Chapter 370 - 368: Intelligence

Chapter 370: Chapter 368: Intelligence

Lloyd returned to Sea Cliff Castle after celebrating the New Year in the Royal Capital.

Although he was now a Viscount of the Kingdom with his own Territory and castle, as the son of Count Kais, he could still return home for holidays and important gatherings.

George chatted with Lloyd as they walked along a cobblestone path in the courtyard.

"How was the New Year celebration? Wasn’t it much grander than before?"

"It was about the same as previous years, except I had to attend several more banquets. It was far less comfortable than being at home."

George smiled. "You’re the King’s son-in-law now. Your status is different. You’ll get used to it after a while."

"The King’s son-in-law..."

Lloyd shook his head. "There’s nothing special about the Golden Ears Territory, and the same goes for me. The title of King’s son-in-law has brought me far more trouble than power or status."

"Shh!"

George stopped in his tracks and glanced around. He only relaxed after confirming they were alone.

He said sternly, "You can’t just say things like that!"

"Alright, I misspoke."

Lloyd spread his hands and said helplessly, "But you know as well as I do that all I’ve ever wanted was a stable post and a life free of worries."

The two resumed walking.

Lloyd continued in a low voice, "Father doesn’t ask much of me, but *they* are propping up my Territory. It’s a Viscount’s Territory, yet it already has three Celestial Tier Warriors and seven or eight at the Earth Tier. They claim it’s to protect Emily, but everyone knows the real reason."

He sighed. "Sometimes I think, if I were as powerful as Duane, I wouldn’t be so passive in the Golden Ears Territory."

Those people were very respectful to him, but their true allegiance was to Emily.

When Lloyd’s and Emily’s opinions aligned, they would follow his orders. But when their opinions differed, he had no command over them.

Now, Lloyd could only focus his mind on governing the Territory—an area that held no interest for Emily, and the one place that brought him peace of mind.

George sighed deeply. There was nothing he could do about the situation either.

King Eric had used this marriage alliance to ruin the relationship between Kennedy and Bloom, making it impossible for them to join the Northern Group.

Having achieved that objective, the King naturally wanted to strengthen the Golden Ears Territory as a way to contain the Silent Shore.

If anything unexpected happened in the future, the Golden Ears Territory and the Calvin Clan’s Fire Source Territory could form a strategic pincer against the Silent Shore.

This was also the source of Lloyd’s frustration. Unlike many second sons of the Nobility, he had no desire to fight George for the inheritance, much less oppose his own family.

The two arrived outside the main keep, where the butler, Moer, bowed and said, "Young Masters, please wait in the great hall for a moment. The Young Miss and Count Duane are speaking with the Count. Allow me to inform them."

"Go on," George said.

Lloyd remarked with a sigh, "Duane is truly enviable. Our little sister certainly found the right man. Have they said when they’re getting married?"

"They have."

George replied, "It was decided during the New Year’s Eve banquet. Next year... oh, no, I should say this year, on November twenty-second."

Lloyd smiled. "That’s soon, then. I’ll need to prepare a wedding gift in advance."

"I expect Duane and Natalia are with Father right now discussing who to invite."

As they spoke, the butler returned. "Young Masters, please come in!"

They both nodded, stood up, and went upstairs.

Just as they had guessed, Duane and Natalia were indeed discussing the guest list with Count Kais.

According to the Count, with Duane’s current power and fame, they could invite all the Nobility and famous figures in the Kingdom. This would be a great opportunity to showcase Black Forest Island and, at the same time, bolster Duane’s personal influence.

However, Duane found it too troublesome. He felt there was no need to invite people he barely knew and with whom he had no financial dealings.

Natalia said she was fine with whatever; she didn’t mind either way.

After some discussion, they finally settled on several groups of people who needed to be invited.

First were the noble families on good terms with Duane, such as the Holmes Clan, the Haydon Clan, the Stewart Clan, and so on.

Next were those close to Count Kais, such as the various nobles and Knights of the Silent Shore, as well as business partners like Warm Sun Soup and Time Closet.

As for the Royal Family and the families of Dukes and Marquises, in theory, they could send invitations whether they were expected to attend or not.

Inviting the Royal Family, in particular, was a political statement in itself.

Soon, George and Lloyd entered side by side.

"Father, I’m back!"

Lloyd first greeted Count Kais, then offered his congratulations to Duane and Natalia.

Natalia smiled and stood up. "We should be congratulating you, too. You’re about to have a child."

Lloyd laughed heartily. "You two should hurry up as well."

After some small talk, the Count asked, "What’s the situation in the Royal Capital?"

Lloyd knew what his father was referring to. There were no outsiders in the study, so he said, "Sigmund and His Majesty are indeed a bit estranged, lacking their former harmony. I observed that the Crown Prince doesn’t seem to dare to meet His Majesty’s gaze."

"Also, as the Holy Son of the Holy Radiance Court, Orisien is usually stationed in the Royal Capital, but this time he wasn’t in Pruck City. He’s said to have returned to his own Baron’s Territory."

George clicked his tongue. "Could the rumors be true?"

Duane smiled. "Looking at it this way, it’s certainly possible."

"What rumors?"

Natalia blinked, looking at the four men in the room. She was the only one who didn’t know what was going on.

George laughed. "Hasn’t Duane told you?"

Natalia looked at Duane in surprise, her wide eyes filled with confusion.

Duane explained, "There’s a rumor going around that Sigmund and Orisien have fallen in love. We all thought it was a ploy by Marquis Sean to drive a wedge between the Royal Family and Duke Kelvin, but now it seems it might be true."

Natalia covered her mouth in shock.

"How could that be? Sigmund is the Crown Prince..."

She had heard whispers of certain nobles’ secret proclivities, but she never imagined it would involve the Crown Prince.

George said, "Our Crown Prince spent years studying alone in a foreign country. It’s understandable that he would develop feelings for Orisien after being looked after by him."

The Count chided with a laugh, "You sure have a vivid imagination!"

The Count shifted his gaze to Lloyd. "Did anyone from the Duke’s family attend the celebration? What was Queen Maya’s attitude?"

"Marquis Deli was there. Emily told me it seems they were discussing a marriage between Danika and Sigmund."

Delhi is Duke Kelvin’s son. Because he has not yet inherited the ducal title, he is referred to by the courtesy title of "Marquis," which is different from Marquis Sean, who holds the title in his own right.

Count Kais nodded. "I expect we’ll hear news of their marriage soon. It’s the only way to suppress the impact of this rumor."

After all, once the Crown Prince and Danika are married, the gossip about Sigmund and Orisien will naturally fade away.

However, this would likely mean the Royal Family will have to make concessions to the Hughes Clan.

"By the way, Father, there’s something else I think I should mention," Lloyd said seriously.

"What is it?"

"I heard that His Majesty the King secretly dispatched envoys to the Fidun, Asando, and Kasa Kingdoms. They returned once in October, stayed for a short two months, and then left the Royal Capital again. I don’t know what they were discussing."

The Count’s brow furrowed. "Where did you hear this?"

Even with his intelligence network, he hadn’t heard anything about it.

Lloyd gave a helpless smile. "I’ve been drinking with the sons of the Royal Capital’s Nobility lately. Borne, the son of Viscount Chester, the Minister of Military Supplies, said it when he was drunk. I don’t know if it’s true or not."

Chester Romy, like the Minister of Supervision Hela Hill, is a Court Viscount.

"Was there no mention of the Akutas Kingdom?" the Count asked.

"None."

Lloyd said, "He probably realized he’d misspoke, because he passed out drunk right after saying it."

The Count and Duane exchanged a look. "Could His Majesty be planning to make a move against the Akutas Kingdom?"

In their view, the Royal Family’s first priority should have been dealing with Marquis Sean.