Two days later, the fleets of Roland Wimbledon arrived at the pier of Redwater City.
Earl Delta, who had received the message earlier, took the matter very seriously. At his command, the pier was not only thoroughly cleaned, but was also decorated with eye-catching satin and banners. On the day when Roland arrived, Earl Delta led the n.o.bles outside the city gate and greeted Roland in the suburb. He was much more enthusiastic than he had been upon the arrival of the First Army earlier.
As the great n.o.bles in the Central Region, George Nery and Guye Yurianne were naturally among the greeting crowd.
He had to admit the new king"s presence was indeed impressive. It was not the first time for George to see the steel s.h.i.+p named after Prince Roland. However, after seeing it again after half a year, the s.h.i.+p still shocked him in the same way as it had done before. Following it, concrete s.h.i.+ps were neatly lined, much more than last time. Their snow-white chimneys and heavy smoke seemed to reach to the sky. When he saw the soldiers who wore uniforms of the same color walk down the pier, he could not help admiring it. If he had such an army to serve for the Rock family, it was not impossible for him to fight for the throne in the royal palace of the king"s city, not to mention Redwater City.
"This fool. I really don"t know how he"s smartened himself up." George spatted and said, "When I was in the king"s city about five or six years ago, he was obviously the stupidest one. He was totally incomparable to his elder brothers. Even his little sister, who had scarcely been out of the sh.e.l.l back then, was much better than him."
"Doesn"t that mean that Prince Roland is the most sophisticated one?" said the Earl of Tririver, shrugging, "Since he can develop the border to such a degree and overshadow all of his siblings, he"s definitely not a fool. Remember to smile and show your hospitality."
"Of course I know," George replied carelessly. "After all, he"s a member of the royal family. Even if he"s a fool, I"ll do my best. Rest a.s.sured."
"That"s great."
At this moment, a loud horn sounded in the direction of the pier and a stir was aroused in the crowd. He knew that Roland Wimbledon, the ruler of the Western Region, or the new king of Graycastle, showed up.
"How"s your preparation going?" George asked under his breath.
"I"ve already sent 51 men to the castle," said Guye, who remained still in his position, pretending to be eager to see the arrival of His Majesty, "In two days, I can send the rest of them."
"Me too," said George, smiling faintly, "so we still have lots of time. Then we"ll have a bigger chance."
He had talked with Guye several times what Roland would do after he entered Redwater City. Roland was most likely to reach an agreement with Earl Delta before he announced to forfeit their feudal power. After all, Redwater City was a large city and there were lots of n.o.bles with domains around it. Therefore, it was impossible for him to act as quickly as he did in Willow Town.
Since Delta was indecisive, it might cost him several days to make up his mind. And then it would take another few days before the news spread and the other n.o.bles responded to it. During this time period, George could fill the secret paths with a sufficient number of his people without being noticed.
Then when the bell at midnight tolled, their men would rush into the castle altogether. The snow powder weapon would be useless. Since they had more people they needed and they were in a favorable geographical position, it would be impossible for Roland Wimbledon to escape.
"He"s coming," Guye reminded George.
George immediately put on a smile and stepped forward. Among the greeting group, the first row was the family members of Earl Delta, and the second row was great n.o.bles like him.
Earl Delta stood beside the new king and was introducing the n.o.bles with a flattering smile. When George saw his round face with his broad grin and quivering double chin, he could not help having a bad turn in his stomach.
He still remembered that the Earl had been the same obnoxious toady when Timothy the second prince had led his army into Redwater City.
"Your Majesty, this is the lord of Rock Ridge, Earl George Nery." Delta finally walked to him.
"I"m greatly honored, Your Majesty," said George with his most cordial tone, pressing his chest with his right hand and bending deeply, "Rock Ridge has the most fragrant tea and fruit wine. It"ll be my great honor if you can pay a visit."
"Really?" The reply from Roland took George by surprise, "Where"s your domain?"
"As a ruler, shouldn"t he say that the honor is his and that he would pay a visit at his convenience?" George thought, but he quickly replied, "Just on the east of Redwater City. Two kilometers to the east and behind the first mountain you see is the domain of the Nery family."
"It sounds like a nice place. I hope you"ll treasure it," said the new king, who patted him on the shoulder and smiled.
Treasure it? What does he mean?
George frowned without Roland noticing it. Without betraying his suspicion on his face, he replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Nothing out of normal happened during the greeting ceremony. After everyone met Roland, Earl Delta announced that he would hold a grand banquet at the Lakeside Villa. Then he ordered the knights to clear the road ahead and escort the king to the city.
Everything went as planned and even a little exceeded his expectation. The new king"s army did not rush into Redwater City. Instead, they were stationed in the pier area in the suburb. Roland was followed by less than 100 guards. When they lived in the castle, about 20 guards would be able to guard outside his bedroom.
He was certain about the result.
However, he felt a little restless out of no reason. Roland"s smile seemed to be weird... He could not tell the reason, but he could not help feeling an ineffable chill looming over his heart.
George shook his head and put all the thoughts behind. "Maybe I was wrong," he thought, "Even if he"s brooding on something, they"ll be meaningless the moment he entered the castle. When he"s in my hands, I"ll talk with him about what happened earlier."
By that time, I won"t have to try to please him, and he"ll not be in a mood to show such a strange smile.
The night fell.
Everyone in the city knew that the last prince of the Wimbledon family was in Redwater City. As he was most probably the king of Graycastle, the whole city celebrated it. The vast Inner City was as bright as the day, so was the Lakeside Villa. It had always been the place to entertain distinguished guests, and the dining hall, which was built above the lake, was linked with Redwater River and supported by dozens of hundreds-year-old larches. A trestle-like corridor led to the sh.o.r.e and there was even running water in the hall.
To please the new king, Earl Delta spared no effort in bringing all the seasonal gourmet food in the surrounding area to the table, and some of them were something George first laid his eyes upon.
However, he did not pay much attention to the food.
In addition to Roland Wimbledon"s action, he had to also keep an eye on those n.o.bles who supported the Lord of Redwater City.
After the new king showed up in the dining hall, George could not help frowning.
All of those guards around Roland turned out to be women.