"Uh..." Denethor II froze, never expecting Roland to hold their family in such high regard!
Denethor II was no fool. The moment Roland began speaking, he had briefly suspected Roland's motives. But the Lagrange Kingdom and Gondor were separated by a vast distance—there was no reason for king Roland to poison his ears!
"Besides, why should you help him hold the country together while he comes back to enjoy the fruits of your labor? Gondor belongs to the people of Gondor! It does not belong to the Anárion Family!" Roland declared forcefully. The royal family had vanished without a trace, yet a thousand years later, some random royal descendant had appeared out of nowhere and expected to inherit the country just by talking? Even Roland, who had been shocked by how absurdly casual the Lagrange Empire's imperial succession was, felt that Gondor's situation was even worse!
"Nearly a thousand years! Where was the king?" Roland sneered. At least the Lagrange Empire had a group of Elector Counts who could step in when the imperial line died out. Gondor had not even prepared for such a possibility. Once the royal line had ended, shouldn't they have quickly made way for a new royal family?
"But..." Denethor II blinked. Those words were practically treasonous. Everything in Gondor had been established by the king, including its laws. The royal family possessed the legitimate right to rule the nation, and as Steward, they had to abide by the kingdom's laws!
"What do you mean, 'but'? If you didn't overthrow such a trash royal family after letting it occupy the throne for a thousand years, then your Hulin Family has really outdone itself!" Roland looked at Denethor II with disdain. It was hard to imagine a kingdom going nearly a thousand years without a royal