Chapter 123
#123. For the Prosperity of the Imperial Palace
The hour when the sunset blushed the sky. Ducal Palace.
Servants who recognized Edwin opened the front doors of the Ducal Palace. Barely dismounting his horse, Edwin rushed in, seeking Olivia.
“The young lady is in the small dining room with Duke Elkin.”
A nearby servant reported immediately. As Edwin dashed towards the dining room, the Knight’s voice echoed in his ears.
“I apologize, Your Highness. I only meant to report after confirming the story about the young lady’s mother…!”
While he was briefly away at the entrance of the Valley of Senua, Duke Elkin had requested a private audience with Olivia.
And about Olivia’s mother, no less. It was the perfect topic to entice her. It was his mistake.
He had hurried as fast as he could, but he couldn’t shorten the distance from the Valley of Senua to the Ducal Palace.
Fortunately, the dining room door was open, allowing him to prepare for any unexpected situation.
“I’m glad it suits your palate.”
Olivia’s voice, drifting through the doorway, was cheerful. Edwin instinctively raised a finger to his lips.
As the servants, who had been about to announce the lord’s return, held their breath, Edwin stood by the door, listening to the conversation.
“Our chef was preparing a grand feast upon hearing that the Duke from The Empire had arrived. It’s a shame you’re not feeling well.”
“Even this light meal clearly showcases the chef’s skill. It’s very delicious.”
Duke Elkin’s face was not visible as his back was turned to the door, but it was a polite conversation.
As the words “light meal” suggested, there were not many dishes in front of Olivia, who sat with her back against the wall. It seemed she had already finished her meal, as she was offering dessert.
“It will be delicious. It’s coated with sweet chocolate mousse and topped with a savory flavor.”
Ganache. Olivia’s favorite dessert. A special treat where the chef sprinkled various chopped nuts for Olivia, who enjoyed savory flavors.
However… Edwin slowly tilted his head.
“Ah, I almost forgot, Duke, you mentioned you have a hazelnut allergy.”
As if she had just remembered, Olivia’s words were followed by a fit of coughing. Duke Elkin raised his voice in alarm.
“What is this…! A physician, summon a physician!”
Duke Elkin was allergic to hazelnuts. Olivia couldn’t possibly be unaware of this fact, which was widely known throughout The Empire.
Come to think of it, this small dining room was not the one where Olivia and Edwin usually dined.
A cave-like place with no windows to let in sunlight, where sound echoed inside. The light could only be adjusted by the chandelier on the ceiling…
“Just kidding.”
…A place where it was easy to gain the upper hand with just the atmosphere.
Olivia said with a clear smile.
Despite the coughs expressing his displeasure, Olivia remained nonchalant, praising the taste of the dessert.
“The young lady has a more mischievous side than I thought. To play tricks on someone with an allergy.”
“Oh, my. It’s nothing compared to the Duke’s schemes. Besides, every aristocrat knows that the Duke always carries emergency medication, doesn’t he?”
Schemes. He didn’t know what they were, but he completely understood the situation. Edwin smiled and nodded to the servant.
“Grand Duke Bikander enters.”
Even though it wasn’t a banquet, the servant’s voice was loud. As if on a well-rehearsed stage, Olivia greeted Edwin with a bright smile.
“You’re here? Edwin.”
“…Greetings, war hero, Grand Duke.”
Upon seeing Edwin, Duke Elkin smiled sociably.
It was obvious that tension and anger were seething beneath his sly face. But it was understandable, given that he had just coughed and flushed with worry about his allergy.
“I rushed over when I heard we had a guest, but now that I think about it, my lady is much more skilled at welcoming guests. I wouldn’t have thought to choose such a suitable dining room.”
Olivia smiled shyly at the compliment. It was the opposite of the Duke’s sullen expression.
“By the way, Duke, you’re the first guest since I came here. You’ll be staying for a few days, so Edwin, is that alright?”
“Such gracious consideration. It’s truly alright. I have my retinue with me, and it was my fault for visiting so suddenly, Your Highness.”
Duke Elkin waved his hands repeatedly, forcing a smile, but he couldn’t dissuade Olivia. Edwin nodded as if it were natural.
“I was planning to invite the Duke separately later, but you’ve come at just the right time. It would quickly become a rumor if my first visitor after becoming the lord was treated poorly. I may not be able to provide lavish hospitality, but I must do my best during your stay.”
“Which room would be best? Edwin. I want to give the Duke a room befitting his dignity.”
“Wherever you offer in the mansion is your prerogative, Olivia. Olivia knows this Ducal Palace inside and out. Ah!”
Edwin clapped his hands as if he had suddenly remembered something.
Duke Elkin, whose expression was growing increasingly stiff, blinked. Was he perhaps going to leave again?
Seeing the futile hope on Duke Elkin’s face, Edwin deliberately spoke ambiguously.
“There’s one place Olivia hasn’t been to. You can’t see it from here, but do you remember the blue-and-white spire beyond the backyard garden?”
“Of course. I heard it used to house pigs and is now used as a barn.”
“It is a barn. Except that there’s a high-class prison above it where aristocrats can be confined.”
In that instant, Duke Elkin’s heart sank. Anyone could tell that those words were meant for him to hear.
Seeing his face, Olivia felt a chill. Territory of Vikander was a place where one could mention the word “prison,” which would never be uttered to a noble family that had produced an Empress.
It was as if someone was urging her to torment him. Regardless of whether the information about Edington Street was true or not, what Duke Elkin had done to her, to the Madeleine Dukedom, and to her mother…
Olivia shook her head and opened her eyes innocently.
“Really? I thought prisons for aristocrats only existed in the Emperor's Palace.”
“Territory of Vikander has always had many intruders from the outside, so it was built by my ancestors long ago. I haven’t had any reason to go there, as I’m often away from the territory. Neither has Olivia, and the Duke…”
The tone of his voice changed subtly as he finished speaking. The moment his red eyes met the Duke’s, Duke Elkin stiffened like a small animal in front of a predator.
“…Is still a guest, for now. Isn’t that right?”
His low voice brushed around her ear. A savage bloodlust flickered above his wide, black pupils.
Feeling a shiver run down his spine, there was only one thing Duke Elkin could do.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Grand Duke.”
This was Territory of Vikander. The Grand Duke’s domain, surrounded by sturdy walls.
.
.
.
“So this is how it feels.”
The drawing room. It was teatime after showing the Duke to his room.
Edwin, who had suggested a card game after a long time, pouted as he shuffled the cards with dazzling skill.
“I wanted to keep Olivia’s mischievous charm all to myself.”
Olivia chuckled at those words.
“How much did you hear?”
“From the hazelnut allergy.”
“You heard the climax. Unfortunately, I’m not used to threatening people.”
Olivia shrugged, her face more cheerful than usual. At the same time, her atmosphere was completely different from usual.
That made him feel even more uneasy, so Edwin put down the cards for a moment and confessed.
“Since Duke Elkin has come to Territory of Vikander, I’ll be honest. Duke Madeleine, the young master, and Sir Jade Madeleine are all coming to Territory of Vikander now. I had already issued an entry ban, so I wanted to send them back without Liv knowing.”
The entry ban he had heard about in The Empire. Edwin’s words about banning the Imperial Family and the Madeleine Dukedom from entering suddenly came to mind.
“I wanted to ask anyway, was there really someone who was banned from entering?”
“Of course. The second young master. I was going to maintain the entry ban if Olivia hadn’t been angry. I’ll have to leave it to Olivia.”
Olivia quietly looked at Edwin. Leaving it to her meant that she had full discretion to either bring them into the castle like Duke Elkin or send them away.
Olivia stared at the cards for a moment, organizing her thoughts.
As faint breaths filled the silence of the drawing room, Edwin asked again after a pause.
“What should we do?”
“…First, send someone to Edington Street.”
“Edington Street?”
Edwin’s eyes darted around for a moment at the sudden mention of the pleasure district. Fortunately, Edwin didn’t ask anything right away. She wouldn’t have been able to give any answer with the feeling of rough thorns growing inside her throat.
“Yes. There’s some news I want to find out. And tomorrow morning, I’ll go to the Valley of Senua with Edwin. And then…”
Her breath caught in her throat as if her face was submerged in hot water, so Olivia deliberately shrugged lightly.
“I want to decide after that.”
“As you wish.”
Edwin grinned.
* * *
And at the same time.
“Until the adjustment of the tax rate is finalized, we plan to pay no taxes whatsoever on minerals in Territory of Vikander.”
The Grand Conference Hall of the Imperial Palace.
Baron Howard Interfield was repeating the exact same words for the twenty-fifth time.
“What outrageous words are these!”
“Are you daring to impose conditions on His Majesty the Emperor?”
Before he could even finish speaking, the nobles surrounding Howard were furious, just as before.
Even in the tedious repetition, Howard didn’t bat an eye. Instead, he sharpened his senses.
Among the nobles in the noisy conference hall.
“….”
Towards the Crown Prince, who was looking at him with a cold smile.
‘He must have heard.’
He had definitely sensed something when the Grand Duke spoke about the secret documents that day. It was definitely the Crown Prince’s aura.
He had expected the Crown Prince to use the secret documents to coax them into raising the tax rate.
Could it be that he had realized that once he secured the secret documents, they were planning not to pay any taxes at all?
Now that the secret documents were the only thing left to resolve, the connection with the Imperial Palace would be severed, so perhaps the Crown Prince was thinking even harder.
Was he overestimating the Crown Prince with his current thoughts, or was he underestimating him?
Clap, clap. The Crown Prince clapped lightly, as if to change the atmosphere.
“The conversation is only flowing along parallel lines, so it’s extremely unproductive. Lord Interfield. What is the mineral tax rate that your master desires?”
“Five percent.”
The nobles’ faces turned red again.
“That’s why! We’re saying that the 5% itself is unacceptable!”
“The current mineral tax rate that Territory of Vikander pays is 72.8%!”
72.8%. Howard said coldly.
“There is no other place that pays 72.8% as a mineral tax rate. Tell me, Baron Dejail. Do you pay 72.8% as a garnet tax rate?”
Baron Dejail’s face turned red as he was singled out. The same was true for the nobles who were called out next. As the nobles increasingly avoided eye contact, someone bravely shouted.
“Is this all the loyalty the Bikander Grand Ducal Family has?”
“That’s what I’m saying. To have paid this much until now. It’s truly amazing loyalty that no one can match, isn’t it?”
It was impossible to tell whether Howard’s words were sarcastic or sincere due to his indifferent voice. A noble’s loud cough echoed in the air, while Leopold continued to look at Howard with intense eyes.
* * *
The Emperor's Palace's office.
“His Majesty wishes to see you.”
When Leopold entered the office, the Emperor was standing in front of the glass window, frowning.
“…Tristan’s grain was only this much.”
The procession of carts entering one after another was shorter than expected. But no matter how much grain they possessed, it was nothing compared to the mineral tax rate.
In just a few days, he felt as if decades had passed. The Emperor turned his gaze to the Crown Prince, who was standing some distance away, and asked.
“So, what happened to the plan to stir up the nobles who are angry about the mineral tax rate?”
