Chapter 134 - 111: Catherine’s Succession Ceremony (Part 2)

Chapter 134: Chapter 111: Catherine’s Succession Ceremony (Part 2)

"The Thomas Clan swears eternal loyalty to the Jackson Family, and to Lord Catherine Rochelle Hernandez Mehelban Jackson!"

"The Haddad Family swears eternal loyalty to the Jackson Family, and to Lord Catherine Rochelle Hernandez Mehelban Jackson!"

"The Steven Family swears eternal loyalty to the Jackson Family, and to Lord Catherine Rochelle Hernandez Mehelban Jackson!"

"The Brandon family swears eternal loyalty to the Jackson Family, and to Lord Catherine Rochelle Hernandez Mehelban Jackson!"...

After the noble families finished swearing their allegiance, it was the Knight Order’s turn to pledge their loyalty.

The entire oath-swearing ceremony was monotonous and repetitive, a complete waste of time. Lian was starting to get drowsy watching it.

He suddenly realized that his own succession as Lord hadn’t been nearly this complicated.

’Wait, could it be because no one bothered to prepare a proper succession ceremony for me?’

’Come to think of it, when I became Lord, not only were there no representatives from the Church Court, but not even anyone from the Church showed up.’

’My ascension as the Lord of Green Shade Territory really was a muddled affair.’

Lian grumbled internally. He looked at the maid, Mina, who was so moved she was in tears, and said comfortingly,

"Miss Mina, even Catherine isn’t as emotional as you are."

"S-Sorry. I-I-I’m just so happy. I never thought this day would come. It all feels like a dream. Miss Catherine... she really did it."

Mina said between sobs.

You could tell she was genuinely happy for Catherine.

A rare smile even appeared on the face of the old, square-jawed knight, Kage Mori.

The celebration lasted from day until night.

As twilight chased away the sunset, the fireworks display began. Multicolored lights bloomed in the night sky, like a brilliant river of stars falling to the mortal world.

Gasps of awe rose from the crowd. The faces of children were filled with wondrous smiles, while the adults raised their glasses to celebrate and toast the new beginning.

In that moment, everyone gathered in Blue Moon Territory felt an unprecedented sense of unity and hope.

Though the road ahead was filled with uncertainty, they believed that under Catherine’s leadership, the land would see a more glorious tomorrow.

The festivities continued late into the night, the sounds of laughter and cheer echoing long in the skies above Blue Moon Territory.

However, into this joyous atmosphere, uninvited guests arrived.

Mary’s army had already passed through Yusofa and reached the border of Blue Moon Territory.

A Knight Order clad in Silver Armor surrounded an exceptionally luxurious Unicorn Carriage, above which fluttered the banner of Rose Territory.

The carriage was covered in fresh red roses, looking like a princess’s coach straight out of a fairy tale.

Inside the carriage sat a woman with long, chestnut hair. Her features were as exquisite as a sculpture, and her brow held a hint of extraordinary, wild beauty, like a leopard poised to strike. Her eyes were deep and sharp, like the brightest stars in the night sky—both majestic and captivating.

She wore a magnificent red gown, like a rose bride dressed for her wedding.

Beside her sat a black-haired man in a red formal suit. The man was handsome and stood tall, with a slight resemblance to Catherine in his features. He was none other than Catherine’s older brother, Lorne Jackson, the last surviving man of the Jackson Family.

The purpose of Mary’s trip was to install the man beside her, Lorne Jackson, as the Lord of Blue Moon Territory.

If Yusofa’s army hadn’t blocked her, Mary could have arrived at least a day earlier.

Yusofa’s sudden betrayal had caused Mary to miss the opportune moment, enraging her to the extreme.

As a result, she had carved a path of slaughter through Yusofa, leaving rivers of blood in her wake.

However, even after leaving countless corpses in her wake, she was still a step too late.

As they looked up and saw the sky filled with blooming fireworks, Mary slowly clasped Lorne Jackson’s hand.

CRACK—

Lorne Jackson felt the bones in his left hand break.

He endured the excruciating pain, not daring to make a sound that might displease Mary.

He knew Mary must be furious right now.

Mary released his hand, then turned and straightened Lorne Jackson’s lapels.

"Let’s go. We’re going to congratulate your sister, Catherine Rochelle Hernandez Mehelban Jackson, on becoming the Lord of Blue Moon Territory. And we’ll wish her the shortest reign of any lord in Blue Moon Territory’s history."

Lorne Jackson quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

For a moment there, he had thought he was about to die at the hands of a wrathful Mary.

Although he hadn’t been by Mary’s side for long, he knew she was an incredibly bloodthirsty woman.

Perhaps it was related to her early years campaigning on the battlefield with the old King; she was never merciful or soft on her enemies.

Mary looked at her head maid, Nancy Scalia.

"How many troops did Green Shade Territory send?"

"It should be 100,000, though they claim it’s 200,000."

Nancy Scalia replied, her head bowed.

Ever since the last intelligence failure, Nancy Scalia hadn’t dared to underestimate Lian. She had been exceptionally thorough in investigating his military strength, but unfortunately, the information had been relayed too slowly, causing them to lose the initiative.

Mary had only brought 50,000 troops this time, but she was confident that her 50,000 elite soldiers were incomparable to the rabble from a small, border territory like Green Shade Territory.

Besides, she also had the Assassin Legion, which was composed entirely of the Heartless. They had the power to stand their ground even against a Witch.

"Lian Moria... if it were really an army of 200,000, I might actually be a little scared."

Mary gave a cold laugh and picked up a teacup from inside the carriage.

"Let’s go. Head inside."

The vast army surged forward, just about to pass through the High Wall.

The defending troops blocked the army of Rose Territory. Leading them was none other than Anderson, who had been riding a wave of success recently.

Anderson had long heard of the Southern Dominator’s fearsome reputation. Even he felt a little intimidated as he blocked her path, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke.

"Honorable Lord of Rose Territory, Lady Mary, the army cannot enter. Only you and your Knight Order will be permitted inside."

"Are there no troops from Green Shade Territory inside the walls?"

The beautiful head maid, Nancy Scalia, pulled back the carriage curtain and stared at Anderson with a pair of cold eyes.

Anderson’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.

"We are all from Green Shade Territory, but we belong to Lord Lian. Lord Lian is Miss Catherine’s fiancé. Our army was lent to Miss Catherine to defend Blue Moon Territory."

"Oh? Then we belong to Lady Mary, and Lady Mary is the wife of Lord Jackson. Therefore, our army is here to protect Lord Jackson. Our situations are identical. So, may we enter now?"

Nancy Scalia’s rhetorical skill completely overwhelmed Anderson.

Anderson was completely outmatched in the argument and could only bite the bullet and play his trump card.

"Please don’t make things difficult for us, honorable Lady Mary. Lord Lian said that if you insist on bringing your army into Blue Moon Territory, it will be considered a shameful act of aggression. He will write of your crimes in a formal report and deliver it to His Majesty the King."

Mary gave Anderson a cool glance, a hint of appreciation in her eyes.

A beautiful youth like Anderson always had his advantages in certain situations.

"Nancy, leave the army outside. We’ll go in first. We’ve already missed too much."

"As you command."

Nancy Scalia stopped arguing with Anderson, who breathed a sigh of relief.

The Guard Team allowed Mary’s luxurious carriage and her Knight Order to pass, while the army of Rose Territory was forced to camp outside.

Anderson watched the massive, dark mass of troops, his heart still filled with unease.

He had a feeling that going to war with Mary would be even more difficult than the battle against the Bone Forest.

The carriage slowly drove onto the main thoroughfare of Blue Moon Territory. People stopped in their tracks to watch.

Upon seeing the emblem of Rose Territory on the carriage, the crowd immediately fell into a panic.

They scattered like a receding tide, clearing a wide path for Mary.

"It’s Lady Mary of Rose Territory."

"Quick, get on your knees! Don’t let her notice us."

The vast majority of commoners chose to kneel, and soon the ground was covered with fallen figures.

The sounds of laughter and celebration came to an abrupt halt.

A silent consensus spread through the crowd as everyone fell quiet, afraid of provoking the notoriously fearsome Southern Dominator.

Mary looked at the kneeling citizens of Blue Moon Territory, her face devoid of expression.

She was already used to it.

She was a noble of high birth, the Lord of Rose Territory, the terrifying Southern Dominator, and above all, a member of the Imperial Family. In the entire Holy Empire, besides Augustus, only she held a claim to the throne.

She believed all of this was her due. Peasants were meant to kneel on the ground.

And as for Catherine, who had repeatedly provoked her, it was time for her to pay the price.