# 61
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The long, long march came to an end only when it reached nature.
If Ares had started the procession, there was someone else to mark its end. When Ares stopped his horse and looked up, Eliza Richmond, standing on the balcony of the castle, was looking down at them.
As she, who had witnessed all the glory of Richmond, stood like a queen, the nobles standing at the very back rushed forward and knelt first. Their knees were submerged in the puddle, but no one cared.
As they knelt, the knights in red cloaks lined up also knelt before the queen.
Ares dismounted from his horse without a word. After stopping Crimson Isaac from getting up immediately, he disappeared alone into the shadows of the building, leaving behind the wave of loyalty to the Queen.
As Ares entered, a servant hurriedly approached him. Ares removed his wet helmet and gloves, handed them to him, and climbed the stairs without hesitation.
I had just finished doing quite a lot of work.
The attendant following the Duke, carrying his helmet and gloves, thought that the Duke looked tired from all the work he had done. This was because his strides were so wide that it was impossible to keep up, and his speed was also fast.
However, a moment later, the attendant realized that his hurried pace was not due to fatigue.
“What about Grace?”
“Ah, oh dear. Your Excellency!!!”
Mrs. Rexton was startled to the point of fainting at the Duke's audacious question as he burst in. With the Duke already possessing a massive physique, and now clad in black armor and a red cloak, it was certain that even a Grim Reaper would be less frightening than this.
“I heard he has a fever again. Where is he now?”
“Fortunately, it only lasted a moment and he is fine again. Now… Oh my, Your Excellency, wait a moment!!”
Mrs. Rexton tried to wipe the Duke's armor with a towel nearby in a hurry, but the Duke, who clearly had no idea what waiting was, was looking around as he unhesitatingly walked through the high stacks of documents.
As he moved, hundreds of candles blazing from the ceiling swayed in unison, and officials nestled among the piles of documents often rose from their seats to bow their heads. Whether they greeted him or not, Ares's sharp gaze darted back and forth, searching for only one being.
“Young Lady…”
Mrs. Rexton, who had been following behind him having given up on wiping him at all, trailed off when the Duke suddenly came to a halt.
Ares's gaze was fixed on one spot without wavering.
By the fireplace, from which a reddish light and warm heat were emanating. She sat neatly in the armchair beside it, her eyes closed.
Grace Taylor was quite different from him in many ways. This was evident even in her neat posture while sleeping. She never crossed her legs or rested her chin on her hand, and it seemed certain that she had never once in her life adopted a sloppy or hunched posture.
However, one similarity was that they lived with the resolve to sacrifice their own bodies to achieve what they desired.
At that moment, Grace's elegant brow furrowed slightly.
Is my fever rising again?
Ares unconsciously took a step closer and reached out his hand toward her. He felt he wouldn't be satisfied unless he personally took her temperature. However, the sight of him reflected in the eyes of the old woman who had just entered from the balcony was the very image of someone who should never have come near a patient.
Eliza rushed in like the wind just before Ares could touch Grace's forehead and stopped him. As if that weren't enough, she grabbed his arm and pulled him back a step from Grace.
“Where are you putting your hands, dripping wet like this?!”
The raindrops clinging to the pitch-black armor were one thing, but the coldness felt from the touch was indescribable.
“It is water everywhere! How dare you try to touch it so presumptuously while wearing such cold armor? Go immediately, take off your armor, and dry yourself thoroughly! If the Duke catches a fever while you're at it, I will be in a very difficult situation.”
“…….”
It may be hard to believe, but in fact, Eliza was nagging out of her own concern.
However, the moment the scathing tone, exquisite choice of words, and the expression and gaze characteristic of the arrogant royal family blended together, the 'nagging tinged with concern' turned into 'bitter criticism.' And regrettably, Ares Decan, who shared her blood, was not the kind of person to simply brush off such scathing criticism.
“Ah, yes. Is it difficult for you?”
Eliza, who was checking on Grace wondering if she had woken up, opened her eyes wide and turned to look behind her.
“I’m not a dog that rolls around with joy whenever it rains, so why do you think I went out of my way to brave this rain, circle the fortress walls, and march for several hours?”
Marquis Rinko and his wife brushed aside the Duke's return as if roasting beans over a lightning strike, and as a result, many commoners were unaware that the Duke had even returned. Was that all? Few of the garrison or soldiers had properly seen the Duke's return either.
Ares wanted to inform the people of the Duchy that the Duke had returned, and at the same time solidify that Eliza Richmond was the one to receive their loyalty. Thus, just as waves rushing toward the shore vanish into foam, he led all the waves of loyalty to Eliza and withdrew.
Ares shook his head as if to say, "What more is there to say?" and Eliza flared up at his tone.
“‘A dog that rolls around with joy whenever it rains’? Where did you learn such a thing?!!”
“How old do you think I am? Isn’t it long past the time to hear such things, Grandma?”
It was when the bureaucrats, buried among the papers, craned their necks at the rare sight, and Mrs. Rexton, Mrs. Isaac, and Jesse quietly shook their heads with resigned expressions.
“Why are you two fighting?”
A thin voice cut through the tense atmosphere.
The grandson, who had been glaring at each other with identical expressions, turned their heads simultaneously toward the source of the voice. As clear green eyes, which had opened at some point, stared alternately at the two, Eliza finally blamed Ares.
You finally woke me up!!
Ares Decan wasn't the type to say, "Yes, it is my fault," just because of that.
Grandma, your singing voice is no ordinary voice.
“What?!”
“Your Excellency, the Grand Madam?”
Grace once again stepped between the two people who were about to fight again, their faces showing they were fed up with each other.
Eliza snapped her head away from Ares and placed her hand on Grace's forehead with a cold expression.
"Fortunately, the fever has gone down."
“If you’re going to rest, why don’t you just lie down properly and rest?”
"Seeing you break out in a cold sweat, you'll be fine soon. Change your clothes."
Change into comfortable clothes and lie down to sleep.
The grandfather and grandson, who had been chiming in one by one, looked at each other in disbelief.
“…….”
What in the world is this?
“…….”
Why, what?
As the two ferocious tigers faced off, the onlookers also quietly lowered their heads. However, to Grace, who had long lived on eggshells, this level of silence was not even considered uncomfortable. On the contrary, thinking that the two were quite alike, she first spoke to Eliza in a gentle tone.
“I dozed off without realizing it. Madam, I will go change my clothes as you instructed.”
Eliza, who had been glaring at her own flesh and blood, nodded.
"I know."
Thank you for your concern.
Her gentle yet perfectly polite manner of speaking, and her elegant face tinged with a soft smile, easily exceeded the old lady's strict standards. In particular, she was very admirable for not being intimidated at all by Eliza's cold gaze, which even most members of the royal family would keep at a distance from.
“Arwen, give Grace some comfortable clothes. It is chilly, so bring at least a fur shawl.”
Grace knelt down in gratitude to Eliza, then turned her gaze to Ares, who was watching her from a distance. Ares, who had been standing there staring at her, spoke in a dissatisfied tone.
I told you, it's better to just get a good rest.
“If you sleep now, you won’t be able to fall asleep at night. Your Excellency, you should change your clothes as well. It looks like it is raining heavily.”
The autumn rain was quite heavy.
Even though he was angry at Eliza, he walked far away from Grace, as if agreeing that the moisture flowing from his body should not touch Grace.
“Is it really okay?”
"are you okay."
Eliza, who had been staring blankly at the backs of the young man and woman walking away, sat down in an armchair with a peculiar expression.
"hmm……."
Please take a rest.
As Mrs. Rexton, who remained by her side, spoke, Eliza slowly shook her head.
"Well, I don't even know if I'm tired."
“Oh, come on, don’t you know? You stayed up all night yesterday.”
It was a night worth it.
Yes. That was really the case.
Last night was a truly worthwhile time.
Around midnight, after kneeling before Ares and swearing allegiance, Eliza spent the night wide awake. Just as the outside began to get somewhat noisy, Grace came to find her. It was dumbfounding that Grace, who had collapsed and was raging with a high fever, came to visit as soon as she regained consciousness and said what she could.
Madam, if you were Marquis Rinko, where would you keep the important documents?
They'll probably put it in the underground archives.
"Could you bring all the documents from the underground archives before dawn? No, you must."
At this late hour? More importantly, you should take care of yourself. Do you realize how high your fever was?
This moment is important, Madam.
The green eyes embedded in the pale face sparkled strangely.
The war must not be prolonged. You must deal with Richmond quickly and accurately.
'… … .'
So what does it matter whether it is night or dawn, or if I have a slight fever?
Eliza realized that during the long time she had fallen into a sleep of depression and despair, having let go of everything, this little girl had not fallen asleep but remained awake. The determination to succeed at all costs, and the pride of one who never gives up, were firmly reflected in Grace Taylor's green eyes.
Eliza finished reminiscing and spoke in a voice mixed with laughter.
"I'm fine, just take care of your husband and son. They must be tired, as they've been doing paperwork since last night."
Mrs. Rexton gave a warm smile, said she would be right back after a brief look, and walked through the stacks of documents. Her husband was talking with another official.
“Phew, there really are a lot of documents you want to keep secret. So this is all from the underground archives, right?”
It’s not ten years’ worth. It’s understandable that there’s a lot.
Still, it was a good thing I raided the place last night to get them. If I had tried to get them today, the really important documents among these would already be gone.
Baron Rexton shook his head slightly at his colleague's words.
“Still, last night was really…”
The two looked at each other and burst into hollow laughter.
That was the case. Last night was really… amazing in many ways.