The Count’s Mansion, Banquet Hall
Elven musicians, clad in traditional silk robes, gracefully conducted a half-elf band, playing elven music popular in Myria, adding an exotic flair. The dazzling crystal chandeliers bathed the grand hall in opulent splendor.
The Castell nobles, dressed to the nines, mingled and laughed, elegantly holding their wine glasses, toasting and chatting amidst the grandeur of the Count’s mansion hall.
Scanning the room, one could see that there were about three to four hundred nobles attending the banquet. From the three viscounts, seventeen barons, and numerous landholding knights and landless nobles, nearly everyone who could come, did.
Since the former Count Castell took on the leader role of the Borde Mage Corps, Castell had not seen a banquet of this scale for over a decade.
If you included the servants and guards who accompanied the nobles but did not have the privilege to enter the main hall, the number of attendees would be even higher.
“Baron Angus, it’s been years. You still look as dashing as ever.”
“Baron Gent, is this your youngest son? I can’t believe how much he’s grown in such a short time.”
“Mr. Cole, I hear you’re setting up a new alchemy workshop and looking for investors?”
“Haha, Lady Laura, if the Lagrisse family is interested in joining, that would be wonderful!”
Nobles gathered in small groups, engaging in various conversations. Some were exchanging pleasantries, some reminiscing, some sharing information, and many were seizing this opportunity to discuss family alliances.
Most Castell nobles owned fiefs. Even those without land would have at least a manor or a business venture, or be major shareholders or organizers of certain merchant guilds or fleets.
Although they often hosted their own gatherings, nobles usually stayed within their own territories. Such exchanges often brought valuable information and opportunities, while social interactions were essential for maintaining one’s status and position in Castell’s high society.
Therefore, no one in their right mind would miss this golden opportunity to engage with other nobles, leading them to Northport for the banquet.
After all, only the Lord of Castell could gather all the nobles of the county in one place.
As more nobles arrived, the atmosphere in the banquet hall grew livelier. When the elven dance music started, the highlight of the evening began.
Dancing is an integral part of Myria’s noble socializing, and no banquet is complete without it. As the melodious tunes played, the nobles formed pairs, bowing to each other and dancing gracefully to the music.
The dancing enlivened the hall, and even the most serious nobles began to smile. Even the usually sleepy old Viscount Roman-Four was tapping to the rhythm and gently nodding his head.
The more enthusiastic nobles, like Laura, had long since taken to the floor, dancing gracefully with their partners and earning rounds of applause.
When Charlotte de Castell, the Lord of Castell, entered the hall accompanied by the elven butler, the atmosphere reached its peak.
This was Charlotte’s first time hosting a banquet as a Lord and her first appearance in the hall in this capacity. She wore a corset gown with a white base, her silky blonde hair and rosy skin glowing under the lights, giving her a mysterious, noble, and sacred aura.
A beautiful ribbon adorned her chest, featuring a black eagle crest symbolizing Castell’s glory.
As she stepped into the hall, the half-elf band instinctively paused their performance. The attendants, maids, and guards all bowed respectfully.
The nobles quickly noticed their lord’s arrival. The dancers immediately stopped, and hundreds of eyes focused on Charlotte.
Those gazes held admiration, joy, respect, and curiosity.
Regardless of the nobles’ true feelings, when Charlotte looked at them, she saw only respectful, smiling faces.
No malice, no hostility, no contempt. Only seemingly sincere, radiant smiles.
Had she not experienced the nobles’ disdain, Charlotte might have believed it.
Actors. All actors.
Charlotte silently mocked them, maintaining an elegant and serene facade, embodying a noble lady’s grace.
With Sebastian’s subtle support, she walked through the crowd towards the front of the banquet hall.
The nobles parted, creating a path for Charlotte to the front of the hall. As she passed, they bowed respectfully, their movements precise and deferential.
The black cat Nice followed closely behind Charlotte. With his tail held high and his chest adorned with a black eagle crest, he strutted proudly, almost as if the nobles were bowing to him.
Charlotte reached the front of the banquet hall, where the silence was palpable. Under the watchful eyes of the attendees, she took her seat at the head of the table, nodded to the band, and smiled, softly saying, “Continue.”
The half-elf band resumed their performance, and after a brief hesitation, the nobles resumed their dancing, quickly bringing the lively atmosphere back.
Charlotte sat on the Lord’s seat, one hand gracefully supporting her head, the other resting on the luxurious armrest. Her blue eyes scanned the crowd, matching the nobles’ attire and crests to the information she had studied.
Northport’s Mayor, Madoc, stood beside her.
Whenever Charlotte’s gaze fell upon someone, he would lean in and respectfully introduce their identity and family background.
Charlotte nodded, observing quietly, soon recognizing the three viscounts and seventeen barons directly under her domain.
The dancing nobles seemed chaotic, but upon closer inspection, it became clear that they were divided into four factions.
Each of the three viscount families formed their own faction, each with their allied nobles, especially Leon-Castell and Lagrisse, who were the center of attention.
Charlotte quickly recalled their profiles from memory.
She was familiar with the Leon-Castell family, the main family of Baron Sharon, a branch of the Castell family, known for their loyalty.
They might have some personal ambitions, but they had always been staunch supporters of Castell. Their head, Emery, was a seasoned Silver Moon Knight, long serving as the County’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, with extensive connections.
As for the Lagrisse family, they were said to have followed the first Castell Count and possessed the bloodline of the Red Dragon, making them true dragon descendants.
The Lagrisse fief bordered the Northern Grand Duchy, and they had a formidable cavalry force, making them a significant influence in the county. However, contrary to the records suggesting the Lagrisse family had declined with the passing of their old head, today’s scene indicated otherwise. The new head of the family was not only a Silver Moon but also a young woman.
The last of the three viscount families, the Roman-Four family, had the fewest gathered around them, but their presence was the most formidable.
Charlotte noticed that other nobles instinctively kept their distance from their gathering, a mix of isolation, respect, and fear.
This aligned with her research.
Unlike the other families, the Roman-Four family had a complicated background as a vassal family.
Their ancestors, the Romans, were once northern pirates who frequently raided the Crescent Kingdom’s coastline during the era of rampant northern piracy centuries ago.
Eventually, the Romans occupied the northern lands of the Crescent Kingdom. To win them over, the then-weak Crescent royal family had no choice but to grant them the title of the Duke of Roman, marking the origin of the Roman Duchy.
Just then, the Roman family invaded the Starfall Kingdom and established the Roman Dynasty there, turning the Roman Duchy into an exclave of the Starfall Kingdom.
The Roman-Four family split off from the Roman Duchy not long after.
Unlike the Roman main family, they chose to remain in the Crescent Kingdom.
Due to their continued pirate traditions, the Roman-Four family did not have a good reputation. Although they were selective in their privateering targets, they were still scorned by many nobles.
However, despite the disdain, the Roman-Four family controlled a powerful fleet, which made them a dominant force in Castell, a territory known for its commerce, and they were feared by almost all other families.
Moreover, during the Star-Moon War, it was said that they wavered between the two kingdoms, even angering the then Duke of Borde…
In short, they are a powerful, complex, and ambiguous noble family.
Recalling all the information she had read, Charlotte slowly withdrew her gaze from the Roman-Four Viscount.
For some reason, when she first saw him, she felt a sense of familiarity.
Aside from the three Viscount families, there was another small circle of landless nobles. Although their titles were quite low compared to the established nobles, many of them bearing only the titles of barons without fiefs or knights, their clothing was quite opulent, even more so than many of the older noble families.
Having browsed through the information, Charlotte knew that these were the rising nouveau riche in recent years. Unlike the traditional nobles who relied heavily on land taxes, these individuals were almost all involved in commerce, owned workshops, or were even businessmen themselves, with titles that were often purchased.
They cared only about making money and how to gain higher status in the county.
These four factions represented the current state of Castell’s nobility.
Charlotte didn’t know which of these people might be connected to the Nez Clan. It could be one faction or multiple. However, her goal today was to observe.
Of course, observation alone wouldn’t suffice. To truly understand, she needed to engage and probe.
Charlotte signaled with her eyes, and the attendant immediately understood, drawing the curtain in front of the Lord’s seat.
The curtain was intricately patterned and, upon close inspection, bore some magical inscriptions.
It was a special curtain with magical enhancements.
The curtain could block the view from outside, but from inside, Charlotte could clearly see the nobles’ every move.
Additionally, the curtain isolated sound. While Charlotte could faintly hear the music from the hall, conversations within the curtain wouldn’t be heard outside.
This was a special curtain used for audiences with the lord!
This was both a banquet and an opportunity for nobles to have an audience with their lord. While the banquet took place outside, Charlotte would receive nobles within the curtain.
Of course, not all nobles were required to have an audience. Charlotte only named three Viscount families and a few influential Baron families. Others who wished to have an audience had to apply themselves.
With the curtain drawn, only Charlotte, Sebastian, and Nice remained inside.
The nobles exchanged glances, knowing it was their chance to have an audience with their lord.
However, the first to meet Charlotte was not a Castell noble. It was an old acquaintance of Charlotte’s.
“Sister Lottie, it’s been a while. How’s the work with the church going?”
Seeing the gentle priestess before her, Charlotte smiled in surprise.
She had inquired about Lottie’s work a few days ago and heard that the priestess had been extremely busy with accumulated tasks in Castell’s church. Charlotte hadn’t expected Lottie to come today.
Hearing Charlotte’s words, Lottie sighed, looking a bit tired.
‘It’s quite complex. The backlog of affairs in Castell’s church is more than I expected. I’ve been busy these past days, barely managing to free up some time…”
She added, somewhat exasperated.
“Do you know? There’s no Chief Priest in Castell’s church! When I arrived, I found out my holy rank is the highest!”
Charlotte laughed out loud.
She knew that the Holy Court’s influence in Castell was weak, but she didn’t expect it to be this weak.
“No Chief Priest? So it’s been at a standstill?”
“Yes, and the problem is… even the Borde church didn’t know Castell’s Chief Priest had been missing for years, and Castell’s church never reported it. It’s been seven years!”
“Seven years?”
Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat.
With the troublesome matters of the Castell silver mine, she had become quite sensitive to the number “seven.”
“Yes, seven years. Seven years ago, after Castell’s Chief Priest was promoted, no new priest was assigned, and Borde’s records were incomplete. The Duchy’s inquisition hasn’t inspected here for many years either.”
Lottie said.
Charlotte raised an eyebrow.
“Was it suppressed by Bishop Linus?”
Lottie sighed.
“Most likely.”
Charlotte sneered.
“That copper-addicted pervert, even after being judged, his influence lingers. He must have accepted quite a few bribes.”
Lottie’s heart skipped a beat.
“Bribes?”
“Some schemers trying to cause trouble. I thought they were only targeting nobles, but it seems they might have infiltrated the church as well.”
Lottie’s expression turned worried upon hearing Charlotte’s words.
“Speaking of which, Countess, I’ve heard some unpleasant rumors recently, about you and the church…”
“Rumors saying I’m forcing faith and compelling non-believers and heretics to convert?”
Charlotte asked.
Lottie hesitated before nodding slightly.
“Don’t mind them. I’m not a true devotee anyway. These rumors will eventually die down.”
Charlotte shook her head.
But then, as if recalling something, her expression turned serious.
“Wait…”
“Countess?”
Lottie looked puzzled.
Charlotte pondered for a moment before speaking to Nice, who was munching on a small fish snack.
“Nice, after today’s banquet, go to the church and perform identity checks on all the priests.”
Nice put down the snack.
“Identity checks? Meow? Lady Charlotte, do you suspect the Castell church has been infiltrated?”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes.
“Just a precaution. While I’m not worried about some rumors, I must be wary of others using my name to cause trouble.”
She then smiled at Lottie.
“But maybe this is a good thing. Since Castell lacks a Chief Priest, perhaps we can request Grandpa Raoul to appoint you as the Chief Priest of Castell.”
Hearing Charlotte’s suggestion, Lottie hesitated.
She understood Charlotte’s intent—to completely control the faith in the territory and marginalize the Holy Court.
As a priest of the Holy Court, she should oppose such a thing. But at this moment, she hesitated only briefly before accepting.
The speed of her acceptance surprised even herself.
‘Perhaps… from the moment I learned that the patron behind the Dreaming Salon was the Bishop, I had already fallen.’
Lottie sighed inwardly.
Even though her faith was shaken, she still received the blessings of the holy light. Frankly… she no longer knew what to believe in.
Perhaps… only time would gradually reveal the answer.
“Lottie, be careful at the church. After the banquet, take two guards from the Count’s estate for protection. I found two skilled guards at the mining workshop.”
Charlotte said.
“Thank you for your concern.”
Lottie bowed slightly.
Regardless of how her faith might change, as a priest, she always remembered she was a descendant of the Brois family.
The Brois family always repaid kindness. After being saved by Charlotte, she had decided to follow her. This was one thing she would never doubt.
…
Lottie’s audience was more of a greeting.
After a brief chat, she left the curtain.
After Lottie left, the head of the Leon-Castell family, a branch of the Castel family with a special status in the county, Viscount Emery de Leon-Castell was the first to enter the curtain.
As soon as the old viscount entered, he bowed tremblingly to Charlotte, his expression solemn.
“Countess, I have important information to report!”
“The Lagrisse family… may have ulterior motives!”