He paused, then continued:
“My sword belongs neither to the kingdom nor to the church. It belongs to all who believe tomorrow will be better, to all who refuse to bow to disaster, to all—who love this world.”
The hall was utterly silent.
The nobles stared blankly at this green-haired young man, suddenly feeling his figure appeared exceptionally tall in the morning light.
A barely perceptible curve appeared at the corner of Julius’s mouth.
Freeing Abel from the narrow positioning of a “kingdom hero” and pushing him to a more exalted position—like a legendary hero saving the world!
In this way, neither the kingdom nor the church could claim “ownership” over him with legitimacy.
He could only be an ally, not a subordinate.
Prim’s face paled slightly.
She understood.
This speech, seemingly righteous and awe-inspiring, actually completely severed the possibility of her using national righteousness to coerce Abel.
Not only that, but it turned the tables—if the royal family forcibly conscripted him again, it would be equivalent to admitting they didn’t care about “all humanity,” only the kingdom’s interests.
What a Julius Noct! Truly the foremost great noble in the kingdom!
She gave the marquis a deep look, then turned to Abel and lowered her eyelids:
“…I was narrow-minded.
Sir Abel’s breadth of mind is admirable.”
She raised her head again, having regained her calm, and lightly parted her vermilion lips:
“Then, at least allow the royal family to provide support as an ally.
Whether you need intelligence, supplies, or any other assistance, the kingdom will spare no effort.”
This was settling for second best.
Since she couldn’t “own” him, then “befriend” him.
Abel didn’t refuse this time.
He nodded: “Thank you, Your Highness.”
Prim let out a slight sigh of relief and continued:
“In addition, tonight the palace will host a banquet.
Nominally, it’s to mourn the victims of this incident and to pray for the survivors.
At that time, all important nobles of the kingdom and high-level church officials will attend.”
She looked at Abel, her tone sincere:
“I earnestly request that you attend. This is not only for the royal family’s face but also to show everyone—that in the face of this crisis concerning humanity’s survival, we can set aside differences and unite.”
Abel instinctively wanted to refuse.
A banquet? Noble socializing?
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
But before he could speak, Julius had already agreed on his behalf:
“Your Highness’s gracious invitation—we naturally have no reason to refuse.
Abel, right?”
He turned his head and gave his brother a look.
—The royal family’s face must be given.
Otherwise, the play of “ruler and subject reconciling” just now would have been for nothing.
It was merely delaying the return to the marquis territory by one day; there was absolutely enough time!
Their parents’ memorial day was still several days away.
Abel read his brother’s gaze and had to swallow the refusal that was on the tip of his tongue, nodding stiffly:
“…I’ll attend.”
“Wonderful.” Prim showed her first genuine smile of the day.
“Then, see you tonight.”
She nodded slightly and turned to leave.
Her back was still straight, but Abel noticed that her hand hanging at her side was trembling slightly.
It wasn’t until the princess’s carriage left the marquis mansion that the nobles in the hall seemed to regain their breath.
They exchanged glances, sharing complex looks, then one by one came forward to bow to Abel and take their leave.
Today’s play had too much information.
They needed time to digest it.
Sephilia also stood up.
This beautiful female archbishop in her twenties still wore an elegant smile on her face, but Abel could feel that the smile was a few degrees colder than before.
That speech just now had also rejected the church at the same time.
“Marquis Julius’s eloquence is truly admirable.” She said softly, her gaze circling between the brothers.
“However, you’re right.
In the face of such a crisis, unity is indeed more important than anything.”
She turned to Abel, her tone becoming gentle again:
“Then, I’ll leave Aiko to you.
She’ll be a good helper.”
“Thank you, Archbishop.” Abel responded politely.
Sephilia nodded and left with Aiko.
Before stepping out the door, Aiko looked back at Abel, a complex light flashing in her azure eyes.
Was it expectation, or admiration?
That was unknown.
***
Finally, only the Noct family members remained in the hall.
Abel let out a long breath, feeling as if all his strength had been drained.
“So tired…” He slumped onto the sofa.
“Big Brother, thanks to you just now.
Otherwise, I really wouldn’t have known what to do.”
Julius sat down opposite him, picked up the already cold tea, and took a gentle sip:
“Princess Prim has an expert advising her from behind.
This move of flattery to death was played very skillfully.
First stepping herself into the mud to occupy the moral high ground, then pressuring with righteous names.
If not cracked in time, you really would have been in a tough spot.”
Abel also took a sip of tea, lingering fear in his heart: “Big Brother is still the best—this little trick couldn’t make any waves in front of you.”
Julius seemed quite pleased to hear it; he slightly squinted his eyes and nodded ‘mm-hmm’: “Of course—who do you think your brother is? However, although I hold great power, I can’t let relations with the royal family get too strained, so you must go to tonight’s banquet!”
“I know, Big Brother.”
Abel’s expression collapsed; of course he knew his brother’s intention—this was proof of the friendly relations between the marquis house and the royal family!
It was for the common people and other nobles to see! Proving that the previous unpleasantness was just a misunderstanding between ruler and subject, and from now on, they were still good friends—just that simple.
Noble relations were like that; even if inwardly hating the other to the point of gnashing teeth, wishing to devour them alive, on the surface, they still had to be polite.
Couldn’t lose face.
Julius smiled: “Don’t worry, it’s just going back a day late—the parents’ memorial day can still be made.
Recently, I’ve built a new road between the marquis territory and the royal capital; the fastest is one day to reach the marquis territory.”
Abel understood all that; he let out a powerless wail, knowing tonight was inescapable.
With things said to this point, what else could he do?
“…Alright, Big Brother, then I’ll go practice sword for a bit now.”
Julius waved his hand, letting Abel go to the courtyard to practice—the marquis mansion’s courtyard was quite large, suitable as a sword practice area.
Incidentally, Sutis, who was devouring a cream cake with her mouth full of white liquid, was also grabbed by the back collar by Abel like a kitten and taken away—for this, the little girl was not pleased.
She muttered a few curses under her breath.
At this, Julius couldn’t help but show a faint smile.
He sat alone in the reception room and gently exhaled: “A royal banquet, huh—it’s been a while since I attended one.
How about being my true self after so long?”
Seeming to think of some amusing scene, he couldn’t help but reveal a slightly wicked smile.