Chapter 195: Do Something For Him

Anthony didn't sleep all night. Isolde didn't either. When the sun rose, she got up immediately.

"Commy Princess, why are you up so early?" Esme, who always woke early, came to check on Isolde and found her already changing.

"To find Doug," Isolde said.

"Have some breakfast before you go," Esme advised. "You drank so much last night and didn't eat much. Going out on an empty stomach will hurt your stomach."

"It's alright. I'll have something with Doug." Isolde tidied up, secured her whip, and hurriedly told Esme, "I'll be back by noon, so don't follow me."

She left immediately. At Paletein Manor, Doug was still asleep. The guard informed Isolde that Doug had only left the palace around midnight. Isolde was anxious to know if the King had agreed to send troops, but didn't want to disturb Doug's rest. He was exhausted too. She waited in the courtyard, her heart heavy.

After waiting a short while, someone informed her that Doug had woken. Isolde hurried inside. "I'll be taking care of him."

Doug had actually woken before Isolde arrived. He'd heard her talking outside and knew she was anxious. Unable to sleep, he'd simply gotten up.

"Doug!" Isolde quickly entered. Doug was changing clothes and washing. Isolde handed him a towel and asked the servants to leave.

Water droplets still clung to Doug's face. He looked at her indifferently and wiped his face with the towel. "Why are you so early? Aren't you going to sleep a little longer?"

"What did the King say?" Isolde asked instead of answering.

Doug wiped his face and shook his head. "As I said before, the King doesn't agree to send troops."

Isolde was very disappointed. "Why?"

Doug sat down and sipped the coffee the servant had served. "It's not more than the state treasury being empty."

"Did you tell the King about my plan?" Isolde asked anxiously.

"I did," Doug sighed softly. "I was even reprimanded by the King. Not only that, the King intends to publicize..."

Isolde suddenly felt a blow to the head. "A funeral? How can there be a funeral when the body hasn't even been found?"

"It's very difficult to find his corpse. Even if we find it, it will probably be mush. Therefore, the King said to erect a cenotaph and let his soul rest in peace," Doug sighed.

Isolde sat down, dazed. A cenotaph? Without a corpse, how could his soul be at peace? Moreover, did the announcement of his death mean that no one would keep searching for him?

Tears finally flowed. "No, no, don't give up. He's still alive, even if…"

Isolde took a deep breath and forced back her tears. She said with a trembling voice, "We should continue searching until we find… the corpse."

Doug hugged her gently. "Silly child, it's meaningless. Oliver doesn't care about these…"

Isolde's shoulders trembled as she pushed Doug away. Tears welled up again as she clenched her fists and said excitedly, "But I care, I care. He shouldn't have ended up like this. I don't believe it."

"Do you believe it or not, it's the truth. Let me tell you, the Grand King Emeritus has been gone for a while, but there's been no word from that side. This means that Oliver is really dead," Doug said cruelly, his eyes red. He truly liked this young man and thought highly of him.

Isolde covered her face and cried. "Even if he's really dead, aren't we going to do anything? Aren't we going to take revenge?"

"It's not that we don't want to take revenge. We're just biding our time," Doug advised. "In fact, the King values Oliver greatly. He was very upset when something happened to Oliver. But mobilizing troops isn't simple."

Isolde shook her head in disappointment. "It's not that the treasury is empty, is it? It's not that the soldiers are tired, is it? The biggest reason is that the rebellion of the Zloimond King has yet to be completely uncovered. No general is willing to attack him because the King is also a Conway. Moreover, the old King is still highly respected. They all cherish their reputation and have never thought about the people."

Doug looked at her with a complicated expression. "It's good that you know. The old King has extremely high prestige. He is deeply respected by the people in Zloimond and has a good relationship with many officials in Argentum. Moreover, over the years, the Royal Court clearly didn't need the Zloimond King to pay taxes, but he would hand them over every year. It's the same for the current King, Kamari Conway. No one can prove that he wanted to use those gunpowder bags for war. Under such circumstances, who would be willing to lead troops to war? Even if a King's Edict is issued, it will only be met with perfunctory negativity, which could worsen the situation."

Isolde was indescribably disappointed. She had always thought that the Royal Court valued Oliver very much. Furthermore, the King had personally commissioned this official mission. He knew very well that the Zloimond King was going to rebel. How could he not do anything? Did he just watch as Oliver died in vain and the King rose to power?

She thought about it dejectedly, still unwilling to give up. "What did the Queen Mother say?"

When Doug entered the palace, he must have seen the Queen Mother, too.

Doug said thoughtfully, "The Queen Mother didn't give any opinion this time. The King decided not to deploy troops, and… as though she glanced at the King, with something on her mind, but in the end, she said nothing."

When Isolde heard this, hope ignited in her heart. "Could it be that the Queen Mother intends to send troops?"

"I don't think so. However, I don't dare to guess what the Queen Mother means," Doug said.

Isolde asked, "Then does the King always listen to the Queen Mother?"

"Yes, it's true. The Queen Mother doesn't really care about the affairs of the imperial court nowadays. However, the King will accept her occasional advice," Doug said.

Isolde said excitedly, "Take me to see the Queen Mother, and I'll talk to her myself."

Doug was shocked. "Are you crazy? How can you see the Queen Mother just because you want to? Without a decree, you can't enter the palace."

Isolde grabbed his wrist nervously. "Doug, you can go in. I'll pretend to be your maid and follow you into the palace. Won't that do?"

Doug shook his head solemnly. "No, the Queen Mother's majesty must not be offended. Without her summons, if I brought you into the palace, and her majesty becomes enraged, even I would be implicated."

Looking at Isolde's disappointed and heartbroken eyes, Doug was also sad. He advised softly, "Child, don't think about revenge anymore. The King knows what to do with the Zloimond King. If you feel like doing something for Oliver, then lend a hand with his funeral arrangements."

Isolde stood up and slowly shook her head. Her eyes were firm as she said, "In that case, I want to marry him!"