Half-elf Notebook

Chapter 187 Behind the scenes

"That's a bold idea. Aren't you going to tell me your reasons?"

Perry did not deny the accusation against him immediately. Instead, he looked at Feisong with interest, at this young nobleman who was about his age:

"Defaming a duke is a serious crime, but defaming a prince is just as serious."

"Feison! Shut up, do you know what you are talking about!"

Duke Eric gave his child a low scolding.

"I am very aware of that."

Fei Song smiled:

"But you told me this yourself, Prince Perry."

"Oh?"

Perry raised his eyebrows, as if waiting for the answer to the mystery to be revealed.

"You said you would use the charge of murdering Princess Mera to coerce the Duke of Norman... but how did you know that the Duke of Norman planned to assassinate the Crown Prince? How did you confirm that the Duke of Norman murdered Princess Mera... and not Princess Noel?"

Fei Song expressed his thoughts slowly:

"First, you did find some solid evidence."

"Second, you already knew where everything was going, and you found a subordinate to witness it all - just like a farmer who waters his crops, applies fertilizer, and waits for the harvest."

Perry's smile widened a little.

"The first point."

Feisong paused and held up a finger:

"Please allow me to say more. If the Duke wants to hide some traces, especially when three Dukes are working together, it would be difficult to find any definite evidence with ordinary means."

"If it were that easy, then it would not be you sitting here negotiating, but the conservative dukes."

"So, I guess the second point is more likely."

Perry remained noncommittal this time.

However, Count Hemer spoke first:

"Your Highness, we won't push either side to the point of no return. Let's just pretend today's conversation is nothing. The new faction will see this as a friendship, and together with the conservatives, it will surely be enough to make you a powerful competitor for the kingdom's successor..."

"I care nothing for the throne, sir."

Perry gently interrupted Count Helmer and turned his gaze back to Feisong:

"Good speculation, but you got the premise wrong."

"I did not plan to kill Sister Meera and Sister Noor."

"I have come to this point. It would be impolite not to finish. To be honest, I only recommended the cities of Leishi and Perth to my father as the destinations for the memorial parade."

"Then we sent two guards to the city to check ahead of time to protect the safety of my sisters."

"Unfortunately, they were powerless to prevent this tragedy from happening."

After hearing this, Feisong nodded thoughtfully and continued Perry's words:

"In other words, you prepare the stage, but whether someone will dance on it, who will dance, or whether it will be a drama, you don't know, and you never think of intervening."

"Even under the magic of 'True Words', you are still an audience member. The actors on the stage will always be the dukes and the nobles of our two factions..."

"I don't think about it that complicated, really. I just try to seize every possible opportunity, because the bargaining chips I have are always very few."

Perry shrugged and left the sofa immediately:

"That's it, everyone, especially Mr. Duke, please consider my request for your own sake."

Everyone watched the prince push the door open and leave, and watched the wizard close the door. After a long moment, they all breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

It wasn't long before the earls began to talk.

"At this point, it seems we can only agree to Prince Perry's request."

"But this will certainly cause the king's displeasure. At the same time, we cannot be sure that Prince Perry will keep his promise. Next time, he will use the same reason to threaten the new faction!"

"Where do you put the Duke! You want the Duke to bear the crime of planning to assassinate the Crown Prince. I think you are just eyeing the Duke's position."

"you!"

The accused earl cried out in surprise and anger.

"Calm down, everyone. What if we lose our composure first? The conservatives are not necessarily in a better situation than us. One incident is not enough to make the king attack the four dukes at the same time."

"It seems to be the best option to agree to the prince's request first. As for the future... there are always many ways to remove him from the list of heirs and prevent him from making requests to us at will."

Duke Eric leaned back in the plush sofa.

The earls were allowed to discuss their choices in excitement, worry, or caution. When the discussion became quiet, like the tide receding, with only the remaining waves lapping at the beach, they would turn to indifferently watching, not participating in their own children:

"Feison, what do you think?"

His voice was not loud, but the Duke's words were powerful in any parliamentary setting.

"I was wondering...is it possible that the King was involved in all this?"

Fei Song changed his previous smile and spoke seriously.

This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, shocking the earl present so much that he was speechless for a moment and even forgot to scorn the absurdity of this remark.

He just stared at Feisong blankly.