Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel
Chapter 315: -proposal-

Chapter 315: -proposal-

"Oh? A Duke title and a large domain not inferior to that of Castel? Let me guess, you must be talking about the territory of the Falling Star Kingdom?"

Charlotte chuckled lightly, her question echoing back.

Count Yulster nodded:

"Indeed, it’s the territory of Falling Star. As you can see, once the Nais Clan regains its former glory, fulfilling the promise to exchange territories with you will be a trivial matter."

Charlotte smiled:

"Yet, as it stands, the Nais Clan doesn’t control Falling Star Kingdom, do they?"

"And I’ve heard that even before the Lilac War, the Nais Clan was only simply influential within the Falling Star Kingdom. Even if you regain your former status, what of it?"

"How, Lord Yulster, do you expect me to believe that the Nais Clan will have the power to influence the affairs of the Falling Star Kingdom in the future?"

"Not to mention, to acquire this so-called land, would I not also need to commit manpower, military force, and fully support the Nais Clan’s war?"

"Getting my support with the promise of future territories, how is this different from me personally conquering a piece of land?"

Count Yulster’s expression became serious as he said,

"Naturally, it’s different. These years, Edward III has been tyrannical, and the Falling Star Royal Family has lost the people’s heart. Once we launch a war, it will surely be one for the change of kingship, and the new Falling Star King will naturally be one of our Nais Clan."

"At that time, we will naturally grant you the territories in the capacity of the Falling Star Royal Family, and all you would have given is just a bit of support during the war, which should not be particularly difficult for the wealthy Castel."

"Furthermore, not to conceal from you, we have already garnered considerable support from the nobles of the Falling Star Kingdom. Once the war commences, the majority of Falling Star’s nobles will stand with us."

Charlotte shook her head:

"Lord Count Yulster, there’s no need for such talk. If your side truly had the confidence to win the war, why seek support from others?"

"I know you wish to become the hidden court of the Falling Star Kingdom like the Valadet Clan, but it seems you’ve mistaken one thing..."

"Valadet has always been in control of the Coria Kingdom from the beginning to the end, contending with the Holy Royal Court. Time and again, they have expelled the power of the Church Authority Country from Coria. However, the Nais Clan... lost their influence right after the Lilac War."

"What you will face is not just the Falling Star Royal Family but also the Holy Royal Court that supports them. That is your greatest enemy."

"And I, for one, have no interest in waging war against the Holy Royal Court, after all... I am a devout Holy believer."

Count Yulster: ...

He glanced at Charlotte, who idly marked the sign of the Ring Cross on her chest, and he had a bitter retort stuck in his throat, unsure how to express it.

A believer of the Holy Royal Court?

If it weren’t for knowing the secret behind the Castel family through the Duke, he might have actually believed it!

Knowing about the thorny rose, and after seeing the Bloodline servant in the Count Mansion, who would believe she was a believer of the Holy Royal Court!

"Lord Castel, concerning the Holy Royal Court, you may not need to worry overly. We are not intending to bring the Bloodline to the forefront but to support the new king."

"For Falling Star, this will still be a civil war and not a war of faith, and in a secular war... the Holy Royal Court cannot directly intervene."

"We will not make the same mistakes and missteps of the first Lilac War for a second time."

"Not to mention, wouldn’t you like to know where the promised territory is?"

Count Yulster said.

Charlotte shook her head:

"Sorry, Lord Count, but frankly, I am not interested in acquiring another exclave, especially one far overseas that is very likely much larger than Castel."

"The Duke title is indeed tempting, but I do not have full control even of my own domain now, let alone have the ambition to bite off more than I can chew."

"Not to mention, becoming a Duke of Falling Star, would I then be considered a noble of Falling Star or of New Moon?"

"The legal standing of a Duke Domain is higher than that of a Count. I would rather not become the target of both nations’ nobility. The Star Moon War may have ended, but the territorial disputes between the two countries have been indefinitely shelved."

Count Yulster laughed:

"Lord Castel, you are mistaken. In fact, the territory we promise is not an exclave."

"Hm?"

Charlotte paused for a moment.

The Falling Star Kingdom is an island nation, isolated at sea.

If the Nais Clan’s promise did not concern a Duchy’s exclave on Falling Star Island, then... the only remaining territory could be one.

That is the mainland exclave of the Falling Star Kingdom, the birthplace of the Roman family, and also the most disputed territory between the Falling Star Kingdom and the New Moon Kingdom—the Romany Duchy.

Thinking of this, Charlotte looked at Count Yulster in surprise:

"Lord Count Yulster, your bargaining chip is the Romany Duchy? Are you planning to give away the ancestral land of the Romany Dynasty?"

Count Yulster nodded:

"You are correct; it is indeed the Romany Duchy."

"The Romany Duchy is the last territory of Falling Star on the mainland, and it is also a neighbor to Castel. If you gain the lands of Romany, not only will your territory increase nearly threefold, but your population will multiply many times over."

"Not only that, although Castel has coastal plains, they are mostly saline-alkali soil and not suitable for crops," she said. "As far as I know, purchasing food from other territories has always been one of the annual necessities for the Castel nobles..."

"During the Star Moon War, famines occurred more than once in Castel. In fact, if the surrounding areas hadn’t been war-torn lands, the refugees from the Violet and Romany Duchies would have never chosen to flee to Castel."

"Unlike Castel, the Romany Duchy has a large amount of arable land and is an important grain-producing region in the north of the continent; it is also the main area for Castel’s food trade."

"Once Romany is acquired, Castel would fill its last gap, becoming the most powerful force in the north of the continent overnight."

"I think... you should know what having the Romany Duchy means."

"As for the legal conflicts you’re concerned about, they are naturally not an issue."

"The Romany Duchy was once the territory of the New Moon Kingdom, and even now, the New Moon Royal Family thinks constantly about reclaiming that old soil. If Falling Star willingly gives it up, the New Moon Royal Family will only be pleased to see it happen. You would still be a Duke of New Moon, and there wouldn’t be a territorial dispute."

"At that time, Castel won’t have to worry about the rekindling of hostilities between the two kingdoms that could bring war to the Northern Land since the greatest territorial dispute over the Romany Duchy will have been resolved."

"And as the middle ground between New Moon and Falling Star, Castel could then completely monopolize the trade between the two countries through the Star Moon Strait..."

"Lord Castel, for the Northern Territory, there is no land more attractive than the Romany. Even five hundred years ago, before the Roman family took over the Falling Star Kingdom, your ancestors engaged in battle with the Duke of Romany over the disputed border territory more than once, I think... the Castel family should be well aware of the importance of the Romany territory."

"Lord Castel, now... do you think our sincerity is sufficient?"

Count Yulster asked with a smile.

Charlotte fell silent.

It must be said, she was indeed a little tempted.

It wasn’t that Charlotte was an expansionist, but the various problems of Castel, which she had learned about from the materials in the manor’s study before coming to the territory, such as the lack of grain and the strategic position surrounded by crises, and so on... all were facts.

It was just that Castel was wealthy, able to buy grain from the nearby noble territories, so the problem didn’t stand out on a day-to-day basis.

But war was another matter entirely.

The Romany Duchy had the food that Castel lacked, and not only that, but many of the industries in Romany and Castel were complementary. If she could acquire the Romany Duchy, the power in the Northern Land would truly transform.

Not to mention, Charlotte also knew that the Romany Duchy was formed from the migration of northern tribes and that many of its subjects were descendants of northern people.

Although they had become culturally very close to the people of New Moon through generations of intermarriage, their beliefs were remarkably similar to those in Castel.

Most of them... were not Holy believers!

By the way, as far as Charlotte knew, the population of the Romany Duchy was twice that of the Castel Domain, reaching eight million.

In the long run, the Romany Duchy could also become a good source of faith.

At the same time, like Castel, the Romany Duchy was in the north of the continent, far away from the center of the Holy Royal Court, and separated from the heartland of New Moon by the rugged terrain and towering mountains of the Violet Duchy.

If she had the Romany Duchy, given time, Charlotte might even be able to cultivate a power capable of standing on equal terms with the Holy Royal Court, like the Coria Kingdom on a regional level!

Imagining the future, Charlotte was indeed tempted.

But at the same time, she remained cool-headed.

Count Yulster’s offer was very attractive, but now was not a good time.

The situation of Castel was actually quite delicate at the moment. It seemed prosperous, but in reality, it lacked the secular forces to protect itself. The internal nobility was restive, and externally...

Ever since she had fallen out with Bold, Charlotte’s desk had received complaints from the border nobility not just once. They were all from other Lords who were probing the situation.

It was only because Castel had not yet completely broken with Bold; otherwise, she suspected that the other Dukes’ Domains would have likely already attempted a territorial dispute by now.

Beset with internal and external troubles, Charlotte did not think her family had the energy to wage an external war under such circumstances.

Charlotte figured the Nais Bloodline did not know about these things yet; otherwise, they couldn’t possibly make such an offer.

And as to why the Nais Clan had changed its stance so substantially to curry favor with her, although the specific reason was unclear, Charlotte could more or less guess.

The Nais Clan must be in need of money.

Not only that, but they must also be looking to block Falling Star’s connection to the continent through Romany and Castel.

Skilled in Observation, they also had learned that "the resurgence deity" supported Castel. Although they didn’t know this "deity" was her, it made them cautious and changed their strategic direction - no longer infiltrating the Northern Land but trying to win her over instead.

Besides, maybe they also had plans to retract their power in the future, making Castel a buffer zone between Falling Star and New Moon, thereby completely isolating the Holy Royal Court’s force away from Falling Star Island...

The Romany Duchy was good, but being the foundation of the Roman family, it was rather a hidden trouble for the Nais Clan to keep. If the Nais Clan had intentions of shrinking back to Falling Star Island, then it would be nothing more than a chicken rib.

This was the overt scheme that Charlotte could guess.

Yet, however she looked at it, Charlotte felt that the Nais Clan’s urgency, willing to pay such a price, seemed not only like wanting to quickly regain influence but also as if something compelled them to do so...

However, their hurried attitude gave her an idea about how to deal with Castel’s current predicament and opportunity.

"How about it, Lord Castel? Have you made up your mind?" Yulster asked.

Charlotte gathered her thoughts and looked at him.

She shifted her gaze slightly, smiled faintly, and said,

"Lord Yulster, your proposal is indeed tempting, but these are all things of the future, unpredictable. For us in Castel, if you want to win our support... I’m afraid it’s still not enough."

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