NOVEL NEXT Chapter 687: -133- Magic Book_2
However, Charlotte astutely noticed that some nobles seemed unimpressed by the Grand Priest.
Although their demeanor was still very respectful, it appeared to be merely that—respectful.
Despite being a clergyman of the Church and the Grand Priest responsible for coronations in the Falling Star Kingdom, he seemed virtually invisible among the nobles.
Clearly, the influence of the Holy Royal Court in the Falling Star Kingdom was much weaker than in the New Moon Kingdom.
And those Falling Star nobles who supported Charlotte's accession to the throne, representing various factions, clearly had reached some agreement with a slight unity in their retreats.
After only a few top members of the Falling Star remained in the palace, the atmosphere subtly began to grow more solemn.
Count Stafford sighed softly and said to Charlotte,
"Queen, it seems… there is a new complication. The Kingdom Knight Order is backed by the military, essentially representing the entire standing army of the Falling Star Kingdom."
"Duke Wester, the Military Chief, and Viscount Camden, the Knight Order Commander, have probably been swayed by the Bloodline, abandoning their neutral stance and deciding to continue supporting Duke Esiah as the heir."
Charlotte glanced outside the palace and asked casually,
"The Royal Knight Order… are they still outside?"
"They have withdrawn. Their plan to stop you from entering the Royal Palace has failed. They probably won't come back. After all... even if they don't acknowledge your throne, they can't erase your identity, they… dare not lay a hand on you," said Marquis Howard.
"Hmph, dare not lay a hand on Her Majesty? That's not necessarily true."
Count Stafford scoffed.
Hearing this, the other nobles looked surprised.
"Lord Chairman, did… something happen?" asked Count Greenville Roman.
Count Stafford looked at Charlotte, and Charlotte gave him a look that half-agreed. With permission granted, Count Stafford took a deep breath and said,
"On our way back to Falling Star, we were attacked by the massive beast Kraken…"
After saying this, he recounted everything that happened on the road to the others.
Of course, he did not specify who the attackers were.
Upon hearing Count Stafford's story, the nobles were visibly shocked.
"The Lilac Party nobles have gone mad?! To dare to assassinate the Queen?"
"This is a crime! This is a blatant crime! Even if Her Majesty is not yet crowned, it remains a flagrant crime!" exclaimed the nobles, feeling indignant.
Even the unobtrusive Campbell Grand Priest looked serious and denounced along,
"God above… this is blasphemy! Blasphemy against God! They shall surely be punished by God!"
Count Greenville Roman nodded in agreement and then looked at Count Stafford:
"Do we have any leads on the identity of the assassin?"
Count Stafford was about to speak, but Charlotte spoke first,
"Nothing definite yet, but… we have gathered some intelligence and are currently investigating. We should have results soon."
Count Stafford paused for a moment, then quickly added,
"Exactly."
Count Greenville Roman grew solemn and said,
"Your Majesty, the next round of negotiations regarding the succession to the throne will start in a week. If we can quickly uncover the identity of the culprit behind the assassination, perhaps we can regain the support of some Neutral Party nobles after the military's shift… the current situation is somewhat unfavorable for us."
"I wonder if you could seek aid from the Holy Royal Court. If we could get support from them, we would have more leverage."
"War is a last resort, now with the military's shifting stance, if a war starts, it would be extremely unfavorable for us…"
Charlotte nodded and said,
"War is indeed a last resort, and I wish to avoid it if possible."
"I'll continue to track down the true culprit behind the Kraken attack and seek support beyond Falling Star. Please also continue to work hard and gather more supporters before the next negotiations start."
…
After this initial meeting, the members of the Falling Star's high echelon left with heavy hearts.
Although Charlotte had shown strong leadership, clearly, the situation for the "Castel" faction's supporters was not looking good.
However, Count Stafford didn't leave immediately.
"Count, is there something else?" asked Charlotte.
Count Stafford hesitated for a moment, then asked,
"Your Majesty, you just..."
"Why did you just hide that the covert assassin actually was Duke Wester, Military Chief, and Viscount Camden, Knight Order Commander, right?"
Charlotte continued with the words he found it inconvenient to say.
Count Stafford bowed respectfully, implicitly agreeing.
Charlotte paused, then challenged,
"Count, I remember you told me that your recent trip to Castel was a secret operation, right?"
"So... how did the news leak?"
On hearing Charlotte's words, Count Stafford's eyes widened,
"Do you mean there is... a traitor?!"
Charlotte nodded,
"It's not beyond possibility."
Count Stafford's expression turned ugly.
Seeing his somber look, Charlotte smiled and said,
"Don't worry too much, Count, if there really is a fly in the ointment, we just need to find them out."
Observing Charlotte's unruffled demeanor, Count Stafford was struck by a thought,
"Your Majesty, could it be that you already have a plan?"
Charlotte nodded slightly,
"Indeed, I will handle this issue myself, but... I need you to do something for me."
"Please command me."
Count Stafford replied respectfully.
"Provide me with a detailed list of the Falling Star nobles. I need a more comprehensive understanding of the situation in Falling Star Kingdom."
Charlotte spoke calmly.
...
After receiving the orders, Count Stafford withdrew.
Charlotte sat alone on the throne.
Frankly, she held little hope for the so-called 'throne negotiations', even though it was tradition in the Falling Star Kingdom, she did not believe the Lilac Party nobles, backed by the Nais Bloodline, would compromise with the Parliamentary Party.
She did not count on those nobles from Falling Star. To solve the problem, she needed to start at the root; she planned to visit the Nais Bloodline and meet 'Badak'.
Of course, before that, she would expose the traitor within the Parliamentary Party.
It wasn't that the other party could pose much threat to her; she simply detested betrayal.
Charlotte casually picked up Nisi, who had tried to steal the magic book while she wasn't looking, and then said to the air:
"Albrecht, come out and see me."
No sooner had she spoken than countless black bats flew in from all directions, converging in front of Charlotte, eventually transforming into the figure of the legendary Bloodline, the Third Dark Apostle Albrecht.
This legendary Bloodline bowed respectfully to Charlotte and spoke in a flattering tone:
"Great True Ancestor, you've finally remembered me."
Charlotte glanced at him and commanded,
"Keep an eye on those nobles we just discussed, watch their movements, and... keep tabs on the Campbell Grand Priest too. Report to me immediately if there's any situation."
"I will heed Your Oracle,"
Albrecht bowed again, then transformed into numerous bats and vanished into thin air.
As Albrecht departed, Charlotte finally turned her attention to Nisi, who again tried to sneak the magic book away while she was distracted.
With a smile, she retrieved the magic book from Nisi's chubby cat paws, her interest piqued as she watched the greatly agitated black cat:
"Now, can you tell me what exactly is written in this book that you care so much about?"
Nisi stiffened.
It gave a dry laugh, eyes darting around,
"Uh... just some collections from my younger days, all trifles really, Lord Charlotte, you surely wouldn't be interested, um... could you return it to me?"
"Collection?"
Charlotte slightly raised an eyebrow, clearly disbelieving the black cat's tall tale.
She chuckled lightly, divine power flowing from her fingertips, directly breaking the prohibition on the magic book.
After a burst of brilliance, the writings on the magic book revealed a new title slowly emerging—
"Multi-race Lolita Manual"
Charlotte: …