In the silent night, only the faint hooting of owls was heard.
In the not-so-spacious guest room, the atmosphere was stagnant as if it was about to suffocate.
Earl Uman and Cavalier Louis stood there in a daze, caught off guard by the news from Steward Delinden.
They never thought that the Duke of St. Hilde actually made a will.
For a moment, tens of thousands of thoughts flashed through the minds of the two harboring ghosts, but none of them were clear.
The butler, Delinden, didn't seem to care about the silence of the two, and unfolded the parchment in his hand.
Earl Uman and Knight Louis suddenly breathed heavily. They looked at each other, and then immediately turned back to the steward, as if they were waiting for the final judgment of fate.
Delinden didn't seem to feel the abnormality of the two, cleared his throat, and read out the contents of the parchment:
"I, Siris St. Hilde, in the name of the seventeenth Duke of the North, canonized Vera St. Hilde as the Marquess of the North. After my death, she will inherit the title of Duke of the North and rule the The authority in the north, inherit the glory of Saint Hilde... "
"Impossible!" Before Drinden finished reading, Knight Louis yelled loudly, his face full of unbelievable panic.
Earl Uman's face was gloomy, with a dangerous gleam in his eyes, and his tone became as hard as a stone: "Your Excellency Delinden, are you mistaken? Master Joyce's line of succession is ahead of Miss Vera. "
Butler Delinden said solemnly, "How could there be a mistake? This is the will written by the Duke of St. Hilde himself."
"I don't believe it!" Knight Louis began to move towards the door, obviously preparing to block the exit.
Earl Uman also slowly approached Steward Delinden, and said in a deep voice, "Can you show me this will?"
Steward Delinden seemed completely unaware of his situation, and handed the will to Earl Uman with a calm expression.
Count Uman glanced quickly, and then his face became completely gloomy.
He recognized the Duke of St. Hilde's handwriting, and the will was genuine.
Knight Louis also saw the clue from the change in Earl Uman's face, and immediately clenched his fists, ready to turn his face at any time.
Butler Delinden still looked calm and unhurried, and asked indifferently: "Lord Earl, have you finished reading?"
Earl Uman slowly put away the parchment, stared at Butler Drinden for a moment, and exchanged glances with Knight Louis. In the end, he turned around and threw the will into the fireplace.
call-
The flames ignited the parchment in an instant, but Butler Drinden seemed to turn a blind eye to it.
It was not until the Duke of St. Hilde's will was completely reduced to ashes that Earl Uman and Knight Louis finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the performance of Butler Drinden made them feel puzzled.
Why didn't he stop it
Earl Uman suddenly laughed, and said to the butler, "Your Excellency Delinden, you don't want to see Miss Vera inherit the Duke's title, do you?"
A smile finally appeared on the indifferent face of Butler Drinden, and he nodded, "Yes."
The tense atmosphere in the room suddenly dissipated.
Knight Louis laughed and said, "Mr. Steward, you should have said it earlier! We almost misunderstood you."
Butler Delinden said with deep meaning: "If I said it earlier, how could I know the true attitude of the two of you?"
Earl Uman clapped his hands and smiled, "Mr. Butler is right!"
Knight Louis also nodded repeatedly, and after a while, he asked in confusion: "Mr. Steward, why do you think the Duke chose Miss Vera as his heir?"
Butler Delinden smiled slightly: "You probably don't know that when His Excellency the Duke made this will, it was in September last year."
"September last year?" Knight Louis was still puzzled.
But Earl Uman has already reacted: "Miss Vera's coming-of-age ceremony was in September last year, right?"
"That's right." Butler Drinden nodded, "It was after Miss Vera's coming-of-age ceremony that the Duke made this will and entrusted it to me for safekeeping."
It was only then that Knight Louis remembered that the previous Marquis of the North, the Duke's second son Adams, had been poisoned to death at the coming-of-age ceremony dinner.
It turned out that at that time, the Duke of St. Hilde had already determined the heir to the position of Marquis, but he did not announce it publicly.
But why didn't the duke announce in public that Vera was conferred the title of Marquis of the North
Just as Knight Louis was about to ask, he realized it was a stupid question, because at the coming-of-age ceremony, the Duke had betrothed Vera to the half-elf prince—Tuppe Medivon.
How could a woman who married a foreign race inherit the Duke of the North
But... why did the Duke of St. Hilde make such a will
"Didn't the Duke marry Vera to Prince Tupe at that time? Why did you make a will and let her inherit the position of Marquis?"
Hearing Louis Knight's question, Butler Drinden hesitated for a moment, and finally replied:
"Actually, I can't give you a clear answer to this question, but according to my judgment, His Excellency the Duke was not willing to make Vera his heir, but he had to make such an appointment due to some pressure." will.
Therefore, I have always felt that this will is not a manifestation of the Duke's true will, and it is most appropriate to be destroyed now. "
"Under pressure?" Earl Uman said in a condensed voice, "Who can put pressure on Duke St. Hilde?"
Butler Drinden shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.
Earl Uman's eyes flickered, and he suddenly felt that this must be related to the death of Marquis Adams, and perhaps it had something to do with Vera's life experience.
At this time, Louis Knight's slightly impatient voice sounded in the room: "Since the will has been burned, then don't worry about it anymore! The top priority is to control Winter City, and Vera must not be allowed to enter with the Golden Lion Army." In the city!"
Earl Uman also nodded in agreement: "Mr. Steward, if I remember correctly, the commander of the city defense army in Winter City is Thomas Knight, right?"
"Yes."
"Do you know whether he will support Master Joyce or Miss Vera?"
Butler Delinden smiled slightly and said, "Let's invite him here and ask him in person, won't we know?"
Earl Uman and Knight Louis looked at each other, nodded immediately and said:
"good!"
…
In the dark night, Knight Thomas followed his attendants to the living room of Lion's Roar Castle.
This Cavalier Thomas is also surnamed St. Hilde, and he is still the cousin of the Duke of St. Hilde in terms of seniority. He has a horse face and is unsmiling. He does not have a particularly prominent reputation in the northern border.
However, to be able to become the commander of the city defense army of Cold Winter City, Cavalier Thomas must be a loyal loyalist of the Duke of St. Hilde.
Walking into the drawing room, Knight Thomas saw Steward Drinden, and of course, Earl Uman and Knight Louis.
As for the latter two, Thomas, as the commander of the city defense army, of course knew that they had just entered the city tonight.
"Mr. Housekeeper, I don't know what you want me to do?"
"Knight Thomas, there is no news of the Duke so far, and there are even rumors of his death, and now the rebels are approaching step by step, so I think that Winter City needs a leader to lead everyone through the difficulties.
Who do you think is more suitable? "
Butler Delinden used the word "leader" instead of the Duke of the North. After all, the succession of the Duke needs to be canonized by the royal family. Of course, they are not qualified to determine the ownership of the Lord of the North.
However, Cavalier Thomas can also understand the implied meaning of the other party's words, which is asking him to stand in line.
"Where is the Golden Lions now? How is the situation?"
Seeing Louis Cavaliers appearing in Cold Winter City, and then the butler suddenly asked him to choose a team, Thomas Cavaliers immediately realized that this matter must have something to do with the Golden Lions.
Sure enough, Knight Louis said in a sad tone: "The Golden Lion Army has been forcibly recruited by Miss Vera, and they are now fighting the Dawson family by the River Run!"
Cavalier Thomas narrowed his eyes, his expression was cloudy, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
Afterwards, Earl Uman asked in a concentrated voice: "Knight Thomas, do you think Miss Vera is qualified to command the Golden Lion Army when Duke St. Hilde's life and death are unknown?"
Cavalier Thomas shuddered, knowing that the most critical moment had come.
Moreover, he was also keenly aware that Earl Uman and Knight Louis had already sandwiched him from left to right, and put on a posture ready to go. If he didn't answer well in the next sentence, he might not be safe and sound. out of here.
"Of course it's not appropriate. Master Joyce is the Duke's current first heir."
call-
The stagnant atmosphere in the hall instantly relaxed.
Butler Delinden also put a smile on his face, and asked: "So, do you also think that under the current situation, Master Joyce should be the leader of Winter City?"
"Yes." Thomas Knight said in a deep voice.
Although Cavalier Thomas had no obvious preference between Vera and Joyce, under the current situation, he knew very well that he had to make a choice.
And this choice can only be Joyce.
…
The twilight of the morning shredded the darkness covering the land, and sprinkled the first ray of dawn on the highest point of Lion's Roar Castle.
After Joyce finished washing under the service of the maids, the butler Drinden stepped forward and saluted:
"Master Joyce, there are several guests outside waiting for your summons."
"Oh? Then invite them in." Joyce didn't care, but was a little puzzled as to why there were guests coming so early today.
"Okay!" The butler then went out in person and led the three of Earl Uman in.
Joyce obviously knew all three of them, so he greeted them with a smile, "Good morning, Earl Uman, Uncle Thomas, and Cavalier Louis."
"Good morning, Master Joyce!"
The three of them also greeted in unison, then knelt down on one knee in front of Joyce and raised their swords above their heads at the same time.
Joyce froze for a moment.
Of course he understands that this is an act of swearing allegiance, but...
He looked at Butler Drinden, and saw the encouraging gaze from the other party.
Joyce seemed to understand something, with a strong sense of excitement on his face, and immediately strode to Earl Uman, took the long sword, and placed it on the opponent's shoulder.
"I, Talos Uman, offer my unconditional loyalty to Joyce St. Hilde, a descendant of the noble Paladin family!
From now on, your will is my direction, and your order is my highest creed! "
Joyce took a deep breath, tried to imitate his father, and said loudly:
"I accept your allegiance!"
(end of this chapter)