"Your Excellency, my servant seems to have encountered some problems. Please allow me to go and see what happened."
Charlotte bowed gracefully to Bruno, and then walked towards the gate of the Duke's Palace.
Many nobles had gathered in front of the Duke's Palace.
Most people looked at Quasimodo and Nice, who was mentioned by Fanxing, with curiosity, contempt, or gloating.
Several young nobles who wanted to show off wanted to step forward to help, but they were quickly stopped by the elders of their own family, who shook their heads to signal them to be quiet.
The Duchy of Bold is named Bold after all.
When attending a birthday party, you naturally have to give the host enough respect, even if the other party is just a knight guarding the gate.
Trying to sneak a pet in is considered pretty rude.
"What happened?"
Seeing Charlotte approaching, the gathered nobles made way for her.
Quasimodo seemed to have found his backbone. He quickly came over and whispered helplessly:
"Master, pets are not allowed in the Duke's Mansion. I wanted to persuade Master Nice to stay in the pet area outside, but Master Nice was unwilling to go and wanted to follow quietly..."
"As a result... he was caught by the knight at the door."
Pet area
Charlotte was stunned.
Thinking about how Nice was a bit mean but actually had a bit of arrogance in his bones, she could more or less understand why he didn't want to go to the pet area and stay with those real cats and dogs.
but…
Charlotte frowned slightly and glanced at Nice who was grabbed by the back of the neck:
Can't you speak? Can't you explain yourself
Nice looked pitifully innocent, with a hint of grievance in his eyes:
What do I need to explain? Explain that I belong to the church? The Nice Lord of the church has become someone's pet. Should I still be involved in the church circle in the future
Charlotte glanced around and her eyes turned cold:
Then just stay in the pet area honestly and don't cause me any trouble. I will naturally tell the people in the Duke's Mansion about the situation and take you in later.
The black cat's eyes suddenly became anxious:
No! Don't let Master Cat stay with those stupid cats and dogs for even a minute! Don't even kill Master Cat!
The man and the cat communicated with their eye contact without any obstacles.
It can also be considered an additional ability of the Servant's Final Oath.
Looking at Nice's pitiful expression, Charlotte sighed in her heart and finally decided to help it and settle the score with it later.
However, just as she was about to explain to the gatekeeper, Bruno's shrill voice came over:
"Eh? Isn't this Lord Nice? Osama, are you crazy? Put Lord Nice down now!"
After hearing Bruno's words, the Starry Knight looked at the black cat in his hand with a hesitant expression:
"But... pets can't..."
"Idiot! Lord Nice is a big shot in the church. He has been under the order of the church to protect Miss Charlotte all the time these days! Put it down quickly!"
Bruno glared.
"A big shot in the church?"
"a cat?"
"But doesn't it have a pet collar around its neck?"
"Wait, I seem to have heard the name Nice in church..."
The nobles around were talking about it, looking at the black cat with surprise and curiosity.
Nice: …
Maomao's face suddenly fell.
It’s over, it’s over. I still can’t hide the fact that I’m affiliated with the church…
It could almost foresee the crazy laughter on the faces of those bastards in the church when they found out that it was being treated as the pet of Castel's heir!
It can be seen that these days in the manor, it deliberately avoids those priests every morning!
It was all in vain!
Although, it did become a pet of a certain ancient evil god...
But how can the pet of an evil god be the same as the pet of a little girl!
However... it cannot reveal the secret.
Nice's cat face is full of complexity.
After hearing Bruno's words, the Starry Knight was still a little hesitant, but after looking at the black cat in his hand, he finally put it down.
"Master Nice! Are you not frightened?"
The fat butler looked flattering and bent down and said to the black cat.
Seeing that his identity had been exposed, Nice stopped pretending and sighed helplessly. Then he calmed down and raised his head proudly:
"Well... it doesn't matter. This Star Knight is indeed a true knight."
"Meow! Master Cat just wanted to test whether he is doing his job well."
It held its head high and chest out proudly, like a leader going on an inspection tour.
"A talking cat!"
"Extraordinary creature!"
The eyes of the nobles around him suddenly lit up.
Seeing more and more nobles gathering, Nice coughed lightly and shrank his almost invisible fat neck, trying his best to hide the collar that Charlotte had put on him a few days ago to punish him for peeping at the maid taking a bath.
"Okay, the misunderstanding is resolved, so go in quickly and don't block the door here."
Having said that, he quickly slipped into the Duke's Mansion and hid behind Charlotte, as if he was afraid of being seen by acquaintances again.
"Hey, Miss Charlotte, let's go in. The Duke might be waiting anxiously."
Bruno said cheerfully.
After saying that, he took the lead and walked towards the inner palace.
Looking at the other person's flannel-like back, Charlotte's eyes narrowed slightly and she fell into deep thought:
Nice said that only Dean Raoul of the Church Hospital and Captain Kara of the Boulder Demon Hunting Institute knew about its actions, and even the hijacking on the night was explained as a coincidence.
How did Bruno, the steward of the Duke's Palace, know that Nice had been staying with him all this time, and that he was there at the arrangement of the church
Glancing at the fat butler's face that seemed always cheerful, Charlotte temporarily suppressed her thoughts and followed him with a smile.
As for Quasimodo, who was not a noble, and Nice, the "guest from the church", they were led by waiters, one was arranged to the servants' area, and the cat was taken directly to the reception area.
The Duke's Palace is much larger than the Castel family's manor.
In terms of style, it is less luxurious than the Castel House, but more solemn, which stems from the Duke's Palace's former fortress status.
After passing through countless corridors, Bruno finally stopped in front of a fan-shaped door with a knight standing guard.
He took a step forward and knocked on the door respectfully:
"Your Excellency, Miss Charlotte is here."
"Let her in."
An old voice came from the door.
After that, the knights reached out to open the door, and Bruno gestured respectfully:
"Miss Charlotte, please."
Charlotte took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Behind the door is a rather spacious study room. There are countless books placed on the tall bookshelves, densely packed like stars.
In front of the bookshelf, there is a withered oak desk.
An old man wearing a black noble robe and a wig was sitting at a desk, writing.
Feeling Charlotte coming in, he put down the quill in his hand and slowly raised his head.
It was a very old face, probably in his sixties or seventies.
His face was deeply wrinkled and covered with age spots, but his pair of blue-gray eyes were bright and his old face was full of majesty.
Andre de Borde.
The current Duke of the Principality of Bolder, one of the nine dukes of the Crescent Kingdom, a Knight of the third rank of Blazing Sun, and also a member of the Crescent Kingdom's cabinet, concurrently holding the title of Military Chief.
Although he looks to be in his sixties or seventies, he is actually only fifty.
It's just that he was seriously injured many times in his early years in the Star-Moon War between the Crescent Moon Kingdom and the Falling Star Kingdom, which lasted for more than 80 years. The excessive divine treatment overdrew his body, which is why he is so old.
Of course, his numerous military exploits also earned him a high enough reputation within the kingdom.
But unfortunately, a serious injury in his youth also made him lose his fertility forever.
Apart from his only daughter Eleanor, who was born in his early years and had already been engaged to the third prince of the Crescent Kingdom, his only offspring was his illegitimate son Lenno.
Looking at the old man in front of her, Charlotte's mind quickly emerged with the relevant information she had studied.
She took a deep breath, pinched the hem of her skirt, performed a vassal etiquette elegantly and in a standard manner, and then said respectfully:
"Lion of Balder, wise lord, Charlotte of Castel pays you the highest respects..."
"May your glory, in its divine splendor, forever illuminate the land of Castel."
Duke Bold calmly looked at the girl who saluted respectfully, with a gleam of admiration in his blue-gray eyes.
He nodded slightly and smiled:
"Get up."
Charlotte stood up after the ceremony, and the Duke pointed to the chair in front of the desk:
"sit."
Charlotte lifted up her skirt and sat down at the desk. Soon a waiter brought a crystal glass filled with milk and served it to her respectfully.
Seeing the girl's slightly surprised expression, the old duke smiled and said:
"I heard that you particularly liked to drink these during your hospitalization in the church, so I prepared them in advance."
After saying this, he looked at the girl carefully and couldn't help but sigh:
"It's been many years since we last met. You have grown up and are now so beautiful. You are now the brightest pearl in the Crescent Moon Kingdom."
"Looking at your eyes, I can feel that the experiences during this period have made you grow a lot."
Charlotte was silent for a moment and sighed:
“People always need to grow up.”
This time, she didn't try to be cute.
Because she knew that in front of a figure like the Duke of Bold, it was meaningless to act cute without foreplay.
"Yeah... People always have to grow up."
The old duke nodded in agreement.
Then, his expression became serious again:
"Charlotte, do you know why I specially called you here this time?"
Charlotte's heart moved slightly, and she bowed her head slightly:
"Please signal me."
Duke Bold did not explain directly, but suddenly stood up, looked at the map of the Principality of Bold behind him, and said meaningfully:
"As Castel's heir, what do you think of Castel's current situation?"