Slowly withdrawing his solemn gaze from the parchment, Duke Bold looked at Lenno warily.
Looking at his solemn expression, Leno's expression changed, and his face quickly turned into disappointment:
"Looking at you...are all the things recorded here true?"
The old Duke's eyes fell on the maids and waiters around him:
"You guys go out first."
The maids and waiters bowed and left in a hurry.
Only the father and son were left in the study.
Lenno looked at Duke Bold with a complicated expression, pursed his lips and asked:
"The Balrog disaster ten years ago... was the Boulder family the real driving force behind it?"
"Did you plan the riot in the Tulip Earldom?"
"Tell me, are these real? Or fake?"
Lenno asked step by step.
The Duke of Bold was about to answer when Lenno said again:
"I want to hear the truth."
The Duke of Bold fell silent.
He put down the parchment in his hand, sighed softly, and asked:
"So what if it's true? So what if it's fake? This is all in the past."
Leno's face turned ugly instantly:
"Is it a thing of the past? So... the source of everything is really the Boulder family?"
"Did the Boulder family, which protects the Principality of Boulder and is respected by its citizens, secretly contribute to the Fire Demon disaster ten years ago? It caused thousands of families to be broken up?"
"And the purpose...is to restore fertility?"
"Did you plan the peasant uprising in Tulip, which displaced thousands of territorial residents?"
"Is this Bold? Is this what you call the glory of the nobility?"
Listening to Lenno's accusation, Duke Bold's face turned blue and white.
He was silent for a moment and said:
"Leno, what is recorded here is just one side of the story and there is no evidence."
"Evidence? I'm afraid even if there is evidence, you have already destroyed it, right?"
Leno sneered.
Duke Bold's expression suddenly darkened:
"Leno, pay attention to your tone and identity! I am your father!"
"But I don't remember having such a dark father..."
Lenno shook his head coldly.
Seeing his stubborn attitude, the old Duke frowned.
He knew that his illegitimate son had a very stubborn temper and would tolerate softness rather than toughness.
At this time, it is more appropriate to say soft words.
Thinking of this, the old Duke put the parchment aside and sighed:
"Yes, the Boulder family was involved in the Balrog disaster ten years ago. I also planned the uprising in the Tulip Earldom. But there is a reason for all this."
"reason?"
Lenno frowned.
The old Duke sighed and continued:
"Yes, my child, all this... is for the future of the principality and for you."
"I have long since lost my fertility, and I only have one son: you, but no one in the entire Principality of Bold will recognize your origin. Everyone will only regard me, Anthony, as the heir to the title."
"But I knew from the beginning that you are more suitable to be the heir to the principality than Anthony. You are my child, and you are the one who should inherit the title!"
"For you, for the future of the principality, and to eliminate Earl Tulip's right to inherit the title, I designed the peasant uprising in the earldom..."
"This is the case with the riots in the earldom, and the same is true with the disaster of the Balrog."
Leno was laughed out of anger:
"for me?"
“It’s so majestic!”
"So many people died in the Tulip Rebellion, and you actually said it was for the principality!"
"The Calamity of Fire caused so much damage to the Principality of Boulder, and you actually said it was because of me!"
The old Duke frowned and said calmly:
"I know that this piece of parchment says that I was originally trying to restore my fertility. I have to admit that the person who gave you this piece of paper does know some secrets from back then."
"However, this is not entirely the truth back then."
"The truth? At this time, what truth do you still want to tell me?"
Leno said angrily.
The old Duke completely regained his composure. He looked at his illegitimate son quietly and said slowly:
"Leno, do you know how dangerous the Bold family was ten years ago?"
"At that time, there were four Blazing Suns in the principality, three of them were not from my Bold family, and two were all from the Castel family..."
"The Star-Moon War has ended, and the principality is in dire straits, but the Castel family is thriving..."
"The Earl and Countess of Castel are famous, and the number of nobles and commoners who follow them is countless. When many lords of the kingdom mention our Principality of Bold, they only know that there is Castel, but not Bold..."
"Their strength is too strong and has already threatened our rule in Boulder... If they are allowed to develop, the entire Boulder will surely fall into turmoil."
"Wait...you mean..."
After hearing the Duke's words, Lenno was stunned for a moment.
The old Duke looked at him deeply and continued:
"Yes, you are right."
"I, Bold, am indeed the driving force behind the Fire Demon Calamity, but... the real purpose is to suppress the power of the great nobles who have become too powerful..."
"The Castel family is too powerful, and they are very close to Anthony. Even the Broglie family is their best friend..."
"Perhaps they were the arms of the principality during the war, but the war is over and the principality does not need so many blazing suns."
"We need to use the Blood Demon Order, the Fire Demon Calamity, and the Drunken Dream Salon to fight against these increasingly powerful nobles."
Leno was completely stunned:
"So you secretly encouraged Count Broglie? So you allowed the Fire Demon Calamity to break out? You watched the Fire Demon Calamity wreak havoc before your eyes, and you allowed the Blood Demon Cult to kill innocent girls, just to get rid of the stars.
The family that contributed the most to the principality during the Moon War?"
Speaking of this, he suddenly realized something again, and his face suddenly became ugly:
"Wait a minute...is this the same for Drunken Dream Salon this time?"
"Did you already know everything? You already knew about the existence of Zuimeng Salon, and you were just waiting to finally close the net?"
The old Duke was silent for a moment and sighed:
"Is not it good?"
"How can we get rid of those nobles who are likely to be dissatisfied with your rule in the future without resorting to the power of Zuimeng Salon?"
"Leno, I know you can't accept it, but this is necessary."
"We are Bold, we are the lords of the principality, and we cannot allow any subject to have the power to challenge us."
"Nobles pay attention to honor. By handling it in this way, we can not only become the savior in the eyes of the people, but also eliminate the threat."
"Wouldn't it be great if we could sacrifice a small number of citizens in exchange for the long-term stability of the principality?"
Lenno looked at the old Duke blankly, as if looking at a stranger: