Chapter 409
Viscount Lien Castel quickly met the leader of the reinforcements.
It was a rather handsome young man who, despite being dressed as a mercenary, carried himself with the grace of a noble, lacking any of the crude manners of a mercenary.
He approached Charlotte and bowed elegantly,
“Beautiful Count, we meet again.”
The voice was gentle, and it carried a slight Falling Star Kingdom accent.
Combining that with the sight of the war galleys anchored in the bay, the Old Viscount quickly realized that the leader in front of him was most likely a noble from the Falling Star Kingdom.
So… were the Count’s reinforcements from the noble armies of the Falling Star Kingdom?
Viscount Lien Castel’s thoughts stirred.
He couldn’t help but glance at the young Count, his gaze shifting between the young man and Charlotte.
With his seasoned eyes, he quickly noted more details.
The young man was meticulously polite, his demeanor subtly showing respect for the young Count.
However, it was respect without flattery.
This attitude seemed to stem from a deeper kind of respect, rather than from any difference in status.
Associating this with what he knew of some secrets of the Castel family, Viscount Lien Castel quickly came up with a guess:
Could it be… that this young man represented the Falling Star nobles who had old ties with the former Countess?
The more the Old Viscount thought about it, the more he believed it must be so.
Yes, that would explain why the other party would disguise themselves as mercenaries.
After all, old enemies who had fought against the New Moon Kingdom for decades, openly participating in Castel’s war with the identity of Falling Star nobles would likely provoke strong backlash from the entire New Moon nobility.
On the contrary, participating as mercenaries would be much more convenient.
The more Viscount Lien Castel thought about it, the more he felt he had unraveled the truth.
Of course, what he did not know was that Count Yulster showed respect to Charlotte because he regarded her as the spokesperson for the True Ancestor in the secular world.
“Group Leader Excellency, thank you for your support to Castel. Without your aid, Castel would likely have been in danger this time,”
Charlotte said to Count Yulster with a smile.
Yulster glanced indifferently at the few nobles following Charlotte and replied with a smile,
“The Nightwalker Mercenary Group is Castel’s most loyal ally. When Castel is in trouble, of course, we must offer our full support,”
Count Yulster said.
After speaking, he pointed to the tent behind him:
“Count, last night we captured a prisoner of special identity in the enemy camp, which you might find interesting.”
“Oh? A prisoner?”
Charlotte immediately perked up with interest.
Viscount Lien Castel also couldn’t help but look in the direction Yulster pointed, and when he saw the heavily guarded soldiers outside the tent, his eyelids twitched instantly:
“Could it be… the Third Prince?”
Yulster glanced at him and shook his head:
“The whereabouts of the Third Prince of New Moon are unknown; he most likely escaped.”
“However, the identities of these two prisoners may be even more useful for Castel.”
“Oh? Two people?”
Charlotte’s heart stirred, her face showing curiosity.
Even Viscount Lien Castel cast a puzzled look toward the tent behind him.
Following Count Yulster, everyone quickly entered the heavily guarded tent.
Inside the tent, two mercenaries cloaked in capes were guarding a young knighted noble covered in blood. He was pale, with his eyes tightly closed, seemingly in a state of unconsciousness.
When Viscount Lien Castel got a clear view of the young knight’s face, and the iconic Purple Lion Family Emblem on his chest, he exclaimed in shock:
“Count Linte?!”
“Lord Lien Castel, do you know him?”
Charlotte inquired curiously.
The Old Viscount nodded and answered respectfully,
“Count, many years ago, I attended a banquet hosted by the Duke of Violet and had the honor of meeting him once.”
“He is the eldest son of the Duke of Violet and the first heir to the Violet Duchy, himself a Transcendent Knight of the Silver Moon Second Tier.”
At this point, the Old Viscount couldn’t help but add,
“Count, this prisoner is indeed quite valuable to Castel!”
“He is the most cherished offspring of the Duke of Violet, and he alone is worth more than those captured Violet Soldiers, enough to garner us a substantial ransom! Perhaps even… territory!”
Hearing the Old Viscount’s words, Charlotte’s expression became clear, and she looked at Count Linte as if she were looking at a pile of humanoid gold tana.
However, her gaze quickly scanned the tent and she continued to ask,
“Group Leader, there’s only one person here. Where is the other prisoner?”
“Count, the other prisoner is not in a good mental state and has been placed separately at the very back,”
Yulster responded.
After speaking, he glanced at the large group of nobles clustered behind Charlotte and said,
“It’s best… not to enter with so many people.”
Charlotte nodded slightly and cast a glance to her left and right,
“The rest of you stay here. Lord Lien Castel and Vincent, you come with me.”
Viscount Lien Castel and Vincent Roman Fuer obeyed respectfully and followed Charlotte into the deepest part of the tent, led by Yulster.
Inside the partition was a simple bed, but the bed was empty, with only the blankets in disarray.
In the corner, a thinly clad woman was curled up into a ball.
Upon seeing the group enter, she startled like a frightened animal and quickly hid behind the bed.
“Miss Eleanor?”
After recognizing the woman’s features, Charlotte showed surprise.
Viscount Lien Castel and Vincent couldn’t help but exclaim as well,
“Eleanor? Hiss… the Duchess of Bold?!”
Upon realizing the woman’s identity, both nobles’ eyes almost simultaneously brightened.
And for good reason; this was the Lord of Bold.
The true Lord!
It was not solely by his royal status as a prince that the Third Prince Philip was able to wage war against Castel, but rather because he was the husband of the Duchess of Bold.
His entire power in Bold derived from his wife!
In other words, now that the Duchess of Bold had been captured, the war… could almost be declared over.
The Old Viscount and Vincent were visibly exhilarated, but Charlotte noticed the faint scars and bruises on the other party’s body.
She frowned slightly,
“Group Leader, what happened to cause these injuries on her?”
Count Yulster shook his head,
“The injuries on her were already present when we found her. She seems to have been suffering abuse for a long time.”
“Abuse?”
Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat.
“That’s right.”
Count Yulster nodded slightly.