The First Vampire

Chapter 548: 546 Disappointment_1
 

“…Therefore, I, Reinhardt St. Lorenzo, in the name of the thirty-seventh Emperor of the Glorious Empire, declare Gregory to be a false believer!

And I call on all the nobles, knights, and citizens of the Empire to rise up and challenge him in defense of the glory of the Supreme Lord!”

In the empty main hall, Emperor Reinhardt, facing the void, was passionately waving his arms.

As the resounding echoes gradually faded, Emperor Reinhardt, still excited, stroked his short beard on his chin, seemingly satisfied with his just-delivered speech.

But, unfortunately, this was only a private rehearsal, with no audience to appreciate it, causing Emperor Reinhardt to furrow his brow in regret.

“Erich!”

After a shout from Emperor Reinhardt into the empty hall, a knight dressed in dark grey armor quietly appeared in the hall, as if he had always been there.

“Your Majesty, what do you order?” Knight Erich saluted respectfully to Emperor Reinhardt.

“What do you think of my speech just now?”

“Your Majesty, your eloquence is indeed unrivaled. I believe the citizens of the Empire will, one after another, respond to your call after hearing your speech!”

The flattery of Knight Erich made Emperor Reinhardt’s heart burst with joy, he smiled complacently, then asked again, “Erich, how much do you think we can get the Church to concede this time?”

Knight Erich hesitated for a moment before replying, “Your Majesty, I dare not presume to know anything about such important affairs of state.”

Emperor Reinhardt waved his hand nonchalantly, smiling, “It’s alright! You are my personal guard, probably the one I trust the most. Say whatever you think.”

Knight Erich lowered his head, a hint of platinum light flashing in his eyes. He hesitated for a moment, seemingly contemplating how to phrase his thoughts, before finally saying,

“Your Majesty, I truly don’t understand the intricacies of the state and military affairs, nor do I know what sort of impact challenging the Church at this moment might have. But I want to remind you that everyone has their position. Their words are inevitably influenced by their own standpoint. You need to carefully discern whom to believe.”

Emperor Reinhardt immediately narrowed his eyes, the smile on his face also receding.

Walking slowly to Knight Erich’s side, he asked in a low voice, “Erich, when did you too learn these political tricks, only giving half the story?”

Knight Erich had no choice but to raise his head, looking into Emperor Reinhardt’s eyes as he solemnly replied,

“Your Majesty, I just wanted to remind you… Queen Midela, after all, is of the St. Hilde lineage, not St. Lorenzo.”

“How dare you!” Emperor Reinhardt screamed, and Knight Erich instantly kneeled on the ground.

Emperor Reinhardt looked at his kneeling family knight, his facial expressions constantly changing from gloomy to clear.

…

In the bright afternoon sunlight, the Central Square of Dragon City was packed with gathered crowds.

The situation within the Empire had been turbulent recently.

The threat from the Orc Empire had yet to be eliminated, the North Territory had once again experienced unrest, and shockingly, the St. Hilde family accused the Pope of murdering Duke St. Hilde, mobilized an army to march on Dragon City, seeking vengeance for the Northern Duke.

Under internal and external troubles, the citizens of the Empire naturally lived in fear. So when they heard that Emperor Reinhardt was about to issue a public statement, they all hurriedly gathered in the City Square, anxiously waiting for the official position of the Royal Family.

Truthfully, Emperor Reinhardt’s prestige among the Empire’s citizens was not high, as news about him was mostly trivial gossip rather than heroic deeds. This made it hard for the citizens to trust and revere the Emperor.

However, Reinhardt, after all, was the Emperor, the leader of the Empire’s nobility. His stance would directly influence the upcoming political landscape of the Empire. Even those who disliked him were compelled to pay attention to Emperor Reinhardt’s attitudes.

As the scheduled time drew near, everyone was eagerly waiting for Emperor Reinhardt to appear on the stage. However, amidst the anticipation of the crowd, he was nowhere in sight.

Just as the crowd was puzzled, Queen Midela, dressed in a magnificent attire, stepped onto the stage.

There was immediately a burst of warm cheers from the crowd.

The elegant, dignified, and extraordinarily beautiful Queen Midela was much more popular among the Empire’s populace than Emperor Reinhardt.

But just when people thought Queen Midela was about to introduce Emperor Reinhardt to the stage, she spoke into the magical amplifier, saying:

“I’m sorry, citizens of the Glorious Empire, I know you all anxiously await His Majesty’s speech. Regrettably, His Majesty fell suddenly ill and cannot meet with you all.”

A wave of uproar immediately swept through the crowd.

After finishing her speech, Queen Midela promptly turned around and walked down the stage, making her way to a lavish horse-drawn carriage, as if unwilling to face the agitated crowd even for a second longer.

“To the palace!” The Queen’s cold command startled the attendant driving the carriage, prompting him to quickly steer the carriage towards the Phoenix Palace.

Upon arriving at the Phoenix Palace, the attendant hadn’t even managed to set up the stool ladder when Queen Midela jumped straight off the carriage and headed towards the Palace with a gloomy expression.

Along the way, the maids and guards fell silent upon seeing the queen’s demeanor, bowing their heads in respect and not daring to utter a word of greeting.

Boom!

Queen Midela kicked open the door to the Emperor’s bedroom. The muffled noise inside stopped abruptly.

“Get out!”

Seeing the queen with a frosty expression, the woman hastily grabbed a coat and scurried out of the bedroom.

Emperor Reinhardt felt somewhat uneasy, but maintained his composure, leaning against the head of the bed, and said:

“Remember to knock next time.”

Queen Midela’s chest heaved a few times before she coldly retorted:

“Reinhardt, if you no longer wish to be the emperor, you might as well abdicate sooner!”

Such a harsh statement caused Emperor Reinhardt to explode in anger, shouting: “Midela! Do you comprehend what you’re saying?!”

However, Queen Midela wasn’t the least bit moved. Seeing through her husband’s ferocious yet weak demeanor, she asked sternly:

“Why were you absent from the public speech we agreed upon? Are you aware of how disappointed the Imperial citizens are with you?”

Emperor Reinhardt dismissed her with a sneer, “They’re just a bunch of lowly people. What does it matter if they’re disappointed?”

His apathy silenced Queen Midela. Anger vanished from her eyes in an instant but along with it, also disappeared the faint glimmer of hope she had.

Emperor Reinhardt, seemingly oblivious to this, continued to argue in his defense:

“My absence was a thoroughly considered decision. I believe that our Empire cannot withstand a civil unrest at the moment.

The Church indeed needs to be weakened, but not right now.

Our current goal is still the Orc Empire. If I openly support the North Territory’s declaration of war against the Church now, and the Orcs invade…”

“Where is the Orc army?” Queen Midela asked in a nonchalant tone.

“Although they haven’t crossed the Sky Breaking Mountain Range yet, they will inevitably appear in Westland. Such a declaration of war upon the Church now is too risky…”

“The greater the risk, the greater the reward. As the Emperor of the Empire, do you not even have this courage?” Queen Midela interrupted coldly, “If you miss this excellent opportunity, you will never have a better chance of weakening the Theocracy.”

“Who says there won’t be?” Emperor Reinhardt retorted stubbornly, “When I lead a million-strong army to defeat the Orc Empire, I can easily suppress the Church…”

Regrettably, Queen Midela had no interest in the Emperor’s grand statements anymore and she turned to leave.

“…Uh? Midela, where are you going? Midela St. Hilde, stop right there!”

As she stepped outside, Queen Midela took a deep breath, looking in the direction of the Holy Mountain from the corridor.

The enormous pillar of holy light descending from the sky was still clearly visible even in daylight, like a never-extinguishing beacon, guiding the direction of the Imperial citizens.

Tears suddenly streamed down Queen Midela’s attractive face. A moment later, she wiped them away, regaining her usual majestic and inviolable elegance.

“Mother.”

Prince Harrison, who happened to be passing by, immediately bowed and greeted her. He looked at his mother with some confusion, feeling that she seemed different but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed.

Queen Midela turned around, gently stroking her son’s cheek and said:

“Go find your sister and start packing.”

“Mother, are we going on a journey?”

“Yes.”

“To where?”

“Have you not always wanted to visit your cousin Vera?”

“We’re going to the North Territory?” Prince Harrison exclaimed in surprise and delight.

“Yes.” Queen Midela said, with something in her eyes that Prince Harrison did not understand, “We leave first thing tomorrow.”

“Yes, Mother!”