Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel
Chapter 466: -8- Banquet Invitation

Chapter 466: -8- Banquet Invitation

Charlotte did not elaborate much on the reasons for her polite refusal.

She merely showed a look of sorrow and self-reproach when mentioning "one year ago" and "her own heart."

The turmoil in Bold had been intense, and a Great Priest had been dealt with; the one who likely signed the investigation order was probably the Great Priest before her.

The Great Priest must have known everything.

Charlotte did not need to say anything, a mere hint was enough to show that her trust in the Church had collapsed due to the incident with the Great Priest.

Thus, her refusal to join the Church had a basis, and it was not her fault.

As expected, after Charlotte mentioned "one year ago" with an apologetic expression, the New Moon Great Priest also showed a look of emotion.

He sighed slightly and said,

"I am very sorry for everything that happened in Bold... I can understand your choice."

Charlotte bowed her head, her expression tinged with a bit of shame:

"I’m very sorry, Great Priest, I came to the Holy Royal Court Church this time for atonement, for I’ve realized I’m not as devout as I imagined..."

"I am not worthy of becoming the Church’s Saintess, not even a part-time one."

The Great Priest nodded, speaking gently:

"My child, there is no one perfect in this world, nor a perfect believer; even the most devout can err. You have already done very well."

"I am aware of what’s in your heart, and since you do not wish to become a Saintess, the Church will not insist."

Hearing the Great Priest’s words, Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief.

She had somehow managed to dodge the Church’s invitation...

After chatting with the Great Priest for a while and discussing some theological knowledge, Charlotte took her leave.

Before leaving, she personally offered two hundred thousand gold tanas as a believer’s donation.

The Great Priest accepted warmly, praising her devotion.

Two hundred thousand gold tanas was no small amount.

Even Dukes of the Kingdom would donate tens of thousands when they came to pray at the Church.

Two hundred thousand gold tanas were enough to make a good impression.

Amid the enthusiastic smiles of the Church Priests, Charlotte boarded her carriage and left the Lutecia Cathedral.

Once in the carriage, Charlotte’s devout expression faded, taking on a more serious aspect.

The summoning and invitation from the Great Priest were aimed at strengthening ties with Castel and were also an act of solicitation.

Though she had found a reason, she ultimately refused the solicitation.

Even if the Great Priest was not angered by this, the relationship with the Church was bound to be affected.

There was no helping it, for after all, she could not truly bring the Church’s power into her own domain.

She still had to cooperate with the Nais Clan to regain the Falling Star Kingdom and divide the Romany Duchy. By then, far from aiding the Church, it was more likely they would stand in opposition.

Becoming a Saintess would have brought more constraints; the Church would even have a reason to dispose of her, and both the King and the Nobles could become her potential enemies.

After all, neither Nobles nor Kings wished to see the Church’s power grow.

But being merely a Holy believer was different.

Even if she said one thing and did another, as long as she wasn’t caught red-handed, the Church could do nothing to her.

With the Divine Technique Counter at her disposal, Charlotte had considered joining the Church to sabotage it from the inside.

But the moment the Faith Network was activated, she knew such a choice was no longer possible.

If she wanted to grow her power, her future was destined to be opposite the Church; the only difference was when to openly break away.

However, now was not the time.

The Church’s influence was vast.

Even if she declined the Church’s offer, she still had to maintain a superficial relationship.

At this thought, Charlotte let out a light sigh.

To be honest, her feelings toward the Holy Royal Court were quite complex.

Although there was the issue with the Great Priest, there were still numerous Church priests who were good to her, such as Priest Lawuer and others, who were elders deserving of respect.

The doctrines of the Holy Royal Court were not evil, and could even be considered righteous and noble.

And with the "second crossing," Charlotte was even a bit uncertain about her relationship with Divine Lord Haral...

In any case, Charlotte did not dislike the Holy Royal Court.

But regardless of dislike, the fact that the Holy Royal Court explicitly listed Bloodline as evil creatures was true, and that they listed the Blood True Ancestor as the most fearsome Evil God was also true.

From this perspective, even if she did not dislike them, she was inherently an enemy of the other party.

At this thought, Charlotte’s expression turned slightly more solemn.

Refusing the Church’s goodwill came with a price.

The Northern Land had been too conspicuous lately, and the commotion she made when merging with the Ancient Divine Statue was hard to ignore, adding on to this refusal, the Church would likely pay close attention to that area from now on.

Not to mention, if the Church’s intention really was to strengthen its influence over the Castel Domain, would they truly give up just because she declined?

Probably... not.

With this thought, Charlotte felt somewhat of a headache.

She wanted to maintain complete neutrality.

But in reality, she sometimes had no choice.

"It seems that I must carefully strategize to give myself more time to develop..." Charlotte whispered with a sigh.

The tree desires calm, yet the wind keeps blowing.

By inheriting the Castel Domain and defeating the Allied Forces of two duchies, she had become a force that could not be ignored in the New Moon Kingdom.

The Castel Domain was quite affluent, having enough to stand against lords of ducal stature.

After becoming independent, it would inevitably become the thirteenth major power, just below the twelve ducal domains of the Kingdom, upsetting the delicate balance between the nobility, the Church, and royal authority.

Those covetous of Castel were not limited to the Church.

She needed to think carefully about how to choose, how to keep all parties happy, to maximize her own interests...

Under a myriad of veiled observations, Charlotte returned to the manor.

She pursed her lips, ignoring the figures secretly spying on her.

If her guess was correct, the reason no nobles had visited or invited her thus far was probably due to them waiting to see the Church’s attitude.

After all, she was already branded by the Church.

Speculating more boldly, it could be possible that word of the Great Priest’s invitation for her to become a part-time Saintess of the Holy Royal Court had already leaked...

And her polite refusal would likely be known by all parties soon enough.

If that were the case, perhaps her rented manor would no longer be quiet soon.

As if to confirm Charlotte’s suspicions, on the day following her polite refusal of the Church’s invitation, new visitors arrived at the manor.

More precisely, an invitation.

"A banquet hosted by Duke Gaston?"

Looking at the exquisitely crafted invitation respectfully presented by the noble envoy, Charlotte raised an eyebrow.