"Do I have the right?"
Upon hearing these words, the entire place instantly fell silent.
After three seconds, discussions suddenly erupted among the thousand or so people on scene. The commoners who were watching from afar also started to whisper among themselves.
"Chief Consul?"
"It's been a long time since our kingdom has someone in this official position!"
"The Chief Consul is also known as the Honorary Consul. Only those who have made outstanding military merits for the Kingdom of Noah can receive such an honor."
"Our Kingdom of Noah has been a peace-loving nation since its founding. That's why the Honorary Consul position has always been vacant."
"So where did this Chief Consul come from?"
The discussion among the crowd displeased Thomas.
He was just about to shout his disapproval when a hand was suddenly placed on his shoulder.
Everyone turned simutaneously to look at the handsome young man who walked out of the palace.
The person walking alongside him was the noblest person in the Noah Kingdom, Queen Lifa.
"He is an evil man from the Abyss. Her Majesty the Queen has been bewitched by him. We must save the Queen!"
The crowd was stunned to hear these words that were suddenly shouted from somewhere among the refugees. They immediately became restless.
"Is that Lord Rennes? I didn't expect him to be so young and handsome!"
"Lord Rennes is the great hero who saved our Noah Kingdom. How can you say he bewitched Her Majesty the Queen?"
"Yes, Lord Rennes is the only one worthy of being the Chief Consul of the Noah Kingdom!"
"But, how what about the death of Duke Lucas?"
"The honorable Duke Lucas and his daughter, Lady Catherine, never stepped out of the palace after they've gone inside!"
"I'm putting my trust in Lord Rennes. I don't think Duke Lucas is a good person anyway..."
"My daughter, what nonsense are you talking about! Don't speak of the nobles like that!"
….
The onlookers were divided into two factions. One side supported Rennes, and the other side opposed Rennes.
"Duke Lucas and Lady Catherine insulted the royal family. I executed them in the main hall," Rennes said coldly, but his voice was as loud as thunder.
It gave the crowd below a bone-chilling sensation.
The crowd did not dare to make any more noise.
Thomas knew that now was a good time to disperse the crowd.
He quickly shouted, "Those who have no business in the palace are to leave at once!"
With that, Thomas led a large group of guards to surround those who had not left and set up a cordon outside.
After some effort, only a few hundred people were left in the vicinity of the palace's entrance.
The leaders of the Lucas family had walked out from the middle of the crowd to the front of the crowd. They now stood only twenty meters away from Lifa and Rennes.
On both sides of the stairs, Thomas and a large number of guards stood at the ready with their swords and spears.
"What else do you have, Harden Lucas?" Lifa asked the silver-haired old man in front of her coldly.
In the past, Lifa might have addressed this old man as an uncle.
However, from the moment she became enemies with the Lucas family, the family was destined for destruction. The current Noah Kingdom was in dire need of change.
She could not let any noble faction or power interfere in the rise of the Noah Kingdom.
Therefore, even against the notorious Harden Lucas, who had been known in the Noah Kingdom for a long time as the Iron General, Lifa would not back down at all.
Of course, a large part of Lifa's courage came from the man beside her.
"Your Majesty, I just want to know the whereabouts of my brother and my niece. Even if I can only find their corpses, I want to bring them back to bury them in the Lucas family. Is that wrong?"
"Moreover, how can the newly appointed Chief Consul just sentence a Duke to death without any proof? Show us what proof you have!"
As expected of Lucas' younger brother. Harden's face was filled with grief when he said that.
It was as if the powerful Earl had disappeared, leaving behind an innocent-looking old man.
Seeing Harden's expression, only disgust remained in Lifa's heart.
If Lord Rennes had not stopped them just now, this man would have definitely led his people to charge into the palace with Thomas' head in his hand.
He would definitely do such a thing.
However, Lifa could not refute Harden's accusation.
If she were to repeat what Catherine and Duke Lucas had said, it would be an insult to Lord Rennes.
Lord Rennes was the savior of the Noah Kingdom. As long as she could keep Lord Rennes here, she would not even mind if the reputation of the royal family was smeared.
Everyone was waiting for the royal family's answer.
Lifa looked around. Countless gazes were upon her. There were gazes from the Lucas family, from the refugees, from the soldiers, and from the ordinary citizens.
They were all looking forward to a result, a so-called fair result...
"The truth is that Duke Lucas insulted the monarch's authority and disrespected the Queen. Therefore, the deaths of Duke Lucas and Lady Catherine were deserved."
Before Lifa could speak, Rennes, who was standing beside her, spoke out.
He had a public status now. Not only was he the hero who saved the kingdom, he was also the kingdom's Chief Consul.
Of course he had the right to say these words to Harden Lucas.
"Be responsible with your words, Chief Consul. The Lucas family has never done anything to betray the trust of the royal family, especially my brother. He could be considered the most loyal aristocrat of the Noah Kingdom."
This was the first time the silver-haired old man had met Rennes.
Although it was rumored among the populace that this young man was powerful enough to single-handedly repel the Raytheon Empire's invasion, how many people had actually seen it?
Even though Harden had his own doubts regarding this matter, noticing how much importance Lifa placed on Rennes, Harden did not dare to look down on the man.
If Rennes started using his magic power, Harden actually had no good way to deal with it.
But Lifa had just taken over the throne not that long ago. She could not ignore the opinions of the people. She urgently needed to stabilize the hearts of the people.
It was precisely because of this that Harden could remain so calm at the moment.
"Proof? My words are proof. Are you questioning the words of the Chief Consul?" Rennes sneered.
"What?"
The silver-haired old man was a little stunned. Was Rennes trying to put pressure on him regardless of the opinions of the people?
A moment later, the silver-haired old man quickly added, "Of course not. I only want to know the reason why you killed my brother. No matter who it is or what they to do, there has to be a reason, right?" Harden said loudly.
The way he said it, no one could find any fault with his logic. It made it very easy for others to understand and forgive him, and then ignore his crime of surrounding the palace.
Even Lifa had to admit that she had a long way to go before she could reach the level of savviness of an old politician like Harden Lucas.
If this question was directed at her, she would likely not be able to handle it.
Then, how would Rennes deal with it?
Thinking of this, Lifa looked at Rennes anxiously.
This scene had already become a public trial.
What Rennes said next could be considered extremely crucial. If it resulted in a final victory for the royal family, then the Lucas family and the related aristocratic forces would become history.
But if the Lucas family won, then Lifa's position as the monarch would be questioned, and she would lose the trust of the common people.