Chapter 443: The Preemptive Arrangement

"Ah, a fine Holy Light, Calia. You're qualified."

"Then..."

Duke smiled, "I've received your heartfelt wish. I'm not unreasonable or one to ignore a beautiful prayer. Do you want to escape this suffocating life in the palace?"

Escape this suffocating life?

In Calia's dark spiritual world, a sudden bolt of azure lightning flashed, almost illuminating her entire soul.

Yes!

A suffocating life!

Many people envied her, but who knew the hardships she had endured?

From a young age, she had received the strictest court etiquette training. She had to smile without showing her teeth, wave her hand at a certain angle, walk every step in accordance with etiquette standards, keep her neck straight, look straight ahead, and wear that suffocating corset every day...

For the sake of her figure, she could only eat a little bit of even the most delicious food.

"Calia, you are to marry a future king. You must demand the strictest standards for yourself," her mother would say every day.

Living like a puppet every day, one course after another, every second under the scrutiny of countless eyes, when did she ever have her own space and time?

Was her infatuation with Duke a simple crush on a hero? Or was it a longing for safety and freedom?

Calia's eyes turned red in an instant.

"Can... can I really do it? Won't it cause you trouble, Duke?"

For a second, Duke felt a bit guilty, feeling like the bad uncle who lures little girls with candy. But thinking about the disgusting things Terenas did after the Second Dark Portal War, and how Terenas indulged the orcs, giving them a chance to rise again, Duke lost all sense of guilt.

Anyway, Lordaeron was likely to fall, so instead of letting this innocent princess become homeless then, why not adopt her in advance... ahem!

Duke, with a face even more saintly than a paladin, was stirring up the integrity passed down from Medivh.

"Yes, Calia, everyone has the right to pursue freedom. If you live your whole life like a puppet, bound by blood and rules, have you really lived?"

Calia's defenses were completely shattered, and she didn't even realize when she excitedly grabbed Duke's hands, nor did she realize that from this angle, Duke could see everything.

"But what about my father, mother, and my brother..." Calia suddenly showed a hint of pain.

"Whether you're there or not, Arthas will be crowned king. Lordaeron will still be the most powerful kingdom in the world," Duke lied, knowing the course of history.

"That's also..." Thinking of the strength of Lordaeron and her brother's excellent qualifications to be king, Calia suddenly felt relieved: "When will you take me away?"

"I'm willing to risk taking you out of this cage, to show you a broader world. But not now, the war between the Alliance and the Horde is not over yet, I can't do anything to split the Alliance."

At this point, the light in Calia's eyes dimmed. But Duke's next words lit up her eyes with hope again.

"The war will probably end within this year, at the latest within a year."

"Really!?"

"I wouldn't lie to you."

Princess Calia left satisfied. Duke also disappeared. When leaving the palace, Duke caught a glimpse of Elyse. Despite the great changes in her family and country, this eldest daughter of the Barov family still followed him obediently.

Duke sighed quietly. If he remembered correctly, when this war ended, Terenas would use the excuse that King Aiden Perenolde colluded with the Horde and betrayed the Alliance to lay hands on the territory of Alterac as the leader of the Alliance...

As the initiator of the Alliance, Terenas was undoubtedly great in resisting the Horde. But this greatness was based on two aspects. One was that the threat of the Horde was indeed large enough; the second was that Terenas wanted to take advantage of the invasion of foreign enemies to unify the seven human kingdoms and re-establish a new Arathor Empire centered on Lordaeron.

Terenas's original intention was to expand Lordaeron's influence in the Alliance, but as the war progressed, it was not the case anymore.

Silverpine Forest was devastated, and soon Tirisfal Glades would suffer. Now that Lordaeron City had just narrowly avoided falling, King Terenas didn't have time to think about those things for the time being. When he catches his breath, he will probably have to face the domestic disaster and the pressure from the powerful noble alliance at home.

Disaster relief requires money.

Reconstruction requires money.

The people are starving.

The nobles are complaining.

The Horde, the damned outsiders who were defeated, brought almost no benefits to the Alliance. The Horde is a bunch of damned bachelors, no money, only one life.

When this war ends, most countries are destined to lick their wounds like beasts in silence.

Even the powerful Lordaeron will instantly go from being rich to being poor. Other countries will ignore Lordaeron due to practical difficulties. At that time, it will be very natural for the impoverished Lordaeron to target Alterac.

Not to mention, the Barov family's territory of Caer Darrow and Darrowshire borders Lordaeron's territory...

It's so convenient and there's a perfect excuse. If not you, Alterac, then who?

Of course, this is how Lordaeron sees the problem.

For Duke, he was very upset. The Alliance fought the Horde, everyone lost money and lives, there were no benefits at all, why should Lordaeron alone increase its territory?

In his heart, Duke cursed, "Lordaeron plays the game of great power, that's fine. Since we're all in the same boat, why pretend to be a saint? Wouldn't it be better to be straightforward? Heh! Terenas, if you're too greedy, I don't mind making you cry."

Since he had traveled through time and knew the Marshal course of history, Duke would be too stupid if he didn't make arrangements.

No one knew that Duke had arranged so many contingencies before the end of the war.

People only knew that the diligent Deputy Commander visited several country leaders in succession, once again coordinating the troops of each country.

Then, the next day, Lothar arrived, the brave Lothar, who came riding a gryphon.

"Duke—" Without any extra words, Lothar came up with a bear hug, holding Duke tightly.

You've worked hard.

He didn't say it, but Lothar, whose eyes were already moist, meant this. Then, Llane also came up, the king and his two ministers hugging tightly.