Super Righteous Player
Chapter 758 - 299 Are You Loyal?_1

Chapter 758: Chapter 299 Are You Loyal?_1

After all... I’ve come to this place.

As she reentered the familiar yet unfamiliar grand ducal mansion, Selicia was briefly dazed.

Everything was exactly the same as before.

The courtyard bustled with people coming and going, with nobles, ministers, and local officials arriving to report on their work, entering the main building. They were curious about the beautiful Selicia but didn’t ask further questions... The cold air of Winter helped everyone remain calm.

Selicia was then led by a Hand of Winter, along with a wizard cloaked in a heavy robe made of dragonwell tea, through a narrow door on the side.

It was a tight corridor, barely allowing two people to walk side by side. On both sides were metal reliefs depicting scenes of war – constructed for unexpected situations, specially designed to defend against external enemies.

Selicia still remembered that the reliefs in this passage were based on the famous painting "The Unfallen Stronghold." It depicted the classic battle of dwarf and giant soldiers besieging the Watch Fortress... The Paper Princess had drawn it and personally delivered it here.

But grandmother did not accept the painting in person.

After the Paper Princess left, grandmother had it transformed into a metal relief. It could switch between two states through mechanisms within the mansion—either gradually weakening enemy soldiers in the corridor or healing the wounds of friendly soldiers.

And it even had a warning function.

It operated on a whitelist principle—unless it was someone specified, an alarm would be triggered at once.

That was also the reason why only the two of them had come here.

Selicia remembered all of this very clearly.

Her teacher had once mentioned...

If one day, enemies attacked the grand ducal mansion of Winter, attempting assassination.

At that time, the mission of the Hands of Winter was to block this alley with their lives to buy time.

... To be able to say such things.

Yet when the teacher defected, their determination was such...

It was also precisely because Selicia could not be sure what the teacher really wanted to do, that she was "captured" by the players in such an almost self-sacrificing manner.

She indeed had things she wanted to ask, had things she wanted to say.

"This is the little garden,"

Dragonwell tea introduced it to her, "His Majesty exercises here every day."

"Ah... I remember,"

Selicia replied subconsciously.

... You remember?

Dragonwell tea looked at her with some surprise and thoughtfulness.

It occurred to him that Selicia seemed to come from the Hands of Winter...

In the relatively sparse courtyard, tall trees with thick green leaves stood resilient even in Winter. In the center of the yard, a small fountain spouted continuously. By the standards of a grand ducal mansion, it could be said to be too small.

But such was the style of Winter.

The presence of "small barriers" significantly reduced the effective living and farming areas. The people of Winter had long grown accustomed to a very dense way of life. In Winter, where poverty and scarcity reigned all year round, even the grand nobility might not live as luxuriously as common merchants in other countries when it came to food and daily life.

Limited resources, limited land, limited population.

Even the Grand Duke of Winter could not afford to waste.

The grand ducal mansion still appeared as large as a street from the outside because it also served as a government office building—the Hands of Winter worked within the mansion.

As for the actual living area of the Winter family, it was much smaller than even the Viscount of Osthoff who resided atop the mountain.

From the fountain, white traces extended to the north, south, east, and west, dividing the ground into four rectangular sections.

Annan and Dmitry used to practice the Frost Sword Technique in the northeastern corner.

Selicia remembered it vividly.

Because only from this spot could everything be clearly seen from inside the room—Duke Ivan’s health was poor, and he couldn’t be exposed to drafts.

He had only personally taught Annan the Frost Sword Technique once or twice, each time at great personal risk to his health. And usually, he would watch from inside the house, through the window, as Dmitry taught his younger brother the swordplay... Sometimes, Maria would also secretly watch Annan from her room on the second floor.

She remembered every single detail.

—Because it was her childhood as well.

She took a deep breath and entered the room.

Longjing tea followed closely behind her—the Hand of Winter who brought them in immediately shut the door.

His authority, it turned out, was not sufficient to enter the room.

...just like Selicia back then.

"It’s been a long time... Selicia."

Annan sat on the sofa, holding a cup of steaming hot tea, smiling at her and giving Longjing tea a slight nod.

He wasn’t dressed like his father, Ivan, who always wore that long cloak he seldom changed even after years—

His outfit was too... avant-garde, perhaps?

Inside, Annan wore a fitted sleeveless grey shirt, not unlike Duke Ivan. But instead of wearing a proper coat outside, he was draped in a pure white fur cape with fluff on it.

But to Selicia, the cape seemed to be overly tilted due to the designer’s particular taste—it not only had sleeves, but only one side had a sleeve.

Placed over the head, the fluff covered the right arm, neck, and chest, yet left the entire left shoulder and arm exposed.

On Annan’s left arm, there was a dark grey fur sleeve that extended from the upper arm, covering half of his hand. Only Annan’s left shoulder was exposed... where a dark golden symbol, consisting of two interlocking rings, pulsed erratically.

Annan’s silver-white hair flowed down to his back—razor-sharp at the ends as if cut by a blade. Combined with the asymmetrical and peculiar decor of his attire, the Emperor’s youthful frame exuded an unforgettable demonic allure at first glance.

But Selicia dared not look for too long.

Behind Annan stood a beautiful woman with deep blue wavy hair and a gentle demeanour, her grey eyes smiling softly, her fingers touching lightly, placed before her abdomen, silent as a word was not spoken.

Selicia could feel that she wasn’t looking at herself.

But from the void, an intense sense of scrutiny emanated—she had been completely locked in by the "ten fingers’" perception.

"It’s only been a few days, Annan... Your Majesty."

Selicia paused before lowering her head and speaking softly.

"Please take a seat," Annan extended his left hand, gesturing toward the sofa in front of him, signaling her to sit opposite him, "Sit here... Zoya made me some milk tea, and there are some snacks. I wasn’t sure how much sugar you like, so I didn’t let her add any... The sugar is here, the honey is here.

"You must be cold from outside, no? Longjing tea, you sit too—it’s nothing too serious, we’ll talk while we eat."

He smiled warmly.

As he spoke, his elbows rested on the sofa armrest, fingers lightly touching, placed before his chest.

The cuffs of dark grey and pure white interwove in front of Annan, creating a pronounced triangular feel.

"Selicia, you were once a Hand of Winter. You have served me, served Winter.

"I have no wish to detain you; our relationship shouldn’t have come to this. It’s not dignified for either of us, even less so for you, who came here trusting me... Though, it’s indeed an occasion for those nobles awaiting the outcome of this negotiation.

"I hope we can resolve this issue within this room. Ideally, before we finish this pot of tea, we can provide each other with a satisfactory response."

After he finished speaking, Annan rose to pour a cup of piping hot milk tea for both Selicia and Longjing tea.

When he sat down again, he reached out with his right hand and grasped the tricoloured sceptre standing next to the sofa.

His aura changed instantly.

It went beyond that of a monarch.

From that irresistibly demonic allure.... to a solemnity befitting a deity.

"So, the first question."

He didn’t wait for Selicia to respond.

Annan asked directly, looking earnestly at Selicia.

"—Are you loyal to the Duke?"

The instant he asked, Selicia’s pupils sharply constricted!

In her eyes...

In that moment.

—The image of Annan completely overlapped with that of Vladimir from years past.

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