How to establish trust?
Different people had different solutions to this problem.
Empress Mydella's method was to exchange secrets with each other and use them as leverage.
Since Grace could become Empress Mydella's ally, it meant that this seemingly innocent girl actually had a fatal leverage in the empress' hands.
With leverage, they would have a way to restrain each other and would not betray each other.
Of course, the premise was that this leverage had to be true.
Colin had played a trick last time, but he later realized that Empress Mydella was not honest either.
Sigh, they were all old silver coins.
They exchanged loneliness.
However, if it was about Grace …
Colin felt that this young girl might not be able to deceive Empress Mydella like he did.
That was why he asked the question just now.
Grace glanced at Colin, but hesitated and did not speak.
Colin picked up the teacup and drank the flower tea in one gulp.
"Originally, when Earl Of Avon ran away, you lost the chance to gain my trust. But now, there's a new opportunity in front of you. What are you hesitating for? "
Grace poured another cup of tea for Colin and probed, "My Lord Count, when I first formed an alliance with Her Highness the Empress, Her Highness used her own secrets to exchange with me. I wonder if you …"
Colin smiled faintly and said, "Of course. I'll tell you the leverage I gave Empress Mydella back then. "
Grace clearly did not expect Colin to be so easy to talk to. She immediately perked up and nodded repeatedly.
"My weakness is that Charles St. Hilde was killed by me!"
Colin handed over his "leverage" without blushing or skipping a beat.
Grace could not hide the shock in her heart. She was unwilling to kill the Earl Of Avon because she was afraid that she would be tainted with the blood of a direct descendant of the Paladin family. But she did not expect this person in front of her to …
Moreover, Charles was his wife's brother!
Grace really wanted to ask Colin, "Don't you feel guilty when facing your wife at night?"
However, from the beginning to the end, Grace had never considered the possibility of Colin lying to her.
In her opinion, since Colin was able to use this secret to gain Empress Mydella's trust, then of course it was true.
Looking at the wide-eyed Grace, Colin raised his hand and made an inviting gesture. "It's your turn."
Grace took a few deep breaths and calmed her heart. She then asked a question.
"Count, do you know why I wasn't too grieved when I learned that you had killed Count Brugan?"
Colin's heart stirred.
Indeed, Grace's behavior was somewhat strange.
Originally, Colin thought that the other party was pretending to be strong, feigning civility with the enemy who killed his father, and looking for an opportunity to assassinate and take revenge.
However, Colin had already given her so many excellent opportunities to assassinate him, yet Grace had done nothing.
If she was that cowardly Viscounts Grimm, it would have been fine if she didn't dare, but to be so calm after learning of her father's death, Grace clearly had enough courage.
Moreover, from their interactions during this period of time, Colin felt that rather than avenging her father, Grace was more tirelessly trying to gain Colin's trust.
If it wasn't for the fear of staining her hands with the blood of a direct descendant of the Holy Knight family, Grace would probably be willing to kill her own fiancé to prove her loyalty.
This wasn't how a young girl should act when facing the enemy who killed her father.
"Why? Did Count Brugan not treat you well? "Colin thought," Can't it be a ghost? Is it a father's melodramatic story? "
Grace shook her head and said, "No, my father treated me very well. He doted on me and treated me as if I were his own."
"Treated you as if you were his own?" Colin was just about to ask if she knew how to use words, but then he reacted. "Could it be that Count Brugan isn't your biological father?"
Grace nodded, confirming Colin's guess.
Colin hurriedly asked, "Then who is your biological father? And how did the Empress know about this secret? "
Grace revealed a look of reminiscence, and then she narrated tirelessly.
"Five years ago, I followed my father to Imperial Dragon City to attend His Majesty's birthday celebration. That was also the first time I met Empress Mydella.
As soon as we met, Her Highness the Empress didn't hide her fondness for me and even offered to personally teach me court etiquette.
Lord Count, you should know that this was actually a hint for me to marry into the royal family.
My father was very surprised. Although he knew that with my status, it was unlikely that I would marry Prince Harrison, even if I could marry a collateral member of the San Lorenzo family, it would still be a great honor for the Brugan family.
So that night, my father sent me to the Empress' side for me to be taught.
But after my father left, the Empress suddenly told me that I wasn't Count Brugan's biological daughter!
At that time, I was scared silly and didn't dare to refute the Empress, but I also didn't believe her words.
But the Empress told me to go back and ask my mother, saying that I would get the answer from her.
When I came back, I immediately went to find my mother and told her what the Empress said, hoping to get a negative answer from her.
Unfortunately, my mother's expression changed greatly and she had to admit that the Empress was right, I really wasn't Count Brugan's daughter … "
"Then whose daughter are you?" Colin couldn't help but ask.
Grace shook her head, her eyes full of confusion, "I don't know either. I asked my mother, but she wouldn't tell me. I also asked the Empress, but she wouldn't tell me either.
She just wanted to reassure me that she wouldn't tell this secret to anyone else. And to reassure me, she even shared a secret of her own.
After that, I became increasingly close to Empress Mydella. Not only did she teach me court etiquette, she also told me a lot of things, including the open and covert struggles between the royal family and the church. She even confessed that I was a chess piece she had placed in the Eastern Region and that I would be of great use in the future.
I stayed in Phoenix Palace for a whole year before returning to the Eastern Region.
Before I left, Empress Mydella told me that someone would contact me in the future … So, when you appeared in Tinder City, I thought it was you. "
"The Empress didn't tell me about your existence." Colin shook his head. Then he thought of Emperor Reinhardt who liked to cheat on his vassals and couldn't help but guess, "Could you be His Majesty's illegitimate daughter?"
But as soon as he said that, Colin immediately denied his guess, "No, I don't think so. Emperor Reinhardt cheated on his vassals openly. "
Grace nodded in agreement.
Indeed, if she really was the Emperor's illegitimate daughter, she would have been kept in captivity in the imperial capital. Count Brugan wouldn't have been unaware and foolishly raised her as his own daughter for so long.
"Then what about your mother?" Colin asked again.
"Mother has passed away." Grace's expression was gloomy.
Well, another clue had been cut off.
"Then which family did your mother belong to?"
"Saint Randers."
"The Lord of the Southern Region?" Colin was a little surprised.
"Yes. But my mother was a collateral descendant of the Saint Randers family. "
Colin was silent. He didn't know much about the Southern Region, so he couldn't infer anything just based on this.
Shaking his head, Colin decided not to go around this dead end anymore. Instead, he asked, "By the way, what was the secret that Empress Mydella exchanged with you?"
When he asked this question, Colin didn't pay too much attention to it because he guessed that Grace would get a lie similar to — I am Vera's biological mother.
But unexpectedly, Grace's answer startled Colin.
"Her Royal Highness told me that Prince Harrison and Princess Judy are not the children of Emperor Reinhardt."
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