Chapter 17
Episode 16
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Who would dare use the chambers of the late Duchess without the Duke's permission?
Walter, with his hands in his pockets, walked to the window and looked out. He saw the Marquis's party just crossing the garden. The Marchioness, following her husband, kept her gaze fixed on the Chandelier Room. Even from afar, he could sense the anger in her expression.
Grace, who had come to Walter's side, also looked out at the scene in the distance with him.
Unlike the Marquis's party, who confidently strode across the Main Castle garden, the heads of the knightly families who had shared Walter's joys and sorrows were nowhere to be seen. None of them had been granted permission to enter the castle. It was all the work of the Marquis, who had been acting as regent in the Duke's absence. The only one who could enter the Duke's castle was Joseph Rexton, Walter's adjutant.
The expressions on the faces of the man and woman standing side by side at the huge window became very similar. Walter glanced at Grace's face reflected in the window and muttered.
"When did you start practicing that acting?"
"It's not something that comes from practice."
"……?"
When Walter stared at her, Grace shrugged slightly.
"It's just that, in that moment, I really think I'm in love."
"……."
"Your Highness… no. Someone might hear, so I'll call you Your Grace no matter what. Your Grace, you should hypnotize yourself too. That you're in love at that moment."
"Is that easy?"
"There's nothing difficult about it. And Your Grace, you were quite good at it, weren't you?"
Perhaps it seemed that way because the other person's acting was excellent. Walter chuckled, and Grace smiled and changed the subject.
"The Grand Duchess isn't visible."
At that, Walter's smile vanished. His dark eyes instantly sank.
"She'll be in the detached residence."
Grace's expression also changed as easily as flipping her hand. Walter thought she looked like a warrior choosing a sword. And that impression would not be wrong.
Grace neatly smoothed her skirt with a refined gesture and asked softly.
"Where is the detached residence?"
Grace Taylor's next target after Walter, and the reason she had to come to the Richmond territory herself, even if it meant becoming Walter's lover. That was Eliza Richmond.
＊ ＊ ＊
Thirteen years ago, when the Duke and Duchess of Richmond died at the same time, Walter Richmond, who had just turned ten, ascended to the next Dukedom according to the law of succession.
Until then, people had no doubt that Grand Duchess Eliza would help her young grandson protect Richmond.
However, the trusted Grand Duchess lost her mind. Was it because of the shock of losing her son and his wife at the same time? The Grand Duchess, as if afraid that her grandson Walter would also be harmed, shut herself in the bedroom with the young Duke and lived in seclusion. Moreover, she refused to show Walter to anyone except her maid, Mrs. Isaac, and placed guards around the bedroom to prevent even an ant from approaching.
The Richmond Dukedom fell into chaos due to the absence of the young Duke. The loyal vassals whom the late Duke had cherished tried to fill this void, but the pack of jackals eyeing the delicious meat would not miss this good opportunity.
Marquis Rinko, the highest-ranking member of the family besides the Duke, brought in the Empress's forces along with his followers.
The Empress made a good offer to Marquis Rinko. How about the Richmond Dukedom take on the task of guarding the Wall of Death, a headache for the Empire? For as long as ten years, no less.
The Wall of Death was a long wall built at the western end of the Empire, beyond which a huge number of Magical beasts appeared. It was such a dangerous place that it was not easy to survive even a year, so prisoners were usually stationed there instead of ordinary soldiers. But ten years? It was no different from a death sentence.
Marquis Rinko, using the Empress's proposal as an excuse, worked to send the group that followed the late Duke, and even the young Duke, who was supposed to lead them, to the Wall of Death. No matter how much the Grand Duchess tried to protect him, she would not be able to disobey the Empress's orders.
His efforts were eventually successful.
After three years, the Duke had grown beyond recognition. But he was still young. The Marquis stood on the drawbridge and saw off the young Duke and his knights.
Never come back.
With that thought in mind, he waved to him. And after completely isolating the Grand Duchess, he drove out all the remaining forces of the late Duke and filled the castle with his followers.
He waited every day for news of the Duke's death, and even sent lionesses from time to time, but contrary to the Marquis's wishes, he did not die.
The boy Duke returned as a man of great stature with five hundred knights. Contrary to the hope that he would have lost his dignity as a nobleman in his desperate struggle to survive, he was overflowing with the nobility of a great aristocrat, even at a glance.
And, there was a woman with him. The woman in the cream-colored, neat dress stood so naturally right next to the Duke, who was intimidating just to look at. That was strangely unsettling to the Marquis.
The Marquis forcibly pushed away the afterimage of the man and woman standing side by side and opened the door to the conference room himself.
Beneath the wall hung with the banner of the blue eagle was the Duke's seat. Despite having seized everything in the Richmond Duke's castle, he had not been able to seize that seat. The Marquis's seat was prepared to the right of the Duke's seat. He plopped down in his unsatisfactory seat and roughly ran his hand over his face. Those gathered stared at him intently.
Finally, after finishing his thoughts, the Marquis pointed to one of the nobles and ordered.
"First, find out everything about that woman. Just by looking at her appearance, she seems to be a noble, but if she's wandering around in a man's arms without any attendants, she must be from a fallen family that's no different from a commoner. Search the areas near the Wall of Death thoroughly. The Duke has been stuck there for the past ten years."
"Yes, I understand."
Then the Marchioness, who had followed him, shuddered.
"The vicinity of the Wall of Death?! Can those who have settled in that vicinity even be called nobles?! The reason why she doesn't reveal her name properly is because her family is insignificant! The Chandelier Room for such a woman?!"
That's my room!
One of the nobles who wanted to look good to them slyly chimed in.
"It's wrong to even bring such a woman into the Richmond Duke's castle."
Those who couldn't even open their mouths in front of the Duke's cold gaze opened their mouths without hesitation. Among them was Earl Rowen, Flora's father.
"I don't know what you're thinking, but you can't just bring anyone to Your Grace's side. I think it's right to formally protest to Your Grace about this situation. To do such a thing without consulting us."
Then the Marquis, who had been silent, gazed at those gathered one by one. The room became quiet. The Marquis spoke in a solemn voice, as if he had made up his mind.
"In the past, it was we who protected the wavering Richmond until now."
"That's right."
"It seems the Duke has forgotten that fact. We must point out that Richmond is not just the Duke's."
That's right. Whose is this Richmond?
The Marquis constantly repeated words like a conviction in his mind.
＊ ＊ ＊
Walter Richmond.
Flora blankly pronounced that name several times.
She had never seen such a man in her life. Jet-black hair, sharp eyes, a chiseled yet sleek jawline, and a physique so firm and robust that it made her gasp. Despite the simple attire of a cloak over his uniform, the wide shoulders and the gold insignia densely packed on his chest proved that he was the master of this place.
Many nobles, including the Marquis and Marchioness, were waiting for him, but Walter silently brushed past them and went through the door. What words were needed when the owner entered the house? The nobles who had been standing on the bridge were in a frenzy to clear the way. Flora was among them.
'Who is he?'
A voice was heard amidst the commotion. Flora's gaze shifted from Walter to the woman standing next to him.
An elegant woman with rare blonde hair gracefully twisted up. Flora's gaze, which had been sliding along her straight neckline, stopped between the two. The Duke was holding the woman's hand tightly.
And that wasn't all! He would take a few steps and turn back to the woman, and then take a few more steps and turn back to the woman again. Each time, the woman flirted with the Duke.
Flora could see everything. Pretending to be innocent, pretending to be elegant, pretending not to know! The Duke was caught in the woman's snare. The sculpturally stoic lines of his face felt slightly relaxed only when he turned to that woman.
When she recalled that image, a fire blazed inside her. It was when Flora bit her lip hard.
"Young lady!"
The two maids who had guided the Duke and the woman to their room came to find her.
"Did you find out?"
They scurried to the sofa where Flora was sitting, lowered their bodies, and opened their mouths.
"That woman seems to be a noble in name only, who has completely fallen. She's almost no different from a commoner."
"The Marquis has also ordered us to search all the families near the Wall of Death to find out the woman's identity."
The moment she heard those words, warmth seemed to spread through her chest, which had been frozen and constricted like ice. Flora scoffed and shook her head.
"A noble in name only? It's absurd."
The maids, thinking this was their chance, began to elaborate in an attempt to look good to her.
They could never miss the chance to become a close aide to the future Duchess!
"That girl that the woman brought with her like a maid, you know? She somehow smelled, too."
"The Chandelier Room must have been something that woman begged the Duke for."
Flora listened to the maids' slander like music and put on a seemingly sad expression.
"That woman… she's so pitiful. And the Duke, who's bewitched by such a woman, is also pathetic."
"Young lady… you're like an angel."
"The Marquis and my father won't stand idly by in this situation. How can such a woman become the Duchess of Richmond?"
"Of course."
Flora smiled slightly and gave each of the maids a gold coin.
"Keep watching. Come again if you have anything to tell me."
