The lord's eldest son and the young woman who was about to fight the duel had spoken very well as soon as they met, and almost everyone present could tell that the two had been in contact for a long time before, even the would-be knight who was unarmored and armed with a double-edged battle axe.

However, because his duel with this young woman was not yet over, and because of his temper, character, and position, he hesitated to summon up the courage to say: "Your Excellency, my duel of honor with this young lady is not over yet, so ......"

Joseph frowned, turned his face to look at him: "Fool, you don't even know Miss Isabel and dare to duel with her?" Retire! ”

Joseph's words validate a view that has remained unchanged since ancient times: a beautiful woman is a very powerful kind of person. Isabel Walton is a young woman surrounded by many powerful and powerful aristocrats. However, she didn't think that she was a woman who should be protected by men, and said with a light smile: "Your Excellency, in fact, I proposed a duel to your would-be knight. ”

It is evident from the look of astonishment on Joseph's face that he did not believe his ears or his eyes. But whether he believed it or not, he did hear what Isabel Walton, whom he had passionately pursued, said.

looked at her intently, but then directed at the knight and commanded: "I am the eldest son of your lord, can't I decide whether to cancel a duel or not?" ”

"Yes, Your Excellency, you can do that." The quasi-knight, who was ready to fight with all his strength, suddenly felt that the strength in his body could not find a suitable way to release it. As he spoke, he secretly planned to go somewhere before dinner to rob a farmer's cow, a pig, or a few goats. There's nothing wrong with venting your anger and strength, and at the same time allowing yourself to eat a free meal of cow, sheep or pork.

A bloody, brutal duel in which one person was about to be killed on the spot was forcibly canceled. When Isabel took the mask and cloak from the would-be lancers, Joseph looked at the silver humanoid face with some fascination, but quickly smiled and said, "Miss, I have long wanted to visit you at the castle of His Royal Highness the Duke. It's just that my head hurts a little when I think about something. ”

Isabel was keenly aware of his gaze, and she wondered if Joseph had remembered something. He smiled lightly, and said with some seriousness: "Your Excellency, you should devote your time and affection to your wife and your eldest son. At least, I don't want to see you become the second Lord of Lancashire. ”

As the two men mounted their horses, 10 would-be lancers and 4 of Joseph's guards followed. As the group walked slowly towards Baron Darcy I's castle, Joseph pursed his lips and smiled and diverted the subject: "Miss, Lord Darcy's castle has now become a huge military camp. If you want to visit here, you'll probably have to wait a few more weeks. ”

Seeing that his face had improved, and that he was only talking about the matter at hand, Isabel stopped thinking about the ransom that had taken Joseph as a hostage. Turning to think about his brother and Caroline, he glanced at Joseph and said, "Your Excellency, have you come with your father, Lord Darlington?" ”

"Yes, my father said that the nobles of the north should unite to uphold the pure Christian faith and save His Majesty from the hands of those wicked ministers."

"Pure Christianity?! Well, now I just want to know if Lord Darlington's eldest daughter is also inside Lord Darcy's castle? ”

"Carolyn? Yes, she was inside the castle. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"She had a heated argument with her father and was imprisoned by her father in Lord Darcy's castle."

Isabel asked eagerly, "Why did she quarrel with your father?" Is it because of this 'Prayer for Grace' campaign? ”

Joseph looked at her in amazement: "Miss, do you also know about the 'Parade of Grace'?"

"Yes, there are many people in the Duke's domain who have followed Father Thomas here. Well, can you tell me about Miss Caroline now? ”

"It was because of the hostage capture a few days ago that Caroline quarreled with her father."

"I see. So, where is she now? ”

"Well, sometimes in their own rooms, but most of the time it's with the hostages, taking care of their diet and body."

As the cavalry followed the road to the outside of a section of the curtain wall built on the southern perimeter of the castle, Isabel glanced at the gate to the right of the curtain wall and the watchtower adjacent to it, reined in her horse and said to Joseph: "Your Excellency, do you not care at all about the bad treatment of your sister?" ”

Joseph also reined in his horse and turned his head to look at her: "I told my father, but he forbade me to take care of it. ”

"In that case, why don't you let Miss go back to Darlington?" Isabel kept asking.

"My father was worried that she would leak some affairs, so he imprisoned her in the castle." It seems that Joseph was indeed a veritable aristocratic eldest son, a firstborn son who obeyed his father's orders.

However, this cannot be entirely considered his fault. Because Joseph and Caroline were raised by nannies and maids since childhood, there is a lack of a strong brother-sister relationship between the two.

Isabel shook her head, expressing great disappointment with Joseph's answer. With his heels tapping the horse's belly, the war horse continued to walk slowly towards the curtain wall gate set up on the road in front of him. When he came to the closed gate, Joseph raised his head and said a few words to the sergeant guarding the watchtower on the right, and the gate was opened by two sergeants to the sides.

As the cavalry entered the square behind the curtain wall, Isabel was puzzled by the large castle square that appeared in front of her, as well as the second curtain wall, gate, and watchtower in front of it. Glancing at the square field set up outside the castle, he said casually, "Your Excellency, why did Lord Darcy build this square outside the castle? ”

Joseph shook his head and recalled, "Although Lord Darcy is a military nobleman, I don't think he built this castle on a rocky hill. Because the castle has gone through at least several centuries since it was built. So I don't understand what the purpose of the nobles who built these squares outside the fort was in the first place. ”

Isabel sat on her horse and looked up slightly at the castle built on a hill. In addition to the square watchtower where the main gate is located and the semicircular main building located in the southwest corner, there are 6 towering square watchtowers connected with the city wall to form the ring wall of the whole castle.

At this time, she glanced in the direction of the main building very casually, and saw that there seemed to be a watchtower and a curtain wall on a small hill outside the main building, and asked curiously: "Your Excellency, does the watchtower on the outermost side of the main building have any effect with the city wall?" ”