After the banquet concluded, Charlot Mecklenburg returned to Cold Spring Palace and received “materials” from over a dozen noble families of the Lionheart Empire.
—Crates of Lionheart Gold Coins!
The Lionheart Gold Coin is approximately equivalent in value to the écus and gold pounds. The exchange rate of the gold pound is slightly higher than the écu, and its purchasing power equates to roughly 20,000 yuan. The écu, in comparison, has a purchasing power equivalent to about 18,000 yuan, and the Lionheart Gold Coin falls slightly above the écu but below the gold pound, with purchasing power ranging between 19,000 and 20,000 yuan.
Charlot graciously accepted the “materials,” carefully documenting the names of the nobles who sent them and gifting each one a highly poetic compliment in return.
This was just the evening of the banquet.
The next morning, Charlot received materials amounting to twenty times that of the previous night.
Even Annie Mecklenburg, upon seeing the crates of Lionheart Gold Coins, couldn’t help but exclaim, “How are we supposed to transport all this?”
This question was resolved before noon.
Baldwin Asa sent messengers to Cold Spring Palace, granting Charlot a mansion located in the prime district of Asaburg. Originally belonging to an earl, the property had a rather turbulent history...
It wasn’t the kind of turbulence caused by a lack of heirs but rather by generations of wastrels. Despite having numerous offspring, none managed to advance as Transcendents. Each generation squandered their wealth until the earl’s estate was entirely depleted, even selling off the noble title itself.
In the Old Continent, the laws of major empires prohibit the trade of noble titles.
But the last heir of this earl was a prodigal genius. He adopted his buyer as his godson and, after receiving payment, transferred the title to the buyer!
This plot would be deemed too implausible even for a web novel, as readers would criticize it for being unrealistic.
The emperor, enraged at the time, revoked the title and confiscated the earl’s mansion. It became a widely discussed scandal in the Lionheart Empire.
When Charlot received the property deed, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of excitement. After all, it was an earl’s mansion! Although Charlot held dominion over numerous cities, he technically had no property to his name.
The ducal estate in Moldova couldn’t even compare to the Silver Dove Castle, much less to Asaburg. Silver Dove Castle was located in a prosperous city, while Behemoth Principality itself was near the capital city of Strasbourg and one of the wealthiest territories.
Asaburg in the Lionheart Empire, with its vibrancy and prosperity, was comparable to Strasbourg. The earl’s mansion in Asaburg was on par with the grand residence at 58 Elysée Avenue in Brittany.
Housing dozens of crates of Lionheart Gold Coins? That was a trivial matter.
However, there was a minor complication!
In the Old Continent, earl mansions, much like ministries of state, often had dual functions, serving as both residences and administrative offices. Such properties could not be legally owned by commoners, no matter how wealthy they were.
Charlot, by virtue of his position, was also unqualified to hold a ducal estate.
But as luck would have it, Annie could!
Thus, the property was granted under the name of Duchess Annie Mecklenburg.
It was at this moment that Charlot and Annie began to suspect that their antics might be turning into a genuine arrangement.
Together, accompanied by knights from the Brittany family and royal guards from Moldova, they enthusiastically moved into their new mansion.
No sooner had they settled in than they received a visitor.
To Charlot’s surprise, Julian Arsilo arrived with a young woman, formally requesting an audience with Annie as envoys of Byron.
Charlot Mecklenburg, lacking the requisite status, could not represent their party in such official capacities.
Annie had no intention of meeting Byron’s diplomats. After all, the two nations were still at war. So Charlot met privately with his friend in the Brittany duchess’s mansion.
Julian embraced him and said, “Thank you! Truly, thank you for your mercy.”
A bewildered Charlot looked at him and then at the young woman at his side. Recognition dawned as he exclaimed, “What’s your relationship with Yulia?”
Julian smiled and replied, “She’s my elder sister!”
“When you faced her at Kainan, Yulia realized she had made a mistake. She immediately reported her name and ran away. Thank you for sparing her life when you heard her name.”
“I offer my sincerest gratitude on behalf of the Arsilo family!”
“And personally, I’m grateful that you value our friendship.”
“War is war, but this act of mercy meant everything to me.”
Yulia, standing quietly to the side, spoke softly, “I was afraid you wouldn’t recognize the significance of my name. That’s why I added, ‘When the war is over, join me for a ball in Starcastle.’”
She gently placed her hand over her chest and continued, “I felt the killing intent several times as I turned to flee. But in the end, you didn’t fire.”
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Charlot nodded solemnly, accepting their gratitude without hesitation.
Julian chuckled and said, “I wasn’t sure how to properly express my thanks. Luckily, your recent antics gave me the perfect opportunity!”
“On behalf of the Byron Empire, I formally recognize Annie Mecklenburg’s rule over the Duchy of Moldova and acknowledge her as the Grand Duchess of Moldova. If Moldova chooses to remain neutral in the ongoing war, Byron is willing to dispatch diplomats to establish diplomatic relations.”
“If you opt out of the war, Yulia would like to apply for the position of Byron’s first ambassador to Moldova.”
Charlot’s first reaction wasn’t joy but utter confusion.
He hadn’t expected that the second—actually, the third—nation to recognize Annie’s dominion would be Byron.
Princess Axo’s recognition on behalf of Fars Empire was a private acknowledgment, but the formal recognitions by the Lionheart Empire and Byron carried undeniable weight. Julian even presented an official diplomatic letter, clearly demonstrating the effort he had put into this matter during their journey to Asaburg.
Charlot embraced Julian and said, “I owe you my deepest thanks.”
Julian returned the hug and replied, “And I owe you mine! War is brutal, but without Yulia, I wouldn’t know how to carry on.”
“She is an irreplaceable part of my life.”
Charlot wanted to invite Julian to share a meal, but Julian declined. Given the ongoing war between Fars and Byron, their respective roles as diplomats—though varying in rank—meant prolonged interactions would be seen as politically sensitive. Even a shared meal could send unintended political signals.
Reluctantly, Charlot watched Julian and Yulia leave, not even escorting them to the door for fear of further complicating matters.
Such was the tangled web of politics that never ceased to bewilder Charlot.