The First Vampire

Chapter 345: 343 Exchange (Thanks to the Silver Alliance of “Loyal Servant Wangcai!”)_1
After leaving the Glorious Church, Colin walked at a leisurely pace back to Swan Castle on his own.

From the butler, he learned that Count Schultz had just left to inspect the territory.

Colin didn’t bother.

Having just experienced Lucien’s “rebellion”, the Countess needed to quickly appease the people and deal with the remnants of Lucien’s forces.

Having lost their top warrior, Lucien, the Schultz Family could only rely on Colin if they still wanted to maintain their superior position in the North Territory. Schultz Family’s other members should also realize this, and make the correct choice.

Not until the night fell and Colin was preparing for a bath after dinner under the attendance of the maid did the butler come to announce that Count Schultz had returned to Swan Castle.

“I see. I will meet the Count after my bath.”

Colin sunk his body into the comfortably hot water, admiring the exquisite decorations in the bathroom while recalling the words Archbishop Agani had said to him during the day.

Admittedly, Colin was quite impressed by Mr. Ji of the St. Sean Family.

The man seemed to always surprise him, or perhaps, startle him.

Colin was curious about how he had seduced Agani.

Bearing in mind that she was the youngest archbishop in the Glorious Empire and cherished by the Pope, Agani had a promising future. Her becoming a Cardinal was almost for certain, and it wasn’t impossible that she could become the first female Pope in Imperial history.

So, how exactly did Mr. Ji persuade Agani to give up such a promising future and chose the extremely dangerous path of rebellion?

Colin couldn’t figure it out.

However, Colin didn’t really have malice towards Mr. Ji.

Although they had always been on different sides, Mr. Ji hadn’t caused any substantive loss to Colin.

Of course, this was also because Colin had not been the main target of Mr. Ji.

After all, Colin was too insignificant to be worth targeting by Mr. Ji.

Now as the Protector of the North Territory, Colin was eligible to be targeted. Unexpectedly, Mr. Ji chose to woo him.

Colin could guess that the man had intentionally left Archbishop John’s remains in the basement of Swan Castle, probably trying to have Schultz Family remove Colin.

But unexpectedly, Colin banished Lucien from Swan City and successfully took control of Count Schultz.

Because Mr. Ji was in his weakest state, seeing Colin was not an easy person to deal with, he had to change his strategy to wooing.

Of course, Colin was extremely alert to Mr. Ji. He knew that if Mr. Ji successfully got through this weak period, he would question whether he could still tolerate Colin’s control of the North Territory.

So, Colin knew he had to seize the opportunity during Mr. Ji’s healing period to strengthen his own power and influence. In that way, Colin would have the capability to self-protect no matter how the storm changed in the Glorious Empire.

Lost in thought, Colin heard the soft footsteps approaching. He didn’t care, thinking it was the maid coming to add water.

But soon, a delicate white foot stepped into the water, followed by a slender, fair and perfect calf.

Under the surprised gaze of Colin, the undressed Countess Schultz was already sitting next to him.

The countess had an impeccable body. Her soft skin glistened like a pearl, her buttocks were plump, above which was a slim waist. The two gorgeous red spots further up made Colin’s blood surge.

“Master, let me serve your bath,” Countess Schultz whispered in Colin’s ear, her eyes and eyebrows carrying a seductive smile.

The fragrant breath made Colin intoxicated, and his slightly stiff body gradually relaxed.

The originally calm water suddenly caused waves.

The dawnlight broke in a thousand strands, casting a shattered rainbow radiance onto the mirrorlike surface of Swan Lake.

Colin stood on the highest balcony of Swan Castle, looking out at the almost unreal beauty before him and felt an unprecedented contentment in his heart.

He took a deep breath, the air filled with the fragrance of dew and flowers.

Suddenly, he heard the familiar sound of footsteps behind him.

Colin turned around to see Countess Schultz approaching, her stride bewitchingly graceful.

After a night had passed, the already beautiful Countess appeared even more captivating. She wore a thin silk chiffon dress; its low-cut, waist-cinching, and bareback design accentuated her beautiful body curves and glowing skin to the fullest.

As she walked, her elegant and pale legs played peekaboo from the slit of her dress, like a blooming blue kite flower.

“Good morning, Master!” The countess’ charming smile made Colin’s heart flutter.

He touched the tip of his nose and smiled, “You can stick to the original title.”

“Yes, Viscount Sir!” Countess Schultz smoothly switched her mode of address, but her submissive attitude remained unchanged.

After a night of deep conversation, Colin understood that Countess Schultz was a woman with not much of her own opinion. Her submissive nature made her unsuitable to be a leader. That’s why she chose to marry Lucien in the past, and now, without any hesitation, switched her allegiance towards Colin.

However, this character trait also made it easier for Colin to control her.

“The ambiguous past between you and Marquis Garcia was purposely fabricated to impersonate Vera’s birth mother, right?”

“Yes.” A blush rose on the countess’ pale cheek, “However, Duke St. Hilde did intend to match me with Marquis Garcia initially. But since Garcia didn’t want to give up his command of the Dark Cavalry and the importance of his position in the North Territory became evident, St. Hilde dropped the idea.”

“Then, what made you betray Duke St. Hilde back in Ice Rock City?”

“Actually, I was forced to. Among the two hundred thousand troops that Marquis Charles led to their doom, there was an elite force from the Schultz family. Once we learned about it, our family was filled with resentment…I was quite dissatisfied with Duke St. Hilde. That’s why I sided with other lords of the North Territory in pressuring the Duke for an explanation.”

Colin nodded, then asked, “How many able soldiers does the Schultz family have now?”

Countess Schultz gathered her hair behind her ear and said, “We should be able to gather an army of sixty to seventy thousand people.”

“Good. You should re-organize this army soon, I might need to draft it at any time.”

“Yes!”

“I’ll be returning to Winterfell City tomorrow. If you need any help, tell me as soon as possible.”

“You’re leaving so soon?” Countess Schultz asked, her pretty face showing deep reluctance.

“Yes.” Colin gently pulled the countess into his arms and held her nubile waist. He said in a gentle voice, “I can’t afford to idle around now, I have to race against time.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

Smelling the fragrance of Countess Schultz’s hair, Colin replied vaguely, “I have a premonition that enormous changes will take place in the Empire! Therefore, I must be prepared in advance.”

“Enormous changes?” The countess’s voice tensed up.

“You don’t have to panic, just do as I say.”

“Yes.”

“And, be careful with Archbishop Agani, don’t easily believe what she says. Also, if the ‘Duke St. Hilde’ who appeared before reappears in Swan City, immediately send me a message.”

“Alright.”

Having instructed so, Colin reached out to touch Countess Schultz’s smooth chin and leaned down to kiss her.

A proper farewell was necessary as departure was imminent.