Storm Castle... Grenwell?

The black-haired wizard's face moved slightly, and two extremely key words immediately merged into his mind, squinting at Ayton Grenwell in front of him.

Because of Charles Grenwell, Loren is no stranger to the Grenville family in Stormcastle;

It was a family that was on par with the Crimson in every way - their territory was closer to the south than Turin, and the bustling trade and warm climate made Stormkeep more of a garden city than Crimson Keep;

The warm climate made Stormcastle an important granary in the South, and their dairy products and variety of fresh fruits were popular, and the Nightingale wine was on par with Red Blood, if not better than it in some ways;

At least the black-haired wizard had heard Charlotte complain more than once that the red blood wine was too spicy to accompany a meal, and the taste alone was far less sweet and delicate than that of the "Nightingale", and the fragrance was richer.

The only regret may be that Storm Castle is less famous for its bravery, and the number of knights in the realm is also the lowest among the thirteen lords... However, Stormcastle's casting craftsmanship is very high, and it even has dwarven craftsmen who are extremely rare in the Empire, and every year Byrne and even the nobles of the Empire send thousands of orders.

The abundant financial resources have given the Grenville family of Stormcastle a lot of power in the south, especially many knight lords who have minerals in their territories, their land is relatively barren, and they can only feed their people by relying on the output of Stormcastle.

That's why Charlotte would mention that night how the Earl of Stormcastle justified her in front of the lords of the South—without the Grenvilles' nod, their gold and silver mines would be a pile of stones, and thousands would not be worth a loaf of bread.

"Ayton Grenwell, it's an honor to meet you. ”

The voice of the Count of Stormcastle interrupted the black-haired wizard's musings and dragged him back to reality, his gentle expression making people feel like a spring breeze: "Such an abrupt first meeting, I hope it won't make you think that we in Stormcastle are a bunch of vulgar people." ”

The other party's palms are white and slender, and the knuckles, especially the middle finger, index finger, and ring finger, have a thick layer of calluses.

It's a right hand that can hold a sword and open a bow, and it's very good at it—the black-haired wizard judged.

"You are being too humble, Lord Count. Formulaically raising the corners of his mouth, Loren quietly let go of his right hand: "I am very impressed with your brother... When it comes to etiquette, there should be no one in the whole Byrne who can do it. ”

"My brother?" Ayton paused for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Oh... You're talking about Charles, right?"

Well?

Loren raised his eyebrows, and his expression was also inexplicable: "Excuse me, is there anything wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm very sorry. With a wry smile, the Earl of Stormcastle waved his hand apologetically: "It's just that because of Charles, you may not know much about the situation of the Grenwell family." ”

"My brother and I had a falling out at a very young age because of some unspeakable secrets, and if it weren't for the kindness of the Turin family who were willing to take him in, this guy would have left Byrne for somewhere else—so Charles would not have been happy if he had heard that you had placed me alongside him. ”

After saying that, Ayton shook his head helplessly, sighed and lowered his head.

The corners of the dark-haired wizard's mouth twitched a little with a strange expression, and he looked sideways at Lusen beside him; The gray-eyed boy who was aware of it snorted coldly, tilted his head and awkwardly avoided Loren's gaze.

It's... The brothers in the world are still the same.

"I've heard that at the meeting, you were the only one who took the initiative to stand up in support of the Earl of Crimson Castle. Sensing that the atmosphere was a little awkward, the black-haired wizard hurriedly changed the subject:

"I have to say that this is very surprising to us, because all the southern lords except you have chosen to declare war on the Empire without exception. ”

"Of course, to do so would be self-defeating—the lords of the north have been dealing with the Empire for many years and are somewhat self-aware, while the knights of the south are a bunch of arrogant and arrogant fanaticians who only remember the heroism of the Black Duke, but forget the roar of the dragon. ”

The gentle Ayton said very calmly, undisguised his contempt for his family, with a natural expression: "The most important thing is that Turin and the Grenville family are related by blood, of course I have to help my relatives." ”

Close relatives?

Loren frowned slightly, why had he never heard Charlotte talk about it?

"Well, what's ......" Ayton looked at the black-haired wizard with a slightly meaningful gaze, as if tentatively asked, "Your grandfather, Your Excellency Leonardo Turin... Never told you these things?"

Of course he didn't say it, and I'm not his own grandson, just a pick-up waiter.

Although he thought so in his heart, of course Loren would not say such words... just frowned slightly without saying a word, and lowered his head gloomily.

"Uhh I definitely didn't mean to mention this, it's just ......"

"It's okay. The black-haired wizard barely squeezed out a smile and waved his hand at the Count of Stormcastle, who looked a little panicked: "You better go on, Grenwell and the Turin family are related by blood?"

"Yes, that's right. Ayton nodded, "Or the Grenville family, just one of the Turin bloodlines." ”

"One of them?" Loren noticed.

"Because the thirteen knight lord families of Byrne are traced upwards, all of them are blood relatives of the Turin family, but the relationship is different. Ayton bowed his head and smiled slightly:

"Excluding the Turin family, seven of the remaining twelve families can be traced back to important side branches of the Turin family, and there are even a few heirs to the Turin family. ”

"The history of the kingdom of Gubaine is, in a sense, the family history of the House of Turin. ”

"I see. The black-haired wizard suddenly thought: "So the Turin family became the knight king of Byrne......"

"It's a matter of course. Ayton's gaze turned to the side and looked at the portrait hanging on the wall with interest: "It was not Byrne who created the Knight King, but the Turin family, who was the Knight King, who created Byrne, and the Council of the Round Table was not a council for the election of kings, but a tool for the Knight King to unite the entire kingdom around him." ”

"The so-called 'Thirteen noble knights stood side by side, and the most exalted one was crowned king'... Hehe, it's just a far-fetched imagination of our descendants, from the very beginning, the knight king can only be Turin, and Turin is the knight king. ”

"A king is a king... It was never 'chosen'. ”

"But the past is the past, the present is the present, it's different. Loren interjected: "Only the knight who has been recognized by the most knight lords can become the new Duke of Byrne." ”

"Or... Only the knights who are the strongest and can defeat everyone can become Duke of Byrne. ”

Ayton turned his head and looked meaningfully at the black-haired wizard: "Among the thirteen territories, the Red Blood Castle is the strongest. ”

"Although the thirteen lords are nominally equal in power and status, everyone knows that this is only a one-sided statement, why is Charlotte attacked by everyone? It is because the Red Blood Castle is the strongest and the most threatening that it will be attacked by all the people. Ayton sighed:

"Thirteen counties of Byrne, but the area of the Light Red Blood Castle accounts for one-fifth of the whole of Byrne, and it is still the most elite core territory, and it takes at least three or four counts to unite to compete with it;

Loren didn't speak.

Obviously, the Count of Stormcastle in front of him was not just a polite, gentle earl.

If the other party is really willing to support because of the reversive blood relationship, then the help to Charlotte will be huge... But if that's the case, then why was he kicked out again?

And in the next second, Loren knew the answer:

"Tell me, Lord Loren Turin, do you really think Charlotte should be made Duke of Byrne?"