# 49
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Marquis Linco's violet lips quivered slightly. His ears were ringing, and his palms were wet with sweat. He ran his tongue over his dry lips before opening his mouth.
“...as long as that territory bears the name of Lenkou...”
“Marquis Lenco, be polite and obey the Pact of Loyalty!”
Lady Isaac shouted in a sharp voice, and the Marquise glared fiercely. But the recitation of the Subaltern’s Covenant can only be done with complete fulfillment of the etiquette. Isaac's lady stared at him with wide eyes, and finally the Marquis had no choice but to kneel on his left knee.
Bang.
The sound of his knee hitting the ground sounded like thunder. The Marquis bit his lips, then recited the charter in a strangled voice:
“…So long as that territory remains in the name of Linko, the descendants of Linko pay allegiance to the Lord of Richmond, and swear to trust and follow his word in every circumstance.”
It had been so long since he had last uttered those words that he thought he had forgotten them, but his tongue and body still kept the covenant.
However, Eliza did not move, her eyes remained closed. The Marquise remained kneeling, while the Marquise's cheeks became more and more red. If Edward had not been holding her hand tightly, her voice would undoubtedly have escaped.
As numbness began to spread through the Marquise's left leg, Eliza finally opened her mouth.
“Is that territory… still called Lenkou?”
"…Yes."
Hearing the answer, Eliza finally opened her eyes. She raised her gaze to the towering dome of the hall, and said as if talking to herf:
"So that's the way it is. I thought that territory no longer existed in the name of Linkou."
“Grand Madam!”
“Get out.”
Eliza ignored the Marquis's anxious call, and gave her order in a decisive voice. From behind the flag, a slender woman appeared.
“!!”
Count Luwin exhaled softly.
“As I expected...it was in the annex.”
She was Grace's maid, whom the Count had searched for in vain.
As soon as Jessie came out from behind the flag, she looked for Grace with her eyes. Her mistress was in a miserable state. Jessie stepped next to her, both sadness and anger suffocating her. Grace gave her a small nod that she was okay, then knelt down in front of Eliza again.
"I, Grace Taylor, daughter of Arthur Taylor and Luciana Taylor, have the honor of meeting the Grand Lady of Richmond. I offer my sincere apologies for the disturbance I have caused at Richmond Palace."
The moment the names of the late Duke and Duchess of Taylor came out of Grace's mouth, defeat was evident on the faces of the Marquis's supporters.
The Duke had clearly said that he would pay “the price of excessive loyalty.”
But...what can they cling to now?
While they were running their minds desperately, Eliza stared at Grace and asked her in a sharp tone:
“Duke, did you know that Miss Taylor was engaged to Viscount Saxony?”
“Yes, I know.”
“And are you prepared to tolerate the deterioration of the relationship between Richmond and Saxon because of this?”
So then.
Ares untied his hands, clasped behind his back, and ran his fingers over the eagle's head carved into the back of the duke's chair. A slight smile of satisfaction appeared on his lips.
The best defense...is attack.
Eliza Richmond was already blocking every outlet to which the Marquess's supporters might turn. Ares did not answer immediately, but stared at them one by one. They were avoiding his gaze as if their necks were between his fingers.
After Grace's lineage was exposed, it would take no time for the news to spread. Not only will the relationship with Saxon deteriorate. He intended to uproot that name from Deccan by its roots, so that there would be no one left to bear it.
Ares rose slowly, as if a tiger that had been hiding in the grass had decided to stand up.
“I'm ready, grandma.”
“……”
"We'll come back to this conversation later. Let's finish the council meeting first."
Those who stretched their heads without knowing the presence of the tiger were unable to escape from its claws when they pounced like knives. Ares unsheathed his sword.
“Come closer.”
He pointed his finger at the “iron foot.” It was rude and devoid of any politeness, yet no one realized how strange it was.
Ironfoot retreated in panic, losing his composure, and Crimson Isaac himf pushed him from behind.
“He said come closer. Walk!”
The man was led to the front of the podium, where he stood next to the kneeling Marquis. From this close up, the platform looked higher and more intimidating.
Ares's gaze moved from the couple to Edward. The Marquise rushed to stand in front of her son, as if shielding him.
"Edward Linko testified that my lover was Miss Taylor, while Ironfoot testified that she was the daughter of a criminal. The Unseen Ones cannot, of course, be pinned on Miss Taylor. So, Marquise... make your choice."
His low voice pierced the ear, and with every word it seemed as if the hairs on the body stood on end.
“Which one should I believe?”
The Marquise's mind ran wild.
So… the tail must be cut off to survive.
At that moment, as Iron Foot felt the scales tilting against him, he tried to retreat with a stammer:
“Ah, actually...it's been a long time, and maybe I made a mistake, so when I look now...”
But Ares was not one to allow such tricks.
“And I clearly said the maids were killed. Joseph!”
As soon as he said his name, the couple's shoulders trembled. Then, when Joseph appeared from the side door with a pale-faced adult, their heads went blank.
The man had heard everything from behind the door. He immediately knelt before the Duke, shouting:
“Sir!! Please, have mercy on my life!! I know nothing! The killing of the maids was ordered by Count Luwin! And the wills were written under threat!!”
The former soldier's screams rang out in the Blue Eagle Hall, and at the same moment, Count Luwin rushed over, pale-faced.
“You bastard!! Lie, sir!!”
Flora, dressed like the duke's wife, staggered and fell to the cold ground. The Marchioness's maids did not catch her.
This must be a nightmare.
How could that woman be Miss Taylor? Why is her father suddenly mentioned?
Flora wasn't the only one who hoped it was a dream. Even the Marquis, who remained kneeling without permission to rise, wished to do so.
“I didn't recognize her well because it was so long ago! I mean... that 'Vicky' really looked like her!”
Ironfoot pleaded prone, but Ares was emphatic:
“I said that the crime of perjury is punishable by death.”
“I have not visited! Please, sir!”
“We'll see about that later. Joseph, take Ironfoot, the soldier, and Count Lowen down. I'll interrogate them myf.”
"…my lord!!"
"Have mercy! I'm just following orders!"
“Shut up!! Lie!!”
Count Luin shouted with red eyes to the Marquis:
“Mr. Marquis!!”
Their resistance was desperate, but they were unable to escape the grasp of Joseph and Crimson, who returned alive from the Wall of Death. As they were led away, silence fell.
Ares looked at Grace, who was turning paler, then turned to Eliza. She looked lost in thought, then stood up. She went down the stairs with steady steps, passed the kneeling Marquise, and said in a normal tone:
“Get up now.”
The Marquis stumbled because his leg was numb, so Edward rushed to support him.
Eliza stopped in front of the Marquise. There was something bothering her from the beginning. A necklace of large black pearls, the size of a thumbnail. Up close, you can't fault it.
It was one of her marriage dowries.
“Ha…hahahaha.”
“……”
I laughed.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha!”
A hollow laugh, like her black mourning dress, but it was also sad. Her laugh slapped the Marquise's cheeks, but she neither knelt nor asked for forgiveness.
When the laughter subsided, Eliza looked up and said:
“Arwen.”
"Yes."
“I miss my maids. Bring them all.”
“!!”
Mrs. Isaac's eyes widened, while the Marquise closed her eyes with a sigh.
In this palace, only one person is not bound by law or objection.
Eliza Richmond.
Tok, tok.
The steps of the finally awakened Queen were, to some, a hymn of redemption, and to others...the sound of doom.
“Yes, Grand Madam!!”
Mrs. Isaacs's voice, wet with tears, followed her, moving away behind her.