Tears finally burst from Lady Isaac’s eyes. Fearing a sob might escape, she covered her mouth.
“But no matter how hard I try, if the master is asleep, there is no way to return it.”
Grace gently took hold of her frail arm and spoke as if giving an order.
“Help me wake the Duchess. And going forward, cooperate in reclaiming Richmond.”
Lady Isaac felt as though someone had poured ice over her head. A cold thrill started from her crown and swept through her entire body, prickling all the way to the tips of her toes.
They were the very words Lady Isaac had desperately longed to hear. How many times had she wanted to shake the dying Duchess awake? There were too many moments to count when she had wanted to drive out the Marquis and Marchioness pretending to be the masters.
Though they had only met today, Lady Isaac could not refuse the hand Grace offered. After rubbing her tear-dampened hand on her skirt, she carefully took Grace’s hand. Then she spoke like a knight swearing an oath.
“If only I can wake the Duchess, if only I can return Richmond to her. I would give even my life.”
The corner of Grace’s mouth twitched slightly.
Arwen Isaac.
The lady of the house of Count Isaac, whom the previous Duke had trusted most, and the one who could gather the ladies of the countless knight families serving the House of Richmond with a single word.
That was precisely why she was the person who had to be recruited before Duchess Eliza in this place.
Grace clasped Lady Isaac’s hand in return.
“I look forward to working with you, Lady Isaac.”
The first button had been properly fastened in Richmond.
＊ ＊ ＊
While Grace was recruiting Lady Isaac, a commotion was breaking out at the main gate of the castle.
“You cannot enter without permission from the Inner Palace.”
At the gatekeeper’s stern words, a white-haired old man exploded in fury.
“I am the head of the House of Rodeo, which has served Richmond for generations! His Grace has returned, and I have come to pay my respects, yet you dare speak of permission from the Inner Palace?! Will you not open the gate at once?!!”
“I am merely doing my utmost in my duty. I cannot open the gate without the Inner Palace’s permission, so please return.”
“You wretches!! Did you not even report to His Grace that we are here?!!”
It was when the old man’s veins bulged in anger.
“Knights, I swear. Even at such an advanced age, they remain uncouth and vulgar.”
“They let their emotions run ahead and start shouting. It seems true what they say—that blood on their hands devours reason.”
Voices laced with mockery rode the wind.
The expressions of the heads of the knight families who had come to greet Walter froze in an instant.
“What did you just say?!!”
While Crimson Isaac and Sirius Isaac, who had accompanied their father, protested through gritted teeth, the main gate opened and the Marquis’s faction revealed themselves.
Their attire was entirely different from the knights in shabby clothes.
The Marchioness frowned upon seeing Crimson and Sirius’s rugged appearances.
“You mean to enter the castle looking like that?!”
She shook her head slightly and pointed at them with the fan she held.
“Does it not occur to you that such bandit-like appearances tarnish Richmond’s honor?”
At that, Count Isaac, father of Crimson and Sirius, erupted in anger.
“Marchioness, you go too far! My sons have risked their lives to protect His Grace for the past ten years. These scars are symbols of loyalty. How dare you utter the word bandit?!!”
To that, the Marquis stroked his beard and cut in.
“Scars may be medals on the battlefield, but is this not a battlefield.”
“….”
“Do not make a scene. When the previous Duke was alive, do you know how much other houses pointed fingers at Richmond? They said the knights had seized even the Inner Palace. Knights have their roles, and we nobles of the first rank have our own separate roles to play.”
Strength entered the fists of the gathered knights.
“There is nothing for you knights to do beyond this gate. Stop whining and wait where you are needed.”
“Marquis Linco!”
Though the white-haired old man roared in rage, the Marquis didn’t bat an eye. Rather, he pointed at the old man’s face with his index finger and spoke as if chewing each syllable.
“That is the ‘loyalty’ you must show.”
Laughter burst from among the nobles standing behind the Marquis. The Marquis smiled leisurely and turned his body.
“I will inform His Grace, so all of you may return.”
Tears of indignation finally flowed from the old man’s eyes.
“Father, let us return for now. Let us return and wait for word.”
At Crimson and Sirius’s words, Count Isaac nodded his head slightly. Then he looked back at the vassals who had come with them and spoke in a weary voice.
“Let us return for now. It seems we will not be able to meet him even if we wait here.”
“Yet we failed to protect His Grace ten years ago… What are we to do if we fail again this time?”
To someone’s lament, Sirius replied.
“Do not worry.”
“…?”
“His Grace is strong. He will summon us soon.”
In fact, Walter had issued an order for five hundred knights to stand by.
In the end, the people turned away from the closed gate.
The sharp spires of the castle roof seemed like thorns piercing them.
＊ ＊ ＊
Meanwhile, Marquis Linco, having driven the knights away, triumphantly headed for the Duke’s office.
He had a plan.
The best outcome would have been for Walter to die before reaching Richmond Castle, but a victor always prepares a second-best option.
The Marquis was convinced that he controlled everything in Richmond.
First, he had military forces.
The soldiers held by the nobles who had sided with the Marquis outnumbered those held by the pro-Duke nobles. Moreover, the knight order and the citadel garrison inside Richmond Castle were under the command of Count Rowen, so even if five hundred knights followed the Duke, they could not move easily.
Furthermore, all the bureaucrats of Richmond Castle were under his authority.
There was no place the influence of House Linco did not reach—not Richmond’s finances, laws, nor minor administration.
Lastly, the Inner Palace of Richmond was also in the Marchioness’s grasp.
The Inner Palace, similar to the Imperial Household Department of the imperial palace, not only managed maids and servants but also mediated between the Duke and the vassal houses.
More than a decade ago, the one who naturally controlled the Inner Palace of the House of Richmond had been Duchess Eliza. But now, the Marchioness held that position in her stead. All the maids who had served Eliza had been driven out, save for Lady Isaac alone.
If Eliza had tried to the very end to exert her influence in Richmond Castle, the Marquis would have had her assassinated. With the imperial family’s protection gone as well, it would not have been a difficult task. In that sense, Eliza losing her will to live was rather a good thing for her own sake.
Right now, the king of Richmond was Marquis Linco—himself. For he controlled everything: the military, the administration, the Inner Palace, and more.
A smile gradually spread across the Marquis’s face, which had been contorted by the Duke’s return.
*Walter Richmond. He must be in quite a panic by now, mustn’t he?*
The first place the returned Walter would undoubtedly head to was the office. But currently, the office was empty. Because he had ordered it vacated.
What kind of expression would Walter be wearing?
No doubt he would be floundering, unable to do anything about the vast amount of paperwork. He wouldn’t know what to deal with first or how to deal with it—the wretch knew nothing.
He would appear like a savior, pretending to teach him one thing at a time, and trample his self-esteem. Once a man lost his self-esteem, he grew weak. And once the wretch grew weak from losing his self-esteem, he would decide whether to keep him alive or kill him based on whichever was more profitable.
Just thinking about it sent a thrill through him, and the corners of the Marquis’s mouth kept twitching upward. The moment his hand touched the doorknob, his delight reached its peak.
He should boldly enter without even asking permission. A man in a hurry forgets etiquette. Wouldn’t the Duke be delighted if he just opened the door and went in?
However, the Marquis’s expectations were shattered the moment the door opened. No, they were not merely shattered—they were smashed to pieces!
“What is the meaning of this?!!!”
“Ah, no!!”
The shrieks of the document officials poured out.
The office was in such chaos that one might believe a wild boar had rampaged through it. Joseph, who had been rummaging through the documents as he pleased, looked at the Marquis’s faction staring at him as if he were a wild boar and put on a bright expression.
“Ah! You’ve finally come?”
Ah, you’ve finally come?
“What is this madness!!!”
The Marquis bellowed at Joseph. But Joseph didn’t even bat an eye.
Compared to a troll’s shriek, an old human’s shriek is cute.
“How dare a mere knight step into the sacred office, let alone lay hands on the documents?!!”
But compared to a troll, these guys have much worse luck.
“That is because there was no one in this sacred office. I couldn’t wait because the master’s orders are more sacred.”
“Then you should have come to me!!!”
“Ah! That method!”
He slapped his palm as if he had realized something, which only made the Marquis’s anger flare hotter. Seeing the Marquis’s face turn beet red, Joseph rustled a few documents.
“I shall do so next time.”
“What documents have you taken?!!”
“What could a mere knight know? As for what is missing, you may find that out by looking yourself.”
“Y-you…!! Joseph Rexton!!”
“Ah, and His Grace has said he must rest for a while due to travel fatigue. He said he trusts you completely, Marquis, so I hope you live up to His Grace’s expectations. Well then.”
Joseph casually gave a perfunctory greeting and swaggered toward the door.
Trembling at Joseph’s brazen back, the Marquis gave an order to the soldiers standing at the entrance.
“Bring me the documents that wretch has taken, at once!!”