Soothed by his wife, Count Rinko grumbled for a long while before he spoke.
“That’s right. I am the master of this castle. Now that I’ve driven out every last one of those who followed the former duke, everyone with any influence in this castle is on my side.”
“Down to the last maid, they are all on our side. Walter Richmond will never seize this castle. The Duke will be treated exactly as my grandmother is, and he won’t dare oppose us. When the time comes to drive him out, we can simply take our time and reconsider.”
Countess Rinko finished speaking softly and left the office.
In the corridor, someone was waiting for her. It was the Grand Duchess’s lady-in-waiting, Mrs. Isaac.
“Countess.”
But the Countess glanced at her as if displeased and walked away without a word. Fury burned in Mrs. Isaac’s eyes.
“How dare you treat the Grand Duchess this way!”
At that, the Countess turned back and approached. She calmly clasped her hands and smiled brightly.
“Whatever have I done to deserve this?”
“You have been removing the maids from the Grand Duchess’s annex one by one, and now you’ve even gone so far as to reduce her firewood?!”
“Oh, my. Did the Grand Duchess say she was cold, Mrs. Isaac?”
At the shameless question, Mrs. Isaac finally exploded.
“Go and see for yourself how frigid the annex is!!”
The Countess let out a low laugh. At that, the maidservants standing behind her all burst into laughter as well. Soon, having collected herself, the Countess put on a serious expression.
“Is winter not fast approaching? I, too, am in a situation where I must save every stick of firewood. I humbly ask that the Grand Duchess endure a little longer for the sake of the household. Only then can we stay warm through the truly cold winter, don’t you agree?”
To think that the House of Richmond would begrudge a single log. It was an excuse that even a child wouldn’t believe. The Countess affectionately patted Mrs. Isaac’s shoulder, then walked away at a leisurely pace. The maidservants’ chatter sounded like mockery.
Mrs. Isaac squeezed her eyes shut and let out a wretched sigh. Her chest felt tight, as if something were caught in her solar plexus, and her entire body felt heavy, as if waterlogged. Her wretched heart grew even heavier when she entered the annex.
The neglected annex was as desolate and lonely as the ruins of a fallen kingdom’s palace. The glory of the one who resided there had also faded, forgotten by all.
Eliza Richmond.
She was the grandmother of Duke Walter Richmond, the sister of the former emperor, and the aunt of the current Emperor Venus, who lay ill. Thus, her official title was “Grand Duchess Richmond,” but there was a time when people had called her the “Queen of Richmond.” For there had been no woman in the empire with a title as illustrious as hers.
But contrary to such a glorious name, the Grand Duchess’s quarters were dark, cold, and lonely, as if a corner of a monastery had been relocated there. She, shut away inside, looked unmistakably like a person dying. Her withered forearms were like dead wood, and her hollowed nape, which caved in with every breath, was covered in dry wrinkles.
Once, many had come to plead with the Grand Duchess. They begged her to protect the House of Richmond from Count and Countess Rinko, who were trying to devour the family. But Eliza could not possibly rise. She didn’t even feel anger as the count and countess gradually stripped away her authority, bit by bit.
“What use are family and honor….”
Duke Walter Richmond was not Eliza’s grandson. The grandson she had loved was dead. Along with her son and daughter-in-law. To the old woman who had sent away her son, her daughter-in-law, and the grandson she loved more than life itself, all that remained was pitch-black despair.
One day, when ominous rumors that the Emperor’s mind was unsound circulated as gloomily as fog.
‘Mother, I entrust His Highness the Crown Prince to your care.’
Eliza’s son left the Crown Prince, who was the same age as her grandson, in her care, and took her grandson to the imperial palace in his stead. Perhaps because of the imperial blood they shared, the children had greatly resembled each other since youth. When dressed in each other’s clothes, one could scarcely tell at a glance who was the young duke and who was the Crown Prince.
‘I’ll be right back, Grandmother!’
Contrary to that final farewell, the child never returned to Eliza’s embrace, even in death. The grandson’s funeral was held by the Empress. The young duke was placed in a stone coffin engraved with the Crown Prince’s name and interred in the imperial palace’s underground tomb. All Eliza received was a handful of ashes that had been her son and daughter-in-law.
The thought of how anguished and frightened that young child must have been left her breathless. Eliza stared into the empty air with eyes that had gone completely dead.
“Grand Duchess, the Duke is said to be returning.”
“….”
“Would it not be wise to prepare for His Grace’s arrival?”
“I feel sleepy.”
“When His Grace returns, even Count and Countess Rinko won’t dare—”
“I don’t care.”
“….”
“I don’t care.”
Whether someone seized this family or not, she wanted to care about nothing. Eliza closed her eyes. She was simply overcome with drowsiness.
* * *
Meanwhile, Jessie, who had rejoined the party after carrying out Grace’s orders, scratched her head and wondered.
What on earth had happened in the past ten days?
“This fruit smells wonderful! It would be nice to keep it in the carriage!”
“Wouldn’t flowers go well with it too? I passed by and saw them in full bloom, so I picked some!”
“My Lady, how is the wound on your arm? This is an ointment specially made by my family….”
“You just made that by mixing random herbs however you wanted, didn’t you?!”
“Shut up if you don’t know anything! I know the formula!”
As the rough-looking knights crowded in front of the carriage, raising their voices, Andrew squeezed between them and waved his hands.
“Ah, what is all this commotion, really?! My Lady will be startled!”
“Huh, look at this brat?”
“Such words! They are unfit for My Lady’s ears!”
“….”
“First Squad Commander. Honestly, that medicine is just a random mix of whatever you had on hand, isn’t it? Take it back! And that fruit! Nine out of ten people sneeze after eating that!! I’ll deliver only these flowers to My Lady.”
Andrew, scowling like a gatekeeper, glared at his senior knights. Knights watching the scene remarked quietly to the eldest and second sons of Count Isaac’s family.
“It seems the youngest son of Count Isaac is trying to make a full-time career as My Lady’s attendant.”
But Andrew’s brothers merely shrugged.
“They keep giving me gifts like this, I hardly know what to do with myself.”
Grace smiled brightly, cradling the bouquet to her chest. Knights organizing their belongings here and there glanced furtively at her.
It had been about ten days since the journey to Richmond began. The knights refrained as much as possible from the coarse language they typically used on the front lines swarming with monsters. It was no small feat, but with young Andrew running around glaring at them, and the knights’ own voluntary efforts, it certainly helped.
Sirius picked his ear and muttered.
“Better to be My Lady’s attendant than some worthless knight whose life hangs by a thread day in and day out.”
At that moment, Grace expressed her gratitude to the knight who had picked the flowers.
“Sir Zeon, the fragrance is truly lovely. Thank you.”
“Ah, not at all!”
She seemed to never forget a name she heard once, for even among knights who looked alike, she never called out mistakenly.
“Sir Isaac, please give me that ointment and fruit as well.”
When Grace asked for the gifts that Andrew had blocked, the knights who had prepared them waved their hands in protest.
“Oh, no! We were thoughtless!”
“Any gift is cause for joy. Thank you.”
Grace accepted the ointment and fruit as well and placed them inside the carriage. Jessie, who had rejoined the party after carrying out the lady’s orders, shook her head at the pile of miscellaneous items—truly, that was what they were.
Whenever the carriage briefly stopped, the knights brought all manner of food, blankets, and things they found amusing by their standards, and checked meticulously to see if Grace was uncomfortable. But as men who had roamed battlefields rather than society, none of them could be seen as noble, no matter how generously one judged.
Save for exactly one person: Walter.
Just as Jessie caught a glimpse of Walter’s back, so too did Grace see him. Whenever the heavy hem of his cloak fluttered, his hair swayed along with it. Unlike most of the knights, who hovered around her while reading the room, Walter had not so much as spoken to her throughout the journey.
“Wait here a moment, Jessie.”
Grace smoothed her hair and stepped down from the carriage. The knights standing about in disorder parted to make way for her.
The wind that swept past Walter carried a cold, wooden scent. Sensing someone approaching, Walter turned around. Grace smiled brightly at him.
Walter’s gaze deepened.
Whether it was an act or a habit, Grace Taylor truly smiled well.
At him, and at his subordinates.
‘First, I shall win the hearts of the Richmond knights.’
How would a precious noble lady who had likely never held a sword win the hearts of knights? Walter was half in doubt.
Yet before they even arrived at the duchy, five hundred fierce and rough knights had opened their hearts to Grace. Like dogs wagging their tails at their master, they flocked to her one after another. Seeing them pick all sorts of strange fruits to present as gifts, he could only laugh.
Walter smiled bitterly and muttered.
“They were hearts as light as paper, indeed.”
This wasn’t jealousy—he was simply truly dumbfounded.