"Your Majesty the Viscount, my servant seems to have encountered some problems. Please allow me to go and see what happened."
Charlotte bowed to Bruno gracefully, and then walked towards the door of the Duke's Palace.
Many nobles have gathered in front of the Duke's Palace.
Most people looked at Quasimodo and Nice, who was mentioned by the stars, with either curiosity, contempt, or gloating.
A few young nobles who wanted to express themselves wanted to step forward to help, but they were quickly stopped by the elders of their own families, who shook their heads to signal them to be quiet.
The Duchy of Bold is ultimately named Bold.
When you come to a birthday party, you naturally have to give the host enough respect, even if the other party is just a knight guarding the door.
It would be quite rude to bring a pet in quietly.
"What happened?"
Seeing Charlotte approaching, the gathered nobles made way.
Quasimodo, as if he had found his backbone, quickly came over and helplessly whispered:
"Master, pets are not allowed in the Duke's Palace. I wanted to persuade Mr. Nice to be patient in the pet area outside, but Mr. Nice was unwilling to go and wanted to follow quietly..."
"As a result... I was caught by the knight at the door."
Pet area?
Charlotte was stunned.
After thinking about that guy in Nice, although he was mean, he always had a somewhat arrogant character in his heart. She could understand that this guy didn't want to go to the pet area and stay with real cats and dogs.
but……
Charlotte frowned slightly and glanced at Nice, who was grabbing the back of his neck:
Aren’t you good at talking? Can’t you explain yourself?
Nice looked pitiful and innocent, with a bit of grievance in his eyes:
What's the explanation? Do you mean that I belong to the church? The church's Mr. Nice has become someone's pet. Should I continue to hang out in the church circle in the future?
Charlotte glanced around and her eyes turned cold:
Then go to the pet area honestly and don't cause any trouble to me. I will naturally tell the people at the Duke's Palace about the situation and bring you in later.
Black Cat's eyes instantly became anxious:
No! Let Mr. Cat stay with those stupid cats and dogs, not even for a minute! Not even if you kill Mr. Cat!
One person and one cat communicate with each other through eye contact without any obstacles.
It can also be regarded as an additional ability of Servant's Final Oath.
Looking at Nice's pitiful expression, Charlotte sighed in her heart, and finally decided to help it and settle the score with it later.
However, just when she was about to explain to the gatekeeper knight, Bruno's high-pitched voice came over:
"Eh? Isn't this Lord Nice? Osama, are you crazy? Put Lord Nice down quickly!"
After listening to Bruno's words, the Starry Knight looked at the black cat in his hand with a somewhat hesitant expression:
"But...pets can't..."
"Idiot! Mr. Nice is a big shot in the church. He is being ordered by the church to protect Miss Charlotte these days! Why don't you put it down quickly!"
Bruno glared.
"A big shot in the church?"
"a cat?"
"But doesn't it have a pet collar around its neck?"
"Wait a minute, the name Nice seems to have been heard in the church..."
The surrounding nobles were talking a lot, looking at the black cat with surprise and curiosity.
Nice:…
Maomao's face suddenly fell.
It's over, it's over, the matter of belonging to the church is still hidden...
It can almost be expected that those bastards in the church will laugh like crazy when they know that it is regarded as the pet of the Castel heir!
It can be seen from the sky that these days in the manor, it deliberately avoids the priests every morning!
All in vain!
Although, it did become the pet of an ancient evil god...
But can an evil god’s pet be the same as a little girl’s pet?
However...it can't reveal the secret.
Nice cat face is full of complexity.
After listening to Bruno's words, the Starry Knight was still a little hesitant, but after looking at the black cat in his hand, he finally put it down.
"Lord Nice! Are you not shocked?"
The fat butler had a flattering look on his face and bent down to say to the black cat.
Seeing that the matter of identity exposure was a done deal, Nice stopped pretending and sighed helplessly, then put his mind back together and raised his head arrogantly:
"Well...it doesn't matter, this Starry Knight is indeed a true knight."
"Meow! Mr. Cat just wanted to test whether he is doing his duty."
It held its head high and its chest proudly, like a leader going to inspect a local area.
"A talking cat!"
"Extraordinary creature!"
The surrounding nobles' eyes suddenly lit up.
Seeing more and more nobles gathering together, Nice quickly coughed, shrunk his almost invisible fat neck, and tried his best to put on the hat that Charlotte had specially put on a few days ago to punish him for peeking at the maid taking a bath.
The collar is hidden:
"Okay, the misunderstanding has been resolved. Let's go in quickly and don't block the door here."
With that said, he quickly slipped into the Duke's Palace and hid behind Charlotte, as if he was afraid of being seen by acquaintances again.
"Hey, Miss Charlotte, let's go in. The Duke may be impatient to wait."
Bruno said cheerfully.
After saying that, he took the lead and walked towards the inner palace.
Looking at the opponent's velvet ball-like back, Charlotte's eyes narrowed slightly and she fell into deep thought:
Nice said that only Dean Raoul of the Mission Hospital and Captain Carla of the Boulder Demon Hunting Center knew about its actions. Even on the night of the kidnapping, he explained that he met her by chance.
How did Bruno, the steward of the Duke's Palace, know that Nice had been staying with him during this period, and that he was here under the arrangement of the church?
Gazing across the fat butler's fat face that seemed always cheerful, Charlotte temporarily suppressed her thoughts and followed with a smile.
As for Quasimodo, who was not a noble, and Nice, the "guest from the church", they were received by the waiter, one of them was placed in the area where the servants were, and the other cat was taken directly to the reception area.
The size of the Duke's Palace is larger than that of the Castel family estate.
In terms of style, it is less luxurious than the Castel's house, but more substantial. This comes from the status of the Duke's Palace as a former fortress.
After walking through countless corridors, Bruno finally stopped in front of a fan-shaped door with a knight standing guard.
I saw him step forward and knock the door respectfully:
"Your Majesty, Miss Charlotte is here."
"Let her in."
An old voice came from the door.
After saying that, the knights stretched out their hands to open the door, and Bruno made a respectful gesture:
"Miss Charlotte, please."
Charlotte took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Behind the door is a rather spacious study room. There are countless books placed on the tall bookshelves, as densely packed as stars.
In front of the bookshelf, there is a carved oak desk.
An old man wearing a black noble robe and a wig is sitting at the desk, writing.
Feeling Charlotte's entrance, he put down the quill in his hand and slowly raised his head.
It was a very old face, and it looked like he was probably sixty or seventy years old.
He has deep wrinkles and is covered with age spots, but his pair of blue-grey eyes are full of energy, and his old face is full of majesty.
André de Pold.
The current Duke of the Principality of Boulder, one of the nine Dukes of the Crescent Kingdom, a knight of the third level of the Blazing Sun, is also a member of the Crescent Kingdom's cabinet, and also holds the title of Military Administrator.
Although he looks sixty or seventy years old, he is actually only fifty years old.
It's just that he was seriously injured many times in the Star-Moon War in the Crescent Moon Kingdom and the Falling Star Kingdom that lasted for more than eighty years, and excessive magical treatment overdrafted his body, which made him so old.
Of course, his numerous military exploits have also allowed him to accumulate a high enough reputation within the kingdom.
But unfortunately, a serious injury when he was young also caused him to permanently lose his fertility.
Except for his only daughter Eleanor, who was born in his early years and has been married to the third prince of the Crescent Kingdom, his only remaining descendant is the illegitimate son Lenore.
Looking at the old man in front of her, Charlotte's mind quickly came up with information about her bad habits.
She took a deep breath, held up the corners of her skirt and performed the vassal etiquette gracefully and standardly, and then said respectfully:
"Lion of Boulder, wise lord, Charlotte of Castres pays you the highest respect..."
"May your glory, under the divine light, forever illuminate the land of Castres."
Duke Bold looked calmly at the girl who was bowing respectfully, with appreciation flashing in his blue-gray eyes.
He nodded slightly and smiled lightly:
"Get up."
Charlotte stood up after saluting, and the Duke pointed to the chair in front of the desk:
"sit."
Charlotte picked up the hem of her skirt and sat down in front of the desk. Soon the waiter brought a crystal glass filled with milk and served it to her respectfully.
Seeing the girl's slightly surprised expression, the old Duke smiled and said:
"I heard that you liked drinking these when you were hospitalized in the church, so I prepared them in advance."
After saying that, he looked at the girl carefully and couldn't help but sigh:
"I haven't seen you for many years. You have grown up too. You are so beautiful and you are already the brightest pearl of the Crescent Kingdom."
"Looking at your eyes, I can feel that you have grown a lot during this period of time."
Charlotte was silent for a moment and sighed softly:
"People always have to grow."
This time, she didn't try to be cute.
Because she knew that in front of a figure like the Duke of Boulder, there was no point in being cute without foreplay.
"Yes...people always have to grow."
The old Duke nodded in agreement.
And then, he looked solemn again:
"Charlotte, do you know why I specially called you here this time?"
Charlotte's heart moved slightly and she bowed her head slightly:
"Please signal."
The Duke of Boulder did not explain directly, but suddenly stood up, looked at the map of the Principality of Boulder behind him, and said meaningfully:
"As the heir of Castel, what do you think of Castel's current situation?"