Conquer the Ness clan
After hearing what Albrecht said, Charlotte was visibly stunned.
However, she soon realized that Albrecht had recognized Ulster's identity and was curious about her relationship with the Nesnes clan.
There was nothing to hide. Even if the contract was forced, Albrecht was still her blood servant.
Unless this guy deifies himself, he will not be able to escape from Charlotte's clutches since Charlotte is already a "demigod".
After all... myths have a certain degree of suppression over legends!
"I did not subjugate the Nice Clan. I only signed an alliance with them as Earl of Castel. Of course, there are also forces within the Nice Clan that are dependent on me, just like you in the Blood Demon Cult."
Charlotte said calmly.
Covenant
This time, it was Albrecht's turn to be stunned.
However, Charlotte never mentioned it again after she finished speaking.
Although he was curious, Albrecht had to hold it in out of fear of the True Ancestor.
"You can give up your plan now. We have the same goal. I don't want to see anyone causing trouble and affecting my actions."
Charlotte said as she looked at Albrecht who had a conflicted expression.
At this time, Albrecht no longer had the heart to think about the faceless statue.
In fact, he now just wanted to slip away and hide far away, the farther away from the existence in front of him, the better.
"Albrecht understands. Albrecht will leave now and will not affect your plan in any way!"
He took advantage of the loophole in Charlotte's words and planned to escape directly.
"Wait."
Charlotte stopped Albrecht, who was about to escape, in his place with a shout.
She looked him up and down, then suddenly smiled and said:
"Since you're here, it's just right. I didn't bring many people with me this time, and I'm still in need of someone to run errands and do odd jobs. You can follow me for the next few days."
Albrecht: …
After hearing what Charlotte said, he suddenly became like a deflated ball, and his whole body wilted.
"Why, you don't want to?"
Charlotte's voice turned cold.
Her voice was not loud, nor did it have much momentum, but Albrecht shuddered instantly, feeling a chill running from the top of his head to his buttocks.
He shuddered subconsciously, and quickly forced an ugly smile and nodded repeatedly:
"Yes! Of course I am willing! It is an honor for Albrecht to be able to accompany you. How could Albrecht not be willing?"
"Well, that's not bad."
Charlotte nodded slightly.
Albrecht is a descendant of legendary blood after all, and this guy only chose to surrender under her tyranny.
If she really ignored him at this time, Charlotte was really afraid that this guy would take advantage of the situation and do something weird, affecting her plans.
To be on the safe side, it is better to keep this guy by your side for the time being, so that you can have extra help at the critical moment.
Albrecht is a legend after all, and he is very powerful.
Unless the True Ancestor Charlotte is liberated, this guy is currently the strongest fighter in the city of Roan. Perhaps only Duke Yorok of the Nice clan and the legendary figure who is suspected to be a blood descendant in the direction of the church that she had previously explored with the help of the Holy Book of Blood can rival him.
"So... Count, how can I... how can I stay with you?"
Albrecht said cautiously.
Charlotte glanced at him and said calmly:
"That's your problem. I just ask that you come whenever I'm called, and... don't interfere with my actions."
"Then...then can I hide? I will just follow you in secret so as not to affect your plan. When you need me, just call me directly. I will be there whenever you call."
Albrecht said hopefully.
After saying this, as if afraid that Charlotte might misunderstand him, he quickly explained:
"You... Don't worry, Albrecht has no intention of running away, nor does he not want to stay by your side. He just wants to serve you better in the dark!"
After hearing what Albrecht said, Charlotte gave him a strange look.
This guy... is he so scared of her
However, it was just what she wanted that Albrecht stayed in hiding, so that she didn't have to prepare an identity.
She was not worried that this guy would run away. With the Blood Servant Contract in place, there was no point in Albrecht running away.
"Okay, let's do as you say."
Charlotte said.
Albrecht was pardoned.
He bowed to Charlotte and said eagerly:
"Then... Lord Count, Albrecht will leave now. If you need anything, you can call Albrecht at any time!"
Charlotte nodded slightly.
After getting permission, Albrecht decisively took his leave and quickly disappeared into the darkness, as if he was afraid that Charlotte would go back on her word.
That anxious look was just like a primary school student who was called to the office by the head teacher and then let off.
Charlotte withdrew her gaze and no longer paid attention to the direction he disappeared.
She was able to sense through the Holy Codex of Blood that Albrecht had not really left, he was indeed still nearby.
It's just that I kept a distance from her.
"Okay, next... let's go meet Luo Xing's heir."
Charlotte said as she glanced at the ballroom.
…
After meeting Albrecht, Charlotte returned to the banquet hall.
There were more people in the banquet hall than when she had left.
As Charlotte entered, she noticed the nobles gathered in the center of the banquet hall, including Yulster.
Next to him stood a young man wearing a gorgeous aristocratic robe.
The young man looked to be in his twenties or thirties, with a melancholy look on his face, and had the Roman family emblem on his chest. He was obviously Prince Henry, the crown prince of the Fallen Star Kingdom.
Noticing Charlotte's return, Yulster quickly signaled to her with his eyes. Charlotte nodded slightly and quickly walked over.
For a moment, almost everyone in the venue focused their attention on Charlotte.
"Your Highness, this is the Lord of the North, Count of Castel, Charlotte de Castel."
An elderly nobleman took a look at Charlotte's family coat of arms and introduced her to Prince Henry, who was like a star among the crowd.
"Your Highness, I am Charlotte de Castel."
Charlotte lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed gracefully.
Prince Henry's eyes lit up, the haze between his brows disappeared, and he quickly said enthusiastically:
"Welcome! Lord Castel, welcome to my Roman ceremony. You are really as beautiful as the rumors say. No... you are even more beautiful than the rumors!"
"Hmm... ahem..."
The old nobleman at the side coughed a few times, and Prince Henry noticed his own loss of composure. He blushed slightly, then straightened his expression and said to Charlotte:
"Your Excellency, welcome to my banquet."
The old nobleman then relaxed his expression and introduced himself with a smile:
"Hello, Lord Castel. I am the Duke of Conte and the advisor to His Royal Highness."
After that, he glanced at the nobles around him and introduced them to Charlotte one after another;
"This is Count Roman, the biggest contributor to tonight's banquet; this is Count Comolli, also Luoxing's court advisor; this is Count Yust, you should be very familiar with him..."
Duke Conte introduced them one by one, and Charlotte also saluted, which was considered as a recognition of all the highest-ranking Fallen Star nobles in the venue.
What surprised her was that there were not many high-ranking nobles attending the banquet. There was only one duke, the Duke of Conte, and the rest were earls, viscounts, and barons, and most of them had close ties with the royal family.
Obviously, as Yust said, the nobles in the Fallen Star Kingdom are not optimistic about the current Prince Henry.
Over the past month, the Ness clan has spread rumors about Prince Henry's parentage, and the rumors have even spread to Castres, where even Charlotte has heard of them.
It goes without saying that the epidemic must have spread far more frequently within the Falling Star Kingdom. Otherwise, it would be impossible for such a small number of nobles to attend the bloodline recognition ceremony for the Crown Prince.
Charlotte smiled as she talked to the nobles of Fallen Star.
Prince Henry and other nobles of Luoxing seemed to be quite interested in the Castel War and the Lutetia incident some time ago. They asked a lot of questions, and Charlotte answered them one by one, causing the nobles to be amazed one after another.
"This is the bad thing about the Crescent Kingdom. Louis V is stubborn and self-willed, and he suppresses the nobles without any bottom line. He is far from respecting the rights of the nobles as much as we in the Falling Star Kingdom!"
Prince Henry shook his head and said.
Charlotte smiled without commenting.
Seeing that she did not comment, Prince Henry hurriedly said:
"Sir Castel, I am very interested in the customs and practices of the North. Can I talk to you about it?"
Charlotte smiled:
"Of course, Your Highness."
Charlotte quickly introduced her own territory to Prince Henry, from the customs and culture of Castres to the specialties of Castres.
Prince Henry listened with great interest and asked some questions from time to time, and Charlotte answered them one by one to satisfy the curiosity of Prince Henry and many fallen nobles.
Finally, Charlotte turned the topic to Castel's rich mithril resources.
"Mithril... The most in need of the Falling Star Kingdom is mithril. I wonder if the Earl is willing to engage in extraordinary trade with the nobles of Falling Star?"
A noble couldn't help but ask.
Charlotte's lips curled slightly:
"sure."
The direct vassals of the kingdom have the right to dispose of their own extraordinary resources. One of the purposes of Charlotte coming to the Principality of Roman to participate in the ceremony is to open up sales channels for her own extraordinary resources and alchemical products in the Falling Star Kingdom in exchange for some extraordinary materials from Falling Star.
The Falling Star Kingdom lacks mithril, but because it is an island country, there is Miria's famous extraordinary fishing ground nearby, which catches a large number of marine magical beasts every year and produces a large number of alchemical materials.
After some exchanges, Charlotte successfully signed several trade agreements with several nobles of Luoxing. Some nobles were even willing to introduce Castel to the aristocratic circle of the Luoxing Kingdom.
Charlotte was quite satisfied.
Naturally, the richer the channels for extraordinary resources, the better.
Before she knew it, the banquet, which had lasted for more than four hours, was over. Charlotte had gained a lot and was very satisfied.
This banquet really surprised her. She thought that Prince Henry invited her to the ceremony for other purposes, including the banquet invitation. But in fact, this was just a banquet to welcome nobles to attend the ceremony.
Although Prince Henry was quite enthusiastic during the conversation and there was some attempt to win over the other party in his words, it was only verbal.
Throughout the banquet, there were very few nobles of higher status than Charlotte, and no one was so blind as to offend her.
It can be said... this is the most relaxing aristocratic banquet Charlotte has attended in more than a year.
"Prince Henry has invited you to the banquet without any conspiracy. The clan's plan is going smoothly. The nobles in the country are already quite suspicious of his origin. Regardless of whether he can pass the recognition ceremony, someone in the parliament will use this as a reason to impeach him."
"So, he needs to invite nobles of sufficient status to attend the ceremony and watch."
"Perhaps you haven't realized that although you are an earl on the surface, in the eyes of many nobles, your status is comparable to that of some dukes. Not to mention, you have Roman blood in you. For Prince Henry, inviting you to the ceremony is a very good choice."
Yulster explained with a smile.
Charlotte nodded slightly and sighed:
"He's not bad, much better than many nobles I've met before. What a pity."
"Hey, you don't have to feel so sorry. He may not have any conspiracy in inviting you to the ceremony and banquet, but it is definitely not pure. The royal family should also have the idea of marrying you. If Prince Henry passes the ceremony, he will surely mention it."
Yust shook his head.
Charlotte frowned:
"But I have already taken a proclamation of celibacy."
Yust shook his head.
"The declaration cannot stop the will of the nobles. Of course... the choice is in your hands. If you don't want to, they can't force you. In my opinion, they should try various ways to win you over."
Charlotte was startled and shook her head:
"Then their efforts will be in vain."
Yust thought for a moment and said:
"By the way, Lord Castel, the ceremony will begin tomorrow. As for your substitute, we need a little of your blood to shape it. You need to provide some blood. Please rest assured that we will definitely not use your blood for other things. If you are worried, you can also come with me to see Lord Yorok and shape your substitute on the spot."
Charlotte curled her lips and shook her head slightly:
"That's not necessary."
As she spoke, she showed a somewhat naughty smile:
"Regarding 'body double'... I have a better option."
…
Roman Palace.
The banquet was over and the exhausted Prince Henry returned to his room.
He paced back and forth anxiously until the door opened and the Duke of Conte entered.
Prince Henry's eyes lit up and he stepped forward quickly:
"Mr. Kant, how is it?"
Duke Conte nodded:
"Everything is ready. Please rest assured that tomorrow's ceremony will be fine."
Prince Henry breathed a sigh of relief.
As if he had thought of something, he hesitated for a moment and said:
"Sir Conte, I see... the Countess of Castel really doesn't seem to have any intention of finding a spouse. She ignored all my hints during the day."
The Duke of Conte sighed:
"After all, she is a saint recognized by the Holy Royal Court. Since she has declared her celibacy, it must be true."
"Then... what should I do? If I don't get strong support, the nobles of the kingdom are likely to oppose me, and Castel's geographical location..."
Prince Henry asked worriedly.
Prince Conte continued:
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. Even if we can’t form an alliance, we have other ways to deal with the risks. As for the Northland… the Northland’s geographical location is indeed a threat to Luoxing. If we can’t make friends or control it, it is likely to give those enemies who are secretly plotting a coup an opportunity to take advantage of it. This is why Your Majesty has been secretly supporting subversive activities in the Northland before. However… this is not something we need to consider now. Even if it is a coup, it is the worst step.”
"What we need to consider now is the ceremony of recognition by our ancestors. As long as you can completely capture the Sword of Roman like our ancestor Romanus did, any rumors will be self-defeating. As long as you obtain the Sword of Roman and have the artifact to suppress them, even the nobles who want to stage a coup will have to consider their own weight!"
Prince Henry hesitated:
"Capture Roman's sword completely? Can I... can I really do it?"
"You can definitely do it. His Majesty has been preparing for this day for a very long time. He chose your mother because she has the same elven blood as Romanus! Not only that, His Majesty also used the Book of Contract hidden in the Roman family. With the Book of Contract and your special bloodline, the Sword of Roman will definitely recognize you as its master and will definitely be used by you! You... will definitely become its master."
The Duke of Conte comforted him.
Prince Henry still hesitated:
"But... isn't it said that my Roman bloodline is not enough to activate the Book of Contract?"
The Duke of Conte uttered a sigh and said:
"Your Roman blood may indeed be insufficient, but we have found a bloodline that can activate it. We will definitely be able to obtain fresh blood to activate the Book of Contract in time!"
Prince Henry was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened:
"You mean... Count Castel?!"
Duke Conte nodded slightly:
"exactly."
"Although few people know about it, Count Castel does have orthodox Roman blood. Inviting Count Castel to participate in the ceremony is not only for a possible marriage, but also for her Roman blood."
"I have secretly prepared some personnel. At the ceremony site tomorrow, we can forge a substitute for her. When she participates in the ceremony, we can quietly control her and obtain fresh Roman blood."
"She is only Silver Moon, not strong enough to resist the power of Blazing Sun. We will knock her out and disguise it as an accidental attack on her..."
"And you will use her fresh blood to activate the Book of Contract and successfully obtain the Sword of Roman. After that, we can even put on a show and have a hero save a beautiful girl!"
"Even if you can't win the heart of Count Castel, you will still gain a huge favor!"
As he spoke, Duke Conte narrowed his eyes, sneered, and said:
"Those nobles who are entangled with the blood clan think that you are just participating in an ancestor recognition ceremony and gaining the recognition of the Roman Sword. They also want to deny your inheritance rights. It's ridiculous!"
"They don't know the specialness of your bloodline, let alone that the lost Roman Contract Book has already been found by His Majesty! They also don't know that we already have a complete plan to completely obtain the Roman Sword!"
"Tomorrow, they will know who is the true heir of Luoxing. Tomorrow, they will know that the royal family's background is beyond their imagination!"
After hearing what the Duke of Conte said, Prince Henry looked much more relaxed.
He gritted his teeth and said:
"Sir Kant, please help me tomorrow. If you succeed, I will definitely make you the head of the cabinet when I ascend the throne in the future!"