"Where's Flora?"
"Her Royal Highness hasn't come out since yesterday."
"Got it."
Stu gently took off his gloves and loosened the belt around his neck. This was an accessory that the royal family had to wear in public. It was extremely uncomfortable, but they had to wear it.
"Tell me the latest news."
Stu seemed to loathe the gorgeous clothes. After taking them off, he casually threw them to the side and relaxed in the large armchair. He heaved a sigh of relief and said to the butler standing at the door in an authoritative tone.
"His Majesty's invitations have all been answered. Even the Count Gatchalin who never shows his face has replied to His Majesty and expressed his willingness to come."
"Continue."
"Ambassador Lambas's information has been blocked very tightly. We still haven't found any clues.
Marquis Barton — "
"What about the undead?" Stu interrupted him.
"The Undead seemed to have disappeared for a period of time after the wave of assassinations ended, but there was news just now that the Undead appeared near Sibor and caused casualties," Lin Li said with a smile.
"Hmph."
Stuart humphed coldly and listened to some other news. After that, he waved his hand and dismissed his steward. With the help of a maid, he changed into a much looser set of clothes and walked out of his palace. However, he went straight to Princess Flora's palace, which was not far from where he was.
The sky was covered with dark clouds. It seemed like it was going to rain again.
As the only son of Emperor Bodinar, there was no doubt that Stu would inherit the throne. However, this prince hadn't gotten married yet. For a nobleman who was almost 30 years old, this could be considered a weirdo.
Most of the nobles would get engaged at the age of 18 and get married at the age of 20. Although the person they married might not be their ideal lover and could even be said to be far from it, it was inevitable for these nobles who were born in aristocratic families to get married.
In fact, this was one of the main reasons why there were so many scandals among the noblemen.
Extramarital affairs?
This was almost a 100% occurrence for the noblemen. No one would be surprised by the news of a certain young master being caught in bed by his wife. At most, they would sigh at the bravery of his wife.
Up until now, Stu had rejected the countless marriage partners that his father had arranged for him. In the end, Emperor Charnak had given up hope and simply let it go.
No one knew why Stu would reject those noble girls with excellent conditions. However, everyone knew that Stu had gone to the frontline of the Holy Lance War against Azura Forest three times in a row. He had personally beheaded no less than thirty Trolls during the war!
He had made great contributions.
Speaking of which, the handsome Stu could be considered the Prince Charming in the dreams of many Sirius noble girls. The story of his bravery in killing his enemies had already spread far and wide in Sirius, and Stu seemed to completely meet the criteria of a knight in their dreams. More importantly, he was a prince who had yet to marry!
Although the royal family was as deep as the sea, the number of people who desired to be the Crown Prince's wife could form a line from St. Hilk's Cathedral in Sirius all the way to the Severny Palace.
However, Stu had never expressed his opinion on any woman in public. This caused this "Prince Charming" to be the code name for not getting close to women.
There was a saying that went, "A prince riding on a white horse can be Xuanzang."
Stu was indeed an ascetic monk when it came to women.
"Call her Flora."
Stu's expression was cold as he spoke to the maid at the door of the Princess' bedroom in an authoritative tone.
The latter immediately bowed and jogged into the bedroom.
Not long after, the maid ran back and replied respectfully, "Your Highness, Her Highness has gone to bed. Please —"
"Alright, I'm just passing her a message. Her dear father sends his regards. Just pass it on when you have time."
Stu impatiently interrupted the maidservant's formulaic answer. After saying what he wanted to say, he walked away, leaving the maidservant trembling on the spot.
A gust of wind blew, and it began to drizzle again.
"Why is there so much rain this year?"
Stu mumbled with a frown. Then, he disappeared in the misty rain.
* * *
"Your Eminence, it seems that we can't go any further."
Susan's wet clothes clung tightly to her exquisite body. She reached out her hand and tucked her wet hair behind her ears. She looked at the surging river in front of her and said to Becky.
Some simple-looking farmers didn't want to wait any longer. They held the slippery handrails and walked to the other side of the trestle. The roaring river passed under their feet. The farmers tied ropes to each other. It took them more than 10 minutes to cross the bridge safely.
At the sight of that, the people behind them followed suit. The caravans carried their goods on their shoulders and walked to the bridge one by one. The hunters and peddlers who were going back to their villages also tied ropes and prepared to cross the river.
At this moment, Becky said softly, "Go and ask them how to take a detour."
Susan nodded and walked to the crowd. She never doubted the Bishop's words. She only obeyed him.
At this moment, the river suddenly shook. Then, a wave surged from afar — — The wave was more than 1 meter higher than the current water level!
Obviously, the embankment at the upstream suddenly collapsed!
The people on the bridge had no time to dodge. They shouted and ran to the shore, but it was too late.
"Boom!" The wave directly hit the fragile wooden bridge. Like a sledgehammer smashing a glass, the wooden bridge collapsed from the middle in an instant!
With a few screams drowned in the sound of the water, the huge wave wrapped the people who were crossing the bridge and dragged them into the torrential current in an instant!
Susan looked at the scene of the flood devouring people and turned to look at Bishop Becky. The latter shook her head and said, "Everyone has chosen their own path. Since you have chosen it, you have to be responsible for yourself."
"Got it."
Susan drew a cross on her chest, but she didn't cast another glance at the river. She politely stopped a bewildered peasant woman and asked softly, "Excuse me, if I don't go this way, which way should I go to Liliath City?"
The peasant woman was very fat, a typical working woman. She tightened the cloth bag in her hand when she heard Susan's question. When she looked up and saw Susan, she immediately relaxed and said, "To Siernas City?
Looks like you'll have to take a long detour … … If you don't want to go through this river, you'll have to go upstream. Go around Lake Myswill and go through the Khalim Forest. But it's very dangerous there. I advise you to wait here until the bridge is repaired! "
"The Holy Light blesses you." Susan bowed politely and thanked her, but she turned around and walked away.
"Go upstream." Becky didn't say much and just walked upstream with Susan.