Gospel of Blood

“Countess, could you tell me your reasoning? The Third Prince holds a noble status and is the instigator of the war. I believe he is more valuable to you than Count Linte.”

Count Wittray said solemnly.

Charlotte chuckled softly and replied,

“Sir Wittray, you’re mistaken. The instigator of the war is the Borde Duchy, the ‘Duke’ of Borde, not the Third Prince.”

“Perhaps he is of noble status, but what does that matter? Do you think Castell can use him to blackmail His Majesty?”

“He has already failed and has evidence of dealings with the Blood Demon Cult. He is done for.”

“I do not care whether His Majesty likes this son or not. I only know that keeping him is not only worthless to Castell but also poses some risks.”

Count Wittray shook his head and said,

“No, Countess, from my perspective, he does hold value for you.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

Count Wittray considered his words carefully and continued.

“Countess, breaking away from Borde means you will become a direct vassal to His Majesty the King, and all vassal contracts will need to be renegotiated…”

“I think you might have sensed that His Majesty, who tacitly allowed the Third Prince to wage war on Castell, doesn’t have much affection for those who support the Holy Court.”

“Don’t you see this as an opportunity to show goodwill to His Majesty? For nobles, there are no eternal enemies…”

Charlotte smiled.

“You are suggesting that I release the Third Prince unconditionally to show my loyalty to His Majesty?”

Wittray nodded slightly, tacitly agreeing.

Charlotte’s smile faded as she said calmly.

“Sir Wittray, the Third Prince violated the ‘Holy Code’ and the ‘Royal Covenant’, causing an uproar in the kingdom. Messengers have already informed me that the nobles are preparing to sue him in the parliament.”

“In recent years, the relationship between His Majesty and the nobles has grown increasingly delicate. I have no intention of antagonizing the kingdom’s nobles just to curry favor with His Majesty…”

“So, let’s discuss the ransom for Count Linte instead.”

Hearing Charlotte’s words, Count Wittray sighed slightly.

He realized that the Duke’s plan to exchange the Third Prince for his heir had fallen through.

“Countess, since you have made your stance clear, you must have an idea of the ransom. Please, name your price.”

Count Wittray said, taking a deep breath, bracing himself for her demands.

“No, I don’t want tana.”

Charlotte shook her head.

“Uh… what?!”

Count Wittray was stunned.

Charlotte glanced at him and smiled.

“I want territory.”

“That’s impossible!”

Count Wittray blurted out.

Realizing his outburst, he quickly cleared his throat and continued.

“Countess, you must be joking. Although Count Linte is the Duke’s offspring, he is not a lord. Offering territory as ransom is against the rules…”

“Sir Wittray, don’t you want to know which part of the territory I want?”

Charlotte asked.

Count Wittray hesitated and then asked.

“Which territory do you want?”

Charlotte signaled a nearby guard to bring a map.

Pointing to a small piece of land in the northeastern part of the Violet Duchy, sandwiched between the Roman Duchy and Castell, she said,

“My request is not much, I only need this.”

Count Wittray followed her finger and frowned slightly.

“The Betel Barony?”

He knew of this barony.

It was a protruding piece of land on the border of the Violet Duchy, situated between the Roman Duchy and Castell, covering an area of about 1,500 square kilometers.

The Betel Barony was not prosperous, more than half of its territory was forest, and it had been greatly damaged as a main battlefield during the Star-Moon War.

However, this land was not without its history, it had once been a prominent area.

Before the Star-Moon War, this barony was a direct territory of the former ducal family of Violet—the Veillet family—and was their ancestral land.

Of course, decades had passed, and the war had destroyed everything. Now, the Betel Barony was a desolate place.

Years of war had left the land with a significant undead presence, making it difficult to clear, to the point that even the Boite-Linte family had given up on it.

The Violet Duchy was vast, with many baronies. To be honest, if it was this particular, nearly worthless barony, Count Wittray believed the Duke might agree.

However… why did Castell want this land?

Looking at the map, Count Wittray could only think of the fact that the Betel Barony was a trade route between the Roman Duchy and Castell.

The other borders between the territories were either forests or mountains, making the Betel Barony the most convenient route for land-based trade, the essential path for trade caravans.

Of course, this assumed the caravans could deal with the wandering undead.

Then again, the Roman Duchy belonged to the Starfall Kingdom, and there were frequent conflicts between the two kingdoms. Nobles from other kingdoms would prefer to avoid direct contact with them, let alone share a border.

Moreover, even for trade, it seemed sea routes would be more convenient for Roman and Castell, as both were coastal neighbors. A ship journey would only take three days from Northport to the capital of the Roman Duchy.

Count Wittray couldn’t understand it.

However, he decided not to pursue it further.

To him, the Countess of Castell’s proposal didn’t seem excessive. If the Betel Barony’s value were converted to equivalent tana, it might match the ransom for the ducal heir.

After all, it was a barren land with minimal resources, plagued by wandering undead, dilapidated castles, and villages unable to pay much in taxes.

The only valuable aspect might be some magical beasts, but the Violet Duchy was already rich in magical beasts and even faced beast tides annually.

“I understand. However, I cannot make this decision. I will report to the Duke, and it will be up to him.”

Count Wittray thought for a moment and said.

Charlotte smiled.

“Of course. The mage tower in Northport is always open for you, making it convenient for you to communicate with the Duke remotely.”