The First Vampire

The Duchess smiled gracefully and said, “Intuition.”

Duke St. Prowse was momentarily speechless.

Seeing this, the Duchess added, “The information we have received so far is too scant. Based on the one-sided stories from Vincent and Evan alone, I cannot make an accurate judgment about what happened in Alfalfa City.

However, if I must believe one of them, I would choose to believe Evan.”

Duke St. Prowse raised an eyebrow and asked, “Because of your intuition?”

The Duchess nodded seriously and further explained, “Haven’t you noticed that Vincent has been acting a little differently since his return?”

Duke St. Prowse thought for a moment, not noticing any aberration, asked, “In what way is he different?”

“I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it feels as if he has changed…” The Duchess frowned delicately, then added, “And he wouldn’t dare to confront you like this before. That attitude doesn’t seem quite fitting for someone who has just suffered a bitter defeat and been ransomed back, is it?”

“Well, after being treated like I did, he must harbor some resentment towards me.”

“No, not resentment.” The Duchess shook her head, “It’s confidence.”

“Confidence?”

“Yes, as if he knows we can’t do anything about him.”

Duke St. Prowse gave a self-mocking smile and said, “We really can’t do anything about him. Now that Count Howell is forced to betray the Pegasus Navy, only Vincent has a chance to bring him back. If we don’t want to lose the barrier on the Angry River, we must rely on Vincent.”

The Duchess considered her words and said, “But I feel that his confidence does not come from Count Howell.”

“Oh? Where else could it come from?”

“Don’t forget that before this trip to Silver Moon City, Vincent not only had the support of Count Howell, but also most of the eastern nobles like Count Brugen and Viscount Auston stood behind him. After Prince Lexie was expelled, Evan almost completely lost the opportunity to compete with him for inheritance.

Even under those circumstances, Vincent didn’t have the confidence he has today.”

Duke St. Prowse stroked his chin, seeming to understand his wife’s meaning, “Are you referring to the North Territory?”

The Duchess nodded and said solemnly, “Correct! I don’t know what agreement Vincent and Earl Angler reached, or how Earl Angler convinced Vincent to cooperate.

But this conjecture is the most reasonable one.

Remember, the news of Vincent’s assassination wasn’t a fabrication by Evan. Viscount Fein did indeed find some very reliable evidence, and I also confirmed this news through the Glorious Church’s network in Silver Moon City.

That’s why we were determined to put Evan in power and devised a retaliatory plan against the North Territory.

But now it seems that this whole thing was a trap laid by the North Territory from the very beginning!

Moreover, I suspect that Vincent was also involved!”

Duke St. Prowse frowned deeply and, after a moment of contemplation, he asked, “But why would Vincent collaborate with the North Territory under such circumstances?

Though he failed again in Silver Moon City, Evan couldn’t threaten his inheritance right due to the issue with Prince Lexie.

He just needed to patiently wait for us to ransom him. So why did he take the risk to cooperate with the North Territory?

Doesn’t he know that cooperating with the North Territory will only make him a puppet in the hands of the St. Hilde family in the future?”

The Duchess sighed and said, “That’s what I don’t understand either. That’s why I say, I merely intuitively think that Vincent’s words, are not reliable.”

Duke St. Prowse also pressed his brow in a headache and said, “We still know too little right now. It would be good if Evan or Viscount Fein returned.”

The Duchess paced to behind Duke St. Prowse, extending her slender hand to gently press on his shoulder.

Duke St. Prowse breathed out, seeming somewhat relieved, and after a moment, said, “We have three urgent matters to handle now.

First, finding Evan. I hope he hasn’t been captured by that damn Colin Angler;

Second, find a way to contact Count Howell, figure out his reason for rebellion and current position and see if there’s any hope to appease him and get him back on our side;

Third, figure out the movements of the Blood Knight Army.”

The Duchess, having listened quietly, spoke: “You think the Blood Knight Army would cross the river at this time? But hasn’t the Senate already passed Emperor Reinhardt’s War Order?”

“But it will take some time for the War Order to reach White Dew City.” Duke St. Prowse’s gaze twinkled. “I believe that the young Northern Earl won’t content with just hiding in Alfalfa City.”

“But the Blood Knight Army only consists of 20,000 men, is Colin Angler really planning to conquer territories in the east with such a small force?”

“It’s hard to tell.” The tone of Duke St. Prowse became extremely prudent. “This Viscount Angler sometimes does things in unpredictable ways, making it hard to fathom. I’ve always thought of him as an enemy more dangerous than Marquis Garcia.”

The Duchess chuckled softly. “You think so highly of him? If I remember correctly, this Viscount Angler is only twenty-two years old, right?”

“Indeed. A young hero!” Duke St. Prowse sighed, seeming somewhat dispirited. “Comparatively, both Vincent and Evan fall far behind. To be honest, I’m getting tired of watching these two quarrel every day.

If I could, I wouldn’t want to hand over the position of the Duke of the East to either of them!”

The Duchess stopped her gentle massage, and gently thumped her husband’s arm, seemingly discontent with his disparaging remarks about their two sons.

But immediately, she laughed and said, “Actually, if you find neither Vincent nor Evan suitable, you have a third choice.”

“Are you referring to Anna?” Duke St. Prowse thought about his younger daughter, then immediately shook his head. “Anna won’t do, she’s too naive.”

“So what if she is? She has already become a fifth-order knight, and what I can tell is that she is on the verge of the sixth rank, probably leveling up in a year or two.”

“Really?” Duke St. Prowse couldn’t keep calm this time, immediately grabbed his wife’s hand, and asked in surprise.

“Of course, it’s true.” The Duchess said proudly. “Such a young sixth-order knight, it’s set in stone that Anna will eventually step into the Holy Field.

And what does it matter if she’s a bit naive?

With her here, wouldn’t the Northern Territory think twice to cross the Angry River?”

The eyes of Duke St. Prowse flickered as he seemingly began to consider the possibility of letting his younger daughter inherit the nobility.

Just then, a knock on the door interrupted the Duke’s thoughts.

“Come in.”

The butler entered, handed a letter to Duke St. Prowse, and said, “Sir, this is an urgent letter sent from Riverside City.”

Duke St. Prowse took the letter, scanned it, and chuckled. “As I guessed, the Blood Knight Army truly marched east and they have now taken over Riverside City.”

The Duchess peered at the letter in her husband’s hand and asked gravely, “So, do we lie low and wait till the Emperor’s War Order arrives, forcing them to retreat back to the North, or…”

“We hit them first, of course!” Duke St. Prowse coldly said. “Since they came, they can’t expect to leave the Eastern Territory so easily!”