Chapter 463 - 214: "There Is 1 Person Who Can Help You

"The Patriarch of the Blazing Angel Family??"

Howard was startled.

’Good heavens,’ he thought. ’No wonder the old butler was so cautious when he mentioned this esteemed guest.’

She was more than an esteemed guest... She was off-the-charts important!

His Grev Family was merely a Viscount Family. Above them were Counts, then Marquises, and then Dukes. Reaching the level of a Duke already meant standing at the apex of the pyramid of power, ruling over an entire province. Under normal circumstances, even the Church Court wouldn’t interfere in provincial affairs, making them the masters of their domains.

But the Blazing Angel Family’s rank was a level even higher than Duke. They were one of the few Duke Families in the entire Empire, also known as "Princes," with a status second only to the Church Court.

At times, they could even influence the decisions of the Church Court and decide the fate of a Duke Family.

In short, to the Grev Family, the Blazing Angel Family was a true behemoth—the kind they would normally never even come into contact with. After all, in a place like Austin Castle, there were plenty of Viscount Families like the Grev Family, and above them all was the Potter Earl Family.

There was no Duke in Austin Castle, so the rank of Count was the "closest" class to the Blazing Angel Family.

Normally, if the Blazing Angel Family needed anything done, they would assign it to the Potter Family. But this time, they had come to see them instead, and it was Patriarch Daeli herself...

This instantly made Howard nervous. The difference in status between the Grev Family and the Blazing Angel Family was just too vast—so vast they could only look up in awe. Moreover, Daeli’s visit was so sudden. It was like a high-level executive, several tiers above, bypassing your direct supervisor to show up at your office. Howard’s first reaction was to assume she was here to call them to account.

"Has something happened?" he asked.

"I don’t know." Azir shook his head.

He was just a butler. How could he possibly be in a position to inquire about the affairs of the Blazing Angel Family?

"But don’t you worry, Young Master. It’s probably nothing serious," Azir said.

"How so?" Howard asked.

Azir glanced left and right, and after making sure no one was around, he whispered to Howard, "From what I know of the Blazing Angel Family, they’ve always been decisive and ruthless. If they want to move against a family, they just do it. They don’t even give you a chance to negotiate."

"If our Grev Family had truly offended them, Daeli Duke wouldn’t be sitting in the reception hall right now."

"She’d be stepping on your father’s tombstone."

Howard retorted, "What kind of messed-up analogy is that? My father isn’t dead yet. What tombstone?"

Azir: "Daeli Duke could make one for him with just a flick of her finger, couldn’t she?"

Howard: "..."

’That... actually makes sense, doesn’t it?’

’So, the Blazing Angel Family’s visit probably isn’t a bad thing?’

Howard breathed a small sigh of relief.

But he still didn’t dare to let his guard down.

As the saying goes, accompanying a ruler is like accompanying a tiger. And the Blazing Angel Family was Austin Castle’s "ruler."

Perhaps it was nothing now, but if he accidentally said the wrong thing, it would quickly become something.

Howard followed Azir to the reception hall. He straightened his collar, took a deep breath, and said, "Wait for me right here. If I’m not out within the hour, and you haven’t received any message, go and inform Mr. Sean and Miss Elise. Tell them to run, and not to avenge me."

Azir: "..."

’You’re so dramatic, Young Master.’

’Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were heading to the execution grounds.’

Fortunately, Azir had been by Howard’s side for decades and was long accustomed to this. He played along, nodding solemnly at Howard and saying earnestly, "Rest assured, Young Master. I will remember."

"Alright. I’m going in."

Howard stepped resolutely into the reception hall.

Meanwhile, inside the reception hall, Daeli was currently discussing the matter of Witch Wood with the Patriarch of the Grev Family—Howard’s father, Viscount Mockray.

The Blazing Angel Family had expanded several of their Wizard squads this year and needed materials to craft weapons and armor. Since she and Elvire were already at the Golden Coast, they decided to pay a visit to the Grev Family.

The atmosphere in the reception hall was far more relaxed and harmonious than Howard had imagined.

But upon seeing him enter, Viscount Mockray, who had been smiling, immediately straightened his face and chided, "Where have you been? Why are you only just arriving?"

"Don’t you know we have an esteemed guest?"

Daeli smiled faintly. "It’s no matter."

Viscount Mockray frantically gestured to Howard with his eyes: ’Aren’t you going to greet Daeli Duke?’

Howard quickly stepped forward. It was only then that he got a clear look at Daeli, and he was instantly stunned by her heavenly beauty.

Oh my God!

’She’s so beautiful!’

The next second, Howard quickly lowered his head.

’Can’t look too long.’

’It’s very impolite.’

"Howard, son of Viscount Mockray of the Grev Family, pays his respects to Daeli Duke," Howard said respectfully.

He caught a glimpse of another girl sitting beside Daeli, who was also very beautiful. He couldn’t help but tilt his head slightly, asking his old father with his eyes—’And who is this?’

Viscount Mockray introduced her: "This is Daeli Duke’s younger sister, Miss Elvire."

So Howard bowed to Elvire as well. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Elvire."

Elvire offered a polite smile and a nod in response.

Only then did Viscount Mockray say, "Come and sit."

Then, the stern expression on his face was replaced by a smile as he said to Daeli, "My apologies for the scene, Daeli Duke. This is my foolish son, who thinks only of play and has no ambition."

The phrase "no ambition" was the key point.

Mockray was trying to tell Daeli that Howard had no aspirations.

"Foolish" implied he was brainless and wouldn’t overthink things. In other words, Howard was "stupid"—the type who’d still be counting the money after being sold. You could entrust him with any task and rest completely assured.