The war in the empire finally stopped temporarily and began to fully recover the domestic economy. Not enough. When the war was concluded and the merits were evaluated, Mariana, the fifth princess of the Empire, was excluded from the list.
Mariana didn't care much about this. After all, as the Imperial Consort of the Empire, she had no place to go. Even if they didn't say it, they knew very well that Mariana was even more important than the First Knight Bismarck in the Emperor's eyes. Therefore, this battle record was just another great addition to the shining Mariana's undefeated legend.
Cornelia, who was happily welcoming Mariana's return, looked at Mariana with even more admiration and longing. However, she was also a little disappointed.
Mariana's return meant that she could no longer stay in Aries and live the life of a " couple " with Lelouch.
Moreover, Mariana's legendary battle record had stimulated her heart. If she stayed by Lelouch's side and lived a lovelove life. Perhaps she would sink into this sweet gentleness. If that was the case, how could she protect Lelouch and become a woman worthy of him?
In her heart, although she had already given up on competing for the throne, she still wanted to help Lelouch and become the master of this empire. She also had to work harder. Her old rival, the most outstanding and powerful candidate among the heirs to the throne, and the existence closest to the emperor, Senezer, would be the biggest obstacle for Lelouch to ascend to the throne.
For the sake of Lelouch, she had to get rid of this threat. In order to get rid of Senezer's threat, she had to be more outstanding than him. Moreover, he had to show his strong desire to compete for the throne in front of the emperor. Only by doing so could he attract the emperor's attention and obtain greater power and influence.
An individual's strength was limited in front of an army, let alone an empire that aimed to conquer the world.
On the night of Mariana's return, after giving Lelouch a tongue bath for the last time, she had dinner with Mariana and Lelouch. While enjoying the dessert after dinner, the hesitant Cornelia looked back and forth between Mariana and Lelouch for a few minutes before finally making up her mind.
"Lady Mariana! I…I have something to ask you!”
"Oh, what is it?"
Mariana had long noticed the restless Cornelia. Seeing that she finally spoke, she put down the coffee with a smile and asked softly.
"If…if I want to compete for the throne, what should I do?”
Cornelia's flickering eyes sneaked a glance at Lelouch, who was in the nurse's arms. He was looking at her with his charming violet eyes. From his deep gaze, Cornelia seemed to have received encouragement. Xiao Xiao clenched her fists tightly and mustered all the courage in her heart to speak loudly.
"Don't ask me this question. You should ask yourself. What do you think you can do?”
Surprise flashed across Mariana's eyes. She didn't expect that she would ask this question. No, this was not a question, but a plea for advice from Cornelia.
" Cornelia, have you finally come to your senses?"
Mariana quietly looked at the eleven-year-old girl in front of her. She saw a strange maturity and determination on her still young face. It was completely different from a week ago when she could only look at His Majesty for a few seconds.
"I…"
Cornelia wanted to say something but stopped. She fell into deep thought, as if she was thinking about Mariana's words.
"First of all, only by recognizing yourself can you choose your future path!”
"There is only one way to inherit the throne, and that is to obtain His Majesty's approval! As for how to obtain His Majesty's approval, you should be very clear about this matter!”
Competition? Was there still a battle? Not only with the enemy, but also with her own brothers and sisters, and even the man sitting on the throne.
She knew very well that her father, who stood at the top of the empire, had always emphasized the theory of the strong preying on the weak and encouraged the princes and princesses to compete with each other. In the competition, only the most outstanding person who won in the end would be the heir to the throne! He even personally told them that as long as they could defeat him, the throne would be his.
Survival of the fittest!
His Majesty the Emperor had said so, and he had done the same. To the empire, to all the citizens of the empire, and even to his own children. They strictly followed the laws of nature.
"But, that kind of thing! I…"
"Can't you do it? When you said those words to me, you should have had this kind of resolution. Even if the enemy is me, you shouldn't hesitate and bravely swing the sword in your hand at me!”
Mariana's tone gradually became stern, and there was a sharp aura between her eyebrows.
"With…with you as an enemy…awareness!”
Cornelia clenched her fists even tighter. She had not thought about these things before she made this decision.
"That's right, because I'm His Majesty's knight!”
An unwavering knight took Cornelia from
Yes, if she wanted to inherit the throne, then the current Emperor was her target. If that day really came and she had no choice but to become enemies with the emperor in order to seize the throne, then as the knight of the emperor, Mariana would naturally become her enemy.
What was a knight? A knight was a shield that protected the king, and a knight was a sword that destroyed the enemy for the king! The reason why she made this decision was to become Lelouch's sword and shield!
It was the same, she and Lady Mariana!
Cornelia finally understood what Mariana meant when she said she knew herself!
"Phew…"
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. When she opened her eyes again, the confusion in her eyes had completely disappeared, replaced by determination.
"I know. If that happens, Lady Mariana, I will treat you as my enemy and raise my sword!”
For Lelouch, even if I have to become enemies with you, the goal I yearn for! Lady Mariana!
Seeing that there was no longer any confusion in Cornelia's eyes, Mariana nodded in satisfaction." Very good, Cornelia. That's the expression. You really didn't disappoint me!”
Since she had already made up her mind, Mariana did not beat around the bush and began to analyze her initial problem. However, she would never have thought that her resolve was not to compete for the throne, but because she was Lelouch's knight.
Mariana had guessed wrong from the beginning!
"Administration, politics, military, economy, planning, market, culture, and so on! Both of them could allow you to achieve certain achievements and then enter His Majesty's sight. However, for the Empire's plan to conquer the world in the future, there were only two things that were most important! Political and military!"
Mariana extended two fingers and continued.
"The politics is used to stabilize the country, create a stable environment, and provide support for military operations! Military affairs included the maintenance of internal security, the development of new weapons and armaments, foreign wars, the rule of conquered lands and people, the plundering of the wealth and resources of the Imperium, and the political service of the Imperium!”
"There are many conditions for this. For example, political achievements, military achievements, personal strength and resourcefulness, followers and forces behind you, etc., could all become a part of your strength!”
" Just like how you and the emperor complement each other, you have extraordinary personal strength, while the emperor has all the power except for personal strength! With his outstanding wisdom and powerful political skills, all the people were his followers. The entire empire was his force!”
" I'm not afraid," said Cornelia confidently. She had already recognized her true position. Her eyes were shining with wisdom.
"Oh, isn't it very clear? It seems that you have grown a lot since you can see through this! So, what is your choice?”
Mariana was pleased to see that Cornelia had grown up so quickly in just a week. She wanted to hear the answer she wanted with her own ears.
"The prime minister is the representative of politics, the Knights of the Round Table is the representative of personal strength, the general is the representative of the army, the nobles and consortiums are the representatives of power, and the loyal and powerful subordinates are the representatives of followers.”
Cornelia slowly stood up as if she was making an oath. She solemnly and solemnly told her answer, just like Mariana, whom she had been longing for.
"Senezer must have chosen politics. I'm already far behind him, so I only have one choice now!”
As she spoke, she raised her fist and said loudly,""I want to go to the army and follow the path you once walked!”
"Not a bad choice, Cornelia! You're a proud person and a realist who takes action. You're not suitable for politics at all. Therefore, the army is the most suitable place for you!”
Hearing Mariana's evaluation of her, Cornelia could not help but laugh bitterly in her heart. It was indeed not bad. She had never liked those civil officials who were always full of nonsense. They always acted one way on the surface but acted another way behind their backs. Political affairs had always been dirty. She was a straightforward and forthright person, and she hated this kind of thing the most.
"Although your martial strength is still slightly inferior, you have extraordinary leadership and battlefield strategy. In addition to your straightforwardness and boldness, your manliness and courage are not inferior to a man. In an army that valued battle achievements and strength, he would definitely be able to shine. In addition, you are the second princess of the Empire! I'm sure that in a few years, your name will replace mine and become the Empire's new War Goddess! Your prestige and power in the army will also be unparalleled!“
The path that Mariana had once walked could be said to be the best reference for Cornelia. Perhaps she could not have Mariana's superhuman strength, but with her identity as the second princess of the Empire, she was much stronger than Mariana from the beginning. Therefore, her future achievements could even surpass Mariana's shining name.
"During this dormant period of the Empire, the Empire will focus on the economy and politics in the early stages. After digesting the resources and population of South America, the Empire's economy will also greatly improve. However, in the middle and later stages, the Empire's center of gravity would definitely be closer to the military. I believe that by then, His Majesty should be able to resolve the hidden dangers within the empire! The war chariot of the Imperium would be restarted once again!”
" Therefore, these few years are destined to be Senezer's time. His talent and advantage in politics are incomparable to yours.”
Cornelia nodded in acknowledgment. Indeed, compared to the First Prince who had no special traits and mediocre abilities, the Second Prince of the Empire, who was her equal, was a publicly acknowledged genius. He had unparalleled sensitivity and talent in politics!
On the contrary, as a girl, she liked to play with swords and guns. After entering the officer academy, the path that the two of them chose was completely different from their gender, and it had always been the central topic of discussion among the upper echelons of the Empire!
However, whether it was her or Senezer, they had never regretted their decision.
This was because this was the path they had decided on themselves.
In order to travel with you, I will embark on a journey. Even if the road ahead is a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, a desperate abyss and hell, I will not retreat.
Lelouch!
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。