Gospel of Blood

Chapter 36: Game of Thrones

In the feudal era, there were generally two situations regarding the inheritance of territories after the extinction of a noble family line.

One situation was that the territory was directly reclaimed by the lord, becoming a directly governed territory of the lord or being granted to other nobles. This situation was not particularly common, usually occurring when the lord was strong or when the extinct family had not formed alliances or side branches.

The other situation, which was the most common, involved a fierce struggle, after which the territory was inherited by a marriage-related family or a side branch with a certain inheritance right of the extinct family.

The Myria world was no exception.

Moreover, because the Myria world possessed extraordinary powers, and marriages between extraordinary individuals could increase the probability of awakening extraordinary powers in their offspring, marriages among nobles in this world were even more frequent.

Taking the Castell family as an example, if one were to trace it, nearly the entire Borde Duchy, and even some other noble families outside the Borde Duchy in the Crescent Kingdom, had married into the Castell family, whether near or distant relatives.

In other words, if something were to happen to Charlotte, there would be plenty of families both within and outside the Borde Duchy claiming weak rights to the inheritance of the Castell Count's territory.

Of course, there is an order in having claim rights. Among all the inheritors, the Borde family, which was both the lord and the main family and had also married into the past generations, was undoubtedly the first.

Others were at most weak claims, but the Borde family obtained a strong claim. In other words, once something happened to Charlotte, it was almost certain that Count Castell's territory would return back to the Duke.

"How did that assassin bring in the weapon?"

She thought for a moment and asked again.

This time, Casimodo looked at the black cat, Nice, and Nice grinned, saying.

"It was temporary space magic, and quite advanced at that. Your servants aren't extraordinary, so naturally, they couldn't see it."

"Temporary space magic? Was there an extraordinary person behind him?"

Charlotte's heart fluttered.

"Yeah, meow, but he wouldn't say, or maybe he couldn't remember. He seemed to have been subjected to a mental-type forgetting curse, only remembering that he had a hidden weapon."

Nice said, licking his paws.

"In his words, even if he was being used, as long as he could avenge his family, he would willingly do it."

Nice paused for a moment, then continued.

"But if we trace it, we can still trace it back to the Duke's mansion, right?"

Charlotte took a sip of milk, squinting slightly.

Nice grinned twice, tacitly acknowledging, clearly having discovered "evidence."

"A fool who overestimates himself, used as a pawn by others!"

Charlotte's gaze turned cold as she added a new label to the assassin.

Clearly, this was another attempt to frame her. Indeed, from the perspective of inheritance, if someone wished for Charlotte's demise, it was undoubtedly the Duke of Borde on the surface.

Such framing would be more easily believed by the public. But Charlotte didn't believe that the Duke of Borde would be so foolish.

Nobles had their own rules, and adhering to those rules was the most valued thing among all Myria nobles.

In the game of power, many dirty deeds could be hidden in the shadows but not displayed openly.

If the Duke of Bold had really attempted to assassinate her and the matter came to light, he would bear the charge of murder. And this wasn't just any ordinary murder charge.

As beneficiaries under the extraordinary ruling system, Myria nobles had privileges.

Emperor Charles I, the founding emperor of the Yunette Empire that governed the Holy Court and established the current political structure of Myria, had once signed a "Sacred Code," which clearly defined the various rights and obligations of the nobles.

Murdering a noble, even a lower-ranking one, was not allowed in the political circle of Myria.

Even the Holy Court regarded it as a crime, having the authority to administer punishment to the murderer, and banish them from the church!

The divine right of kings, the royal authority derived from divine power, was also needed for the nobles to control their land.

It would be quite a spectacle by then.

Once punished, the Duke of Borde's control over the territory would even be weakened, not just their claim right. By then, it was certain that the inheritance right of the Castell Count's territory would not be obtained, and vassal nobles might even cause trouble.

No one was a fool, and everyone was watching the Duke's mansion.

It wasn't easy being a leader under the current feudal system. Each vassal noble was shrewd, playing tricks and deceits, obeying but disobeying in secret.

Even the Castell family, praised by the Duke of Borde as the backbone of the Duchy, was accustomed to falsifying accounts to lower the declared income of the territory, thereby reducing the paid contract taxes. Not to mention other families.

Most of the vassal nobles under the Duke of Borde actually wished for the immediate weakening of the Duke's authority, so they could raise prices and reduce the contract tax rates in their vassal agreements.

By then, even other lords and even the royal family of the Crescent Kingdom might be eager to fish out in muddy water.

The King would certainly not miss such a good opportunity and would definitely use it as an excuse to weaken the Borde family, even reclaiming some of the Duke's directly governed territories.

Centralization of power had always been the dream of every feudal monarch. So... as long as the Duke of Borde wasn't stupid, he wouldn't attempt to assassinate Charlotte.

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At least not with his own hands. If he did, it would have to be done sneakily, without leaving any evidence. Not to mention, that would be the lowest of the low methods.

Thinking from another perspective, if Charlotte were the Duke of Borde herself, wouldn't it be great to have a riding accident after the marriage? Even if not, the offspring would bear the name Borde!

The Duke's family was not without any other pla... damn it!

Suddenly, Charlotte had a thought, her expression turning somewhat ugly.

At this moment, she suddenly remembered the rumors circulating like wildfire among the chattering believers when she was in the church hospital.

"Casimodo, the Duke invited me to attend a banquet in a week and specifically reminded me that it was related to the future of the Castell family. What... does that mean?"

She took a deep breath and asked.

"Related to the family's future?"

Casimodo hesitated for a moment, looking puzzled.

Seeing his clueless expression, Charlotte knew that her old servant was loyal but probably had almost zero political acumen.

"Do you think... the Duke's residence intends to marry me?"

Charlotte voiced her speculation.

Casimodo frowned.

"Marriage? But the Duke doesn't lack male heirs... Wait! What about the illegitimate child?!"

His eyes widened suddenly.

Then, Charlotte saw her old servant, like an angry mother hen, suddenly becoming furious, his beard fluttering.

"Daydreaming! This is daydreaming!"

"He actually wants to marry our noble Castell family with a filthy bastard child, even if he's the Duke, he can't insult our master like this!"

Charlotte was startled by Casimodo's reaction.

The usually gentle old servant was now like a powder keg ignited, cursing the Duke's family from top to bottom, even though this was just Charlotte's speculation.

Listening to the opponent's lack of noble etiquette and filthy curses, Charlotte gradually understood.

Like Earth, no, worse than Earth. In this world, the status of noble illegitimate child was quite low. Not only did they lack inheritance rights, but they were also at the bottom of the noble hierarchy.

No, not even as good as a baron at the bottom. At most, they were equivalent to a knight relying on extraordinary powers, but still, a knight with a stain.

However, Casimodo's reaction also relieved Charlotte.

If even her own servant was so angry, then if the Duke proposed a marriage, she could firmly refuse it using the excuse of to not tarnish the family's honor.

Casimodo cursed for a long time. And as he cursed, seeming to tire or remember something, he suddenly stopped and asked.

"Wait, master, how old is the Duke's illegitimate child? What's his strength? Has he awakened his bloodline power?"

"About twenty or so, and seems to be Second Tier."

Charlotte said, raising her cup elegantly, bringing it to her lips as she spoke.

"Twenty years old? Second Tier?!"

Casimodo's eyes lit up instantly. He stood up, excitedly pressing down on the table.

"Master! We must capture him! We must find a way to capture him!"

"Pfft..."

Charlotte choked, spraying milk all over Casimodo's face.

But Casimodo didn't mind at all. Instead, he exclaimed excitedly.

"Second Tier! He's Second Tier! Such a young Second Tier Silver Moon!"

"You should have said so earlier! Then there's no problem! No... it's not a problem at all! Rather, his illegitimate child status is actually a good thing!"

"By combining with him, our family will gain a strong reinforcement, with unlimited potential! Strength can overshadow the stain. Plus, illegitimate children cannot inherit territory, they must be adopted, and our Castell family can continue the bloodline!"

"Not to mention, you have awakened your bloodline power today, and it's so powerful. With a strong alliance, we can definitely produce even stronger heirs!"

"Obtaining a Second Tier Silver Moon as an ally for free, and continuing the powerful bloodline..."

"Master! This is a huge opportunity!"

Seeing Casimodo getting more excited as he spoke, Charlotte's expression turned completely dark. She wished she could pick up the high-footed cup and smash it against his shiny forehead.

Damn it! Who the hell wants an heir? Screw you!

I came back here, cross-dressing, acting cute, and playing along... all for the sake of enjoying myself as a lord in the future! Not to friggin' strip naked, close my eyes, and lie on the bed for others to enjoy!

Marriage? Hell no!