The life-and-death battle between a knight, a female would-be knight and eight mercenaries in the territory of Asker Manor soon came to an end. The origin of these mercenaries, who they were hired for, and the purpose of the murder still need to be further investigated before the assassination case can be completely resolved.

When Sir Augustin Walton and his daughter Isabel returned to the manor, they were found covered in mercenary blood. Isabel, in particular, was killed to the point that her face was almost covered in black and red blood. At first glance, it was as if she had been fatally wounded.

In order not to be too frightened by the Lord Sir and Euphemia, the two were served by servants in their respective rooms to scrub off the blood and change their clothes. The personal maid Anne Cook did not expect that Miss Isabel, who existed like a saint in her mind, would have such a bloody side.

She didn't know what to say, but she carried her bloodstained clothes in a frightened corner as if she were hiding from the plague. After Isabel had scrubbed her face and body with the water she had fought, Anne said, "Aren't you scared, Isabel, when these people want to kill you?" ”

As Isabel was dressed, she looked at Anne, who was standing on the side, and said, "There is fear. However, in that case I was thinking about how to kill the other person before they killed me. ”

Anne tilted her head to ponder her words when another maid knocked on the door three times. After Anne opened the door, the maid came in and saluted, "Miss, Your Highness has sent a dozen knights to escort you and the lord to the castle. ”

"I see, you go first." As Isabel spoke, she was already wearing a pair of clean leggings.

"Isabel, the battle is over, why did Your Highness send so many people to escort you and the lord to the castle?" A new question popped up in Anne's little head.

"Your Highness did this to show the importance he attaches to Sir and me. Sir and I have sworn allegiance to His Highness, and His Highness, as a lord, is to show a gesture of care, kindness, and protection to his retainers. In this way, more people can swear allegiance to His Highness. ”

"Oh, then I should swear allegiance to you, too. Because, you helped me and my parents for almost a year and a ...... How many months? ”

"Anne, I'll ask this question when I get back. Now, I'm going to the castle. ”

Subsequently, Sir Augustine and Isabel were escorted by Herbert, Conrad and other would-be knights to Nottingham Castle. As soon as the two entered the study, the anxious Duke of Richmond immediately stepped forward to hug Isabel to show his special interest in the Privy Counsellor.

The Duke of Richmond immediately brought the two a can of French Gascony wine and two wine glasses, which the butler had recently purchased. However, Isabel prefers a glass of cider with a certain amount of alcohol at this time. Because she felt that after a fierce battle, she needed some alcohol to calm the nerves of the pleasure of killing several people in a row.

The Duke saw the look of disappointment that swept over her face, and quickly had the servant bring her a jar of cider. It was only after she had drunk a full glass of cider that her face became rosy again.

By this time, Sir Augustine had told the Duke about the assassination that had taken place in the manor in the morning. Henry's first reaction was that Baron Haswell, the magistrate of the county, wanted to find mercenaries to kill Isabel.

However, the conflict between him and the baron is currently known only to him and Isabel. Therefore, this matter cannot be told to Sir Augustine in person. He then turned his suspicions to Father Boniface Thomas, the presiding priest of the Nazareth Church, who had assassinated Isabel.

At first, Isabel also suspected that Father Thomas was behind the assassination. But on second thought, Father Thomas has been very low-key for more than a year, usually only making himself a figure of public attention during the annual Catholic holidays. Moreover, since the London lawyer had preached his rebellious ideas in public in the castle, Father Thomas had become even more mysterious.

However, the words of the last mercenary who died of blood loss before dying reminded her that the mastermind behind this must have something to do with "Patsy". Henry watched the change in her face: "Your Excellency, have you thought of something?" ”

Isabel nodded, looked at the knight sitting across from him and said, "Your Highness, the last mercenary with a tomahawk said one word before he died: 'Patsy'." Do you know what that means? ”

Henry didn't expect the mercenary to say this word before he died, he looked down in contemplation and then stared at Isabel: "Do you know the real surname of the Northumberland family in the north?" ”

Sir Augustine, who was sitting on Henry's left hand side, immediately reacted and whispered, "Your Highness, are you talking about Lord Northumberland, the county governor of Northumberland?" ”

Henry nodded and said, "Isabel, this Patsy is Lord Northumberland's original family name. It's just that the lord's domain is Northumberland, so everyone, including the nobles, calls them the Northumberland family. ”

"Well, if Patsy is the family name, it would be understandable. But why did Lord Northumberland send mercenaries to kill me and my father? To Lord Northumberland, my father was only a knight, and I was only a daughter of a knight. ”

"yes, it's hard for me to understand why."

At this moment, a servant knocked on the door of the study three times. With Henry's consent, the servant went into the study and saluted, "Your Highness, Miss Swift, the eldest daughter of Lord Darlington, has come to your Highness. ”

"This Carolyn Swift, what's the matter with me coming now?" Henry said strangely.

"Your Highness, perhaps the eldest daughter of the Lord has come to me." Isabel whispered.

"Well, if it's nothing important, you go for a walk in the garden with her." After Henry had finished speaking, he looked at the servant again: "Let her in." ”

Caroline, who followed the servants into the study, saluted Henry and then Sir Augustine. When she looked up, she was surprised to find that Isabel was also here. Then, with a solemn face, he said, "Your Highness, I heard that Sir and Sir and Sir Daughter's daughter were assassinated?" Is this true? ”

The eldest daughter of the Viscount of Darlington, who knew about the assassination in the territory of Sir Manor this morning, knew so quickly, which had to make people wonder about her purpose in coming to Nottingham Castle.

Isabelle's face was gloomy, and she looked at Caroline and said in a serious tone, "Miss Swift, how did you know about what happened in the Jazz Territory this morning?" ”