Chapter 1339 - 1257: The Death of the Empress Dowager

Chapter 1339: Chapter 1257: The Death of the Empress Dowager

The spring rain drizzled lightly on the walls of Eagle Castle, where soldiers wearing conical iron helmets and chain mail stood holding long spears patrolling the ramparts.

However, compared to before, their faces didn’t look too good.

Because standing atop the walls and looking down, past the moat and a few sentinel dirt forts, were rows of scarlet-colored tents.

Flags representing the vampires were fluttering in the spring rain.

Along with the servant army, at least thirty thousand troops were amassed under Eagle Castle.

Keep in mind that Golden Fleece Beach is a plain, at most having only a few hills in the open plain.

If the sea defense and river defense failed to block the enemy, there wouldn’t be any place in the entire Golden Fleece Beach able to stop them.

With the vampire army’s invasion, due to their more efficient and concise military system, they swiftly broke through the local garrison of nearly ten thousand before Falan’s armies could gather.

As for why they abandoned the capital White City of Golden Fleece Beach and chose to attack this secondary castle, it’s naturally because the vampires received earth-shattering news.

The Queen Mother is present here.

As the war broke out, she stubbornly followed her usual itinerary to the hot spring palace.

As for Charlie, he couldn’t possibly stay in court continuously, monitoring his mother without pause.

If someone were sent to monitor, who could stop the Queen Mother from doing what she wanted?

Moreover, with vampires in Changge City, any moves would grant enough time to evacuate his mother, relying on strongholds and alerts.

But regrettably, it’s unclear whether Konyaz was too formidable or the local army too poor, the Queen Mother couldn’t escape in time and was trapped in Eagle Castle.

Gradually, fifty thousand troops from the Royal Court entered Golden Fleece Beach, and more forces were still being added.

Observing the thirty thousand troops around Eagle Castle, neither attacking nor retreating, just besieging.

The meaning is clear, the classic tactic of besieging at one point to attack reinforcements; it’s Konyaz baiting Charlie into attacking.

Once they engage in battle on the open plain, they’ll inevitably sink into the quagmire of war, completely disrupting Falan’s preparation plan.

But there’s no choice, who asked for the Queen Mother to fail to retreat back to White City and end up surrounded in Eagle Castle?

Inside Eagle Castle, the atmosphere was similarly grim.

Even though the Royal Court’s army wasn’t attacking the castle yet, they all understood it was only a matter of time.

Especially some of the nouveau nobles, who even despairingly thought, given Lorenzo and Charlie’s distaste for this foolish woman, they were bound to abandon them.

The most important thing is, this foolish woman is still squandering resources to host a ball at this time.

Don’t they know the whole city would be eager to tear her apart?

In the largest villa chamber inside Eagle Castle, servants dressed in fine silk came and went.

The local nobles either forced themselves to smile or indulged in carpe diem drinking and feasting, gathered around tables.

In the dance pool, under the sound of lyre and trumpet, only a few individuals were dancing.

Sitting at the head, the Queen Mother, a woman near fifty but still like a thirty-something lady, remained enthusiastically chatting with the surrounding noble servants.

Like the King, the Queen Mother of Falan had her own inner court especially to serve her.

Even though the Queen Mother only moved into this chamber three days ago, the servants had diligently renovated it.

All tables and chairs in here were devoid of sharp corners or wooden splinters, sanded down by the servants.

The servants knew well, the Queen Mother was like a ripe peach, fragile; anything with a corner would pierce her delicate skin.

The Queen Mother was extremely afraid of pain; even a small wound would scare her into crying.

Crying wasn’t the problem, the difficulty was cheering her up again.

Either hosting a lively ball, telling jokes to amuse her, or using masses of white sugar sweetness to make her laugh.

Just in case, the red tea offered in the room was filled with white sugar to mask any trace of bitterness.

After all, the Queen Mother was the clandestine guardian behind Falan’s white sugar trade, so for her, sugar could be used freely.

Afraid of pain, fear of bitterness, fear of cold, sometimes irritable sometimes melancholic, willful and whimsical, this was the image of Falan’s Queen Mother.

This is why at such a tense moment, she would go to Golden Fleece Beach to soak in hot springs.

No matter who’s outside, whether vampires or anyone else, she went; it was her habit and tradition. If the Queen Mother of Falan couldn’t do as she wished, then the legitimacy of the Falan Royal Family would be deemed too poor.

In the bizarre atmosphere, the ball continued from afternoon until evening.

Until finally, a baron couldn’t endure any longer and stood up, "Your Highness, with the enemy at the gates, are you really still going to feast and revel?"

"How dare you!"

"How dare you speak to the Empress Dowager like that."

The surrounding nobles and servants immediately berated the Baron, but the Empress Dowager’s expression remained unchanged.

She stood up willingly and tapped her glass.

"I know what you want to say, you’re just afraid my dear Charley might get rash and try to save me, right?"

"..."

"You really don’t need to worry, my boy." The Empress Dowager glanced around, "I won’t let my dear Charley make such a mistake."

"Your Highness, what are you doing?"

"I thought this moment would come a bit later." The woman put down her porcelain teacup, opened her small bag, and took out a brass goblet and a vial of liquid.

Under the bewildered gaze of the servants, the woman filled the goblet with wine and added the liquid.

"My dear Charley, I can’t let him and the believers of this entire city suffer such hardship, they are innocent people." The woman raised the goblet to those present.

"Your Highness, are you going to...?"

"Your Highness, that’s a Gold goblet, isn’t it? Tell me it’s a Gold goblet!"

Looking at the green liquid in the brass goblet, everyone suddenly cried out in shock.

As the Empress Dowager, according to etiquette, it is absolutely forbidden to drink from a brass goblet, as it is a vessel only used by commoners.

The only time the royal family would use a brass goblet is for poison wine.

This stems from a rumor about Silver turning black when poisoned, which has become tradition over the years.

"But you are a devout Believer of the Holy Father."

"For the millions of believers and the fight against the vampires, the Holy Father Association will understand me." Her voice trembled with fear, "Besides, I’ve lived long enough, apart from caring for my Charley, I have no attachment to this world."

Gripping the goblet tightly, the Empress Dowager’s body trembled, yet she still clutched it fiercely, afraid of anyone taking it away.

She couldn’t be sure if, once the goblet was seized, she’d have the courage to pick up that poisoned wine again.

Thus, she wouldn’t allow anyone to take it away.

"I believe I’ve been cornered here, Charley will surely come to save me, just like if he were surrounded, I’d spare no effort to save him."

Honestly, Charley’s father resembles the cold-blooded ruler Lorenzo had hoped for, even with a hint of ’after I’m gone, who cares if the world floods’.

His attitude towards his wife and son was merely as marriage and reproduction tools.

Most importantly, he wasn’t very fond of women, leaving the mother and son to depend on each other in the cold palace.

It’s truly laughable to think that a queen and a prince of a nation have to rely on each other within the palace.

This queen was bullied by the eunuch’s favored concubine of the King, had it not been for Lorenzo gambling his life to help, the unrelated royal bloodline might have indeed seized power.

There were even proposals to invite Moliat back to the Falan Royal Family for succession.

"Charley is a smart child, sometimes he takes care of me, sometimes I take care of him."

"His biggest wish upon becoming King is to surpass his father’s achievements and not become like him."

"I’m a woman, I can’t comprehend his ambitions, I just want to take care of him and find some joy at gatherings."

"I’ve indeed troubled Charley many times, but this time, I really don’t want him to be troubled."

Putting the goblet to her lips, the Empress Dowager paused again, looking at the servants: "Is this wine bitter?"

"Not only bitter but it’ll be very painful if you drink it, Your Highness." Tears welled up in the servants’ eyes.

The Empress Dowager nodded, tilted her head, and laughed: "You’re lying to me."

With that, she drank the poisoned wine in one gulp.

She stumbled for a second, then fell heavily onto the carpet.

"No, Your Highness—"

Compared to the nobles who looked on with delight, it was the commoner servants who rushed forward, wailing as they embraced the gentle, slightly foolish woman.

Staring at the ceiling, the Empress Dowager’s smile contorted.

Tears trickled from the corners of her eyes as she arranged her final wishes: "My estate will be managed by my only son Charley, but you can have all my cash, though it’s not much."

"No... Your Highness..."

"It hurts... it hurts..." The Empress Dowager twisted, blood streaming from her nose and ears, "You didn’t lie to me, damn it, it really does hurt..."

Her voice gradually grew fainter, she lay on the soft carpet, staring at the velvet ceiling, slowly closing her eyes.

Charley, my child, I have cleared the last obstacle to you becoming Emperor for you.