Badak paused slightly before sighing,

"You mean the Mythological Era, right? I still miss that time, when even humans saw the Bloodline as beings with transcendent powers. The Bloodline sheltered humans, and humans provided blood for the Bloodline; the two cooperated... to fight against Elves and alien gods, until later..."

"Until later, as the power of the Bloodline grew increasingly stronger, so did their ambitions. The Bloodline lived forever, but human lifespans were limited. The divide between the two grew larger and larger..."

"And with 'my' 'Fall', I gradually gave up on cooperation with the Human Clan, turning instead to asymmetrical oppressive ruling. In the end, the two races went their separate ways, right?"

Charlotte caught on to Badak's words, stating the history of the Bloodline that she had summarized from various records and Albrecht's memories.

Badak responded with silence.

Charlotte sighed,

"That wasn't the right approach... Humans... are not weak; on the contrary, they have great potential and strength."

"The original intent behind the creation of the Bloodline was not to form a powerful race to rule the world. As a second-generation Bloodline, you should be very clear that the Bloodline... was initially created for 'protection.'"

"The Bloodline could ascend to the peak and stand at the pinnacle of the world because of human support. It was because humans continuously volunteered to become Bloodline that the number of Bloodline unable to procreate continued to increase. It was because humans always provided extraordinary blood that the Bloodline could grow ever stronger..."

"The decline of the Bloodline was not just due to betraying the True Ancestor, but also... because they lost their foundation."

"Now, the Old Gods have become a thing of the past, and the gods are increasingly weakening. Humans are the protagonists of this world."

"The Bloodline... in itself is not a race that can survive on its own strength. Our bloodlines provide us with power, but they also bring a curse. Only by cooperating with other intelligent races can we continue to exist."

"Badak, I believe that cooperation... is the correct direction moving forward."

Badak nodded:

"True Ancestor, I understand. However, many within the Nais Clan may not think so..."

Charlotte chuckled softly:

"What they think doesn't matter; what's important is that they follow my orders and carry them out."

"What they care about is simply the 'power' in their hands. One day, they will realize that only genuine 'acknowledgment' from within can bring about the most stable 'power.'"

"True Ancestor, then... what do you plan to do?"

"Draft a contract. Not in my name, but in the name of Count Castel. No... Castel had long ago made a territorial agreement with the Nais Clan for the Romany Duchy. Let's start from that agreement and make revisions."

"I remember that there are copies of the Oath Contract. If I'm not mistaken, I fear the Elf Bloodline side was also planning to make a move using it. This is a good opportunity to alter the content of the original contract."

"Of course, it won't be an excessive agreement, just enough to restrain those who are too presumptuous..."

"Once the foundational contract changes, even if they want to do something about it, they won't be able to."

...

Red Palace, banquet hall.

The so-called traitorous agreement was circulated, and the nobles of the Falling Star Kingdom showed various expressions.

Although it was somewhat fantastical that the Saintess of the Holy Royal Court would sign a treaty with the Bloodline, considering similar cases like the Coria Kingdom, it seemed not too far-fetched.

The Holy Royal Court was not omnipotent.

Not every place inhabited by the Bloodline was within their power to completely eradicate.

Moreover, this treaty could not only be considered traitorous, many of its clauses were even very useful to the people of Falling Star.

The greatest fear humans had of the Bloodline was their various unexpected innate abilities, and these... were all restricted in the treaty.

Although it also involved compromises with the Bloodline and appeasement for peace, considering the history of the Falling Star Kingdom being ruled by the Bloodline, and the overt and covert involvement of many noble families with the Bloodline, it wasn't unacceptable.

No, more accurately put, it was very much in line with the current realistic situation of Falling Star and highly feasible.

The only thing that made the Falling Star nobles curious was why the Bloodline would make concessions when they clearly had the power to fight for control of the Falling Star Kingdom.

Yes, concessions.

Signing such a document meant that compromises were made not only by the Holy Royal Court but also by the Bloodline.

"It's a conspiracy! This is all her conspiracy! Everyone! Don't be deceived by her! How could the Bloodline possibly be willing to sign such a treaty?"

Duke Wester lifted his head, glaring at Charlotte who sat upon the throne, and said sharply,

Watching the somewhat panicked and blustering Duke Wester, Charlotte let out a light chuckle and responded,

"Your Grace, it was you who claimed that I had signed an agreement with the Bloodline, and it was also you who asserted that such an agreement couldn't possibly exist. Don't you find that a bit contradictory?"

Duke Wester was at a loss for words for a moment.

He pursed his lips, about to retort, when the next instant, the announcement from a servant at the entrance of the banquet hall reached everyone's ears:

"Duke Esiah… has arrived!"

Duke Esiah?

Duke Esiah had actually come?!

The nobles in the banquet hall were collectively taken aback.

They all turned to look towards the entrance and saw a finely-dressed noble entering, surrounded by servants.

He was a middle-aged noble with a stern face, looking to be about forty years old.

Richard Esiah.

One of the seven ducal lords of the Falling Star Kingdom, the first Family Head of the Esiah Family, who was also the nephew of the previous King Edward the Third, and the chosen successor to the throne by the mutual nomination of the two Lilac Families.

His arrival immediately overwhelmed the presence of almost everyone else; as a seasoned Blazing Sun Transcendent… his reputation even surpassed that of Duke Wester by more than a small margin.

Seeing Duke Esiah, Duke Wester also paused for a moment, then relaxed slightly.

He looked at Charlotte again, his demeanor returning to calmness, and scoffed:

"Lord Castel, you indeed have some tricks up your sleeve, being capable of altering the agreement. However... there's always a trail to be found. Even if you've altered the contract, Lord Esiah has already kept evidence of your crimes!"

With that, he turned and bowed to Duke Esiah:

"Lord Esiah, your timing couldn't be more perfect. Count Castel has secretly tampered with the evidence of collusion with the Bloodline, and we need the remaining evidence you have kept in order to expose her."

Upon hearing Duke Wester's words, Duke Esiah, however, did not respond.

He didn't even glance at the other, walking past him as if Duke Wester were mere air.

Duke Wester looked somewhat embarrassed.

Giving the title "Lord" to a peer was already a significant lowering of stature, but still, he received no acknowledgment—not even him... at this very moment, he felt somewhat humiliated.

A flicker of annoyance crossed Duke Wester's face, but it quickly disappeared as he took a deep breath and then stepped to the side.

Calm down.

Now was not the time to lose one's composure.

Although Duke Esiah had ignored him, it was clear to everyone that he had come for Count Castel.

Thinking this, Duke Wester turned his gaze back to Charlotte on the throne.

The eyes of the crowd flitted between the two.

With the eyes of the nobles upon him, Duke Esiah walked toward Charlotte.

For a moment, everyone's gaze was fixed on the two royal heirs.

Charlotte remained composed.

She sized up the man before her and smiled,

"Your Grace, welcome to my banquet."

The crowd looked back at Duke Esiah.

Duke Esiah… had already reached Charlotte.

Amid the expressions of astonishment, bewilderment, stupor, and fascination, the hitherto silent Duke Esiah suddenly knelt on one knee, performed an act of fealty to Charlotte, and said with a respectful voice,

"Richard Esiah, at your service… Your Majesty."