Chapter 192 - The Play (II)
King Gniox waved his hand.
"Dismiss for now."
"Father!"
The knights escorted Princess Ariana off the stage.
"Ser Ethan. Please stay."
Prince Ethan stayed on the stage.
When Princess Ariana was fully escorted, King Gniox stood up and faced Prince Ethan.
Prince Ethan was about to kneel.
"No need. I want to talk to you not as a king, but as a father. "
Prince Ethan looked at King Gniox.
The king started his monologue.
"I am a coward of a king. I never grew the manpower of our kingdom, or the influence we have to the other kingdoms. I thought that by staying at our place and living peacefully is the best for our kingdom. That we can survive without suffering from the casualty of war. "
The king looked then to his feet.
"But I was wrong. The king should not be afraid of war. Nor afraid of expanding its territory and should have established more power to unite the other lands. That blood of the king surged on this coward king. Making me to once, to just finally, made my kingdom moved a step above form what we are before. Do you know what I'm talking about?" The king asked Prince Ethan.
"Yes, my king. My king is talking about the diamonds mine."
The king nodded.
"Yes. It looks like my daughter told you. That mine would lead the kingdom to a greater level. My daughter understands it very well." The king smiled for a bit but then it got washed away.
"And I understand that it would also lead to another demise."
The king closed his eyes.
"I could never send my daughter to that war." The king opened his eyes and looked at Prince Ethan.
"Please make sure that my daughter would never come."
"My king..."
[At this moment, the stubborn king faces the war with himself and with the ten thousands of soldiers. The king did not bring soldiers more than that. He still left a portion of soldiers to protect the Gniox Kingdom. The king knew that this was the only fate he could choose for the good of their kingdom.]
The scenery change. It took ten minutes for the war to exchanged some diplomatic words and turned into a bloody war.
[As the king prophesied, the UL kingdom annihilate the Gniox army. ]
The King of Gniox was standing with his bloody swords. Multiple slashes were on his body.
The King of UL participated in the war when he heard that the king of Gniox appeared. This was a suicide. And King UL wanted to know why a majestic King would offer himself in the war.
"Do you have any last words, King Gniox ?" King UL asked the bloody king.
"King UL, look through the battlefield. I and my thousands of Gniox soldiers offered our lives for the peace of the GNIOX kingdom. Can you see my sincerity?"
King UL put down his sword.
"Tell me what you want."
King Gniox swept his eyes through the battlefield and then to the faraway castle.
"My kingdom is weak. But the people insides are not. If you get the mine and want to reach a higher ground, please bring along my people. Please don't make them a slave. And please, give my daughter a freedom."
[King UL is not a bad king. However, they both knew, that two kings could not exist in one land. Only one king should remain.]
"I promised." Then King UL slashed King Gniox's neck.
The sound effect and graphic effects came in. Making all the audience had goosebumps.
The cry of nightingales echoed throughout the stage. The flags with a nightingale embroiled on it were ripped apart. This was a symbol that Gniox Kingdom had lost the war.
Everything turned dark and another scene appeared.
[ Princess Ariana turned sick after the news that her father died in the war. It was this day, that the King of UL and his son would enter the palace today. The king of Gniox prepared everything already before he parted to war. A piece of paper that has the seal with the former king of Gniox contained the former's king last wish for the kingdom. The swear of an alliance of the Gniox Kingdom with the kingdom of UL were plasted all over the kingdom. The price was the king's life and the ten-thousand soldiers. It was for the people of the Gniox kingdom and for the generation after them.]
Xiong Zhi's pale face appeared on the stage. She looked sickly.
"Princess, the King of UL and the prince of UL were already in the court." Ser Frances, Gu Zhen supported Princess Ariana.
"Where's Ethan? Did he go to the battlefield too? " Princess Ariana asked with sorrow on his voice.
Ser Francis did not answer.
"My lady, the paralyzing poison still affected your body. It was Ser Ethan who put the drug on your drink. After that, this sire hadn't seen him ever since. " Ser Frances explained.
Princess Ariana lost all her strength in her knees.
"Ethan's body...did they found Ethan's?"
"It was only the king's body that has been returned to the kingdom."
A sorrow music was played. Xiong Zhi's monologue started.
"I am a disappointment to my kingdom. I am a loser of a daughter. And a heartless lover." Xiong Zhi could not produce tears but she could still kneel and hide her face in sorrow.
The sorrowful cry of Princess Ariana echoed through the stage.
"Princess. I know you are grieving. But you have to be strong and lead our kingdom. Think about it princess, how the UL kingdom knows about our diamond mine?"
Princess Ariana's cries halted.
"Are you trying to say we have a betrayer in our kingdom?"
"I'm not sure princess. But whoever the betrayer is has a black heart that brought demise to your father and to the Gniox kingdom."
Princess Ariana and Ser Francis froze.
[Princess Ariana then turn her hate towards that betrayer. Whoever it was, Princess Ariana promised to herself that she would kill the person with her hands.]
The audience gasped.
"Is it a tragedy?" Some students could not help but ask.
"Shh. Let's just watch."
The scene appeared as the court of the Gniox Kingdom. All the nobles were gathered. Princess Ariana showed up with her pale face. All their eyes, including the audience, were glued to the entrance, or rather to the other side of the stage.
"Please make way!The King of UL and the Prince of UL will grace us with their presence!"
The King of UL was wearing a majestic robe embroiled with an eagle, the very symbol of the Kingdom of UL. He was followed by a young man wearing a prince's clothing. The young man's hair was tied by a blue ribbon. On his crest was the same symbol of the Kingdom of UL. But his face made all the nobles of Gniox startled. Not only them, even Princess Arina.
"Ethan?" Her small voice lingered with shock, happiness, and confusion echoed out.
Prince Ethan glanced at her for a moment then continued to walk on his designated seat. Besides the King of UL's seat.
"I am the King of UL. In the battlefield, your king asked me to bring the Gniox kingdom along with us. It was paid with your king's life. I suggest any resistance or rebellion was unnecessary. It would only cause some losses on your side. "
The nobles had a complex emotion on their face.
"I will not turn you to slave or be part of my citizen. I will give you all freedom. You will live like you have lived before. But this land, this kingdom would be under the tutelage of Kingdom of UL. If we need salt, you will provide us. If we need army, you will send us your men. If I made a law, then you need to comply as well. The kingdom of Gniox wold be a part of UL. "
"To show you my sincerity, which I don't really need to give to you, I will let my son, Prince Ethan, to marry your Princess. That would be a truce between our kingdoms."
Gasped. Murmur.
The court suddenly got noisy.
Princess Ariana was shocked to the point she fainted.
"Ariana!" Prince Ethan ran towards her.
Then everything turned dark.
The lights turned on in the audience area.
An announcement suddenly echoed throughout the theatre.
"We will have a thirty-minute break before the Part Two of 'Conquer' is played. Enjoy your break"
"What? It's already been this late?" Master Lu massaged his legs. It was a good watch. He couldn't wait for the next part but he got hungry too.
He turned to his shareholders.
"Order food for everyone. Just say it was from a loving grandfather." The shareholder called their assistant to do Master Lu orders.
Linfeng stood up. There was an eco-bag in his hands. He prepared it before the play. He wanted to go to the backstage and checked his young miss. But when he got there, some security guards stopped him.
"Butler Zhou? I am so sorry but we are only following orders that we should not allow anyone to come in."
Linfeng was stunned. This was very strict.
"Then can you pass a word from me to my young miss?"
The two guards looked at each other and nodded.
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