The capital of the Violet Principality is Lint City.
In the Lord's Castle in the center of the city, the Third Prince Philip, who had been teleported to Violet through the Mage Tower's ultra-long-distance fixed-point teleportation magic, sat in the noble chair, frowning as he looked at the personal guard who came to report:
"What did you say? The main force of Castel's rebels was wiped out?"
"Yes, the whole army was wiped out... It is said that they only lasted half a day on the banks of the Dorne River before being wiped out by Castel's coalition forces."
The guard replied with his head down.
After hearing what his personal guards said, the third prince Philip's expression changed.
He subconsciously stood up and shook his head.
"Half a day? No... That's impossible!"
"The rebels in the north have gathered at least 10,000 people! If we add the hired northern cavalry, the force may be close to 20,000!"
"Castel's mage group was disbanded a long time ago. They don't even have the strength to form a military formation. How could they possibly take on so many troops?"
"Let alone 20,000 rebels, even if it was 20,000 pigs, Castel's army would not be able to capture them all in three days. Now you're telling me that they were defeated in just half a day?"
"Where are the Hussars from the North? Where are Count Gaston's troops? Didn't Count Tulip's troops turn against us in the middle of the battle?!"
The third prince asked sternly.
The guard swallowed his saliva and answered with gritted teeth:
"Your Highness, the Tulip garrison did turn against their own side, but... they turned to Castel..."
After hearing these words, the third prince's expression changed completely.
He grabbed the collar of the soldier's mail armor, his expression was gloomier than ever before:
"What did you say? The Tulip garrison sided with Castel? Do you know what you are talking about? They are the elite standing troops of our Bold!"
"Yes, my Lord. The news from the north said that the garrison of the Earl of Tulip defected and joined Castel's coalition forces..."
"It was precisely because of the garrison's defection that the rebels were defeated. Even many of the northern hussars were taken prisoner."
As the guard spoke, he carefully presented a parchment scroll.
The third prince snatched it and quickly browsed through it. The more he read... the gloomier his expression became, and the more he read... the angrier his eyes became.
"Traitor! Madman! How dare that old bastard Anatole betray me! Isn't he really afraid that I will deprive him of his title and territory?!"
The third prince tore the parchment into pieces and threw it to the ground. His handsome features seemed distorted by anger.
Anatole is the name of Count Gaston, and his full name is Anatole de Gaston, and his fief is in the County of Erjo south of Bordeaux.
Strictly speaking, he should actually be called Count Erjo, but because the Gaston family is more famous and there is only one Gaston branch in the Duchy of Borde, many nobles in Borde are accustomed to calling him Count Gaston.
Count Gaston's betrayal undoubtedly made the third prince furious.
There are not many elite troops capable of deploying magic arrays in the entire Principality of Boulder. When Gaston ran away, he took away almost one-third of them!
"I knew it! I knew it! I shouldn't have listened to his oath of allegiance! These nobles of Boulder... are all bastards!"
The third prince roared angrily, gritting his teeth, and even Eleanor, who was massaging his feet in front of him, shuddered.
And when the third prince's eyes fell on his wife in front of him, he became even more furious.
He kicked the other person away and said angrily:
"Waste! All of you are waste! You, the Bold family, are also waste! You raised them as regulars! And you can even run away with the nobles below!"
When Count Lint entered the room, he saw the third prince in anger.
The middle-aged nobleman who was the heir to the Violet Principality frowned slightly and said in a deep voice:
"Your Highness, please be aware of your identity. She is your wife and the Duke of Boulder."
"snort!"
Seeing the middle-aged noble entering the room, the Third Prince withdrew his foot.
"What are you still standing there for? Take Lady Eleanor away quickly."
Count Lint said to the guards beside him.
The bodyguards trembled and dared not move at all.
Count Lint glanced at the third prince again:
"His Royal Highness Prince… "
Facing the gaze of the middle-aged noble, the third prince took a deep breath and calmed down his anger.
Looking at Eleanor curled up and shivering, a trace of disgust flashed in his eyes, and then he waved his hand impatiently and said:
"Okay, take her down."
After receiving the order, the guards took Eleanor away, leaving only the third prince and Count Lint in the room.
Count Lindt sighed and said:
"Your Highness, the service can be left to the maids. Lady Eleanor is the Duchess of Bold after all..."
"Of course I know she is the Duchess, but I also know that her last name is Bold. My dear uncle, you should know how the old Duke of Bold treated me, right?"
The third prince asked back with narrowed eyes.
Count Lint was somewhat helpless:
"The past is the past. Now you are the Duke of Boulder and a strong contender for the throne. You should look to the future. Your every move is watched by the nobles. You..."
"Well, my dear uncle, if you are here to lecture me, forget it. I am too upset to listen to what you are saying."
The third prince waved his hand and said.
Count Lindt hesitated for a moment and said:
"Is it the news that the Castel rebels have been defeated?"
The third prince glanced at him:
"Grandpa already knows?"
"Yes, the news has spread. It is said that it was Tulip's regular cavalry that defeated the rebels in one fell swoop..."
Count Lint sighed.
The third prince remained silent. Seeing his silent and gloomy appearance, Count Lint asked:
"Your Highness, how do you plan to deal with the Gaston family?"
The third prince squinted his eyes at him and said:
"My uncle, I know what you want to say. Count Gaston is a member of the Gaston family after all. You are worried that if I touch him, I will become enemies with that old fox, Duke Gaston..."
"But, my dear uncle, have you ever wondered why he betrayed me?"
"Humph, if he has no other power behind him, how dare he, a mere earl whose fiefdom is still under my control, betray me and plot against me?"
"You kidnapped my army and helped Castel quell the rebellion... Haha, you don't want to see me control Castel and increase my power!"
After hearing what the third prince said, the middle-aged nobleman's eyelids jumped:
"You mean to say that Count Gaston's actions were secretly supported by Duke Gaston? The Duke may no longer remain neutral and have sided with the Second Prince?"
"Hmph, it's possible."
The third prince said coldly.
Count Lindt hesitated:
"Then you..."
"Don't worry, I know what's important and what's not. The most important issue right now is Castel. As for Gaston... it won't be too late to settle accounts with him after Castel is dealt with!"
The third prince said.
As he said this, he narrowed his eyes:
"It seems... I still underestimated that little earl."
"Since she was able to make Gaston betray her, perhaps she has been won over by the Second Prince and has gained his support."
"My uncle, things have changed. It seems... we have to go north immediately and declare war on Castel."
Count Lint nodded:
"That's what father meant. Violet's army is on standby and can set off at any time after the declaration of war."
The third prince nodded with satisfaction.
Although the loss of the Tulip garrison made him angry, it was not enough to completely affect the overall situation.
Castel... is, after all, an earldom that lacks access to extraordinary supplies, and is definitely no match for the combined forces of Violet and Bold!
——
I took wedding photos for a whole day. I am tired and my hair is short.