The First Vampire

“Rise, Viscount Auston.”

“Yes  Your Grace!”

Viscount Auston struggled to stand, but his legs were utterly numb after kneeling in the snow for three days. Despite numerous attempts, he failed.

It was only with the aid of Earl Evan that he finally managed to straighten his body.

Duke St. Prowse showed no sympathy or pity. He indifferently glanced over both men before entering the castle first.

“Sit.”

“Thank you, Your Grace!”

Viscount Auston, trembling from head to toe and unable to stand steadily, quickly sat down as if pardoned. But in front of Duke St. Prowse, he dared not lean against the back of the chair, sitting only half-way.

“You cost me my two hundred thousand-strong army. I initially wanted to kill you.”

Viscount Auston’s body shuddered upon hearing this, but the Duke’s next words allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

“However, in consideration of the Auston family’s hundreds of years of loyalty, I’ve decided to spare your life.”

“Thank you, Your Grace! Your mercy will always be remembered by the Auston family!”

Duke St. Prowse looked at the almost tearful Viscount Auston with a hint of disdain in his eyes, but he patiently spoke, “Go to Ice Rock City and tell Viscount Angler that I agree to his prisoner exchange proposal: Garcia for Vincent.”

“Yes.” Viscount Auston quickly responded, and after noticing Duke St. Prowse had no further instructions, he hastily got up to take his leave.

The hall quieted down afterwards. The father and son didn’t say a word, as if they were testing each other’s patience.

Eventually, Duke St. Prowse could no longer stand his son’s weary look and scolded sternly, “What are you still doing here?”

With an innocent look on his face, Earl Evan shrugged and said, “Father, didn’t you ask me to come here? You said you had something to ask me, didn’t you?”

Duke St. Prowse glared at him, wishing he could draw his sword and strike down this undisciplined and disrespectful son.

But ultimately, he forced himself to calm down and asked solemnly, “Given the current situation in the North Territory, do you think we should intervene?”

“Can we even afford to intervene?” Earl Evan retorted candidly. “The ground forces of the Pegasus Army have been nearly ruined by my dear brother. Are you planning to deploy the Navy to invade the North Territory?

Or are you expecting the private armies of the lords in the Eastern Territory to fight the Northerners for us?”

“So you think we can only stand by and watch?”

“At least we no longer have the power to invade the North Territory openly. But that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything at all.”

Duke St. Prowse’s expression eased slightly, and he asked, “What can we do?”

“The situation in the North Territory is on the brink of explosion. The upcoming battle between the St. Sean and St. Hilde families will be a fight to the death. But we can’t show our hand until they are completely worn down. If we do, we will end up like Shadow Gorge  becoming someone else’s weapon.”

When he heard this, Duke St. Prowse’s eyebrows twitched noticeably. Clearly, his son had hit a sore spot. However, he refrained from losing his temper and continued to listen.

“Therefore, our best option now is to watch the tigers fight from the mountaintop. In the meantime, there are two key figures you need to pay attention to.”

“Which two?”

“Marquis Dawson and Viscount Angler!” Earl Evan slowly uttered these two names, then explained, “Marquis Dawson is determined to realize his dream of establishing a dwarven nation and doesn’t truly serve the St. Sean family. Whoever can help him realize this dream, he will lean toward them.

Thus, this is a force that could be swayed to our side.

“As for Viscount Angler, you must have seen his capabilities for yourself during the battle of Silver Moon City. Although he currently belongs to Duke St. Hilde’s power base, I can’t help but feel his loyalty is not steadfast, which makes him a possible candidate for us to win over.”

Duke St. Prowse slowly nodded, affirming his son’s words.

Count Evan continued, “Furthermore, the view of the Royal Family is also vital. I think, given the hatred between the St. Lorenzo and St. Sean families, they would likely dislike seeing the North Territory fall into the hands of the St. Sean family. It’s highly plausible they would intervene themselves should the St. Hilde family fail to hold up.”

“If the St. Lorenzo family personally deploys troops to the North Territory, what chance will the St. Sean family have of winning?”

“Not necessarily.” Count Evan shook his head, “many people desire a change of power in the North Territory.”

“By ‘many people,’ who are you referring to?”

A playful smile surfaced on Count Evan’s face, “Aren’t you one of them?”

At this point, Duke St. Prowse fell silent, even the rudeness of his son’s scrutinizing gaze did not anger him.

But he remained unresponsive to his son’s suggestive retort.

After a lengthy silence, Count Evan yawned and said with a smile: “Father, if there’s nothing else, I will retire.”

Duke St. Prowse nodded his head without saying anything further.

Watching his son’s figure slowly disappearing into the hall, Duke St. Prowse’s eyes held a discernable struggle.

“So, are you tempted?” A soft voice suddenly piped up, revealing the duchess, clad in a fresh outfit, appearing in the hall.

Duke St. Prowse seemed to understand what his wife was referring to, sighed, and shook his head, “Evan is indeed astute, but to become the lord of the Eastern Territory, wit is not enough.

Furthermore…”

The duchess approached, gently massaging her husband’s shoulders, speaking softly, “Are you worrying about the lords of the Eastern Territory?”

“Yes. Vincent has been serving as the Marquis of the Eastern Territory for such a length of time, and I’ve always trained him as the first successor. Many Eastern Territory lords have wagered on him, if I find him unworthy now ”

“Those lords may not have the guts?”

“Humph! Those who didn’t go all-in certainly won’t care.

But what about Count Howell, who married off his most cherished daughter to Vincent?

And what about Count Brugen, whose company has provided so much financial support for Vincent? You know exactly how much.

The Auston family as well, they, have practically tied themselves entirely with Vincent; I can’t decide whether to praise them for their brilliance or to ridicule them for their stupidity!

If these families see me dispose of Vincent, and their years of investment fell to waste, don’t you think they’d bear a grudge against me?

Especially right after the Pegasus Army suffered a severe blow, one wrong move might spark a significant upheaval!”

With a sigh, he musingly added, “To be frank, I do admire Duke St. Hilde for having the daring to deal with his own vassals. If I could carry out a massive purge in the Eastern Territory, Vincent’s position as Marquis would be nothing!”

The duchess fell silent, and it was a long while before she spoke again, “But your favoritism towards Vincent will only make Evan more resentful.”

Duke St. Prowse scoffed, “What’s the big deal with resentment when he doesn’t have the power to back it up?”

The duchess’s eyes flickered, and she proposed, “It’s not too late for you to start cultivating power for Evan.”

After a moment of contemplation, Duke St. Prowse finally shook his head and said:

“Let’s wait and see.”