Chapter 102: The Mad Margrave
CH102 The Mad Margrave
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Kurt’s mother was Joselin Holt, a member of one of the many branches of the Holt Marquis Family.
The Holt family had, for many generations, served as loyal vassals to the Machholt Grand Duchy—one of the three Grand Duchies of the Virellian Empire. Over the centuries, numerous Holts had served the Machholts as butlers, soldiers, generals, administrators, and more.
There were even whispers that the Holt family had been founded by a collateral descendant of the Machholt bloodline, and the Holts had always acted in accordance with that belief—devoted vassals to the very end.
Unlike the Fury Family, who spread their power horizontally across multiple branches, the Holts followed a centralised structure: power was concentrated in a single main branch. Only those of that main line could inherit the title of Marquis, much like a royal family.
Joselin Holt, however, was not born into that main line. She hailed from one of the lesser branches—though she possessed a rare political acuity that elevated her status within the family. It was her cunning that made her valuable, both to the Holts and, by extension, to the Machholt Duchy.
Through her, the Holts—and by extension, the Machholts—secured an alliance with the rising Fury Family. More than just an alliance, it was an opportunity. Through the marriage between Joselin and Earl Drake, both older noble lines hoped to absorb and dominate the younger Fury family and claim its rare combat potential.
It was an open scheme, obvious to anyone with eyes. Which led many to wonder...
Why had Earl Drake agreed to such a marriage?
The answer was simple.