The First Vampire

A beautifully decorated horse-drawn carriage was leisurely progressing down a street in the North District.

Upon recognizing the badge on the side of the carriage, onlookers paused to pay their respects.

As the Holy Knight Family who has been guarding the North Territory of the Empire for thousands of years, the prestige of St. Hilde is unsurprising.

Inside the carriage, Colin looked at Vera who was constantly nodding and greeting onlookers, and laughed, “Aren’t you tired?”

Only then did Vera lower the carriage curtain, blocking out the admiring and reverent glances, sticking out her tongue and saying, “I am a bit tired.”

As she spoke, she twisted her sore neck.

Attending a banquet at Governor Crete’s house, Vera was dressed in an elegant court dress. The exquisite tailoring perfectly outlined her body curves. Her golden hair was done up in the style of a noblewoman, unveiling her graceful and long white neck like a swan.

Colin reached out a hand to massage his wife’s neck.

Vera turned her head and gave her husband a sweet smile.

There was also a third wheel in the carriage – Scholar Doan, who kept looking at the patterns on the carpet, seemingly trying to analyze some secrets from them.

Colin saw the other party’s embarrassment, so he broke the silence: “Doan, why do you think Governor Crete invited us this time?”

“He probably wants to cooperate with us.” Scholar Doan answered gravely without raising his head, “There has been no good news from the expedition army venturing into the Orc Territory of the Westland. The St. Gregorian family certainly does not want the Empire to declare war on mages at this time.

After all, they’re still hoping for military aid from the central Empire for the Westland.”

Colin nodded. He had made the same judgment, so he felt more relaxed and happy along the way.

With the support of the western senators, it is more certain to veto Prince Lexie’s proposal.

While they were talking, the carriage stopped.

Scholar Doan was the first to get out of the carriage, followed by Colin leading Vera out as well.

“Miss Vera, Viscount Angler! Welcome to Nightingale Manor!”

The one who spoke was an elegant-looking elderly man.

He was dressed in a white noble’s ceremonial dress of superior quality and exquisite make. His simple yet tasteful decoration fully revealed the dignity of the upper classes. His face was filled with the traces of time, his hair slightly white, but vastly dark, his eyes spirited, his complexion rosy, and his back straight. Even in his old age, he appeared rather sturdy.

This man was none other than one of the five governors of the Senate – Crete St. Gregan.

Colin and Vera hurriedly went up to greet him, their hearts excited.

They knew when they went to see Sabas this morning, their “own kind”, didn’t even come out to welcome them. Now they have come to see a Governor from the Westland, they received such a welcome. Compared to Sabas, it was obvious that he had no intention to help Vera.

Under the guidance of Governor Crete, everyone entered the manor. Along the way, certainly no one dared to leap out to challenge Colin.

Hundreds of candles illuminated the restaurant like daylight. The air was filled with fresh and delicate scents of flora. Crete warmly invited Vera and her party to take their seats. Then young and beautiful maids filed in with exquisite food.

The decoration of Nightingale Manor was equally luxurious. It seemed that this Governor Crete wasn’t a man who lived an austere life within the Senate.

However, Colin didn’t care whether the other party was avaricious, as long as he could provide the help he deserved, he didn’t mind paying a price.

Of course, opening one’s mouth as wide as Sabas was definitely unacceptable. Colin didn’t want to play the fool.

Governor Crete picked up his wine cup, his voice hearty, “Honoured guests from the Northern Territory, even though the current situation in the Empire is turbulent, I believe the Westland and the North Territory stand together on certain issues!

As long as we collaborate and progress together, we will undoubtedly be able to obtain the results we desire!”

Colin’s eyes lit up. He was pleasantly surprised by the frankness and sincerity of the governor of the West. He drained his cup of wine and chuckled in agreement,

“Exactly, Governor, you’re absolutely right! We from the North Territory also believe that this is not the best time to declare war on Yevir.”

“Good!” Governor Crete nodded satisfactorily, but then asked with some apprehension, “However, Governer Sebastian from your family is advocating for war against Yevir and is stirring up the Northern elders to vote in favor of Prince Lexie’s proposal. Miss Vera, are you aware of this?”

Vera’s face changed slightly, and she nodded, “Indeed, Governor, we are aware of this. Nonetheless, be assured that Sebastian alone cannot represent the North, nor can he necessarily influence the attitudes of all the Northern elders.”

Colin added with a smile, “Although Vera has not officially inherited the title of Duke of the North, she has the will of the previous Duke and is the legitimate first heir. Moreover, the lords of the North Territory acknowledge Vera’s inheritance rights. They will pressure their elder to veto the war proposal.”

Upon hearing this, Governor Crete’s face relaxed, and he unveiled a smile, responding, “Great! As long as the North and West are aligned, then the proposal for war won’t win an absolute majority of the votes!”

Observing this, Scholar Doan gently reminded, “Governor, the only concern now is the matter of time.”

Miss Vera has already written to the North Territory, requesting Marquis Garcia to exert pressure on the lords there. However, for this pressure to reach the elders of the north, it may take some time.”

We are uncertain if it will arrive in time for the voting on the proposal.”

Upon hearing this, Governor Crete laughed heartily, “Rest assured, there will be enough time!”

Seeing the governor’s confidence, Colin quickly asked, “Oh? Has the Senate scheduled the vote for the proposal yet?”

Crete shook his head, “No, not yet. But don’t worry, Prince Lexie’s proposal can’t be submitted to the Senate for a vote until the end of the month.”

“Why?”

“Do you know why the proposal has been delayed for so long from entering the Senate? Because it requires the consent of the presiding chairman. And the presiding chairman for this month is Governor Lattom.”

Mention of this made Colin understand the situation. Recalling Governor Lattom’s previous feigned illness to refuse Vera’s visit, he suddenly realized,

“You mean…Governor Lattom faked illness to delay and prevent the proposal from entering the Senate?”

Crete, with a smile in his eyes, nodded in affirmation of Colin’s assumption.

Vera’s face brightened, saying, “So, does that mean that the elders of the St. Lorenzo family are also against this proposal?”

Crete, however, shook his head, “No, Prince Lexie’s influence is too great. Elders of the St. Lorenzo family are indecisive, and I estimate that a majority of them will vote in favor.”

“Even that is enough!” Colin exclaimed enthusiastically, “After all, we only need a third of the votes to oppose and prevent the passing of the proposal!”

With that, the weight in his heart finally fell.

However, through these series of events, Colin recognized the terrifying influence of Prince Lexie in the Imperial Capital.

Even Emperor Reinhardt and the St. Lorenzo family’s governor, who are unwilling to declare war on Yevir, did not dare to outright oppose his proposal. They could only resort to feigning illness to drag it out, and then employ other means to thwart the proposal.

Heh, no wonder Emperor Reinhardt would rather risk collaborating with Mr. Ji to gain the means to restrain the Holy Knight.

No matter who sits on the throne, the presence of such a dominant Holy Knight would keep them up at night.

From then on, everyone put aside their concerns and began to enjoy their delicious food. As they dined and laughed, the atmosphere of the banquet gradually warmed up.

Just at this moment, an elderly butler rushed to Governor Crete’s side and whispered a few words.

Then, everyone saw Crete’s face turn visibly pale.

Colin had a bad feeling about this and carefully asked, “Governor, what happened?”

Crete seemed a bit sluggish for a moment. After some time, he raised his head to look at Colin and said in a profoundly grave tone,

“Governor Lattom…he has just unfortunately passed away!”