# 78
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Ares walked past Crimson and approached the reclining Marquis. With an uninhibited touch, he examined his face, the nape of his neck, and the inside of his mouth.
"under."
A sigh like the growling of a wild beast escaped.
What happened?
Ares straightened up from his bowed position and answered Eliza.
“It must be the work of mercenaries. It looks like they stabbed a poisoned dart into his neck just before he dismounted.”
Secure the Duke's castle. If you fail to win at the Duke's castle, escort the Marquis to the Marquis's castle. Up to this point, it was probably the contract with the Rinko Marquisate.
However, it seems there was another contract that even the Rinko noble family was unaware of. The terms of the agreement must have been to kill the Marquis's faction if they were ever in danger of failing to escort them to the Marquis's castle.
Eliza watched the miserable end of the Marquis Rinko's family with bitter eyes.
The sleet that had been falling like rain had suddenly turned into heavy snow, scattering like cotton. And just as many thoughts floated through Eliza's mind. Finally, she spoke to the deceased in a cracked voice.
“Hear, Henry Rinco, son of Hum Rinco and Laura Rinco. I now reclaim the Rinco name, title, and estates granted to you. From now on, the name Rinco shall not exist in the land of Richmond.”
The deceased had no answer. Their empty, hollow eyes were simply staring at the sky.
“I will not display his head. However, neither will I bury him beside my ancestors to allow him to rest in eternal sleep. Bury him in the wilderness as soon as dawn breaks tomorrow, but do not erect a tombstone.”
With those words, she turned around, and Ares silently stared at her back.
Meanwhile, there was one more person watching, hidden in the shadow of a dark pillar. Ivanka's round eyes gleamed in the darkness. She gritted her teeth and muttered.
It would have been good if I had survived and returned to the Marquis's castle.
If that had happened, Richmond would have been engulfed in civil war and its strength would have been dispersed.
At least I avoided the worst move.
After all, if the Marquis and Edward had survived and been interrogated by the Duke, trouble could have arisen. For instance, a statement might have emerged implying that the Empress, Hedby, was involved in the death of the previous Duke.
How are those knights' skills?
“The skill of each and every one of them appears to be on par with several members of the Royal Guard.”
Ivanka's gaze grew heavy. She watched the backs of the Godmother and the Duke walking side by side toward the castle, then disappeared into the darkness.
* * *
The news of the deaths of Marquis Rinko's faction reached Grace a short time later. The Marquis, who had been hell-bent on cutting off his own tail, also became someone's tail and was severed.
It's a shame; it would have been nice to capture him alive.
Grace shook her head at Eric's muttering.
“It can’t be helped. I thought the chances of capturing him alive were slim. The most important thing is ready.”
Eliza got Richmond back in its original state. That is a good result.
Eric asked as he stared blankly at Grace's bandaged right hand.
So, are you going to the capital now?
That's how it should be.
“If you achieve victory there as well, then what comes next is…….”
Grace smiled at Eric, who was trailing off.
“Why are you asking about the next part?”
“…….”
I should go to Taylor.
Eric lowered his head and closed his eyes.
"yes."
A prosperous Taylor with beautiful golden waves. You gazing at the wheat field.
Eric raised his head again, smiled with his long eyes, then knelt on his left knee in front of Grace and kissed the back of her right hand.
I will go to the capital first.
"be careful."
Please don't worry about me, and make sure you get proper treatment so the wound doesn't get infected.
Eric exchanged a brief greeting with Jesse as well, then left the room.
Grace gazed for a moment at the spot where he had disappeared, then rose from her seat and headed to the window. Snow that had been falling in the shape of rain was now falling so heavily that large, white snowflakes were obscuring her vision.
It looks like a biting wind will blow tomorrow. So let's wrap things up today.
It was a scene that naturally brought to mind Eliza's voice, heavy like a tree enduring the winter.
One day, my father said.
There is no ruler without subjects and vassals.
Father laid out the coats of arms of the vassal houses supporting Taylor in front of me, and had me stroke them with my finger.
A vassal is the foundation upon which a ruler is built, a comrade with whom one can overcome hardships at times, and a friend. You must receive respect, yet respect them; you must accept their loyalty, yet be grateful for it.
She slowly rubbed her thumb against her index finger, where the sensation of scanning the sentence still lingered. As Grace, who had been standing there for quite a while, turned around as if she had something to do, Jesse quickly asked.
“Where are you going?”
“Yes. I need to go see the Grand Madam.”
* * *
As the night deepened, the snowflakes swirled more fiercely.
Eliza, having confirmed the deaths of Marquis Rinko's faction, walked toward somewhere. The swirling snow piled up in the windowless stone corridor, and black footprints were left behind where Eliza had passed.
Ares, having cast off his armor, walked behind her, just as he had done over a decade ago.
If there is anything different from back then, it would probably be the changed eye level and Eliza's changed hair color.
The place Eliza headed was the underground mausoleum where the bodies of successive Dukes of Richmond were laid to rest. The mausoleum keeper bowed respectfully and handed her a torch. As Eliza reached to take the torch, Ares took it away.
I'll carry it.
Eliza signaled the maids to stay behind and followed Ares down the stairs.
The wall lights installed here and there swayed in a breeze whose source was unknown. In the underground tomb, where pitch-black shadows stood in extreme contrast to the reddish light and felt like the only things there were, the sound of two people's footsteps echoed unusually loudly.
Ares, who had visited Richmond's grave more than a decade ago, found Eliza's destination among the countless sarcophagi without getting lost. Beneath an arch carved with a soaring eagle, two massive sarcophagi lay side by side.
As Ares hung the torch he was holding on a hook on the arch wall, Eliza arrived before the sarcophagus of her son and daughter-in-law and let out a long sigh. Her white breath shattered in the cold air.
She watched their coffin for quite a while, not knowing what she was thinking, then slowly started walking again.
Ares turned his gaze to follow her steps.
Eliza's steps stopped beneath another arch separated by a single pillar. Unlike the coffins in the tombs, which were paired in twos, there was only one there. The owner of that coffin was none other than Eliza's husband, Raven Richmond. The empty space next to Raven was where Eliza would one day be buried.
Eliza gazed endlessly at her husband's coffin, then slowly knelt down in front of it.
Ares turned his gaze away from her and stared at the coffin of the late Duke and Duchess of Richmond. He removed his gloves and placed his bare hands against the sarcophagus, and a cold chill seeped into his fingertips. Then, when the temperature of his palms matched that of the sarcophagus and he could no longer feel the cold, Ares spoke to the deceased.
You, who saved my life by sacrificing your son, what did you expect from me? Or was it perhaps an extraordinary loyalty?
You probably don't know how heavy the weight of death carried on my back is. I struggled so hard at the wall of death because I didn't want to add any more of that burden.
Nevertheless, I still haven't been able to get over your death.
When will I be able to get over the deaths of you and Walter?
Ares swept away a fallen leaf resting on the sarcophagus with his hand and turned around. As he trudged up the stairs leading to the ground, snow carried by the blowing wind touched his face.
The wind was blowing like this when I first came to Richmond as well. The chill that pierced my collar gave me goosebumps so much that I walked around hunched over and got scolded by Eliza.
What can I do about the cold wind seeping in through the collar?
It's summer, so why are you talking about the cold wind?
I vividly remember being startled that day when I realized it was summer. Right, it’s summer, so why is it so cold? And it wasn't until a few years later that Ares realized the cold he was feeling was not caused by the outside temperature.
Leaving the tomb, Ares leaned against a pillar and roughly ran his hand over his face. As he was about to put his gloves back on, he suddenly noticed an unremovable bloodstain clinging to his palm. The pottery shards embedded haphazardly and the small hand where red blood had pooled and flowed naturally came to mind.
A sensation welled up again, as if my heart and lungs were being crushed. This helpless and wretched emotion was the mark of loss that the previous Duke of Richmond had engraved within me.
A few hours ago, while running madly across the castle, it felt as if the intense heat rising again was burning my entire body.
Ares clenched his fist tightly and lifted his head.