Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 770 - 711: Dressed Up and Out

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Lina Dreya sat upon the throne at the end of the room, the sunlight streaming through the window bars illuminating her armor. The adorable yet valiant queen lifted her head.

In fact, the Queen of Dreya was a diminutive woman, and her custom knight’s armor paired with her baby face created a comically mismatched effect, which only enhanced her efforts to maintain a serious expression. Lina in her armor was like a partially revealed gemstone or a pearl clam opening up. Lyle felt proud of his fitting analogy.

Lina raised her head from the documents, cocking her right eyebrow, her mouth corners turning down. Seeing Lyle, her eyes widened slightly, then she looked past him and noticed Benjamin standing behind. Lina gritted her teeth, revealing her canines, and directly grabbed the weapon resting at the corner of the desk.

"Didn’t I tell you that I didn’t want to see you today? Benjamin, you have disobeyed my orders again."

Benjamin kneeled down honestly.

"Your Highness, I did not intend to disturb you, however, Sir Lyle is visiting once again, and as he is unfamiliar with the place, he required my company. As a knight, I should follow your orders, but Sir Lyle’s arrival might bring new opportunities to Dreya, and to you. Considering this, I felt I should adapt to the situation."

Maybe it was to maintain the dignity of Dreya, or maybe she was persuaded by Benjamin’s words, but Lina put down the weapon and propped her chin up, looking at Lyle.

"What is it, hero of Dreya?"

Lyle bowed, showing respect to the Queen of Dreya. He sneakily glanced at Lina’s face to confirm her mood hadn’t worsened before proceeding with his prepared topic after the formalities.

"I have a plan that could build a bridge between Dreya and an elf clan, to engage in some cultural and trade exchanges. With Dreya now cut off from human nations, having more channels for resources is always beneficial."

Lina, as if understanding, nodded and left her position, walking towards Lyle.

She passed by Lyle and headed towards the staircase outside the room.

"What are you waiting for? Let’s go."

Lyle was somewhat puzzled.

"Where to?"

Lina instructed Benjamin to prepare the mounts and signaled for Lyle to follow.

"Liveser. You’ll certainly bring Kayla as well, right? For cultural exchanges with the elf race, those tree-dwellers are certainly more suitable than us. Since it’s all about negotiation, let’s wait until everyone is assembled."

Lina glared at Lyle fiercely.

"Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about making things easier for you, I just don’t trust you to be alone with Kayla. What are you looking at me for... I need to ensure that the terms between the two nations are fair and equitable, Queen Kayla of Liveser and I also need to discuss the arrangements."

Lyle nodded in agreement.

"That’s very thorough of you, Lina, and besides, you and Kayla have already become good friends. Echel and Reed will certainly be pleased."

Lina didn’t say anything but urged Lyle with her eyes to leave her office quickly.

As the door closed, the wall full of weapons disappeared from Lyle’s view. Lina did not descend but instead separated from Lyle to ascend towards her own sleeping chamber.

Lina saw this as an official diplomatic visit between kingdoms, and changing into appropriate attire was a necessary basic courtesy.

Lyle walked out of the tower and, with the help of a knight, mounted a horse prepared for guests, a docile gelding. The other warhorse, clad in horse armor, was larger and noisier, and its high-backed saddle clearly looked less comfortable than his own. Moreover, its gaze sent a clear message: dare to come close, and I’ll dare to kick.

Lina didn’t make Lyle wait long, and one person even arrived before her.

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The vanished Knight Benjamin plummeted from the sky once more, sending a tremor through the ground. Startled, the horses snorted and their hooves clanged on the armor, making a staccato sound.

Lina walked out from the main entrance of the tower; her armor had not been changed, but her cheeks were flushed, as if she had just put on makeup. Passing by the buried knight, Lina completely disregarded royal etiquette and spat, nimbly vaulting onto the tall saddle. She tugged the reins, stepped into the stirrup, and with a gentle pull, she was up, effortlessly scaling a height half her own and utterly ignoring the weight of the steel.

"What has he done this time?"

"He broke into my room and replaced all my formal attire with shameless clothes."

Lyle knew there was more to it than that; the above charges were enough to have Benjamin thrown down, and the blush on Lina’s face hinted at other reasons.

"What a pity! Your Majesty!" The First Knight instantly pulled his head out of the ground, his gaze piercing through the armor as if it was transparent.

In fact, Lina had told only half the story. Benjamin indeed had switched her formal attire, and with the loyalty of the First Knight, he had prepared a set of garments that pushed the limits of Lina’s tolerance to display her charm.

Lina Dreya had a strong competitive spirit, and given that the charming Kayla awaited her, she was ready to blushingly, reluctantly yet invitingly don the outfit.

Then the meticulous First Knight, still defeated by his loyalty to the queen, crawled out from the hidden corner of the balcony after Lina had finished dressing, showering her with endless praise.

"Wait until I return, and your death will be upon you," Lina snapped, looking down at Benjamin as though she were looking down at a corpse.

But harsh words were just that, harsh words. Lina Dreya knew who her subjects were and understood the mentality of Benjamin and the other Knights. She was a monarch who had led the Dreya through difficult times on her own. She recognized the truth and cherished her treasures, her protecting knights, who had long since taken the place of her family. Lina presented an image of fierceness, but it was just a façade. Perhaps the inner weakness in her heart was what promoted the quirky customs of the Knights.

"Would you allow Knight Benjamin to accompany us?"

Lina looked at Lyle, her expression more bizarre than angry.

"Do you really... get lost that easily?"

Lyle shook his head, pointing to the handsome Knight Benjamin.

"It’s related to the plan I was preparing to discuss with you, I want to choose a few image representatives for the two countries. Dreya, I think Knight Benjamin would be very suitable."

Lina’s face darkened, she pulled the reins tight, showing an expression of hard-to-accept defeat. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Even though I hate to admit it, I can’t think of anyone better. My country’s talent has become this barren, it’s truly sad."

Lyle consoled a disheartened Lina.

"It’s a matter of image, Knight Benjamin is handsome and tall, unwavering in his loyalty, he fits my vision of a knight perfectly. Only his insides are rotten, no problem, he just needs a little packaging, in fact, I only want that skin."

Lina perked up a bit, smiling gratefully, "That’s true, he does at least have good looks."

Lina and Lyle rode on, smiling. As the protagonist who was demeaned, Knight Benjamin cheerfully led out his warhorse.

"He is indeed the man I had my eye on, effortlessly winning the favor of Princess Lina. Even secured an opportunity to accompany her, what talent..."

"But even without the opportunity, I would have followed quietly on my own."