76 - The Bride of the Great Lord is a Warrior from Hell
The Archduke's Bride is a Warrior from Hell 76
Felix Reine listened to his vassals' blunt words with a smile, then dismissed them all with seemingly gentle words.
He deflected their nasty demands with words that sounded like complaints about how difficult, troublesome, upsetting, and hard things were.
The authority of a great noble's head.
An arrogant and dictatorial attitude.
A sly appearance, but with a subtle underlying true intention, making it even more blatantly sinister.
None of that was there, but when speaking with Felix, one was pushed back by his softly complaining words.
The obedient, diligent, and well-mannered young man skillfully managed his vassals with a kind face.
In a way, he was the epitome of a fine nobleman.
"We shall withdraw."
In a short time, Felix had given his vassals a lot to do.
At the word to withdraw, no one added any more words, and they exchanged glances in groups of three or five before leaving the room.
They all had a lot to do.
"Head of the family."
"Actually, I'm not yet the Head of the family. I need to swear allegiance to the Emperor and be recognized as Marquis to truly become the Head of the family."
At the butler's call, Felix spoke with a sigh.
Every time he faced his vassals, he thought about people.
Those who were useful and knew how to work were negative towards him or his family.
They tried to exclude him if he seemed even slightly threatening to them.
Those who unconditionally agreed with the Head of the family and said pleasant things were either not interested in practical matters or passed the work on to their aides.
They didn't even have to worry about problems or solutions, so they seemed carefree.
It was difficult to work among such people.
Cynicism piled up day by day.
It felt like the day he would say harsh words was coming soon.
What's wrong with you? Why are you so angry?
Stop sucking up and do your job. Stop talking nonsense. Stop laughing inanely and do your job.
Felix barely swallowed the words he almost blurted out.
Tomorrow, and the day after, he would have to suppress similar feelings.
His shoulders were hardening like stone.
"The Small Council?"
Felix rubbed his face roughly and sighed again.
He shook off the stifling conversation with his vassals and stood up.
"The two of them are already in the office. I will bring refreshments."
The butler said, opening the door.
"Have they eaten?"
"I don't think so. It's still early."
"Prepare lunch next to the office."
It was a statement of his intention not to eat with those who couldn't communicate, irritated him, or were unpleasant to look at.
Felix sighed once more.
"Yes."
Listening to the butler's words, Felix entered the office and took a light breath.
The faces of those who found things to do on their own, worked well, communicated well, and made him feel good when he talked to them turned to look at him.
"Felix."
"Let's have lunch together."
It was the only time he could rest in the continuous suffocating routine.
"Okay."
"Let's do that."
Alisha and Harry nodded simultaneously.
"But what's going on?"
Last night, Alisha had requested a Small Council through the butler.
"I have a favor to ask, Felix."
"A favor?"
"Marquis. Give me full authority to investigate my father's accident."
Alisha said, not taking her eyes off Felix.
A person who would definitely find the results and solutions to a problem that he hadn't had time to think about because he was overwhelmed with difficult work had brought it up.
"I grant it."
Felix replied with a face full of trust.
While staying at the Marquis's residence in Reine, Alisha stayed in the South Manor.
After returning home, Alisha often spent time in the greenhouse of the Maze garden in the South Manor.
The greenhouse, surrounded by glass on all sides and even the ceiling, had a black frame.
The black frame was decorated with luxurious vine patterns, and because everything visible from the ceiling was glass that transmitted sunlight, the glass garden was majestic yet radiant.
Even in winter, the greenhouse, full of flowers, was warm and fresh.
It was beautiful even during the day when the sunlight shone, but at night, Oil Lamps were lit inside and outside the greenhouse, adding to the mystery.
Evening, when the sun began to set.
Alisha drank tea in the greenhouse of the Maze garden and dismissed everyone around her.
Daisy and the others guessed that Alisha often visited the glass greenhouse, which the Head of the family had given her as a birthday present, because she missed her father.
So everyone left her side without saying much.
Knock knock.
A fair and plump hand knocked on the greenhouse wall.
"Come in."
It was approaching early summer, but the evenings in the north were chilly.
However, it was definitely not cold enough to wear a cloak made of thick cloth.
Alisha stared intently at Judith, who was taking off a brown cloak made of soft fabric.
"It's cold here in the evening."
Judith folded the cloak she had taken off and covered her knees, savoring the warmth of the greenhouse.
The glass greenhouse was not only beautiful but also warm and cozy.
"Would you like some tea?"
Alisha watched Judith's behavior, which was unlike someone who lived in the village at the end of Tessen, with a keen eye.
"Thank you."
Judith expressed her gratitude as she moved to the table where Alisha was.
Her hands, which had been fluttering in search of warmth, rubbed against each other.
"Here."
As Alisha handed her a teacup, Judith also took out a heavy pouch from her cloak.
"Look at this."
What Judith presented were two reins.
One of them was the one Alisha had given Judith.
Alisha had been investigating the accident even before requesting full authority from the new Head of the family.
In fact, it wasn't just Alisha.
The Reine Marquis family had taken all measures on the day of the accident.
The Marquis Reine, who had lost his life in a fall from a horse, was not a great equestrian or knight.
He wasn't particularly athletic either.
However, as a nobleman, he had learned to ride horses from a young age and was at a level where he mingled with those who went hunting from time to time.
The possibility of an accident occurring due to the Marquis's horse-riding ability was slim.
The day of the accident was a clear day with no rain.
The weather had been good the day before as well, so there were no soft or sunken spots in the ground.
It wasn't a hunt deep in the forest where visibility was poor and changes in the ground were difficult to see.
The accident occurred near a wide grassland.
As soon as Marquis Valdemar Reine had the accident, the knights escorted him back to the family.
The Marquis's chief attending knight rounded up everyone who could go to and from the stables and ordered an investigation.
All items used by the Marquis when he had the accident were also classified as subjects of investigation and stored separately.
All the knights and attendants who had protected the Marquis closely on the day of the hunt were ordered to be confined to their residences.
The knights and attendants were confined to their private rooms in the Marquis family's villa.
After giving all these orders, the Marquis's chief knight reported the entire situation to the butler and then confined himself.
The Marquis's close knights were people Valdemar Reine had personally chosen.
The Marquis knew himself well, that he was closer to the desk than the hunting grounds, and he had a subtle inferiority complex about it.
Ever since he was a Baronet, he couldn't even catch a deer or a duck, but his attending knights swept up the game, so he couldn't help but know.
As the attending knights stayed right by his side, the Marquis thoroughly excluded anyone who would subtly mock or mention his shortcomings.
He also didn't make the foolish choice of choosing a knight who lacked skill.
As such, Marquis Valdemar Reine's attending knights had gentle personalities and were not prone to attacking others' weaknesses.
Everyone was skilled enough to become a knight of the Marquis family.
Even the knight who was pointed out as having the worst personality was not a problematic person.
He was a close aide who, on days when the Marquis completely failed at hunting, would hand over what he had caught to the Marquis and insist that the Marquis had caught it, thus making the almost expressionless Valdemar Reine laugh.
Alisha knew that her father, Marquis Valdemar Reine, strictly chose his people.
Therefore, she saw the possibility of an internal enemy as low.
However, just because the possibility was low didn't mean it was nonexistent, so she didn't lift the Marquis family's measures.
The knights and attendants who had attended the Marquis at the time of the accident were still confined.
At the moment the accident occurred, the Marquis was riding a horse.
The horse, which was climbing a low hill, suddenly pawed and shook its front legs.
Unable to overcome the violent movement, the Marquis fell from the struggling horse.
The Marquis fell to his left.
As he fell, the horse twisted its body and lost its balance, taking small steps, which delayed the rescue for a moment.
But it was a very brief moment.
The horse the Marquis rode was usually docile and fond of people.
That day, too, there had been no problems until the accident.
The Marquis's knights did their best.
The workers who frequented the Marquis family's stables worked in such a complex environment that they couldn't be sure, but they were confident that there was no way the Marquis's horse tack could have been faulty.
As they were the things the Marquis used, all the items in the stables were thoroughly checked and managed when they were brought in and out.
In fact, no faults could be found in the horse's bridle, saddle, stirrups, reins, or shoulder strap.
No abnormalities were found in the clothes and accessories the Marquis had worn.
Everything was fine.
That was the problem.
If it was a simple accident, there had to be a cause.
The Marquis's spring hunt in Reine was an annual event.
It was unbelievable that there was no reason, just bad luck that had happened.
The Council of Elders of the Marquis family said that the unlucky horse that had led to the Marquis's death should be disposed of.
After the accident, the Marquis had told them in advance not to vent their anger on the horse, as he had fallen from the horse because he was incompetent.
Thanks to this, Felix was able to protect his father's horse according to the Marquis's wishes.
Alisha rode her father's horse up the hill where the accident had occurred, without the knowledge of the Council of Elders and her family.
Nothing happened.
The horse quickly passed the low hill where the accident had occurred without causing any problems.
Judith received and reviewed all the details of the accident and the matters investigated by the Marquis family.
She also closely examined the circumstances after Alisha rode the horse.
Her face, which had gone to check all the data and items she could, was a little haggard.
What Judith, who had finished the investigation, presented was a rein with not a single thread torn.
"There's nothing wrong with it."
The Marquis family had checked it hundreds of times if it was related to the horse.
Judith put down the teacup and gestured to the Marquis's reins and the other reins in turn.
Even looking at them again, the reins were neat.
If there was a difference, it was that the Marquis's reins looked much sturdier and the leather quality seemed better than the reins brought for comparison.
"Scent."
Judith said, pointing to the reins used by the Marquis.
"Scent?"
"Yes, scent. There is a scent from these reins. It's been ten days since the accident, but if you leave these reins in the room and come out, a fairly strong scent remains."
All sorts of smells came from horses, which were large animals.
The smell of excrement was also terrible in the places where horses had passed.
Even if the Marquis family managed the stables cleanly, a strong smell was inevitable.
The scent from the reins faintly filled the greenhouse.
It would have been difficult to smell this scent in the stables or outdoors, where stronger smells were everywhere.
"Scent…"
"You said that when you rode the horse to the place where the accident occurred, you wore new riding equipment. So I looked at the items that were put on the horse at the time of the accident. I left the items in the room for a while and came back, and the room was full of scent."