Several strong guards pushed me to the ground, and a gentle-looking guy put a thick pad on a certain area of my skin and smiled at me.
"Cooperate more! Scream more miserably," he said.
"One!" The guards knocked down the sticks in their hands.
"Ah..." I yelled. Because there was a cushion on my butt, it didn't hurt at all.
"Two!" The sticks in the hands of the guards were struck down again...
"Ah...ah...ah..." The guards slapped me twenty-eight times, and I screamed twenty-eight times, trying to make every scream different.
There were only two sticks left. I hadn't seen the guards beat me for a long time. I became impatient. I was about to urge them to finish beating me quickly so that I could go home for dinner. When I turned around, I saw Fichet's evil smile.
"No!" I sensed the danger from his eyes, and sure enough, the cushion on my butt was immediately blown away by him, and I was immediately stunned!
"Puff! Puff!" There were two muffled sounds, and I received two heavy blows on my buttocks. An indescribable severe pain spread slowly but resolutely from the skin to the bone marrow... I opened my mouth, but screamed
It didn't come out, only "hiss...hiss..." gasping for air.
"you……"
"Well, this is what my father said, the last two blows must be given." Turning a blind eye to my innocent eyes, Fichet turned his head and said, "Get up, mother wants to see you."
I limped along in the royal garden. The gurgling water and exotic flowers and plants around me could not alleviate my pain at all.
"Father said that if I don't beat you a few times, your secrets will be exposed." Fichet led the way, "By the way, it sounds like you got a good deal. You got a military position with a meal of a military stick."
"I don't care whether I have a military position or not, I will take revenge!" I said with gritted teeth, "Just remember this!"
"Whatever...but remember, you have to call me Your Majesty from now on."
"Hehe... I'll tell you later. Aren't you still His Highness now?"
In the pavilion surrounding the creek, we met Queen Nasher. She was dressed in plain clothes, sitting on a small white stool, holding flower scissors in her hand, and focused on pruning an unknown flower placed on the table.
of branches and leaves.
"You are here." Queen Nasher said softly, "Sit down and wait for me. I will be here soon."
"Please continue." Watching Fichet sit down and thinking about my butt, I decided to give up this treatment, "It's better if I stand."
Queen Nasher raised her head and smiled at me before continuing to trim. I couldn't help but be stunned. That smile... was so real, so natural, and made people feel comfortable.
I couldn't even hear a bird chirping, and there was only the sound of gurgling water in the creek. I watched the queen put down the scissors in an elegant manner, and washed her hands on the silver plate next to her.
"I know everything you have done in the past few days." The queen stood up and placed the flowers on the wooden fence of the pavilion. "What I don't understand is why you only chose such a rude method."
"I..." I don't know why, but I was very nervous facing such a kind elder, let alone lying.
"Mother?" Fischette said, "Isn't this the kind of person Cohen is? Are you saying that he is all pretending?"
"I... think this is more... direct." I tried to recall my thoughts at the time, "It saves trouble."
"I understand, is that part of your personality?" Queen Nasher walked up to me, stretched out her right index finger, and touched the center of my eyebrows. A cold feeling spread out like ripples on the water...
"Sixteen-year-old boy." The queen looked into my eyes and said, "Why do you hide so much in your heart..."
"Queen..." I interrupted her hastily.
"Call me auntie." The queen interrupted me, "Isn't this much better for you?"
"Yes, Aunt Nasher." I surrendered.
"You are in danger now." Aunt Nasher sat down slowly, "Don't you know yet?"
I shook my head in confusion.
"The Left Chancellor, he held the important position of General Quartermaster during the God's Allied Crusade more than ten years ago." Aunt Nasher held my and Fichet's hands and said, "One person can handle forty-six up and down.
Do you still think you can easily defeat such a person who has managed the food, clothing, housing, and transportation of ten thousand people in an orderly manner for two years?"
"That……"
"That's because he underestimated the enemy. During the days when he was the left prime minister, he did not encounter any big obstacles, the only one was Governor Weiss." Aunt Nasher continued, "In his heart, there was no big obstacle at all.
Other threats exist. As for you, Cohen, you are the first variable that the empire has encountered in the past twenty years. This is true for us, and it is also true for the left prime minister. You always give him little trouble when he is not prepared.
It's a small blow. However, he will now include you in the list of threats to him, and will prepare you for everything no matter how big or small. It is you who needs to worry now."
"Mother, are you saying that Cohen is in danger now?"
"What do you think? Why did your father give Cohen thirty army sticks in exchange for a military position?"
"Hehe, I don't know."
"Little rascal." Aunt Nasher kept smiling, but the smile seemed to be alive and changed with everyone's mood, "I'll tell you."
"The Holy City seems to be calm now, but in fact it is already turbulent. In the entire empire, only the territory of Cohen and his sons is safe for you. Among them, Cohen's territory is the best, because it has just begun to develop.
None of the forces have entered." She said, "Give Cohen a military position, and Cohen can build a large-scale army."
"Then what?"
"Cohen's army is your personal guard, you idiot."
"Guards?"
"Your father and I have already discussed it. You and Cohen will go to the Dark City immediately. There will be many opportunities for you to practice there, and you can also avoid the troubles of the Holy City."
"Do you really want to leave?"
"Yes, we are here to deal with the left prime minister, and you can go all out in the Dark City." Aunt Nasher said to me, "Cohen, you have to work hard. The more successful you are, the more powerful we will be."
"Don't worry, we will definitely do it!"
"You have to really take this matter seriously. Cohen, do you remember what Auntie said today?"
"I remember, Aunt Nasher."
"One more thing." Aunt Nasher said, "Auntie hopes you will think more about what you do in the future. For us, the world is full of all kinds of temptations and dangers. If you are not careful, you will lose yourself."
"So?" I asked, "What should I do?"
"Let your heart make the decision." Auntie looked at me, "Your sincerity will not lie to you. In this world, besides sincerity, what else can we rely on to guide us?"
"We..." Fichet stammered, "Don't we have gods?"
"The current left prime minister," the aunt said, grabbing Fichet's ear, "isn't he the spokesperson of God? Do you want him to guide you?"
After discussing all this, everyone was a little hungry. The three of us sat or stood in the pavilion, eating snacks and chatting about home affairs. "By the way, Cohen." The Queen said to me, "Don't you have two beautiful people?"
Your fiancée?”
"Yes." I replied with a smile, "That's what I earned back by letting the news slip."
"I don't care about that much. Just ask them to come see me tomorrow."
"Why? Aunt Nasher."
"Little rascal, this is about the reputation of two lovely girls!" Auntie grabbed my ear this time, "Do you think you can just talk about it and let it go? I'm going to marry you."
"Aunt Nasher." I was dumbfounded immediately, "There's no need to be in such a hurry, right?"
"Why aren't you in a hurry?" Aunt Nasher said to me with a smile, "You have to be looked after, you little rascal."
"I'm only sixteen!" I protested loudly.
"You will be with Fichet in the future. What if the girl he likes falls in love with you?" Aunt Nasher whispered in my ear, "I will get married for you first, then I will feel more at ease."
At dusk, I was lying on a stretcher, holding the potted flowers that the queen had given to my mother, and pretending to "oh, oh, oh" all the way back to my residence in the Holy Capital. (To be continued)