Chapter 820: A Battlefield Without Smoke
"Currently, Her Majesty and Her Royal Highness Lydia have reached a preliminary agreement that the Munn Kingdom will dispatch 300 Battle Angels to the side of the Winter Castle closest to the Munn Kingdom and manage the defensive line there. As for the specific division of responsibilities, judging from Her Majesty's opinion..."
"What kind of joke is this!"
A fuming voice interrupted Sonia's report. Sonia twitched her brows in silence. Inside the crystal ball reflected a fat nobleman who wore a luxurious attire. He smashed the table before him and gritted his teeth in an ashen expression.
"This is treason! Treason! How can Her Majesty hand the managing rights of our territories to the angels?! This is a complete act of treason! Everyone! The territories that our ancestors expanded with their blood and sweat won't be handed to others just like this! How are we going to face them in the future? Our..."
Perhaps sensing that no one sympathized with him or sensing Sonia's cold stare, the fat parliament member let out an awkward cough and sat back down. Then, Sonia let out a cold snort.
"Can I continue the report?"
"Of course, Miss Sonia... You did advise Her Majesty, right?"
"Yes. I've informed Her Majesty about the possible disputes regarding the territories, but Her Majesty trusts Her Royal Highness Lydia a lot and doesn't believe that she will take advantage of her. Besides, Her Majesty believes that it should be us, Light Parliament, to handle the territory disputes."
The parliament members in the crystal ball broke into an uproar.
"Her Majesty is getting more and more stubborn..."
"You're right about that. Back then, I knew that it was a bad decision to let her go into the Munn Kingdom. That sly Archangel will surely use this chance to brainwash Her Majesty. Hmph, if this continues, Her Majesty may even become her puppet and bring trouble for us!"
1"This can't continue. Once our people know that they have reached an agreement, what will happen to our pride as the Light Parliament? We have to request for Her Majesty's return right now. If she isn't willing to..."
"Then you will send an army to bring her back? Are you an idiot? That's the Munn Kingdom! It isn't the territory of an idiot overlord! Besides, there is tremendous pressure on the battlefront at the moment and we have limited manpower for the Winter Castle battlefronts! I do think that we should accept Her Majesty's suggestion because no matter what, the Battle Angels can alleviate the pressure in our battlefront. Not only that, but we can also use this as a bargaining chip to make Her Majesty return to Casabianca as early as possible. As long as she returns to us, everything will be manageable. As for the battlefront, there won't be any problems if we don't let the people know about this!"
"But I doubt that it will be useful because that cunning Archangel might ask for a lot more. When that happens, do you think that we can back off? The position of our Light Parliament will be in danger then!"
"But..."
"This isn't a question that can be discussed."
A deep, stern voice interrupted their discussions, which also made Sonia's heart skip a beat. Then, she looked up and gazed into the crystal ball where an indistinct figure stood up at the far end of the table.
"We will continue this discussion thereafter. Alright then, Miss Sonia, please continue with your duties."
"Of course, I will do my best."
Sonia lowered her head and the shimmering radiance emanating from the crystal ball dimmed. Then, Sonia looked up, let out a sigh of relief, and turned around with a gentle smile.
"Your Majesty, it has ended."
"Okay..."
Lilian stepped out of the shadow in discontent. It was apparent that she heard each and every word that the Light Parliament said. Sonia shook her head after looking at her expression. Then, she poured a cup of warm tea and placed it on the table.
"Please have some tea, Your Majesty."
"T-Thank you..."
Lilian picked up the tea and sat down on the sofa beside Sonia. She smelled the aroma of the tea and felt much better now. She lowered her head, sipped lightly, and said, "I'm sorry to put you in this position."
"It's nothing, Your Majesty. I'm mentally prepared for this."
Sonia smiled gently and shook her head. Lilian looked at her with complicated emotions.
At the start, Lilian actually disliked Sonia because she was sent by the Light Parliament to watch over her. Although Sonia had treated her well, the thought of her being sent by the Light Parliament annoyed her. However, as the days passed, Lilian realized that Sonia wasn't as irritating as she thought. She initially believed that Sonia would be like the majority of the parliament members where she would criticize and give orders to her. However, she was surprised that not only was Sonia unlike them, but she had also never criticized her. Besides, when Lilian wanted to speak to Lydia alone, Sonia would leave of her own accord and give her some privacy. This gave Lilian an unprecedented sense of freedom. In the past, the Light Parliament had always monitored her 24/7. But now... it was entirely different.
This was the first time that Lilian felt so comfortable spending time with someone other than Lydia and Rhode. However, Lilian felt that Sonia was more like an impressive subject instead. Even though Sonia wouldn't console and comfort her like Lydia and Rhode, Sonia would get everything prepared and guide her into completing her tasks. Moreover, what was more important was that... Sonia was also like a close friend of hers...
However, Sonia's background with the Light Parliament left Lilian uncomfortable at times. Ever since Lilian had a falling out with the Light Parliament, she didn't have favorable impressions of any of the parliament members. It could even be said that she hated them. It was due to this that Lilian didn't accept Sonia's kindness immediately. Instead, she slowly probed, ordered Sonia to let her listen to her report to the Light Parliament and requested that she didn't reveal her presence to the Light Parliament.
Lilian thought that this command would put Sonia in a difficult position, but she didn't expect her to agree swiftly and even helped disguise her presence in the corner. If Lilian didn't personally witness how Sonia reported to the Light Parliament, she would never believe that Sonia was one of them.
"Those people are so annoying!"
Lilian blew her top as soon as she recalled what she heard. Initially, she disliked them because they restricted her every movement and criticized her. But thereafter, she realized that the Light Parliament basically treated her as a fugitive, said bad things behind her back, and even thought of her as an obstacle! Not only that, but they also held hatred toward Big Sister Lydia and Big Brother Rhode just because they stood on her side!
I hate the Light Parliament so much!
"Sonia, why did you join the Light Parliament?"
Lilian asked and gazed curiously at Sonia. This wasn't the first time that Lilian witnessed how the parliament members made things difficult for Sonia. Their words were so unpleasant to hear that Lilian couldn't tolerate it at times. Moreover, Sonia also didn't seem to like them a lot because she had never shown a gentle expression when she reported to them.
"This is my father's wish."
Sonia forced a smile.
"Your Majesty, you're also aware that I'm from the Lockos Financial Group, so it is impossible for me to refuse my father's request."
"..."
Lilian pondered in silence. She lifted her head and finished the red tea in one go. Then, she stood up and lowered her head slightly.
"It's late now. I should get some rest... By the way, Sonia, the tea is nice."
"You're welcome, Your Majesty. This is my duty."
Sonia lowered her head and said with a smile. After interacting with Lilian for so long, she was confident in pleasing her now. It was just as Rhode told her—Lilian was just a little girl. But... Sonia had to admit that she liked Lilian a lot and it seemed like Lilian's attitude toward her had changed for the better. This way, it would be much easier to accomplish Rhode's mission.
The room door closed and after making sure that Lilian left, Sonia heaved a sigh of relief. However, she didn't immediately turn in for the night. Instead, she went up to the crystal ball and gestured with her right hand. Shortly after, a pitch-black shadow emerged inside the crystal and Sonia revealed a blissful smile of indulgence.
"Master... I have something that I need to report to you immediately..."