Not long after Knight Weber left, the door to the study was opened again.
When Colin looked up, he saw Vera, dressed in a beige long dress, softly walking in.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âColin, are you busy?â
âNo, what is it?â
Colin put down his goose feather pen, got up from his desk, embraced his petite wife by her small waist, and gently kissed her soft, moist lips.
Vera held onto her husbandâs arm, her delicate nostrils quivered a few times, and she asked doubtfully, âWhy is there a smell of blood?â
âI just taught a chatterbox a lesson and forgot to have the maid come and clean up.â
âOh.â Vera nodded in understanding, showing no concern. She then asked softly, âAre Prince Harrison and Princess Judy doing well at Agate Manor?â
âVery well, the scenery there is beautiful, and they can horse ride. They donât even want to come back to Winterfell City.â
âThatâs good.â
Seeing Vera hesitant to speak, Colin asked with a laugh, âHave you heard something?â
Vera nodded, âI did hear some rumors, and Joyce came to me with her complaints, earlier.â
Colin laughed lightly, tightened his arm around Veraâs waist, and asked, âWhat do you think? Does Joyce have ill intentions for Princess Judy?â
Vera bit her plump cherry lips, hesitated for a moment, and shook her head, âI wasnât there, I canât judge recklessly. Butâ¦â
âBut what?â
Vera lifted her head, and looked seriously at her husband, âBut he is my brother after all, and I hope he can live out his life peacefully.â
Colin blinked, and laughed, âOf course, I too hope he can live out his life peacefully like an average nobleâs son.â
Colin could understand Veraâs concerns. After all, Joyce was her brother. Even if he had competed with her for the Northern Dukeâs title and now had ill intentions, but considering her character, she definitely wouldnât want to be ruthless.
Thus, Colin made a promise â not to harm Joyceâs life.
Of course, he canât expect any power or privilege in this life.
Vera understood the hidden meaning in Colinâs words and immediately gave a charming smile, leaning in for another kiss.
Thump, thump, thump.
Just as Colin was enjoying Veraâs tenderness, there was an untimely knock on the door.
Colin asked irritably, âWhat is it?â
The butlerâs voice came from outside the door, âSir, madam, Count Evan from the East with his fiancée, Miss Sallya, have come to pay their respects.â
Colin sighed, and responded, âPlease ask them to wait in the drawing room.â
âYes.â
Vera wriggled out of Colinâs embrace, her face flushed. As she straightened Colinâs collar, she asked,
âWhy would they come to Winterfell City?â
âSallya is here to find her fatherâPrince Lexie. As for Count Evan, hehe.â
Before Vera could ask why Colin had sneered, she heard him continue, âLetâs go, let us properly entertain our distinguished guests.â
â¦
âCount Evan, Miss Sallya, welcome to Lion Roar Castle!â
âHonorable Duke St. Hilde, Count Angler, thank you for your warm welcome. We hope our unexpected visit has not brought you too much trouble.â
âNot at all, Lion Roar Castle is always open to our friendly guests.â
After a round of pleasantries, the four of them took their respective seats. Maids, swift in their movements, brought in coffee and desserts.
Colinâs gaze shifted between Count Evan and Sallya, and then he asked with a smile, âThe two of you have come to the North Territory this time for Prince Lexie, am I right?â
Vera looked at her husband, slightly surprised at his direct approach.
Sallya didnât seem to mind Colinâs slightly impolite question, she nodded honestly and said, âYes, Count, I did come to the North Territory following my fatherâs footsteps.
There are still many doubts surrounding the death of Governor Lattom, and I know my fatherâs innocence is hard to believe based on one-sided accusations. But he had some leads and thatâs why he came to the North Territory.
So, if the St. Hilde family could help me confirm my fatherâs whereabouts, allow me to contact him, or even assist in clearing his name, I will be forever indebted to you!â
Veraâs beautiful face wrinkled slightly in hesitation. âMiss Sallya, I regret what has happened to your father, too. However, before concrete evidence is available, I cannot use the power of the St. Hilde family to assist you or your father.
After all, I canât let the familyâs honor be damaged, I hope you understand this.â
Sallyaâs eyes grew dim.
Although she had guessed the result, she couldnât help but feel disappointed.
However, she didnât hold a grudge against Vera. After all, Prince Lexie was now accused of killing a governor. No family would be willing to aid him publicly.
Count Evan, underneath the table, gently patted his fiancéeâs hand in an attempt to comfort her, and was about to speak when Colin suddenly said:
âMiss Sallya, I met Prince Lexie just a half a month ago.â
âReally? Where?â Sallya asked eagerly, lifting her head in surprise.
âIn Swan City.â
âSwan City?â The news stirred something in Count Evanâs mind, leading him to the recent dramatic events the city had experienced.
âIs my father still in Swan City?â Sallya hurriedly asked. Her restless demeanor suggested she would immediately rush to Swan City if she received an affirmative answer from Colin.
However, in Sallyaâs disappointed gaze, Colin slowly shook his head, saying:
âI donât think so.â
âDo you know where he might have gone?â Sallya ventured, having little hope. From what she knew about her father, he wouldnât reveal his whereabouts to someone he was unfamiliar with.
Surprisingly, Colin nodded. âPrince Lexie should be in Floral City.â
Sallyaâs face lit up with joy. âReally? I donât doubt you, Count Angler, but why would my father go to Floral City?â
Colin said in a half-truth, half-lie manner: âYou should have heard about the incident that happened in Swan City, right? Indeed, the initial appearance of Prince Lexie in Swan City was to investigate the death of Bishop John.â
Upon hearing this, Evan, out of curiosity, asked: âDidnât Bishop John die because of Lucien? Why would the prince go to Floral City?â
âLucien was indeed one of the culprits, but the real mastermind was someone else.â
âWho was it?â
Colin took a sip of his coffee, apparently hesitant about the question.
After a moment, he said slowly: âIâm sorry, but even I canât be sure of the true identity of the mastermind. I canât tell you right now.â
Count Evan shifted his gaze, asking: âCould this anything to do with the Morrison family?â
âPrince Lexie indeed had such a suspicion.â Colin quickly passed the blame.
Count Evan stared at Colin for a long while but couldnât read anything from his inscrutable face. He ventured another question: âCount Angler, why would Prince Lexie take such an interest in the death of Bishop John?â
Colin shrugged, saying: âIâm not clear about that. Perhaps he felt that it was related to Governor Lattomâs death.â
Count Evan immediately fell into deep contemplation.
He didnât fully trust Colinâs words, but couldnât figure out the latterâs intention.
Meanwhile, Sallya, who had been impatient, immediately thanked him. âCount Angler, thank you for the information. If you need any help in the future, please donât hesitate to ask!â
Having said that, the sprightly Miss Sallya immediately stood up to bid farewell to Vera and Colin.
Vera tried to retain her for a little while, but Sallya, with her heart set on her father, couldnât stay for long and left Lion Roar Castle shortly after.
Colin watched the two leave until their figures disappeared into the distance. He then discreetly sent two blood slaves to follow them.
In fact, the reason he encouraged Sallya to go to Floral City was to locate Prince Lexie through them.
Though the prince should have arrived in Floral City by now, Colinâs informants there had noticed no signs of him. He didnât know if Prince Lexie had failed to find the mysterious basement or if the Morrison Family had moved the Blood Pool elsewhere ahead of time.
In short, Colin was uncertain what the prince was up to and where he was.
This made him feel a bit uneasy.
However, it was impossible for him to dispatch blood slaves to track a Holy Knight. Therefore, he could only try to indirectly monitor Prince Lexieâs movements by tracking Sallya.
Moreover, he specifically mentioned the death of Bishop John, hoping that Count Evan and Sallya would investigate the matter, preferably catching a slip-up by Mr. Ji.
If this led to a confrontation between Prince Lexie and Mr. Ji, Colin would be more than happy.
Both of them were ticking time bombs for the North Territory. Colin wished nothing more than for them to fight each other and self-destruct.