empire. This means the ancient noble forces will usher in new changes and challenges.

But, as traitors who had just been pardoned, they had nothing to say.

"My sword is your sword, and my shield is your shield."

Dalton swore.

"A appoint you as the commander of the knights. From today on, you will be the most steadfast protector of me and my castle."

 Adele brushed his collar affectionately.

This is a matter that was not involved in the previous negotiations at all. She appointed Dalton as the new knight commander. This will give him a room in the palace where he will be in charge of the Queen's security, as well as large royal events.

"Your Majesty, she..."

The Minister of Finance turned his head and wanted to discuss the incident with Heinrich, but he took a step back, frightened by the terrifying shadow on his face.

***

The peace talks ended, and when night fell, a luxurious dinner was held in the Summer Palace hall.

At the banquet, the former hostile people let go of their feud and danced together, and Heinrich finally found a chance to talk to the Queen.

The melody of Tate's Waltz was soft and melodious, and thousands of candles lit up the hall like a nebula. Adele put her hand on Heinrich's shoulder, and they danced gently to the tune.

"You used me."

Heinrich pointed out.

The reason why he will stand on Adele's side again is because the Queen pointed out that the rebellion will continue to a stalemate, the fleet of the Kingdom of Yager will land, and the Heinrich family's property will be destroyed in the flames of war. And she promised to give the Heinrich family privileges in maritime trade after the rebellion was put down.

Originally, Heinrich subconsciously thought that after the rebellion was put down, Adele would join forces with the Heinrich family to eradicate Dalton. But right now, Adele promoted and reused Dalton who has been betrayed by her without hesitation.

The facts are already evident.

She used him to contain Dalton, and then Dalton to contain the nobles. She forgives the nobles and values Dalton at the same time, just to make the two sides confront each other, and she will find a chance to regain power from it.

Those secret letters were aimed at more than Dalton from the very beginning.

"Isn't this what you have always taught me?"

Adele said softly, The candlelight fell on her face, but the expression made Heinrich completely unfamiliar.

"For the benefit, no compromise, justice, morality, and shame are all acceptable. Abandon. What is your family motto, 'that everything has a price?'

"Dalton will not be a loyal knight," said Heinrich, " he is a jackal."

"So what about you? I used to respect and love you like a father, but what happened?"

Adele looked at him sideways and smiled.

"If it's profitable, why not dance with wolves?"

With a high note of dance music, Adele spun out, her hem skirt blooming like petals. Heinrich smelled the fragrance of her hair as he passed by. On the next syllable, Heinrich takes her hand and brings her back into his arms.

"Aren't you worried that I will hand over the secret letter to Dalton?"

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