Chapter 221: Proposal
"Oh? A duchy title and arge piece ofndparable to Castell? Let me guess, you''re referring to the territory of the Starfall Kingdom, correct?"
Charlotte chuckled lightly and asked in return.
Count Yurst nodded.
"Naturally, it is the Starfall territory. As you can see, once the Nez n regains its former power, fulfilling the promise of exchangingnd will naturally be a matter of course."
Charlotteughed.
"But the control of the Starfall Kingdom is not in the hands of the Nez n right now, is it? And I have heard that even before the Lc War, the Nez n was only rtively influential in the Starfall Kingdom. Even if you regain your former status, so what?"
"How can you make me believe that the Nez n will have the power to control the Starfall Kingdom in the future? Not to mention, to gain this so-callednd, wouldn''t I need to contribute manpower, resources, and fully support the Nez n''s war efforts?"
"Using a future promise ofnd to gain my support—how is that any different from me personally conquering a piece ofnd myself?"
Count Yurst''s expression grew serious as he replied."Naturally, it is different. Over the years, Edward III''s tyranny has caused the Starfall royal family to lose the people''s support. Once we initiate the war, it will inevitably be a war of session, and the new king of the Starfall Kingdom will naturally be someone from the Nez n."
"By then, we will naturally grant you thend as the royal family of the Starfall Kingdom. All you need to do is provide some support during the war, which should not be particrly difficult for the wealthy Castell."
"Moreover, to be honest, we have already gained considerable support among the nobles of the Starfall Kingdom. Once the war begins, the majority of the nobles will stand with us."
Charlotte shook her head.
"Count Yurst, there is no need for such words. If your side was truly confident in winning the war, why would you seek others'' support?"
"I understand that you want to be the behind-the-scenes power in the Starfall Kingdom, like the Vadat n in the Coria Kingdom. But I think you may have misunderstood one thing..."
"The Vadat n has always controlled Coria Kingdom and contended with the Holy Court, repeatedly driving the theocratic forces out of Coria. But the Nez n... lost its power right after the Lc War."
"You are not only facing the Starfall royal family but also the Holy Court that supports them. This is your greatest enemy."
"And I have no interest in waging war against the Holy Court. After all, I am a devout follower of the Holy Court."
Count Yurst: ...
He nced at Charlotte, who was casually making the sign of the Holy Cross on her chest, and was left speechless, not knowing how to respond.
A follower of the Holy Court? If he hadn''t known about Castell''s secrets through the Duke, he might have actually believed her!
After learning about the Thorny Rose and seeing the bloodborne servants in the count''s mansion, who would believe she was a follower of the Holy Court!
"Countess Castell, regarding the Holy Court, I think you needn''t worry too much. We do not intend for bloodbornes toe to the forefront but to support a new king."
"For the Starfall Kingdom, this remains a civil war, not a war of faith. And in secr wars, the Holy Court cannot directly intervene."
"We won''t repeat the mistakes of the first Lc War. Not to mention, don''t you want to know where thend we promise is?"
Count Yurst said.
Charlotte shook her head.
"Sorry, Count Yurst, to be honest, I''m not interested in gaining an enve, especially one that is far overseas and possibly muchrger than Castell."
"The duchy title is indeed tempting, but I have yet to fully control my own territory, let alone have the ambition to take on more."
"Moreover, if I be a duke of the Starfall, would I be considered a noble of the Starfall or a noble of the Crescent?"
"The legal standing of a duchy is higher than that of a county, and I do not wish to be a target of contention for both nations. Although the Star-Moon War has ended, territorial disputes between the two nations remain unresolved."
Count Yurst smiled.
"Countess Castell, you misunderstand. In fact, we are not promising an enve."
"Hmm?"
Charlotte paused slightly.
The Starfall Kingdom is an ind nation, isted overseas.
If the Nez n isn''t promising an enve on Starfall Ind, then the remaining territory can only be one ce.
That is the maind part of the Starfall Kingdom, the birthce of the Roman family, and currently the most disputed territory between the Starfall Kingdom and the Crescent Kingdom—the Roman Duchy.
Thinking of this, Charlotte looked at Count Yurst in surprise.
"Count Yurst, are you saying that your offer is the Roman Duchy? You''re going to give away the Roman family''s ancestralnd?"
Count Yurst nodded.
"You are correct, it is the Roman Duchy."
"The Roman Duchy is thest piece of Starfall''snd on the maind and also a neighbor to Castell. If you obtain the Roman Duchy, yournd area will increase nearly threefold, and the poption will more than double."
"Not only that, but although Castell has fertile coastal ins, much of thend has long been unsuitable for crops due to prolonged seawater erosion, leading to limited grain production. As I understand, purchasing grain from other territories is something Castell nobles do every year..."
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"During the Star-Moon War, Castell experienced several famines. If it weren''t for the war-torn regions surrounding it, Violet and Roman refugees wouldn''t have fled to Castell."
"Unlike Castell, the Roman Duchy has vast arablend and is a significant grain-producing area in the northern maind, and a key region for Castell''s grain trade."
"Once you acquire the Roman Duchy, Castell will fill its final gap and be the most powerful force in the northern maind."
"I think... you understand what possessing the Roman Duchy means."
"As for the legal conflicts you are concerned about, they won''t be an issue."
"The Roman Duchy was once part of the Crescent Kingdom. Even now, the Crescent royal family is eager to reim thisnd. If the Starfall relinquishes it, the Crescent royal family would wee it. You would remain a duke of the Crescent, with no territorial disputes."
"At that point, Castell wouldn''t need to constantly worry about the possibility of renewed war between the two kingdoms, as the most contested territory, the Roman Duchy, would be resolved."
"And as the middle ground between the Crescent and Starfall, Castell could monopolize the trade across the Star-Moon Strait..."
"Countess Castell, nond in the north is more attractive than the Roman Duchy. Five hundred years ago, before the Roman royal family ruled the Starfall Kingdom, your ancestors fought the Roman dukes multiple times for border territory. I believe... the Castell family is very aware of the Roman Duchy''s significance."
"Countess Castell, now... do you think our offer is sufficient?"
Count Yurst asked with a smile.
Charlotte fell silent.
She had to admit, she was indeed tempted.
It wasn''t that Charlotte was an expansionist, but the issues of Castellck of grain, being in a strategically dangerous position—were facts she had studied in the manor''s study before arriving. These were real problems.
Ordinarily, Castell could buy grain from nearby territories, but during wartime, it was another story.
The Roman Duchy had the grain that Castellcked. Moreover, the industries of the Roman Duchy and Castellplemented each other. If Castell acquired the Roman Duchy, it would significantly strengthen the north.
Moreover, Charlotte knew that the Roman Duchy was popted by the descendants of northern tribes, who had migrated there. Although they had culturally integrated with the Crescent people, their faith was simr to Castell''s.
Most people there... were not Holy Court believers!
ording to Charlotte, the Roman Duchy''s poption was twice that of Castell, around eight million.
In the long run, the Roman Duchy could be a significant source of faith.
Additionally, like Castell, the Roman Duchy was located in the northern maind, far from the Holy Court''s center, separated from the Crescent hearnd by the rugged Violet Duchy.
If she acquired the Roman Duchy, Charlotte could potentially develop a force that could contend with the Holy Court in the future, like the Coria Kingdom.
Picturing the future, Charlotte was tempted.
However, she remained calm.
Count Yurst''s proposal was indeed attractive, but the timing wasn''t right.
Currently, Castell was in a delicate situation. Though it seemed prosperous, itcked secr protection, faced internal noble ambitions, and external threats.
Since the fallout with Borde, Charlotte had received severalints from Borde nobles, all testing the waters.
Had Castell not avoided direct conflict with Borde, she suspected nearby dukes might have already initiated territorial disputes.
With internal and external troubles, Charlotte didn''t think Castell could afford to wage an external war.
Charlotte guessed the Nez bloodbornes weren''t aware of these issue. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have made such a promise.
As for why the Nez n suddenly sought to reconcile, Charlotte could guess most of the reasons.
The Nez n was likely short of funds.
Moreover, they probably aimed to use Roman and Castell to cut off Starfall from the maind.
They had foreseen the ''resurrected God'' behind Castell, though they didn''t know it was Charlotte herself, causing them to change strategy, attempting to ally with her instead of infiltrating the north.
Additionally, they might want to make Castell a buffer between Starfall and the Crescent, isting the Holy Court from Starfall Ind entirely...
The Roman Duchy was attractive, but as the Roman family''s foundation, it was a liability for the Nez n. If the Nez n intended to retreat to the Starfall Ind, it was a burden.
This was a transparent n Charlotte could see.
However, the Nez n''s urgency suggested they had more pressing reasons beyond regaining power...
Their desperation gave Charlotte an idea for addressing Castell''s current challenges and opportunities.
"Well, Countess Castell, have you made a decision?"
Count Yurst asked.
Charlotte gathered her thoughts and looked at him.
Her eyes twinkled slightly as she smiled.
"Count Yurst, your proposal is indeed tempting, but these are future promises, unpredictable. For Castell, if you want to secure our support... it’s not enough."