Madam Vasaki stood on the square outside Fortress Oditore and gazed at the huge city wall that was being built in the distance. She was lost in thought. She frowned slightly, turned around, and saw Carolina walking towards her.
"Carolina?"
"Madam."
Karolina's complexion was not very good. She looked a little haggard, but when she saw Madame Vassagi, she seemed a little calmer. Speaking of which, Karolina always felt better when she was with Madame Vassagi because Madame Vassagi was like an older sister who took care of her. It felt good to be cared for.
"What's wrong?
Did you just come back today?
You don't seem to be in good condition. "
Madam Vasaki walked over and gently pulled Karolina's hand. She looked at Karolina's face carefully. The Red Dragon Royal Highness had used a shapeshifting spell and looked like a black-haired beauty. She was slightly shorter than Madam Vasaki, which made her look younger than Madam Vasaki. However, the so-called age had become an eternal mystery in front of these two top-tier beings who could be called "Longevity Goddesses".
"Yes, they just arrived. Many of them have gone to Sibor?"
"Xilias's army has reached Sibor. He may need to stay for a while."
Madame Vassagi seemed to want to say something, but when she looked at Karolina, she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. "You look a little depressed, Karolina."
"Just call me Lainey, Madam."
Carolina sighed and leaned closer to Madam Vasaki. "Madam, are you thinking about something?"
"It's nothing. The territory has developed, but some things still need to be taken care of slowly. It's been hard on him. He has to be busy with everything." Madam Vasaki smiled. "Did he solve the problem while he was away?"
"More or less … You will know when he comes back."
"Don't worry. I haven't noticed anything unusual with him recently."
Madam Vasaki felt that Carolina was holding her hand a little tighter. Two beautiful women walking hand in hand on the streets of Oditore was certainly eye-catching. But no one dared to say anything because everyone knew Medusa's identity as the patriarch.
"It's … I want to know why he suddenly got married."
Carolina gritted her teeth and asked. She looked around and quickly said, "Let's find a place to sit and talk. Madam Vasaki, do you mind?"
"Silly girl."
Madam Vasaki smiled, then she twisted her snake-like waist and pulled her to the nearest tavern with a decently decorated interior.
※ ※ ※
"I'm late."
Victoria hurried to Count's side. She frowned and did not look too good. Count, who had drunk too much last night, received the news that the rebels had arrived outside the city wall when she woke up in the morning. She hurriedly teleported from Sith to Sibor. But when she arrived, she found that the city wall had been arranged in good order. The magicians on the tower were already in place. Everything was ready.
This made Victoria feel a little guilty, but at the same time, there was an irrepressible sweetness in her heart. She rushed to the city wall before she had time to pack up her clothes. Her provocative dress made many soldiers gulp. Many was looking at the moving army on the distant horizon and thinking about something. When he heard this, he came back to his senses and turned around, but frowned slightly. Then he said, "It's not late. The rebels are estimated to have more than half a day before they attack. Can I invite the beautiful Count for breakfast?"
Without saying anything else, he immediately mentioned the matter of having a meal together. Countess Victoria was stunned for a moment before quickly nodding in agreement. Perhaps it was because of the alcohol, she did not have much room to react. Her head hurt badly, and the countess had been suffering from the pain of a hangover.
"I'll do as you say."
She instinctively raised her hand. Count was stunned for a moment, then reached out and gently held it. He did not know what this meant. You want me to hold her hand?
In fact, Victoria was really a little muddle-headed. She hadn't sobered up yet. When she felt her hand being held by someone, she immediately leaned closer to him. Then, she walked down the city wall with his help.
Count understood what was going on the moment Victoria leaned against him. The faint fragrance and lingering smell of alcohol on Count's body reminded him of the scene last night when Flora lay in his arms in her underwear …
Don't let your imagination run wild!
Many of them took a deep breath. The morning air was a little cold, and Victoria's dress was a little lacking in many people's eyes, especially the deep ravine on her chest … Many of them trembled as they looked away. In an instant, they took out an unlined garment from their space rings and put it on Victoria. Then, they gently supported the count and walked down the city wall under the gaze of the soldiers from time to time.
Victoria was really anxious. She felt a little cold even before she returned to the warm house. She tightened her clothes, but before she could say anything, she saw Count carrying breakfast in front of her. He even poured a cup of warm milk and served it to her. In short, Victoria did not know what to do. She stared blankly at Count, but then she remembered that the man in front of her was already a married man.
That made her feel even more uncomfortable. But Count did not seem to realize it. After tidying up, he sat opposite Victoria and looked up at her. He felt that the woman in front of him was a little cold, so he took out a cloak and handed it to her. He said, "Eat your food and have a good sleep. Leave the city wall to me."
"En."
Victoria did not know what this feeling was. She uncontrollably took the cloak that Count handed to her. She did not even know how she put it on. In short, this breakfast seemed to be very fast, but also very slow. Victoria felt that her brain was not enough to process it. She hoped that this scene could continue, but at the same time, she warned herself not to think so.
The person in front of her was not someone that anyone could poach — this was the husband of the empress!
Although the empresses in history had their own … "harem", most of them were male concubines without real power. No matter from what perspective, the empress would not have such a powerful man as her husband. But the current situation was coincidental. Victoria could not help but sigh at the wonders of fate.
After finishing breakfast absentmindedly, Count politely poured a cup of warm water for her, reminded this Count to have a good rest, and returned to the top of the city wall to inspect, leaving behind the "strong woman" who seemed to be even more resentful.
It was not correct to say that Victoria fell in love with Count at this moment. She just felt that it was time for her to consider this problem. But regrettably, it seemed that there was only Count who could make her feel this desire now … The feeling of being cared for and cared for made Victoria a little intoxicated.
But whether this was love, Victoria did not know, and no one in the world knew. Women were strange creatures, and most of the time, they did not know what they wanted.
…
"Eye of the Sky, scout."
Clouds and mist slowly gathered in front of her, and then the circular mirror in front of her showed the exact scene of the army in the distance.
There were more than fifty thousand soldiers in the army, and just the logistical troops alone formed a long line — it was as if there was no end in sight. Unlike the undead's attack, these troops were in perfect order. The infantry formation was as neat as a chessboard, and there were archers, cavalry, and many other types of soldiers. Most of them were engineers who didn't carry any weapons.
These troops stopped in the distance, and gradually spread out in an orderly manner. The sappers began to gather materials on the ground to build large siege weapons. Logs were transported to the back of the enemy's tents and gradually assembled.
The infantry phalanxes were in the midst of preparation. The distance between the two armies was more than ten kilometers, where magic and catapults could not attack. This was also a safe distance. The enemy seemed to understand the situation of the Sith Court. The rebels in the "Eye of the Sky" did not seem to be in a hurry to attack the city, and Count could clearly feel that their commander was a man who had fought in wars.
Why did they say so?
Because there were basically no large-scale wars in the Empire before this war. The commander who commanded an army of more than 50,000 soldiers was so orderly and did not make any mistakes, and did not impatiently prepare to attack the city. In terms of basic qualities of a commander, the commander was already qualified.
Until now, neither side knew the strength of the other side. Or perhaps, they already knew what they should know, but there were many things that they had not verified. For example, how powerful were the archers in Sibor?
And how effective were the siege weapons of the rebel army?
Many of these questions were uncertain. Henry's continuous transmission of intelligence gave Count a lead in terms of the degree of update. The commander of the rebel army was a general who had served in Oditore for more than three years. He was the castellan of Oditore before Hicnitz. Speaking of which, Count could be considered to have served in the same place as him.
There was not much information about the commander. Count could only see that after he left Oditore, he was roped in by the nobles of the Southern Faction. After that, the intelligence was basically cut off. Henry could not find out too much in such a short period of time. But the information he received gave Count a general understanding of what kind of character the commander was — steady and not out of line. That was Count's first instinctive impression of the commander.
Speaking of which, Count had fought in so many battles, but this was the first time he fought a real human face-to-face. If Count had killed people like flies and was almost indifferent to life, then after coming here, Count seemed to have gradually abandoned that indifference in the past and began to learn to respect life from the bottom of his heart.
However, respect was not pity. Many understood that war itself was the result of the accumulation of mistakes, and that the only way to end war was through war. There was no other way. Ceding territories and reparations were all illusory fantasies that many understood from various historical facts. Peace?
Peace is holding a bigger stick in your hand than others!
Count stood on the city wall like the most ordinary officer. For the whole morning, he did not take a step away from the city wall. This action also influenced the soldiers on the city wall, filling them with fighting spirit for the next battle.
Because before this, there were no signs of Sirius's fall. There were all kinds of rumors among the people, including that Marquis Barton's army was unstoppable and the city wall of Sirius was pierced through like a layer of papyrus under his "secret weapon". In this era where communication was not developed, the power of rumors was sometimes really stronger than a flood, especially when it was incited by certain people.