CHAPTER 591: NIGHT TALK 3

TL: Rui88

Prince Jassim looked at his eldest son, his gaze containing a certain undeniable quality that made Gerd involuntarily reply, “Yes, Father.”

“If the western bay can stand on our side, it will be an extremely important resource, a great help to us.”

Gerd shook his head and said, “Father, I believe that given the kingdom’s current situation, it is not yet the time to discuss this…”

“His Majesty the King…” The prince ignored his son and said to himself, “He actually fainted during today’s court meeting. His body is already…”

At this point, the prince shook his head. After all, it was his own brother.

Gerd was greatly alarmed upon hearing this. “His Majesty, he…”

Prince Jassim continued, “He was adventurous in his youth and once traveled the continent as an adventurer. This experience brought him rich knowledge, extraordinary courage, and a love from a foreign land, but it also brought him a body full of hidden injuries that exhausted his vitality, so much so that now, in what should be the prime of his life for politics, various illnesses have broken out… Fortunately, he has a daughter who has lived up to expectations. But I don’t know if it’s fortunate or unfortunate; my dear niece, your dear sister, may bring some trouble to the succession of the throne.”

“Father!” Realizing what the prince was about to say, Gerd’s breathing became a little rapid.

“Recently, there has been an unfavorable outcry in the noble circles of Crystal Shine. Certain people hope that Catherine will inherit the throne.” At this point, a sinister look clouded the prince’s face.

“It is simply absurd. To let a woman rule the country, what on earth are they thinking? Even the merciful Heavenly Father would not forgive such an act. It is shameful, degenerate, and deserving of hell.”

The muscles on Gerd’s face were somewhat stiff. He said, “I don’t think Catherine has such intentions. She simply wants this country to become better. She… in the grand scheme of things, is a woman who follows tradition very much.”

“Oh, of course!” Prince Jassim’s expression suddenly changed, and even his tone became gentle. “I also believe in my lovely niece. She has been likable since she was a child, hasn’t she? But…”

The prince’s tone became slightly sharper again. “What will the people around her think? Those who rely on her, those who have tied their future to hers, will they not hope that the object of their loyalty will go a step further, to touch the power that should not be touched? Once successful, these people will also be able to rise even higher. Titles, wealth, who would complain about having too much? Yes, Catherine may not have such intentions herself, but she cannot stop her subordinates from having such thoughts. The human heart is difficult to fathom. If her subordinates really reach a consensus on this matter, perhaps Catherine’s own thoughts will be the least important.”

“Sigh!” Gerd let out a soft sigh.

Prince Jassim moved closer to his eldest son and patted him lightly on the back. “His Majesty the King’s health is declining day by day. We must make plans early to guard against certain foolish individuals who might take desperate measures regardless of the overall situation. We certainly do not wish to see such an extreme scenario, but when it arises, we have no choice but to face it. Don’t forget, there is an entire order of knights loyal to Catherine.”

“Therefore, the most important thing now is to strengthen the cards in our hands. The western bay is a very important card. You must hold it firmly.”

Gerd said with great conflict, “Father, if… if the throne really falls into our hands, I hope you can treat Catherine and Eileen well. They are your nieces, after all, with the blood of the Rodney family flowing in their veins.”

“Oh, of course,” Prince Jassim replied very readily. “In any case, Catherine and Eileen are the noble princesses of the Kingdom of Ordo. Mistreating them would bring shame to the entire Rodney family. When everything has settled down, we will find them good husbands worthy of their status and hold grand weddings for them.”

“I hope everything goes smoothly,” Gerd said, somewhat melancholically.

“Everything will be smooth, my brother.” Yuriko placed his hand on his elder brother’s shoulder.

……

In the king’s bedchamber, the candlelight flickered, wavering in the gentle breeze, just like the life of its master.

Catherine, Eileen, and their mother kept watch by the king’s bed, their faces filled with worry.

“Father!” Eileen let out a cry of surprise. She saw the king’s eyelids move slightly.

The queen and Catherine immediately moved closer to the king, observing his face.

Sure enough, a moment later, the king opened his eyes with some difficulty. The mother and her two daughters wept with joy.

“My dear, you and Eileen go out for a while. I have something to discuss with Catherine alone,” the king said to the queen, his first words after waking. 𝘙ΑŊꝊВЁṡ

The queen said with some concern, “What you need most right now is rest.”

“Don’t worry, it’s just a few words. It won’t tire me out.”

“Alright. Eileen, let’s go first.” The queen led a still somewhat puzzled Eileen out of the bedroom.

“Father.” After her mother and sister had left, Catherine moved closer to the king’s face. He was still very weak at this moment, so much so that his words were a bit slurred.

“Catherine, my daughter, tell your father, do you want to be king?”

“I…” Catherine never expected the king to ask her this.

“The ruler of the Kingdom of Ordo is you, Father.”

“Haha.” The king let out a weak laugh. “Look at me now. If the country is ruled by such a weak body, it will be a disaster.”

Catherine couldn’t help but sob.

“Don’t cry, my daughter.” The king tried to raise his hand to wipe the tears from his daughter’s face, but he failed and eventually gave up.

“Tell me, do you want to be king? If you do, I can still make it happen now… I promise you, I have no scruples now. I will use any means…”

“No, my father…” Catherine knew that at such a moment, what her father wanted to hear was not words of comfort. She suppressed the grief in her heart and said through clenched teeth.

“I have never had this thought. All my enthusiasm and hard work have been to assist you in governing this country well. But I am sorry, in the end, I still failed to…”

As she spoke, she suddenly couldn’t hold back her tears and burst out crying, covering her face with her hands as tears streamed down.

“It’s not your fault, my daughter. The kingdom’s deep-rooted problems have persisted for over a century. They can’t be changed by one or two generations. You will always be my pride, and of course, your sister too. You are the most precious treasures bestowed upon me by the Heavenly Father, far surpassing the crown on my head.”

The king recalled the details of his daughter’s growth. After he entered middle age, which was when Catherine began to mature, his physical condition began to decline, and his energy was far from what it used to be. He had wanted to realize his great ambitions but was held back by his body. His well-behaved and sensible elder daughter then began to study various kinds of knowledge to help him, and gradually grew to be able to stand on her own.

But the king had no doubt that Catherine did not want to be king. On the one hand, he believed in his daughter’s honesty when facing him. On the other hand, he also knew that his daughter was, in her bones, a woman who was rather old-fashioned in some respects…of course, if there had been a female monarch in Ordo’s history, it would be another matter.

“Father,” Catherine said with tears in her eyes, yet with immense determination, “no matter who you appoint as your successor, I will support him just as I have supported you, and I will protect this country that you leave behind.”

“Alright, my daughter. In that case, what do you think of your cousin, Gerd?”

“Gerd, he… he is a good candidate to inherit the throne. It’s just, to bypass Uncle Jassim like this, will it…”

“We can’t wait… cough cough.”

“Can’t wait?” Catherine was very puzzled.

“Yes,” the king confirmed. “Ever since Gerd went to the western bay and brought back those things, combined with some of the things I have learned intermittently over the past few years, I have vaguely sensed that in the land to the northwest of the kingdom, some kind of transformation seems to be quietly taking place.”

“However, the new things brought by transformation often conflict with the old. With my intelligence, I am still unable to deduce its future development. If the transformation can happen in a way that nourishes all things like a gentle rain, so that the contradiction between the new and the old is not intensified, it can become a good medicine to solve the kingdom’s current predicament. But if the transformation develops in the direction of a violent storm, causing the contradiction between the new and the old to erupt, then it may become the poison that sends the kingdom on its final journey.”

The king’s words made Catherine frown. Was her father talking about the Northwest Bay?

“The kingdom needs an open-minded leader with a broad vision, who is receptive to, or at least not hostile to, new things. This quality is precisely what a young man like Gerd possesses. After his trip to the western bay, he brought back gratifying results for us. His attitude towards new things particularly pleases me, and it further confirms that he possesses the qualities I hope for. As for your uncle… he is old, his thinking has become fixed, and his mind is full of outdated ideas. He will naturally stand on the side of the old things, and the result is predictable.”

“Catherine…”

His daughter understood her father’s meaning and took his hand.

“I hope that you and your brother can work together with one heart, to guide and utilize the upcoming changes well, to mitigate the turmoil they bring, to steer them in a direction beneficial to the kingdom, to reconcile the contradictions between the new and the old, and to enable this country of Ordo to achieve a smooth transition.”

“I will, Father. I swear.”

Catherine promised the king with the utmost solemnity.