"Boom boom boom."
"What's up?"
"My lord, the Duke of St. Hilde has arrived at the Red Castle and is waiting for you in the drawing room."
There was a sudden exclamation in the bathroom:
"Who? The Duke of St. Hilde?"
"Yes, my lord. It was the Duke of St. Hilde who came to the Red Keep in person."
The guard repeated it affirmatively, and then he heard a flurry of noises coming from inside.
"My lord, please wait a moment, I'll be right there!"
"yes!"
In the bathroom, the naked Colin hurriedly wiped the water off his body, still a little dazed.
The Duke of St. Hilde has actually come to the Red Castle!
Such a sudden attack really caught Colin by surprise, and he was really at a loss right now.
A wet little head poked out from behind the shower curtain: "Colin, why did adoptive father appear in Ice Rock City at this time?"
Ke Lin shrugged, and said with a speechless face: "I don't know, oh, let's talk about it after we meet."
Vera's little face was flushed, as if the water temperature was a bit high, and it seemed that she had experienced some kind of strenuous exercise just now...
She whispered, "Then I...do I need to see him?"
"He should know that you are in Ice Rock City, but it's okay if he doesn't see you tonight. I'll just say you've fallen asleep."
"Okay." Vera obviously wasn't ready to see her adoptive father either, and she felt relieved when she heard that, and shrank her little head back.
When Colin got dressed and was about to go out, she poked her head out again and warned, "Colin, you have to be careful."
Colin turned around and gave her a reassuring smile: "Don't worry, he is the Duke of the North after all, and I'm the hero who just killed the troll emperor, what else can he do to me? "
Vera nodded and watched Colin leave.
After going out the door, the smile on Ke Lin's face faded instantly. After taking a deep breath, he strode towards the living room.
…
Passing through the dark corridor, Colin saw Maester Dawn at the door of the living room.
Colin had met this person at Vera's coming-of-age ceremony, and knew that he was the most important think tank of the Duke of St. Hilde.
"Bachelor Dawn, why don't you go in and sit down?"
"Master Viscount, the Duke would like to talk to you alone, please."
"Okay." Colin smiled at Dawn, then calmed down and pushed the door open.
In the living room, the Duke of St. Hilde stood with his hands behind his back, with a kind smile on his face, watching Colin who walked in.
Long time no see, this Duke of the Northern Territory still looks like a middle-aged uncle, with a round face, protruding belly, and thick beard connected with his hair, he seems harmless, human and animal harmless.
But Colin dare not take it lightly.
He has experienced the methods of the lord of the northern border, and it makes people feel chills in retrospect.
What's more, this is still a paladin!
Even if he was injured, trying to crush Colin to death would probably be like crushing an ant.
Colin walked a few steps quickly, came to the Duke of St. Hilde, bowed and saluted, and said:
"My lord duke, I am really flattered that you have come to the Red Castle! If there is any place where the hospitality is not good, I hope you will forgive me a lot."
The Duke of St. Hilde walked a few steps closer with a smile, and then suddenly reached out and drew the saber from Colin's waist.
choke-
The Judgment Blade came out of its sheath, and it shone with a dazzling coldness under the light.
Colin's heart was in his throat, but his body remained motionless.
"It's soaked in the blood of a troll emperor again, haha, this sword seems to have become sharper." The Duke of St. Hilde said with a smile while playing with the knight sword in his hand.
Colin immediately shouted: "Your Excellency, anyone who harbors evil intentions will not escape justice!"
"Hahaha!" The Duke of St. Hilde laughed even more heartily.
After a pause, he solemnly said to Colin:
"Very well, you are indeed worthy of this Judgment Blade! But, you have to keep in mind that although the sword is sharp, the person who wields it is more important. I don't want to see you take it to the righteous person one day head."
Of course, Colin heard the meaning behind the Duke of St. Hilde's words, and quickly expressed his loyalty: "Your Excellency, please rest assured! Your will is the direction of my sword!"
The Duke of St. Hilde nodded in satisfaction, and placed the blade of judgment on Colin's shoulder.
Feeling the sharp blade only a few centimeters away from his neck, Colin swallowed quietly, thinking—
Shouldn't I be promoted to a title again
Although Colin's military achievements in the expedition to the troll empire this time, it is not too much to be promoted to an earl.
But in this way, the promotion speed of the Angelet family was too fast.
Within two years, he climbed from baron to earl, which is probably going to set a record for the promotion of titles in the Glorious Empire.
Just when Colin was hesitating whether to kneel on one knee, the Duke of St. Hilde spoke:
"Colin, based on your achievements this time, I could confer you a title of Earl."
Hearing this, Colin understood that he should not have to kneel, so he bowed slightly, patiently waiting for the Duke of St. Hilde's "but".
"However, the chaos in the north has not yet been settled. Even if I give you a new territory, you will not be able to take over. So, let's wait until the counter-insurgency is over."
"Yes, Your Excellency the Duke." Facing the Duke's cake, Colin had no choice but to swallow it.
The blade of judgment in Duke St. Hilde's hand still did not leave Colin's shoulder, and continued: "You don't have to think that I am perfunctory to you. In fact, I already have an idea for your new fief - Falling Eagle City!"
Colin blinked, slandering inwardly—
This is to encourage me to help you deal with Earl Uman.
But even knowing that the Duke of St. Hilde was deliberately throwing the bait, Colin could only show a grateful expression: "Thank you, Lord Duke, for your gift!"
"En." The Duke of St. Hilde withdrew the judgment blade and inserted it into the scabbard again, "However, if you have made great achievements this time, if I don't have any rewards, I really can't justify it.
How about this, didn't you always want to marry Vera, I will betroth her to you now. "
Colin's eyes lit up, and he finally said sincerely: "Thank you, Lord Duke, for your kindness! I swear here that I will do my best to protect Vera for the rest of my life!"
"Okay. The situation in the north is unstable now. Get married as soon as possible, let's set it in five days. I will officiate the wedding for you."
"Five days?" Colin was stunned for a moment, he didn't expect the Duke to be so anxious.
"What? Too late to prepare?"
"It's a bit hasty, but I'll let the housekeeper start preparations immediately." Colin knew that since the Duke proposed to get married within five days, he would not be given a chance to object.
In fact, he himself felt that it would be better to get married as soon as possible, so as not to have long nights and dreams, and as a man, he didn't really pay much attention to the wedding ceremony.
"Very good." The Duke of St. Hilde patted Colin on the shoulder, and his tone became more affectionate. "After the wedding, our son-in-law and Weng will join hands to clean up those clowns."
"Yes, Your Excellency the Duke!" Colin could only nod in agreement, but he was still wary of the Duke who was about to become his father-in-law.
At this moment, he also remembered that the Duke of St. Hilde came to Ice Rock City in person this time, probably because he wanted to completely tie the Angelet family to his chariot.
It has to be said that although this move was simple and rude, it made Colin unable to refuse.
Fortunately, the Duke of St. Hilde has a bit of conscience. At least he married Vera to Colin, and even drew him an earl's cake, which is not an empty hand.
In fact, from the perspective of Colin's own interests, he does not want to see the St. Hilde family driven out of the northern border.
It's just that he is a little afraid of this scheming duke.
If the other party wanted the Angelet family to fight the rebels to the death, and he sat on the sidelines to reap the benefits, then Colin would not be fooled foolishly.
"My lord, the Menam family sent people to Ice Rock City a few days ago, and it is said that they will send troops to the north soon." Since it is inevitable that he will board the pirate ship of Duke St. Would love to see the ship capsize too soon.
Regarding Colin's reminder, the Duke of St. Hilde smiled indifferently, and said in a confident tone:
"Don't worry about these things, with me here, the northern border can't be overturned!"
For a moment, the unparalleled power emanated from the Duke of St. Hilde, and Colin couldn't help feeling an urge to worship.
The Duke's azure eyes flashed with golden light, as if they contained destructive energy, causing Colin's eyes to sting, and tears flowed out involuntarily, and he could no longer look up.
Ke Lin quickly calmed down, lowered his head, and said respectfully:
"yes!"
(end of this chapter)