The First Vampire

Chapter 566: 564 Casual Chat_1
 

Along a forest trail outside Dragon City, a cavalry squad was making slow progress.

“Duke St. Gregorian, have you been to the Eastland before?”

Colin asked casually.

Bathed in sunshine, Duke St. Gregorian exuded a dazzling aura that was hard to look directly at.

“I have, in my youth, I traveled across the four corners of the Empire.” Duke St. Gregorian glanced at Colin, seemingly seeing through his probing question. “I spent quite some time in your North Territory; I also visited the Sky Ice Plain and witnessed the battle scene between the Dark Cavalry and the trolls.”

Though Colin was aware that Duke St. Gregorian was deliberately changing the subject, he couldn’t persist in questioning his experiences in the Eastland. So, he had to go along with the conversation:

“Then you must be quite familiar with Marquis Garcia?”

Duke St. Gregorian took a brief look at the lone figure in the forefront of the team, and chuckled:

“Indeed. To be honest, there was a time when I was captivated by his gallantry on the battlefield. I even considered marrying him.”

Colin blinked, and a sudden thought crossed his mind–

Could this Duke St. Gregorian, who once had an ambiguous relationship with Marquis Garcia, be Vera’s biological mother?

But then, Colin thought it was improbable.

If Duke St. Gregorian was indeed Vera’s mother, she would have called upon the Westland’s army in alliance with the North Territory for vengeance against the Church. Instead of mediating the situation, as she was now, or staunchly defending Pope Gregory to maintain stability.

Moreover, Marquis Garcia had already admitted to Colin that Vera’s biological mother had passed away long ago.

Colin believed that Marquis Garcia wouldn’t lie to him…n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Duke St. Gregorian, you’re not married, and neither is he. So, if you still have such intentions, I can help set you two up…”

Duke St. Gregorian turned her head to gaze at Colin, a complex expression surfaced on her beautiful face, saying:

“I appreciate your kind intentions. However, Garcia wouldn’t dare marry me…”

Listening to Duke St. Gregorian’s enigmatic words, Colin’s curiosity stirred, but he didn’t know how to dig deeper into the matter.

Before he could devise a plan, she swiftly changed the subject:

“How are things with Anna St. Prowse?”

“Very well.” Colin’s eyes sparkled as he ventured, “Duke, it seems like you know Anna quite well.”

Duke St. Gregorian laughed lightly, saying: “You’ve been wanting to ask that, haven’t you?”

Once exposed by her, Colin had no choice but to nod confidently.

Duke St. Gregorian didn’t care too much about it. She explained: “I noticed Anna’s extraordinary talent during my visit to Eastland and mentored her martial techniques for some time. I suppose you could say that I am somewhat of her teacher.”

Saying this in passing, her explanation seemed reasonable, without any implications.

Moreover, Duke St. Gregorian and Anna were both exceptionally talented female knights, and they naturally resonated with each other. Perhaps, Duke St. Gregorian saw a younger version of herself in Anna, viewed her favorably, and even taught her.

This explanation was highly plausible, but Colin was convinced that Duke St. Gregorian deliberately concealed something.

“Are you planning to have a child with her?”

Just as Colin was lost in his thoughts, Duke St. Gregorian suddenly blurted out a startling question.

“With whom? With Anna?” Colin was taken aback. After St. Gregorian confirmed it with a nod, he stammered uncertainly, “Well… we haven’t considered that yet. After all, she’s my mistress, and any child we have would be born out of wedlock…”

“You’re concerned about that? But I heard that you already have an illegitimate daughter in the Half-Elf Kingdom.” It was clear that Duke St. Gregorian had no intention of letting Colin off the hook.

Colin rubbed his nose, feigning embarrassment. Yet, he wondered why Duke St. Gregorian cared about whether he and Anna were going to have a child.

Moreover, Colin wasn’t sure if a blood slave could reproduce. But if he had to do ‘that’ with a girl who had lost her consciousness, it felt repugnant…

Moreover, strictly speaking, Anna and him were not lovers but enemies.

Seeing that Colin wasn’t forthcoming about this topic, Duke St. Gregorian even persisted:

“I know you want to interfere in the affairs of Eastland. However, if you compared it to having a student, wouldn’t it be more advantageous for you to control Eastland if your offspring were to become the Duke?”

This statement was very blunt and incredibly impolite.

Colin was now sure that there must be some secret between Duke St. Gregorian and Anna.

Noticing the change in Colin’s expression, Duke St. Gregorian seemed to realize that she was being too eager. She quickly added:

“Aren’t you determined to confront the Church? In truth, I also support this because the Church has greatly disappointed us.

However, if you really plan to do so, you need to have full control of the Eastland. You must not let it fall back into the hands of the Church.

So, you can work on your relationship with Anna.”

Colin looked intently at Duke St. Gregorian. He obviously didn’t believe the latter’s explanation. He retorted:

“Duke, as long as you stand firmly with the nobles, even if the Eastland wavers, we still have a great chance of defeating the Church.”

Duke St. Gregorian chuckled lightly, saying: “I warn you not to count too much on me. I’ve promised to force Gregory to abdicate after this war, but aside from that, don’t expect to get any more help from me.

After all, I am the Duke of the Westland, and my first priority is the Westland.”

Colin, feeling somewhat disappointed, was planning to probe further. But then he heard another sweet voice from behind:

“What are you two discussing?”

Turning around, Colin saw that Queen Midela had left her horse-drawn carriage. She has mounted a white horse and was trotting up to them.

“Your Highness, I was just discussing the situation of the orc army with Duke St. Gregorian.” Colin replied with a deceptive smile.

Duke St. Gregorian chuckled, choosing not to reveal the truth.

Queen Midela gave the two a meaningful glance but didn’t add anything. Instead, she raised her riding crop, pointing to a distant speck on the horizon, said:

“We’re almost there. That’s where our conference is held —— the Oak Manor.”

Colin chuckled and picked up the thread:

“I’ve never been to the royal manor before, this would be a great opportunity.”

Queen Midela raised her eyebrows, asking Colin: “Do you know who the manor’s previous owner was?”

“The previous owner?” Colin staggered momentarily, thinking, ‘Isn’t this the royal manor?’

Did the royal family use a “second-hand manor” as the venue for this conference?

While he was pondering, he heard Duke St. Gregorian say:

“This was once the private manor of Prince Lexie.”