Chapter 156 6 The Third Prince and Eleanor

Chapter 156 -6- The Third Prince and Eleanor

Eleanor?

So, she is the daughter of the Duke of Boulder?

Charlotte's heart moved slightly.

As Lenore left the family and gave up his right to inherit, the only legal heir to the Duke of Bold was Eleanor, the only daughter of the Duke of Bold.

If one were to count seniority alone, not counting age, the other party would still be considered her niece.

Eleanor entered into a marriage contract with the Crescent Royal Family when she was young, and moved to the royal capital to study and live more than ten years ago. In the memory that Charlotte inherited, she was not familiar with her and had barely even met her.

She didn't know what the other person's personality was like or what his appearance was like, but at this moment, looking at the other person's somewhat stiff smile, she felt an inexplicable strong sense of déjà vu...

However, this sense of déjà vu went as quickly as it came.

Eleanor's smile quickly returned to normal, as if the inexplicable hollowness just now was just Charlotte's illusion.

Charlotte wanted to investigate carefully, but Duke Yuehu, the archmage, was nearby, so she did not dare to act rashly. Eleanor and the third prince also obviously had some kind of magic item that could cover their aura. Charlotte Can't even sense their power.

At the same time, the third prince Philip, who was standing side by side with Eleanor, looked at Charlotte with a hint of amazement in his eyes.

He smiled brightly and said elegantly and kindly:

"I have long heard that Miss Charlotte of Castells, the pearl of Boulder, has a beauty that even the gods are jealous of... and what I see now is that she truly deserves her reputation."

As soon as these words came out, the surrounding nobles couldn't help but cast glances at the girl and the prince.

Charlotte's heart skipped a beat.

The words of the third prince sounded like praise, but they put her together with the gods. Overtly and covertly, there was even a feeling that she was being roasted on the fire...

After all, in a world where gods truly exist, how can mortals compare to gods?

Although Charlotte knew that the Crescent Royal Family was at odds with the church, she did not expect that even a prince would dare to speak like this in public.

It seems that the differences between the royal family and the church are bigger than she imagined, and the overt and covert struggle between monarchy and theocracy may become more intense.

"Your Highness, you are serious. Everything Charlotte has is a gift from the gods."

Charlotte said with a pious face, and after finishing speaking, she did not forget to draw a standard ring cross on her chest.

The third prince was obviously stunned for a moment, then smiled and said:

"It seems that you are indeed a true holy believer as the rumors say... I'm sorry, my words were a bit presumptuous."

As he said that, he looked at Sebastian next to Charlotte and said curiously:

"So, could this Elf Lord be Mr. Sebas, the Crimson Flame Blade?"

Fei...Crimson Flame Blade?

What kind of title is this from a Japanese light novel?

Charlotte was visibly stunned.

She glanced at Sebastian next to her strangely, and Sebastian stiffened slightly for a moment, and then said elegantly:

"Your Highness, it's all in the past, and it's also a name that has been spread randomly among the mercenary circles. I'm just Lady Charlotte's housekeeper now."

The third prince looked astonished and nodded slightly.

He did not continue on this topic, but turned to chat with Charlotte:

"Miss Charlotte, I heard that you are going north to the territory?"

"Yes, I just inherited the title not long ago, and there are still many things in the territory that I need to deal with personally."

Charlotte replied with a smile.

"How many days do you plan to stay in Anluo? Castel is Bold's support, and I am Eleanor's husband. Naturally, you are also my friend."

"I have a winery in Anluo. I am going to hold a wine party in three days. Many lords from the kingdom will come by then. If you are interested, I would like to show my friendship as a landlord and invite you to taste Anluo. The best wine ever.”

The third prince said enthusiastically.

As he spoke, he held his wife Eleanor's hand lovingly, and Eleanor also looked at Charlotte, showing a gentle and bright smile.

Even Duke Yuehu smiled and said:

"Countess Castel, it seems that His Highness the Prince is really looking forward to meeting you."

"The wine of our Principality of Yuehu is the best in West Union, and the wine produced by His Royal Highness the Third Prince's winery is well-known even in our Principality. Even His Majesty the King is full of praise for it."

Charlotte naturally heard that the third prince wanted to win over her.

The Castel family is the leading noble family in Boulder. If they can get Castel's support, Eleanor's position as duke will be more secure.

Of course, judging from the situation of the meeting, Philip is obviously in charge of the relationship between Eleanor and the third prince Philip. It is hard to say who will control Bold by then.

However, no matter what, she does not intend to wade into the murky waters of power disputes in Boulder.

She just wanted to go back to her territory and stay home.

Thinking of this, Charlotte held up the hem of her skirt and saluted the third prince, and said apologetically:

"I'm sorry... Your Excellency, there are some important things in the territory. I'm in a hurry and can't stay in Anluo for too long. I have to leave early tomorrow morning."

Hearing Charlotte's polite refusal, the third prince was not angry, but said with regret:

"That's such a pity. Eleanor and I are about to go south to Boulder. Once you go, you won't know when we will see you next."

Charlotte's heart moved slightly, and she immediately heard the temptation in the other party's words.

This is a roundabout way to find out when she will come back from the territory.

The Castel family has a great influence in the Principality of Boulder, and they have money in their hands. Such a force cannot be ignored by anyone.

Charlotte was too lazy to beat around the bush with these nobles, and said frankly:

"Your Highness, I am afraid that I will stay in Castel when I return to the territory this time."

"You know, I am too young and a woman. I am not interested in serving in the principality, and there is no need to stay in Boulder City."

"However, as a vassal of Boulder, Castel will strictly fulfill his contract and will not hinder the inheritance of the territory of Eleanor."

Charlotte said it all at once, which made the third prince a little uncomfortable.

He smiled and said:

"Miss Charlotte, thank you for your support for Eleanor. Since you have a plan and there is a long way to go, I will not force you to stay."

After the invitation failed, the third prince stopped talking about this topic and talked to Charlotte about what he saw on the road.

It must be said that the third prince is really well-informed. Through him, Charlotte has learned a lot about the customs and practices of various places in the Crescent Kingdom.

At the same time, as a member of the royal family, there are countless nobles who want to get close to the third prince.

This made Charlotte inadvertently meet many new nobles, and even negotiated two business deals, which was an unexpected small gain.

The banquet lasted until the early morning.

It must be said that this group of nobles, almost all of whom are extraordinary, are really energetic. They don’t feel tired after dancing for such a long time.

Charlotte is very tired, but mentally tired.

In the first half of the month, she rarely met nobles with higher titles than her at banquets. She was the protagonist among the protagonists in various banquets, and almost everyone revolved around her.

There were six or seven earls present at this banquet, and it was really tiring to chat with these old foxes.

Duke Yuehu took good care of her and left the best guest rooms in the Duke’s Mansion for her.

After returning to the guest room, Charlotte closed the door and looked at Sebastian:

"Sebastian, what do you think of the third prince and Eleanor?"

Sebastian was stunned for a moment, and didn't quite understand what Charlotte meant. He thought about it and said:

"It seems that as the rumors say, the third prince has not given up the succession to the throne and has been secretly expanding his power. Great master, you are right not to accept his invitation."

"No, I want to ask if there is anything wrong with their mental state."

Charlotte shook her head.

"Mental state?"

Sebastian frowned.

Then, his expression became serious:

"Master, have you discovered something?"

Charlotte:...

It seems that Sebastian didn't notice that Eleanor's state was wrong.

No, in fact, except for the first moment they met, Charlotte didn't feel the familiar sense of emptiness in the following time, as if her initial impression was just an illusion.

Charlotte believed that she would not have illusions for no reason.

But she didn't want to continue to delve into this issue.

On one side is the heir of the Principality of Bolde, and on the other side is the pretender of the throne of the kingdom. No matter what is going on, she is too lazy to wade into the muddy water.

However, Sebastian's words aroused Charlotte's curiosity:

"Sebastian, you said that the third prince has not given up the succession to the throne, but I remember that the Crescent Kingdom implements the eldest son inheritance system, right? The succession right of the kingdom should not be passed to the third prince anyway, right?"

Sebastian replied respectfully:

"Master, the Crescent Kingdom does have the eldest son inheritance system, but the eldest prince of the Crescent Kingdom died in the Star-Moon War."

"Now, the king of the Crescent Kingdom is old, and the second prince, who is the heir, is very close to the church. It is said that he is not loved by the current king, and the fourth prince is too young, so... you understand."

Charlotte immediately understood.

Although the nobles and the church are close neighbors, they are also not very good at dealing with each other.

Not to mention the prince of the kingdom, her close relationship with the church has also caused dissatisfaction among the lower nobles of Castel Territory. Even the envoys and representatives sent for the coming-of-age ceremony are not of high rank, not to mention the king who has a grudge against the church.

In this way, the succession issue of the Crescent Kingdom is probably also undercurrent.

"So, he invited me to the cocktail party three days later, and the kingdom lords at the cocktail party should all be supporters of the third prince?"

Charlotte asked curiously.

"I'm afraid it should be like this. Not only that, the third prince wants to rely on the Bold family to control the Principality of Bold, and I'm afraid it is also to prepare for the future competition for the right to inherit the throne."

Sebastian said.

After saying that, he looked a little hesitant:

"Master... there is one thing I think I may need to remind you of."

"Go ahead."

"The associated mithril mine in Castel is the largest mithril mine in the Crescent Kingdom, and its output accounts for 70% of the kingdom's mithril output. And mithril is an important extraordinary material. If a war breaks out in the Crescent Kingdom in the future, I'm afraid we won't be able to stay out of it."

"But as far as I know, most of the veins are controlled by the royal family, right?"

"That's true, but the veins are in Castel. If a war really breaks out, whoever controls Castel will control the mithril."

Sebastian said faintly.

Charlotte's heart moved slightly, and she nodded slowly:

"I understand."

Sebastian continued:

"Of course, I believe that with your great power, no mortal can harm you, but if you want to be steady and spread your faith while avoiding the eyes and ears of the Holy Royal Court, I think a stable Castel is necessary."

"Castle is the border of the kingdom. It is a place where the power of the Holy Royal Court is relatively weak. It is further north to the Northern Grand Duchy with chaotic beliefs..."

"At the same time, you can reach the Black Land of East Yunet through the dark forest in the east. There are mercenaries everywhere, there are many ethnic groups, and the beliefs are even more chaotic..."

"Both of these places are very suitable for you to spread your faith! And there are a lot of vampires there!"

"As long as you gain a foothold in Castel, your faith will flow to the north and east like a river!"

Charlotte nodded slightly:

"I know about this."

Although she is still not sure what the use of faith is, she doesn't care whether it is useful or not. She will pass it on after returning to the territory.

…

Have a good night's sleep.

Early the next morning, Charlotte said goodbye to Duke Yuehu and continued her journey north.

At the same time, the news of the departure of Castel's convoy also reached the third prince's winery.

"She has already set off?"

Sitting on the silk chair with his legs crossed, the third prince Philip took a sip of wine and asked lightly.

"Yes, Master, they have left the city."

In front of the third prince, the knight of the guard knelt down on one knee and answered respectfully.

"Have you found out their strength?"

The third prince asked again.

"We have found out that there are more than 270 extraordinary people, 120 of them are Castel's armored cavalry, and there are 23 people who have entered the ranks, including one in the second level of Silver Moon."

After saying that, the guard knight hesitated and asked cautiously:

"Master, do you want us to ambush them in advance?"

The third prince shook his head:

"No, if you take action, everyone can guess that I did it."

As he spoke, he chuckled, took out a ring from his arms and threw it to the guard knight:

"Tell our friends in Violet the news. I don't want to see the little Earl of Castells return to the territory alive. In the ring is the reward."

"Of course, if they can bring the young earl to me in person, the reward can be doubled... I can even grant them a title in the future and let them walk in the sun."

The knights of the bodyguard were ordered to leave, while the third prince drank the wine in the crystal glass and sneered:

"Since she is unwilling to accept my kindness, I have no choice but to release it in my own way."

After saying that, he pulled the chain in his hand, stepped on Eleanor who was crawling on the ground, and said with a smile:

"Dear, you said...if Castel's heir is gone, will Castel's inheritance also fall on your head?"

"Woof woof!"

On the ground, Eleanor stuck out her tongue, wagging her fake tail, and licked the toe of the third prince's shoe flatteringly.

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