At 7:07 in the morning, the death knell was rung at the Candlestick Cathedral in the Red Queen.
It was a dull bell sound that was completely different from the usual bell sound. Thick leather pads were tied on both sides of the bell bell to make the sound of the death knell muffled.
The death knell rang seventy-nine times, symbolizing the seventy-nine years the Queen spent in her life.
By the time the seventy-nine bells tolled, Isabel was already sitting at the head of the Round Table Hall.
The Round Table Hall is also inside the Hall of Silver and Tin, even in the main hall.
A long time ago, the earliest "Round Table" was a place for knights to enjoy banquets before and after war. At that time, the knights of the Round Table would chat and discuss at the dining table while eating. Later, the warriors who followed Arthur became more and more popular.
There are many, and the banquet is definitely not limited to one table.
But there is no doubt that the knights who ate at the same table with Arthur were the most heroic, loyal, powerful, and most prestigious among them.
They are also the "Knights of the Round Table". Many matters are discussed and decided by them together, and other knights attending the banquet will also listen and say a few words when they have ideas - everyone has a say. But in the end
It's up to the knights on the round table to decide.
This has also become a tradition for the Knights of the Round Table to discuss political affairs.
By the time the Palace of Silver and Tin was built, the earliest batch of Knights of the Round Table had already ascended to the Dream Realm. Naturally, there was no need for the successors to gather together for dinner.
But even so, in order to commemorate his former comrades, Lancelot still transformed the central and largest room into the Round Table Hall in the main hall of the Silver and Tin Palace. The former room could accommodate twenty-two people.
round table.
In addition to the twenty founders, there are also Lancelot himself and the Silver Crowned Dragon who have been hidden from history. This happens to be the number of the Major Arcana of the Tarot card.
Later, more and more knights were qualified to enter the Round Table Hall, and the government affairs faced by Avalon after the founding of the country became more and more complex. It was far beyond what those twenty people could handle.
But as an antique round table, it is impossible to make it bigger and bigger.
Therefore, except for the founding family who can sit on the round table, the other knights will surround the sides and front of the round table. There are three rows of seats of different heights, which looks like a lecture theater.
——In other words, in fact, most of the knights and ministers who come to the Round Table Hall for meetings are not qualified to sit on the Round Table.
In Avalon, which values "authority", the distance to the round table has become a symbol of the status and influence of the knights. The closer to the round table, the higher the status. The interior is divided into "inner rings" and "inner rings".
There are three levels: "Middle Ring" and "Outer Ring".
The frequency of meetings in the Round Table Hall is very high. At the slowest time, there are two or three times a month, and at the fastest time, there are more than five times a week. But basically, less than half of the people from the Founding Family come to each meeting.
There is always a large section missing. On the other hand, the knights in the outer ring always fill up the seats.
Today's Round Table Hall is different from usual.
All the knights did not arrive at the Round Table Hall in advance, but lined up at the door.
After the death knell has finished ringing, they can enter through the main entrance one after another after being summoned.
The order of entry was decided by Isabel—of course, it was actually written by Aiwass.
After entering from the main entrance, you first have to pass the long glass steps.
This is one of the reasons why this place is called the "Glass Island" because it is rich in glass. The glass steps were one of the royal rituals of Avalon in the early years. Because glass is easy to slip and break, the knights wore heavy
The armor may break the glass steps if it falls.
This forced these knights to advance slowly and cautiously to show their loyalty and respect to the royal family and the Round Table Hall.
After entering the door, they did not sit in their seats. Instead, they walked to Isabel's right side, knelt down on one knee and swore allegiance, and then kissed the silver dragon ring on Isabel's hand. However, because Isabel was still unmarried, according to etiquette, they should kiss her.
On his thumb that is holding the ring.
The first one to enter was the Deputy Director of the Arbitration Hall, Ligeia, who is the Grand Arbitrator. The second one was the Knight Commander of the Round Table Hall, the Grand Guardian who also served as Minister of Military Affairs. The third one was the Vice President of the Inspectorate.
The Grand Inquisitor Shafiya, the fourth is the aging Grand Judiciary.
Fifth, it was the turn of the Minister of Camelot as the Privy Councilor.
He is an old man with gray hair and green eyes. He looks to be at least sixty or seventy years old, but he is still covered in bright silver full-body armor. He even has gauntlets on his hands. He does not carry a sword, even if he has one
He just carried the shield inherited from his ancestor Galahad to show his determination to protect Avalon with his life.
But when the Minister of Camelot entered the door, he was even startled.
He was first surprised that he was the fifth to enter...on the other hand, he was also surprised that he was the fifth to enter.
The Privy Councilor is basically equivalent to the Prime Minister of Star Antimony or the Minister of State of Iris. He serves as the chief advisor to the King or Queen and handles many of the most important government affairs. He can be regarded as the most important and highest-status minister in Avalon.
When Queen Sophia succeeded to the throne sixty years ago, the second person she loyal to was the Privy Councilor. Of course, the Privy Councilor of that generation was definitely not him.
But the Minister of Camelot also considers himself loyal to Queen Sofia and is Queen Sofia's absolute confidant. It is for this reason that Queen Sofia gave him the position of Minister of the Privy Council. The Camelot family is considered a sideline to the Du Lac family.
line, their ancestors can also be regarded as descendants of Lanstro I, and they are related to each other.
Five years ago, Queen Sophia even secretly told him... If all the Du Lac family died or became extinct due to the curse, then the Camelot family could adopt one of their heirs to the Du Lac family and establish him as the new king.
However, since Queen Sophia passed away last night and the Palace of Silver and Tin did not summon him urgently...the Minister of Camelot actually had a premonition.
It wasn't until he saw the newspaper this morning that he gave up completely.
There is no doubt that he is not classified as a trustworthy and reliable person by Isabel.
This is actually quite reasonable.
After all, objectively speaking, the bloodline of the Camelot family is a threat to Isabel, who does not have the aptitude for authoritarianism. And even if the old Camelot is loyal to Queen Isabel, his descendants may not be able to maintain this inheritance.
Family loyalty.
...But that being said, Old Camelot had watched Isabel grow up after all. He felt a little sad when he felt Isabel's wariness.
However, what surprised the Minister of Camelot was that the young minister who had won the trust of Queen Isabel was not the first to enter the Round Table Hall.
Even until the knights were almost inside, there was no sign of Minister Moriarty.
——Is he late?
This is what the knights thought at first.
But after all the knights entered the arena, the seat on the round table was still empty.
At the first round table meeting after the new king succeeded to the throne, only one person did not attend.
The knights whispered about this unreasonable scene - some of them felt lucky, some felt gloating, and some were disturbed by this unreasonable scene.
In Avalon, which follows the rules, "irregularity" is the most disturbing anomaly.
Finally, amid the increasingly noisy discussion, Queen Isabel rang the bell next to her. The knights stood up chaotically, their armors rubbing against each other and making noises. And the people who were talking were not completely quiet, and there was a lot of noise in the Round Table Hall.
It's just reduced a bit, but it's still there, even more harsh.
It wasn't until the Great Guardian coughed lightly that the authoritative power radiated into the room. At this time, the Round Table Hall finally became quiet.
"Meeting now."
Following Aiwass's suggestion, Isabel declared coldly with a straight face: "Your Majesty, please take your seats."
As Isabel finished speaking, the two etiquette officers guarding the door of the Round Table Hall knocked the dragon-headed scepter in their hands toward the closed door of the Round Table Hall.
"Praise to the Silver Crowned Dragon!"
"Praise to Queen Isabel!"
They sang loudly one after another.
With the first knock, a silver-white "X" was revealed on the heavy silver-black door, and then the light oozed out, completely sealing the door. The second knock was on the right side of the "X" symbol.
In the middle, a larger, shield-like cross emerged from it, superimposed on the "X".
The silver barrier immediately expanded and enveloped the entire Round Table Hall. It dispelled all forces except authority in the Round Table Hall, purified the spirits and hearts of everyone present, dispelled all spells that might cause charm, suggestion, etc., and teleported
, eavesdropping, peeping and other spells are completely shielded, and can also prevent attacks from the outside.
Immediately, all the knights present said in unison: "Praise to the Silver Crowned Dragon! Praise to Queen Isabel!"
After that, all the knights sat down at the same time. The heavy armor fell down neatly, making a sharp sound like thousands of troops stopping in unison.
Isabel pursed her lips subconsciously, feeling nervous about the spectacular sight in front of her.
But she still remembered Aiwass's instructions.
She even regarded this as a test——
Even though she has Aiwass to rely on, and elders like Ligeia to rely on, she is the queen of Avalon after all, and is almost the only heir to the Du Lac family.
Except for her brother John, who was only two years old, and her biological father Prince Albert, who had escaped from the royal family and the curse long ago, Isabel did not have any relatives.
She must be strong.
Maybe Aiwass can help her, but he can't help her forever - Aiwass does not have the characteristics of the authoritarian path, which means that dominance and power are not beneficial to him. Aiwass will eventually go higher, and
Until then Avalon will only be a drag on him.
——Even if you can't help, you must not become a burden.
This is Isabel's philosophy from beginning to end.
It was with this philosophy that she faced the strange curse, and it was with this philosophy that she repeatedly committed suicide in her nightmares.
"His Majesty."
Minister Camelot stood up first and said respectfully: "Everyone is here, please take a look."
Then, he respectfully handed the bag with the documents in his hand to the Chief Justice. The Chief Justice opened and checked it, and after confirming that there was no problem, he stepped forward and handed it to Isabel.
This is the policy outline for this year and the coming year written by the Minister of the Privy Council.
They were all written when Queen Sofia was awake and handed over to Queen Sofia for inspection and signature. Because the new monarch basically has no knowledge of various government affairs after taking the throne, if he relies on his own intuition or the advice of ministers at this time,
Acting haphazardly may result in mistakes that cannot be made up for in the next few years or even ten years.
Therefore, the policy outline for the first two years was determined by the previous monarch.
Of course Isabel knows this too.
But she took the document and said in a cold and serious tone: "Not everything, Lord Camelot.
"There is another knight I trust who has not arrived. His presence is very important."
"...Then, has he ever pledged his loyalty to you?"
The minister of Camelot asked.
Hearing this, the corners of Isabel's mouth rose slightly, but she quickly flattened them down.
But even if she kept a straight face and lowered her voice, she could not erase the joy in her voice: "Yes, as early as last night, Mr. Moriarty swore allegiance to me. And I also gave him the title of knight.
name.
"He did not participate in the first roundtable meeting chaired by me today because he was feeling unwell. But this was with my permission."
Isabel speaks very clearly and slowly. This is to avoid making mistakes or accidentally stuttering and losing her majesty.
She had rehearsed these words in front of the mirror before. She said everything she might want to say several times in advance, and finally found the calmest, coldest, and most serious voice with the help of Aiwass.
She will try her best to keep every word of her voice on this line.
For this reason, she stayed up all night last night.
Seeing that the other knights were speechless, Isabel lowered her head and recited the document.
Most of them maintain the status quo, with only a few changes worthy of discussion.
After Isabel finished reading the policy outline, she handed the document to the Chief Justice for filing.
The first person to speak was the Great Guardian, who was the military and political minister.
"Your Majesty," he asked respectfully, "you said that you will increase military spending by 5% and conduct a round of compulsory conscription for young people over the age of twenty-six...Does this mean that we have to prepare for war?"
"yes."
Isabel replied calmly.
After saying this, the entire round table hall became noisy.
"quiet!"
The Great Guardian, who was the Knight Commander, suddenly raised his voice, invisible ripples spread, and silence returned to the Round Table Hall.
"I have no problem."
He nodded respectfully and sat down.
After making this start, the new Minister of Trade stood up uneasily and nervously: "Your Majesty, who is the target we need to be wary of? Star antimony or iris? What are the chances of war? How long is it expected to end?"
"——Sir Griffith, this is not a question you should ask."
Isabel replied calmly, her attitude was very tough, even hostile.
She always remembers what Aiwass said - for ministers she can trust, she will nod her head and agree to what they say, and answer directly if she has questions; but for those who are not sure about their position, they will question her, or deliberately give her
If you are looking for a problem, just push the topic back first. It doesn't hurt to be tougher and show some hostility.
Then come back and tell Aiwass how they reacted to these pushed back topics.
It's true that she doesn't understand politics, but Isabel understands acting very well.
If she doesn't know how to become a qualified queen yet, then she can "play" a queen for now.
The new Trade Secretary Griffith noticed Isabel's gaze, and he was suddenly shocked.
What a cold gaze - it seemed to be a warning, an unquestionable light of authority. It was as if what he was meeting was not the art student Isabel, but her grandmother Sophia.
No, she is even tougher than Sophia!
Those green emerald eyes have the majesty of a lion.
The Minister of Trade suddenly felt guilty... Although this matter did have something to do with him, when he was looked at by those eyes, he felt as if his heart was being seen through.
In addition, the Great Guardian was looking at him with squinted eyes, and the Minister of the Navy was arrested not long ago, and the Minister of Maritime Affairs was directly executed the day before yesterday... This made him sweat profusely for a moment. He thought about what he just wanted to say and all the proposals that he had drafted in his mind.
Hold it back.
——Does she really not have the talent for the authoritarian path?
This thought came to the mind of the Minister of Trade, then he reluctantly apologized and sat down.
There was a brief silence in the Round Table Hall.
After that, Palace Minister Mycroft Hermes slowly stood up and said: "Your Majesty, does the Palace of Silver and Tin want to recruit a new group of palace staff?"
"Mr. Hermes, this matter is up to you to decide." Isabel replied without hesitation.
Immediately afterwards, other ministers also spoke one after another. They suppressed their previous thoughts of disdain and criticism for the time being, and asked about the important business first.
"Your Majesty, Queen Sofia previously promised to allocate funds to the Ministry of Agriculture..."
"I will think about it."
"Dear Her Majesty the Queen, the list of study abroad students proposed by the Theocracy needs your final confirmation."
"Put it down first, I'll look at it later."
"Your Majesty, it's like this... The Griffin Department has seriously insufficient griffons. We have been unable to allocate griffons to front-line inspectors on time for a long time... You see..."
"The gryphon should be enough, you can figure it out yourself."
Keeping in mind all Aiwass's requirements, Isabel handled government affairs in an orderly manner, acting as a tough queen with majesty and thoughtfulness.
In the first round table meeting with the Queen in person, she was mainly responsible for specifying the next main policies, and there were no resolutions that required the knights to vote.
As Isabel gradually entered the state, her eyes became sharper and sharper, and the old knights with ulterior motives also looked at each other with strange looks on their faces.
Finally, in an unusually harmonious and calm atmosphere, the first round table meeting ended.
"My lords, the silver-crowned dragon is watching Avalon."
The young queen's calm speech now sounded like some kind of threat.
None of the difficulties Isabel imagined happened - but she did not breathe a sigh of relief here. Instead, she closed her eyes calmly, holding the scepter and closing her eyes to rest, waiting for the knights to leave.
——But in fact, she was quickly recalling the contents of the meeting and the attitudes of all ministers. She would have to repeat them to Aiwass later, and any memory errors could be fatal.
When the knights looked at each other, as if they wanted to say something, but couldn't say it here...
Only the unnoticed one in the corner, the fat Minister Mycroft Hermes, seemed to have seen through something, with his hands in his sleeves and the corners of his mouth raised slightly.
I feel a little unwell today. This is a two-in-one chapter.
