On January 5, 1037, after a half-year trip to Italy, William finally set foot in the territory of Evreux and returned to William's own Barony of Vernon, but William did not feel relaxed when he returned to Evle, and the uneasiness that permeated his heart became more and more intense.

On the way to Fort Vernon, William found that neither the noble knights, nor the country gentlemen, nor the officials nor the merchants had any smiles, and they all had sad faces, but only went about their business in silence.

In this strange atmosphere, William led his army to escort Robert's coffin all the way, and on January 7, 1037, William finally returned to Fort Vernon, where he immediately summoned Steward Osborne and Sir Hubert, who had been waiting anxiously for him, to inquire about the situation.

"Master William, you're finally back, uh..." Before William could ask about the situation, Steward Osborne couldn't cry when he saw William.

"What the hell is going on? Why is everyone's face so sad and heavy? William asked Sir Hubert, who was a little calmer.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness William, but I'm going to tell you some sad news." Sir Hubert hesitated for a moment, but told William the truth, and said, "Your uncle and grandfather, Earl Robert, died five days ago, please pay your respects." ”

"This..."When he first heard the news, William only felt that his eyes were dark, and he lost all his strength and was almost about to fall.

Count Robert is the person who cares most about William in the world, he is not only the respected patriarch of the Normandy family, but also William's spiritual support after the loss of his father Robert, William can't imagine how he will face all this after the loss of Count Robert.

"Young Master William, please cheer up." Osborne put his hands on William's body and comforted him softly: "Count Robert missed you the most in his lifetime, and he wanted to see you very much in his last days, but unfortunately you were not there at that time. Your Highness William, you must make a trip to the Evreux County Wardens, to see off Earl Robert. ”

William cheered himself up, looked up at Steward Osborne and said, "You are right, Steward Osborne, Sir Hubert, I must go to the Evreux County Guard to see off Uncle Robert. Steward Osborne, please take care of my father Robert's coffin, and I must make a trip to the county guard of Evreux. ”

"You can rest assured." Steward Osborne nodded in response.

"Sir Hubert, please come with me, and take my army with you." William turned to Sir Hubert and said.

"Are you worried about Baron Richard? He seems to have been much quieter over the years, and has been on our side a lot of the time, so why should you worry about Baron Richard? Sir Hubert asked, puzzled.

"I hope my worries are unfounded, but I still have to guard against it, after all, he is also the legitimate illegitimate son of his uncle Robert, and although he is not a member of the House of Normandy, he still has the right to claim the title of Count of Evre. I can't take any risks right now and pin my comfort on others. William still shook his head and insisted.

"Okay, then we will lead 5,000 standing troops with you, and as for the 1,000 tired standing soldiers under your command, they can rest in the castle first, and the 800 standing militia will be disbanded and conscripted first, and the 5,000 standing troops will be enough to suppress all rebellions." Sir Hubert didn't want William to take any risks, and in the face of William's insistence, Sir Hubert nodded in response.

The soldiers who had returned from the arduous journey could finally rest for a while, and the last thing they wanted to do now was to go home and be with their families. After several hours of preparation, William, despite his tired body, took Sir Hubert and five thousand soldiers with him and three thousand standing militia stationed near Fort Vernon, and marched along the newly constructed road.

Sure enough, when William arrived at the Hand of the Evreux County Governor, he met Baron Richard, who was also leading the army, outside the city, and the appearance of fifteen hundred soldiers in full armor seemed to indicate that the master of this army had been preparing for this moment for a long time.

"Lord Baron Richard, please come with me to Count Robert's funeral." In the face of the seemingly rebellious Baron Richard, William did not show any guilt, and still said calmly.

At this time, William did not want to stain blood in front of the spirit of his uncle, Count Robert, so he restrained the desire for conflict and calmly conversed with Baron Richard. In William's view, it is normal for Baron Richard, who has the right of inheritance to Evler, to want to seize the position of Earl after the death of Count Robert and when William has not returned, William will let it go first, and then look at Baron Richard's performance before making a decision after the situation is stable.

Faced with William's army, which was several times larger than his, Baron Richard sensibly chose to succumb, only to see that his face was as usual, and he said in a respectful tone: "I have come to the county of Evreux to guard the mansion this time in order to pay tribute to my lord, Earl Robert. Your Highness William, allow me to accompany you. ”

William was very satisfied with Richard's practical attitude, and after instructing Andrew to lead an army to monitor Richard's army outside the city, William took Sir Hubert, Baron Richard, and a group of guards into the castle of the Evres County Guard.

"William, you have finally arrived, and now I ask you to inherit the title of Count of Evreux, which is also my father's last wish." When William's uncle, Baron Adolphus, saw William's arrival, he immediately showed a happy expression, grabbed William's arm tightly and said.

"Don't hurry, Uncle Adolf." William shook his head and said, "I have to go to my uncle Robert's spirit first and pray for him!" ”

"Good boy, it's not in vain that your father takes such a fancy to you." Baron Adolph said happily, and as he spoke, he led William and the others to Count Robert's spirit.

As soon as he entered, William saw the huge coffin of Count Robert, and beside it was Bishop Hamelin and a group of priests praying for Count Robert, and on all sides, the nobles and nobles of the Count of Evreux were also gathered together, standing in order of rank and praying for Count Robert.

Surrounded by the crowd, William came to Count Robert's coffin, knelt on his knees, clasped his hands together, and hung his head to sincerely pray for Count Robert's happiness in heaven.

When William and the others had finished praying, Bishop Hamelin held a count's crown with a gilded silver ring and eight silver balls on the upper rim, and led the nobles in front of him along with Baron Adolf.

"William, as the heir to the Count of Evreux, please take over the Earl's crown and inherit the title of Count of Evreux." Baron Adolf opened his mouth to persuade.