Chapter 1075
The Crown-Erosion Plan
“The Crown-Erosion Plan…”
Isabel murmured.
Hearing this, Isabel’s mood was exceptionally complex. The shadow of her childhood was seeing relatives, both known and unknown, die one after another due to a curse. Now she had become the Queen of Avalon, and the curse was a thing of the past. Yet, she now discovered that the initial trigger of it all was… her own parents?
“For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; for want of a horse the rider was lost; for want of a rider the message was lost; for want of a message the battle was lost; for want of a battle the kingdom was lost…”
Isabel softly sang an Avalon folk rhyme. It was a song she had heard when she was very young. At first, she didn’t understand the meaning of the song; upon hearing it again, she became a character within it.
Eivass, however, narrowed his eyes slightly. His thoughts went further than Isabel’s. This was an old matter that almost no one knew of, besides the direct parties involved. Prince Albert might not even be aware of such an engagement. But at the very least, Queen Sophia, as the orchestrator, would surely know all about it.
When it was discovered that the Ten-Day War was imminent, with the Old Duke personally leading the army, the Queen should have known this matter was related to Prince Albert. Especially since a royal family member had been poisoned before that, which was clearly the work of Eagle Eye.
Sherlock also realized something. “So, that incident back then…” His father, Arthur Hermes, had been the Minister of Palace Affairs of Avalon. His primary responsibilities included planning and managing all actions involving the Royal Family, presiding over weddings and funerals. Most crucially, he was in charge of hiring, training, and managing the palace servants. Therefore, when a royal family member was poisoned, Arthur undoubtedly bore responsibility. At that time, someone anonymously reported Arthur as the poisoner. The Inspection Bureau then found poison capable of causing the corresponding cause of death in the Hermes mansion. The entire chain of evidence was complete. Although motive was somewhat lacking, it was not excessive for the Inspection Department to search memories at that time. But at that moment, the Queen directly protected Arthur. There was no interrogation, no questioning. With a complete chain of evidence, Arthur was directly acquitted… Mind you, the person who was assassinated was the prince she doted on the most, the one most likely to become the next king. Sherlock had regarded it as trust and had reciprocated with respect. But now, he gained a bit more understanding… It all made sense. The Queen already knew how that assassination had happened all along. That was why she had unhesitatingly acquitted Arthur!
But then the questions arose… Why did she suddenly initiate contact with the Vendome Family, with whom she had had no prior significant communication, to find a consort for Albert? And why, after Albert impregnated his music teacher, Enilis Flower, did she tacitly approve, and even promote, their marriage? Although Enilis possessed the inheritance of Janis’s teacher, Bettinaydia Flower, she was just a little girl when she left the Church. Given the lifespan of a half-elf, she was only recently an adult when she arrived in Avalon, much younger than Janis. Though they knew each other, their relationship wasn’t particularly close. At least not close enough for Janis to request a wedding ceremony from Queen Sophia on her behalf. Would the Queen offend Duke Vendome of the Iris Flower for their love—not to mention whether it was love at all? One of the prices the Royal Family had to pay was the lack of freedom in marriage. As a half-elf, Enilis was a relatively acceptable choice within Avalon, where elves were revered… But in other circumstances, if a royal chose a lover of lower status as a marriage partner, they would face immense political pressure. It wasn’t just about a lowered line of succession… It could even be used by treacherous officials as a blade to shake the authority of the Royal Family. Not to mention that this incident indirectly triggered the Ten-Day War. Before Meg intervened, the Avalon navy was on the verge of collapse and was completely unable to stop the Iris Flower soldiers from landing. How could Queen Sophia be certain Avalon was safe when Meg had not yet acted? Later, when the Royal Family was cursed, the entire Avalon believed the Star Antimony people were responsible. Whether they could win a war at that time was debatable, but at least the people’s hearts were united. If they had shown a “fish dies and the net breaks” attitude, they might have been able to stop the mastermind. But even then, the Queen remained motionless. Because she knew that the Star Antimony people were not responsible. If they went to war with the Star Antimony people, they would inevitably be fighting on two fronts—there was no “might not be” scenario; and if they went to war with the Iris Flower, the Star Antimony people would definitely interfere and reap the benefits. From one perspective, all this trouble could be attributed to Albert.
—But from another perspective, Albert had genuinely said, “I didn’t feel love from Mother, only pressure and nagging. It was as if I couldn’t do anything right… as if I were stupid.”
She didn’t even search for Prince Albert after he left Glass Island. These two attitudes were diametrically opposed! She offended a Duke of the Iris Flower for Prince Albert’s freedom of marriage, yet she showed no concern when Albert ran away from home. This coexistence of neglect and care… Eivass suddenly thought of something and looked at Isabel.
…Is there a possibility that the person Sophia valued, from the very beginning, was Isabel? This strange feeling reminded Eivass of a novel he had read in his past life. *Read*. In that novel, the female protagonist, the daughter of an ancient noble family and the most talented member of her clan, left her family with only a “guard,” who was almost the weakest in the entire clan, and entered a small family in a small mountain town. She let the protagonist toy with her, and the guard acted as if he were blind, yet his affection for her was inexplicably locked. But if it were love at first sight, there were no sweet moments, and they met infrequently. Yet, possessiveness was strong, and she even became jealous… It gave the impression of a reborn person who, knowing the future plot, was trying to latch onto someone for support. Queen Sophia gave Eivass that feeling. She seemed to know that Isabel was an Extraordinary of The Path of Beauty, and even knew Isabel liked “Lulu’s Magic Flute.” That’s why she wanted to find the Vendome Family, who possessed the most orthodox inheritance of The Path of Beauty and were among the first performers of “Lulu’s Magic Flute,” to arrange a marriage with Albert. Then, after the underage Albert had relations with Enilis, she not only didn’t demand that the child be aborted quietly for the sake of royal honor, nor did she attack Enilis. Instead, she risked offending Duke Vendome, the symbol of military power of the Iris Flower, and paid the price of a child to protect Isabel. After Isabel was born, Sophia always had Isabel study art under Janis, avoiding any knowledge that might incite assassination. Her previous reason given to Eivass was to let Isabel bide her time. But the prerequisite for that statement was that she didn’t teach Isabel those things precisely to prevent her from being assassinated. So why Isabel? Was it simply because she showed artistic talent from a young age? Yet, compared to true artists, Isabel’s artistic talent did not seem that high. Before, neither Eivass, Sherlock… nor even Isabel herself had realized anything was amiss. The only one who might have vaguely sensed it was Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft. That was why he was the first to pledge allegiance to Isabel, and even formed a good relationship with her while Prince Andrew and several other royals were still alive. And like Queen Sophia, he also ignored Isabel’s younger brother, John, who was only two years old. It was as if she knew from the start that Isabel would become an admirable person in the future. Even in the dungeon, in an alternate possibility shown, after knowing the Star Antimony’s conspiracy, she chose to have Isabel marry. She was trying to protect Isabel in this way, but she didn’t expect the Star Antimony to prepare a “fake Isabel.” —From this perspective, everything makes sense! (End of Chapter)
