Charlotte thought she might be invited soon, but she didn't expect the invitation to come so quickly.
Not only that, the person who invited her was Duke Gaston, a representative of the neutral nobles of the kingdom.
The so-called neutral nobles, as the name suggests, are those nobles who remain neutral in the struggle for the throne.
They neither supported the second prince nor the third prince, and at the same time, they did not actively support the king to strengthen centralization of power like the royal party nobles.
This made Charlotte very curious.
She represented Castel and also represented the power to overthrow the third prince. She thought that the people who took the initiative to invite her would be the nobles who supported the second prince, but she did not expect that it would be a neutral party.
"Sebas, why do you think the neutral nobles invited me to the banquet? Doesn't it mean that these neutral nobles never participate in the battle for throne succession?"
Looking at the invitation in her hand, Charlotte asked thoughtfully.
Sebastian thought for a while, frowned and shook his head:
"Master, I don't understand either..."
"Perhaps... the actions of the third prince also violated their bottom line? So they also chose to stand up?"
After hearing Sebastian's words, Charlotte's heart moved slightly.
It's not impossible.
But then again, even the neutral nobles chose to support the Central Council's trial of the third prince, so the second prince's party should be at the forefront, right?
Thinking of this, Charlotte became even more confused.
"Master, the banquet is held tonight, do you want to attend?"
Sebastian asked.
Charlotte glanced at the invitation and nodded slightly:
"Go, why don't you go? No matter what the situation is, just go and have a look and you will know."
One of the purposes of coming to attend the Central Committee meeting is to make friends with the nobles. Now that you have the invitation, it’s just a matter of coming.
As for taking sides, Charlotte has no idea at the moment.
Her original intention was to remain as neutral as possible after successfully attacking the third prince, but after she declined the church's invitation, she changed slightly.
Now, she wants to see the specific situation before making a decision.
…
Duke Gaston's banquet was held in the evening at the Gaston family's manor in the royal capital.
As a major noble of the kingdom, the Gaston family's manor is also located in the inner city, but it is a little far away from the manor Charlotte rents, on the other side of the palace.
In the evening, seeing that the time was almost up, Charlotte changed into a black dress and boarded the carriage.
Since she was attending a banquet, she did not bring too many entourages. Instead, she only followed the aristocratic practice of bringing along the butler Sebas and the personal maid.
Including the blood-born Rena and the black dragon Eudosia.
When Charlotte arrived at the Gaston family's manor, many nobles had already arrived one after another.
The Gaston family's manor is not small. Charlotte estimates that it is four or five times the size of the manor she rented. Carriages come and go at the entrance of the manor. It is luxuriously decorated and has various emblems inlaid on the sides. All are on the front.
The noble family came to attend the banquet.
Although night has fallen, the lights in the manor are bright, and the waiters are busy receiving the nobles who come to the banquet.
Charlotte was a little surprised.
The number of nobles attending the banquet... was much more than she imagined.
Not only that, she also saw many badges that she recognized, all of which were from the great nobles of the Crescent Kingdom, including several other duke families.
When Charlotte looked at the noble families attending the banquet, the nobles also noticed the carriage of the Castel family.
A similar scene occurred again. When the Castel family's carriage passed by, many noble families' carriages consciously moved out of the way.
In a sense, this is equivalent to reflecting status.
Although Charlotte is only an earl, I am afraid that no noble under the duke can underestimate her.
Charlotte could feel many eyes on her carriage.
And when she stepped out of the carriage accompanied by Sebastian, she immediately became the focus of the entire manor, and the number of eyes that looked at her almost doubled again...
Most of them are curious and surprised, but there are also some inquiries and even hostility.
Um?
hostility?
Charlotte's heart moved slightly.
The vampire's senses are still very keen.
Although that kind of hostility was very indifferent, and it might just mean wariness and displeasure, she still sensed it.
She looked along the line of sight and saw a middle-aged nobleman about forty or fifty years old getting off the carriage in the distance.
The manor housekeepers and waiters surrounding the noble were very respectful.
When Charlotte looked at the noble, the noble looked at her.
However, when Charlotte cast her gaze, the other party quickly withdrew his gaze and entered the manor house under the guidance of the waiter.
Charlotte raised her eyebrows.
Without him, she recognized the other person's identity.
Or to be more precise, he recognized the other party's identity through the family crest on the other party's carriage.
The emblem of the other family is a sword and a griffon. In the Crescent Kingdom, there is only one family with such a emblem, and that is the Prutz family, one of the nine major ducal families.
Although they were far apart, Charlotte could still feel the powerful and extraordinary aura of the middle-aged nobleman.
This is a blazing sun.
"Huh? Duke Prussia? He's here too? Isn't he a die-hard supporter of the third prince? And he's here to attend the banquet?"
Sebastian's surprised voice came from beside him, attracting Charlotte's attention.
"Prince Prussia?"
Charlotte raised her eyebrows.
Interesting, really interesting.
The banquet held by the neutral nobles was actually attended by representative nobles who supported the third prince, and the Duke himself attended.
Not only that, the number of nobles who came to the banquet was a bit ridiculous.
Looking at the endless stream of carriages and the many family crests that can only be seen in the book collection, Charlotte believed that all the famous families in the Crescent Moon came to attend this banquet.
It seems... tonight's banquet is not that simple.
"Lord Count Castells, welcome to tonight's banquet. Please follow me."
After Charlotte got off the carriage, the manor's butler and waiter quickly came over and spoke respectfully.
Charlotte looked away, nodded slightly, and then followed the waiter into the manor house.
The Gaston family's manor house is also quite grand, and its level of luxury is much greater than Charlotte's Earl's Mansion. When Charlotte entered the banquet hall, it was already quite lively.
In the hall, tall stone pillars surround the entire banquet hall. The huge long table is covered with gorgeous tablecloths and filled with gold and silver tableware, exquisite porcelain and rare glasses. A blazing bonfire is burning in the fireplace, emitting
Emits warm light and subtle fragrance.
The nobles in gorgeous costumes were chatting and laughing, gathering together in small groups as family units.
The waiters shuttled among the crowd, holding wine glasses and trays, carefully pouring wine for the guests, and the musicians played sweet and melodious music.
The entire banquet hall was filled with a cheerful and joyful atmosphere.
However, the moment Charlotte entered the banquet hall, her figure paused slightly.