Charlotte felt a slight stir in her heart and looked up, only to see two middle-aged nobles, dressed splendidly, walking side by side.
Behind them, a number of other nobles followed closely, looking to the pair as their leaders.
One of them wore noble attire adorned with a New Moon crest, his figure slender, while the other appeared rather stern and serious, with a crest featuring a sword and a griffin on his chest.
Charlotte’s heart stirred.
These were two acquaintances.
The noble in the robe with the New Moon decoration was none other than Charlotte’s old acquaintance, John de Anlo, Duke of the Moon Guardian, who had leased the Number 7 Estate on Riverfront Street to her.
The other, although she had never met him directly, was another of the nine dukes of the Kingdom, Theodore Depruts, Duke Prutz, whom Charlotte had the "honor" of seeing once in the Holy Eternal Realm of the Church.
This pairing was quite unexpected to Charlotte.
As far as she knew, Duke of the Moon Guardian was a staunch supporter of the Royal Party and an ardent advocate for King Louis V’s centralization of power.
As for Duke Prutz, he was a member of the Third Prince Party; though his political inclinations were conservative and not in direct conflict with the Royal Party.
"Count Castel, long time no see. How do you feel about the manor?"
The Moon Guardian Duke was the first to greet her, as warmly as ever.
Charlotte bowed slightly and smiled,
"Very well, thank you for your help, my lord. It’s my good fortune to find such a comfortable estate in the Inner City of Lutecia."
"Ha ha, you came too late! There have been many nobles entering the Royal Capital these days, and almost all the estates in the Inner City are rented out. I just happened to hear that your steward was looking for a place and remembered I had one vacant."
"Your casual help has solved a big problem for the Castel family."
Then, with a look of apology,
"Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to visit you in person these days."
"Ha ha, even if you wanted to, I’d have to decline as the Central Council has its regulations, but... after the council meeting, we could pick a time to meet. Some of my old friends are very interested in the Castel family’s Secret Silver Mine."
The Moon Guardian Duke laughed.
Charlotte also smiled,
"I’ll look forward to it then."
The two exchanged pleasantries, making an informal arrangement to meet after the council meeting, one of Charlotte’s goals for her trip to the Royal Capital, bridging connections between the nobles of the Northern Land and the central nobility.
Then, she glanced at Duke Prutz, standing next to the Moon Guardian Duke, and noticing her gaze, the Moon Guardian Duke slapped his forehead,
"Look at me, in such a rush! I forgot to introduce you, this is Duke Prutz, the Kingdom’s most likely noble knight to step into legend, and he is also interested in the mines of the Northern Land."
Charlotte curtseyed gracefully,
Duke Prutz nodded in response.
Seeing the lukewarm attitude between the two, the Moon Guardian Duke scratched his head and hesitated,
"Cough... Count, I know you have some opinions about certain nobles because of the Third Prince, but... Lord Prutz isn’t exactly as the rumors say... well, Central Nobles have their complexities, and sometimes we also have no choice and feel helpless."
Charlotte was slightly moved, realizing that the Moon Guardian Duke was hinting that she should not hold any hostility towards Duke Prutz because of the Third Prince.
In truth, she harbored no enmity, though she had sensed hostility from him in the Holy Eternal Realm, which was merely an evolution of the spirit world, a psychological implication naturally brought by the label of the Third Prince Party.
Now, face to face, she felt no negative emotions from him at all.
It was just that Duke Prutz was obviously a silent type, and Charlotte was fundamentally passive, which left them with little to say.
Of course, since the Moon Guardian Duke kindly explained, she naturally appreciated it.
"My lord, I understand. The Third Prince is the Third Prince; Kingdom nobles are Kingdom nobles."
She said with a smile.
Seeing Charlotte’s candid look, the Moon Guardian Duke also relaxed somewhat, his smile brightening.
The three of them chatted as they walked toward the Council Hall.
The other nobles automatically made way.
However, after walking a few steps, the surrounding noise quieted down.
Charlotte felt a stir in her heart again and turned to the side, only to see Eleanor, accompanied by Count Gaston, approaching from another direction.
The two parties soon met at the entrance of the Council Hall.
Glances came from all directions, focusing on both Charlotte and Eleanor.
For a moment, the atmosphere in front of the council building seemed strangely tense.
Duke Moon Guardian looked at Eleanor and then at Charlotte, his expression uncertain.
Charlotte glanced at Eleanor and smiled openly,
"Lord Eleanor, long time no see, you seem to have recovered well."
Eleanor looked at Charlotte with a complex expression and sighed gratefully,
"Charlotte, it’s been a long time. I really appreciate your help previously."
Hearing Eleanor’s words, the Moon Guardian Duke was momentarily perplexed.
It wasn’t that he was surprised by Eleanor’s thanks; actually, it was well-known that Count Castel had "rescued" Duchess Bold from the hands of the Third Prince.