Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress-Chapter 723: Proceed As Planned

They thought Arabella was only here to listen and would let Raymond handle the rest without giving her inputs or whatsoever.

But that was not the case. She was here to act on Ferdinand’s behalf so she was then one who would make decisions.

If this was the previous life and she did not know yet about the issues in Valeria, it would indeed be better to watch and learn from Raymond first. But since she already knew what she should do, she was here to do her task.

Moreover, she knew exactly what they would want to hear from her since she could listen to their thoughts.

Ferdinand also knew she was already equipped since she had been working in her office since she began. He had seen her work the past months. If he did not believe she knew what to do, he would not have assigned her here and asked Raymond instead.

[It’s true that she has performed well so far. But Her Majesty is still from a foreign nation. What if she was a spy sent here? It’s not good to allow her to make important decisions especially in these yearly gatherings when everyone is gathered.]

There were people who could not trust Arabella because she was from a foreign nation. They feared that she might be a spy sent to lead Ferdinand astray or distract him so they could tear him apart.

’Did they think about me this way in the past too? Then, does this mean they concluded I was a spy right from the start and succeeded in leading Ferdinand to his downfall?’

Arabella gulped at the thought.

[Would it be alright to let her precede when such important matters are being discussed here? She had only become the Empress recently. She’s still young too. She had shown great maturity so far, but what if all of it was just for show?]

There were also those who were fine with her just listening to things but not deciding matters that could greatly affect Valeria and their territories’ future.

Arabella could understand their concerns but she was still going to do as she was tasked to do here.

[His Majesty took his seat several years ago so he’s already experienced and equipped in these matters even at a young age. However, Her Majesty was a princess just months ago. Her responsibilities in Lobelius are very much different here. What if she makes unreasonable decisions and insists on them? Wil His Majesty stand by her wrong decisions and justify them just to please her?]

Meanwhile, there were those who did not think she was ready for this responsibility. They feared that if she made mistakes, they would be unable to correct her since Ferdinand might insist she was right even if she was wrong.

Arabella wanted to scratch the back of her head when they thought about that since Ferdinand might indeed do that. But only if it was something minor. Surely, if it was something of great importance, even Ferdinand would correct her.

Likewise, Arabella would not decide on something so important without letting Ferdinand know first.

She knows that when it comes to important matters she could not decide on her own, she would have to inform Ferdinand first and let him decide.

Or, she could have a meeting with Raymond, Alwin, and the Great Elders if Ferdinand was unavailable.

To silence the murmurs, Raymond said, "This is an edict from His Majesty."

The hall was silenced as Ferdinand’s edict was opened and read.

Arabella was indeed the one assigned to take care of matters while Ferdinand was gone so those who were against it were silenced since Ferdinand had already ordered it.

Thanks to Ferdinand’s edict, the Court Session began without further issues.

The ministers and rulers gave updates on previously discussed matters and Arabella listened well. She did not give any inputs where it was not necessary so they were relieved that she did not make any unnecessary remarks.

However, it also made them worry that she might not be understanding some of what was being discussed.

Arabella did not mind it and only commented when necessary. She knew even Ferdinand did not really comment on everything and simply looked at what needed inputs.

Picking on everything unnecessarily would only make her hated while giving unnecessary remarks would make her look like an idiot asking for attention.

The time for the update about Crux came and everyone anticipated how Arabella would react.

"Your Majesty, from the latest reports from the knights assigned at the borders, Crux had not raised the white flag. There had been no efforts to contact us either for the war not to happen. At this rate, we might have to declare war and attack once the week is over," the Head Minister War reported.

Everyone in the room eyed Arabella, wondering how she would respond. She was ready to respond to this question though since she already knew this would be tackled. She had already asked Ferdinand about it.

[Her Majesty would likely not comment on this topic either. Something about war must be terrifying to her.]

Most of the people in the room thought Arabella would not want to discuss anything related to war while she was the one here.

[How funny. The minister is clearly uncomfortable reporting this to her thinking this was not her forte. If only they knew she plotted Valeria’s fall in the past and collaborated with outside forces to achieve it.]

Alwin, who was behind Arabella, stopped himself from chuckling.

{Hey, behave yourself. That’s something from the past.} Arabella almost rolled her eyes but didn’t since everyone’s eyes were on her.

"What if His Majesty is still away come the weekend? Will we postpone the attack on Crux?" one of the nobles asked the minister and the minister glanced at Arabella.

"We will proceed as planned," Arabella said and everyone gawked at her, surprised that she was taking such a strong stance.

They even wondered if they heard her right.