Gospel of Blood

“Comparing the Red Lilac Family to the Purple Lilac Family, both branches of the Roman lineage, the latter is already thin in numbers. If Edward III dies and Prince Henry’s bloodline issue is exposed, the Red Lilac Family would have the right to challenge the Purple Lilac Family, potentially avoiding war and directly gaining the succession of the Starfall Kingdom!”

Count Yurst spoke with a solemn expression.

Hearing his words, Charlotte was a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected that there was such a hidden truth within the Starfall Royal Family.

However, Charlotte also knew that politics is a very complex matter. Even if the two Lilac Families had agreements regarding succession, actually implementing them would surely be another situation entirely.

The struggle for power is never smooth sailing. Moreover, since the current King Edward III concealed the crown prince’s bloodline issue, it indicates he never intended to hand over the succession rights to the Red Lilac Family.

Even if the Purple Lilac Family is thin in numbers, they are the legitimate royal family of the Starfall Kingdom and, as the ruling power, they are unlikely to easily give up their authority. They must have made various preparations for this.

Since Count Yurst had come to see her, it indicated that there must be some major flaw in the Nez Clan’s plan.

“Sir Yurst, the Nez Clan’s plan seems good, but since you came to see me today, there must be some flaws, right?”

Charlotte took a sip of sweet milk and asked.

Yurst sighed and smiled wryly.

“Indeed, there are some flaws.”

“In the Nez Clan’s plan, we intend to expose Prince Henry’s bloodline origins and use the kingdom’s parliament to nullify his succession rights.”

“Unlike the Crescent Kingdom, the parliament in the Starfall Kingdom holds considerable power. Especially regarding the kingdom’s succession rights, the parliament can even rival the king and influence the choice of the kingdom’s successor.”

“The long-standing Star-Moon War has greatly weakened the royal power of the Starfall Kingdom. Once the kingdom’s parliament nullifies Prince Henry’s succession rights based on his bloodline origin, even the king cannot oppose all the nobles and must comply, choosing a successor from the Red Lilac Family as per the agreement.”

“After years of infiltration, the Nez Clan now controls over half of the seats in the kingdom’s parliament. As long as the parliament convenes and nullifies Prince Henry’s succession rights, everything will fall into place.”

“But the problem lies in how to expose Prince Henry’s origins.”

Here, Yurst’s expression became somewhat gloomy.

“The Nez Clan indeed obtained the secret of Prince Henry’s origins, but the witnesses to this are dead.”

“Dead? Were they silenced?”

Charlotte was taken aback.

Yurst shook his head.

“No, not silenced, but died in a shipwreck. The witness was a captain who once escorted Prince Henry’s biological mother. Recently, he went to sea and was attacked by pirates, never to return.”

Charlotte was speechless.

“If you had witnesses, didn’t you think to protect them? How is this different from being silenced?”

Yurst smiled bitterly.

“We only discovered Prince Henry’s bloodline origin not long ago and were about to secure the witness, but we were a step too late.”

“After the Borde-Castell War broke out, the captain wanted to make a fortune amidst the chaos and went to sea. Unfortunately, he encountered pirates and perished at sea.”

“Although the Nez Clan has other evidence, it is not convincing enough. His death has made things more complicated.”

Charlotte: …

“So, you came to Castell to seek my help? The play you mentioned is related to this? Wait, you don’t plan to take direct action against Prince Henry, do you?”

She asked.

Yurst shook his head.

“No, we don’t intend to kill him.”

“Killing Prince Henry is not the best option. It is more effective to legally invalidate his succession rights rather than simply killing him.”

“The Nez Clan will support a new king but will keep him alive. After all, he is Edward III’s son. Even if he loses his succession rights, he still holds a claim to the Starfall Kingdom, which remains a threat to the king supported by the Nez Clan.”

“This is not a bad thing. The Nez Clan has been out of control in the Starfall Kingdom for too long. They cannot immediately expel the church’s power, which means the first king chosen by the Nez Clan cannot be a bloodborne or blood servant, nor can he be mentally controlled. Otherwise, it would be easily discovered and targeted.”

“But at the same time, without being a bloodborne or blood servant, the Nez Clan cannot ensure the absolute loyalty of the chosen king…”

“This is a deadlock, but with Prince Henry, it’s different. With him, the Nez Clan has a way to balance power, maximizing the limitation of royal power. The new king must seek the Nez Clan’s support to stabilize his rule, gaining more time for the Nez Clan to further control the kingdom in the future.”

“So… Prince Henry must stay alive.”

“Moreover, after the new king is crowned, the Nez Clan can even control Prince Henry as a future option.”

Yurst explained everything clearly, analyzing the current situation of the Starfall Kingdom for Charlotte.

Charlotte knew that this explanation was not just for her, but also for the “True Ancestor” behind her. As a blood servant of the Ancestor within the Nez Clan, this was one of Yurst’s tasks.

“I understand. You still intend to expose his bloodline origins but want to avoid revealing the Nez Clan’s involvement. So, you want my help?”

Charlotte pondered.

Yurst nodded.

“Exactly.”

“Even though the witness is dead, bloodline impurity is still bloodline impurity. This cannot be falsified.”

“As long as it can be proven that his bloodline is impure, his succession rights can still be nullified through the kingdom’s parliament.”

“However, this nullification should highlight the role of the parliament and nobles, downplaying the Nez Clan’s influence.”

“So… the Nez Clan thought of you.”

Charlotte felt a surge of interest.

“What kind of play does the Nez Clan want me to act in?”

Count Yurst smiled slightly.

“Madam Castell, are you aware of bloodline recognition?”

“The power of nobles comes from their bloodline. Many ancient noble families have ways to identify bloodlines, and the Roman family is no exception.”

“As one of the oldest noble families in Myria, the Roman family has a tradition that before determining the next head, the heir must go to the ancestral land to obtain the recognition of the Ancestral Sword, enhancing the Roman blood within them… or rather, the mythic blood of the ancient elven hero—Romanus.”

“This ceremony of obtaining the Ancestral Sword’s recognition is both a bloodline identification and a bloodline enhancement. It ensures the heir is of Roman blood while further stimulating their bloodline, increasing its concentration.”

“Edward III is gravely ill, and Prince Henry must also go through this step. Once completed, he will officially become an heir whose rights cannot be stripped, not even by the king.”

Charlotte was intrigued.

“You mean… because his bloodline is impure, he cannot pass this recognition?”

“No, he can pass. Even if his bloodline is impure, he is still a child of the king, possessing Roman blood. As long as he has Roman blood, he can be recognized. At most, the Ancestral Sword’s light would be too weak, lacking momentum… Although this could raise suspicions, the royal family can use various excuses to cover it up.”

“And once recognized, his bloodline will be enhanced, and no one can question his lineage anymore.”

“So what do you mean?”

Count Yurst smiled faintly.

“Madam Castell, under normal circumstances, Prince Henry would indeed be able to pass the Ancestral Sword’s recognition. However, there are exceptions.”

As he spoke, he gave Charlotte a meaningful look.

“And that would be when there is someone present with a higher blood concentration also participating in the ceremony.”

Charlotte took a sip of her sweet milk and raised an eyebrow.

“So… Nez Clan wants me to participate in the ceremony?”

Count Yurst nodded, saying,

“You could say that.”

“Both the Purple Lilac Family and the Red Lilac Family are branches of the Roman Family. The legitimate Roman lineage within the Starfall Kingdom disappeared with the passing of the previous king.”

“Although the current king has had his blood strengthened by the Ancestral Sword, his bloodline concentration still can’t match that of the former direct Roman lineage. Prince Henry’s bloodline concentration is even lower.”

“However, outside of Starfall, the direct bloodline of Roman still exists.”

“And that would be you.”

As he spoke, Count Yurst became solemn.

“Your mother was Princess Anne of the Roman Family, sister to the former king of the Starfall Kingdom. Your grandfather was the ‘Mad King’ Edward II, who escalated the Star-Moon War and started the Second Star-Moon War. Even more, before your uncle, the ‘Fool’ Henry, ascended to the throne, your mother had already passed the Ancestral Sword’s recognition. She later gave up the position to pursue love and left Starfall to live in Castell.”

“In other words, you have a higher concentration of Roman blood than the current king of Starfall.”

“If you participate in the ceremony, Prince Henry will surely fail. If he fails to gain the Ancestral Sword’s recognition, the council will have grounds to deny his succession.”

“After all, if he truly were the son of the king and queen, his Roman blood would surely be strong enough to pass the Ancestral Sword’s recognition.”

Charlotte understood. This was to sabotage Prince Henry’s recognition ceremony, invalidating his claim to the throne under the name of the Roman ancestors.

However…

“The Ancestral Recognition Ceremony is specifically for the Roman family head’s successor, right? How can I participate in it?”

Charlotte asked.

Count Yurst replied.

“The Roman family’s ancestral land was once on Roman Island in the Northern Grand Duchy, later moved to the current Roman Duchy, where the Ancestral Sword is also located.”

“Currently, the Ancestral Recognition Ceremony is held in Roan, the capital of the Roman Duchy. The Nez Clan has infiltrated the nobles responsible for hosting the ceremony. While they cannot sabotage the ceremony, they can secretly place you in a prepared chamber directly beneath the ceremony site.”

“When the ceremony begins, you will also be bathed in the Ancestral Sword’s light. With you there, Prince Henry will certainly fail.”

“I see…”

Charlotte nodded slightly.

But soon, her expression turned a bit odd.

“But in that case, isn’t Nez Clan worried that I’ll be recognized by the Ancestral Sword and become the head of the Roman family?”

Count Yurst shook his head.

“No. Although the Ancestral Recognition Ceremony strengthens the bloodline, it is essentially a ritual. The so-called family head succession confirmation ceremony is a tradition created by the Roman family to consolidate the status of their direct descendants. It is essentially a bloodline strengthening ritual.”

“Even if you are recognized by the Ancestral Sword, it will only strengthen the Roman blood in you and enhance your physique. What happens in the secret chamber won’t be displayed at the ceremony site, and Starfall nobles won’t see you as the Roman family head.”

“As for being recognized as the master of the Ancestral Sword, that’s even less likely. The Ancestral Sword of Roman is the weapon of the half-elf hero Romanus, a true divine artifact. It follows the agreement with Romanus to strengthen his descendants’ bloodline, but it will never acknowledge a mortal as its master.”

“Its master can only be the Demigod Romanus, who successfully pulled it from the stone.”

“In other words, you are essentially privately participating in a divine ritual to strengthen your bloodline.”

But I’m not exactly a mortal anymore, am I? Is this really okay?

Charlotte thought to herself.

However, her interest was piqued, and she indeed wanted to see the legendary Ancestral Sword of Roman.

Her personal records included a description of “half-elf” bloodline. She had previously thought this might be due to a marriage between the Castell family and elves in history. But now, it seemed more likely to be from the Roman family.

But…

“Sir Yurst, if the Nez Clan reclaims the Starfall Kingdom in this manner, what about the agreement between Castell and Nez?”

Charlotte asked.

Count Yurst said,

“Are you referring to the ownership of the Roman Duchy?”

“In this regard, I also have some doubts about the decision of the Elder Council. Although war may be avoided, the Elder Council still decided to gift the Roman Duchy to you to maintain friendship with Castell.”

“I think this is perhaps the Elder Council’s way of expressing sincerity to Her Majesty the True Ancestor. The Nez Clan doesn’t know that the God behind you is the True Ancestor, but they do know that the God behind you is a bloodborne myth.”

“A friendship with a myth is more valuable than a difficult-to-defend enclave.”

“Moreover, even if there is no war, the new king will need to expel the Theocracy’s influence after ascending the throne. At that time, your assistance may still be needed.”

After speaking, Count Yurst looked at Charlotte.

“So, Madam Castell, what do you think of the Nez Clan’s proposal?”

Charlotte thought for a moment and asked.

“Sir Yurst, is this proposal based on considerations from the perspective of the Nez Clan or as a blood servant?”

Count Yurst hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping.

In the end, he sighed and said,

“This is the Elder Council’s decision. I’m merely a messenger, adding some personal understanding.”

“Personally, it’s both. In my view, this matter benefits the Nez Clan, you, and Her Majesty the True Ancestor.”

“This is a win-win situation. The Nez Clan gains the Starfall Kingdom, you gain the Roman Duchy, and the friendship between the two parties will facilitate the True Ancestor’s future reorganization of the bloodbornes.”

Charlotte nodded.

“I understand.”

Then she smiled and said,

“I also think it’s a good proposal. As the Lord of Castell, I am happy to participate in this ‘performance’.”