Chapter 383
At that moment, the gaze of the nobles from the Northern Land focused on her again.
Charlotte swept her eyes across the assembly and said calmly,
“Ladies and gentlemen, although the Third Prince has significant power, we are not without hope of victory.”
“His collusion with the Blood Demon Church will inevitably be his downfall, bringing immense pressure upon him, and the Castel family is not without reinforcements…”
“I have employed a corps of mercenaries from overseas, who will soon arrive in the Northern Land, coupled with our united military strength, we still have a fighting chance.”
“This war is also an opportunity for the Castel family. Should we emerge victorious, we would have the hope of reclaiming the Tulip Count Domain and completely unifying the Northern Land.”
“The Tulip Count Domain is a directly administered domain of Bold, and after its reclamation, the Castel family will retain half of the territory under direct administration, with the meritorious rewarded accordingly.”
“Furthermore, once we triumph, we can declare independence from the Bold Duchy, and upon gaining independence, the Castel family will become a direct vassal of the New Moon Kingdom.”
“The direct vassal contract tax rate within the Kingdom is lower than that in the duchy’s domains; hence, the contract tax rate of all your families will be correspondingly reduced. Not only that… you will also have the opportunity to ascend a grander stage and participate in various banquets hosted by the Kingdom’s lords.”
“Oh, and regarding the Castel Mithril Mine, the annual dividends we pay to Bold from our mining workshop are a significant expense; all this can be spared, as the Royal Family already has the mining rights to more significant mithril deposits and considers our income trivial.”
“I believe… for any noble family, this would be a favorable outcome.”
After listening to Charlotte, the nobles’ eyes lit up.
The future described by Charlotte was indeed appealing. Although the Northern Land was affluent, being vassals under the duchy meant their political status in the Kingdom was quite low.
The Castel Domain was famous for its commerce, and nearly every noble family in the Northern Land had business dealings, often interacting with various powers.
Enhancing their political status within the New Moon Kingdom would be advantageous for every noble family, without any detriment.
As for the new territory and lower contract taxes, those, of course, were even better.
Of course, the Third Prince could promise these things as well.
But compared to the Third Prince, who assassinated Kingdom nobles, conspired with the Blood Demon Sect, and blatantly violated the Holy Code, Charlotte was undoubtedly a more convincing figure.
“Count, the Lien-Castel family is willing to follow you, quell the rebellion, unify the Northern Land, and resist the tyranny of Bold!”
Viscount Lien-Castel was the first to step forward, shakily performing the Obedience Ceremony towards Charlotte with great respect.
Soon after, other nobles of the Northern Land also knelt on one knee, indicating their allegiance and submission:
“Count! The Valley family also wishes to follow you and combat the enemies advancing against Castel!”
“My Morel family swears to the Divine Lord that we will follow Castel and resist the cruelty of the Duchy!”
“…”
Suddenly, a great swath of nobles from the Northern Land knelt on one knee, re-swearing their allegiance and loyalty to Charlotte.
Seeing this, Charlotte smiled.
She knew that the weakest link after her domain went to war against the Third Prince had now been fortified.
After the smile, her expression quickly turned solemn.
Within her solemnity, there was a dignified presence that belied her youthful appearance.
She gently drew the long sword representing the Lord of Castel, raised it high above her head, and declared,
“Gentlemen, please remember your oaths of today.”
“If that is the case, join me by the side of the Don River, and let us crush these overconfident rebels one by one!”