297 Searching The Blood Mountain (1/2)

Once the Queen's sharp gaze landed on the group of Valaran Kingdom officials, the group of officials all had their heart thumped like the gallop of a thousand hooves.

The group of officials all stepped forward and offered their salutations with utmost respect and dread.

”Your Majesty.”

”Where is the king?” Elizabeth asked after giving the group of officials a comprehensive look. The king of Valaran did not seem to be among them. After a short pause, she added, ”Or rather, is there anyone left from the Valaran royal family?”

When the officials heard these questions, their eyes grew red and became stricken with grief as they dropped to their knees.

”There is no one left… the Valaran royal bloodline ended when his Majesty took his own life.” One of the officials spoke.

Elizabeth furrowed her brows at their emotional state.

The Bloodfiend Sect had terrorized and ruled over the Valaran Kingdom for years. If the Valaran royal family died out a while back, Elizabeth found it strange for these officials to be so overwhelmed with grief.

After all, time heals everything, even if scars remain behind.

It was not like these officials were the king's lovers or something. There was no need for them to still be so emotional, not unless the Valaran king took his life very recently instead.

”When did this happen? And why did your king take his own life?”

”Yesterday, Your Majesty… The king took his own life just yesterday. The king's family had been held captive by those bloodsucking fiends many years ago. When the Burning Heaven Sect arrived to help, we led our forces up the Blood Mountain and slaughtered the rest of those monsters.”

”However, when the battle was over, and we went to look for the king's family...” At this point, the official tightened his fist and gnashed his teeth. ”Those people were not humans. They never intended to keep their promises. The king's family had long departed the world. Their heads were hung in front like trophies.”

”Don't be too hard on yourself. If I had not insistently persuaded his Majesty to lead our forces up the Blood Mountain with the Burning Heaven Sect, his Majesty would not have stumbled upon such a scene and taken his own life on the spot. I am to blame for this.”

”Don't be stupid. I was the closest to his Majesty. I should be the one to blame for his Majesty's death. If I had just been a little faster, I would have stopped his Majesty from taking his own life.”

”You? Don't be ridiculous. His Majesty's cultivation was one step away from Transcendence. None of us could have stopped his Majesty when he is vehement on dying.”

The officials blamed and consoled each other.

The officials glanced at each other with a tacit understanding before lowering their heads to the Queen submissively. They simultaneously spoke, ”We were hoping you would take over and lead us, Your Majesty.”

”Oh? Don't tell me that no one among you is interested in stepping up to take the throne for yourselves?” Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, despite expecting this answer. She did not believe that they did not have this ambition.

The officials all had wry, bitter smiles when they heard this.

”Please do not tease us, Your Majesty. Even if one among us has the ambition of a king, if we do not possess the ability of one, we will be leading a path of self-destruction of not only oneself but the kingdom.”

Elizabeth nodded with a pleased look.

”Being self-aware of one's abilities is a good thing. Good that you all know that. Very well, the Valaran Kingdom will become part of the Crawford Kingdom. Henceforth, there will no longer be a Valaran Kingdom, and you will all be subjects of the Crawford Kingdom.”

After saying this, Elizabeth swept everyone a look. ”Does anyone have a problem with what I said?”

”None, Your Majesty.”

The officials all lowered heads even more submissively.

To them, the Valaran Kingdom was a thing of the past and had only existed in name ever since the Bloodfiend Sect took over the kingdom. Under their tyrannical control, there was no Valaran Kingdom and only a Bloodfiend Sect.

The Queen was simply making this official with her statement. They were more accepting of this change. Compared to the inhuman Bloodfiend Sect, being under the Crawford Kingdom's ruling was a better choice.

”We pledge our loyalty to the Crawford Kingdom and the Crawford royal family to who we serve.”