Gospel of Blood

"Viscount, it seems my servant has encountered some trouble. Please allow me to go and see what happened."

Charlotte gracefully bowed to Bruno and then headed towards the gate of the Duke's Mansion.

There were already quite a few nobles gathered in front of the mansion. Most of them looked at Casimodo and Nice, who was being held up by the knight, with expressions ranging from curiosity to disdain to schadenfreude.

T/N: Pleasure derived from other's misfortune.

A few young nobles who wanted to help stepped forward, but they were quickly stopped by their elders and gestured to remain quiet.

Ultimately, it was because of the Borde Duchy.

When attending a birthday banquet, it was only natural to show enough respect to the host, even if it was just the host's gatekeeper knight.

Trying to sneak a pet inside was quite rude behavior.

"What's going on?"

Casimodo, feeling like he had found his backbone, hurriedly approached and whispered helplessly.

"Miss, pets are not allowed inside the Duke's Mansion. I tried to persuade Lord Nice to wait outside in the pet area, but Lord Nice refused and wanted to sneak in..."

"And then... he was caught by the knight at the door."

Pet area?

Charlotte was puzzled.

Thinking of Nice, who, although cheap, always showed a hint of pride in his character, she could somewhat understand why he didn't want to stay in the pet area with those real cats and dogs.

But... Charlotte furrowed her brow slightly and glanced lightly at Nice, who was being grabbed by the back of his neck.

Can't you speak? Can't you explain it yourself?

Nice looked pitifully innocent, with a hint of grievance in his eyes.

'Explain what? Explain that I belong to the church? The Lord Nice of the church has actually become someone's pet. Can I still mix in the church circles in the future?'

Charlotte's gaze swept around, turning cold.

'Then go obediently to the pet area and don't cause me any trouble. I'll explain the situation to the people in the Duke's Mansion later and bring you in.'

The black cat's eyes instantly widened in panic.

'No! Don't let this Cat Master stay with those stupid cats and dogs, not even for a minute! Kill Master Cat if you have to, but don't leave it!'

The communication between the human and the cat through eye contact was unimpeded. It could also be considered an additional ability of a contracted servant.

Seeing Nice's pitiful expression, Charlotte sighed in her heart and decided to help him, but she would settle the score with him later.

However, just as she was about to explain to the gatekeeper knight, Bruno's sharp voice came.

"Huh? Isn't this Lord Nice? Osamu, are you crazy? Hurry up and put Lord Nice down!"

Hearing Bruno's words, the knight looked at the black cat in his hand, somewhat hesitating.

"But... pets are not allowed..."

"Fool! Lord Nice is an important figure in the church. He has been ordered by the church to protect Miss Charlotte day and night! Hurry up and put him down!"

Bruno scolded.

"An important figure in the church?"

"A... cat?"

"But isn't there a pet collar around its neck?"

"Wait a minute, I seem to have heard the name Nice in the church..."

The surrounding nobles discussed, looking at the black cat with surprise and curiosity.

Nice:...

The cat's face instantly collapsed.

It was over, it couldn't hide its affiliation with the church... It could almost predict the expressions of those bastards in the church when they found out that it, the Cat Master, had been treated as the heiress of Castell's pet!

Heaven knows, for the past few days in the mansion, it had deliberately avoided those priests every morning! All in vain!

Although it was indeed the pet of an ancient evil god... But could the pet of an evil god be the same as the pet of a little girl!

But... it couldn't reveal the secret.

Nice's cat face was full of complexity.

After hearing Bruno's words, the knight still hesitated, but after looking at the black cat in his hand, he finally let it go.

"Lord Nice! Are you okay?"

The chubby steward fawned, bending down to the black cat.

Seeing that the matter had been exposed, Nice stopped pretending and sighed helplessly, then tidied up his mood and arrogantly raised his head.

"Well... it's okay, this knight is indeed a true knight."

"Meow! The Cat Master just wanted to test whether he was diligent or not."

It proudly raised its head, like a leader inspecting the lower ranks.

"A talking cat!"

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"Extraordinary creature!"

The surrounding nobles' eyes lit up.

Seeing more and more nobles gathering around, Nice quickly cleared his throat and shrunk his almost invisible fat neck as much as possible, hiding the collar that Charlotte had deliberately put on him a few days ago to punish him for peeking at the maids while bathing.

"Alright, the misunderstanding is resolved. Let's go in quickly and don't block the door here."

Saying that, it hurriedly slipped into the Duke's Mansion behind Charlotte, as if afraid of being seen by acquaintances again.

"Hehe, Miss Charlotte, let's continue inside. The Duke might be getting impatient."

Bruno said cheerfully.

After that, he led the way towards the inner palace.

Watching the fluffy back of the other party, Charlotte's gaze slightly condensed, sinking into contemplation.

Nice said that only Dean Raoul of the church hospital and Captain Kara of the Borde Demon Hunter Team knew about its actions. Even the incident of being kidnapped was explained as an accidental encounter with her. How did Bruno, the steward of the Duke's Mansion, know that Nice had been with her all this time and that it was arranged by the church?

Passing over the seemingly always cheerful fat face of the steward, Charlotte temporarily suppressed her thoughts and smiled as she followed.

As for Casimodo and "guest from the church" Nice, who were not nobles, they were guided by the servants, with Casimodo being arranged in the area where the servants were located, and Nice being taken directly to the guest area.

The scale of the Duke's Mansion was much larger than that of the Castell Manor. In terms of style, it was less luxurious than the Castell family's mansion, but more solid, reflecting the former fortress identity of the Duke's Mansion.

After passing through countless corridors, Bruno finally stopped in front of a semicircular door guarded by knights.

He took a step forward and respectfully knocked on the door.

"My Lord Duke, Miss Charlotte is here."

"Let her in."

An old voice came from behind the door.

After saying that, the knights reached out and opened the door, while Bruno made a respectful gesture.

"Miss Charlotte, please."

Charlotte took a deep breath and stepped in.

Behind the door was a quite spacious study, with tall bookshelves filled with countless books, densely packed like stars. In front of the bookshelves was a carved oak desk. An old man dressed in a black noble robe, wearing a wig, was sitting at the desk, writing something.

Feeling Charlotte's entry, he put down the quill in his hand and slowly raised his head. It was a very old face, probably giving the impression of being sixty or seventy years old. Deep wrinkles, a face full of age spots, but a pair of blue-gray eyes were still bright and sharp, and the old face was full of dignity.

Andre de Borde. The current Duke of Borde, one of the nine dukes of the Crescent Kingdom, a third-tier blazing sun knight, a member of the Crescent Kingdom's cabinet, and also a holder of the military commander title.

Although he looked sixty or seventy years old, he was actually only fifty.

It was just that he had been seriously injured multiple times during the Star-Moon War that had lasted more than eighty years between the Crescent Kingdom and the Fallen Star Kingdom. The excessive use of divine magic treatments had drained his body, making him appear so old.

Of course, with numerous military exploits, he had also accumulated enough prestige within the kingdom. But unfortunately, a severe injury in his youth had permanently deprived him of his ability to reproduce.

Apart from Eleanor, his daughter born in his early years, who had already made a marriage contract with the third prince of the Crescent Kingdom, his only offspring was his illegitimate son Leno.

Looking at the old man in front of her, Charlotte quickly recalled the relevant information she had studied.

She took a deep breath, pinched the hem of her skirt, and gracefully and correctly performed a vassal etiquette, then respectfully said.

"The Wise Lord, Lion of Borde, Charlotte de Castell extends her highest respect to you..."

"May your glorious divine light forever illuminate the land of Castell."

The Duke of Bould calmly watched the girl bowing respectfully, a hint of appreciation flashing in his blue-gray eyes. He nodded slightly and smiled faintly.

"You may rise."

Charlotte finished her courtesy and stood up, and the Duke pointed to the chair in front of the desk.

"Sit."

Charlotte picked up her skirt and sat down at the desk, and soon a waiter brought a crystal cup filled with milk and respectfully offered it to her.

Seeing the girl's slightly surprised expression, the old Duke smiled and said.

"I heard that you particularly liked these during your stay in the church hospital, so I prepared them in advance."

After saying that, he carefully examined the girl and couldn't help but sigh.

"It's been a few years since we last met, and you've grown up so much. So beautiful, you're already the brightest pearl of the Crescent Kingdom."

"Looking at your eyes, I can feel that your experiences during this time have matured you a lot."

Charlotte remained silent for a moment, then sighed softly.

"People always have to grow up."

This time, she didn't deliberately act cute. Because she knew that in front of people like Duke Borde, there was no point in being cute.

"Yes... people always have to grow up."

The old Duke nodded in agreement. And then, his expression became serious.

"Charlotte, do you know why I specifically summoned you this time?"

Charlotte's heart moved slightly, and she bowed slightly.

"Please enlighten me, my lord."

Instead of directly explaining, Duke Borde suddenly stood up and looked at the map of the Borde Duchy behind him, saying meaningfully.

"As the heir of Castell, how do you view the current situation of Castell?"

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