# 70
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"Hmph."
The tickling sensation that had spread up to her throat escaped as a laugh that sounded like a cough. Grace hurriedly lowered her head and swallowed the muffin in her mouth.
Ares, who had been watching her from the side, looked at Eliza with a dumbfounded expression.
"You are giving me such strange praise that I don't know what to say."
Grace finally burst out laughing at Ares's words, having barely managed to hold back her laughter.
“Hehe.......”
Even though I covered my mouth with my hand, the laughter tickling my throat did not stop easily. Growing anxious at the silence hanging over me, I was about to hold my breath when a chilling voice was heard from beside me.
Why hold it in like that? Just laugh.
Then another voice was heard.
“Indeed. It is funny to die from gasping for breath while laughing, but how ridiculous would it be to die from holding your breath?”
“Madam.……”
"Did I say something wrong, Arwen? I'm just saying it to make you laugh."
I couldn't stand it anymore.
She could not swallow the laughter that had gradually built up from the scent of the jujube tea, the blanket, and the fur covering her shoulders, along with the warm food. Grace exhaled a breath mixed with laughter. Lifting her bowed head, she simply laughed, covering only her mouth with her hand. It felt as though the fatigue accumulated from rushing without a moment's rest was melting away in her laughter.
Eliza, who had been quietly watching her from across the room, picked up a teacup.
Keep eating well just like you are now.
Even though his voice was cold as always, the corners of his eyes visible through the teacup were slightly curved.
"yes."
I don't mean to force yourself to eat and get indigestion.
“I know, Madam.”
Eat plenty, too, Duke.
Ares, who had been watching Grace while leaning back in his chair, turned his eyes to glance at Eliza.
I will do so.
Even though he replied indifferently, a faint smile hung on the corners of his lips.
Eliza, who had been quietly watching the hot-tempered and headstrong man just smiling, spoke in a very low voice as if talking to herself.
“Since Grace found the gold, the Duke must have sent someone.”
Ares and Grace looked at her at the same time. Eliza nodded toward Ares.
I have made my decision as well.
“…….”
It looks like a biting wind is going to blow tomorrow. So let's wrap things up today.
Grace felt that Eliza's voice was calm yet heavy, like a tree enduring the winter.
Ares also remained silent, staring at Eliza, before slowly speaking.
“I will blockade the city gates…….”
However, he paused mid-sentence and turned his head back. Eliza and Grace also turned their heads, following his gaze.
Sure enough, one of Eliza's ladies-in-waiting appeared.
“What’s the matter?”
Gasping for breath from rushing over, she managed to catch her breath before opening her mouth.
An urgent message has arrived from the fortress.
At the fortress?
“I hear that someone bearing the title of Imperial Palace Inspector has arrived. They introduced themselves as Ivanka’s Head Lady-in-Chief.……”
The maidservant stared at Ares and asked.
What should I do?
As soon as she heard the name Ivanka, Eliza’s eyes narrowed. A cold, hard energy filled her dark pupils, which had been filled with numbness.
“Hedby has come as the Saxon head maidservant?”
The dry fist hidden within the fur was clenched tightly.
* * *
"behind!"
As a maid with keen eyes spoke urgently in a low voice, the maids walking with her hurriedly hid between the pillars. I peeked out with only my eyes to watch the hallway when Flora soon appeared with a stern expression.
Her face was pale, but her expression was ominous. Her tightly bitten lips, clenched fists, and fiercely raised eyebrows clearly revealed her mood.
A moment later, even after Flora passed by stirring up a breeze, they exhaled very cautiously.
That’s a relief. I mustn’t be noticed.
The kids who clean their rooms cry every day.
"I heard that at least yesterday Mrs. Isaac threatened that if she laid a hand on the maids one more time, she wouldn't manage the room at all, so they weren't hit today."
Meanwhile, Flora, having passed the maids, climbed the stairs and rounded the landing almost running. She felt like her insides were going to explode.
Recently, she was coming to realize firsthand that the Duke of Richmond Castle was not her home, nor did it belong to the Marquis Rinko family.
The maids did only the bare minimum necessary, and even then, only at the appointed times; they did not wait for her. They did not come even when the rope was pulled, and they even tidied the room only to the absolute minimum. Making the bedding, dusting the floor, and restocking the supplies was all they did. Although she had merely advised them to do their jobs properly, Mrs. Isaac subjected her to immense humiliation.
I couldn't even sleep properly because whenever I closed my eyes, the images of my father, mother, and older brother walking away in their shabby clothes came to mind one after another.
A long, long night where thoughts followed one another. The end of that terribly long night eventually led to the image of that woman.
From the very beginning, she appeared wearing a mask of hypocrisy. Having lost Taylor to his adoptive parents, she undoubtedly sought to take the prestigious Richmond family as a replacement. She seduced the Duke, concealed her true identity, and confused everyone. Ultimately, the first victim was her steadfast father.
“How could that happen?”
Flora muttered in anger.
As Grace and the Godmother drifted away, Flora, returning with the Marquise, broke away from the group as if possessed by something. She then wandered, searching for a place where they might be.
Then, when she finally discovered them sitting under a huge deciduous tree, Flora had no choice but to hide in the bushes.
A garden bathed in faint, lukewarm sunlight. A large fur coat, undoubtedly belonging to the man sitting beside her, was draped over the shoulders of a woman with flowing blonde hair, and the man's gaze kept drifting toward her.
Grace was surrounded by everyone. The Duke, who had been so cold to her father, looked at her and pulled his lips into a smile.
Flora could no longer bear to watch the scene. She ran toward the room, muttering in anger.
“Grace, Grace……!”
If only I could kill that woman, I felt like I wouldn't mind grinding my heart into pieces and offering it up.
However, an unannounced guest had arrived in her room. Edward spoke calmly to Flora, who paused in surprise.
I came because I have something important to say.
Flora closed the door. Perhaps because there was anger on her face, Edward shoved his hands into his pockets and asked in a low voice.
Do you want to get revenge on Grace Taylor?
“…….”
“Do you want to kill that woman?”
“…Isn’t that obvious?”
Lately, Edward even looked dazed, as if he were concentrating all his attention on the thoughts in his head, just like a chess player.
Did you come to ask that?
As Flora looked at him with a questioning gaze and asked, Edward slowly shook his head.
He turned and looked out the window. For the past hour, the movements of the knights in black armor and red cloaks had become ominous. The Grand Madam and the Duke must have made a decision. Therefore, if they had been even a day late, it would have been extremely difficult.
Edward let out a long, slow sigh of relief. He spoke to Flora reflected in the window.
There is something you need to do.
* * *
The dark brown carriage door, engraved with a checkered pattern, burst open, and a small, plump woman appeared. Her unusually thick brown curly hair and round brown eyes looked cheerful and cute at first glance, but the words that suddenly burst out were fierce beyond measure.
“The message still hasn’t arrived from the Duke’s castle?!!”
Please wait just a little longer.
“Just how much longer do you intend to keep me standing on the street?! I have come in the capacity of an Imperial Palace Inspector! Surely you know what this black tiger emblem signifies, don't you?!!”
She pointed her finger at the tiger banner on the carriage, and the ring on her index finger sparkled.
As the commander of the platoon in charge of defending the castle stood around with a grim expression, Ivanka Tyrien clicked her tongue loudly and tightened her fur coat with an annoyed hand.
“It’s already bone-chilling here!! We can’t even warm ourselves by the fireplace inside the carriage, so how much longer am I supposed to wait?!”
Just then, the ominous sound of horse hooves was heard from afar. As the guards all turned their heads in the direction of the sound, Ivanka also turned her head, her lips twitching.
A moment later, the massive gate of the castle opened, and a knight in terrifying armor appeared. Ivanka’s eyebrows hardened as the red cloak fluttering behind him was intimidating even from a distance.
As the knight approached, the guards saluted in unison. However, Ivanka remained standing on the carriage steps, staring intently at him. The knight, too, made no thought of dismounting; he took Ivanka's identification card handed to him by the guard commander and quickly verified it. Then, without warning, he raised his eyes and stared at Ivanka.
It was said that knights on the front lines shaved their heads completely in case of a head injury. This was because if the hair got tangled with blood, it slowed down the healing process. When she first heard this story, she worried that she might burst out laughing if she saw a knight with his head shaved.
However, contrary to expectations, no laughter came. The knight in black armor looked like death itself. Even the scarred warhorse he was riding was like that. As the horse gasped for breath, white breath scattered like smoke.
The knight dismounted from his horse, approached, and handed her his ID.
“I am Crimson Isaac. Thank you for your cooperation, Viscountess Ivanka Tyrien.”