Chapter 575: Chapter 575: 573 Conference (Part 1)_1

Knock, knock, knock.

When Colin was woken again, it was already past noon.

From the maid, he learned that Pope Gregory and his retinue had arrived at Oak Manor, and the meeting was scheduled for three o’clock in the afternoon.

Having spent the entire night with Queen Midela and then brooding for a long time after she left, he had only managed to catch up on two or three hours of sleep, and he still felt groggy.

After having a quick meal and a hot bath, Colin finally felt more refreshed.

When it was almost time, Colin prepared to go to the conference hall.

As he stepped outside, he discovered that it was drizzling.

The conference hall of Oak Manor had been prepared long before. Although the space was not large, every detail was exquisite, showcasing the inherent aristocratic luxury of the royal family.

Colin entered the hall, casually took off his raincoat, handed it to a maid nearby, and stepped onto the thick woolen carpet.

The soft and comfortable feeling made Colin feel as if he were walking on clouds, and the slight annoyance caused by the rain quickly subsided.

The fire burning in the fireplaces around the room disseminated warmth, effectively alleviating the damp and cold brought on by the rain.

The interior of the hall was not overly decorated, appearing somewhat empty, with only a long table in the middle draped in dark red velvet and several bouquets of blooming plum blossoms on top of it.

The faint fragrance permeated the air, making everyone feel refreshed.

Colin arrived early, and only three people were seated around the long table—Pope Gregory, Cardinal Mensai, and Marquis Garcia.

All three were silent, apparently without the interest to converse.

Colin walked up, greeted Marquis Garcia, and took a seat to his right.

Pope Gregory and Cardinal Mensai opposite him didn’t even lift their heads, obviously uninterested in greeting Colin.

Colin wasn’t going to make a fool of himself either.

A maid behind him approached and poured Colin a cup of coffee.

Colin added a bit of milk to it, used a silver spoon to gently stir it a few times, then took a sip to savor the taste.

There were also fresh fruits and assorted exquisite desserts on the table. If not for the two “dead-faced” men opposite him, Colin almost thought he was enjoying a delightful afternoon tea.

As Colin continued stuffing fruit into his mouth heedlessly, one of the “dead-faced” men spoke:

“Count Angler, I almost forgot to congratulate you.”

“Congratulate?” Colin looked at Cardinal Mensai in surprise, and replied, “Cardinal Mensai, what have I done that warrants congratulations?”

Mensai revealed a cryptic smile and said, “Of course, it’s regarding the successful awakening of your wife.”

The color drained from Colin’s face, and the fruit he was holding almost dropped onto the table.

He immediately turned to look at Marquis Garcia next to him, only to see that he was also surprised. Obviously, he hadn’t expected that the church would have already found out about this news.

Colin’s heart sank. He knew that this meeting was likely going to take an unfavorable turn…

While he was deep in thought, more people began entering the conference hall.

Count Nicoll of the Eastland, Duke St. Gregorian of the Westland, Governor Durace of the South Border, Queen Midela… Finally, Emperor Reinhardt arrived.

“Everyone has arrived, let’s begin.” Emperor Reinhardt looked around the room, his gaze lingering on Marquis Garcia and Colin, and said,

“By the way, I’ve heard that Duchess St. Hilde has awakened, so I want to congratulate both of you! It seems that the Supreme Lord is indeed merciful, not allowing His believers to be trapped in eternal sleep. Praise the Supreme Lord!”

“Praise the Supreme Lord!”

“Praise the Supreme Lord!”

…n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

With a gloomy expression, Colin uttered the praise along with others, while understanding everything in his heart.

So it was Emperor Reinhardt who had revealed this news to the church. Then, who had told Emperor Reinhardt about this?

Colin glanced at Queen Midela sitting next to Emperor Reinhardt. She happened to be looking back at him, winking flirtatiously at her lover, oblivious to the fact that Colin was seething with anger.

Emperor Reinhardt continued, “Well, now that Duchess St. Hilde has awakened, I think the two of you can sit down and calmly discuss the matter, and come to an agreement as soon as possible.”

“Your Majesty, you are right.” Pope Gregory immediately added, “Marquis Garcia, Count Angler, regarding Turennes’s independent actions and his conspiracy against Duchess St. Hilde, I would like to express my sincere apology to you both.

Fortunately, thanks to the protection of the Supreme Lord, Duchess St. Hilde suffered no harm.

Of course, you need not worry about the unilateral killing of Turennes. I, on behalf of the church, forgive your sins.

Thus, our dispute should come to an end.”

Hearing this, Colin almost laughed out of anger.

Pope Gregory’s tone suggested that North Territory was to blame, requiring the church’s forgiveness.

Biting back his inner rage, Colin asked, “Your Holiness, I am also willing to reconcile with the Church, but what about the two conditions we previously agreed upon?”

“Count Angler, I will publicly apologize for Turennes’s actions, you don’t need to worry about this.” Pope Gregory responded nonchalantly.

Colin rolled his eyes. This wasn’t an apology from Gregory, it was clearly an attempt to pin the blame on a dead man.

But he still asked patiently, “And what about the condition regarding the independence of the North Territory Diocese?”

Pope Gregory fell silent.

Cardinal Mensai next to him spoke instead, “Sorry, Count Angler, His Holiness cannot agree to such a divisive act to split the church, and neither can our Lord!”

Colin snorted coldly, retorting uncontrollably, “If that is the case, then the North Territory will not back down either!”

At this moment, Colin understood that North Territory was unlikely to gain any advantage in this meeting.

As soon as the news of Vera’s awakening went public, North Territory would lose its biggest bargaining chip.

What he had originally considered to be a safety net turned out to be a step backward due to it being exposed at the wrong moment.

And the person who exposed this news…

Colin looked at Queen Midela, clenching his fists.

Why?

Was this revenge for his rejection of her advances last night?

Emperor Reinhardt frowned at Colin and advised,

“Count Angler, since your wife has awakened, why persist in this conflict? Don’t you realize that the empire’s greatest enemy has officially begun their invasion and will likely arrive at the Westland soon?

At this moment, we should put aside our differences, unite, and resist the enemy together!

Marquis Garcia, don’t you agree?”

Marquis Garcia fell silent for a moment before finally nodding, “Your Majesty, I agree with you, combating the Orcs is our top priority.”