Chapter 59: 059 Lords Conference (Part 1)_1
Translator: 549690339
The day after arriving in town, Colin received an invitation.
“A Lords’ Meeting?”
After reading the invitation, Colin immediately realized that the lords who congregated in Ice Rock City were indeed preparing for some action.
Kaitlin didn’t seem to grasp the hidden implications behind the invitation, and felt only joy for her brother.
In her eyes, although her brother hadn’t formally accepted his conferment from the Duke to become a Baron, he had already gained the approval of prominent Lords in the North Territory.
“You need a Baron’s ceremonial dress!” Kaitlin suddenly declared seriously. Then, she rushed off saying, “I’ll go get one custom-made for you now!”
“Wait, don’t I need to go with you?”
Kaitlin looked back and smiled indulgently, “Silly little brother, don’t I already know your measurements?”
Colin stared blankly at his sister’s retreating figure. Fond memories from the past couldn’t help floating to his mind.
Those happy days continually reminded Colin of the close bond he had with his sister.
Would the sister he remembers really plot against him for a Baron’s position?
Colin suddenly felt unsure.
Furthermore, if it really was her, could she face him so calmly and naturally now?
Colin did not believe that his sister was someone with such manipulative scheming.
At least, the sister he remembered wasn’t like that.
Perhaps the whole assassination plan was orchestrated by Count Uman from the beginning, with the intent to create a legacy for his illegitimate son. And his sister, might have been kept in the dark the whole time.
But this was only a possibility.
Colin sighed, halting his unwarranted conjectures.
Even though he didn’t want the sister who had taken care of him since childhood to become his enemy, he could not fully trust Kaitlin before the whole truth was out.
Two days went by quickly, and it was time for the meeting of the Lords.
Under the somewhat nagging reminders of his sister, Colin left the inn and arrived at Sudor Family’s castle.
He saw the butler again, who tried to throw him out last time; this time the man welcomed Colin with a smile.
However, Colin couldn’t sense the sincerity behind that smile.
Upon entering the Conference Hall, Colin was guided to an inconspicuous corner by an attendant.
It couldn’t be helped, the participants of the meeting were true nobles who held real titles. As Colin had yet to officially inherit his Baron’s position, he naturally found himself in the corner.
If it wasn’t for his representation of the Angler family, his knight status would have denied him entry to the meeting.
The Lords entered one after the other and, like Colin, were each led by attendants to their respective seats.
This meeting was very formal, so everyone’s seat was arranged according to their rank and status; no mess was tolerated.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was grave, with hardly anyone speaking up.
As the starting time of the meeting approached, most of the seats were filled, except for one in the front row.
Just as Colin was trying to guess who the last seat was reserved for, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance.
Earl Dawson.
The Dwarf Earl, under the guidance of an attendant, walked to the last available seat.
Everybody was present.
In the front row sat the four Earls. Besides Earl Dawson, who was loyal to Marquis Garcia, the other three were subjects of Duke St. Hilde.
These were the people with the highest ranks in the meeting.
However, neither of the two Marquises currently in Ice Rock City were present.
while Earl Dawson could perhaps represent Marquis Garcia, what about Marquis Charles?
Colin seemed to have guessed the purpose of this meeting.
“Ahem,” Count Uman cleared his throat and declared, “Alright, now that everyone is here, let’s begin.”
Then, he looked around.
Seeing agreement from the other three Earls, Count Uman picked up a piece of parchment, and said,
“Today’s meeting is mainly to discuss the matter of Marquis Charles…” Colin silently affirmed his guesses.
Even though the Dark Cavalry decimated the invading Troll Army, avenging the past losses, it seemed that the Lords of the North Territory were not prepared to let Marquis Charles off so easily.
Or perhaps, these lords were still not willing to let Duke St. Hilde go.
They needed an explanation!
“…Two hundred thousand North Territory warriors dead on the battlefield, more than ten cities brutally plundered, someone must be held accountable for such a disastrous defeat!”
Count Uman finished listing Marquis Charles’s crimes, then pointed to the parchment in his hand and said:
“Therefore, in accordance with Marquis Garcia’s will, I have drafted this petition, requesting Duke St. Hilde to immediately strip Marquis Charles of his nobility!
Those lords who agree with this decision, please sign your names!”
Upon finishing, Count Uman was the first to sign his impressive name, then handed the parchment to Earl Dawson next to him.
Earl Dawson smiled slightly, and without any hesitation, he too signed his name.
Colin noticed that many lords silently breathed a sigh of relief and their eyes became resolute after seeing Earl Dawson sign his name.
Obviously, the addition of the Dark Cavalry had greatly boosted their courage.
As long as Marquis Garcia stood by their side, then replacing the master of North Territory was not an impossible task!
The third count also signed his name, and the parchment was passed on to the fourth count.
This white-haired old count slowly brought the parchment down to his eyes, and read it for a long time.
As if meticulously considering every word and phrase.
At first, everyone was understanding, after all, old folks’ eyesight and alertness are not as good, it was understandable.
But after ten minutes, the old count had still not finished reading.
It was clear that everyone was growing impatient, and many started whispering amongst themselves.
“Count Morrison, have you finished reading?” Count Uman couldn’t help but prompt him.
“Oh, oh, just a moment.” Count Morrison casually replied, continuing to read on his own.
After another ten minutes, he finally put down the parchment.
“Have you finished?” “I’m finished.
“Do you have any comments?”
“Yes!”
The atmosphere in the hall instantly became tense.
“Please, speak.” Count Uman’s face slightly fell, but he still maintained his poise.
Count Morrison chuckled and asked: “Do you know what I saw in this petition?”
“What did you see?”
“I only saw two words—” Count Morrison’s gaze suddenly turned sharp, completely devoid of the frailty of his previous demeanor:
“Betrayal!”
The old but resonant voice echoed through the hall.
Everyone’s expressions became somewhat unnatural.
Especially the other three counts who had just signed their names.
After a while, Count Uman casually said: “Since Count Morrison does not agree with our decision, he can abstain from signing.”
Count Morrison snorted, tossed the parchment to an attendant at his side, and disdainfully said, “May I leave now? The air here makes me sick!”
“Of course you can.” Count Uman gestured, “Knight Cain, escort Count Morrison out.”
“I can walk myself!” Count Morrison ignored Cain who had stepped forward to assist him, and headed straight towards the exit.
“Shh!”
However, before Count Morrison could reach the door, a sharp sword stabbed into him from behind.
“Ah!!!” Count Morrison turned around screaming, and scolded, “Coward! Didn’t your father teach you…not to sneak attack a knight..
“Shh!”
Knight Cain jabbed another sword, This time, he stabbed from the front.
“Pff!”
Count Morrison spat a mouthful of fresh blood onto Cain’s face, cursing:
“May every member of the Sudor family die a horrible death!”