Charlotte was not surprised by the king's summons.
Although the Central Committee made a move, the Castel Territory was actually independent from Boulder. As the richest territory in the Principality of Boulder, Louis V was the royal family's partner in the Castel mithril mine. I must see her in this world.
Charlotte can probably guess what topics the other party will talk about.
After all, the origin of the Boulder-Castle War originally included the tacit approval of His Majesty the King.
However, it was Charlotte who won in the end.
Charlotte wasn't pretentious either.
She took the royal order from the royal knights magnanimously, and then, accompanied by Sebastian, boarded the carriage prepared by the royal knights.
However, in addition to the royal carriage that came to pick them up, Charlotte also sent another carriage to follow.
"Your Excellency, this..."
Looking at the bulging carriage, the royal knight was a little confused.
"This is a gift from His Majesty. They are also some specialties from the North. If you are worried, you can check them."
Charlotte smiled.
When meeting the king, it is better to bring some gifts than nothing. Although Charlotte has no intention of getting too close to the royal family, at least the other party is not her enemy now.
Louis V's acquiescence to Philip's war was actually because she "turned" to the church first, and after her victory, the king did not make things difficult for her.
After listening to Charlotte's words, the leading royal knight saluted and said "Sorry", and then ordered other knights to check the vehicles.
After a moment, the knight checking the vehicle nodded, and the leading knight from the royal family said to Charlotte:
"Your Excellency, there is no problem, we can leave."
"Then let's go."
Charlotte nodded slightly and closed the curtains of the carriage.
The carriage drove slowly, carrying the girl towards the palace.
…
The Royal Palace of the Crescent King is located in the center of the royal capital of Lutetia, directly in front of the Royal Square, opposite the Central Council Hall and Lutetia Cathedral.
As the political center of the Crescent Kingdom, the Crescent Palace is quite majestic. The main body of the palace is a magnificent palace, called the Crescent Palace.
This is a typical building of the Crescent Kingdom, very similar to the Baroque style that Charlotte knew in her previous life. The entire Crescent Palace is built of huge stones, with exquisite sculptures and decorations on the walls, and spectacular spires on the roof. With luxurious dome.
The Crescent Palace is not surrounded by city walls, but is surrounded by large expanses of gardens and lawns. The gardens are equipped with symmetrical flower beds, neatly trimmed shrubs, flowers and lush greenery, and you can also see decorative marble sculptures and verandas all around. .
However, what attracted Charlotte's attention the most was the huge fountain in front of the main entrance of Crescent Palace, which could be seen from a distance.
This is the largest fountain Charlotte has ever seen. It is probably close to thirty meters high and almost fifty meters wide. The sound of the water is like thunder.
In the center of the fountain is a huge marble sculpture, which depicts Louis V riding a war horse and leading the Knights of the Crescent Moon to charge in the decisive battle of the Star-Moon War...
The sculpture is lifelike, just like Louis V himself. It is said that it was made for Louis V personally by the most skilled half-elf craftsmen in the city-state of the Luna Coast. It can be called a work of art.
No, not just the fountain.
In fact, as far as Charlotte knows, the entire Crescent Palace was rebuilt by Louis V on the ruins of the old palace. It is much larger than the old palace that was burned down by the Fallen Star army during the Star-Moon War. Much more luxurious.
Although there is no city wall protection, fully armed royal knights can be seen everywhere inside and outside the palace.
In Charlotte's perception, the strength of these patrolling royal knights is quite outstanding. Even the weakest ones have stars, most of which are silver moons, and even blazing suns.
Although these knights are "royal knights", many of them are actually nobles with other titles, and most of them are the direct descendants of the Crescent Noble Lord, or simply the lord himself.
For the Crescent Nobles, it is also an honor to join the Royal Knights and become the Royal Order Knight.
In addition to the patrolling royal knights, Charlotte also vaguely sensed the flow of magic power.
She calmly followed the flow of magic and soon found magic inscriptions decorated with various patterns on the spire of the palace.
Those are the inscriptions for building a magic circle. They should be some defensive and warning magic circles.
It is obvious that although the Crescent Palace is no longer surrounded by walls like the old castle-like palace, it also maintains the security of the palace on another higher level.
Charlotte looked at the palace curiously through the car window until the carriage finally stopped in front of the main entrance of the Crescent Palace.
"Your Excellency Count Castells, we are here."
The respectful voices of the royal knights came from outside the carriage.
Charlotte nodded, and then stepped out of the carriage with Sebastian's help.
She looked at the luxurious and tall arches of the Crescent Palace, and then entered the palace accompanied by the royal knights.
Sebastian was stopped and not allowed to enter.
The king summoned Charlotte, not him. No one else had the right to enter a place like the palace without a royal order.
"Master, I will wait for you outside the palace, and I will just hand over the gift to His Majesty."
Sebastian said.
Charlotte nodded in acquiescence.
Under the guidance of the royal knights, Charlotte entered the Crescent Palace. The interior of the Crescent Palace was even more luxurious, the palace was magnificent, and the Yunet-style decoration reached the ultimate in every sense.
The ceiling of the hall is high, decorated with gorgeous murals and exquisite chandeliers, and the walls on both sides are covered with gorgeous fabrics and silks, painted with the coat of arms of the Crescent Royal Family; all furniture and decorations are full of luxury and The fine details are so exquisite and gorgeous that they can be called works of art.
Even the windows and curtains are quite luxurious. The curtains are made of exquisite Far Eastern silk and embroidery, with bright colors and grandeur. The glass on the windows is exquisitely carved, reflecting the light in the room and spreading colorful colors.
However, the most eye-catching thing was the banquet hall. Charlotte happened to pass by as she was walking through the corridor to the living room. She just felt that it was quite similar to the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles in her previous life. It was also inlaid with large-area mirrors and carved. It is decorated with exquisite murals and luxurious gold decorations, and is also hung with dazzling large crystal chandeliers...
No, or to put it further, the luxury of the entire Crescent Palace reminded Charlotte of the Palace of Versailles in her previous life.
The same luxury, the same magnificence, the same majesty, the same grandeur.
Rather... the entire Crescent Palace is so big that it feels a little deserted.
Thinking about it, the Valva family's population is now declining, and whether they can gather thirty members is a problem.
As for such a huge palace, not to mention thirty royal families, Charlotte felt that it was more than enough even if all the nobles of Lutetia could be crammed into it.
Charlotte also subconsciously compared Crescent Palace with her own Earl's Mansion, and quickly came to the answer that this comparison was self-defeating.
Castelland is rich.
But no matter how rich they are, they can't compare to the Crescent Royal Family.
Especially the current one, who has been subtly strengthening the centralization of power since he succeeded to the throne. During the Star-Moon War, the Crescent Moon nobles suffered many deaths and injuries. Through mergers and inheritances, the Crescent Moon royal family is still under the direct jurisdiction of today. The territory has already exceeded that before the Star-Moon War.
If nothing else, some data can speak volumes.
As far as Charlotte knows, before Starfall, the Crescent Kingdom alone had more than twenty duchies, large and small, but now there are only nine left, and the number of theocratic duchies has also been reduced from five to now. of three.
Although the territory of some principalities is now larger than before the war, overall, the Crescent Royal Family has gained more territory.
Throughout the entire kingdom, some principalities were even directly destroyed, leaving only earls and barons in pieces.
There can be more than five hundred noble lords participating in the Central Council, and I am afraid half of them are such small and medium-sized lords.
With more direct jurisdictions, the income will naturally be higher, not to mention that the Crescent Royal Family also dominates the extraordinary resources of the entire kingdom. Although it is not a monopoly, it still accounts for a large portion.
Being able to build such a luxurious palace that can be called a "wonder" shows the wealth of the Valva family.
Louis V dared to challenge the aristocracy collectively and implemented the policy of strengthening centralization openly, which was based on the strength of the royal family.
Seeing the essence through phenomena and admiring the magnificence and luxury of Crescent Palace, Charlotte also gained a deeper understanding of the power and wealth of the royal family.
And unknowingly, she was also brought to the reception room of Crescent Palace by the royal knights.
"Your Excellency, please wait here for a moment. Your Majesty is washing up and will arrive shortly."
The royal knight said respectfully.
Charlotte nodded slightly and smiled sweetly:
"Well, thank you."
Seeing her smile, the young royal knight was slightly stunned and suddenly lost his mind.
However, he quickly reacted, his cheeks turned slightly red, and he hurriedly bowed and left in a panic.
Charlotte looked away and touched her soft little face.
I don't know if the divine power of blood has the effect of transforming the body. After merging with the faceless statue, her already excessive appearance became even more excessive.
The change in temperament is outstanding, and everything seems to be more perfect and charming with every word and smile.
Shaking her head, Charlotte sat down in the living room, and the Wang family's maid soon served her tea respectfully.
The tea is the elf black tea that has become popular from the Far East in recent years, and the snacks are the traditional pastries of West Union.
What Charlotte is more interested in is the tea set. The tea set is made of porcelain and is quite exquisite. It should also be a treasure from the Far East and is probably worth a lot of money.
She also has a set in the count's palace, which is simpler than the one in the palace banquet hall and is worth more than 50,000 quintana.
The set in front of me will only be more expensive.
Charlotte looked at the porcelain curiously, thinking that the Far East of this world is really close to people. It has tea, porcelain, and silk. It really looks like her hometown in her previous life.
She heard that it was also the kingdom of elves, but it was too far away and few people actually set foot there.
I don’t know what kind of elf it is.
I wonder if he also has black hair and yellow skin?
And just when Charlotte was thinking wildly and her thoughts were wandering, an old voice suddenly sounded behind her:
"This tea set is the royal porcelain of the Sun Empire. It is said to have a history of two hundred years. It is said that this is the only set in the entire West Union, and there is also a sister set, which seems to be collected in the Coria royal family."
"If Lord Castel likes it, you can take it back later."
Charlotte was startled when she heard the voice behind her.
She stood up quickly and saw King Louis V walking in at some point.
A legend is indeed a legend.
When her breath was not exposed, Charlotte was completely unaware of the other party's approach!
Of course, this is also because Charlotte did not use the divine power of blood. Even if she is considered a "demigod", she is only a "false god".
"Your Majesty, please greet me."
Charlotte followed the etiquette in her memory, held up the hem of her skirt and saluted Louis V.
Today, Louis V is dressed more casually, wearing a loose and gorgeous noble robe, but he still wears a dark blue crescent shawl with a golden crescent coat of arms painted on it.
He didn't look as serious as he did at the Central Council yesterday. Although he was still majestic, his expression was more approachable.
However, some fatigue can still be seen in his brows and eyes.
"Don't be formal, just sit down."
said Louis V.
Charlotte bowed and sat down again.
Louis V also sat down on the throne belonging to the king. He picked up a glass of still wine from the tray of the royal maid, took a sip, and then said gently:
"This must be Mr. Castel's first time coming to Crescent Palace. I wonder what you think of my Crescent Palace?"
Charlotte was stunned for a moment, not expecting that Louis V's first topic would be this.
Facing the king's expectant gaze, she thought for a while and started to praise her heartily according to her true feelings:
"It is luxurious, majestic and majestic. It is the most magnificent palace I have ever seen. It perfectly displays the glory of the crescent moon. It can definitely be called the pinnacle of Miriam palace culture..."
"The architectural style and decorative art are even more breathtaking. It is more like a wonder of art than a palace."
"Not only does it reflect the majesty of the royal family, it also reflects the style of the royal family!"
After hearing Charlotte's praise, Louis V laughed and seemed to be quite pleased with it.
His laugh was thunderous, bold and rough.
After laughing, he continued to ask:
"Any more?"
This is... don't want to just listen to the advantages? Want to hear the downsides too?
Charlotte's heart moved slightly.
She thought for a moment and looked hesitant.
Louis V glanced at her and said:
"Don't hesitate. If you have anything, just say it. I just want to hear a comprehensive evaluation without any blame."
Charlotte paused and said:
"Your Majesty, then I will be offended."
After speaking, she looked solemn and said:
"The majesty is majesty, the grandeur is majestic, but presumably... it also cost a lot of money during its construction, and it was quite expensive."
"Not only that, the scale of the entire palace is too huge, far exceeding the needs of the royal family..."
As she spoke, Charlotte looked at Louis V, and then she was a little surprised to find that Louis V was not angry because of her remarks. On the contrary... the king nodded in agreement.
Noticing Charlotte's gaze, Louis V paused and sighed:
"You are right. Even the royal family spent a lot of money to build such a magnificent palace. Even daily maintenance is a huge expense."
"In a sense, it's really too luxurious and too big."
With that said, Louis V looked at Charlotte again.
The old king smiled slightly and suddenly asked:
"Sir Castel, do you know why I built her so magnificently, so luxuriously and magnificently?"
Charlotte's heart moved slightly and she had some guesses.
However, she did not say it out loud, but shook her head:
"My subjects don't know."
Louis V stopped smiling.
I saw his eyes falling on the enfeoffment map of the Crescent Kingdom in the living room, and he said calmly:
"Because this palace was not built just for the royal family to live in."
