Yes, Madam Prime Minister

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“It’s impossible to meet her conditions.” Lucien’s voice was soft, but undeniable.

Isabel clenched her fists and asked, "Isn't there any other way?"

"Ahem." Lucien coughed twice. "This isn't your mother's problem, it's your problem. Do I have to spell it out? It's simple. You kill your mother, and it will be treated as an accidental death. Then you'll be stripped of your princess status and demoted to a commoner. Everyone will have their own speculations, but it will remain an unsolved case. After that, you'll join a new department as an official. Don't worry, this department will be the one you once dreamed of building."

"For the sake of the country, for the sake of your sister, and for your own sake," Lucien advised.

Isabel stood up, her face cold. "Isn't it all for you too?"

"Say what you will." Lucien didn't care about his daughter's accusatory and sarcastic words. He was a dying man; why should he care what the living thought of him?

“Okay, I agree,” Isabel replied.

Lucien's lips curled up. He had never thought that Isabel would refuse, because he knew that his second daughter was a ruthless person.

“Have Ashley cooperate with you,” Lucien continued.

The daughter's spatial teleportation magic, which can transport people, combined with Ashley's magic that allows her to completely hide in the shadow space, is definitely a deadly weapon for assassination.

Isabel glanced at the shadows in the study, then turned and walked toward the door. "Let's go."

Lucien watched as his daughter opened the study door and disappeared into the bright sunlight, followed by Ashley, and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

Two days later, the queen suddenly fell ill and died.

On the third day, the Queen's brother, the Count of Aquitaine, was renamed the Count of Champagne.

On the fourth day, Princess Isabelle was demoted to a commoner, expelled from the royal family, and forbidden from attending the Queen's funeral.

On the fifth day, all members of the royal family, as well as the queen's relatives, were announced to attend the funeral.

On the sixth day, Ambrina officially received the royal decree to return to the capital.

The decree also allowed Ronan and Dinah to attend the Queen's funeral together.

Dinia, as an apologist, is essentially an unofficial member of the church. Attending a funeral, she could, frankly, even read a eulogy in place of the bishop.

But is Ronan some kind of Dick?

Clearly, this funeral was not simple; Ronan gleaned much from the edict.

“Ronan, why did he do this?” Ambrina asked. After the initial brief moment of grief, she had calmed down and thought about many things.

It was him, not her. They didn't even ask if it was him, but rather why.

Ronan understood that Ambrina already had a guess about the whole thing, a guess similar to his own.

“You’ll have to ask him that yourself,” Ronan replied. “Anli, in life, you always have to lose something.”

“She was just a foolish woman who lived a life of luxury and craved weakness. She posed no threat at all. Why did she have to die?” Ambrina was still deeply troubled by her mother’s death.

In the palace, fools and villains die even faster, but Ronan couldn't bring himself to say that.

Ronan could only place his hand on Ambrina's shoulder and say, "Let's go back to the capital and see your mother off on her final journey."

"Ah."

Chapter 325 Sisters' Conversation, Father-in-Law and Son-in-Law's Tacit Understanding, Funerals and Weddings

Upon returning to the royal capital, Paristo, Ambrina's first stop was naturally the princess's residence.

After taking a bath and eating something, just as she was about to change her clothes and go to the palace, an uninvited guest suddenly appeared in her dressing room: Isabel, dressed in men's clothing.

Ambrina showed no emotion and sat down on the leather-cushioned bench where she changed her shoes. "Go ahead and say what you want to say."

Isabel leaned against the cabinet, her arms crossed over her chest, showing no sign of defeat. "You've grown a lot, sister. I thought you were going to come and slap me."

"So, it really was you who did it?" Ambrina asked.

Isabel shrugged. “That man is indeed remarkable. He managed to train someone as clumsy as you to be so perceptive. Yes, it was me. But I knocked her unconscious first, and she passed away without any pain.”

Ambrina stood up and glared at her sister. "How dare you say such a thing, Isabel? That's our mother."

Isabelle opened her mouth, intending to criticize her mother, saying that when her father was just a dissolute prince, the family didn't have much money, yet they would hold banquets every few days, making the most of the lavishness, forcing Isabelle to eat leftovers, and forcing the young Isabelle to undergo various trainings for noble ladies as a tool for showing off.

But this was ultimately just a little bit of resentment from her childhood.

After her father ascended the throne, he went even further, unable to distinguish right from wrong. Anyone willing to flatter her and give her gifts was considered a good person. Countless crimes were committed under her protection within the capital.

Finally, they formed a faction to seize the throne, and who were the people in this faction? Corrupt nobles and unscrupulous merchants.

Isabel never intended to kill her mother, but she did think about her mother dying, more than once.

But Isabel ultimately did not utter a single word of reproach towards her mother.

"Are you speechless?" Ambrina asked again.

“No, there isn’t,” Isabel replied.

"Was it at Father's behest?" Ambrina asked the question she really wanted to ask.

"Yes," Isabel answered readily.

Ambrina simply breathed a sigh of relief; she wasn't surprised, because she had expected this from the start.

After pausing for a moment, Ambrina sat back down. "What are his plans for you?"

Isabel laughed, a somewhat mocking laugh. "Does that matter? What matters is how you plan to arrange things for me." It would be difficult for the king's father to get through the next New Year; the future belonged to Ambrina.

"Did Ronan tell you about me and me?" Ambrina asked.

Isabel then noticed that Ambrina used "he" twice to refer to her father. It seemed that she had become estranged from her good father. However, upon closer reflection, wasn't this what her good father would like to see?

“I did,” Isabel replied.

“After Ronan and I get married, the Central Council will establish a new department, the Ministry of the Interior, with a structure similar to the Ministry of the Interior in the colonies. Do you understand?” Ambrina said.

At this moment, Isabel understood why her father had said the new department was a good fit for her. The Ministry of the Interior was a sword, a sword hanging over the heads of officials and capitalists, but it was also a shield, a shield to protect the people and the monarchy.

Isabel bowed her head and said, "Thank you."

This was the first time she had bowed her head to Ambrina.

Ambrina scoffed, "No need, it was his suggestion."

Isabel smiled. Him? Ronan? This father-in-law and son-in-law are even more in sync than blood fathers and sons. They don't need any communication to understand each other's intentions and do their jobs perfectly.

"I'm leaving now." Isabel left and disappeared.

Ambrina leaned back against the wall, as if her soul had left her body, and sat there motionless for a long time.

She thought that her sister's and mother's power had been divided and disintegrated, and everything was getting better. Although her family had never been truly harmonious and there was no affection between them, at least they were no longer as hostile as before.

However, it backfired.

But all of that is in the past.

After she and Ronan got together, they implemented this system, which would eliminate the problem of a struggle for the throne and prevent such tragedies from happening again.

Ambrina got up and rallied.

Three days later, the funeral began at the Paristo Sant'Orcott Cathedral.

The Queen's coffin lay in the church, and the district bishop read a eulogy on the platform to mourn Her Majesty the Queen.

Below are the royal family members, led by the king, and the queen's family members. In the solemn funeral, everyone was dressed in black and remained silent.

Aside from the King, Ambrina, and Dinia, who was a special person, everyone else would occasionally steal glances at Ronan.

Everyone knows that Ronan and Ambrina have a special relationship, you could even say they're openly lovers, but does a lover have the right to be here?

However, Ronan was invited by the king. A bloody storm had just swept through the capital, and the original princess party and queen party had fallen apart. Most of them escaped unscathed and were not implicated. Most military officers were not dismissed from their posts, most of the retrogressive faction still had freedom of speech, many old nobles were not stripped of their titles, and most capitalists were unharmed.

But the key figures in these two parties either died or were exiled; none of them escaped. In particular, those who were executed were all subjected to wheel torture, their limbs smashed to pieces with hammers, then tied to a wheel and hung in the square for three days as a public spectacle, dying in agony.

In this situation, no one dares to jump out and express dissent.

Soon, the eulogy was finished, and the next segment began, with everyone joining the district bishop in prayer.

After the prayers were finished, everyone took turns going up to give a brief farewell speech.

After the speech, four people carried the coffin, with the rest following behind, and proceeded towards their destination.

You can cry on the road, but you can't cry out loud.

The cemetery wasn't far, and we arrived quickly. It was a cemetery, but the burial place for members of the royal family was on an enclosed mound.

During the burial, the district bishop continued to pray for the deceased, while others scattered flower petals as they poured the soil. After the burial was completed and the cross was erected, everyone took turns observing a moment of silence and offering flowers.

The main ceremonies of the funeral were thus concluded.

The funeral was over, but no one left, because everyone knew the king had something to say and they were all waiting there.

Sure enough, the king looked at the crowd and said, "I have two things to say. First, I hereby confer upon Ronan Artes the title of Baron Wright."

This matter itself is not worth worrying about. This title is completely nominal. The location of the Baron Wright is in New Sea City. It is impossible for Ronan to be given a piece of land there. Even if he were to be given a piece of land, it would not be a big deal.

But clearly, making Ronan a baron was just a prelude; the real show was yet to come.

"Secondly, I announce the engagement of Ambrina Freigo and Ronan Artes, with the engagement ceremony to be held in a week."

The king's voice was light and airy, yet it struck everyone like a thunderclap.

What, what are they trying to do?

Chapter 326 Drinking, Political Discussion, and Reminiscing with Old Friends

The Queen's funeral ended, and within just two days, news of Ronan's engagement to Princess Ambrina spread throughout the capital.

Meteor Tavern got its name from the fact that several poets and novelists within the retro movement, who advocated abandoning the old imperial script and writing in French to create their own country's literary works, often gathered here.

However, this is not a particularly high-class place, since the upper class of this era would not gather in places open to the public.

However, the atmosphere here is quite sophisticated, with a relatively quiet environment, frequent musician performances, and occasional simple song and dance performances.

Without a decent set of clothes, you can't even get in unless you're invited. This place is generally frequented by middle-income earners, such as civil servants in the capital who hold relatively high positions, young military officers with the status of junior magicians, artisans who have their own shops with unique skills, relatively cultured small business owners, and people with some fame in the arts and culture circles.

Although this place is quieter than the pubs frequented by the lower classes that sell beer and spicy snacks, it's still a pub after all, and it doesn't sell low-alcohol wine, but rather brandy and other strong spirits. Do you think men of a certain status will stop nagging once they're tipsy? Think again.

Even the Pope, when drunk, is just as unruly.

Once men start talking, especially middle-aged and young men with some status, the topics are inevitably tied to politics and women.

Quite coincidentally, the engagement between Ronan, a recently rising star in both academia and practical work, and Princess Ambrina, the first heir to the kingdom, is a matter of politics, governance, and women.

“If you ask me, this won’t work,” one of the men said.

In many people's eyes, Ronan's background was still too humble.

Since Hollande began to implement the civil service system three hundred years ago, he has been weakening the nobility and centralizing power. Even Lawrence, who reversed course more than a hundred years ago, did a lot of things to weaken the nobility in his later years. The influence of the nobility has fluctuated over the past three hundred years, but overall it has declined a lot.

However, the concept of noble blood has persisted for over two thousand years and is ingrained in the very bones of the people of the entire Western Continent. Even if one day the outward appearance of nobility disappears, the nobility in their hearts will remain.

Just like in Seris, royal power is something ingrained in people's bones.

Therefore, in many people's eyes, it was really too difficult for Ronan, a baron, to marry Ambrina.

“That’s right, even if they get engaged, they probably won’t get married,” the man at the table agreed.

Just then, a man sitting at the same table, dressed neatly but with a linen bow tie at the collar and a thin straw rope tied around his wrist, spoke up, "So, do you think the nobles will object to this?"

"Because of what happened in Rennes, many powerful nobles are hoping that this Mr. Artes will take over."

“Those agricultural capitalists were even more willing to support him.”

"The bureaucrats weren't particularly supportive, but they weren't opposed either."

"And what about those young officers, and those old nobles? Would they dare to express their opinions?"

The man with the linen bow tie and straw rope wristband spoke loudly, and almost everyone around him could hear him.

All eyes turned to them.

Facing the questioning or curious gazes of the crowd, the man became even more confident. "Heh, in the current situation, I'm afraid our King would be more than happy to see someone oppose us."

This sentence stunned everyone around.

The entire tavern suddenly fell silent, and it took quite a while before things returned to normal.

Afterwards, each table discussed their own topics, continuing to talk about Ronan and Ambrina, but no longer mentioned the idea that even if they were engaged, they could not get married. Instead, they discussed Ronan and Ambrina separately, occasionally bringing up Dinia.

As the conversation went on, it drifted off into the city of Rennes and the country's future policies. Everyone analyzed the situation based on the limited information they had, concluding that the country was flawed in many ways. As they got more excited, they acted as if they were prime ministers, painting a picture of their ideal future and occasionally making a comment that the country would be much better if they were in power.

Just then, a waiter suddenly came to the table where the man with the linen bow tie and rope wrists was sitting, carrying a bottle of wine.

The waiter placed the wine on the table, saying, "It was a gift from a female guest."

The two men at the table immediately turned lewd. "Wow, you've managed to hook up with a woman in just a few words."