DYBAR - Chapter 123 < For the Health of the Imperial Palace >
Do Your Best And Regret
The time when the sunset turns red. Great siege.
The servants who recognized Edwin opened the front door of the Grand Duchy. As soon as he got off his horse, Edwin rushed over and looked for Olivia.
"The lady is in the small dining room with the Duke of Elkin."
An attendant nearby immediately announced. The knight's voice repeated in Edwin's ears as he immediately rushed to the restaurant.
"Sorry, Your Highness Since this is a story about the Young Lady's mother, I am giving you a report to confirm..."
The Duke of Elkin took advantage of a brief visit to the entrance of Senua's Valley to ask Olivia a private party.
That and Olivia's mother. It was the most suitable topic to fascinate her. It was his mistake.
He would come quickly, but they could not shorten the distance from Senua's Valley to the Great Siege.
Fortunately, the dining room's door was open to prepare for unexpected situations.
"I'm glad you like it."
Olivia's voice came through the door and was cheerful. Edwin instinctively raised his index finger above his lips.
While the servants who were trying to announce the matriarch's return were holding their breath, Edwin stood in the doorway and listened to the story.
"When we heard that the Duke had arrived from the islands, our chef tried to put more effort into preparing the dinner. I'm so sorry to hear that you're feeling unwell."
"Even with a light meal, the chef's skills are clearly visible. It's very delicious."
Although the face of the Duke of Elkin, who had his back to the door, was not visible, it was a reasonably polite conversation.
As the saying goes, it was a light meal, so there weren't many dishes in front of Olivia with her back to the wall. As if the meal was already over, Olivia was recommending dessert.
"It will taste good. They applied a sweet chocolate mousse and then they added a savory flavor."
Ganache. It was Olivia's favorite dessert. The delicacy that the chef especially chops and scatters various nuts for Olivia, who enjoys a nutty taste.
But.. Edwin slowly tilted his head.
"Oh, the Duke said you were allergic to hazelnuts."
As Olivia added the words as if she had just remembered them, a coughing sound broke out. As if in shock, the Duke of Elkin raised her voice.
"What is this...?! Please call the congressman, call the congressman!"
The Duke of Elkin was allergic to hazelnuts. There was no way Olivia didn't know that she had been rumored throughout the islands.
Come to think of it, this small dining room was not the dining room where Olivia and Edwin usually ate.
A cave-like place with no windows to allow sunlight to enter, and with sounds echoing the illuminance of the chandelier on the ceiling.
"I just joking."
A place where it's easy to gain the upper hand just by the atmosphere alone.
Olivia said with a bright smile.
Olivia coughed loudly, showing her with displeasure, and praised the taste of the dessert.
"You have a more mischievous side than I thought. I can't believe you're playing a prank on someone who has allergies."
"Oh, my goodness. Compared to the conspiracy the Duke planned, it is small. Besides, there is no noble who doesn't know that the Duke always carries medicine with him."
He didn't know what it was, but he completely understood what was going on. Edwin smiled and nodded his head towards the attendant.
"Your Highness Grand Duke Vikander."
Even though it was not a dinner party, the servant's voice was loud. Olivia greeted Edwin with a bright smile as if it were a well-planned theater stage.
"You came, Edwin?"
"I meet you, the war hero, His Highness the Grand Duke."
When he saw Edwin, the Duke of Elkin smiled gregariously.
It was evident that he was seething with tension and anger beneath his snarky face. However, it seemed like that was the case since he had coughed and developed a fever a little while ago due to concerns about allergies.
"I hurried over because I heard there was a guest, but now that I think about it, My Lady would be much more skilled at greeting guests. If it were me, I wouldn't have thought of choosing such a suitable dining room."
Olivia smiled shyly at the compliment. It was the exact opposite of the Duke's shocked expression.
"By the way, the Duke is the first guest since I came here. Edwin, I heard he's staying for a few days. Is that okay?"
"Even the wonderful consideration. It's really okay. There are also attendants, but it was my sudden visit to the temple, your Highness."
The Duke of Elkin repeatedly waved his hand and forced a smile, but he could not break Olivia's words. Edwin nodded his head as if it was obvious.
"I was planning to invite the Duke separately later, but he came at just the right time. This is my first visitor since I became the head of the family, so if I treat you poorly, word will spread quickly, so even though I may not be able to treat you warmly, I have to do my best during your stay."
"Where would be a good room, Edwin? I would like to give a room worthy of the Duke's dignity."
"Olivia, whatever you give away in the mansion is your right. Olivia knows this great siege intimately, really!"
Edwin clapped his hands as if he suddenly remembered something.
The Duke of Elkin, whose expression was becoming increasingly hard, blinked. Does he possibly go outside again?
Seeing the vain anticipation on the Duke of Elkin's face, Edwin deliberately spoke vaguely.
"There's one place Olivia hasn't been to either. You can't see it from here, but do you remember the blue-and-white spire beyond the patronage?"
"Sure. You said you used to raise pigs and now you use it as a barn."
"It's a barn. Except that there is a high-class prison above it that can imprison nobles."
At that moment, the Duke of Elkin's heart sank. Those words were words telling anyone to listen to him.
When Olivia saw his face, her heart somehow felt cold. The Vikander territory was a place where the word prison, a word that was absolutely unreasonable for a great noble who produced an Empress, could be used.
It felt like someone was fanning her to harass the Duke. Even if she checks later whether Eddington Street is true or not, what the Duke of Elkin did to her, to the Duke of Madeleine, and to her mother.
Olivia shook her head and opened her eyes innocently.
"Really? I thought the imperial palace was the only prison that could imprison nobles."
"Vikander, there are so many people invading from the outside that it has been built since the time of our ancestors. As for me, there was so much going on outside the territory that I didn't have time to go, Olivia, too, and the Duke......."
The tone in which he ended his sentence changed subtly. The moment the red eyes looked at the Duke, the Duke of Elkin's body stiffened, like a small animal standing in front of a predator.
"Because you are still a guest, yes?"
A soft voice swept over the shell of his ear. A vicious murderous spirit flew over the round, torn pitch-black pupils.
Despite feeling goosebumps, there was only one thing the Duke of Elkin could do.
"Your Highness, thank you for the gift."
***
This is Vikander Territory. Because it was the Grand Duke's domain surrounded by strong walls.
"This is what it feels like."
Edwin, who had suggested a card game for the first time in a long time, shuffled the cards with brilliant hand skills and pouted his lips.
"I wanted to be the only one who knew about Olivia's mischievous charm."
I laughed at that one word.
"Where did you hear about it?"
"From the hazelnuts."
"You heard the climax. Unfortunately, I'm not used to threats."
My face was unusually cheerful than usual as I shrugged my shoulders. At the same time, my mood was completely different from my usual mood.
That made people even more creepy, so Edwin put down the card for a moment and confessed.
"I'll be honest with you now that Duke Elkin has entered the Vikander territory. He, the Duke and Duke of Madeleine, and even Sir Jade Madeleine are coming to Vikander territory now. I wanted to send him back without Liv knowing since I had put in place a ban anyway."
No entry was heard in the system. I suddenly remembered Edwin's words about preventing the royal family and the Madeleine duchy from entering.
"I already wanted to ask, was there really anyone who was banned from entering?"
"Sure. If Olivia hadn't been upset, I would have kept them off-limits. I'll have to leave it to Olivia."
I quietly looked at Edwin. Leaving it to me meant entrusting all the options to the castle, like the Duke of Elkin did this time, or leaving alone.
I stared at my card for a moment to collect my thoughts.
As the sound of light breathing filled the silence of the living room, Edwin asked again with a delay.
"What should I do?"
".... Please send someone to Eddington Street first."
"Eddington Street?"
Edwin rolled his eyes for a moment at the sudden talk about the entertainment district. Fortunately, Edwin didn't ask me anything right now. I probably wouldn't have been able to give any answer as I felt like a thin thom had sprouted in the back of my throat.
"Yes. I have news I want to find out. And tomorrow morning, I'm going to Senua's Valley with Edwin, and then...."
I shrugged my shoulders lightly, gasping as if she had dipped her face into hot water.
"And then I want to decide."
"As much as you want."
Edwin grinned.
***
And at the same time.
"Until the tax rate adjustment is confirmed, Vikander does not plan to pay any taxes on minerals."
The grand conference room of the imperial palace.
Baron Howard Interfield was repeating the same words for exactly the twenty-fifth time.
"Where are these nasty words!"
"Do you dare to place conditions on His Majesty the Emperor?"
It was also the case that the nobles surrounding Howard became furious before he finished speaking.
Even through the endless repetition, Howard didn't even blink. Instead, he sharpened his senses.
In the midst of this, the nobles in the conference room were making a fuss.
"..."
Toward the Prince, who was looking at him with a cool frown.
'I'm sure you heard it.'
That day, when His Highness the Grand Duke was talking about secret documents, he definitely felt a presence. It was clearly the Prince's energy.
He thought the Crown Prince would use secret documents to persuade him to increase the tax rate.
Did he realize that once he secured the secret document, he would not pay taxes at all?
Now, if only the secret document was resolved, the connection with the imperial palace would be severed, so perhaps the Crown Prince was using his brain more.
Am he thinking highly of the Crown Prince right now, or is he rather belittling him?
Clap clap.
The prince clapped lightly as if to brighten the mood.
"The conversation only flows in parallel lines, so it's extremely sluggish. Lord Interfield. What is the tax rate on the minerals your master wants?"
"It's 5%."
The nobles' faces turned red again.
"Therefore! That 5% itself makes no sense!"
"The current tax rate on minerals paid by Vikander is 72.8%!"
72.8%. Howard said coldly.
"No other place pays 72.8% as a mineral tax rate. Please tell me. Baron Desile. Do you pay 72.8% at Garnet's tax rate?"
Baron Desile's face turned red after being singled out. The same goes for the nobles whose names were called next. Someone bravely shouted at the procession of nobles who were gradually averting their gaze.
"Is the loyalty of Grand Duchy Vikander at this level?"
"That's right. I can't believe I've given this much so far. Isn't it truly an incredible loyalty that no one can match?"
Because of his calm voice, it was hard to tell whether Howard's words were sarcastic or sincere. While the nobleman cleared his throat loudly, Leopold still looked at Howard with dark eyes.
***
The office of the Emperor's palace.
"Your Majesty asks you to come in."
When Leopold entered the office, the Emperor was frowning while standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.
"I can't believe Tristan only had that much grain."
The line of wagons coming in one after another was shorter than expected. However, no matter how much grain one had, it was nothing compared to the mineral tax rate.
In just a few days, it felt like dozens of years had passed in his body. The Emperor asked, looking at the Prince who was standing at a distance.
"Yes. What happened to the plan to shake up the nobles who were angry with the mineral tax rate?"
Crazy empire, ravenous rotten rats
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