flstandardbreds Chapter 739 Charlotte
Chapter 739 Charlotte
"His Majesty."
The moment Griffiths saw the king, he immediately knelt on one knee, his posture upright and without the slightest hesitation.
Guts, however, remained standing in place, his back straight, showing no intention of bowing. His gaze was calmly fixed on the king, without a trace of awe or evasion.
"How rude! You should kneel down before the king."
Count Yuris stared at Gus's nonchalant demeanor, and his anger surged instantly. He pointed at Gus, his tone full of rebuke.
In his eyes, the two men in front of him were nothing more than mercenaries who had risen to the palace through their military achievements. Without the king's permission, they would not even be qualified to step into the palace. Now, they could not even perform the most basic salute. They were arrogant and had no regard for the dignity of the royal family.
“Gess”.
Griffith, kneeling on one knee, turned his head and spoke to Guts in a low voice. He knew Guts's temperament well; he was always unruly and disregarded worldly rules. But now he was facing the king of a country. If he was too presumptuous, it would only bring unnecessary trouble to the two of them and the entire Band of the Hawk.
Upon hearing this, Guts let out a very soft sigh. He found these royal rules tedious and ridiculous. He had always relied on his sword and strength to fight on the battlefield, not on these superficial formalities. However, seeing Griffith's gesture, he did not want to put Griffith in a difficult position. With slow and obvious reluctance, he slowly bent his knees and completed the action of kneeling on one knee.
"It's alright, I was just taking a walk. Get up."
The king waved his hand, his tone indifferent, showing no anger at Gus's earlier rudeness. He simply gestured for the two to stand up, his gaze sweeping gently over Griffith and Gus, completely disregarding the little incident.
"Your Majesty, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
Count Yuris stepped forward, his brow furrowed, and addressed the king.
He simply couldn't understand the king's indulgence, so easily forgiving disrespectful behavior towards the royal family. If left unchecked today, these mercenaries from the lower classes would only become more unscrupulous in the future, and might even do something more outrageous, completely trampling on the dignity of the royal family.
"These are all heroes of the country."
Ignoring Count Eurys's concerns, the king spoke calmly, then turned to Griffith and Gus and introduced the people beside him.
"This is my younger brother, the second in line to the throne of Midland, Count Yuris."
"Greetings, Count Yuris."
Griffiths knelt down on one knee again, his attitude respectful and proper, but Count Yuris simply turned his face away coldly, not even sparing Griffiths a glance. His heart was filled with disdain and contempt for these commoner mercenaries, and he felt from the bottom of his heart that they were not worthy of speaking to him, much less worthy of the king's attention.
"By the way, Griffith, your performance leading the Band of the Hawk has been outstanding as always. Even at this age, watching you fight bravely and boldly still makes my blood boil."
The king turned his attention back to Griffith, his tone full of undisguised praise and his eyes full of admiration. He looked at the young mercenary leader before him and recognized his ability and courage from the bottom of his heart.
Count Yuris, standing to the side, gradually darkened his face, his dissatisfaction and jealousy surging within him. Watching the king praise Griffith so highly, and comparing it to his own neglected situation, he felt a tightness in his chest.
In Guts' eyes, the king's enthusiastic praise and Count Yuris's gloomy displeasure formed a stark contrast; one was full of admiration, and the other was full of jealousy, creating a particularly strong sense of contrast.
"His Majesty."
Count Yuris took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and addressed the king, attempting to interrupt the king's praise of Griffith.
"Isn't such praise a bit much for an officer who has just joined the army?"
King Midland turned to the side, glanced indifferently at Count Yuris, ignored his words, and continued speaking to Griffith.
"It's alright. Some of the old ministers in the palace do not think highly of you. They believe that such arrogance by commoners will damage the prestige of the palace."
"However, prestige and status are not what win wars, nor can they feed people. We are now in a time of turmoil."
"To be frank, I would rather entrust the future to you young people than to those veterans who are bound by tradition."
"Your Majesty's words are too much for me to bear."
Griffith knelt on one knee to pay his respects, his tone humble, showing no arrogance despite the king's repeated praise. Just as he stood up, his gaze inadvertently swept behind a pillar in the palace and caught sight of a figure hiding there, secretly looking in his direction.
"Excuse me, who is this...?"
Griffiths slightly raised his eyes and addressed the king, inquiring about the identity of the person behind the pillar.
"What? Oh."
Upon hearing Griffith's words, the king realized who he was referring to, glanced back at the pillar, and then began to explain.
“That is my daughter, Charlotte. She is very shy and doesn’t like stern-faced warriors.”
Having said that, the king raised his voice and called out towards the pillar.
"Charlotte, come here."
Charlotte remained huddled behind the pillar, her body slightly tense, hesitant to step out.
The king sighed softly, stepped closer to Griffith, and spoke in a low voice.
"As you can see, perhaps I have spoiled her. She is my only child. Please forgive her, Griffith."
Griffiths didn't say much, but simply bent his knees slightly to complete the gesture of kneeling in greeting, as a sign of understanding.
The king then said no more and led Count Yuris forward, intending to leave the area.
"Let's go, Charlotte!"
As the king's voice faded into the distance, Charlotte dared to emerge from behind the pillar and quickly follow the king and Count Euryss down the steps.
Just as she passed Griffith, she accidentally stepped into a crack in the stone bricks, instantly lost her balance, and tilted towards the outside of the steps. It looked like she was about to fall down the steps, and no one around her had time to react.
Griffith reacted swiftly, reaching out to firmly embrace Charlotte's waist the instant she lost her balance, stabilizing her body as she was about to fall. In her panic, Charlotte instinctively placed her hand on Griffith's shoulder, using his strength to steady herself.
"Princess, please be careful."
After regaining their balance, Griffith spoke calmly, his voice low and deep, without the slightest hint of overstepping his bounds.
Charlotte looked up and met Griffith's gaze directly. Looking at the person in front of her up close, her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, her heart beat faster for no reason, and she was thrown into a brief panic.
"You bastard!"
A furious shout suddenly rang out, and Count Yuris rushed over, his face contorted with rage.
"How dare a commoner touch a noble princess?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Count Yuris raised his hand and slapped Griffith hard across the face, with great force, showing no mercy whatsoever.
"Hey, sir!"
When Guss saw Griffiths being attacked, his eyes turned red instantly. He immediately stepped forward, raised the greatsword behind him with one hand. The sword was heavy, but he lifted it with ease. His eyes were full of ferocity. If Count Yuris made any further moves, he would not hesitate to attack.
Griffiths raised his hand, firmly stopping Gus's movements, signaling him not to act rashly, and then slowly turned his head to look at Count Yuris.
"I'm sorry, Count Eurys."
Griffiths spoke, his tone calm, but blood slowly seeped from the corner of his mouth. Combined with his cold expression, this caused Count Yuris across from him to feel a strange physical discomfort and a faint sense of fear.
What are you doing?
The king's voice came from below the steps, his tone tinged with doubt, clearly indicating that he had noticed the commotion.
"It's nothing, Father."
Charlotte immediately snapped out of her daze and shouted at the king below the steps, trying to cover up the conflict that had just occurred.
Count Yuris composed himself, suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, and turned to speak to Charlotte.
"Princess, let's go."
After saying that, Count Yuris turned and walked down the steps without looking back at Griffith.
Charlotte stood still, gave Griffith a deep look with a complicated expression, and then followed Count Yuris down the steps.