They are all characters I control.

Augustine grasped his hand, touching it lightly before releasing it. "Your Majesty is too kind. I will need Your Majesty's continued guidance in the affairs of the Imperial diocese in the future."

It's clear that this bishop is also adept at managing the dynamics of the relationship.

Even when faced with His Majesty Daryan's overly friendly and ingratiating manner, he seemed unmoved.

This bishop is intelligent, even more so than Bishop Simon.

His Majesty Darian's smile remained unchanged. "Your Excellency is too kind. The Church and the Royal Family are one."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

The implication was clear to everyone, and the nobles nearby laughed in agreement.

Bishop Simon's face darkened further. He stood on the other side of the hall, gripping his scepter tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Augustine's phrase "the affairs of the Imperial parish" clearly implies that he is the future master of the Imperial parish.

Knight Commander Karl stood behind Bishop Simon, expressionless. But his gaze remained fixed on Rosemary, a kind of intuition.

He felt that the young nun's presence beside Bishop Augustine was definitely not that of an ordinary attendant.

Rosemary seemed to sense his gaze, glanced at him sideways, a slight smile playing on her lips, before looking away. A mere knight commander was no big deal.

"This must be Miss Lydia von Rost?" Bishop Augustine's voice interrupted Lydia's thoughts.

Lia's heart skipped a beat; she hadn't expected Augustine to call her name.

She was originally thinking about how to get back quickly and end this event.

In the end, there was no escaping it.

"Yes, yes." Lia bowed slightly. "Greetings, Your Excellency."

Bishop Augustine walked up to her and looked down at her.

He was a head taller than Lia, and his shadow enveloped her completely. But he didn't give off a condescending or oppressive feeling; instead, he seemed like a father looking at his daughter.

"Lady Isabelle often mentions you." His voice was gentle: "She says you are very intelligent and have many ideas. I have also heard about the new tax; you are indeed dedicated to the church."

Lia didn't know what to say, so she lowered her head and whispered "thank you".

What do you mean by "serving the church"? It sounds so nice, but that 'new tax' is entirely for the benefit of the archbishops.

As Bishop Augustine aspired to become archbishop, his praise at this time was clearly influenced by his own opinions and self-interest.

"I hope that Miss Lia will continue to offer criticism and suggestions on some of my ideas so that we can work together to build a better empire and church."

Even the dim-witted Lia could tell that Bishop Augustine's words were pure flattery.

"Okay, okay," Lia forced a smile and replied.

Bishop Augustine smiled, unconcerned by Lydia's reaction, and quickly turned to Count Orlando. "Count Orlando, it's been a long time."

It would be more effective to persuade Earl Orlando directly than to persuade Leah directly.

It's clear that since moving to Earl Orlando's place, Lia has become a completely different person, both in her attitude and thoughts on various things, and even her personality has become much stronger.

Coincidentally, the Earl of Orlando was also an acquaintance of Bishop Augustine.

Earl Orlando bowed slightly. "Your Excellency, how have you been?"

The two sides had met several times at Nolan family gatherings, which were arranged by the Nolan family.

After all, one was an earl who had infiltrated the imperial royal family, and the other was a bishop who wanted to climb to the position of archbishop of the imperial diocese.

It would be best if both sides could reach a cooperation agreement.

"Fortunately, the Count is still as handsome and dashing as ever, while I've grown old." Bishop Augustine touched his round face and chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I can't keep up with you young people, I can't keep up with your pace."

Earl Orlando's lips curled slightly. "Your Excellency is too kind."

She is Lia's aunt, if Lia really prefers to choose the choice of the 'Guiding God' and support Bishop Simon.

Count Orlando also couldn't get too close to Bishop Augustine in front of him.

Bishop Augustine seemed to feel the same way; he turned to His Majesty Daryan and bowed slightly. “Your Majesty, I am a little tired. Let’s talk again at the banquet.”

“Of course.” His Majesty Darian nodded. “Someone, escort Bishop Augustine to rest.”

Bishop Augustine turned and walked toward the door.

Rosemary followed behind him. As they passed Lydia, Rosemary glanced at her sideways, her lips twitching slightly, but no sound came out.

Lia saw a smile in her eyes, not mockery, but curiosity.

[Lia: My Lord, God of Guidance, did you hear that? Why did he specifically call me out? What should I do?]

no answer.

Claire is not here.

Lia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

The new bishop has arrived.

The Imperial Diocese is about to undergo a major upheaval.

But what Lia didn't know was that after Bishop Augustine walked out of the hall, he paused for a moment.

He turned his head and looked at Rosemary.

"That girl, Lia, is the 'one' you mentioned? It seems 'that one' hasn't shown up because she's not interested in my appointment?"

Rosemary nodded without hesitation. "Probably."

Bishop Augustine was silent for a moment, then smiled. "Interesting, then I'll have to show you how."

The two people disappeared around the corner of the corridor, one after the other.

Chapter 77 The New Bishop's Three Fires

Following the ceremony welcoming Bishop Augustine, a welcoming dinner was held.

The royal banquet that evening was expected to be a bloody affair, with the nobles feeling that it would be a time for a major reshuffle.

However, the dinner was actually calmer than anyone had expected. There was no tense confrontation, no sharp words exchanged, and not even a single superfluous word.

Augustine simply sat to the right of His Majesty Daryan, smiling as he savored each dish, occasionally chatting with the nobles beside him about the weather and the harvest.

He looked more like a wealthy businessman visiting the capital than a bishop candidate vying for control of the imperial diocese.

Bishop Simon was as unpopular as ever, and had been completely relegated to a corner.

But everyone knows that beneath the calm surface, undercurrents are surging.

It can only be said that Bishop Augustine had amazing composure. He did not do nothing; the banquet with the crowd was actually a form of observation, to get a clear picture of the empire's nobles.

Leah and Earl Orlando also attended the dinner, but Rosemary did not.

Perhaps Rosemary felt that attending the banquet to meet the nobles was a waste of time, as she already knew their backgrounds well.

This was a relief for Lia, as it meant she wouldn't have to continue arguing with Rosemary about the 'Guiding God'.

At the dinner, Bishop Augustine did not continue to speak with Lia.

In short, the banquet ended in an eerie calm, and everyone couldn't help but wait for tomorrow.

Sure enough, the next morning, Bishop Augustine convened a small meeting in the church. The attendance was small, including His Majesty Darian, Bishop Simon, Knight Commander Karl, Count Orlando, Lia, and several core nobles of the Empire.

The church's meeting room was small but very tall, with a mural of the goddess's descent painted on the dome. Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows, casting colorful reflections on everyone's faces.

At one end of the long table sat Bishop Augustine, who had changed into a plain white robe and was not wearing a bishop's crown, making him look more like a kind elder.

Rosemary stood behind him, holding a thick document in her hands, her gray-blue eyes sweeping across the faces of the group.

Bishop Simon sat opposite Augustine, dressed in a dark purple bishop's robe, his expression stiff, his scepter gripped tightly in his hand, his knuckles white.

His Majesty Darian sat at one end of the long table, a smile on his face, revealing no emotion.

Lia sat next to Earl Orlando, her palms sweaty.

[Lia: My God of Guidance, can you hear me?]

There was still no answer; the person who had been guiding me was nowhere to be found.

Lia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

She didn't like such occasions and didn't understand why she had to attend them, as it seemed that she was the only one among everyone present who didn't have a title.

However, since I was trained by the 'God of Guidance', even if I can't do it myself, I can learn from the 'God of Guidance' and sit there trying to maintain a calm posture.

"Gentlemen," Augustine began, his voice gentle, as if in a casual conversation. "I have invited you all here today to discuss a few matters. First, regarding the Marquis of Rost."

Bishop Simon's face darkened.

Marquis Rost—he was the one who imprisoned him with his own hands; he was the bargaining chip he used to suppress His Majesty Darian and to curry favor with Lydia.

It's not a good sign that Bishop Augustine is going to mention him now.

“The Marquis of Rost has been imprisoned for some time,” Augustine said calmly. “There is still no conclusive evidence regarding the charge of associating with heretics. I believe he should be released first, and a decision should be made after the investigation is completed.”

“No,” Bishop Simon blurted out.

Bishop Augustine looked at him, his gaze still gentle. "Bishop Simon, why not?"

“Because…” Bishop Simon opened his mouth, wanting to give a reason, but found that he couldn’t come up with any compelling reason at all.

The Marquis of Rost's charges were fabricated by him, and the evidence was all fabricated. If you really want to take it seriously, it doesn't stand up to scrutiny at all.

“Because there is no evidence to prove his guilt.” Rosemary’s voice came from behind Augustine, clear and unhurried. “Church law stipulates that in case of doubt, there is no guilt. Bishop Simon, you know this better than we do.”

Bishop Simon's face turned bright red.

He looked at Rosemary, a young girl in a nun's robe, who had publicly contradicted him, making him lose face.

But when Bishop Simon tried to refute it, he found that Rosemary was telling the truth.

"I agree to release Marquis Rost," His Majesty Darian's voice rang out at the opportune moment, tinged with a hint of barely perceptible smugness.

That's exactly what he did before; he released Marquis Rost when he was trying to force Lydia into marriage.

However, Bishop Simon stepped in, sided with Leah, and went against the royal family, managing to imprison the Marquis of Rost back in the church prison.

Although Bishop Augustine has not openly declared how close and friendly he is to the royal family, it would certainly be advantageous for the royal family to say so at this moment.

This would allow them to suppress Bishop Simon, restore the prestige of the royal family, and further put pressure on Leah.

Regardless of whether Lia has left the Rost family or not, she is still outwardly the eldest daughter of the Rost family, and her previous statement about severing ties will not be accepted by the public.

Seeing that it was two against one, the bishop, who was struggling alone, looked to Lia.

They were hoping she would say something.

Lia was in a dilemma. Of course, she didn't want her father to stay in prison, but the 'God of Guidance' clearly disagreed.

Should we still listen to the 'Guiding God' and let our father remain locked up?

While Lia was still hesitating, Bishop Simon was also waiting for Lia's response, but Bishop Augustine was not prepared to wait.

“Then it’s settled.” Bishop Augustine looked at Bishop Simon. “Bishop Simon, please arrange for the release of Marquis Rost after you return. He’s been imprisoned for so long, it’s time to give him an explanation.”

Bishop Simon gritted his teeth, unwilling but helpless.

He has no powerful backers now, so even if he wanted to continue his opposition to Bishop Augustine, he wouldn't gain anything.

Since Lia didn't speak, perhaps she still cherishes the bond between father and daughter.

He had initially done this to please Lia, and if Lia still regarded the Marquis of Rost as her father, then she should let go appropriately. In any case, he had already vented his anger on the Marquis of Rost to a sufficient extent.

“Then the second thing I intend to decide is…” Bishop Augustine picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then put it down. “It concerns the engagement between Miss Lia and Prince Alvin.”

Lia's heart skipped a beat.

Bishop Simon frowned sharply, and Count Orlando looked up at Rosemary beside Bishop Augustine.

Rosemary stood there calmly, responding to Earl Orlando's gaze.

Chapter 78 Watching His Performance

Rosemary naturally saw through Lia's dependence on the 'Guiding God'.

If Lia were to be so obedient to the 'God of Guidance', it certainly wouldn't be a good thing.

After all, that would not effectively allow Lia to dedicate her strength to the Nolan family, and instead she would follow the 'Guiding God' to become an enemy of the Nolan family.