# 71
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Ivanka's expression, which had been blank, suddenly changed like the flip of a hand. She waved her hand with a mischievous look.
"That's enough. Besides, I don't like being called Viscountess Tyrien, so just call me Ivanka, the Head Lady-in-Waiting."
Are those the only guards?
As Crimson gestured toward the six knights wearing blue cloaks, Ivanka smiled and nodded. Crimson's gaze, which had been observing Ivanka's procession, rested on the entrance of the carriage.
May I take a brief look inside the carriage?
In an instant, Ivanka's smiling face froze surprisingly quickly.
“What? You’re going to search my carriage as I arrived at the Inspectorate?”
Ivanka, whose moods changed as easily as flipping a switch, suddenly waved her hand and slapped Crimson.
match!!
“Gasp!”
The sound of gasping breaths was heard from among the guards. Ivanka, however, paid no heed and angrily pointed directly into the carriage.
"Now, it's completely empty here, so what are you going to look at?"
“…….”
“I am the Imperial Palace Inspector! How dare a mere knight treat me like a thief sneaking into the house, when I have come here carrying congratulatory messages from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Majesty the Empress?!!”
Crimson gritted his teeth and answered in a hoarse voice.
What are you talking about? That is not the case. If you were offended, please,
“Then kneel!!!”
“…….”
Kneel down right now!!
Even so, when Crimson didn't budge, Ivanka fumed and burst into a hollow laugh.
“Ah, so you refuse to kneel before a Viscount. All right. Just wait, for you will soon be beating the ground in regret, realizing that kneeling would have been the better choice. I will formally protest this matter to the Duke of Richmond.”
She shrieked fiercely, slipped into the carriage, and slammed the door shut.
“…….”
Crimson slowly let out a deep, heavy breath. After gesturing to the guards, who were staring at him with confused eyes, to take their positions, he quietly mounted his horse.
Shortly after, Ivanka's carriage, bearing a black tiger banner, crossed the walls of Richmond.
Ivanka's eyes gleamed as she looked out through the slightly open shutter. Unlike her wild outbursts of anger, her breathing was calm.
I needed an excuse to stall for time, so this worked out well.
She surveyed the outside with a cold gaze, then closed the shutters and muttered chillingly.
“From now on, it is Richmond. There must be no mistakes.”
* * *
Imperial Palace Inspectorate
It was a system devised by Qin Shi Huang, Argon I, who unified the five kingdoms into one empire, and was effectively a mechanism for centralized power.
The Inspector General was a temporary position without a clear affiliation. For this reason, only the Emperor and the Inspector General knew exactly what the Emperor had ordered them to focus on listening to and reporting. The Inspector General was sometimes a mediator, conversely at times incited chaos, and at other times was a secret punisher.
The Inspector General was granted the authority to carry the Emperor's insignia even in the Emperor's absence, and for this reason, received treatment equivalent to that of the Emperor. It was a natural custom for all the local nobles to come out to greet the Inspector General whenever he visited a region. There were no exceptions, whether the guest was a Duke or a knight holding a single rank.
The Blue Eagle Hall was hurriedly decorated to welcome the Imperial Palace Inspector.
Ares sat beneath the massive eagle banner, and Eliza's seat was prepared slightly below him. The masters and mistresses of the noble families and their heirs inside the castle stood in rows on both sides of the long path leading from the main gate to the platform. As not only the major families but also knights holding single-rank titles had to come out to pay their respects, the spacious hall felt as though it were packed.
However, Grace was unable to secure a position in Richmond, as she had been expelled from Taylor and held no rank.
As winter began and the days grew shorter, the sky started to grow dark already, so the servants hurriedly lit the candles inside the hall.
As the times were uneasy, an awkward silence hung over the hall. Since the Duke and the Grand Madam remained silent, no one could speak.
How long must I have waited like that?
Just as the sound of footsteps was heard, the knight guarding the gate turned toward the interior of the hall. As the nobles who had been standing facing forward turned toward the door in unison, an imperial knight holding a black tiger banner soon appeared. Stopping in his tracks, he shouted loudly toward the inside.
“Welcome Viscountess Ivanka Tyrien, the Inspector appointed by His Highness Crown Prince Jake Decan, representative of His Majesty Emperor Venus Decan, Lord of the Two Seas, Twelve Mountains, Five Streams, and the Blue Flame!”
No sooner had the splendid introduction worthy of an emperor ended than grumpy grumbling was heard.
“Ugh, really. Even when I tell her to just introduce herself as the Head Maid, she always has to bring up that damn Viscount.”
The nobles widened their eyes and craned their necks.
As the imperial knight in silver armor stepped aside, a small, plump woman appeared. The large ruby necklace hanging around her neck shone brilliantly in the light of the chandelier on the ceiling.
Ivanka lifted her head slightly and puffed out her chest. Then, she walked while deliberately looking to the vassals of the Duke of Richmond positioned to her left and right rather than straight ahead. When those in the long line whose eyes met hers offered a light nod of courtesy, Ivanka flashed a wide smile.
“Hoho. Yes, that’s right. Hmm, yes, yes.”
Eliza, watching the scene, tilted her head and wore a sneer.
You're having fun, aren't you?
Ares, who had been watching Ivanka with the exact same expression as Eliza, drifted toward the black tiger banner as if drawn by magnetism.
As I came face to face with the roaring tiger engraved in gold thread on the pitch-black carpet in this way, a sudden sensation washed over me as if space-time were twisting long and wide.
The world blurred as if it had been rubbed away, and every sound that brushed past his ears held no meaning. Just as the occasional emptiness threatened to seize him without warning, that voice was heard not from his eardrums, but from somewhere in his heart.
Ares.
At the sound of Grace's voice, the blurry focus sharpened, and the world became clear. Even the sounds that had mindlessly brushed past my ears took on meaning.
“Why is Crimson Isaac standing there?”
Ares's gaze shifted quickly at Eliza's low murmur. His dark eyes narrowed slightly.
Crimson, who had walked behind the Imperial Knights, should have gone and stood beside Count Isaac as originally intended. After all, he was Count Isaac's heir. However, he did not go to his father's side and simply stood behind Ivanka's procession.
While Count Isaac and even Mrs. Isaac, standing beside Eliza, looked at their son with worried eyes, Ivanka arrived at the podium and raised her head. She widened her round eyes even further as she gazed alternately at Ares and Eliza. Then, with a look of deep emotion as if she had met the most noble person in the world, she bent her knees deeply.
It is an honor to meet you, Your Excellency Duke of Richmond and His Highness. I am Ivanka, the Head Lady of the Empress.
Ivanka straightened her knees again, clasped her hands together, and smiled at Ares with her eyes crinkled.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Her Majesty the Empress have expressed their sincere congratulations on Your Excellency's safe return. They stated that the Wall of Death has been at peace thanks to Your Excellency the Duke's military achievements.
Ares’s lips curled up crookedly at the dumbfounding speech.
Ivanka also gave Eliza a smile with her eyes.
“Madam, how happy you must be.”
Eliza also stared at her intently, then lowered her eyes and chuckled. Then, brushing the hem of her dress with her hand as if shaking dust off clothes, she looked at Ivanka again and spoke.
"Alright. Thank you, please pass that on."
Ares felt like he wanted to applaud Eliza. He felt like he wanted to learn how she could make him feel so humiliated and offended, from her tone of voice and vocalization to even her single hand gesture.
As if that wasn't all, Eliza leaned her arm leisurely on the armrest and smiled.
Did you send the Inspector General all the way here to deliver that congratulatory speech? I am so deeply moved that I do not know what to say. You went through a lot of trouble coming all this way quietly.
It felt as if a thick, hard bone was striking Ivanka. Ivanka remained silent for a moment with her usual smiling face. She had been frantically tapping the back of her other hand with her index finger, which was adorned with a large ruby ring, before closing and opening her eyes tightly. Then, suddenly, she nodded with a serious expression.
“Yes, that is correct. Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince wanted to send a very sincere congratulatory message. They even went so far as to appoint an Inspector.”
Ivanka glanced at the black eagle insignia held by the Imperial Knight.
I am sure you know what an inspector is.
“You don’t think I don’t know what an Inspector is. I hate rambling, so get straight to the point, Viscountess Tyrien.”
Eliza, who disliked introductions and flowery language, coldly cut Ivanka off.
A vein bulged on Ivanka's forehead, having been cut short and called by a name she hated. She wiped away the artificial smile she had been wearing and revealed her bare face.
Since you told me to speak frankly, I will do so.
She turned around and pointed at Crimson.
Execute the author.