Gospel of Blood

“What are you standing around for? Didn’t you hear my orders?”

The Third Prince frowned as he looked at the unmoved Violet knights, his expression turning cold.

However, the next moment, the knights stepped forward, surrounding him.

The Third Prince was stunned.

He immediately became wary and shouted sternly.

“What are you… trying to do?”

The Violet knights remained silent.

They drew their weapons, surrounding the Third Prince and his men. Some knights stepped forward, disarming the soldiers, while others pointed their weapons at the Third Prince.

The Third Prince was furious.

This time, the Violet knights finally reacted.

They parted to either side, and a knight who appeared to be their leader stepped forward.

He stood before the Third Prince and said calmly.

“Of course, we know who you are, Your Highness.”

“You have seriously violated several key provisions of the Holy Code and the Royal Covenant. According to these laws, we have the authority to disarm you. Please do not resist.”

The Third Prince was stunned, then angrily retorted.

“Are you insane?! I am the Crescent Prince! The second in line to the throne! The Duke of Violet’s grandson!”

“Which family do you belong to? Who gave you the courage to act against me? Are you declaring war on the Royal Family and the Boite-Linte family?”

The knight leader glanced at him and replied calmly.

“We do not belong to any lesser noble family. We are the Duke’s direct knights.”

“And it was not us who ordered your disarmament. It was the Duke himself.”

“Your Highness, please cooperate, or we will have to use force.”

The Third Prince was stunned again.

“The Duke… my grandfather?”

He shook his head in disbelief.

“No! This is impossible! Grandfather would never give such an order!”

“This is a lie! You must be lying!”

The knight leader showed no interest in continuing the argument. He waved his hand and ordered the other knights.

“The prince is unstable. Bind him and put him in the carriage.”

At this, the tall, powerful extraordinary knights moved towards the Third Prince.

The Third Prince’s expression changed drastically.

He struggled, panicking.

“No! You can’t do this!”

“I am the Crescent Prince! The second in line to the throne! You are defying royal authority!”

“I must go to Linte City! I must see my grandfather!”

The knight leader looked at the terrified, defiant Third Prince with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

“Your Highness, you will have a chance to see the Duke.”

“Of course, whether the Duke wants to see you is another matter.”

With that, he ordered the knights to bind the Third Prince and put him in the carriage.

“No! No—!”

“You bastards! I will remember this!”

“When I ascend the throne, I will kill you! Kill all of you!”

The Third Prince continued to howl, curse, and struggle, but he was eventually subdued and “sent” to the carriage by the extraordinary knights.

…

Violet Duchy, Linte City.

In an old, imposing castle, an elderly nobleman in a dark purple robe was standing by a flower bed, shakily watering the flowers.

He bore a strong resemblance to Count Linte, but looked older and more dignified, especially with his silver-gray eyes, which were cloudy and wise.

This was Geoffrey de Boite-Linte.

He was the head of the Boite-Linte family, the current Duke of Violet, and an advisor to the Crescent Kingdom’s court.

As one of the nine powerful dukes of the Crescent Kingdom, he also commanded one of the kingdom’s most formidable standing armies—the Second Guard Legion.

Of course, the Borde-Castell war was an internal noble conflict, so the Royal Guard Legion had no authority to intervene.

“Duke, news from the north. The Prince has reached the border fortress, and the knights have him under control.”

A nobleman who looked like a butler approached Duke Violet from behind, bowing respectfully as he spoke.

The Old Duke paused slightly with the watering can in his hand.

“Any news from Victor?”

He asked.

The noble hesitated before replying.

“Reports from the northern soldiers suggest that the Count has indeed been captured by the Castell family, along with Duchess Eleanor de Borde.”

The Old Duke was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

“I see.”

“Have the knights keep a close watch on Philip and prepare envoys to negotiate with Castell.”

The noble hesitated, then couldn’t help but ask.

“Duke, are you really planning to use the prince as a bargaining chip in the negotiations with Castell?”

“He is the second in line to the throne, the King’s favored child, and your grandson…”

The Old Duke slowly turned around, his face expressionless as he gave a meaningful snort.

“The King’s favored child?”

“Hmph… Whether he is or isn’t, from the moment he was defeated a week ago, he ceased to be.”

“With Eleanor de Borde captured, his disgraceful deeds will surely be exposed. This hot potato is better left to Castell.”

The Old Duke paused again and sighed.

“Also, prepare for my visit to the capital after the negotiations with Castell. I need to see the King personally…”

…

The recapture of the northern territories was progressing much faster than Charlotte had expected.

With the news of the Borde-Violet coalition’s defeat, the surrendered nobles quickly switched sides, re-aligning with Castell.

Their speed was astonishing, and Charlotte couldn’t help but marvel at their shameless opportunism.

“They support whoever wins.”

Under feudalism, these autonomous noble lords were pragmatic.

Charlotte didn’t have the time to deal with these fickle nobles for now. She simply noted them down, planning to deal with them after the war was completely over.

After the resounding victory at Northport, envoys from various parts of the kingdom began arriving.

Viscount Remisio, Duke Moonshield, the Boite family, who had a feud with the Borde family, and even the Crescent Second Prince sent envoys.

Some came to congratulate, some to express goodwill towards the Castell family, and some to extend olive branches, hinting at alliances.

Clearly, the victory at Northport had shaken the entire kingdom. Everyone knew the war’s outcome was now certain.

Castell was destined to part ways with Borde, likely becoming a new direct vassal of the Crescent Kingdom, and one of the most powerful forces in the north.

After receiving another envoy from a nearby territory, Charlotte received a piece of news.

The Violet Duchy’s negotiation team had arrived in Castell.