After leaving the Earl's Mansion, Viscount Ryan Castel sat in his own carriage and returned to his family's residence in North Port with a worried look on his face.
As soon as he got out of the car, Derek de Lioncastel, surrounded by servants, hurried over and asked with a worried look on his face:
"Grandfather, how is it? Did the young Count of Castel give you any trouble?"
The old viscount frowned and glanced at him, reprimanding:
"What little earl? That's our lord, the respected Earl of Castel!"
Derek was stunned, as if he was a little surprised by his grandfather's sudden change of attitude:
"Grandfather, you are not..."
The old viscount glared at him, glanced at the servants around him, and whispered:
"Come with me to the study."
Entering the study, Viscount Ryan Castel dismissed the waiters and maids, and Derek took the initiative to pour his grandfather's favorite West Unaied Mead.
The old viscount took a sip from the wine glass, his expression relaxed a little, and Derek couldn't help asking:
"Grandfather, why... are you suddenly so respectful to the little... Earl?"
The old viscount glanced at him and said calmly:
"We are vassals of Castel. Being loyal to our lord is our duty. We should naturally respect the Earl."
"But... But didn't you say before that Castel has no future and will be swallowed up by other nobles sooner or later?"
Derek couldn't help but say.
He frowned, puzzled by the change in his grandfather:
"Without the protection of the Blazing Sun and the protection of the Bolder family, Castel is still a vassal of Bolder, but everyone can see that it is already shaky. As a branch of Castel, we must make plans early, and the Fallen Star Bloodline is a force worth investing in..."
After hearing what his grandson said, the old viscount looked at him deeply:
"Your friends from the Falling Star Kingdom told you these words, right?"
Derek paused, lowered his head, and said:
"You... are worrying too much. I don't have any friends in the Falling Star Kingdom..."
The old viscount waved his hand and said:
"Okay, although I'm old, I'm not blind. Just because I haven't asked about some things doesn't mean I don't know. I just don't want to ask too much on weekdays. After all, sometimes it's always a good idea to prepare some backup plans..."
"Don't worry, the Len-Castel family will be yours sooner or later. I don't have the energy to train a new heir. Although you don't have the talent of your father, you are better than your uncles who lost their families. If I hand the family over to you, at least it will fail more slowly."
After hearing what his grandfather said, Derek's face turned pale and red:
"Grandfather, I didn't..."
The old viscount sighed:
"I know you don't have any bad intentions. I've always been strict with you. Your uncles all have their own territories. It's normal for you to worry about your inheritance rights. It's understandable that you want to make friends with some extraordinary people to consolidate your position..."
"In other words, even I approve of your actions. The North is different from the South. If the descendants of the Falling Star Kingdom want to extend their hands to Castel, our small Len branch will not have the power to compete with them... Instead of that, it is better to surrender to them. Perhaps we can take advantage of the change of power to maintain or even expand the family's status."
"So... have you changed your mind now? Why?"
Derek couldn't help but ask.
The old viscount glanced at him:
"You should have known about the attack on the Earl last night, right?"
Derek subconsciously wanted to deny it, but looking at his grandfather's deep eyes, he finally nodded obediently:
"Yes I know… "
However, after nodding, he quickly said:
"But I didn't know they actually used Arles as a cover, and I didn't expect that Arles would push our Len Castel to the forefront all of a sudden! This is different from what we agreed at the beginning!"
The old Viscount snorted coldly and said:
"Don't you understand yet? These Fallen Star Bloods are forcing us, Len Castel, to take sides. After all, among the three viscount families, we are the closest to Castel, and we have the best reputation and the greatest influence in the earldom. It is easy for us to take advantage of the marriage relationship to expand our power after the Castel family encounters problems..."
"The new moon is not the falling star, nor is it Kolya. After all, those blood descendants dare not rule the North openly, and they will eventually have to rely on the nobles of the North!"
At this point, the old viscount seemed to have remembered something and suddenly asked:
"Derrick, after yesterday, the descendants of the Fallen Star Kingdom have not continued to contact you, right?"
Derek looked at him with an awkward expression, as if to say, "How do you know that?"
"You... you know everything?"
"To be honest, yes, they did not contact me again. They clearly said that they would succeed, but it seems... but it seems..."
"But it seems to have failed, and it lost contact all of a sudden after the failure, right?"
Viscount Leon-Castell asked.
"Yes."
Derek answered honestly.
Looking at his grandson who is not very smart but always looks down on others, the old Viscount suddenly feels tired.
He sighed and said earnestly:
"Derek, stop contacting the Fallen Star Bloodline."
"The descendants of the Falling Star Kingdom are probably no match for the Earl. The Earl's background is far beyond our imagination. After all, she is the child of that prince. Even if her family has fallen, she still has some cards in her hands."
"Grandfather, what happened?"
Derek couldn't help but ask.
The old viscount paused and said:
"The Blood Count who planned this infiltration by the Fallen Star Bloodline should be dead."
“Dead…dead?”
Derek's eyes widened and he couldn't help but exclaim.
The old viscount glared at him:
"Keep your voice down. It's good that you just know about this, but... I think it will spread quickly among your circle..."
"Overnight, the Earl quietly eliminated a member of the Blazing Sun Bloodline who was targeting her. There must be a strong person secretly protecting her. Castel's strengths still exist."
After hearing what his grandfather said, Derek's expression changed slightly:
"Then...what should we do?"
The old viscount gave him a look of disdain:
"Why are you panicking? The ones who are trying to overthrow Castel are the vampires from the Falling Star Kingdom, not us, Len Castel!"
"But… "
"It's alright, Derek. The past is the past. Even if the Earl doesn't know the details of what you did, he probably knows a lot about it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have criticized me. However, the Earl doesn't intend to pursue the matter further. The ones who will be in trouble are the descendants who sneaked into the Earl's territory and the nobles who have followed them wholeheartedly."
After hearing what his grandfather said, Derek suddenly felt moved:
"what do you mean… "
"I mean, this might be an opportunity for us Len Castell, too."
The old viscount said meaningfully.
As he spoke, he took out the review order that Charlotte had given him and handed it to his grandson:
"Derek, next you must draw a clear line between yourself and the descendants of Fallen Star and help me complete this task."
Derek took it, looked through it carefully, and then his face turned pale:
"Investigate the nobles? Wait... we also want to check the family industry?! Lord Earl is putting us, Len Castel, on the spot! Besides... we don't have the ability to make other nobles obey us!"
"Grandfather, if we really do this, the reputation we have accumulated among the nobles over the years will probably collapse, and all the nobles of Castel will become hostile to us!"
The old viscount sighed:
"Of course I know these things, but we have no choice... The Earl has made it clear that he will never allow us to have it both ways. The Castel family may not be able to depose all the nobles in the Earldom, but it is more than enough to deal with a mere Viscount family."
As he said this, he gritted his teeth:
"Since we have no choice, we might as well pledge our loyalty to the Earl, assist Castel in crushing the plans of the Fallen Star Bloodline, and maximize the benefits for us, Len Castel!"
"But... But won't this really cause a rebellion among the nobles in the territory? Then our Len-Castell will definitely be the first to suffer! The Earl may only be overthrown, deposed, and driven away, but our Len-Castell may face a catastrophic disaster amid the anger of other nobles!"
The old viscount drank the mead in the cup and said quietly:
"Derrick, do you know how many people the Earl dispatched when he took back the mining workshop?"
"how many people?"
Derek couldn't help but ask curiously.
The old viscount made a three gesture:
"Three people, only three people, except for the Earl, there are only three people, and two of them are maids accompanying him, plus at most a pet cat..."
"Three people? How is that possible?! There are extraordinary people and guards stationed at the mining workshop! How can she..."
Derek looked ridiculous.
"Why? It's based on the prestige of the Castel family that has ruled the North for hundreds of years, the title of Earl of the North, and Castel's influence in the kingdom!"
The old viscount said in a resounding voice.
As he said this, he glanced at his grandson and said with a look of regret:
"Although the Earl is younger than you, she is much stronger than you."
"As far as I know, he broke into the mine with only the butler that day, not only killed a second-level Silver Moon descendant, but also gained the loyalty of the mine guards with just a few words!"
"Not only that, even Viscount Remigio, who guards the Castel Silver Mine, has a history with the Castel family. He even assisted the Earl in suppressing the rebellious mine manager that day!"
"Before I left, the Earl said that he would send professionals to assist in the review process. If my guess is correct... it is very likely that it is Viscount Remigio."
"The Kingdom's army? She... she dares to ask for help from the Kingdom's army? Castel is not a vassal of His Majesty the King! Such behavior will never be recognized by the nobles!"
Derek couldn't help but say.
"But... what if the Earl has evidence of the nobles' betrayal? What if the Earl has legal grounds to take back the title?"
The old viscount said in a deep voice.
As he spoke, he sighed:
"The descendants of the Falling Star Kingdom were wrong. They were wrong after all..."
"They originally thought that they could use the infighting among Castel nobles to better balance the power of the nobles and make it easier for them to control them. However, they did not expect that they would give the Earl a great gift instead..."
"With leverage over the nobles, the Earl has every reason to magnify a small matter and take back the title. If someone rebels, it will be no different from rebellion. With her personal relationship, she will be able to ask Viscount Remigio for help."
"I heard that the Remigio family is very short of money, and Castel has the most money. Viscount Remigio is a guy who dares to do anything as long as he is paid enough. The Earl is fully capable of bypassing the various restrictions of the kingdom's army and winning over the Remigio family through private employment or even alliance!"
“At that time, the army guarding the Castel Silver Mine will replace the Crescent Flag with the flag of the Remigio family. Even if everyone knows that they are not Remigio’s conscripted soldiers but genuine Kingdom troops, they can only accept it with a pinch of their noses. The private soldiers of the nobles in the north are definitely no match for those well-equipped professional armies!”
"Derek, it is impossible for the descendants of Fallen Star to control Castel. If they want to control Castel, they must control the Earl, but they have already failed."
"The supernatural power is protected by a mysterious strongman, and the secular army has the Remigio family to win over. If my guess is correct, Viscount Remigio may have received the Earl's letter for help!"
Derek was stunned listening to his grandfather's analysis.
The old Viscount helplessly looked at his grandson who was almost useless except for his extraordinary talent, and sighed:
"Derrick, get closer to the Earl from now on."
"I have a feeling... Even if they have the support of the legendary blood clan, those descendants of the Fallen Stars may not be a match for the Earl!"
"Although the Earl is young, even a Silver Moon Level 2 Knight like me dare not breathe a word when standing in front of her. Anyone who really treats her as a child will probably suffer a great loss!"
…
After a heart-to-heart talk between the grandfather and grandson of the Len-Castell family, they almost decided on the direction of the family's future stance.
At the same time, in the kingdom's army stationed outside the Castel Silver Mine, Viscount Remigio also received the letter from Charlotte sent by the teleportation array.
The ferocious viscount sat by the campfire, eating barbecue, picking up the letter with his greasy hands and reading it, sneering:
"Hmm? Hiring the Kingdom's troops guarding the mines? Hey, this little earl is really brave! How could the Kingdom's troops possibly interfere in the affairs of the Duke's vassal? This is misappropriation of public resources for personal gain! And it's bypassing the level of authority!"
As he spoke, he picked up the large wooden cup of wine beside him and took a big sip. But when he saw the amount of the employment contribution on the letter, he immediately sprayed out all the wine in his mouth:
“Pfft… cough cough cough… cough cough cough cough… The commission for a kingdom soldier is at least five hundred gold tana?!”
With a change of expression, Viscount Remigio stood up suddenly and shouted to his adjutant who was drinking with others not far away:
"Glenn! How many clan flags did the family bring here? Turn them all out for me!"