The Empror's Trap-Chapter 96: ch - Planning

That night, as arranged by Emperor Feit III, Pluvia and the entire visiting team moved into Thelia Palace.

Thelia Palace was built in honor of a female ruler of the Vishi Empire, Empress Thelia. This palace was usually used to host heads of state and was as luxurious as the Luin Palace. This was why Emperor Feit III had arranged for Pluvia to stay here.

On one hand, Thelia Palace was indeed used to host guests of her status. On the other hand, the palace, built to honor an empress of the empire, was a fitting place for Pluvia.

The grand hall of the palace was a space of white and gold, simple yet sacred, with exquisite carvings that showed the designer’s meticulous attention to detail.

In the hall hung a full-length portrait of Empress Thelia. When Pluvia and Kenji entered, they immediately saw the painting. It was clearly an old painting, as evidenced by the brushstrokes and the protective glass covering, making it a cultural relic.

Pluvia stood in the hall, gazing at the empress. The portrait of Empress Thelia seemed to be looking back at the foreign empress who had entered Thelia Palace. She held a scepter, wore a crown, and smiled at the guests.

"Empress Thelia, I have heard of her," Pluvia said, nodding slightly in respect to the portrait.

"From the history of Vishi Empire, she was one of the most capable and youngest emperors. Unfortunately, she passed away too early," Kenji sighed.

Read latest chapters at freёweɓnovel.com Only.

Empress Thelia was one of the four female emperors in the history of the Vishi Empire. Although there were four female emperors in the Vishi Empire’s history, she was the only one who was so well remembered.

During her reign, she worked hard to establish many well-known institutions such as the current National Magic Academy and united the forces of various classes within the empire, determined to eradicate the church.

In the decade-long struggle against the church, the Vishi Empire, under the leadership of Empress Thelia, almost completely expelled the Holy Church. However, just as the Vishi Empire was about to break free from the control of the Holy Church, the young empress suddenly died of an illness in her lover’s bed.

Later generations attributed her death to excessive indulgence, but many speculated that she did not die from indulgence but was likely killed by her lover, who had been bribed by the church.

The court physician’s report mentioned that two cups of wine were found by their bed. One cup was empty and had the empress’s lip prints on it, while the other was accidentally spilled by the officials who cleaned up the scene.

This empress was similar to Pluvia. She ascended to the throne at the age of thirteen, originally not in line for the throne, but she unexpectedly fought her way to the top. She ruled for fifteen years and then died suddenly at the age of twenty-eight.

Although she died, she had significantly shaken the church’s control over secular power.

"Today, we will stay in this palace. Emperor Feit III has probably arranged everything for us," Kenji said, accompanying Pluvia through the hall with the empress’s portrait and into the corridor behind.

This was the actual living area. On both sides of the long corridor were spiral staircases leading to the upper floors. Among the rooms here were banquet halls and living quarters. Further back, there was even a huge indoor hot spring.

When Kenji approached the hot spring, steam was rising from the water. The minister leading them explained that the water here was all drawn from nearby hot springs.

After the Vishi Empire ministers who had been surrounding them left, the Camelot visiting team immediately got busy.

"We have a banquet tonight where you and I will make an appearance," Kenji picked up a pen from the side and wrote on a piece of paper. "Your Majesty, what do you plan to bring up?"

"Tonight is just a first meeting, so it’s not suitable to discuss serious matters," Pluvia shook her head. "We will be here for a few days. There is a review ceremony tomorrow, so tomorrow will be the best time to talk about business. Tonight is mainly to gauge the attitude of the Vishi Empire’s officials towards us."

"Understood, so it’s about getting a feel for the situation," Kenji understood her meaning and felt a bit more at ease.

Since Pluvia was well prepared, he was relieved. He was really worried that she might be indecisive and that they would not have a fixed goal for the banquet, causing them to talk about different things without any coordination, which would be a big problem.

"Yes, but you need to be aware that, based on previous understanding, there is also a faction within the Vishi Empire that opposes us. The main reason for their opposition is that they believe it will make Camelot a stumbling block threatening the Vishi Empire."

"Do they really want to rule the human world in the short term?" Kenji found it both funny and frustrating.

Ruling the human world is the ultimate goal of most human countries, but everyone knows that this goal cannot be achieved in the short term. It seems a bit unnecessary to consider this now.

Camelot and the Vishi Empire are separated by several countries. Even if they wanted to fight, they would first need to deal with the nearby countries. How could they have the energy to provoke a powerful opponent like the Vishi Empire from thousands of miles away?

"Probably not. I think the fundamental reason for their opposition is probably because of the church."

"Afraid of angering the church?" Kenji thought for a moment.

This was possible. Although the Vishi Empire is now trying to break free from the church’s control, there are still some people within the country who are worried about the church. If the status quo is maintained, the Vishi Empire at least maintains a relatively friendly relationship with the church on the surface. However, if it becomes too close to Camelot...

The church would not tolerate such a powerful Western country allying with a pagan country.

"Tomorrow is the ceremony. From the perspective of this emperor, it is likely a show of strength to prove that the Vishi Empire has the ability to be our partner," Kenji said. "I think this is a good opportunity, and I also want to see what the Vishi Empire’s army looks like."

"Me too," Pluvia said, rubbing her temples tiredly and slumping on the sofa.

"This trip depends entirely on whether Your Majesty can secure enough benefits for the country. Once successful, I believe Camelot will make great progress," Kenji advised.

"I know," Pluvia sighed.

This matter could only be discussed by her. Kenji, although a powerful minister of Camelot, was not the emperor in a diplomatic setting. Many things need to be discussed between emperors to be more convincing.