Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel
Chapter 467: -9- The Scent of the Bloodline

Chapter 467: -9- The Scent of the Bloodline

Charlotte had anticipated that she might soon be invited, but she hadn’t expected the invitation to come so quickly.

Moreover, the one inviting her was Duke Gaston, representative of the kingdom’s Neutral Party nobility.

As the name implies, the Neutral Party was made up of nobles who remained neutral in the struggle for the throne.

They supported neither the Second Prince nor the Third Prince and also did not advocate for the king’s centralization of power like the Royal Party nobles.

This piqued Charlotte’s curiosity.

Representing the Castel family and the forces that had toppled the Third Prince, she had thought that the nobles rallying behind the Second Prince would be the ones to extend the invitation, not the Neutral Party.

"Sebastian, why do you think the Neutral Party nobles invited me to the banquet? Aren’t they known for never getting involved in the struggle for succession?" Charlotte pondered aloud while looking at the invitation in her hand.

Sebastian thought for a moment, then frowned and shook his head:

"Master, I can’t figure it out either..."

"Perhaps...the Third Prince’s actions have crossed their red line as well? So they too have chosen to step forward?"

Upon hearing Sebastian’s words, Charlotte felt a flicker of thought.

It wasn’t an impossibility.

But on the other hand, even if the Neutral Party nobles also chose to support the Central Council in trying the Third Prince, shouldn’t it be the Second Prince Party who would be at the forefront?

This thought deepened Charlotte’s confusion.

"Master, the banquet is being held this evening. Do you wish to attend?" Sebastian asked.

Charlotte glanced at the invitation and gave a slight nod:

"Go, why not? We’ll know what’s going on once we’re there."

One of the purposes of attending the Central Council was to network with the nobility, and since she had received an invitation, it seemed fitting to accept.

As for choosing sides, Charlotte hadn’t formed any concrete plans yet.

Her initial intention was to maintain neutrality as much as possible after undermining the Third Prince, though this stance had shifted slightly after she politely declined the Church’s invitation.

Now, she wanted to assess the situation and then decide.

...

The Duke Gaston’s banquet was scheduled for the evening at the Gaston family’s estate in the Royal Capital.

As Great Nobles of the kingdom, the Gaston family’s estate was also located in the Inner City area, just a bit further from the estate Charlotte had rented, on the other side of the Royal Palace.

As evening approached and it was nearly time, Charlotte changed into a black formal dress and stepped into her carriage.

Since she was attending a banquet, she didn’t bring many attendants. Instead, following the customs of nobility, she brought only her butler Sebastian and her personal maid.

This included Bloodline Rena, and Black Dragon Odosia.

By the time Charlotte arrived at the Gaston family’s estate, many nobles had already steadily arrived.

The Gaston family’s estate was not small—Charlotte estimated it to be four or five times the size of the estate she rented. Carriages came and went at the estate entrance, luxuriously decorated and emblazoned with various coat of arms, all belonging to the noble families attending the banquet.

Although night had fallen, the estate was ablaze with lights, and servants bustled about, welcoming the nobles arriving for the feast.

Charlotte was somewhat surprised.

The number of nobles attending the banquet... was much greater than she had envisioned.

Not only that, she recognized many of the coat of arms present, all belonging to Great Nobles of the New Moon Kingdom, some of which were even from other duke families.

As Charlotte surveyed the noble families attending the banquet, the nobles also took notice of the Castel family’s carriage.

In a similar scene that had occurred before, many carriages from noble families consciously made way for the Castel family’s carriage as it passed by.

In a sense, this also amounted to a display of status.

Although Charlotte was only an earl, she knew that apart from the dukes, no nobles would dare to underestimate her.

Charlotte could feel the numerous gazes settling on her family’s carriage.

And when she stepped down from the carriage with Sebastian’s accompaniment, she immediately became the center of attention throughout the entire manor, with the number of eyes appraising her doubling...

The majority were curious and impressed, but there were also some that probed and even hostile.

Hmm?

Hostility?

Charlotte’s heart stirred slightly.

The Bloodline’s senses were still very sharp.

Though that hostility was very faint, possibly only representing caution and dislike, she still sensed it.

Following the line of sight, she saw a middle-aged noble, about forty to fifty years old, dismounting from a carriage in the distance.

The manor’s butler and servants surrounding the noble held a highly respectful posture.

When Charlotte looked at the noble, he happened to look towards her.

However, as soon as Charlotte directed her gaze at him, he quickly withdrew his eyes and entered the manor’s residence under the guidance of the servants.

Charlotte arched an eyebrow.

Nothing much, she recognized the man’s identity.

Or to be more precise, she recognized his identity from the family crest on his carriage.

The crest was a sword and Griffin, in the New Moon Kingdom, only one family bore such a symbol, and that was one of the nine duke families, the Prutz family.

Although they were far apart, Charlotte could still feel the strong Transcendent Aura emanating from the middle-aged noble.

He was a Blazing Sun.

"Hmm? Duke Prutz? He came as well? Isn’t he a staunch supporter of the Third Prince? He’s even attending the ball?"

Sebastian’s surprised voice came from beside her, drawing Charlotte’s attention.

"Duke Prutz?"

Charlotte arched an eyebrow.

Interesting, very interesting.

A ball hosted by Neutral Party nobles yet attended by a representative noble supporting the Third Prince, and it’s the duke himself attending.

Not only that, the number of nobles attending the ball was a bit excessive.

Looking at the endless stream of carriages and those family crests that she had only seen in books, Charlotte believed that all the well-known families of the entire New Moon were participating in this ball.

It looks like... tonight’s ball isn’t so simple after all.

"Count Castel, welcome to tonight’s ball, please follow me," said the butler and servants of the residence who quickly greeted her after she got out of the carriage, speaking with a respectful attitude.

Charlotte withdrew her gaze, nodded slightly, and then followed the servants into the manor residence.

The Gaston family’s manor residence was also quite imposing, with an opulence that far exceeded Charlotte’s own Count Mansion. When Charlotte entered the banquet hall, it was already quite bustling.

Inside the hall, tall stone pillars surrounded the entire banquet room, huge long tables were covered with gorgeous tablecloths and filled with gold and silver tableware, exquisite porcelain, and rare glassware; a blazing fire burned in the fireplace, emitting warm light and a subtle fragrance.

The nobles dressed in splendid attire were chatting and laughing, gathering in groups based on family.

Servants, holding wine glasses and trays, deftly maneuvered through the crowd, carefully pouring drinks for the guests, while musicians played pleasing and melodious music.

The entire banquet hall was filled with a happy and pleasant atmosphere.

However, the moment Charlotte entered the banquet hall, she paused slightly.

She smelled a familiar scent.

The scent of Bloodlines.

And not just one.