Duke Grinoires suddenly raised his head and tried to find the person who spoke, but the person had already disappeared into the crowd. This piqued his interest. He was completely tired of these people's endless discussions and complaints.
At first, he still hoped that these people could overthrow the newly risen Count, just like how they overthrew Arreck's rule. But soon, he was disappointed. From the beginning to the end of the Second War of the Black Rose, these people argued endlessly, but they could not come up with an idea. In the end, it was Count Randner's mistress who acted decisively and killed many people.
It was worse than a woman.
Duke Grinoires scoffed at these so-called old Royal Party, but he immediately felt worried. The rise of Tónigel did not only hurt the traditional Royal Party. In fact, as the highest official of the kingdom, the Dukes of the kingdom felt a more direct threat.
And he was even more so.
Duke Anthony's son, Aike, was a staunch supporter of the Elder Princess during the battle of Ampere Seale, and Duke Viero was a close relative of the Princess. Karsuk's status was extraordinary, not to mention that he was inextricably linked to the Cardiloso family. Now that Arreck and Radner were dead, the only 'enemy' of the Princess was left, and it seemed that he was the only one left.
Duke Grinoires did not agree with some of the actions of the princess, and the threat of the princess was like a knife in his back.
He could see that these Royal Party could not succeed. They might be representing the interests of some people, but these people were also hesitant. On one hand, they were worried about the reaction of the Highland Knight, and on the other hand, they were afraid of the retaliation of the northern nobles. Duke Grinoires knew very well that these people were two-faced. If it wasn't for the fact that a knife was on his neck, he would have been willing to be one of them.
[These people will never understand the principle of interdependence.] The Duke thought with disappointment.
He did not plan to participate in this routine meeting of the old Royal Party. He knew that the Royal Party was now divided into two. Oberwei, Maynild, and the other core members had abandoned their former companions. Since Fleetwood's death, Makarov had also retreated from the world. The remaining people were all useless people.
But before today, someone invited him here for a special reason. When he thought of the mysterious people who had been in contact with him these days, the Duke had a vague idea of the other party's identity.
But he did not dare to confirm it. He did not understand why 'those people' were interested in Erouine.
Because of this, he forced himself to sit here patiently. However, after a long period of boredom and waiting, he seemed to have finally found the shadows of those people in the previous speeches.
He knew that these short-sighted people in front of him did not have the ability to grasp the key points.
Anger was brewing in the crowd, and the Duke of Grinoires finally pulled himself together. He straightened up and focused on observing the reaction of everyone present.
"We can't let her play tricks here!" Someone shouted. The Duke glanced at that direction and recognized that it was a lowly baron. He did not have any territory, but he was backed by some of the traditional nobles in Viero.
"We must take action!" Some of the representatives of the old nobles in Arreck's territory were also depressed and uneasy. Since the territory was returned to the Royal Family, these nobles in the border areas had been having a hard time.
Although they were oppressed by Duke Arreck, their lives were not that good either.
Duke Grinoires shook his head in confusion. Was this the reason why Roland asked him to come here? Was this what he wanted to see?
The nobles were in a heated discussion, but they could not come up with an idea. Tónigel's strength was obvious, and those who were loyal to Her Royal Highness were also powerful forces, including the White Lion Legion and the Royal Family's fleet. On the other hand, although they represented the most traditional nobles in the south, they could not put together a decent force.
At least the core and the upper echelons of the Royal Family still had power in their hands. At least Lantonilan's army and the Knight Order were still loyal to them. But when the Royal Family split up, the original upper echelons either left or joined the Royal Princess. The remaining people were originally the surrenders of the Royal Family. Oberwei and Makarov did not think highly of these people, so they naturally did not have any power in their hands.
Just as Duke Grinoires was beginning to feel bored, a piece of paper was suddenly passed to him by his servant. The Duke was slightly stunned. He put the paper under the table, opened it, and glanced at it. His face immediately became serious.
He took one last look at these good-for-nothings and shook his head. He turned around and gestured to his servant, and the two of them quietly left the banquet.
There were some people present who noticed the Duke's actions, but not many of them cared. It was already a surprise that the Duke was willing to show up at this venue. His early departure was also something they had expected.
However, the Duke did not leave the venue from the back door as usual. Instead, he was led by his servant to a more secluded room in the venue.
When he pushed the door open, the guests inside had been waiting for him for a long time.
Duke Grinoires suddenly stopped, narrowed his eyes, and looked at the three people who stood up and saluted him.
… …
Werner Ognardon Silva's face was a little gloomy.
The master of Viero, the highest official of Vallendenburg, the grandfather of the current Princess Erouine, the Duke of Viero had a lot of worries, but the thing that made him feel the most tired was the conflict between himself and his beloved daughter.
He did not expect Eugenie to fall in love with an insignificant officer during a diplomatic mission, even if the other party was Count Janilasu's confidant. Furthermore, he did not think highly of the 'Captain of the Royal Family' in the kingdom. He might not even be willing to let the other party marry his daughter, let alone a subordinate.
His daughter had always been smart and strong, mature and steady. His original intention was to use her to maintain the relationship between the Viero family and the new Count Randner, who was the new ruler of the kingdom. Duke Viero was a smart man. He was very optimistic about Brando's future. This rising star of the kingdom's politics was not without foundation. On the contrary, he came from a prominent family. Not only was he the eldest son of the Cadiloso family, but he was also recognized by the Highland Knight. If he could marry such an outstanding young man, Duke Viero was willing to see it happen.
However, the development of the situation was beyond his expectations. He hated himself for not telling his daughter clearly beforehand. He thought that Eugenie would understand this, because some things would appear too utilitarian if they were too obvious. He knew that Count Tónigel was a smart man and would definitely see through his intentions.
However, Eugenie's reaction this time was unexpectedly unyielding. She was unwilling to give up on this relationship and even went on a hunger strike to protest. She told him that she respected the young count very much, but it was only respect and would not go any further.
The arguments between father and daughter caused a deep rift between them, and he could not help but blame Brando. Before this, Eugenie was not like this. She always listened to her father's arrangements. However, after the diplomatic mission, she became a different person. She became much more opinionated and stubborn.
From the bottom of his heart, Duke Viero did not think that this was his fault. He believed that Brando must have led his daughter astray.
After asking Eugenie's maidservant routinely, Duke Viero learned that his daughter had been on a hunger strike for three days. He felt both heartache and a little tired. He sighed deeply, feeling that the world was beginning to slip out of his control.
He was originally the supreme ruler of Viero, and no one dared to disobey him. His grandson and granddaughter were the masters of the kingdom. But now, he felt more and more pressure from his granddaughter.
The failure of the marriage alliance forced the Duke to face an even heavier truth: the distance between the royal family and the old nobility was growing. Although Her Royal Highness was still respectful to her grandfather in her letter, he could clearly feel that the two were walking on different paths.
His people would one day become a stumbling block for the royal family. Although Duke Viero did not know what centralization of power was, as a smart man, he could vaguely feel that the sword hanging over his head was about to fall.
Thinking of this, Duke Viero seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. He waved his hand weakly. "Forget it. Let her be. She is my daughter, after all."
"Duke?" The maidservant's eyes widened as she looked at the ruler of this land with some disbelief.
"What?" Duke Viero roared. "Are you not going to listen to me as well? Are you waiting to see me make a fool of myself? Get out now! "
The maidservants immediately retreated, trembling in fear.
Duke Viero panted heavily like an injured beast. He supported himself on his desk and looked around with red eyes. For a moment, his expression changed.
… …
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