Chapter 169 Chapter 169 What hope should be given to him

That's it.King Shrewd had predicted it years ago, and Chade had recently indicated the same.Prondi saw that I didn't reply immediately, so he continued talking, and every word sounded like a stone he had carved with great care, and handed it to me after it was polished. "The heir of the Zhanyuan family is an unborn fetus. Once Emperor Zun proclaims himself the crown prince, don't you think he will usurp the throne as soon as possible? We don't hope so. Although these words come from my mouth, it is also the responsibility of Ruiben and Shuk What the dukes mean. Shrewd is old and frail, but a figurehead, and we can imagine what kind of king Regal will be. Why should we wait for Verity's children to come of age, while letting Regal run amok ? I don't think the baby will be born, let alone king." He paused to clear his throat, and then looked at me earnestly.Yan Nian stood guard by the door so that no one could hear our conversation, while I continued to remain silent.

"You are someone we know, and we know your father. You are very similar to him, and your name is not far from him. Like many people who have worn the crown, you are entitled to call yourself royal." He paused again Come down and wait. I remained silent and told myself it was not a temptation.I'll just hear him out, that's all, even if he hasn't advised me to betray the king. He racked his brains for words, then looked up into my eyes, "Things are tough." "Indeed." I agreed quietly. He looked down at his hands.Those were rough hands, the hands of a weather-beaten man.His shirt was clean and mended, but not a new one specially made for the occasion.Times may be tough for Bucksburg, but things are worse for Bearnes.

Then, he said calmly: "If you want to rebel against Regal and claim yourself as the crown prince, then Bience, Ribbon and Hux will support you, and I believe Queen Kettricken will support you, Buck Duchy I will follow suit." He looked up at me again. "We've talked enough. We believe it's safer for the children of Verity to have you as Regent than Regal." So, they had ruled out Shrewdly long ago. "Why not Kettricken?" I asked cautiously. He stared into the fire. “It’s hard for me to say why she’s been so genuinely herself. But she’s always been a foreigner and in some ways untested anyway. It doesn’t mean we have doubts about her, we’re not. The son does not doubt her, let alone ignore her. She is the queen, and always will be, and her children will rule after her, but in the meantime, we need both a crown prince and a queen."

A question was brewing in my head.A demon wanted me to ask, "So what if I don't relinquish my position when the child is an adult?" They had to ask themselves and find a consensus answer to get back to me.For a while I sat still and silent, almost feeling the possibility swirl around me.Is this what the Fool always mutters?Is this what he calls a foggy intersection and I'm always in the middle? "Catalyst." I quietly laughed at myself. "What did you say?" Prondi drew closer to me. "Junqi." I spoke. "As you say, I have nearly the same name as him, Duke Bynes. You are a man of strong will, and I know you risk telling me this, and I will confess to you as much, I Ambitious indeed, but I don't want the throne." I took a breath and stared into the fire, thinking seriously for the first time what would happen to Bearnes, Ribbon, and Hux if Shrewd and Kettricken suddenly disappeared. influences.A coastal duchy would be like a ship without a rudder and its decks battered by waves.Prondi made it clear that they would not follow Regal, but I couldn't say anything more at the moment, because if I whispered to him that Verity was still alive, I would be asking them to rise up tomorrow to overthrow Regal and strip him of his self-proclaimed crown prince. Chance.It would be reassuring to warn them that Shrewd and Kettricken would both be gone, but it would leave too many people unsurprised when it actually happened.Perhaps the Maritime Duchy will learn all the truth when they arrive safely in the Mountain Kingdom, but it may not be weeks.I tried to think about what else to say to him at this moment, how to reassure him, and what hope to give him.

"A man knows what's important, and I'm with you," I said cautiously, fearful that I might sound treacherous. "I am loyal to King Shrewd, and I am loyal to Queen Kettricken and her womb. I can see the dark days we will face in the future, and the coastal duchies must unite against the robbers. We have no time to worry about Prince Regal What to do in the interior. Let him go to Commercial Bank! We live here, so we must fight bravely here." What I said gave me a new feeling.Like an insect shedding its cloak or cocoon, I feel myself emerging.Regal left me at Buckkeep, thinking he had left me in peril, with the people I cared about the most.So let him go!When the king and queen Kettricken are safe in the mountains, I am no longer afraid of Regal.Molly was gone because of me, but what did Burrich ever say?He said that I may not see her, but she may see me.Then let her see it!Let her watch me act and do my part to turn things around.It's better for Patience and Lacey to stay here in my care than to be Regal's outback hostages.At this moment, my heart is beating violently.Shall I keep Buckkeep for myself and wait for Verity to return?Who will follow me?Burrich is going away, and I can't use his influence.Then there were only Buckkeep soldiers who tried their best to strengthen Buckkeep and prevent the cold stone city from collapsing.Some watched me grow up, others learned fencing at the same time as me.I know Kettricken's bodyguard, and the veterans in the uniform of King Shrewd's bodyguard know me, and I was one of them long before I was one of King Shrewd's subjects, but will they remember?

Although the fire was very warm, I still shuddered. If I were a wolf, I am afraid that the hairs on my hair would stand on end.At this moment, a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in my heart. "I'm not a king, nor a prince. I'm just an illegitimate child who loves the Duke of Buck deeply. I don't want to confront Regal head-on, and I don't want to cause bloodshed. We can't waste time, and I don't want to kill six My countrymen of the Grand Duchy. Let Regal flee inland, and when he and his followers are gone, I will be your man, and so will all the people of the Buck Duchy that I can muster."

Once the word is spoken, it is like making a promise.Betrayal and traitor, the little voice in my head said, but I knew I was doing the right thing.Chade may not have thought so, but I felt then that the only way to swear my allegiance to Shrewd and Verity and Kettricken's children was to one who did not follow Regal.However, I still had to make sure they understood my loyalty, so I looked into Prondi's tired eyes and continued: "This is my goal, Duke Prondi of Bines. I will not support anyone else , and would like to see the six duchies united, and a coast safe from robbers, crowned by Kettricken and Verity's children, and I must hear from you that you believe in the same."