"Oh? A duke title and a territory no less than that of Castel? Let me guess, you are talking about the territory of the Falling Star Kingdom, right?"
Charlotte asked back with a chuckle.
Earl of Eustace nodded:
"Of course it is the territory of Fallen Star. As you can see, once the Ness Clan regains its former power, it will be no problem for us to exchange the territory for yours."
Charlotte smiled.
"But the control of the Falling Star Kingdom is not in the hands of the Ness Clan, right?"
"And I've heard that even before the Lilac War, the Ness Clan was only relatively influential in the Falling Star Kingdom. Even if you regain your former status, what does it matter?"
"How can you convince me that the Ness clan will have the power to control the Falling Star Kingdom in the future?"
“Not to mention, in order to obtain the so-called territory, do I need to provide manpower and material resources to fully support the Ness clan’s war?”
"How is it different to use the promise of future territory to gain my support than to conquer a piece of territory myself?"
Yust's expression became serious and he said:
"Of course it is different. Edward III has been cruel and ruthless over the years, and the Fallen Star royal family has lost the support of the people. Once we start a war, it will definitely be a war for the succession of the throne, and the new Fallen Star King will naturally be from our Ness clan."
"At that time, we will naturally give you the territory as the Fallen Star Royal Family, and all you have to do is give us some support in the war, which is not particularly difficult for the wealthy Castel."
"In addition, to be honest, we have already gained a lot of support from the nobles of the Falling Star Kingdom. Once the war begins, most of the nobles of Falling Star will stand on our side."
Charlotte shook her head.
"Lord Ulster, there is no need to say such things. If you are really sure of winning the war, why would you seek support from others?"
"I know you want to become the behind-the-scenes court of the Fallen Star Kingdom like the Valadt clan did, but I think you seem to have made a mistake..."
"Valadet has always maintained control over the Kingdom of Coria, fighting against the Holy Court and expelling the power of the Theocracy from Coria time and time again. However, the Ness Clan... had already lost power after the Lilac War."
"What you have to face is not only the Falling Star Royal Family, but also the Holy Royal Court that supports the Falling Star Royal Family. This is your biggest enemy."
"And I have no interest in going to war with the Holy Royal Court. After all... I am a devout believer in the Holy Court."
Lord Ulster: ...
He glanced at Charlotte, who was casually drawing a standard cross on her chest, and felt a lump in his throat, but he didn't know how to vent it.
Followers of the Holy Royal Court
If he hadn't known the secret behind Castel through the Duke, he might have actually believed it!
After knowing the story of Briar Rose and seeing the vampire servants in the Earl's Mansion, no one would believe that she was a follower of the Holy Royal Court!
"Sir Castel, I don't think you need to worry too much about the Holy King's Court, because we are not planning to let the vampires come to the fore, but to support the new king."
"For Luoxing, this is still a civil war, not a war of faith, and a secular war... the Holy Royal Court cannot directly intervene."
"We will not make the same mistakes as we learned from the First Lilac War a second time."
"Not to mention, don't you want to know where the territory we promised you is?"
said the Earl of Eustace.
Charlotte shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Your Excellency. To be honest, I'm not interested in another enclave, let alone an enclave far overseas that is likely to be much larger than Castel."
"The title of Duke is indeed tempting, but I don't even have full control over my own territory yet, so I don't have the energy to eat a fat man."
"Not to mention, if I become the Duke of Falling Star, then am I considered a noble of Falling Star or a noble of New Moon?"
"The legal principles of the dukedom are higher than those of the earldom, and I don't want to become the common victim of the nobles of the two countries. The Star-Moon War is over, but the territorial dispute between the two countries has been shelved."
Lord Eustace smiled:
"Mr. Castel, you misunderstood. In fact, what we promised was not an enclave."
"Um?"
Charlotte paused slightly.
The Falling Star Kingdom is an island country, isolated overseas.
If the Dukedom enclave on Falling Star Island was not what the Nice Clan promised, then... the remaining territory could only be one.
That is the enclave of the Falling Star Kingdom on the mainland, where the Roman family started out, and also the most controversial territory between the Falling Star Kingdom and the Crescent Moon Kingdom—the Principality of Roman.
Thinking of this, Charlotte looked at Earl Eustace in surprise:
"Lord Yust, your bargaining chip is actually the Roman Principality? Are you going to give away the ancestral land of the Roman Dynasty?"
Earl of Eustace nodded:
"You are right, it is the Roman Principality."
"The Principality of Roman is Luoxing's last territory on the continent, and it is also Castel's close neighbor. If you obtain Roman's territory, not only will the area increase by nearly three times, but the population will also increase several times."
"Not only that, although Castel has a coastal plain and the land was once quite fertile, due to long-term seawater erosion, many areas are no longer suitable for crop growth, and the grain output is actually limited. As far as I know, purchasing grain from other territories has always been one of the things that Castel nobles must do every year..."
"During the Star-Moon War, Castel suffered from famine more than once. In fact, if it weren't for the war-torn areas all around, the refugees from Violet and Roman would never have chosen to flee to Castel."
"Unlike Castel, the Roman Principality has a large amount of arable land and is also an important grain-producing area in the north of the continent. It is also the main area for Castel's grain trade."
"Once we obtain the Roman Principality, Castel will make up for its last shortcoming and become the most powerful force in the northern part of the continent."
"I think... you should know what it means to own the Roman Principality."
"As for the legal conflict you're worried about, that's naturally not a problem."
"The Roman Principality used to be the territory of the Crescent Kingdom. Even now, the Crescent Royal Family is always thinking about taking back this old land. If Luo Xing voluntarily gives it up, the Crescent Royal Family will only be happy to see it happen. You are still the Duke of Crescent, and there is no territorial dispute."
"By then, Castel won't have to worry about the two kingdoms starting a war again and causing the war to spread to the north, because the most disputed territory, the Roman Principality, has been resolved."
"As the middle area between New Moon and Falling Star, Castel can completely monopolize the trade between the two countries in the Star-Moon Strait..."
"Mr. Castel, for the North, no territory is more attractive than Roman. As early as five hundred years ago, when the Roman royal family had not yet taken over the Falling Star Kingdom, your ancestors fought with Duke Roman more than once for the bordering territory. I think... the Castel family should be very aware of the importance of Roman territory."
"Mr. Castel, now... do you think our sincerity is sufficient?"
' asked Lord Ulster, smiling.
Charlotte was silent.
I have to say, she was indeed a little moved.
It wasn't that Charlotte was an expansionist, but she had learned about Castel's various problems from the materials in the manor's study long before she came to the territory. The food shortage, the strategic location full of dangers, etc. were all facts.
That is because Castel is rich and can buy food from the nearby noble territories, so this problem is not prominent on weekdays.
But during the war it was another story.
The Roman Duchy has food that Castell lacks. Not only that, many industries of the Roman Duchy and Castell are complementary. If the Roman Duchy can be acquired, the power of the North will indeed undergo a qualitative change.
Not to mention, Charlotte also knew that the Roman Principality was formed by the migration of northern tribes, and many of the people there were descendants of the northerners.
Although they have become culturally very close to the Crescent people through generations of intermarriage, they are very similar to the Castells in terms of beliefs.
The vast majority of people there... are not holy believers!
By the way, as far as Charlotte knows, the population of the Roman Principality is twice that of the Castel Territory, reaching eight million.
In the long run, the Roman Principality can also become a good source of faith.
At the same time, like Castel, the Roman Principality is located in the north of the continent, far away from the center of the Holy Royal Court, and is separated from the Crescent Heart by the Violet Principality, which is also surrounded by rugged terrain and high mountains.
If Charlotte possesses the Roman Principality, in time, it may even be possible for Charlotte to develop a local force like the Kingdom of Coria that can compete with the Holy Court!
Imagining the future, Charlotte was moved.
But at the same time, she remained calm.
The Earl of Ulster's proposal is indeed attractive, but now is not a good time.
Because Castel's current situation is actually quite delicate. Although he seems to be rich, he actually lacks the secular power to protect himself. The internal noble forces are ready to make a move, and the external forces...
Ever since falling out with Bold, Charlotte has received more than one letter of accusation from border nobles on her desk, all of which were attempts by other nearby lords.
It was because Castel had not fallen out with Bold at this moment, otherwise, she suspected that other nearby duchies would have already tried to start a territorial dispute.
Castel was facing internal and external troubles. Under such circumstances, Charlotte did not think that her family had the energy to launch a foreign war.
Charlotte guessed that the descendants of Ness didn't know about these things, otherwise they would not have made such a promise.
As for why the Nice clan suddenly changed its attitude and showed goodwill to herself, although Charlotte didn't know the specific reason, she could roughly guess it.
The Ness clan must be short of money.
Not only that, they should also be thinking of relying on Roman and Castel to block the connection between Luoxing and the mainland.
They are good at divination and have already known that there is a "resurrected god" behind Castel. Although they don't know that this "god" is herself, it makes them cautious and change their strategic direction. They no longer infiltrate the North, but try to win her over.
Besides this, perhaps they also have the idea of shrinking their power in the future and letting Castel serve as a buffer between Falling Star and New Moon, thus completely isolating the power of the Holy Royal Court outside Falling Star Island...
The Roman Duchy is good, but as the foundation of the Roman family, keeping it is a hidden danger for the Nice clan. If Nice intends to retreat to Falling Star Island, it will be useless.
This was an open conspiracy that Charlotte could guess.
However, no matter how Charlotte looked at it, she felt that the Ness clan was so eager and willing to pay such a high price, not just because they wanted to regain their sphere of influence as soon as possible, but more like something forced them to do so...
However, the other party's urgent attitude gave her some ideas on how to deal with Castel's current difficulties and opportunities.
"Well, Lord Castel, what have you thought about it?"
Yulster asked.
Charlotte withdrew her thoughts and looked at the other person.
She turned her eyes slightly, smiled slightly, and said:
"Mr. Yulster, your proposal is indeed very tempting, but it is all about the future and is unpredictable. For me, Castel, if you want to win our support... I'm afraid it's not enough."