Chapter 863: Chapter 552: Rose Marquis_2
This seemingly eccentric and bizarre Rose Marquis was in fact a person who was extremely astute and deep in thought.
From the remark “his subjects only want to make wine and farm, with no other desires” alone, it was clear that the opponent had already guessed their intentions.
“Hehe, Mr. Lane, you are too kind. In that case, please join me in my City Lord Mansion. It would be my pleasure to entertain you as a humble rural city lord,” said the Rose Marquis with a faint smile. He then twisted his waist, which was thicker than a tree trunk, and took the lead with a coquettish catwalk.
Under the guidance of the Rose Marquis,
Leo Ray and his party of seven proceeded forward through the vast rose-filled garden.
It didn’t take long for them to make their way into the huge rose-colored castle nearby.
Stepping into the castle hall and onto the soft red carpet, what caught Leo Ray’s eyes first was an extravagant and opulent scene filled with dazzling gold and magnificent decorations.
In the center of the hall hung a strikingly colorful portrait of the Rose Marquis, painted with magic paint, with him holding an orchid finger.
At the same time, a strong aroma, mixed with the scent of flowers and alcohol, entered Leo Ray’s nostrils.
“It is indeed worthy of Blue Cold Fortress, whose financial power is quite remarkable. Compared to here, even the City Lord Mansion of Viennas City pales in comparison,” Leo Ray thought to himself as he appraised the magnificent castle hall in front of him.
Continuing forward along the elegantly decorated and light crystal stone-studded castle corridor,
they walked for about one or two minutes before turning into a spacious reception room.
As everyone took their seats, the Rose Marquis gestured for the maids at the side to serve tea and asked Ariel Watson, “May I know the purpose of your visit to Blue Cold Fortress, Princess?”
“Nothing much, just passing by and wanting to take a break,” Ariel replied casually, shrugging her shoulders.
“In my humble opinion, it doesn’t seem that way,” said the Rose Marquis with a smile as he twirled the red rose he had taken from his lapel. “If I’m not mistaken, your Highness intends to compete for the Coldflame Throne, just like the other three Princes, right?”
At this moment, despite still keeping his head down, the Marquis’ rugged face was adorned with an increasingly dense smile.
He went on to say astonishingly, “And the purpose of your visit to Blue Cold Fortress is to pull me in, isn’t it?”
“You… How did you…?!”
Caught off guard by the other party’s blatant revelation of their true purpose, Ariel’s expression turned flustered as she instinctively looked towards Leo Ray, who remained calm and indifferent.
However, he immediately took over the conversation smoothly, saying, “My Lord, where did this idea come from? With Princess Ariel’s strength, it’s already not easy for her to protect herself in this chaotic world, let alone vie for the throne.”
“Mr. Lane, you are too modest.”
The Rose Marquis leaned on one elbow against the table, supporting his enormous head in a languid manner.
He continued, addressing Leo Ray, “Perhaps it might have been the case without Mr. Lane’s assistance, but now, things are completely different.” Follow current novᴇls on novelꜰire.net
“May I ask what you mean by this, my Lord? Aren’t you overestimating me a bit?”
Upon hearing this, Leo Ray raised an eyebrow, a gleam of interest flickering across his face.I must say, this Rose Marquis is evidently much more cunning than I initially thought.
“There’s no need for false modesty, Your Excellency.”
Putting down the delicate rose in his hand, the Rose Marquis looked directly into Leo Ray’s dark eyes and smiled faintly: “I have heard of Your Excellency and the Princess’s feat of repelling the Saint Night Army at the Border Battlefield just yesterday.”
Pausing for a moment, the Rose Marquis continued leisurely: “Being able to completely crush the Saint Night Army with a dispirited defense force of thirty thousand is more than enough to prove that Your Excellency is no ordinary person.”
“Lord, the great victory in this battle is mainly due to Princess’s personal presence at the front line to boost morale, as well as the bloody battle results of Burt, Joshua, and Lord White, the three Kingdom Generals. I was merely assisting at the side.”
When faced with the sharp gaze of the Rose Marquis, Leo Ray still maintained a calm and indifferent demeanor, and waved his hand dismissively.
“Although the roles played by the Princess and the three Kingdom Generals in this battle cannot be ignored, if I’m not mistaken, Your Excellency played the decisive role in the victory!”
The Rose Marquis lifted his huge head from his supporting hand and spoke solemnly.
“Oh? Why do you say that?”
Continuing with a gentle smile, Leo Ray asked politely.
After signaling the maids who had just brought the tea to step back for a moment, the Rose Marquis first extended one finger and said: “Firstly, judging by the situation at the Border Battlefield, our 30,000 defenders were trapped in Mountain Fortress and two other fortresses with no ability to counter-attack the aggressive Saint Night Army.”
Then, the Rose Marquis extended his second finger and continued: “Secondly, although the Princess, Burt, and Joshua, the two Kingdom Generals, have remarkable personal strength and strong appeal.
However, the combination of these factors still falls far short of being able to repel the powerful Saint Night Army represented by the cunning and cautious Red Devil, commander of the Saint Night Kingdom’s Moon Palace Army.”
As he said this, the Rose Marquis provocatively crossed his legs and squeezed his extended fingers into a fist the size of a sandbag, continuing: “So, the situation is quite clear-cut.
Although I don’t know the specific details of this battle, I can say with certainty that it was Your Excellency’s appearance that caused the complete reversal of the situation!”
After a moment of contemplation, the Rose Marquis added: “Furthermore, according to the intelligence reported, a Tier 5 powerhouse from our side was active on the battlefield, but it wasn’t the White Knight nor Mr. Bryan Nelsen. If there had been a mysterious Tier 5 powerhouse by the Princess’s side from the beginning, she wouldn’t have left the Royal Capital.”
“Given this point, along with the rumor that there’s a Tier 5 powerhouse in Cyan Town where the Princess is currently staying…”
Taking a deep breath, the Rose Marquis couldn’t help but reveal a trace of admiration in his eyes as he gazed at Leo Ray and slowly continued: “Based on this, if I haven’t guessed wrong, Your Excellency’s true identity is the newly-appointed Lord of Cyan City, and there’s a powerful Tier 5 powerhouse by your side!”
When the Rose Marquis spoke these words, everyone present, including Ariel Watson, couldn’t help but be moved and began exchanging glances, while Leo Ray still remained completely unperturbed.
Prior to this, Leo Ray had naturally expected that his second identity as the Lord of Cyan City would soon be guessed.
However, what surprised Leo Ray the most was the Rose Marquis’s deduction that he intended to help Ariel claim the throne.
It was easy to imagine that if the three princes were to learn of this, an inevitable great war would soon be upon them.
Thinking up to this point, Leo Ray simply decided not to deny it any longer.
He first signaled Taylor to isolate the room’s atmosphere from the outside with his aura, and then gave a slight nod in agreement: “Indeed, I am the new Lord of Cyan City!”
Feeling the sudden surge of powerful pressure, the Rose Marquis couldn’t help but swallow hard, sending waves of shock through his heart.
After calming himself for a moment, the Rose Marquis regained his spirits and continued: “Your Excellency, forgive my bluntness, but even so, I still won’t choose to join your side!”