Charlotte was surprised.
Before accepting the audience with the vassal, she had imagined various situations, but she did not expect it to be like this.
The nobles came to the emperor one after another, all of them expressed their loyalty and reported their colleagues. If we exclude them based on the objects of the reports, the Territory of Castel was almost completely wiped out. Almost all the nobles from top to bottom had been reported, and no one knew how many times the three viscounts' families had been reported.
To describe it in one word, it's chaos.
However, none of these nobles who reported the incident were innocent. They actually came with information and evidence.
Although Charlotte couldn't judge the truth for the time being, the evidence was all well-organized and clear. At least on paper, it would be easy to verify if one wanted to.
After meeting with more than a dozen noble families, Charlotte had a headache. The reports piled up like a mountain. Almost every noble family had a pile of evidence. The three viscounts who led the noble families were described by the nobles as born rebels, who wanted to rebel, and who had planned for a long time. If they were in a novel, they would be villains who would not be wronged if they were killed like a dog at home...
The information about Castel Manor was almost completely overturned, and all the families seemed to have serious problems. Even Baron Angus, a well-known loyalist in the records and the only one who personally welcomed Charlotte back to the territory, was reported by some nobles for colluding with the nobles of the Roman Duchy and secretly flirting with people who were suspected to be vampires.
Sebastian and Nice also had interesting expressions. The Fire Spirit, who was always good at licking and talking, took a long time to finally utter a word:
"Master, at least... they have shown their loyalty, and in a sense, they are in awe of Castel."
Charlotte: …
Yes, they all expressed their loyalty, but at the same time they were all reported. They were all treated like Werewolf, and the key is that you really don’t know how many wolves are hiding in there!
Moreover, except for Lola, the current matriarch of the Legris family who revealed her identity, there is no vampire among the remaining nobles.
Not only that, Charlotte even secretly used the power of the Holy Scripture to check and found that none of the nobles showed signs of being mentally controlled. All of them came forward voluntarily to show their loyalty and report.
After this audience, not only did they dig out the nobles related to the Nice clan, but the situation in the Territory of Castel became even more confusing.
Charlotte sighed softly, and her deep gaze penetrated the curtain and looked at the nobles at the banquet.
The audience ended, but the banquet continued.
As the melody of the dance changed, the atmosphere of the banquet became more and more lively. More and more nobles joined the dance floor, and there was laughter and joy everywhere.
If it weren't for the mountain of reporting materials piled up around them, it would be hard to believe that these nobles who were dancing gracefully were just filled with indignation behind the curtain.
Charlotte even saw some nobles who reported on each other in private, but they were dancing partners on the dance floor, smiling and dancing gracefully.
However, although he seemed cheerful and peaceful, Charlotte, with her keen senses, could still feel the undercurrent hidden beneath the mask.
Although the nobles were enjoying the banquet at the venue, she could still feel that many eyes were secretly cast towards the curtain, as if waiting for her next move.
The dance floor under the crystal chandelier seems to be the center of the banquet, but the real focus is actually the beautiful figure behind the curtain.
"What do you think about the audience with the nobles just now?"
Charlotte slowly retracted her gaze and asked.
Hearing her serious voice, Sebastian's expression quickly became serious.
He pondered for a moment and said:
"Master, I have traveled around the continent and witnessed the rise and fall of many human families. Unlike us elves, humans have too little time, and their desires... are much stronger than ours."
"Your family has not effectively ruled the Territory of Castel for ten years. Such a long time... is enough for people's ambitions to grow..."
Charlotte's heart moved slightly:
"you mean… ?"
Sebastian thought for a moment and said:
"I'm thinking... since they submitted so much evidence and made such convincing arguments, I think the content of their report is likely not groundless. Perhaps... the content of their report may be true, or in other words, there may be some exaggeration and modification, but at least part of it is true."
"You also said that the nobles of Castel have been infiltrated quite badly. These nobles, for various purposes, may have indeed come into contact with the blood clan of the Nice clan..."
"Of course, this doesn't mean that they have really betrayed you. Maybe they are just playing bother, or maybe they are leaving a way out for themselves. After all... from my perspective, before you successfully inherit Castel County, Castel's future is indeed full of uncertainty, and the nobles... hate uncertainty the most."
"However, although the nobles' reports are beyond imagination, we can still piece together some of the truth from their reports."
"For example, there are indeed vampires from the Falling Star Kingdom infiltrating behind Castel, and many nobles are secretly recruiting troops and preparing for war."
"This is by no means a random mistake. I believe this is also the plan of the Nice Clan. If they have really infiltrated every family, I think they are probably preparing an army with the help of the Castel nobles. They... are preparing for a war!"
"If that's the case, then this is definitely not an ordinary war. If they just wanted to overthrow Castel, there would be no need to make such a big fuss. Another reason why the nobles reported each other is that the vampires behind the scenes are making too much noise."
After listening to Sebastian's analysis, Charlotte was thoughtful.
Some of Sebastian's ideas coincided with hers. She also felt that since these nobles who reported the incident were so confident, perhaps there was indeed some evidence to support their report.
However, she had not considered the fact that Sebastian's analysis showed that the Ness clan was likely preparing for war with the help of the Castel nobles.
"Use the power of the nobles to prepare for war? If they can really do it, they have to wait until they have completely controlled the nobles in the territory, right?"
Charlotte said.
"Hey, that's not necessarily true!"
Nice suddenly spoke.
"oh?"
Charlotte gave him a questioning look.
Facing her gaze, Nice puffed out his chest proudly, like a candidate accepting a test, and said confidently:
"Lord Charlotte, don't you think it's strange that these nobles chose the same audience method?"
"They all came with reporting materials, all expressed their loyalty to you, and all reported the enemy families..."
"It would be fine if it was just one or two families, but every noble who came to see the emperor was like this. It's obvious that there is a more powerful force behind it!"
"Sebastian is right about one thing. The power behind the scenes, or to put it more bluntly, the vampires from the Falling Star Kingdom, may have really made too much noise."
"They did infiltrate a number of noble families, but at the same time, they probably didn't have complete control, or they acted too hastily and left some evidence behind."
"And now, you are here, and you are obviously going to investigate the truth behind the scenes. You even represent the Holy Court on paper..."
"If everyone reports it together at this time, it will muddy the waters and make it difficult for you and even the church behind the scenes to take action!"
"This way... on the one hand, the Ness clan can buy themselves more time to completely control Castel, on the other hand..."
"On the other hand, they can confuse your cognition, destroy the trust between you and the nobles of the territory, divert your attention, and provide an opportunity for themselves to take advantage of the situation!"
Sebastian continued what Nice said.
Nice glared at Sebastian, seeming to be quite unhappy with Sebastian's interruption, but soon it looked at Charlotte again, its expression became serious, and said:
"Lord Charlotte, I'm afraid the Ness clan... is really going to take action against you."
Charlotte's eyes flickered.
She understood what Nice meant.
The blood of Clan Ness really didn't need to completely control the nobles of Castel.
They only need to infiltrate a part of them, sow influence among the nobles, and be able to influence the nobles' decisions to a certain extent.
In other words, the Nice clan only needs to infiltrate the management of each noble family and does not need to completely control the leaders of each family.
Make the nobles of Castel a mess, and then... as long as she can be controlled as the lord, she can naturally command the leaders of each family.
At the same time, combined with the bottom-up infiltration of each family, it will not be a problem to completely control each family.
By that time, the Ness clan will completely control Castel!
Thinking of this, Charlotte had some guesses about the Nice clan's plans.
But at the same time, she always felt as if she had overlooked something, and felt inexplicably unhappy.
At this moment, Charlotte saw a noble on the dance floor suddenly leave the crowd and walk straight towards the curtain.
He was a middle-aged nobleman, wearing a traditional aristocratic satin dress, but the dress seemed to be a bit old, and looked a bit shabby and shabby.
He looked anxious, walked faster and faster, and soon arrived in front of the curtain.
The Castel guards on both sides of the hall quickly came over and stopped him with their weapons raised.
"Who are you? What do you want to do? If nobles below the rank of baron want to see the Earl, please apply in advance at the service desk over there."
North Port Mayor Maddock looked at the visitor and frowned.
The middle-aged nobleman did not answer Madoc's question.
He raised his head, facing the curtain, and shouted:
"My Lord Earl! I am Arles, the knight of the fiefdom of Leon-Castel! I want to report that the Leon-Castel family is plotting something bad! They are planning to rebel!"
The middle-aged nobleman's voice was very loud.
At this moment, everyone in the venue focused their attention on him.
The half-elf musician subconsciously stopped the accompaniment, and after a discussion among the nobles, their eyes quickly fell on Viscount Ryan Castel in the meeting hall.
Viscount Ryan Castel's expression changed slightly.
"What nonsense! Guards! Stop him!"
He said angrily to the Castel guards.
The guards did not move, but still stood in front of the curtain, as if waiting for the lord's orders.
Charlotte looked at Sebastian and Nice and her heart skipped a beat.
She gave Nice a calm look, then looked at the nobles outside the curtain and ordered the guards:
"Draw down the curtain."
The guard respectfully drew aside the curtain, and the middle-aged nobleman raised his head and looked at Charlotte.
This is a nobleman who looks quite weathered and has a resolute expression.
"My Lord Earl! I have irrefutable evidence of Len Castel's betrayal!"
He knelt on one knee, took out a parchment scroll from his arms and held it high.
"Show it up."
Charlotte said calmly.
After receiving the order, the guard took the parchment from the middle-aged nobleman, turned around and presented it with both hands.
However, at this moment, another loud shout suddenly rang out in the venue:
"My Lord Earl, be careful! They are assassins!"
Charlotte looked over in surprise and saw Vincent, the son of Viscount Roman Forge, rushing towards her anxiously with several black-clad swordsmen.
At the same time, the guard holding the parchment scroll suddenly jumped up and rushed towards Charlotte.
Sebastian snorted coldly and took a step forward to block Charlotte. However, the guard did not change his movements, but rushed directly towards Sebastian.
Looking at the guard's empty eyes and the parchment scroll in his hand that was gradually glowing, Charlotte's heart skipped a beat.
"Sebastian, retreat!"
She ordered.
However, it was too late.
A brilliant light suddenly bloomed between the guard and Sebastian, enveloping them in an instant. A circular magic circle instantly appeared under their feet, and the two figures... disappeared in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, the middle-aged noble shouted loudly and rushed towards Charlotte instead of the guards.
His eyes were red, he jumped up, and pulled out a dagger that was flashing with cold light from his arms!
North Port Mayor Maddock's expression changed drastically. He quickly stood in front of Charlotte, picked up a chair as a weapon, and shouted:
"Everyone! Protect the Earl!"
However, it was too late.
The guard on the other side jumped up and knocked him to the ground with the chair, while the middle-aged noble continued to move forward and rushed towards Charlotte.
Charlotte could already clearly see the large pores and sweat hairs on his hideous face.
However, just when the middle-aged noble was about to succeed in his attack, the sound of an arrow breaking through the air suddenly pierced the hall, and a crossbow arrow flashed with a cold light and directly pierced the middle-aged noble's head.
The middle-aged noble fell to the ground due to inertia, and the dagger in his hand also slipped to the ground, and white smoke soon rose from the place where it touched the ground...
Vincent, the son of Viscount Roman Forge, jumped in front of Charlotte. He threw the empty crossbow to the ground with one hand, drew his sword with the other hand, and knocked down the guard who wanted to continue attacking Charlotte with his backhand, like a knight descending from the sky.
"Protect the Earl!"
He gave the order to the black-clad swordsman who was accompanying him.