In December 1445 of the sacred calendar, Castel received its first snow after the beginning of winter.

As a county by the sea, Castel doesn't snow every year, but this year's climate is noticeably colder than usual, and the snow is falling from the sky, dyeing the earth a little white.

Five days had passed since Charlotte's awakening, and the rebels of the House of Lygliss were still stationed in the upper reaches of the Dorne, and as if they had forgotten to continue the attack, they had no intention of crossing the river, and even set up a long-term camp on the north bank.

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Outside the North Harbor, the aristocratic armies gathered from all over the country were ready, and tents of all sizes were set up along the side of the Castel Bridge, with no end in sight.

Shipping is busier than usual on the coastline, with cargo ships setting sail almost all the time on the docks of the North Harbour and new ships entering the port at the same time.

The strategic materials transported from all over the country converged in Beigang, supporting the operation of tens of thousands of troops, and the daily consumption of military rations alone was an astronomical amount.

The tension was felt almost everywhere in North Harbor, and the pace of the approaching war was so pressing.

Especially as more and more warships entered the harbor, military sailing ships from various aristocratic families lined up, and the row of swarthy stone guns on one side of the hull looked particularly oppressive.

For a time, the little count of Castel appeared at the meeting of nobles, and the rumors that the nobles were ready to go north to meet the rebels were also spreading in the North Harbor.

The eyes of all the citizens of Beigang were almost focused on the Earl's Court in the center of the city.

In the tavern, every drinker drank freely, betting on when the young earl planned to go out of the city to quell the rebellion, and how many troops he had gathered.

Some said 20,000, some said 30,000, and some even said that 50,000 were gathered.

But, no matter what people say, there is one thing that seems to have been agreed upon in North Harbor.

That is, this rebellion in the north, although it is mighty, will be extinguished by the little earl in the end.

The reasons for this judgment are also simple.

One is that Castel mobilized almost all the nobles in the entire territory.

Even if the Leglis family is full of martial virtues, it is definitely at a disadvantage in the face of the alliance composed of more than three-quarters of the noble family's private army and the elite troops of the Castel family.

Perhaps the nobles were unable to work together before, and it was difficult for the scattered northern lands to resist the army gathered by the Leglis family.

But now that the Count is in the House of Nobles, the nobles have found their backbone.

A territory of scattered sand and a territory of cohesion are two different things.

In the eyes of many, the rebels of the House of Leglis, stationed in the upper reaches of the Dorne River, had missed the perfect opportunity to capture the North Harbor.

On the other hand, as time went on, more and more cargo fleets traveled to and from the Tulip Count.

Even the most sluggish businessman smelled something different, that is, the garrison of the Boulder family, stationed in the tulip county, seemed to have begun to prepare for war.

Thinking about the relationship between the Boulder family and the Castell family, many people think that the Duchess of Boulder, who declared neutrality, may not really remain neutral.

Especially as time goes on, there is also gossip in the direction of the Tulip Earl.

It seemed to be a drunken officer in the tavern who had slipped his mouth that the Duchy of Boulder was also ready for war.

After this news broke, many people believed that this was probably some kind of agreement between the young Earl of Castel and the Border family after he appeared.

The Boulder family, who are of the Castel clan, will no longer remain neutral, but will instead fight as lords to help Castel put down the rebellion.

Of course, in addition to these arguments, there was another diametrically opposed rhetoric circulating among some other nobles in North Harbor.

That is, there are still many people who believe that the Border family is not trying to quell the rebellion, but is targeting the Castel family.

They are in league with the rebels.

There are also many people who believe in this conspiracy theory.

The evidence they gave was that the Earl of Castel had been ambushed on his way to the realm.

The ambush was instigated by Philip, the husband of the Duchess of Boulder, the third prince.

These two statements were diametrically opposed, and quarreled in taverns and various aristocratic salons.

It wasn't until two days later that a nobleman who claimed to be an emissary of the House of Borde came by boat from the tulip county to see the young Count of Castel.

"Lord Earl, Lord Duke is very happy to know that you are safe, and has sent me to ask you if you need the support of the Balder family."

"As Castel's backing, the Boulder family is willing to help you put down the rebellion as soon as possible and restore order to the Northlands!"

In the reception hall, the envoy said respectfully with a smile on his face.

Charlotte looked at the emissary of the Boulder family with a blank expression.

After a while, he said:

"Oh? But hadn't Boulder already declared his intention to remain neutral in this matter? ”

"Lord Earl, at that time, Lord Duke did not know about your safety, and it was rumored everywhere in the south that you were likely to encounter accidents, Lord Duke declared neutrality in order to seek stability, but in fact, ...... The Tulip County is always preparing for war. ”

The messenger replied respectfully.

As he spoke, he looked at Charlotte with a look of hope:

"What are you thinking about, Lord Earl?"

Charlotte looked at him deeply, smiled slightly, and said:

"Your Excellency, thank you for the support of Boulder, just ...... This is a big deal, and many of the nobles of Castel may not want to see a higher lord intervene, so I need to discuss it with the nobles and get back to you later. ”

After sending the messenger away for the time being, the smile on Charlotte's face completely disappeared.

She came to the window, looked at the dense and spectacular military camp on the shore, and asked softly:

"What do the nobles of the realm think of the emissary of the arrival of Boulder? I've heard that he seems to have made a lot of noise about his intentions before he even met me. ”

Behind Charlotte, Sebas, dressed in a tuxedo, said respectfully:

"Master, there are different opinions, those who know the truth about the ambush in the Violet Forest do not believe them, but the vast majority of nobles still believe that the Boulder family is here to support Castel and help us put down the rebellion."

"Assist us in counterinsurgency? Heh, Sebas, what do you think? ”

Charlotte scoffed.

Sebas pondered for a moment and said:

"The Third Prince once wanted to kill you, and he must not really have good intentions for Castel so coveted, although no definite evidence has been found, but I also think that the rebellion of the House of Lygliss is likely to be supported by Boulder."

"Yes, they don't mean well."

Charlotte sighed.

"Master, are we going to strike first? Or is it to continue the investigation into Boulder's movements? ”

Sebas asked.

Charlotte pondered for a moment and said:

"Continue the investigation, don't act rashly for the time being, if Boulder really wants to target us, I'm afraid that Count Tulip's garrison and rebels are not enough, they must have other actions."

Sebas hesitated:

"But...... If they really want to do something to us, the further they delay, the better prepared they will be. ”

"Don't worry, it's good for us to procrastinate, after all...... We're not without backup. ”

Charlotte said.

"Backup?"

Sebas's heart jumped.

He followed Charlotte's gaze, only to see Charlotte's gaze through the window, looking out at the sea.

That was the direction of the Falling Star Kingdom.

Sebas's expression moved slightly, thoughtfully.

And at this moment, there was a sudden noise outside the hall, which attracted the attention of the two.

Charlotte frowned slightly, turned around and looked out the door:

"Sebas, go see what's going on outside."

"Yes."

Sebas saluted and walked away.

After a while, he went and returned, and his expression was a little strange:

"Master, it's the messengers of Boulder who have had an accident, and they have been kidnapped outside the Earl's Court."

"Huh? Kidnapped? ”

Charlotte was stunned.

Sebas's expression became more and more strange:

"Yes, it was the Roman-Fort family who are now asking to see you outside the Earl's Court."