Charlotte did not explain in detail why she declined.
She only looked sad and ashamed when she mentioned "a year ago" and "her own heart".
The incident in Bolde was quite serious at the time, and a high priest was punished. The person who signed the investigation order was probably the high priest in front of him.
This high priest probably knows everything.
Charlotte didn't need to say anything. Just a hint was enough to show that her trust in the church had collapsed because of the incident with the high priest.
In this way, there is a reason to decline the church, and she doesn't have to be blamed.
As expected, after Charlotte mentioned "a year ago" with an apologetic look, the New Moon High Priest also looked emotional.
He just sighed slightly and said:
"I am also very sorry for everything that happened in Boulder... I can understand your choice."
Charlotte lowered her head, looking a little ashamed:
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Archbishop. I came to the church this time to confess my sins because I found that I am not as pious as I thought..."
"I am not qualified to be a saint of the church, even a part-time saint."
The high priest nodded and said gently:
"My child, there are no perfect people in the world, nor are there perfect believers. Even the most devout believers will inevitably make mistakes. You have done very well."
"I already know your heart. Since you don't want to become a saint, the church will not force you."
After hearing the high priest's words, Charlotte felt relieved.
She finally accepted the invitation from the church...
After chatting with the high priest for a while and discussing some theological knowledge, Charlotte said goodbye and left.
Before leaving, she personally offered two hundred thousand gold tana as a donation from the believers.
The high priest also accepted it gently and praised her piety.
Two hundred thousand quintana is not a small amount.
Even the duke of the kingdom only donated tens of thousands of gold coins when he came to the church to pray.
Spending two hundred thousand Quintana is enough to gain some favor.
Amid the warm smiles of the church priests, Charlotte boarded the carriage and left Lutetia Cathedral.
Sitting in the carriage, Charlotte's pious expression became restrained and more serious.
The high priest's summons and invitation were intended to strengthen the connection with Castel and also to win him over.
Although she found excuses, she ultimately refused to be won over.
Even if the high priest was not angry about this, his relationship with the church would definitely be affected.
There was no other way around it. After all, she couldn't really bring the power of the church into her own territory.
Next she will have to cooperate with the Nice Clan to retake the Fallen Star Kingdom and divide up the Roman Duchy. By then, not to mention helping the church, she may even be in opposition to the church.
Becoming a saint would bring more constraints. The church might even have reason to punish her. Even the king and nobles would become her potential enemies.
After all, neither the nobles nor the king wanted the church to become more powerful.
But it is different if it is just a holy believer.
Even if she says one thing and does another, the church can't do anything to her unless she is caught.
With the divine countermeasures, Charlotte has also thought about joining the church and the possibility of exploding from within.
But the moment the faith network was activated, she knew that this option was no longer possible.
If she wants to expand her own power, she is doomed to be on the opposite side of the church in the future. The only difference is when they will fall out.
But now is not the time.
The church is powerful.
Even if she rejected the church, she still had to maintain the superficial relationship.
Thinking of this, Charlotte sighed softly.
To be honest, her feelings towards the Holy Royal Court were quite complicated.
Although there was the matter of the high priest, there were also many priests in the church who treated her well, such as Priest Raoul, who were elders worthy of respect.
The teachings of the Holy Court are not evil at all; they can even be described as great and glorious.
And with the "second time travel", Charlotte is even a little unsure about the relationship between the God Lord Harald and her...
In short, Charlotte did not hate the Holy Court.
But no matter whether they hate it or not, it is true that the Holy Royal Court clearly lists the blood clan as evil creatures, and it is also true that it lists the Blood Progenitor as the most terrifying evil god.
From this perspective, even if she doesn't hate him, they are natural enemies.
Thinking of this, Charlotte's expression became slightly serious again.
There is a price to pay for rejecting the church's good intentions.
The North's presence has been too strong recently, and the commotion when she merged with the ancient statue was quite loud. Coupled with this rejection, I'm afraid the church will focus on that side next.
Not to mention, if the church's purpose is really to strengthen its influence on Castel, will the other party really give up even if she refuses
I'm afraid... no.
At this thought, Charlotte felt a headache again.
She wanted to remain completely neutral.
But in reality, sometimes we have no choice.
"It seems that I have to plan carefully to buy myself more time for development..."
Thinking about her next plan, Charlotte sighed.
The tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop.
She inherited the Territory of Castel and defeated the coalition forces of the two duchies. She had become a force that could not be ignored in the Crescent Kingdom.
The Territory of Castel is quite wealthy and has the capital to confront the duke-level lords.
After this independence, it will inevitably become the thirteenth force after the twelve duchies of the kingdom, breaking the delicate balance between the nobility, the church and the royal power.
It's not just the church that covets Castel.
She needs to think carefully about how to choose and how to please both sides in order to maximize her own interests...
Under secret gazes, Charlotte returned to the manor.
She curled her lips and ignored those guys who were spying on her.
If her guess was correct, the reason why no nobles had come to visit her or invite her until now was probably because they were waiting and watching the attitude of the church.
After all, she was already branded by the church.
A more daring guess is that maybe the High Priest wanted to invite her to become a part-time saint of the Holy Royal Court, and there might have been rumors about it a long time ago...
And her refusal this time will probably be known to all parties soon.
If you think this way, perhaps the manor you rent will no longer be deserted soon.
As if to confirm Charlotte's guess, the manor welcomed a new guest the day after she declined the church's invitation.
To be more precise, it's an invitation.
"His Excellency Duke Gaston's banquet?"
Charlotte raised her eyebrows as she looked at the exquisite invitation respectfully presented by the noble envoy.