In the Name of Empress-Chapter 578 - 345: This Is the Price (3)

His gaze was especially clear, drifting leisurely towards the direction of the Imperial Capital.

It was evident that he genuinely missed that house.

It was a small courtyard he had bought with the prize money from a literary competition, and it was also the cozy home Lisa had carefully tended to.

However, with the furniture Sif had sent coming in, Lisa always had a feeling that the room was too crowded.

Later, she finally understood that it wasn't an illusion.

Lisa felt a bit forlorn, but she quickly let out a sigh of relief.

At least during the time from Roland's parents' death until his fate was bound with Sif, Roland was exclusively hers.

Neither Sif nor Alina had ever had such complete possession.

Too bad that at that time, both she and Roland were in a bewildered state, missing the most beautiful moments together.

This is probably life.

Beauty and regret sometimes are dance partners.

Lisa was no longer melancholic, but raised her glass and smiled at Roland, "Although I can't think of a reason, let's toast anyway."

Roland certainly wouldn't refuse.

The glasses clinked lightly, then they drank it all in one go.

The world's beauty is always like wine in a glass, seemingly plentiful, gone in a single sip.

Footsteps sounded, someone was coming.

"Cardinal, urgent message."

With the voice of the diplomatic attaché ringing out, the time for popping champagne was over.

Roland opened the door, received the urgent message from the attaché, and when he turned back, Lisa was already gone, leaving only the scent of wine and her unique perfume fragrance.

Public issues are public, private ones are private.

Now she represents the Talia Kingdom, and Roland represents the Vladimir Empire.

They could meet in private, but she would consciously avoid suspicion while Roland was working.

Opening the envelope, Roland read the contents of the urgent message, then took out a lighter to burn the letter to ashes, and cleaned up the ashes diligently.

No trace of expression could be seen on his face.

The contents of this urgent message were not beyond his expectations, the only surprise was that Sofia had no intention of attending the meeting at all.

Originally, he thought she would come to support him, offering a strong backing.

Roland shrugged, not taking it too seriously.

He wasn't so incompetent that he needed a leader to sort things out at every turn.

Since he accepted a palace from others, he had to fulfill his duties earnestly.

With Sofia's clear stance, the task became easier.

The Wende Empire must be restored, and the direct dominion of the original Imperial Family must be returned.

Of course, if the Prudon Kingdom and the Tirol Kingdom gave face, letting them have some share wouldn't be out of question.

After all, everyone contributed, no one should come out empty-handed.

If the defeated country didn't pay a price, wouldn't the victorious country become a joke?

Roland didn't consider the negotiation to be too difficult.

As long as the Vladimir Empire, Jin Yuan Republic, Sussex Empire, and Talia Kingdom pressured together, would Prudon and Tirol really dare to fight a war on two fronts against the whole world?

The negotiations over the past few days confirmed this point.

Although the Prudon Kingdom and Tirol Kingdom maintained a firm stance, they never acted aggressively, instead, conducting the negotiations fully in accordance with diplomatic protocols.

They never resorted to threats, only repeatedly emphasizing how much they lost in annexing the Wende Empire and the subsequent war with the Freedom Alliance.

"We demand reasonable compensation!"

This was the phrase most frequently on their lips.

Their demands were relatively reasonable; it was just that the territories they requested were a bit excessive.

The ones arguing against them were not the Wende Imperial Family. Having retrieved their direct lands, they were already fortunate to be able to restore their country, so they didn't dare to haggle.

The greatest obstacle was instead Christine.

Miss Saintess insisted that the Holy City of Bozinia and the surrounding Silesia area become a permanent neutral zone, directly governed by the Divine Court of Light, not belonging to any country.

Her reasoning was simple: this would minimize the Divine Court of Light's involvement in secular wars.

This was a justifiable reason, and she indeed had the power to demand it.

If she chose a different location, no country would oppose, but unfortunately, Bozinia was not only a Holy City but also the region richest in coal, iron, and non-ferrous metal resources in all of Rodinia.

Moreover, Silesia and the other two provinces were high-quality industrial zones, with a thriving textile industry.

The Prudon Kingdom and Tirol Kingdom went to war precisely for this land.

Faced with Christine's insistence, they had no choice but to change their strategy, proposing to offer a larger territory along with substantial economic compensation to help the Divine Court of Light establish a new Holy City.

As long as they vacated, they'd compensate Christine with five provinces, larger territories, more population, more fertile lands, and closer to the Holy Spring.

It was quite a lucrative deal, yet Christine refused.

Not only did she refuse, but she did so with very strong resolve, not even willing to provide any explanation.

Even Roland felt she was being somewhat overbearing.

But since she's an ally, Roland couldn't oppose her directly, so he invited her for a private conversation.

Soon after the diplomatic attaché left, the sky brightened, milky white holy light descended upon the terrace.

Without needing to guess, this grand entrance surely belonged to the former Holy Daughter of Light, now the Pope of Light.

The light became stronger, even a bit dazzling.

Roland slightly turned his head, waiting for Christine to complete her grand entrance before turning back.

"Welcome, Your Majesty the Light."

His tone carried a hint of banter.

"Christine."

The face of the Pope of Light, white as ever, carried a sacred glow, with the subtle Holy Mark adding a touch of sharpness to the sanctity.

Though her tone was a bit cold, the content was warm.

"Christine, you look much stronger now," Roland probed.

"I can hear the voice of the Lord of Light and bathe in divine favor every day. It's reasonable for me to grow stronger," Christine's somewhat stern face softened slightly.

"Then I'm no longer your match now," Roland shrugged.

"Christine will never lay a hand on Roland, never," Christine said softly, her tone as resolute as an immutable force of nature.

Roland was willing to believe, but he felt this topic was heavy, not like casual chat between friends.

He even wanted to ask, what if the Divine Oracle commanded to kill Roland?

But he wouldn't ask.

If one treasures humanity, they should not test it.

Moreover, the human light in Christine seemed to be fading, with a chilling aura gradually building around her.

"Roland will also never lay a hand on Christine, ever."

After saying this, Roland took the opportunity to probe further, "I must also affirm, my loved ones are a part of me."

Christine did not respond.

Just when Roland thought she wouldn't answer, she softly said, "Unless they oppose the Goddess, the same promise applies to them."

"You are my only friend, this is an exception. By the way, Sofia isn't your wife, right?"

Christine's face showed a long-lost liveliness, almost making Roland believe she was still the somewhat naive, stubborn Saintess.

He quickly shook his head.

"My regard for the sanctity of life exceeds your imagination."

Christine's lips showed a nearly imperceptible hint of a smile.

"Bozinia is not my Holy City; it was the chamber of the Goddess before she went to the Divine Domain. If I were to give the Holy City as booty to the enemy, how could I face the Goddess, or the millions of devout followers?"

"Roland, can you help me this once?"

Her gaze carried a hint of plea.

Roland understood; this was Christine's line in the sand.

He gave a firm slap to his chest, loudly saying, "Your Majesty the Light need not worry, Knight of Light Roland is willing to follow the guidance of Light and fight to defend it."

Seeing his determined gaze, Christine's heart trembled slightly.

The title "Your Majesty the Light" meant handling matters officially.

Though she gained everything, it felt like she lost it all.

Her fingertips rose and then slowly fell, Christine stood up gracefully.

"Knight of Light, the Goddess will remember your effort."

The milky white light dissipated, leaving the seat empty, with only residual warmth.