“Your Grace!”
Emma, Joey, and the Duchy’s knights ran towards Rosalie. Emma was so focused on Rosalie that she forgot about Derivis, who was following behind her.
But when she saw Derivis, she quickly lowered her head.
“Let’s go back. Sir Joey, get ready.”
“Yes, I will prepare right away.”
At Rosalie’s command, Joey quickly moved. As if they had already prepared, all the tents were dismantled quickly. Then with Rosalie in the lead, her retinue, the Marquis of Bright, and finally, the Count of Heffdin, went up the magic circle that would take them back to the palace.
As Rosalie had predicted, the three families were able to return to the capital without incident.
“I’ll be off.”
Rosalie sent him off without a second thought. Unless Nine knew was stupid, she wouldn’t take any further action in this situation.
But the fact that he was returning to the palace did not sit well with her.
“Derivis, everything will be okay now.”
Derivis smiled at Rosalie’s confident words. Seeing that smile, Rosalie felt a sense of relief wash over her.
“I will escort you, Your Highness.”
Venick, who was standing next to Derivis, said.
Even though Derivis urged him to go back to Bright’s mansion, he stubbornly insisted on staying to escort him. It seemed that he felt like he had become a burden to them during the incident on the hunting grounds.
⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰
Four days had passed since then. Rosalie went into her office to review some reports and picked up a newspaper that was on the table. After reading it quickly, she put it down.
“Terrorists who threatened the Crown Prince… What a joke.”
Rosalie muttered in a sarcastic tone before flipping to the back page, where she saw the name of the Duchess of Judeheart in full view.
“The Duchess of Judeheart, who rescued the Crown Prince… the Goddess of War…”
While skimming through the newspaper, Rosalie tore her eyes off the newspaper and noticed the letters that had arrived that day. She couldn’t get used to that cringe-worthy nickname.
After reading all the letters on the desk, Rosalie leaned back and gazed at the ceiling filled with colorful paintings.
“Your Grace.”
“Come in.”
There was a knock on the door to the office, and Joey entered. As soon as he saw Rosalie’s tilted head, he spoke.
“Toronto has gotten a confession out of them. We didn’t need to torture them a lot because they talked so easily.”
While they were out at the hunting tournament, Amin’s knights showed up and tried to approach Callie as Rosalie had predicted. The knights that Rosalie had sent ahead of time caught them alive, and Toronto got a confession out of them.
“I didn’t expect Toronto to get their confession so quickly.”
In fact, Toronto had a cruel side to him that contrasted with his seemingly light-hearted tone and behavior. He even enjoyed it when he could be as sadistic as he wanted to be.
“It seems the Amins’s house isn’t as powerful as it appears, perhaps lacking both strength and loyalty. They must not have felt any sense of belonging.”
Rosalie agreed with that opinion. Unlike the Duchy of Judeheart who historically had a strong military presence, the Amins County was a family that showed its prowess in literature and art.
As such, Count Amins focused his resources on cultivating artists rather than his Knights. The Knights didn’t come into existence until long after the family had been founded, so there was no way their knights could feel a sense of belonging to an organization that was merely a formality.
‘One shouldn’t use soldiers or knights who have lost their sense of belonging and loyalty, as they can become poisonous if used recklessly.’
Rosalie knew that fact better than anyone else. If anything, she’d rather not use them.
‘Sonia wouldn’t know about these things. She was probably too preoccupied with covering up her tracks.’
“What are you going to do now, Your Grace?”
“Now that we have the upper hand, it’s time to negotiate.”
Rosalie picked up a letter from her desk. It was from Count Amins, and today was the day when he would finally get a reply.
‘When I go to the negotiating table, I go with a strong hand. And I do not show my cards easily.’
During her military days, there was a tactical commander whom Rosalie was close to. He was skilled in all kinds of games, including tactics, and would often talk about his strategies after having a drink. Although Rosalie would complain and grumble to him from time to time, she found his stories interesting and memorable.
Rosalie rang the bell and called for Martin.
“Send this letter to Count Amins at once.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Martin took the letter and bowed his head before leaving the office.
Two days after the letter left the mansion, Count Alben Amins came to visit.
When Rosalie entered the reception room and sat down opposite him, the Count raised his head. He bore a striking resemblance to Sonia and seemed to have a kindly look about him.
“We’re finally meeting, Rosalie.”
His attitude was somewhat imposing. The fact that he had known Rosalie since she was a child made Count Amins’ demeanor overbearing and domineering.
‘When it comes to negotiating, I’ll be the one leading the way.’
Rosalie sat down across from him and shot him a fierce glare.
“It’s unfortunate that it took so long to have this conversation and clear up any misunderstandings.”
He seemed a little uncomfortable as he straightened his clothing. Although there were rumors that Rosalie had changed, to Alben Amins, Rosalie was still just Sonia’s childhood friend.
He believed in the memories he had in his head more than the rumors he had heard about Rosalie.
“I am a Duchess now at this negotiating table, Count Amins.”
She drew a clear line. Alben Amins glared at her, clearly unhappy, but he restrained himself. For the sake of Sonia, he needed to resolve this situation.
“…I have known you since you were a child. It’s not enough that you avoided contact with me, and now you’re even drawing a line with the father of your childhood friend.”
“I currently hold the position of the Duchess of Judeheart. Do I need to repeat it again, Count Amins?”
Rosalie put Alben Amins in his place. Caught off guard by her unexpected attitude, he momentarily lost his words.
Indeed, it was an undeniable fact that the position of a Duchess was much higher than that of a Count.
“If you don’t plan to follow proper etiquette as a guest, I cannot spare you any more time.”
At Rosalie’s threatening words, Count Amins cleared his throat.
“…Ahem, I understand. Then, let’s get down to business since you’re busy.”
Experiencing the rumors that he had only heard of before, Count Amins felt disoriented by the unexpected situation. Despite feeling uncomfortable with Rosalie’s confidence and energy, he found himself going along with the flow.
“Alright.”
Rosalie said, crossing her legs in a deliberately haughty manner once she was sure she was in control of the flow. Count Amins pretended not to notice Rosalie’s crossed legs and continued speaking as if nothing was wrong.
“Sonia is currently scheduled to be put on trial at the Imperial Court for injuring the Duchess.”
“I know.”
“…So please clear up the misunderstanding and retract the charges.”
“A misunderstanding… What do you mean by misunderstanding?”
He broke out in a cold sweat at Rosalie’s demeanor, her eyes flashing confidently. Everything was somehow going in the opposite direction of how he’d expected the conversation to go.
Furthermore, Count Amins couldn’t easily continue speaking in the face of Rosalie’s pointed remarks. Rosalie did not take her eyes off him until he spoke again, making him more hesitant.
“…I understand that Sonia’s emotions got the best of her. But when you fight with a friend, there is a possibility that it could get heated…”
Bang!
Rosalie slammed her hand on the table in response to his babbling. The sound startled Count Amins, making him flinch.
“Are you saying that when someone is angry, it’s okay to throw a teapot filled with boiling tea at other people?”
“That, that’s…”
“That is a clear act of violence, Count.”
He had already been pushed back by Rosalie’s momentum.
Due to his interactions primarily being with nobles who shared his interests in literature, art, and common pursuits, Count Amins was unsure how to react appropriately to someone as assertive as Rosalie. He simply thought about mitigating the situation as quickly as possible.
“Violent behavior? That’s going too far.”
“It was Lady Amins who went too far in the first place.”
“What about the time you spent as friends?”
Count Amins made a hasty appeal to emotion, but all he got in return was a cold glare and reaction from Rosalie. Finally, he made a pained sound and raised his white flag.
“Is there a punishment that the Duchess wants?”
“I want her to admit her guilt and not leave your territory for the next 15 years. I also don’t want her to show her face in social gatherings or appearances in the capital.”
Families with portal towers within their territories like the Duchy of Judeheart were extremely rare. Many nobles used the portal towers installed in each region by the Imperial Palace, so nobles spent quite a lot of time traveling to the capital.
Count Amins was no exception. In fact, compared to other noble families, his territory was quite far from the capital, so it was practically tantamount to isolation.
“That’s too much to ask! Are you asking my only daughter to give up her life in the aristocratic society? Then marrying her off will also be difficult! And it’s just a trivial matter! Should my daughter become a criminal for something so insignificant?”
“She was involved in attempting to assassinate a Duchess and even caused me injury. Is there a more lenient punishment than this?”
“What nonsense is this?”
“Judging by your reaction, it seems you didn’t hear. Your daughter was involved in a plot to kill me.”
“That’s impossible!”
Rosalie looked at Count Amins, who was gasping for breath with anger.
To him, Sonia was kind, infinitely gentle, and full of trust. There was no way his beloved daughter could have done such a thing.
“It’s the truth.”
“My daughter would never do something like that! She’s my innocent and pure precious daughter! She’s a child who couldn’t even pass by a beggar on the street! Stop this slander, Rosalie!”
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