Gospel of Blood

Chapter 384: The Kingdom's Central Council

Morning.

Before the first rays of sunlight could illuminate the land, fully armed royal guards and city patrol were already organized and dispatched to various parts of Lutecia.

Today was the day of the kingdom’s Central Council meeting. The inner city was on high alert early in the morning. Although citizens were not prohibited from traveling, the solemn atmosphere and the presence of fully armed guards made people instinctively avoid the main roads leading to the Royal Plaza.

Throughout the inner city, the noble estates and villas were lit up in the early hours. As the first light of dawn appeared in the east, luxurious carriages from all over the capital set off, converging like streams onto the central avenue of the inner city, heading straight for the Royal Plaza.

Charlotte also rose early.

Today, she styled her golden hair into drill curls and chose a noble dress of Yunette style, predominantly black with gold decorations. The dress featured narrow shoulders, a slim waist, and a voluminous skirt, making her appear more mature and dignified.

After a simple breakfast, Charlotte, accompanied by Sebastian and others, boarded the carriage and headed to the Central Council Hall.

The Central Council Hall is located on one side of the Royal Plaza, opposite the Lutecia Cathedral, flanking the royal palace. Together, these three landmarks of Lutecia form a triangular arrangement.

By the time the Castell family’s carriage slowly entered the plaza, following the procession of noble carriages, nearly an hour had passed.

“Master, we have arrived.”

The carriage came to a gentle stop, and Sebastian’s respectful voice came from outside the carriage.

Charlotte responded with a nod and, with Sherry’s assistance, alighted from the carriage.

The Royal Plaza of Lutecia is vast, said to cover five hundred thousand square meters. At this moment, about two-thirds of the plaza was filled with noble carriages, each more luxurious than the last, with a dazzling array of family crests on their sides.

As Charlotte stepped out of the carriage, she immediately felt numerous gazes, near and far, focus on her.

Some were from nobles, others from the stationed knights and guards.

Along with the gazes came hushed whispers.

“It’s the Castell family, the young Countess.”

“The Jewel of Borde, the most beautiful girl in Crescent?”

“She seems even more beautiful in person than in portraits.”

“Graceful and elegant, indeed as captivating as rumored…”

“Young, wealthy, and capable—what a pity she can’t marry.”

“After all, she’s the Saintess of the Lord. I heard she performed a miracle in the cathedral a few days ago, even alarming the Archbishop, the Grand Inquisitor, and the Hunter Cardinal.”

“What? A miracle? Really?”

“Of course, it’s true. This is inside information from the church. If it weren’t for the Blood Demon Cult incident afterward, the news would have spread widely.”

“Gasp… Is Crescent finally going to have a Saintess?”

“That’s still unclear. The church’s reaction seems strange. They haven’t formally announced her appointment yet, probably due to recent events. Some say she’s dissatisfied with the church.”

“Dissatisfied with the church? Her?”

“The details are unclear. The church is tight-lipped about it. What’s certain is that they value her highly.”

“……”

The crowd’s discussions continuously reached Charlotte’s ears. Although they kept their voices low, Charlotte’s keen senses allowed her to hear everything clearly.

She was used to it, as one of the central figures in the Borde-Castell war and a key reason for this Central Council meeting, she was prepared to be the focus of attention.

Additionally, she could gather some extra information from eavesdropping.

However, her eavesdropping didn’t last long.

Soon, some nobles came forward to greet her.

“Good morning, Lady. You must be the Countess of Castell? I am Bono from the Dawn family. Pleased to meet you.”

“Good day, Countess Castell. I am Count Durant. You look stunning today.”

“……”

The nobles greeting her were exceedingly warm, and almost all of them were members of the major families of the Crescent Kingdom.

Even those who weren’t from major families were often new nobility of the kingdom, especially those who had risen through trade and alchemy products.

Charlotte responded with a smile, greeting them one by one.

Unlike in Borde, these nobles, although often praising her appearance, did not try to woo her. Most were simply extending their goodwill.

This was partly due to her earlier declaration of being single and partly because these nobles were not here for marriage alliances but to build a good relationship with the Castell family.

This was not only because the Borde-Castell war had shown the strength of the Castell family but also because of the family’s mithril mine…

The only difference was that the larger families treated her as an equal, while the new nobility and smaller families were more respectful.

In any case, though not quite the center of attention, Charlotte was certainly in high demand.

As Charlotte was smiling and greeting the nobles, suddenly, the surrounding noise quieted down.

Charlotte looked up and saw two elegantly dressed middle-aged nobles walking towards her side by side.

Behind them were several other nobles, all looking up to these two men.

One was wearing a noble’s robe adorned with the crescent moon emblem, slender in build, while the other appeared more stern and wore a crest featuring a sword and a griffin.

Charlotte’s heart stirred.

These were two familiar faces.

The noble with the crescent moon emblem was none other than John de Anro, the Duke of Moonshield, who had rented her the mansion at No. 7 Riverside Street.

The other, whom she had not met in person but had the “pleasure” of seeing once in the Eternal Sacred Realm of the church, was also one of the kingdom’s nine dukes, duke Theodore de Prutz.

This combination surprised Charlotte.

As far as she knew, the Duke of Moonshield was a staunch royalist and a strong supporter of King Louis V’s efforts to strengthen centralization.

As for Duke Prutz, he was a member of the Third Prince’s faction. Although not directly conflicting with the royalists, his political stance was more conservative.

“Countess Castell, long time no see. How are you finding the estate?”

The Duke of Moonshield was the first to greet her, as warm as ever.

Charlotte gave a slight bow and smiled.

“Very well, Duke. Thank you for your help. Finding such a comfortable estate in the inner city of Lutecia was my good fortune.”

“Haha, you arrived just in time! Many nobles have been entering the capital recently, and most of the mansions in the inner city have already been rented out. I happened to hear that your butler was looking for a place to stay and remembered that I had an empty one, so I acted on it.”

Charlotte smiled.

“Your casual favor has solved a problem for the Castell family.”

She then showed a hint of regret.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to visit you personally these past few days.”

“Haha, even if you wanted to visit, I would have had to politely decline. The central council has its rules. However, after the meeting, we can certainly find a time to gather. Some of my old friends are quite interested in Castell’s mithril mine.”

Duke Moonshield said with a laugh.

Charlotte also smiled.

“Then I’ll look forward to it.”

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, verbally agreeing to meet after the central council meeting.

This was one of Charlotte’s goals for this trip to the capital: to establish connections between the northern and central nobility.

She then glanced at Duke Prutz, who stood beside Duke Moonshield. Noticing her gaze, Duke Moonshield slapped his forehead.

“Look at me being so hasty! I forgot to introduce you. This is Duke Prutz, the most promising noble knight in the kingdom, who is also interested in the northern mines.”

Charlotte gracefully curtsied.

“Duke Prutz.”

Duke Prutz nodded in response.

Seeing the lukewarm interaction between the two, Duke Moonshield scratched his head and hesitated before saying,

“Ahem… Countess, I know you have some opinions about certain nobles due to the Third Prince’s matters, but Duke Prutz is not as the rumors say… Well… In short, the central nobility is complex, and sometimes we don’t have a choice either.”

Charlotte felt a subtle shift in her mind, realizing that Duke Moonshield was hinting she shouldn’t hold any hostility toward Duke Prutz because of the Third Prince.

In fact, she bore no real hostility. Although she had felt animosity from him in the Eternal Sacred Realm, that was merely a mental projection, a natural psychological reaction to the Third Prince’s faction.

Now, face to face, she felt no negative emotions from him.

Duke Prutz was simply a man of few words, and Charlotte, being naturally passive, found it hard to start a conversation.

However, since Duke Moonshield kindly explained, she graciously accepted it.

“Your Grace, I understand. The Third Prince is the Third Prince, and the kingdom’s nobility is the kingdom’s nobility.”

She said this with a smile.

Seeing her sincere eyes, Duke Moonshield relaxed a bit, his smile becoming more radiant.

The three continued chatting as they walked towards the council hall, with other nobles stepping aside to make way.

After a few steps, the surrounding noise quieted again.

Charlotte’s heart stirred, and she looked to the side to see Eleanor, accompanied by Count Gaston, approaching from another direction.

The two groups quickly met at the council hall entrance.

All eyes were on Charlotte and Eleanor, making the atmosphere in front of the council hall a bit tense.

Duke Moonshield glanced at Eleanor and then at Charlotte, his expression hesitant.

Charlotte smiled at Eleanor and greeted her openly.

“Lady Eleanor, long time no see. You look well.”

Eleanor looked at Charlotte with a complicated expression and sighed.

“Charlotte, long time no see. Thank you so much for your help before.”

Duke Moonshield was momentarily taken aback by Eleanor’s words.

It wasn’t surprising that Eleanor was grateful, it was widely known that Countess Castell had “rescued” the Duchess of Borde from the Third Prince.

What puzzled him was the tone in Eleanor’s voice, which seemed to carry not just gratitude, but also… respect?

Respect?

A duchess respecting a countess?

Duke Moonshield thought he might be losing his mind, but his years of experience told him he wasn’t mistaken.

Could it be because of Countess Castell’s “Saintess” status?

Duke Moonshield was curious, but on the other side, Charlotte had already finished her greetings with Eleanor. After Eleanor briefly greeted the other two dukes, she entered the council hall.

Watching her back, Duke Moonshield curiously asked.

“Countess, your relationship with Duchess Borde is quite unexpected.”

Charlotte smiled.

“Borde is Borde, and the Third Prince is the Third Prince. I have a good personal relationship with Lady Eleanor, but politics shouldn’t involve personal feelings.”

Duke Moonshield listened, deep in thought.

Charlotte didn’t elaborate further and glanced at the hall.

“Your Grace, shall we go in?”

Duke Moonshield nodded slightly, and along with Duke Prutz and Charlotte, entered the central council hall.

The kingdom’s central council hall was also a well-known landmark in Lutecia, a Gothic-style palace with a vast interior.

Upon entering, Charlotte was reminded of the grand, lavishly decorated halls from Western literature in her previous life.

The entire hall was semicircular, spacious enough to accommodate a thousand people. The hall was already two-thirds full of seated nobles.

As Charlotte entered, a servant quickly guided her to her designated seat.

The seating arrangements in the council had their own significance. At the front of the dais, the central throne was reserved for the king, with the queen’s seat on the left and the Archbishop’s seat on the right.

T/N: A dais is a raised platform, typically found at one end of a room, used for ceremonial purposes. It is often where important individuals, such as royalty, high-ranking officials, or speakers, stand or sit during events, speeches, or meetings. The elevation of the dais helps to distinguish these individuals from the rest of the audience and can provide a better vantage point for addressing the assembly.

Below the dais were the noble seats, with twelve more elaborate seats at the forefront, belonging to the kingdom’s twelve dukedoms, including the nine great dukes and three ecclesiastical dukedoms.

Duke Moonshield and Eleanor were soon seated among those twelve chairs, with Duke Moonshield in the second seat, duke Prutz in the seventh, and Eleanor in the twelfth.

Charlotte was led to the first seat among the remaining noble seats.

“Countess, this is your seat.”

The servant said respectfully.

Charlotte’s heart stirred as she nodded and sat down.

In the kingdom’s central council, the seating position represented one’s status and rank. The higher the rank, the closer to the front.

Undoubtedly, Charlotte, having defeated the Borde Duchy and possessing vast prosperous lands, was now seen as the foremost noble below the dukes. Even some of the kingdom’s marquises were seated behind her.

Although the Castell family was still considered new nobility in the kingdom, their family’s heritage and strength had already been recognized by the nobility and the royal family.

As the nobles gradually took their seats, the twelve ducal seats were also filled, except for the first, fifth, and ninth seats.

These belonged to the stripped Duke Gaston, another deposed and imprisoned duke, and the replaced ecclesiastical lord.

The first seat, belonging to Duke Gaston, had its title revoked and might be permanently removed in the future.

The fifth and ninth seats were empty because the newly appointed duke and lord had yet to be officially confirmed.

Once all the nobles were seated, melodious music began to play, and royal knights in shining armor escorted several gorgeously dressed nobles and clerics onto the dais.

Leading them were two figures: one wore a crown, held a scepter, and was draped in a deep blue cloak adorned with crescent moon patterns; the other wore a white robe trimmed with gold and held the “Bible.”

It was King Louis V and the Archbishop of the Crescent Diocese.

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