in the name of the queen

Chapter 46 No one knows velvet better than me
  Why let Sif wait and see?

Because Roland only had a general idea and no specific measures, he had to go back and check more information.

Some people are born to fight, but not him.

As we all know, let alone fighting, if a novice can organize hundreds of people to go out for an outing without any problems, he is already a strong man with incredible abilities.

Roland can retrieve from his memory bank all military works from Sun Tzu's Art of War to Qi Jiguang's Military Training to modern Western military theories, but this does not mean that he understands military affairs.

The limit of his commanding ability is that he organized a campus football league as the president of the university student union.

Seeing Roland's confident expression, Sif felt a little relieved.

She believed that Roland could create miracles, just as he had done before when faced with difficulties.

The only regret is that there are too few people in the Knights.

Seeing Sif's trusting gaze full of reassurance, the flame in Roland's heart was ignited.

He certainly believed he could do it, just as he had before when faced with difficulties.

Fortunately, there were very few Knights.

With three or two big cats and kittens, there isn’t much to think about.

Roland did not ask the camp leader for questioning.

He has not officially taken office yet, and his reputation is not justified.

Instead of questioning the exhausted old knight, it would be better to chat with the children.

After speaking to Sif, Roland put on a bright smile and walked towards the place where the children were playing.

He found a place to sit next to the children and chatted with them casually.

In the slums, he often helped the neighbors to coax their children, and he was very familiar with this matter.

Sif looked at Roland in astonishment, hesitating whether to follow or not.

These children were having a great time playing, and they were covered in dust and mud. She really didn't want to get close, but she wanted to hear what Roland and the little guys had to say, so she finally gritted her teeth and got closer.

Fortunately, she did not wear a long skirt today, but wore casual clothes, which made it easier to move.

The way she walked on tiptoes quickly attracted the attention of the children.

"Big brother, look, she is a beautiful noble lady."

Roland smiled and nodded. The little guy has good eyesight.

Not just the nobility, but even the royal family.

Roland casually took off his coat, placed it on the wooden pier, and motioned for Sif to sit here.

It's unrealistic to expect a delicate royal girl to mingle with children. It's good that she can come and listen.

The people-friendly line must be taken step by step slowly and there is no need to rush.

After Xif sat down, the children who had just laughed at Yan Yan were a little restrained and did not even dare to laugh casually.

After sitting for a while, she realized with some frustration that she was redundant, and planned to leave.

Fortunately, Roland helped her find a step.

"Sif, the little ones like to hear stories. Can you tell them one?"

Sif was a little confused. What kind of story could she tell?
  Roland reminded softly: "Tell them the story of Her Royal Highness."

What is there to say about the princess?

Sif didn't want to say this, but it was a good way to get closer to the children, so she didn't refuse.

"Then let me talk about it casually."

Seeing that the beautiful aristocratic sister was going to tell a story, the children were flattered and quickly sat around her.

Sif cleared her throat and began to talk about the daily life of the princess.

To be fair, what she said was a bit boring.

At least Roland thinks so.

He resisted the urge to yawn and looked around the audience, but he saw the children holding their chins, eyes shining with admiration, listening with great interest.

Hey, what's going on with you guys?

Isn’t it just the daily life of a royal princess? The back and forth is nothing more than the harshness of the teacher, the alienation of parents and brothers, the luxury of life, and the complexity of rules.

But he reacted quickly.

He has read books online, but no child has such access.

Their understanding of the royal family basically comes from bards and misguided parents.

Although they don't know Sif's true identity, the children have unique and keen judgment. They can tell at a glance that Sif is of noble birth, and of course they believe what she says. Roland then thought that what the children were interested in might not be the story itself, but Sif.

It is a rare experience to listen to a beautiful noble lady telling stories in a gentle and cold voice.

The kids are real.

What they like is not necessarily the story, but they like to be surrounded by beautiful noble ladies.

Glancing at Sif's statue-like profile, Roland suddenly discovered that he still had a childlike heart.

After the boring story was told, the children were still unfinished, and someone boldly asked:

"Sister Sif, I heard the bard Adam tell the story of the Princess and the Pea. He said that a real princess can feel the peas even if she is separated by twenty layers of mattresses. Is it true?"

"It's not that exaggerated."

Sif smiled and continued: "The velvet quilts specially provided by the palaces of most countries are very thin. Some princesses take a bath in hot milk every day. Their skin is naturally very delicate, but not so exaggerated."

She drew the rough thickness with a white finger pen, thought for a moment, and said slowly: "The thinnest mattress can be felt after three or five layers, but not any more."

Of course, children will not doubt such a conclusive explanation.

They all showed envious expressions.

I don't know if they are envious of the princess who sleeps on five layers of velvet every night, but what Roland envies is the velvet quilt.

Sif's story is good, but the children still have some regrets.

"Is the story of the Princess and the Pea false?"

Seeing that the children were a little disappointed, Sif thought for a while and said softly:

"In the ancient Kingdom of Deland, there was a princess who lived a luxurious life. She ordered the velvet quilt to be made as thin as a handkerchief. She could indeed feel the peas underneath through twenty layers of quilt."

"What happened next?" the children asked anxiously.

Sif sighed softly and said softly: "Twenty layers of ultra-thin velvet is just a microcosm of this princess's luxurious life. Her luxurious life is far more than that."

"What happens next?" The children were even more curious.

Sif said calmly: "The princess is so extravagant. You can imagine the extravagance of the king and queen. If the example follows, other nobles will naturally not be far behind. Before the princess can take the throne, the Kingdom of Delan will be destroyed."

They didn't expect this ending, and the children were a little confused.

Sif put down her arrogance and used stories to get closer. After all, the children were not adults. Although they had a sense of distance from the nobles, it was not that exaggerated. So she chatted with Miss Sif and left Roland aside.

The big brother who can tell stories can be seen every night when he goes to King Quan Square, and he can tell stories better than Roland.

But I have never seen the noble lady who told the story.

The children only play with reality, and of course they have to revolve around Sif.

This was the first time for Sif to be surrounded by so many children. After being a little stunned and nervous, she gradually got used to the feeling of being surrounded by little ones.

She kept asking about the Knights.

As the children talked about it, she gradually sorted out some clues.

The Knights have only paid three months' salary each year for three consecutive years, and the few remaining knights have gone out to fend for themselves.

The people playing here are the family members of the remaining knights.

Not every knight can lose face and go out to work to make money.

They have been practicing knight skills from childhood to college. Suddenly, if you change their careers, they can only engage in combat-related professions.

Most of these professions are contrary to the knight's code of conduct, and many people cannot accept them.

All in all, most of the less than 300 remaining knights are not on duty, and their lives are difficult.

Roland and Sif looked at each other with serious expressions.

Although they had predicted that the situation of the Knights would be bad enough, when they arrived at the scene, they realized that it was far worse than they imagined.

The sun gradually turned westward, and the children smelled the aroma of food coming from the direction of the camp. They said goodbye to Sif with some reluctance, and ran away following the smell of home.

Watching them leave, Sif's expression was particularly solemn and she said in a deep voice:
  "Roland, I plan to sell some things that are temporarily unused and repay the salaries of these loyal knights. Her Majesty the Queen should also donate generously."

"Replacement of salary? In whose name?" Roland asked nonchalantly.

Some true words will always be spoken inadvertently.

If Sif casually said it was in her name, he could probably guess what she was thinking.

If she said she would make amends in the name of the Queen, then her loyalty would still prevail.

However, Sif's answer made him duck on the spot.

"Of course it's you, you are the leader of the Knights!"

(End of this chapter)