Melodious music sounded, bringing a sense of solemnity yet lightness.
The Royal Band, dressed in blue and white uniforms, stood upright on one side, playing their instruments under the direction of their leader.
Today is the day when Charlotte formally accepts the king's title as a direct vassal, and it is also the day when the royal contract of the Castel family is re-signed.
In the palace, nobles who came to watch the ceremony gathered early in the morning. The crowds were so dense that they filled the entire hall.
Normally, the enthronement ceremony of an earl's vassal would not cause such a big fuss.
But perhaps it was because of the things that happened in the past few days that made Charlotte famous among the nobles, or perhaps the royal family and the church wanted to divert the attention of the nobles and priests from their own purges. In short... it was obviously just a vassal ceremony for an earl, but in the end it attracted the curiosity and spectators of a large number of nobles.
Many people are very interested in Charlotte, the legendary living saint.
Especially since this saint had caused the royal family to lose a prince, and then she refused her position in the church, which even directly led to the church having to conduct an internal purge in order to avoid incurring the wrath of the gods.
However, although he had dealt a slap to the two major forces of the Crescent Moon, both the royal family and the church were quite gentle towards the young earl, and could even be called friendly.
This naturally made the nobles even more curious.
Especially those nobles who had no right to participate in the Central Parliament, mainly the direct members of the major noble families, almost all those who could come to watch the ceremony came.
The music keeps flowing, getting louder and louder.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Charlotte, accompanied by royal knights, slowly walked into the palace hall covered with a silk red carpet.
She was dressed up today, wearing a white lace aristocratic dress decorated with golden patterns and the Castel family's coat of arms, which was gorgeous and dignified.
She moved gracefully and had an upright posture. The slim-fitting long skirt brought out her slightly immature figure to a perfect degree, showing off her seductive and beautiful curves.
There is youthfulness in her youthfulness, vitality in her youth, and nobility and elegance in her vitality, making it difficult for everyone to take their eyes off her.
The magic crystal lights in the hall flickered, reflecting a dreamy glow and making Charlotte look even more dazzling.
The moment she entered, the entire hall fell silent. The women looked amazed and the men had burning eyes.
"She is Charlotte de Castel? The last descendant of the Castel family?"
"As expected of the family of the goddess of beauty, with such an outstanding appearance, when she grows up, she will surely be a person who can stir up the politics of the entire kingdom with just a frown or a smile..."
"Grown up? No... In fact, she has already grown up."
"Hmm? Adult? Are you sure? She looks younger..."
"Of course, her coming-of-age ceremony two years ago caused quite a stir in Boulder, and many Boulder nobles knew about it."
"Is it the rumored time when the statue of the Lord God was lit up?"
“Yes, it is said that even the statue of the Lord God in Lutetia lit up at that time.”
“Is this the power of the Saint?”
"She is also very capable. I heard that when she succeeded to the throne, the former Duke of Bold wanted to force a marriage and seize the territory of the North. The nobles of the North did not listen to her command. As a result, she not only cleverly resolved the pressure from Bold, but also successfully integrated the internal forces of the North in less than half a year. She even defeated the attack of 100,000 troops from the two principalities of Violet and Bold!"
"Hiss... A hundred thousand troops? God, this is really amazing! Compared to her, the younger generation of the Central Nobles are all trash!"
"Who says it's not true? Her extraordinary power is also very strong. I heard that she has only awakened her bloodline power for two years, but she already has a power close to the Silver Moon level."
"Damn it! She has only awakened her power for two years? Looking at her extraordinary aura, I thought she had awakened her bloodline power since she was a child! Could it be that... Xinyue is going to produce another legendary figure like His Majesty the King?"
"After all, she is the Saint chosen by the Lord God. If she didn't have excellent bloodline and talent, how could she have been favored by the gods?"
"That's not necessarily true. Perhaps it is precisely because of the Lord's care that I have acquired such a strong talent..."
"Humph, I heard that some families are still trying to secure a marriage with Castel. Not to mention that he has already made a declaration of celibacy, even if he hadn't made a declaration, how could a person who could defeat two duchies at such a young age be so easy to control?"
"I just covet Caster's beauty, wealth and territory."
"… "
The nobles were talking among themselves and looking at the girl in the hall with curiosity.
There was surprise, gossip, yearning and admiration in their eyes.
Louis V was not a weak and incompetent monarch, and the Crescent Diocese was not just a decorative vase. The fact that it was recognized by both sides speaks volumes.
Even though Charlotte looked much younger than her actual age, few nobles in the hall dared to underestimate this young noble. They also knew that beneath her beautiful, angelic, innocent appearance, there was a strong soul that should not be underestimated.
"Lord Charlotte de Castel, are you willing to give up your promise to donate land, abide by the code of the Crescent Nobility, safeguard the honor and heritage of the nobility, and become a true noble?"
On the throne, Louis V, dressed in gorgeous royal robes and wearing a golden crown, looked at the beautiful girl who was the focus of everyone's attention and asked with a majestic expression.
The girl held up the hem of her skirt, elegant and dignified, and answered softly:
"I do."
Louis V paused and continued:
"Are you willing to abide by the Kingship Contract, uphold the principles of the contract, remember your rights and obligations, and support the rule of the Valva family?"
Charlotte bowed again and answered in a clear and pleasant voice:
"I do."
Louis V nodded slightly and asked again:
Are you willing to obey the Holy Code, take over the scepter of glory, become a direct vassal of my Valva family, and be awarded the title of honorary knight
Charlotte continued to salute, and her beautiful voice echoed in the hall:
"I do."
Louis V's expression gradually relaxed.
He looked at Charlotte with satisfaction, with a hint of smile in the corners of his eyes. Even his usual strong majesty was weakened a lot, and he looked more friendly.
"Then... congratulations, from today on, you are an official direct vassal of my Valva family."
He said gently.
After saying this, Louis V gestured to the royal knight standing nearby, and the royal knight immediately stepped forward and presented a long tray covered with golden silk with both hands.
On the tray, there was a gorgeous honorary knight's sword.
"Sir Charlotte de Castel, this is the sword of honor that symbolizes honor and inheritance. It is yours now. I hope you will remember your oath and become a qualified lord and a true noble."
Louis V regained his dignity.
He picked up the sword of honor, stood up from the throne, walked to Charlotte, and handed it to Charlotte personally.
Seeing this scene, the nobles who were watching were stunned and their eyes widened again.
"With his own hands! His Majesty actually handed the Honorary Knight Sword to her with his own hands!"
"God, this is the privilege only a duke can enjoy, right?! Does His Majesty want to confer the title of duke on her?!"
"No, it shouldn't be. Perhaps it's because of her noble status as a saint..."
The nobles were talking among themselves, looking at Charlotte with eyes full of surprise and envy.
As the central nobles of the Crescent, they all knew very well that during the investiture ceremony, the king would rarely personally hand over the honorary knight's sword, which symbolized power and responsibility, to the corresponding noble.
In Xinyue, only those powerful duke-level nobles and nobles who are highly appreciated by the king can enjoy such treatment!
It is obvious that even without mentioning the strength of the North itself, this alone is enough to prove that the young Earl of Castel has won the recognition of His Majesty the King.
Charlotte took the sword and saluted Louis V:
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
Seeing her obedience, Louis V was even more satisfied.
He nodded slightly, then looked around the entire hall and said in a deep voice:
"Charlotte de Castell is upright, courageous, loyal and fearless. According to the Sacred Code and the Kingly Contract, I, the 37th King of the Crescent Kingdom, Louis de Valva, hereby announce that Charlotte de Castell will be canonized as the Crescent Honorary Knight. Her inherited territory, the Earldom of Castell, will officially become a direct vassal of the Valva family and enjoy the treatment of a direct vassal of the kingdom. Charlotte de Castell will be the Earl of Castell and will be granted the title of Cabinet Advisor of the Crescent Kingdom!"
Upon hearing the official enthronement of Louis V, the nobles were stunned again and fell into discussion again:
"Advisor? Cabinet advisor? Does His Majesty think so highly of Count Castel? He actually directly granted him the title of Cabinet Advisor!"
"Is she really just the Earl of the North and not your Majesty's illegitimate daughter?"
The nobles were shocked and extremely surprised.
Charlotte in the hall was also a little surprised.
In the new moon, the king is the supreme ruler, but it is not just the king who manages the country, but also the cabinet.
The cabinet assists the royal family in governing the country and has enormous power. It has a total of nine seats. Its responsibilities cover all aspects of the kingdom's military, diplomacy, finance, religion, vassal management, etc. It can even directly decide the convening of the central parliament. Positions including the chief military officer, foreign minister, chief financial officer, and royal patriarch are all cabinet positions.
Entering the cabinet means entering the true power center of the Crescent Kingdom.
Although the Cabinet Advisor is a nominal seat in the Cabinet and does not have direct power like the military and foreign ministers, he can still participate in cabinet meetings and decide many political directions of the Crescent Kingdom.
It was obvious that Louis V was further trying to win over Charlotte.
Although Charlotte was not very interested in joining the Crescent Kingdom's cabinet, it was still a good thing to get the title of cabinet advisor for free.
What nobles care about most is their circle, which means that she can be closer to the power center of Xinyue. Not only can she get the first intelligence of many important news in a timely manner, but she can also further expand her influence.
This would be very helpful for Charlotte to deal with other nobles in the kingdom and develop her own territory.
Especially since the title of advisor is an honorary title, perhaps for other ambitious nobles, the honorary title would not bring any substantial benefits, but for Charlotte it is just right.
She still has a lot of things to deal with in her own territory, and her faith needs to be spread. There is still a lot of busy work to come, and she doesn't want to divide her energy to worry about other things.
There was no need to take charge, which was exactly what Charlotte wanted.
Even though she knew that Louis V was doing this to further improve her favor because he was worried about the church's influence on him, in Charlotte's eyes the elderly king seemed to become lovable in an instant.
"Thank you for your kindness."
She pinched the hem of her skirt and bowed again.
Louis V nodded slightly and said gently:
"No need to be polite. I hope you will remember the contract today and become a true noble."
After that, his eyes fell on Charlotte again, and he said meaningfully:
"Sir Castel, the status of a saint is a grace from God, but it is also a shackle. It is not necessarily a good thing."
"Since you have declined the church's invitation, I believe you have your own views and understandings of life. I hope you can keep your original heart and always remember the meaning of your life."
Remember the meaning of life
After hearing Louis V's suggestive hint, Charlotte was thoughtful.
…
The canonization ceremony went smoothly.
After the ceremony, Charlotte received congratulations and invitations from various aristocratic families, and became a hot topic in the aristocratic circle.
Charlotte didn't feel any real sense of the canonization. Due to her identity as a time traveler and the status of "demigod", her sights were no longer limited to the Crescent Kingdom. Although she was satisfied, she was not excited.
No, or to be more precise, after reading the information about Advent from Albrecht's memory two days ago, she felt that everything else seemed less important in comparison.
After thanking the nobles for their congratulations and declining many invitations, Charlotte got on a carriage and returned to the manor with the rewards.
Soon after, a royal convoy arrived, which was additional compensation from Louis V for the War of Bold and Castres.
The compensation was a carriage full of extraordinary materials, most of which were used for mages to meditate. This was obviously for Charlotte herself. After all, her external extraordinary identity was that of a mage.
Sebastian estimated that the value should be around 15 million quintanas, which fully demonstrated the sincerity and wealth of the royal family.
Charlotte naturally stayed with them all and expressed her gratitude to the royal envoy.
But after the messenger left, Charlotte's expression became solemn.
"God's care is a grace, but also a shackle..."
Charlotte pondered over Louis V's words.
She thought of Albrecht's memory that she had read yesterday, and of the Holy Day of Advent mentioned in the memory.
She didn't know whether Louis V's words were related to the upcoming Advent Day, but it was most likely true.
Thinking of the Holy Day of Advent, Charlotte's eyes became serious again.
Holy One is coming, Holy One is coming, the Holy One is coming.
As the name suggests, the Day of the Holy Visitation is the day when the earthly incarnation of the true God descends to the earth.
In other words, this is the day when the stars return to their positions and the sleeping gods awaken one by one.