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In the silent depth of night, the faint hooting of an owl could be heard.

Within the not-so-spacious guest room, the atmosphere was so stifling it seemed to suffocate.

Count Uman and Knight Louis stood rooted to the spot, caught off guard by the news delivered by Butler Derrington.

They had never expected that Duke St. Hilde would have left a will.

For a moment, a million thoughts raced through the minds of the two men harboring evil intentions, but none of them were clear.

Butler Derrington, seemingly unfazed by their silence, unfolded the sheepskin scroll in his hand.

The breaths of Count Uman and Knight Louis became heavier at once. They exchanged a glance and then quickly turned their attention back to the butler, as if they were awaiting their final judgment from fate.

Derrington, seemingly indifferent to their agitation, cleared his throat and began reading the contents of the parchment:

“I, Cyrus St. Hilde, in the name of the seventeenth Duke of the North Territory, hereby appoint Vera St. Hilde as the Marquis of the North Territory. Upon my death, she will succeed me as the Duchess of the North Territory, wielding the authority of the North Territory and continuing the glory of St. Hilde…”

“Impossible!” Knight Louis blurted out before Derrington could finish reading, his face filled with incredulous panic.

Count Uman looked ominous, danger flickering in his eyes. His tone hardened like a rock: “Sir Derrington, are you mistaken? Young Master Joyce is ahead of Miss Vera in the line of succession.”

With a solemn look on his face, Butler Derrington replied, “How could there be a mistake? This is the will written by Duke St. Hilde himself.”

“I don’t believe it!” Knight Louis began to move towards the door, apparently hoping to block the exit.

Count Uman also slowly closed in on Butler Derrington and demanded in a deep voice, “Can I look at that will?”

Butler Derrington, seemingly oblivious to his circumstances, calmly handed over the will to Count Uman.

Count Uman scanned the document quickly, and then his face darkened completely.

He recognized the handwriting of Duke St. Hilde. The will was legitimate.

Knight Louis, judging from the change in Count Uman’s facial expression, gripped his fist tighter, being prepared for a confrontation at any moment.

Still maintaining his calm demeanor, Butler Derrington casually asked, “My lord, have you finished reading?”

Count Uman slowly rolled up the sheepskin scroll, locked eyes with Butler Derrington for a moment, exchanged a glance with Knight Louis, and then, to everyone’s surprise, he turned and tossed the will into the fireplace.

Whoosh

The flames leapt up instantly, setting the sheepskin scroll ablaze. But Butler Derrington seemed to turn a blind eye to this.

Only when the will of Duke St. Hilde had been reduced to ashes did Count Uman and Knight Louis finally breathe a sigh of relief.

But the behavior of Butler Derrington puzzled the two men.

Why didn’t he stop them?

Count Uman burst out laughing, saying to the butler, “Sir Derrington, you don’t want Miss Vera to inherit the dukedom either, do you?”

A faint smile finally emerged on Butler Derrington’s impassive face. He nodded and said, “Indeed.”

The tense atmosphere in the room dissolved instantly.

Knight Louis roared with laughter, “Mr. Butler, you should have said so earlier! We almost misunderstood you.”

Butler Derrington responded with significant meaning, “If I had spoken up earlier, how could I have known your true attitudes?”

Count Uman clapped in agreement, “Mr. Butler speaks truly!”

Knight Louis nodded repeatedly. Then after a moment, he asked puzzledly, “Mr. Butler, why do you think the duke decided to make Miss Vera his heir?”

Butler Derrington replied with a slight smile, “You probably don’t know this, but the duke made his will in September last year.”

“September last year?” Knight Louis was still confused.

But Count Uman had already understood, “Miss Vera’s coming-of-age ceremony took place in September last year, correct?”

“Indeed,” Butler Derrington nodded, “it was after Miss Vera’s coming-of-age ceremony that the duke drew up this will and entrusted it to my care.”

It suddenly dawned on Knight Louis. The former Marquis of the North Territory, the duke’s second son Adams, had been poisoned at the banquet of that coming-of-age ceremony.

It turns out that at that time, Duke St. Hilde had already decided on the successor to the title, but hadn’t announced it.

But why did the duke not publicly declare Vera as the Marquis of the North Territory?

Knight Louis was just about to ask when he realized it was a foolish question. After all, at the ceremony, the duke had betrothed Vera to the half-elf prince, Topaz Modewen.

How could a woman married to an elf possibly inherit the dukedom of the North Territory?

But why would Duke St. Hilde leave such a will?

“But the duke had already married Vera to Prince Topaz! Why did he then write a will to let her inherit the title of Marquis?”

Hearing Knight Louis’s question, Butler Derrington hesitated for a moment before answering:

“Actually, I cannot give you a precise answer to this question. But according to my judgment, the duke was initially unwilling to let Vera become his heir. He was just forced by certain pressures to write such a will.

Therefore, I’ve always felt that this will does not reflect the duke’s true will. Now that it’s destroyed, it’s perhaps the most fitting end.”

“Forced by pressure?” Count Uman asked intently, “Who can pressure Duke St. Hilde?”

Butler Derrington merely shook his head to indicate that he didn’t know either.

A thought flickered in Count Uman’s mind. He suddenly realized that this matter was definitely related to the death of Marquis Adams, and perhaps it was also related to Vera’s origins.

At this point, the distinctly impatient voice of Knight Louis rang out in the room: “Since the will has already been burned, let’s not worry about it any more! The priority now, is to gain control over Winterfell City. We must prevent Vera and the Golden Lion Legion from entering it!”

Count Uman also nodded in agreement, “Butler, if I remember rightly, the commander of the City Defense Force of Winterfell is Knight Thomas, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know whether he will support Master Joyce, or Miss Vera?”

With a slight smile, Butler Derrington said, “Why don’t we invite him over and ask him personally?”

Count Uman and Knight Louis exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement:

“Good!”

In the pitch-dark of night, Knight Thomas, alongside his attendant, headed toward the lounge of Lion Roar Castle.

This Knight Thomas also shared the last name St. Hilde. His status was that of a cousin to Duke St. Hilde. He had a horse-like face, seldom smiled, and didn’t have any outstanding reputation in the North Territory.

However, surely, as the commander of the City Defense Force of Winterfell City, Knight Thomas must be a loyal supporter of Duke St. Hilde.

Upon entering the lounge, Knight Thomas saw Butler Derrington, and of course, Count Uman and Knight Louis as well.

As the commander of the city defense force, he, of course, knew that they had just arrived in the city tonight.

“Excuse me, Sir, but why have you summoned me?” he asked.

“Knight Thomas, the Duke has still not made any contact, and there are even rumors of his death. On top of that, the rebels are closing in. So, I believe that Winterfell City needs a leader to guide us through this crisis.

Who do you think would be the best candidate?”

Butler Derrington used the term “leader” instead of “Duke of the North Territory”, because the inheritance of the title of Duke required royal approval. None of them was qualified to make a decision about who should rule the North Territory.

However, Knight Thomas understood the underlying meaning of his words. This was a demand for him to declare his loyalty.

“Where is the Golden Lion Legion now? What’s their situation?”

Seeing Knight Louis in Winterfell City, and then being suddenly asked by the Butler to choose sides, Thomas knew immediately that this situation must be related to the Golden Lion Legion.

As expected, Knight Louis responded in a heavy voice: “The Golden Lion Legion has been forcibly conscripted by Miss Vera, and is currently locked in battle with the Dawson Family on the banks of Ben Liu River!”

Knight Thomas squinted his eyes, his expression constantly changing, obviously deep in thought.

Suddenly, Count Uman asked in a grave voice: “Knight Thomas, do you think that under the circumstances of the Duke’s uncertain whereabouts, Miss Vera has the right to command the Golden Lion Legion?”

Knight Thomas felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that the most critical moment had arrived.

Moreover, he perceptively noticed that Count Uman and Knight Louis had already positioned themselves on either side of him, ready to strike. If his next response was unsatisfactory, he might not be able to leave here unscathed.

“Of course not. Master Joyce is the present first inheritor of the Duke.”

Phew

The tension in the room instantly eased.

A smile also appeared on Butler Derrington’s face as he asked, “So, do you also believe that given the current situation, Master Joyce should be the leader of Winterfell City?”

“Yes.” Knight Thomas answered solemnly.

Although Knight Thomas did not show a clear preference between Vera and Joyce, he knew very clearly that, under the current circumstances, he had to make a choice.

And that choice could be none other than Joyce.

The morning light tore through the darkness that shrouded the earth, casting the first rays of dawn on the highest point of Lion Roar Castle.

Once Joyce had finished freshening up with the help of his maids, Butler Derrington stepped forward to pay his respects, saying:

“Master Joyce, there are some guests waiting outside to meet with you.”

“Oh? Please show them in then.” Joyce didn’t give it much thought, although he did wonder why there were visitors so early in the morning.

“Ok!” The butler then went out personally to invite Count Uman and the others into the room.

It appeared that Joyce recognized all three men, and he greeted them with a smile, “Good morning, Count Uman, Uncle Thomas, and Knight Louis.”

“Good morning, Master Joyce!”

All three of them greeted him in unison. Then they knelt on one knee before Joyce and raised their swords above their heads.

Joyce was instantly taken aback.

He certainly knew what this gesture meant; it was an oath of loyalty, but…

He turned to Butler Derrington and saw encouragement in the man’s eyes.

Joyce seemed to understand something. His face showed excitement, and he immediately strode over to Count Uman, taking the long sword and laying it on Count Uman’s shoulder.

“I, Talos Uman, offer my unconditional loyalty to the noble descendant of the Holy Knight Family, Joyce St. Hilde!

From here on out, your will shall be my path, and your command shall be my highest principle!”

Joyce took a deep breath, trying to emulate his father, and said loudly:

“I accept your loyalty!”