The Northern Border Army has arrived, and Cliff didn’t even have time to tidy up his uniform, with bloodstains still on his clothes, as he brought a group of people to the gates of the Royal Capital.
It was also Lind’s first time in this Royal Capital. To him, the Royal Capital wasn’t grand as he had imagined; it was actually much larger than he thought.
Lena followed closely behind Lind, her gaze unclear, whether it was filled with nostalgia or sighing.
“Northern Border Governor, thank you for your support; you are undoubtedly the hero of the Kingdom!”
Cliff’s tone was quite excited.
The mighty Northern Border Army maintained their posture with their weapons drawn, flanking Lind and Lena as they entered the Royal Capital. Cliff, behind the main gate of the Royal Capital, greeted Lind with a smile on his face, bringing along everyone he could.
At his age, when Cliff smiled, his face was already full of wrinkles, and anyone could see that his smile was genuine. This feeling of survival after disaster couldn’t be faked.
Cliff carefully observed Lind in the midst of the army; indeed, there was some resemblance in his features to Her Majesty the Queen. It seemed that what Claire had said was not without basis.
Yet Lind appeared even more solemn and silent, perhaps due to his current mood.
Indeed, Lind’s mood was quite somber; his younger sister had just thrown herself into his arms, claiming to have been bullied, and no one would feel good about that.
Faced with Cliff’s eager smile and the flattery of the surrounding nobles, calling out to the hero of the Kingdom, Lind remained unmoved and coldly asked, “Where is Claire?”
Upon hearing this question, the surrounding nobles immediately fell silent, while only the commoners continued to cheer, and cold sweat began to run down Cliff’s forehead.
“She has already been detained by my people,” Judith stepped forward, not giving the Augustinians any face, and said directly to Lind.
Lind only nodded silently; no one knew what he intended to do.
“Brother, can we just let it go?”
Lilith tugged at Lind’s military uniform. At this moment, Lilith had already changed into a different outfit, lacking any trace of the queen’s aura and instead followed Lind like a little girl.
Thus, once Lilith spoke up, Cliff and the others only then noticed that Her Majesty had returned alongside the Northern Border Governor.
“Your…Your Majesty!”
Judith excitedly knelt down before Lilith, and those around them, reminded by Judith, noticed the petite queen following Lind and hurriedly knelt down as well, although it was somewhat unclear whom they were kneeling to as Lilith stood behind Lind.
Meanwhile, Cliff awkwardly shrank back, unsure whether to stand or kneel.
“Enough, enough, every time it’s been ‘enough’ is why you’ve been bullied, you know?! If someone hits you once, you need to hit back ten times; even their dog needs to get a slap or two. Only then will no one bully you, you understand?!”
Lind then physically lifted Lilith up, instructing her with a seriousness that left the kneeling nobles in confusion. The petite queen was being lifted with no dignity by the Northern Border Governor.
No one dared to ask about the relationship between the Northern Border Governor and Her Majesty, especially after Lind said, “even their dog needs to get a slap or two,” causing the Augustinians to involuntarily shudder twice.
After teaching his younger sister a lesson, Lind said to those behind him, “Send someone to take over the city defenses,”
Flora, who had followed behind Lind, stepped out, leading a portion of the army.
This time they had come in a hurry; Lind’s generals hadn’t had time to return, leaving only the guards.
No one had any objections to Lind going to take over the city defenses rather than circling around Kuf. Even if Lind didn’t mention it, Kuf and the nobles would request him to take charge of the city defenses; in other words, the city defenses had already lost significance in front of Lind.
Kuf was awkwardly smiling while explaining to Lind what had happened in the palace, all the while leading Lind and the others toward the palace.
Lilith seemed to sense something and looked worriedly toward the Central Church. Seeing Lilith’s concerned expression, Lind said, “Go on, leave this to me.”
After hearing Kuf and Judith describe what had happened in the palace, Lind had already made arrangements in his mind. Legally speaking, although Kuf’s coronation was very rushed, Lilith indeed was no longer the queen, which helped Lind resolve many troubles.
Lena followed closely behind Lind, surveying the changes around the Royal Capital. Perhaps because they had just experienced the defense battle, the internal chaos of the Royal Capital was even greater compared to when Lena had left. Apart from the towering and still incomplete Northern Border Obelisk, there was hardly any change elsewhere.
Among the nobles accompanying them were quite a few of Lena’s acquaintances.
The way these people looked at Lena was different; some were envious, others hostile, but many nobles who had no connection to Lena were filled with confusion.
Most of the Augustinians did not join Kuf to defend the city; they mostly chose to hide in the palace. For Kuf and Judith, it was already an effort that these people did not come out to cause trouble.
Initially, when these Augustinians heard the cannon fire from outside the city, they were on edge, but upon seeing Kuf and Judith return with the army to the palace, they all happily gathered in the hall to welcome them. After all, no one truly wanted to become a slave of the invaders; although these Augustinians had already planned to sell Cape at a low price, they were still glad that the Royal Capital had been successfully defended.
Whether it was sincere or just a hope of getting a higher price.
However, when these Augustinians saw the Northern Border Army and Lind following Kuf, their expressions turned complicated, and upon seeing Lena beside Lind, their faces drooped even further.
There were quite a few Augustinians who had created difficulties for Lena and sent her away.
Inside the hall, Kuf became awkward again, staring at the throne, unsure whether to sit or not.
Although he had heard from the Father King that he had not managed to squander the throne in the prophecy but had instead held it steady for a period, Kuf glanced back at Lind, seemingly seeking Lind’s approval.
“What’s wrong, Your Majesty, are you not going to sit?”
Lena, following closely behind Lind, seemed oblivious, not only addressing him as Your Majesty but also asking Kuf why he wasn’t sitting on the throne. Although she had figured out what had occurred along the way, from Lena’s perspective, it truly felt like she and Lind had come to aid the Royal Capital; since the Royal Capital already had a legitimate new King, that new King should naturally sit on the throne.
Many royals and nobles gasped in shock, anxiously looking at Lena, realizing that she still had no political acumen since leaving the Royal Capital.
Lind’s face was calm, and those in the hall could not discern what he was thinking from his expression.
“Your Majesty, please have a seat.”
In the end, Lind spoke.
