civilwarnovels Chapter 385 Ancient Family
Chapter 385 Ancient Family
Chapter 385 Ancient Family
power.
I need strength.
No matter what you do, strength is a prerequisite.
Power encompasses many things: force, superhuman abilities, intelligence—and naturally, authority.
She once thought she might possess wisdom, but now she feels that she was merely a little clever before.
Moreover, wisdom is not easily fixed.
If she had more direct power, her path would certainly be much wider.
Sometimes, she would envy, even be jealous of, Lola; that girl's talent was just too good.
"Huh? Why am I thinking about her?" Caroline wondered. "I shouldn't be thinking about her. I'm no longer Anne. I should cut ties with the past completely."
Besides, she's a girl who doesn't know how to improve.
They keep saying they're thinking of me, but they don't really care what I'm thinking.
Caroline clenched her fists and shook her head, trying to banish the girl from her mind.
Strength. She continued to ponder the previous topic.
I need power, the power to manipulate territory and even a nation.
Caroline believes that only by seizing power can she truly save her mother.
She could reclaim her identity as Caroline Sinclair, but her own identity didn't really matter; all she needed was to save her mother.
Okay, that's good.
Jonas said that now was an opportunity, as the old king could die at any time, and the court was full of factions, all of whom were eager to seize the power left by the old man.
Chaos, on the other hand, is to Caroline's advantage.
Otherwise, as a young woman, she would have had no hope of seizing power.
To participate in this competition, one must have the support of someone who wields real power or influence.
Jonas was such a person, but he alone was far from enough.
Admittedly, Jonas's chief herald has access to the latest and most accurate intelligence.
Moreover, he had a firm grasp on the royal family's network of relationships, but after all, he was just a herald.
He had no extraordinary abilities, nor did he possess a single soldier.
Therefore, Caroline needs more support.
Jonas is therefore trying every means to get Caroline in touch with more people, attempting to transform the royal network into Caroline's personal network.
Caroline cooperated by suppressing her own emotions and feelings to please those people or cater to their preferences.
This is a sacrifice.
To gain power, one must make sacrifices.
As for why Jonas was so willing to help Caroline, it seems that he had a particularly good private relationship with Caroline's parents.
Jonas told Caroline that he had held her when she was a child.
How young was that? Just born?
Caroline then realized that she had been adored by so many people at the beginning, but later, only one person adored her—if that could be considered adoration.
He tricked her into doing housework, using all sorts of tricks to make her do all sorts of things—
The fact that Caroline covered her forehead is something that shouldn't be thought about too much. Jonas's own explanation was that Caroline had legitimate blood and was more qualified than anyone else to inherit the throne.
Perhaps, but it is also a fact.
The Sleeping King and his offspring are not considered a continuation of the royal bloodline, but rather a branch.
Of course, Caroline herself also needs to work hard.
She would do her best to win over anyone who could be of use to her.
That's why she took on the job and went to the palace walls on her own initiative.
Upon arriving at the gate, Caroline encountered an acquaintance.
The defense of Platinumburg, Alexander Coolidge.
This position is no simple matter; it grants control over the army closest to the palace, making it a truly powerful position.
Officials who can hold this position must be members of the royal family or its branches.
The Coolidge and Sinclair families have intermarried multiple times, and they have a strong connection to the Sinclair family.
The lords of Luxia were not just dukes, but "princes".
Caroline happened to have some dealings with this family.
Alexander greeted Caroline with a smile as soon as he saw her:
"Oh! Miss Anne, how have you been?"
"Thank you for your kind words, my lord," Caroline said with a smile, "I'm sorry to bother you again."
"With such a beautiful girl like you sitting in my command room, even the drinks taste sweeter. What a bother! I'd love for you to come more often."
Alexander smiled and invited Caroline to sit down.
"You know, your personality is exactly what Coolidge likes best, and I only have a good impression of you too. We've talked about this many times before."
I felt like I hadn't had enough.
"In the past few months, I have rebuilt the palace's defenses, but I regret doing it so quickly. Now I'm incredibly bored."
Caroline smiled and said, "I'm very sorry, but I've brought you a new task."
"I couldn't be happier," Alexander said, taking the mission briefing from Caroline. "What is it?"
"It's a performance," Caroline replied, "to ensure the new city defense layout functions properly and to facilitate the cabinet's assessment of its effectiveness."
"I understand," Alexander nodded. "My setup can withstand any test. You don't even need to notify me in advance; surprise tests are no problem."
"I have no doubt about this, but I'm afraid the test subjects might be harmed."
"Haha! I like your answer, Annie."
Caroline then stayed to chat with Alexander.
In the past, Caroline would never have done this.
But right now, whatever she does, Jonas will clear obstacles for Caroline.
Caroline intentionally steered the conversation toward the royal succession.
Alexander, however, seemed completely oblivious to anything amiss, and simply went along with Caroline's topic of conversation.
"So, sir, who do you support?"
Alexander smiled and looked at Caroline: "It's dangerous to talk about this directly, Anne. No matter who you support, you'll offend some people."
"I'm sorry, sir, I shouldn't have asked that question."
"I don't mean to blame you, and I can answer that question for you."
"Oh?"
"I am a member of House Coolidge, and I defend the Sinclair rule. Whoever becomes king, I will support him."
This answer is consistent with Jonas's previous one, which also means that Alexander is indeed worth trying to win over.
Regardless of whether they possessed the military power controlled by Alexander, they would certainly have had ample confidence.
Caroline also realized that the Coolidge family definitely didn't fancy Corman's children.
Caroline had long seen through the Lu family's arrogance.
They have always sided with whoever wins, which is why they have become the longest-lasting family.
Their family history is said to date back to mythical times.
Even in that seaside library, there are very few descriptions of that period.
Caroline suddenly became very interested in that period of history, not because of any power struggle, but simply because of her own hobby.
She has loved history since she was a child.
"Can you tell me about the origins of the Coolidge family?"
"Of course," Alexander seemed quite happy to discuss the topic, "it all started with the disaster of the dragons—"