The blockage by the City Gate Guard left the Castel knights baffled, and so younger knights even frowned slightly.
They pointed discontentedly in the direction where the Gaston family’s convoy had departed, complaining,
"Unpermitted ard knights are not allowed inside? Then why didn’t you inspect them or stop them when they entered?"
The City Gate Guard looked disdainfully at the knights and said,
"That was Duke Gaston’s family convoy, a great noble of the Kingdom, seating Lord Richard, the heir of the Duke’s family. The escort consists of knights from the Kingdom’s Guard Legion, so naturally, they can enter freely."
The Castel knights were still not convinced.
They wanted to say more but were silenced by a gesture from Baron Shalon.
As a noble who frequently led rchant caravans, Baron Shalon knew the pass regulations of the Royal Capital, and indeed, ard knights needed to register for admission beforehand to gain permission.
He approached the guard, took a passage docunt of the Castel’s ard rchant convoy from his pocket, showed it to the City Gate Guards, and then said,
"We are from the Castel family. This is our admission docunt."
However, the guard rely glanced at the docunt and shook his head arrogantly,
"This is just a transit pass for an ard rchant convoy, it might be valid on ordinary days, but now, with the central council about to convene, the Royal Capital is in a special period. All ard rchant convoys are forbidden from entering the city!"
Baron Shalon frowned and repeated,
"We... are from the Castel family."
He emphasized the words "Castel family."
The guard snorted,
"No matter what family you are, if you want to enter the city, you either need to surrender all weapons and equipnt or wait until after the central council is concluded..."
He didn’t finish his sentence.
Because just as he was speaking, he was stopped by another guard beside him.
That guard was clutching a bag of gold tanas handed over when the Gaston family’s convoy passed through the gate, and as he suspiciously viewed the Castel convoy’s docunt, he glanced at a note inside the money bag and quickly whispered sothing in the guard’s ear.
Following his colleague’s whisper, the guard’s eyes gradually widened, and his gaze towards the Castel convoy quickly changed.
His attitude softened rapidly, and he quickly began to smile respectfully, saying to Baron Shalon,
"Oh... so it’s the Castel family from the Northern Land! We’ve heard much of your great reputation! Much respected!"
"Sorry, Lord Knight, the Castel family rarely cos to the Royal Capital, and we failed to recognize your identity at first. As participants of this central eting, you most certainly can enter the city!"
With that, he gestured the other guards to clear the way, allowing the Castel family’s convoy to pass.
Baron Shalon’s expression relaxed, he nodded slightly to the guard, and then led the Castel knights, who were holding their heads high and proud, to escort the entire convoy into the Royal Capital.
After the Castel family’s convoy entered the city, a familiar dialogue quickly arose at the city gate, continuing with a tone that city folks used on country people,
"Which family’s convoy are you? This is an important area of the Royal Capital, and unpermitted ard knights are not allowed inside!"
"Us? We’re the Castel family! Do you know the Castel family? The ones who defeated the Duchies of Violet and Bold, the Count family that pulled the Third Prince into the whirlpool, also a major participant in this central eting, guests of the King himself. Can you compare to that?"
"..."
Listening to the conversation coming from behind them, a young knight riding beside Charlotte’s carriage smiled proudly,
"Count, it seems our Castel family’s na still carries considerable weight! Once those disdainful guards knew our identity, their attitude completely reversed!"
However, Charlotte rely gave a faint smile.
She glanced at the two guards at the city gate, her expression aningful:
"Perhaps so."
...
Unlike North Port, which is often expanded and renovated, the architectural style of the Royal Capital, Lutecia, appeared visibly ancient and solemn.
Here, almost every street was paved with bluish-gray stones, and apart from the main roads, most streets were winding and narrow, as if telling ancient tales.
In the city, towering buildings soared into the sky, resembling the Gothic architecture of Blue Star, compelling one to look up.
The buildings here were denser, taller, and older than those in North Port, exuding an air of grandeur.
On the streets, carriages and pedestrians were incessantly bustling, far surpassing any city Charlotte had seen since her crossing.
After entering the city, the knights of the guard convoy couldn’t take their eyes off the surrounding streets.
Even those accustod to the prosperity of North Port were still amazed by the prosperity of the Royal Capital on their first visit.
The Outer City District alone was as bustling as the Inner Island District of North Port, if not more so. The wide main roads were sowhat manageable, but the narrower streets could even be described as crowded.
If it weren’t for the intimidating presence of the Castel Armored Knights, many carriages and pedestrians would instinctively make way; otherwise, the convoy might have easily ended up blocking the road.
Given how bustling the Outer City District was, many knights couldn’t help but wonder what the scene might be like in the Inner City, where the Royal Palace was located.
However, upon entering the city, the Castel convoy did not head straight for Lutecia’s Inner City but instead went directly to the Castel family’s stronghold in the Outer City District.
Yes, stronghold.
As a family with a strong comrcial presence from the Northern Land, the Castel family also owned properties in the Royal Capital of Lutecia, specifically engaged in the business of minerals and jewels.
Though it was just a shop no larger than three hundred square ters in total area, it was indeed a genuine store.
Moreover, located in the Royal Capital, it was highly profitable, bringing tens of thousands of gold tana in revenue to the Castel family each year.
When Charlotte arrived at her family shop by carriage, she happened to see Sebastian stepping out of the shop.
Seeing the Castel convoy, Sebastian visibly paused, then hurried over and approached Charlotte’s carriage:
"Master? You... why have you co?"
Charlotte, lightly assisted by her maid Sherry, stepped down from the carriage, followed closely by the curiously looking Rena and the expressionless Odosia.
She glanced at Sebastian and smiled,
"Where else would I go if not here? You stood up at the city gate, so I had no choice but to co find you here myself."
Hearing Charlotte’s words, Sebastian’s face showed embarrassnt as he quickly bowed respectfully,
"Sorry, master, there was a sudden urgent matter at the shop, and I couldn’t et you at the city gate in ti. Was your entry into the city smooth?"
After speaking, he glanced at the Castel family’s convoy, a slight frown on his forehead:
"Strange... weren’t the City Guard Team supposed to accompany you?"
City Guard Team?
Charlotte was montarily startled.
Reflecting on her encounter at the city gate, she thoughtfully chuckled softly,
"There was a slight hiccup, but overall it went smoothly."
"A hiccup?"
Sebastian’s eyes twitched.
Charlotte shook her head:
"Let’s talk about this later. Have you sorted out our lodging for tonight?"
Sebastian nodded:
"It’s all arranged. I rented a Noble Manor in the Inner City, it’s been cleaned, and there’s more than enough room for everyone in the convoy."
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