She dreamed that she was sitting on a high throne, overlooking all living beings.
The richly dressed princes and nobles all knelt before her, begging her for forgiveness; knights in armor stood beside her, demonstrating her majesty.
The corners of her mouth raised a just right smile, enjoying the honor above all others.
However, at this moment, the door of the palace was violently pushed open.
A ragged mob broke in.
They kicked away the nobles who were kneeling on the ground, pushed away the knights guarding her, grabbed her slender arms, tore her exquisite silk dress, pulled her off the throne, and dragged her out of the palace.
, dragged to the square in front of the palace, and dragged to the center of the dense crowd.
"Let me go!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.
But the mob seemed not to hear her roar.
They pointed at her, laughed, and said vulgar words without restraint, as if they were talking about the street girls in Dongcheng District.
A cool breeze blew by.
The queen shuddered.
She suddenly discovered that the fountain in the center of the square was missing.
Instead, there was a bloody guillotine.
Her executioner stood beside her, licking the corners of his mouth gently, with a cold look in his eyes, like a hunter eyeing a new prey.
"His Majesty?"
A voice rang in her ear and touched her shoulder lightly.
Is this also part of the nightmare?
The queen took a deep breath and suddenly woke up from her dream.
Then she saw Lila, the personal maid, standing in front of her, holding a candlestick, with a respectful and caring attitude.
"Your Majesty, it's getting late. Do you want to get up?"
"What are the plans for today?" The queen rubbed her eyes. The nightmare made her mentally exhausted.
She even wanted to cover her face with a pillow and go back to sleep.
"Meet the tribute mission sent from the colonial plane, have lunch with your fiancé, His Highness Edward, review and approve the latest bill submitted by the House of Commons, and meet with Alan York at eight o'clock in the evening." Lila spoke fluently.
replied.
Queen Margaret nodded.
The first few arrangements made her want to doze off. But the last thing made her involuntarily cheer up.
Then she stretched out a hand to Leila.
"Lila, I have been sealed on the bed by the god in charge of sleep. I need you to help me up." She ordered seriously.
"As you command, Your Majesty." Lila nodded, saluted, and replied with a smile.
…………
For Queen Margaret, washing and dressing every day is a complicated and boring process.
Every piece of clothing, from the lining, to the long skirt, to the bustle, to the shawl, to the hair accessories, has a dedicated palace maid in charge.
The specialized clothing custodian took the clothes out of the cloakroom and handed them to the royal wardrobe manager. She passed them to the second bedchamber, then to the chief bedchamber, and finally passed them to the personal maid Lila after many twists and turns.
Put it on.
After all the clothes were put on, a special maid poured water for her, a special maid washed her face, and a special maid handed her a towel...
Finally, after much trouble from the royal hairdresser and the royal makeup artist, her fatigue caused by poor sleep was concealed behind her perfect makeup. Then, she put on the golden crown, showed a perfect smile, and prepared to go
Receive the colonial envoys.
"The so-called queen is just a doll that can be manipulated by others," the queen yawned, sighing silently in her heart, "the kind that can be changed at will."
If the process of washing and dressing is like a puppet dress-up game, then the subsequent audience process is a choreographed puppet show.
Every "line" the Queen reads is written in advance by the cabinet. The purpose is to demonstrate the majesty of the Braden Kingdom as a great power and the Queen's kindness and fraternity.
As for having lunch with my fiancé...sorry, that was also a show for others.
Although they signed an engagement early on, they have never communicated deeply in private, let alone "love."
In the afternoon, the cabinet ministers came to her study with several thick stacks of bills.
"Your Majesty, these bills require your signature." The Prime Minister saluted her respectfully.
Do you just need my signature?
Shouldn't it be pleading for my permission?
The Queen gave the Prime Minister a meaningful look.
This prime minister is called Sistine, a hereditary baron and a nobleman of the old party. Because he was baptized twice by Archbishop Arcelga, he was called "the devotee of the goddess" by the latter.
The reason why this old man in a wig was elected as prime minister was largely because this nickname gave him a great advantage in public opinion.
After all, the entire Braden Kingdom is nominally a believer in the Church of Light.
"Devoters of the Goddess" are naturally role models for all believers.
From this we can also get a glimpse of how terrifying the Church of Light’s influence is on the political situation of the kingdom.
"The so-called cabinet is just a mouthpiece for a group of Light Church."
With this in mind, Queen Margaret casually opened the first bill.
Then she frowned involuntarily.
"Didn't I read this bill a long time ago? Why did you hand it over again?"
"Your Majesty, Archbishop Nerga is really short of manpower," Prime Minister Baron Sistine said respectfully. "He hopes that you can appoint government officials to assist the Church of Light in collecting church taxes."
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, you have told me the exact same thing nine times," the Queen suppressed her anger and tried to answer in a polite tone, "and my answer is the same as the previous nine times. Wait a minute.
.”
"Wait a little longer?"
"Yes, wait a minute," Queen Margaret replied resolutely, "please tell Archbishop Nerga that my government officials have more important things to do and cannot spare their staff for the time being."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The Prime Minister nodded and saluted, then stepped aside.
But the queen knew that tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, the day after tomorrow... and for many days to come, this old man wearing a wig would appear in front of her, asking her exactly the same questions, wearing down her patience bit by bit.
He would summon Parliament and press her with public opinion;
He will seek help from the Church of Light and use his faith to force her to submit;
He, and the Church of Light behind him, are constantly eroding the power that should belong to her, trying to wear away her edges and turn her into an exquisite and useless doll.
The Queen's nails dug into her palms.
She knew that since the day of the coronation ceremony, when the Pope personally put the crown on her head, she had been firmly bound by the shackles of the "divine right of kings".
As a believer of the goddess, she cannot even directly veto the requests made by the Church of Light.
Using delaying tactics again and again is the limit of her ability.
When the sun went down, she finally signed all the documents on the table.
The cabinet ministers bowed to her and then left one by one.
The Queen knows that in the coming days, these documents will be turned into decrees and implemented nationwide, affecting the food, clothing, housing and transportation of thousands of people, and even changing their destiny.
"Lila," she sighed softly and turned to her personal maid, "what do you think I should do to regain my power from these mouthpieces of the Church of Light?"
"Your Majesty is more knowledgeable than me, no need"
"I don't want to hear these flattery words."
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for my ignorance," the maid Lila lowered her head and replied, "I can only think of a saying that my fathers often said, 'Monopoly businessmen are the most arrogant.'"
"Yes, the Church of Light is the largest monopoly in the country. If it has a competitor, I really want to make it a state religion."
Of course, the queen only dared to say such disrespectful words in front of her most trusted maid.
Lila lowered her head and did not dare to answer.
She just reminded in a low voice: "Your Majesty, it's time for you to meet Alan York."
…………
ps: Thanks to Ye Ye Bo Tao, the father of Yog for the 100 reward!