Most nobles opposed this proposal.
The Royal Capital no longer had the strength to keep the dukes from the four borders obediently staying within its walls, nor could it even bring the Northern Border Governor to negotiate with the Queen in the Royal Capital. The three dukes from the Southwest and Eastern Border who were still willing to remain in the Royal Capital were purely concerned about any unforeseen incidents that might occur there.
Just like Judith, she could have directly returned to the Southern Border to command the battle instead of seeking Lilith’s request. Speaking that way could severely impact Lilith’s authority, causing unrest across the Kingdom.
The various dukes’ control over their subordinates was even less than that of Duke Lars back in the day.
Although the Cape Kingdom was currently suffering from internal strife, it was far from the point of splitting. At least on the surface, the dukes had to maintain Her Majesty the Queen’s authority.
Moreover, the Royal Capital had not yet reached an irreparable state; under Lilith’s reforms, the mess that was the Cape Kingdom could still barely be upheld.
It was indeed no longer feasible for the Northern Border Governor to be constrained, even if the territory of the Northern Border had diminished compared to Lars’ peak period. However, judging by the weapon reports, their strength had not diminished, but rather had become more formidable.
How could such a governor possibly come to the Royal Capital to engage in idle chatter with the nobles?
It was even less acceptable for Her Majesty to personally visit the Northern Border to speak with this governor. The weapons on the other side were something the Royal Capital had never faced, and if the other party had any ill intentions, it could spell disaster for Her Majesty, leading to an even more chaotic situation.
Nora raised her voice in opposition, “No! Your Majesty, your safety is the most important thing right now; you cannot leave the Royal Capital lightly!”
The new party nobles also voiced their opposition. For them, Lilith’s life was more important than anything else. Although on the surface Lilith was the adopted sister of Governor Lind, everyone understood that it was merely a tactical alliance to stabilize the situation in the Royal Capital. But now the situation was different; the Northern Border had been unified, and this alliance no longer held significance for the other party.
“Your Majesty, a person can be sent to negotiate with this governor. Whether in terms of protocol or status, you need not personally meet this governor.”
The new party nobles began to express their opinions.
Nora then directly volunteered, “Your Majesty, let me act on your behalf.”
At that moment, Judith’s eyes turned. Others did not know what was going on, but Judith had a suspicion that Her Majesty and Governor Lind were in cahoots. Now that Her Majesty wanted to meet with Governor Lind, could it mean that the time had come?
“I believe it is necessary to meet face to face.”
Judith stepped forward and said, “Some matters cannot be adequately conveyed through letters or by sending someone to negotiate; it must be done by Your Majesty in person. Only then can potential misunderstandings be minimized.”
“Have you not considered that many wars in history may have begun due to small misunderstandings? We must eliminate these misunderstandings now.”
Judith turned to Lilith and bowed, saying, “Your Majesty, if you are going to the Northern Border, I am willing to act as your guard and accompany you.”
Judith exchanged a glance with her old partner Scott, who reluctantly stood up and said, “Everyone, the Northern Border has just experienced a war. Although the reports indicate that their weapons are quite terrifying, the Northern Border has also suffered severe losses this time. Isn’t this the best opportunity for us to establish relations and communicate with the Northern Border?”
“As Sir Judith said, the Northern Border is at its weakest now, and the situation is the most sensitive. If letters or envoys fail to convey the Queen’s intentions correctly, and someone stirs up trouble, it could lead to an unintended conflict, which would benefit outsiders.”
“And now is the time for Her Majesty to step in. If the Queen goes to the Northern Border, she can not only soothe them but also dispel some rumors, and later on, it wouldn’t be impossible to push for technological exchanges.”
Scott made some sense there, although Nora believed she could perfectly convey Lilith’s intentions. However, if someone incited trouble, the relationship between the Royal Capital and the Northern Border could be irreparably damaged, especially from the Southwest Border’s An Zhu or the Demon Clan to the north of the Northern Border.
At this moment, a representative from the Church also stood up and said, “There is no need to worry about safety; we will protect Her Majesty.”
“There is no need to set foot in the Northern Border, we can negotiate in the intermediary zones between the Northern Border and the Central regions.”
With the conversation reaching this point, although the noble factions still worried about Lilith’s safety, they had to agree to this plan.
Mainly, this governor had a reputation for being quite reputable all along; at least, he had shown respect on the surface.
It would be good for Lilith to personally investigate this governor’s future plans.
Soon, this proposal from Lilith was approved, and many details were quickly finalized in the meeting, leading to a concrete plan.
Lilith personally wrote a letter and had a dedicated messenger deliver it to Lind.
Besides wanting to clarify this Governor Lind’s future plans, Lilith was also curious about her old compatriot’s thoughts on future developments.
Judith genuinely intended to accompany Lilith as her guard during her meeting with this descendant of the Empire.
This was Lilith’s first intention to leave the Royal Capital since her rise to power, so who would stay behind was very important.
Originally, everyone thought that since Judith would be leaving with Lilith, at least Nora, as the Chancellor, would stay behind. However, Lilith unexpectedly revised the plan and requested Nora to leave with her, stating that she needed to consider Nora’s opinions on some major matters.
There was no issue with this; such a request practically emptied the core power of the loyal faction, leaving behind a group of disorganized loyal faction nobles without a leader.
Hearing this news, Claire felt her heartbeat skip a beat.
With neither the Queen nor the Chancellor present, and one duke who always supported the Queen missing, remaining were just Monroe on her side and Scott, who was not fully loyal to the Queen. Claire’s deputy had also been suspended. Now, the palace guards were entirely under Claire’s responsibility; this was simply the best opportunity to instigate a coup.
However, Claire quickly calmed herself down; the timing was indeed too perfect—perfect enough to make Claire a little afraid. Would Lilith not notice her stirring the pot at the meeting? Furthermore, intentionally taking Nora along felt like a setup for someone in the Royal Capital to jump out and cause trouble.
This person need not be Claire herself; it was even more likely to be some of the restless Augustines under Claire.
Lilith’s authority had not been diminished; even if a coup were to be instigated, it would not persist for long. Moreover, should anyone indeed rise up, Lilith could justifiably seek aid from the Northern Border.
Claire shook her head, rising to head into the palace to appease those Augustines. The time had not yet come; she needed to adhere to her original plans.
Even so, this rare opportunity must be utilized. If Lilith could contact the Northern Border’s governor, then Claire could also proceed with her plan to engage in detailed discussions with the Demon Clan.
