in the name of the queen

Chapter 121 The place closest to the heartbeat
  Just as Roland was thinking about how to explain in detail, Sif nodded calmly, "When are we leaving? Are we leaving tonight?"

The thousands of words Roland had prepared to explain were completely swallowed up by this sentence.

The absolute trust echoed in the innocent smile is particularly heartwarming, but also heavy.

Although there was no need to explain, since he was prepared, Roland still explained the reason to Sif.

It can be seen from the attitude of William and others that the cabinet ministers have been defeated by Sif several times.

Their attitude towards Sif is quietly changing.

Mature politicians hate the uncertain X factor.

They like stability and controllable risks.

If Sif stays in the imperial capital for a few more months and waits for the initial formation of the Knights next spring before leaving, the cabinet ministers may suffer a collective cerebral hemorrhage.

No one wants to suffer a cerebral hemorrhage, so they will definitely find ways to restrict Sif or even solve the problem at the source.

Leave as soon as possible before we get tired of each other.

The sooner they go overseas, the more time they have left.

The queen went overseas to investigate her father's whereabouts, and the ministers were tossing around in the imperial capital according to their own ideas. Both sides felt that they had lost.

It's a win-win.

"Don't they object?" Sif was worried.

With the assistance of [Insight], she could clearly feel that the patience of William and others was running out.

"As long as you are willing to delegate power to them, they have no reason to refuse." Roland said calmly.

Sif's brain was working rapidly, recalling Roland's words.

Roland was right, as evidenced by the subtle changes in the attitudes of the ministers.

They need obedient puppets, not people who are on the road to creating surprises every day.

Leave as soon as possible before the honeymoon period of the new king's accession to the throne and the harmonious relationship between the king and his ministers is completely over.

If the specific time
  Roland's expression was very calm. "Let's go after attending the reception for foreign envoys the day after tomorrow. We have a ready reason. We will go to the Port of Duval to inquire about the investigation of the attack."

He originally planned to take Alina's ticket to get on the ship, but now the situation has changed and it's Alina's turn to get on his ship.

Since we can't leave secretly, we might as well go out to sea openly.

Her Majesty the Queen is inspecting her territory to investigate the cause of the death of the late Emperor. Whoever comes to stop her is trying to rebel?
  Of course, the imperial capital is busy with affairs, so the ministers in the cabinet have to work hard.

Everyone gets what they want.

Whether Sif can get the bargaining chip to participate in the imperial power competition depends on how she operates in the three overseas provinces.

Perhaps in the eyes of the cabinet ministers, the wild lands of the three provinces cannot make any waves. But in Roland's view, the three overseas provinces are just a springboard, and the vast continent of Rodinia has unlimited prospects.

The three provinces counterattacked the imperial capital with an egg against a stone, and when they gathered the power of the mainland and returned to the imperial capital, it was the return of the king.

Everyone has a written script in mind, and then it depends on how the actors perform it.

But no matter how well-written the script is, it can't compete with surprise.

Just like Roland never imagined that Captain Alina would capsize, the cabinet ministers certainly never imagined that Sif, a silly, cute and cute girl before taking the throne, would become the source of their headaches.

No matter how good the main plan is, there must be a backup plan.

As long as there are enough plans, the negative impact of having a black face can be offset to the greatest extent.

Roland's plan A was to go to sea openly, and plan B was of course to sneak across the sea.

Smuggling can be divided into secret departures on warships and concealment of identities on civilian ships.

For various situations, supplementary plans are specified with the magic mirror and Sif playing the role of the queen and the earl respectively.

At the same time, he also designed a hidden identity for Sif.

The attitude of cabinet ministers ranged from tacit approval to public approval to complete disapproval.

Complete disapproval can be divided into two categories: impeachment and arresting the queen back to the imperial capital.

Roland drew up at least ten plans based on various situations.

With such perfect preparations, it would be fine even if he takes the King of Bad Luck with him to sea.

After hearing all of Roland's plans, Sif suggested opening a bottle of Milan champagne to get some luck.

Roland politely declined, but Sif firmly opposed.

Her reason is simple.

"Today is a good day, and the champagne for good luck is indispensable."

A caged bird looking up to the sky and a dormant dragon entering the sea are indeed good omens.

open!

Considering that Milan Champagne was a good sign in this world, and Sif was resolute, Roland did not let her down and shared delicious food and wine with her.

After eating and drinking, it's already night.

Roland thought that someone was waiting for him to come home, so he quickly said goodbye and left.

Just as he was about to leave, Sif stopped him, took out the prepared gift box and handed it to Roland.

"Your pocket watch was damaged in the previous battle, so I asked someone to customize it for you. Don't refuse, you need to accurately grasp the time."

"It's rude to refuse a kind gift from a lady."

Looking at the exquisitely carved patterns, exquisite workmanship and white rose pattern full of elegant artistic atmosphere, Roland knew that this was a product specially provided for the royal family.

Since Sif said so, he would naturally not refuse.

Put the pocket watch in the left pocket of your coat and the watch will beat with your heart. This is indeed a good gift.

Watching Roland leave, Sif's lips were full of smiles and her eyes gradually softened.

Roland was so busy that she actually forgot what day it was. Fortunately, she paid attention when looking through the files of the Knights.

Don't tell him, let him guess for himself.

Back home, Roland looked at Lisa who was humming and busy in the kitchen, and suddenly felt a little emotional.

The new home on Belfa Street is not big, and it can't even be called a dwelling compared to the Earl's Mansion, but it is the home in Lisa's heart.

Looking at the clean furniture and floors, and listening to the "beep" sound of wood burning in the fireplace, Roland suddenly felt that such a small home was also very cozy.

But he knew very well that this kind of warmth was false.

This is a haven for the soul to take a vacation, not a real haven.

Although there is harmony between the cabinet and Sif now, they will not be polite when the imperial power is completely eliminated.

If you are racing against time, you cannot stay in the harbor.

When Lisa placed the last dish, Roland looked at her curiously and asked with a smile:

"What day is it today, so rich?"

"Guess." Lisa looked at Roland with a smile on her cheek.

"First eliminate the wrong answers, your birthday." Roland said half-jokingly.

Lisa felt the heat radiating from the fire gem on her chest, and she lowered her head slightly, just in time to see the gem hidden in the white and greasy skin, illuminated by candlelight, making it particularly beautiful.

This was Roland's gift to her, and it was also the best birthday present.

"Did you really forget?" Lisa reminded softly.

"Sorry, I've been a little busy lately. I really forgot this time. Is it some important day for you?"

"Of course it's important, even more important than my birthday." Lisa said softly.

Roland was a little confused. Is there anything more important than Lisa's birthday?

It probably wasn't her parents' birthday. They rarely celebrated birthdays, and they were all in the summer. It's definitely not their memorial day. They died in the spring.

Just when Roland was racking his brains and even starting to think wildly, Lisa asked softly:
  "I must have encountered a lot of troubles when I went to Port Duval this time." "A little bit, but it has been solved." Roland said with a smile.

"You've been very busy and tired recently, why don't you just ask for leave and rest for a while?" Lisa's eyes were full of concern.

"It's a bit tiring, but who isn't? You have to come back to cook and clean the house after work every day. You have a harder time than me."

"Thank you, but I didn't work as hard as you."

Lisa sighed: "At least I won't forget my brother's birthday."

"My birthday?" Roland was stunned for several seconds before reacting.

Today is his nineteenth birthday.

Nineteen is such a delicate age.

Call him still young, he is nineteen years old.

Call him big, he is nineteen years old.

When he was nineteen years old before time travel, he was sitting in a university classroom with high spirits, fighting against countless volumes of books and brain-burning courses that contained the wisdom of sages.

When he was nineteen years old after time travel, he wore the uniform of the leader of the Knights and wanted to compete with the world's top politicians.

It’s hard to say which battle is more difficult, but the latter is obviously less tolerant of mistakes.

After all, if you fail the exam, you can still retake it, but if you fail the political game, it's all over.

At least before time travel, he would not be so busy that he would forget his birthday. On every birthday, he would go out for dinner with his adoptive father and adopted sons who share the same bed.

"Hey, did you really forget?" Lisa thought Roland was pretending to be stupid, but she didn't expect him to be serious.

"Sorry." Roland smiled to hide his mood, and instantly understood what gift Sif gave.

"It's your birthday, there's no need to say sorry." Lisa's eyes gradually became gentle.

"I'm not sorry for my birthday, but because we are leaving here soon." Roland took the opportunity to change the topic.

"Ah, moving again? Isn't it nice here?"

Lisa's eyes slowly drifted to every corner of the room, her mood was obviously a little lower, and even her voice was a little lonely.

Although the furniture was given by the Queen, she took care of everything from placing it to cleaning it.

It was tiring to tidy up the two-story room, but thinking that the spacious and bright room would make Roland feel happy, she had no complaints.

Are you leaving soon after you moved in?

"Will the Queen give you a new mansion? But I like it here better." Lisa sighed softly.

"No, it's to leave the imperial capital."

Now that the plan is about to begin, Roland no longer hides it and explains the plan to Lisa in general, and also tells Lisa Sif's true identity.

Lisa's pupils suddenly narrowed, and she murmured: "I always feel that she is better than the cold empress. It seems that it is not an illusion."

Thinking that Roland had hugged a real thigh this time, she was sincerely happy for Roland.

But she soon thought of her embarrassing situation, and the smile froze on her face again.

Roland didn't know what she was thinking. He thought she couldn't bear the luxurious life in the imperial capital, so he explained with a smile, "Sister, the sunshine overseas is brighter and the scenery is better. You will definitely like it."

"You are right, I will definitely like it. Come and see the birthday gift I gave you."

Lisa didn't want to pass on her bad mood to Roland, so she smiled and took out the gift box from under the table and gave it to Roland with both hands.

Roland carefully took the box, and the beautiful silver flip pocket watch lay there quietly.

"This is a mechanical pocket watch produced in my hometown. I saw that the iron pocket watch you used before was broken, so I ordered a new one for you. You are now the leader of the Knights and a person of status. This pocket watch is just right."

Mechanical watches in this era have not yet evolved to the extent that they can be worn on the wrist. High-quality pocket watches are often luxury goods that can only be equipped by nobles and wealthy businessmen, and have not yet entered thousands of households.

With Roland's identity, a mere pocket watch is naturally not a problem.

He had one in his coat pocket.

Sif gave it to him.

Sif's pocket watch is a bit more noble than Lisa's. The artistic and exquisite workmanship of the outer shell alone is worth a lot of money. With the white rose logo representing the Sussex royal family, it is worth a lot of money in the market.

Lisa's pocket watch is not that expensive, but it is custom-made.

On the back of the pocket watch is a scene of two young people reading together by candlelight.

Although it was a profile view and their faces were covered by their hair, there was no doubt that they were Roland and Lisa.

When Roland didn't know much about literacy, it was Lisa who read to him while holding books.

Fortunately, his jacket has two pockets, which are suitable for holding two pocket watches.

Roland put away his pocket watch, looked sincerely, and said softly: "Thank you. This pocket watch reminds me of many warm memories. It is the best birthday gift I received today."

He didn't lie. Sif didn't say it was a birthday gift when she gave her the pocket watch.

Putting the pocket watch into his right jacket pocket, buttoning it up, Roland picked up the knife and fork and started fighting with the steak.

Lisa took up the knife and fork, and her eyes fell on Roland's coat pocket.

Looking at the slightly bulging right chest, I thought of the distance between a pocket watch and a heartbeat.
  It seems a bit far.

Her eyes turned to Roland's left chest. It turned out that there was a pocket here.

Just as he was about to remind Roland to put his pocket watch in this pocket, he suddenly found that this pocket was also bulging.

Lisa suddenly realized when she thought that Roland smelled of alcohol.

The knife and fork stopped in the air and landed on the plate with a clang, and the sauce splashed.

"Sorry, my hand slipped."

Lisa lowered her head slightly.

Although he silently accepted Roland's arrangement and planned to help Roland chase Sif, he still felt a bit unspeakably sad when he saw Sif getting closer to Roland's heart.

Alas, I shouldn’t squeeze so much lemon juice next time I cook.

I thought Sif was an earl, but I didn't expect that she was actually the queen. This is simply...
  Wait, Queen? !

Although the queen's husband is a prince, he can only have one wife for the queen's dignity, and he cannot even have an open lover.

Is she going to be an underground lover for the rest of her life, and even her children will be fostered with Sif?

Such a miserable prospect made Lisa's eyes darken slightly.

The knife and fork fell onto the plate again with a crisp sound.

Roland looked up at Lisa and asked softly: "Sister, are you worried?"

"No."

"You blinked." Roland exposed it directly.

Lisa bit her lip and widened her eyes.

"Don't pry into a girl's thoughts. I have to pack my things after dinner!"

"As you command, Sister Lisa!"

Roland responded with exaggerated movements, and his soft voice lingered in Lisa's ears.

"If it's just something you're worried about, I won't ask. If you encounter any trouble, be sure to tell me."

"I know, let's eat quickly, it will get cold later."

Lisa lowered her head slightly, and the foie gras on the tip of the fork melted in her mouth, and her slight disappointment disappeared with the sweet taste coming from the taste buds on her tongue.

All the good things in the world may be vain, but delicious food will never let you down.

Perhaps this is the source of the chef's otherworldly power.

That’s it for now, let’s have a full meal first.

(End of this chapter)