"Is it true, as the Great Prophet of the Harcos Clan said, that his Divine Enthronent has reached its most crucial mont?"
"Or is it that... there is so issue with him?"
Charlotte's consciousness stirred, pensive.
"Queen Charlotte, what are you thinking about? Why not try our Harcos Clan's specialty, the blood wine?"
The familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.
Charlotte ca back to her senses and saw the Palace Guard Captain Sofia approaching with a wine glass, while cautious gazes from others in the hall fell on her.
Charlotte casually glanced over, and the Bloodline who were watching her withdrew their gazes.
Although they withdrew quickly, Charlotte could still sense a trace of tension from them.
Charlotte chuckled softly.
She looked around. Wherever her gaze landed, the Bloodline shifted their eyes away. Eventually, her gaze stopped on the clearly more nervous Sofia, who even seed as if facing a great enemy.
"It's nothing, just curious about what exactly the Great Prophet is up to."
Charlotte elegantly took the wine glass from Sofia's hand and sipped lightly.
Sofia tensed slightly.
She forced a smile and said:
"Just so private clan matters, a clan mber had too much to drink and caused so trouble, nothing serious."
"Oh? Such a matter managed to disturb the Great Prophet?"
Charlotte looked surprised.
"Uh... it involves so high-ranking mbers; only the Prophet can calm them."
Sofia said a bit rigidly.
"High-ranking mbers, hm..."
Charlotte's expression was inscrutable.
Seeing Charlotte's insightful and playful expression, Sofia felt a sinking feeling.
She hesitated for a mont, ready to change the subject, but then Charlotte said:
"Lord Sofia, I ca here with goodwill and an olive branch. I wonder... when will I truly be able to et Queen Royena?"
Sofia paused slightly.
She took a deep breath and repeated:
"I'm sorry, Queen Charlotte, but Queen Royena is currently in deep ditation in the depths of the Royal Palace, so she is temporarily unable to et with you."
"Oh? Temporarily? Any idea... how long the wait might be?"
"That is for Queen Royena to decide. She will appear when the ti is right."
"Appear, you say... Lord Sofia, do you know when was the last ti Queen Royena made an appearance?"
"This..."
Facing Charlotte's seemingly all-penetrating gaze, Sofia felt the pressure.
She felt as if all her thoughts were exposed in front of the other, an invisible pressure that almost left her breathless.
The similar feeling she last experienced was during the Purification after she was born, facing the Blessing of the Queen.
Eyes converged on Sofia and Charlotte.
In the banquet hall, conversations among the Bloodline had ceased at so point, and they silently watched the two, a tense atmosphere slowly rising.
"Heh, Queen Charlotte, indeed Queen Royena is currently unavailable. If you wish to discuss collaboration with the clan, you may speak with ."
A hoary voice took over Charlotte's inquiry, relieving the lingering tension.
Sofia's spirit lifted.
She turned and saw the figure re-erging in the banquet hall, discreetly sighed in relief, and then respectfully bowed:
"Great Prophet..."
Seeing the return of the Great Prophet, the Bloodline in the hall also breathed easier.
"Sorry for the wait, Queen Charlotte,"
The Great Prophet once again bowed apologetically to Charlotte.
Charlotte smiled:
"It's alright, but... Great Prophet, are you saying... you can sign a treaty on behalf of the gods?"
The Great Prophet Margo paused montarily.
She shook her head and earnestly said:
"I certainly am not qualified to represent the gods. However, Queen Royena has entrusted with full authority over clan affairs before her ditation."
"If you wish to discuss collaboration, we can talk after the banquet. All agreents will be reported to Queen Royena and ultimately decided by the Oracle."
Charlotte nodded and looked around with a smile,
"Very well, since that is the case, let us quickly move on to the main topic. These showy banquets are sowhat tedious, and I think the warriors here would rather not waste ti here, would they? After all... they have more important tasks to attend to."
Hearing this, Sofia's expression shifted slightly, and the Bloodline mbers in the banquet hall also unconsciously stopped their motions, all displaying an expression as if facing a great enemy.
Observing Charlotte's calm deanor, the Great Prophet sighed deeply.
She glanced at the audience and said,
"Everyone... please leave."
The Bloodline mbers hesitated for a mont.
"Leave, Queen Charlotte has already clearly seen your strengths and weaknesses; there is no need to waste more ti here."
The Great Prophet repeated.
Then, the Bloodline mbers began to move; they bowed to the Great Prophet before retreating one after another.
Sofia appeared sowhat hesitant.
But under the commanding gaze of the Great Prophet, she eventually nodded silently and left the banquet hall with the other Bloodline mbers.
Soon, the vast palace was left with only Charlotte and the Harcos Clan's Great Prophet.
The atmosphere sank into a strange silence, and monts later, Charlotte's voice broke the quiet,
"Great Prophet, I wonder... how long can the Harcos Clan maintain itself in its current state?"
The Great Prophet paused briefly.
She chuckled and responded,
"Queen Charlotte, I am afraid I did not quite catch your aning."
Charlotte shook her head,
"No, you understand it very well."
The Great Prophet frowned slightly.
Just as she was about to say sothing, Charlotte suddenly said,
"Seven Earls."
The Great Prophet was montarily startled.
She looked at Charlotte, who then continued to enurate more numbers:
"Two hundred and twenty-three Viscounts, five hundred and forty-three Barons, and in addition... four hundred and thirty-two attendants close to becoming Barons... Great Prophet, the numbers I ntioned are accurate, aren't they?"
The Great Prophet's expression turned solemn.
Indeed, the numbers Charlotte disclosed were the true strength of the Bloodline mbers who had attended the banquet.
"Queen Charlotte, you are more formidable than I imagined. Being able to see through the Prohibition to discern the strength of my Harcos, it appears... the gods' blessing upon you is much stronger than I thought," said the Great Prophet with a sigh and a bitter smile.
Having spoken, she once again looked at Charlotte and said calmly,
"I admit, our Harcos Clan has encountered so minor troubles, but these are not significant issues."
"Oh? Minor troubles? High Tier Bloodline mbers all falling, conscious clan mbers dwindling, overall strength plumting, weakening powers against the Blood Demon, and even the expedition teams to Mireya Continent can only peak with Viscounts strengths... do you still consider these minor issues?"
Charlotte said.
Looking directly at the Great Prophet, Charlotte's golden-red pupils shimred slightly,
"And you, how much longer can you persist?"
Hearing this, the Great Prophet's expression finally changed.
The atmosphere in the hall tensed up once again.
"Great Prophet,"
Charlotte continued,
"I can assist you in dealing with the Bloodline Curse, purifying the Fallen Bloodline powers within."
The Great Prophet's gaze sharpened.
She was silent for a mont and then suddenly laughed,
"Queen Charlotte, you must be joking."
"Our Harcos Clan's High Tier Bloodline mbers are mostly just in deep sleep, and they will naturally awaken when the Queen finishes her ditation..."
"I can roughly guess which Prince stands behind you, Your Majesty, but... it's not yet ti for the Holy Royal Court to intervene in the affairs of our Harcos Clan, as if we have chosen different paths."
"In consideration of our past camaraderie, we do not wish to interfere in your and other clans' strife, but please also keep your hands away from our Harcos's influence."
"The Queen's wrath... you cannot bear."
"You have your path, and we have ours; your so-called 'Purification,' we do not desire it, better you keep it for yourselves."
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