Chapter 198 Hidden

"So... how should we deal with it?" the little girl thought for a while and asked.

"There is an easy way," Rotia replied, "it depends on whether you want to do it."

"What's the solution?"

"Oh, wait until the public opinion starts first. As soon as Ashrufate comes back, you immediately charge him with a crime like "dominate" and put him in prison, and deprive him of the title of Count... In short, make a verdict that seems very strict but is actually insignificant and can make a comeback at any time." Rotia said. "Then, no matter how public opinion is, you can no longer threaten you. Because at most, public opinion only thinks that the punishment is too light, and it will never rise to the level of questioning your authority and ability of dominance."

"Abandoned son?"

"As long as you maintain the authority of the queen, it's just a matter of time." Rotia shrugged. "Because no matter what big or small things, no matter how hard the masterminds try to promote it, a simple thing cannot arouse the public's long-term interest, and it will become dull over time. Then you can... find an excuse or something and re-activate it. As the queen, there are always such opportunities. Not to mention anything else, there is a war in front of you."

"Why do I do this?" The little girl was not happy when she heard that she wanted to arrest Ashu Ruffat and was imprisoned. "Is there any other way?"

"This method is to treat the symptoms, and of course there are also complex, 'cursored' methods." Rotia said. "Find the person who printed and distributed the poster."

Although her tone of speaking was very relaxed, the little girl could understand that it was difficult to do. Otherwise, why would Rotia say that?

"Can I ignore this matter?" the little girl thought for a while and asked. "As a queen, can you ignore public opinion?"

"Oh, of course, as long as you are ready to bear the consequences!"

"What kind of consequences?"

"The worst possibility is to lose your throne." Rotia smiled softly.

"No way." The little girl was surprised.

"Don't ignore the power of public opinion. It can become the cornerstone that supports the royal power, and it can also become a huge wave that overthrows the throne."

"But Byron..."

"Byron also cares about public opinion. If he doesn't care, how could he wait patiently? Every time the opposition to him reaches a certain peak, he will wisely choose to compromise. Let's not talk about Byron, but something that really happened... it should be said that it is something that has not been completely settled yet. There is a queen named Irina in the Sticia area... She is a bit similar to you, because her brother who originally had inheritance died in battle, she was pushed to the throne and crowned as king."

The Stigia region is really a very distant place in the Gronian concept. Although the western part of the Gronian Kingdom is also bordered by the Stigia region, in this regard, the entire seven central countries have the same general prejudice based on regional prejudice. That is, the Stigia region is a faraway place - although the mercenaries in the Stigia region are well-known throughout the world. This prejudice comes from geographical closure. The Stigia region is a natural basin, and several countries inside can be said to be called kings behind closed doors. It is difficult for outside forces to interfere, and the power inside is difficult to spread its influence. In short, this is a region that is far from the seven central countries in all aspects.

"You may know that a large-scale war broke out in this place about ten years ago. One side was Paro, and the other side was Saint Gene and Casillos. The reason why one side was two countries was because the royal families of these two countries had become a family through marriage. This kind of relationship was much more reliable than alliances. The queen I was talking about, Queen Irina, was the royal families of these two countries. In terms of blood, she had unquestionable inheritance rights, and the kind of inheritance rights without competitors. I said that her brothers and sisters had all died in battle."

The little girl didn't speak, but was a little sad. In fact, when she became the queen (that was when his father and his brother died in battle), she was only five or six years old, and she was the kind of child who really didn't know anything. So now, the little girl only has a very thin impression of her relatives. When she talked about the encounter with Queen Irina, she couldn't help but feel sad. In the eyes of some people, the throne is so brilliant that it is worthy of everything to exchange for. But in the little girl's heart, what she is obsessed with is not the throne itself.

"...The origin of the matter was the war between the queen and Paro. In that war, the queen was in extreme danger and was pursued by the enemy and could not escape. At the critical moment, a veteran - an ordinary soldier - voluntarily stayed to cut off the rear. This mission will be dead. Your Majesty, you now know how to be a king, so you can understand that in that situation, the warrior who sacrificed his life and protected the Lord must be rewarded heavily. If you were to me, you would do this.

——In fact, if anyone else had to do this, so the queen personally promised to enthrone the veteran as a knight. This is not a stingy reward. You should have heard that the Stigia region attaches great importance to bloodline and honor, and there is no tradition of enthroning nobles as we wish. Their nobles all have actual territory. Therefore, the distance between ordinary people and nobles is almost a world apart. Only in this case can the warriors who undertake the mortal mission receive such rewards."

"This... I seem to have heard of it..." The little girl thought about it, where did she hear about this? But it was obvious that she must not spend much energy to memorize the story carefully, so she was not deeply impressed.

"...But later, the queen actually forgot about this. Several years after the war ended, one of the veteran's sons came to the door and demanded the reward. Unfortunately, the queen didn't know what motives... denied this matter. It is a serious crime to deceive the monarch in any country, let alone just a mere civilian. So the veteran's son was executed."

"Ah, I remembered that the other son of the veteran... Well, it seems that he had received religious help. What is the name of the charlatan over there? The Holy Grail Knight? Or the Prophet?... In short, he proved that his father died in battle for the queen, but the queen not only refused to fulfill the promise of reward, but also killed his brother unjustly!"

While thinking about this, the little girl also remembered who told her that she was a priest in the church. What was it for? It seemed to be a hint that the role of the church should not be underestimated. Unfortunately, at that time, the little girl was full of her mind and was about to deal with the other party and go to meet Ash Rufate, and she was not in the mood to think.

"Then I don't need to say anything about the situation that queen encountered... I believe we all know very well. I recently heard that Queen Irina announced her abdication and married a prestigious noble in China, and finally barely avoided the situation of the country's collapse. It is said everywhere that this new king wanted to win people's hearts and would not be a overnight success. It is very likely that before he succeeded, the two countries might lose the opportunity to be unified under a crown, split again, and eventually support different kingdoms. But no matter what, Queen Irina lost the throne involuntarily... This is beyond doubt." Rotia suddenly let out a burst of laughter of unknown significance. "A throne was overturned, although the final result was not too embarrassing and too bad... but this matter shows the power of public opinion. At least... most of them are the power of public opinion."

"So sometimes," Rotia paused for a moment and continued. "The throne is not as strong as it seems. It is like a man, no matter how healthy and energetic a person is, if he gets a heavy blow in a fatal position... tell me, how big a mistake has the queen made?"

"I don't understand very much...but why did that queen deny it?" the little girl replied seriously. "It's just a knight's reward... Is it necessary to be so stingy?"

"Maybe because I like to pretend to be a fool, I feel a little embarrassed to admit that I have forgotten such a big thing." Rotia replied. "I really can't think of any other reason. In these rumors, the queen seemed to have always wanted to be a perfect monarch, so she didn't want to make any mistakes."

"How can a person not make mistakes? Not to mention the king, even the archbishop who was favored by God and was immortal, he would still be defeated and was cut by a green sword." The little girl felt a little incredible.

"Yes, people will make mistakes and omissions." Rotia completely agreed. "Especially in those small things. So since we cannot prevent mistakes, then let's change the method, which is to cover up any mistakes... Well, this sounds stupid, but I have seen this with my own eyes. In fact, in essence, politics requires performance, but not everyone understands the true meaning of performance, so they will make all kinds of mistakes. But we don't talk about this, if we change the position with that queen, then what do you do? If you allow this extremely unfavorable public opinion to spread at will, then the collapse of the throne will only be in an instant."

Rotia gently tapped the little girl's forehead with her fingers. "Don't underestimate the power of public opinion!"

"Anyway, this problem must be solved, right?"

"Yes," Rotia replied. "But, that guy Asu Ruffat... really loves you too much."

Her words may have been intentional or unintentional, but they made the little girl's face flush.

"Now, the initiative is in your hands. Even if the worst happens, there will be plenty of time and means to deal with it, which is much better than the unlucky queen of St. Gene." Rotia replied. "I personally recommend that you prepare to move with both hands, and it is best to find the power behind the Hawk City."

"Who is it? Who can benefit from this matter?" The little girl was still very confused.

"I don't know, but I'm sure there is no such person in your palace." Rotia smiled. "It's not that they are loyal and capable to you, but that no one among them can escape my eyes and do such things in the Hawk City."

"Who could that be?"

"Only the church, or another...the mysterious force lurking deeply."

"It won't be the church. The church is trying hard to apologize to me recently. Humph, they are looking forward to my understanding now!"

"Don't underestimate those charlatans. They are not fools, but even fools know the principle of doing things with big sticks and radish, and pulling and beating. If this matter is just a warning and sending a signal to us, then they have this motivation and strength. But if it is not a warning, it is dangerous..."

"What do you mean by 'mysterious forces'?"

"Of course it means literally. Some forces that should not exist in the city of Hawks and cannot be exposed to the sun. But they really exist, and they have a little bit of claws in some occasional events." Rotia's tone of speaking was a bit ambiguous, but it would definitely not make people understand it wrong.
Chapter completed!