After hearing the high priest's suggestive words, a cold light flashed across Duke Bold's eyes.
However, he quickly straightened his expression and returned to his faint smile.
Although that smile looked quite forced.
He had already realized that he had been tricked by the high priest.
But it just can't happen.
The legalization of Laino's illegitimate child still requires the approval of the church. He cannot turn against the church now, which will completely disrupt his plans.
He knew that the high priest was probably aware of this, so he took the opportunity to stand up for the girl from Castel.
The High Priest's meaning is actually very simple.
The future religious vassalage of the County of Castel was exchanged for the legalization of illegitimate children and the support of the church.
Here's the deal.
An unexpected transaction.
But this was not the result the old duke wanted most.
However, this time it was his turn and he had no choice.
The old Duke's eyes moved vaguely between the beautiful girl with a fanatical expression, the respectful and obedient old priest Raoul, and the high priest who always smiled like a kind old grandfather.
I was very confused in my heart.
who is it
Who is it
Who came up with this abominable and sinister idea
What a perfect opportunity it was to completely disrupt his plans!
The old duke did not believe that this plan was proposed by the young Lady Castel. After all, it would not bring any extra benefits to the other party.
Leaning towards the church would not bring much benefit to the girl, at most it would only provide temporary protection, but he thought he could give what the church gave, and more and better.
Making this choice seems more like the girl doesn't trust them, so she seeks refuge in the church, or... is it really for faith
Thinking of this, the Duke narrowed his eyes slightly.
He didn't think that a canary that had been kept in a cage for a long time could be so cunning and sophisticated. It was probably instigated.
He also thought that he had been kind to the Castel family, and if the girl was sensible and obedient, he really intended to make her the mistress of Bolder.
After all... Lenno needs a wife of noble birth to wipe out the stain.
But now, everything is out of control.
After thinking it over, the old duke felt that it was more like the girl was deceived by the priest of the church.
It must be those old foxes who took advantage of the young age, ignorance and spiritual emptiness of Castel's heir and wanted to use this opportunity to expand the church's territory!
Thinking of this, Duke Bold's deep gaze soon fell on the two priests.
He smirked faintly, but his fists were clenched slightly under his sleeves.
Taking a deep breath and suppressing his inner anger, the old duke looked back at Charlotte.
But deep in his eyes, there was a lot of indifference.
He just smiled and said to the girl:
"The divine light protects us. Although it is regrettable, since Lord Charlotte has made a decision, we, as devout believers, must respect it..."
"Of course, people's ideas will always change, especially when they are young. A year is full of variables. If Lord Charlotte changes his mind one day in the future, the door of the Bold family will still be open to you, and it will always be your solid backing..."
As he spoke, the old duke looked at the high priest beside him and saluted slightly:
"Your Excellency the High Priest, can you begin to perform the sacrament on Lenno?"
The high priest was quite satisfied with the Duke's response.
He smiled and nodded:
"Of course, Lord Lenno is a true holy knight. He should return to the embrace of Bolder and restore the glory he deserves."
At this point, the deal was done.
At least it was agreed upon on the surface.
The next step is the agreed process.
Accompanied by ethereal hymns, the high priest, bathed in divine light, performed the sacrament on Lenno, who knelt on one knee.
However, the atmosphere was not particularly warm.
The protagonist Laino did not look that happy. He was rather worried and could not help glancing in the direction of the church several times.
The nobles also had different expressions, and some even began to look visibly absent-minded.
Although the old duke was smiling, his smile never changed, and there was a cold look in his eyes.
Only the beautiful girl from the Castel family walked to the front of the nobles silently with a pious look on her face, with a look of fanatical yearning under the shining of the holy light.
After the sacrament was over, the high priest declined the nobles' invitation, citing poor health as an excuse, and went to the side hall to rest.
The birthday party continues.
Charlotte's declaration of faith was just a minor incident that did not seem to affect the progress of the banquet.
But even the most obtuse noble could sense that the atmosphere of the birthday party was gone.
With this incident, the flies surrounding Charlotte disappeared.
Although some young male nobles looked at her eagerly and were eager to try, they were quickly stopped by their elders.
The Duke might be on par with the High Priest.
But these nobles can't do that.
Just as Castel's heir said she would dedicate everything to the church and never marry, someone came to steal her away. This was a provocation to the church.
Sebastian, who had sneaked into the birthday party, was itching to come over and flatter the girl who had broken the deadlock with just a few words, but he shrank back at Charlotte's cold glance.
He did not forget what Charlotte said, that he could not cause trouble for the other party in his current identity.
But he was really curious and excited about the girl's choice.
The actions of the gods will not be wasted.
Why did the great Lady of Dark Night decide to "join" the Holy Royal Court
"Ms. Anna said that the Holy Royal Court played a decisive role in the decline of the blood race."
"Could it be that... Lady of Darkness is paving the way for revenge against the Holy Royal Court in the future?"
"As expected of a great being that has returned from ancient times! As soon as he revived, he focused his attention on the most powerful church in the world and began his own far-reaching layout!"
“Return to the Lord’s kingdom… Haha, I’m afraid when that time really comes, it will be the time for the great Lady of Darkness to ascend the throne again and reign over Miriam. It’s hard to say who will return to whose kingdom!”
Sebastian's eyes were extremely hot and he was secretly excited.
It's interesting to say that he obviously didn't want to get involved in the fight between gods, but at this moment, he was truly involved in the competition among true gods, and he became excited instead.
He could feel that he was witnessing great history!
No one came to disturb Charlotte, so she enjoyed the banquet leisurely.
She was quite satisfied with the recognition from the church, as it finally solved a problem that had been bothering her for the past few days.
The idea of the United Church came to Charlotte after she was assassinated.
No force is better suited than the Church to deal with the covetous dukes and principality nobles.
Different from the nobles who have no bottom line, the church is at least openly upright. Although it is also interested in expanding land, it will not be as crazy as the nobles.
As long as Charlotte behaves devoutly enough, she might even be able to gain a considerable number of followers and supporters among the priests of the church.
There is no doubt that the church is Charlotte's best choice compared to the Duke's Palace.
The black cat Nice and the priest who took the girl to the manor for worship some time ago are the bridges between her and the church, while the old priest Raoul is her guide.
Through Nice, Charlotte already knew that the high priest of the Principality of Bold was planning to run for the position of high priest.
This elderly priest needs an achievement to increase his bargaining chips.
His willingness to perform the sacrament on the illegitimate son of Lenno was a deal he made in order to gain the support of the Duke of Bold.
And an opportunity that would allow the church to expand its theocracy, add a new theocracy in the future, and at the same time be able to preach in the north where the church's tentacles cannot reach for the time being... is undoubtedly more valuable than the support of a duke.
Charlotte knew that as long as she proposed it, the high priest would definitely not refuse.
As it turned out, the high priest was more eloquent than she had thought and did not even ask her to take a vow.
Thus, Charlotte successfully exchanged the promise of the future for the protection of the church!
The band from Luna Bay continued to perform music, and Charlotte, who was relaxed, even felt that the music became pleasant to the ears.
The banquet standard at the Duke's house was quite good. Charlotte made a comparison and felt that the various delicacies were no worse than those of the Castel family, especially the drinks, which were even slightly better and the milk was sweeter.
While the girl was enjoying the food, a priest suddenly came to visit her and bowed respectfully:
"Lord Charlotte, the High Priest would like to invite you to have a chat."
Charlotte's heart moved, and she stood up quickly:
"I see."
Under the complicated gazes of the nobles, Charlotte leisurely entered the side hall where the high priest rested.
There was only the high priest in the side hall. The elderly priest was admiring the religious paintings on the wall.
He was kind and gentle, extremely holy, just like a grandfather next door. He did not look like a strong man of the third level of Chiyang at all, and did not have the strong sense of oppression that Duke Bold had.
Charlotte took a deep breath, pinched the hem of her skirt, bowed gracefully, and said respectfully:
"Charlotte de Castel, greets the High Priest."
Looking at the girl who was bowing respectfully, the high priest smiled slightly, his pure eyes full of admiration.
He nodded slightly and pointed to the chair:
"Sit down. You're welcome."
"Thank you, High Priest."
Charlotte sat down gracefully.
Looking at the girl's innocent face, the high priest couldn't help but sigh:
"It's great to be young. The future belongs to you, but we are already old."
"Charlotte, you are very good. I heard from Raoul that you have a high affinity with our Lord's faith and are very much loved by the Holy Light."
At this point, the high priest smiled happily:
"The church needs people like you!"
"Don't worry, with the support of the church, no one can stop you from inheriting the title next year."
"When you go to the territory, the church will also send a group of demon hunters to personally escort you to Castel Territory."
After hearing the high priest's words, Charlotte bowed respectfully, her voice soft and tender, with a girlish joy:
"Thank you, High Priest, you are so kind!"
The high priest was immediately delighted.
He laughed, waved his hand gently, and said lovingly:
"It's a small matter. At our age, the only thing we like to do is to support the younger generation."
After saying this, his expression became serious again:
"As long as you remember what you said, remember... the glory of our Lord."
Charlotte also looked serious.
She drew a standard cross on her chest, her eyes were filled with piety and enthusiasm:
"Of course, Charlotte will never forget the holy light of our Lord. Charlotte will always be a devout believer in the Holy Spirit!"
Looking at the girl's clear and pure eyes, the high priest was even more satisfied:
"That's good. Don't worry, child. As long as you turn your heart to the Lord, the divine light will always protect you."
"Hahaha, by the way, I heard from Raoul that you also like to drink milk the most. Come and try it. This is a high-end product that I brought from the capital, and it has been specially preserved with a magic circle!"
As if he remembered something, the high priest laughed, picked up the kettle on the table, poured a glass of milk for himself and the girl respectively, and then drank it first, with a look of enjoyment on his face.
Damn it!
Why do I feel like the whole world knows that I like to drink milk
The corners of Charlotte's mouth twitched obscurely.
Looking at the milk in front of her, she hesitated a little.
There was no way out. The psychological trauma left by her crazy grandmother was too great.
Even if she knew that this was the Duchy Palace, the High Priest might really just want to buy her a glass of milk to get closer to her...
After thinking for a while, Charlotte stood up and gently picked up the cup, but when she sat down, she accidentally spilled all the milk on her skirt.
"oops… "
She exclaimed, stood up suddenly, and seemed a little at a loss.
Looking at the milk quickly spreading on the girl's skirt, the high priest was stunned for a moment, and then hurriedly took out a scarf from his arms and handed it to her:
"Are you okay? Wipe it off quickly."
"Thank you, High Priest... Sorry... Charlotte was too excited and accidentally didn't hold it properly..."
The girl took the scarf and wiped the white liquid off her body while speaking with a guilty look on her face.
"It's okay, wipe it off quickly."
The high priest waved his hand nonchalantly.
The girl wiped it, but the skirt was still dirty.
Looking at the stained dress, she hesitated for a moment, then stood up and bowed:
"Your Excellency, I am very sorry... Charlotte is being rude. Please allow Charlotte to leave for a while and change into a new dress."
The high priest nodded and said with a smile:
"It's okay, go ahead. I was too enthusiastic and scared you."
"Haha, it's getting late, and I'm tired. If you have the chance in the future, you are welcome to visit the cathedral."
"Thank you, High Priest."
Charlotte bowed respectfully and then slowly left.
The high priest's smile gradually faded until the girl's figure completely disappeared.
He picked up the silk scarf left by the girl after she wiped her body, put it between his nose, and took a deep breath in ecstasy. A kind smile bloomed on his old face again, with a morbid greed and desire:
“Being young… is so good!”
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