Thump! Thump!
Marquis Vincentâs heartbeat suddenly quickened.
For a moment, he couldnât even explain his own feelings when he heard that his aunt planned to murder Colin Angler.
Unaware of his unusual behavior, Beatrice continued to explain:
âColin Angler is too dangerous and horrifying. As long as he exists, even if we successfully free the Eastern Territory from the control of the Church, we can only cower in his shadow.
This man must die!
And once he dies, the Blood Knight Army will be finished.
If you could become the Duke of the Eastern Territory, persuading Count Howell to change his mind shouldnât be difficult. As long as the North Territory canât cross the Angry River, thereâs nothing to worry about.
Moreover, with the death of Colin Angler, the North Territory will certainly plunge into turmoil; even if it doesnât, it will lack the power to meddle with the Eastern Territory.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Marquis Garcia is already old, and the battle in Shadow Gorge destroyed his morale. He no longer has the ability to rebuild the Dark Cavalry.
Thus, you can calmly reorganize the Eastern Territory and thoroughly remove the remnants of the Churchâs power.
You donât have to worry about interference from the Church, the Royal Family wonât stand idly by.
The submission of the Archbishop of the Eastern Territory alone is enough to convince the Royal Family of the St. Prowse familyâs determination to ally with them.â
Seeing Marquis Vincent struggle, Beatrice misinterpreted his worry to be the Churchâs retaliation and joked,
âEven if the Church wants to retaliate, they will target me first. Iâm not afraid, why should you be?â
Marquis Vincent didnât dare to confess his internal struggle to Beatrice. Instead, he pretended to be worried, saying, âAunt, are you really not worried about the Churchâs retaliation?â
Beatrice laughed off the concern, saying, âWhat am I afraid of? At worst, Iâll change my name and wander the world. Anyway, Iâve wanted to do this for a long time. Your father used to prevent me. Now that heâs dead, Iâm free.
I donât believe the Church would really chase me to the ends of the earth.â
Marquis Vincent went silent.
Mistaking his silence as him worrying for her, Beatrice smiled and patted Marquis Vincentâs hand, saying,
âCome on, donât be so weak. I donât want the future Duke of the Eastern Territory to look like this.
Besides, as a knight of the St. Prowse family, why would I be afraid of sacrifice?
I just hope my sacrifice is meaningful. So what you should do is to properly rule the Eastern Territory, let it shine brightly again.
Also, out of selfishness, I hope you take good care of the Fein family. Donât take your anger out on them because of Evan.
And about Evan⦠I sincerely hope you can show enough mercy.
You can strip him of his title, seize his lands, eliminate his supporting forces, but at least spare his life.
Because youâll discover one day, those who can step up in a critical moment to guard the Eastern Territory, sacrificing everything they have, will only ever be the members of the St. Prowse family.
Just like your father â he favored Kate so much, but when things were crucial, it was still me, his sister, who had to step up and sort things out, right?
No matter how good other people may be, they may not necessarily be reliable. As bad as Evan may be, at least his last name is still St. Prowseâ¦â
Listening to his aunt chit-chat about âwhat to do afterwardsâ, Marquis Vincent felt an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart.
For a moment, it felt like he was back twenty years ago, when he was officially bestowed the title of Marquis of the Eastern Territory by his father. That was the first time he felt the heavy responsibility and the exceptional sense of holy mission.
ââ¦Vincent St. Prowse, today, in the name of the lord of the Eastern Territory, I bestow upon you the title of Marquis of the Eastern Territory. From now on, you will bear the responsibility of guarding the citizens and vassals of the Eastern Territory, and take it as your glory until the day you die!â
His fatherâs words that day were forever etched in Marquis Vincentâs heart. However, as time passed, these words seemed to inevitably erode and wear awayâ¦
Especially after the disastrous defeat in Silver Moon City, Marquis Vincent felt his standing drop dramatically, while his younger brother Evan gradually received more attention from their father.
And when he was defeated once again in Silver Moon City and taken captive, the actions of his father and brother felt nothing less than a blatant betrayal!
It was precisely because of this betrayal that Marquis Vincent had no psychological barriers to plunging the dagger into his fatherâs chest!
But now, looking at his steadfast and composed aunt Beatrice beside him, Marquis Vincent suddenly felt a strong sense of guilt.
The pride of St. Prowse, the glory of St. Prowse, the perseverance of St. Prowseâ¦
Marquis Vincent felt that his actions were an utter blasphemy to the name St. Prowse.
ââ¦I, Vincent St. Prowse, swear on this holy land, under the watchful eye of the Almighty, that from this day forth, no matter what hardships I face, I will carry the responsibility of protecting the Eastern Territory, and the glory of the St. Prowse family, until the end of my life!â
As the promise echoed in his ears, Marquis Vincentâs gaze gradually became firm.
âAunt, how do you plan to kill Colin Angler?â
Of course, Beatrice knew nothing about the change in Marquis Vincentâs mindset. Upon hearing his question, she said,
âOnce I kill Kate, Iâll naturally gain Colin Anglerâs trust. Then, when heâs unprepared, I can assassinate him. Iâm very confident Iâll succeed.â
Seeing Marquis Vincent frown, Beatrice thought that he was worried about the consequences of assassinating a Count and started speaking again:
âYou donât need to worry about the consequences of doing that. Iâm already infamous for killing an Archbishop of the Eastern Territory, so Iâm not afraid to take on the bad name of assassinating an Imperial Count.
When the time comes, you can just publicly denounce me from the St. Prowse family. Better yet, expel me from the Eastern Territory, and I can start my life on the run.â
Looking at his aunt pretending to be relaxed, Marquis Vincent felt his throat tighten. He took in a deep breath to dismiss these useless self-pitying thoughts, then said in a deep voice,
âAunt, when you assassinate Colin Angler, be sure to cut off his head!â
Beatrice smiled slightly, saying, âNo problem. I actually really enjoy beheading my enemies too. Itâs like earning a commemorative medalâ¦â
âAunt!â Marquis Vincent gripped Beatriceâs hand tightly, his face serious as he repeated, âRemember, you must cut off Colin Anglerâs head!â
Only then did Beatrice sense something was off and frowned, asking, âWhy are you so concerned with Colin Anglerâs head?â
Marquis Vincentâs face went through a series of changes, but ultimately he didnât reveal the deepest secret in his heart. He merely emphasized,
âAunt, if you trust me, do as I say.â
Beatrice stared into Marquis Vincentâs eyes for a long while before nodding,
âAlright.â