“Has the Grand Duchess not returned yet?”
Jeremiah asked Ron.
“Yes, there has been no report of her return yet.”
Ron said in an apologetic voice.
This was the third time Jeremiah had asked the same question since he learned that Karina had gone out. The Grand Duke was busy welcoming the royal family who had suddenly barged in without notice.
Thanks to that, he only found out later that the Grand Duchess had gone out in the meantime.
When he actually opened the letter from the Imperial Family, it didn’t contain much content.
It was just a message telling him that this New Year’s Day was special and that he should come to the capital in advance to prepare more diligently.
“You’re sending people all the way up north just to say something like that. The Imperial Family must be so relaxed that they have a lot of manpower and people left over.”
Jeremiah said dissatisfiedly.
Since Jeremiah had so much work to do in the Grand Duke’s office, it was a good idea.
The investigation into the Lord Genon case was an investigation, and work was work.
Just because a new job was created, the old one didn’t disappear.
Rather, it was just a new job added to the old one.
Naturally, Ron also had more work to do.
Ron strongly agreed with Jeremiah and confirmed the following report.
“Your Highness, regarding the death of Lord Genon, Lady Caroline is adamantly denying that it was her fault.”
“...”
“And it’s been some time since you ordered Lady Caroline to be detained in the annex, what should we do?”
Jeremiah didn’t open his mouth right away.
The level of punishment would vary depending on whether or not Caroline was the culprit who killed Genon.
“My sister’s punishment will continue to be suspended until the investigation into all cases is complete.”
However, since she had made a mistake, he couldn’t just leave it alone.
“All of her assets and ownership rights will be confiscated and transferred to the property of the Grand Duke. Her mansion detention will also be extended indefinitely.”
“Yes, there has been no report of her return yet.”
Ron said in an apologetic voice.
This was the third time Jeremiah had asked the same question since he learned that Karina had gone out. The Grand Duke was busy welcoming the royal family who had suddenly barged in without notice.
Thanks to that, he only found out later that the Grand Duchess had gone out in the meantime.
When he actually opened the letter from the Imperial Family, it didn’t contain much content.
It was just a message telling him that this New Year’s Day was special and that he should come to the capital in advance to prepare more diligently.
“You’re sending people all the way up north just to say something like that. The Imperial Family must be so relaxed that they have a lot of manpower and people left over.”
Jeremiah said dissatisfiedly.
Since Jeremiah had so much work to do in the Grand Duke’s office, it was a good idea.
The investigation into the Lord Genon case was an investigation, and work was work.
Just because a new job was created, the old one didn’t disappear.
Rather, it was just a new job added to the old one.
Naturally, Ron also had more work to do.
Ron strongly agreed with Jeremiah and confirmed the following report.
“Your Highness, regarding the death of Lord Genon, Lady Caroline is adamantly denying that it was her fault.”
“...”
“And it’s been some time since you ordered Lady Caroline to be detained in the annex, what should we do?”
Jeremiah didn’t open his mouth right away.
The level of punishment would vary depending on whether or not Caroline was the culprit who killed Genon.
“My sister’s punishment will continue to be suspended until the investigation into all cases is complete.”
However, since she had made a mistake, he couldn’t just leave it alone.
“All of her assets and ownership rights will be confiscated and transferred to the property of the Grand Duke. Her mansion detention will also be extended indefinitely.”
“Huh? Is that okay? Lady Caroline is still Your Highness’s only family member...”
Ron's words were clouded with surprise and hesitation.
Jeremiah responded even colder when he heard the word "only family."
"Even if you exclude the murder of a noble, the crimes my sister committed are not light. Shouldn't she be thankful that she wasn't imprisoned?"
His voice was merciless.
Ron immediately lowered his head upon hearing that.
"I'm sorry. I'll pass it on."
Ron, who had lowered his head as if he was sorry, quickly moved on to the next report.
"This is the monster subjugation report we conducted this time."
He handed over the meticulously organized report.
"How is the monster subjugation situation these days?"
"It's not good. The frequency of monsters appearing these days is much higher than this time last year."
"Any other situations?"
"According to the report, there were several cases where they escaped the subjugation force and came down to the village to attack houses. They say that monsters appeared in the city yesterday and people evacuated."
"How much damage was done to houses?"
“There were no reports of casualties, but when the knights gathered and went to the scene, someone had already dealt with the monster.”
“Someone already dealt with the monster?”
Jeremiah looked up from his documents.
“Yes, it was a huge wolf-shaped demon, and judging by the wounds, it seems like it was killed with a single slash. They say it wasn’t an ordinary warrior.”
“...”
“The overall damage has not yet been quantified, but the atmosphere inside the town and the commercial district has become gloomy due to the people’s fear and dread of the monster.”
“Isn’t this the time of year when the northern commercial district is at its most active?”
“That’s right. So the knights are planning to go and inspect the northern outskirts of the town, which borders the northern forest.”
“Inspect the town?”
Jeremiah responded to the word inspection.
Ron felt like he knew why Jeremiah had responded to the word inspection.
When he heard the report that Karina had gone out earlier, he didn’t hear the exact destination, but he heard that she went to the nearby town center based on the direction she was heading.
“When is the inspection date?”
“I plan to leave this afternoon.”
“That’s good timing.”
Jeremiah stood up.
“I’ll go with you. Is there anything you need to do before then?”
“Nothing other than escorting Your Highness.”
“I see. Then we will go right away. Get ready.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Lies! No way! This is a dream! A dream!”
Caroline went crazy and went crazy after hearing the news that all her assets had been looted and her probation period had been extended indefinitely.
“Why is this happening to me! Why on earth!”
She was already venting her anger and frustration over the news that the charity event had spread like wildfire and that she was falsely accused of killing Lord Genon.
“This is all because of that woman Karina!”
Caroline’s eyes overflowed with tears and malice.
Caroline looked a mess.
Her hair was disheveled from being torn in anger, and her makeup around her eyes was a mess.
“What the hell is Revals doing! Bring him in front of me right now! Right now!”
Caroline cried and shouted.
“What are you doing out there when things have gotten this bad?”
“That... that.”
Nicole, Caroline’s close maid, swallowed dry saliva and answered.
“They say Lamberda hasn’t sent any reply.”
“What?”
Caroline’s movements stopped abruptly.
“A bastard like him ignored my letter?”
Caroline’s face turned venomous.
“A second son of a lowly Count! You don’t even know how grateful you are for all the times I’ve treated you! How dare you!”
Caroline trembled.
Her patience exploded.
“Bring Jeremiah! I’ll tell him myself! Tell him to come!”
Caroline tried to leave the room without hesitation.
“Lady! You can’t leave!”
Caroline pushed aside the maid who was blocking her way and opened the door.
Armed knights stood guard in front of it.
Caroline commanded confidently.
“Bring Jeremiah right now!”
“...”
But none of the knights moved.
“Didn’t you hear me? Bring Jeremiah! Now!”
When the knights didn’t move no matter how much she shouted, Caroline tried to go out of the room, saying she would bring him herself.
Then as if they had been waiting, the knights blocked her path.
“Get out of the way! Who are you blocking right now!”
“You can’t go out.”
“How dare you act like this to me, the Grand Duke's sister! Do you think you’ll be okay after doing this? Do you want to be kicked out of the Knights?”
“His Highness the Grand Duke has ordered that the Lady never leave the room. If you continue to refuse to cooperate, I have no choice but to report to His Highness.”
“Go ahead! Report!”
Caroline began to scream and throw things around the room.
The knight warned Caroline.
“You’d better stay quiet. His Highness the Grand Duke said that if the investigation is over and you’re found guilty of murdering a noble, he might issue an order of exile to the North.”
“What?”
Caroline gasped and took a deep breath upon hearing that.
“That’s ridiculous. How could you treat me like this!”
Caroline, who had been yelling, finally lost control of her anger and fainted.
“Move quickly!”
The escapees found all the hostages and gathered them in a corner.
Everyone in the room was dragged out while they were organizing their luggage.
“First, the family of the guy who left earlier! You guys can do numbers 1 to 3.”
The escapee gestured toward the mother of the two children who was hugging her tightly and spoke in a tone of amusement.
“Yes, let’s see where we go next.”
The people desperately turned their heads to avoid the escapee’s gaze.
In the midst of all this, Karina’s gaze met the gaze of an old man who had been dragged out of the room earlier.
Then the old man, who recognized Karina, muttered in surprise.
“Oh, Your... Your... Your Highness?”
“... You...!”
Karina’s shoulders trembled.
“What? Your Highness?”
All the escapees looked at Karina at the word “Your Highness.”
“Ah! Your Highness!”
The old man’s expression brightened with hope as if he couldn’t see his surroundings.
“Since Your Highness is here, the knights from the Grand Duke’s family will risk their lives to save us!”
The old man approached Karina and grabbed her hands with both of his.
“Your Highness! Tell those robbers to let us go! Hurry!”
The old man’s voice became stronger as if he thought that a way out had opened up.
The child’s mother, who had heard the old man’s words from the side, must have been desperate, as she grabbed the hem of Karina’s skirt and begged.
“Your Highness! Please save our children. Please let them live! Please!”
“Ha.”
A small laugh escaped Karina’s mouth.
It seemed that Karina was the only one who realized that they were escapees.
‘What can I do here now, against these escapees who are even attacking the knights for their lives?’
All she could do was wait quietly until someone came to rescue her.
Now that was difficult.
Then suddenly a question occurred to her.
‘Who am I waiting for now?’
Someone’s face appeared in her mind.
‘You fool!’
She shook her head, shaking the face that appeared.
‘There’s no way that person would come to save me.’
Karina scolded herself.
‘What on earth did I expect? I decided to stand on my own two feet without help from anyone. As soon as the situation became difficult, I just waited for help and did nothing.’
Karina bit her lower lip.
A huge sense of helplessness engulfed her entire body.
She felt so pathetic.
Jeremiah wouldn’t even blink if he found out that she, the Grand Duchess, was being held hostage.
‘He might think it’s a good thing since it’s a chance to get rid of me, who he doesn’t like.’
Karina silently mocked herself.
‘I can’t live by just waiting around, and I almost acted foolishly again.’
She was sick of herself for saying she would live a different life from the past, but then acting timid and weak like before.
‘If I’m going to die anyway, it’s better to do something than to die in vain without doing anything.’
Karina’s expression became frighteningly cold as she made up her mind.
“Are you really the Grand Duchess?”
Just then, the leader of the escapees, who looked fierce, approached Karina.
“...”
Karina remained silent without answering.
She had made up her mind, but she couldn’t immediately come up with a good solution to overcome this crisis.
“I said I was right! Aren’t I right!”
The thin man growled loudly, his voice full of pride.
“You keep quiet! You can’t even do anything right!”
The boss with a grim expression scrunched up his face and snapped at the thin man.
The thin man didn’t seem to be very trustworthy.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
The one-eyed escaped prisoner standing next to the boss asked menacingly.
“I asked you if you were the Grand Duchess.”
The tension was palpable.
Ron's words were clouded with surprise and hesitation.
Jeremiah responded even colder when he heard the word "only family."
"Even if you exclude the murder of a noble, the crimes my sister committed are not light. Shouldn't she be thankful that she wasn't imprisoned?"
His voice was merciless.
Ron immediately lowered his head upon hearing that.
"I'm sorry. I'll pass it on."
Ron, who had lowered his head as if he was sorry, quickly moved on to the next report.
"This is the monster subjugation report we conducted this time."
He handed over the meticulously organized report.
"How is the monster subjugation situation these days?"
"It's not good. The frequency of monsters appearing these days is much higher than this time last year."
"Any other situations?"
"According to the report, there were several cases where they escaped the subjugation force and came down to the village to attack houses. They say that monsters appeared in the city yesterday and people evacuated."
"How much damage was done to houses?"
“There were no reports of casualties, but when the knights gathered and went to the scene, someone had already dealt with the monster.”
“Someone already dealt with the monster?”
Jeremiah looked up from his documents.
“Yes, it was a huge wolf-shaped demon, and judging by the wounds, it seems like it was killed with a single slash. They say it wasn’t an ordinary warrior.”
“...”
“The overall damage has not yet been quantified, but the atmosphere inside the town and the commercial district has become gloomy due to the people’s fear and dread of the monster.”
“Isn’t this the time of year when the northern commercial district is at its most active?”
“That’s right. So the knights are planning to go and inspect the northern outskirts of the town, which borders the northern forest.”
“Inspect the town?”
Jeremiah responded to the word inspection.
Ron felt like he knew why Jeremiah had responded to the word inspection.
When he heard the report that Karina had gone out earlier, he didn’t hear the exact destination, but he heard that she went to the nearby town center based on the direction she was heading.
“When is the inspection date?”
“I plan to leave this afternoon.”
“That’s good timing.”
Jeremiah stood up.
“I’ll go with you. Is there anything you need to do before then?”
“Nothing other than escorting Your Highness.”
“I see. Then we will go right away. Get ready.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
***
“Lies! No way! This is a dream! A dream!”
Caroline went crazy and went crazy after hearing the news that all her assets had been looted and her probation period had been extended indefinitely.
“Why is this happening to me! Why on earth!”
She was already venting her anger and frustration over the news that the charity event had spread like wildfire and that she was falsely accused of killing Lord Genon.
“This is all because of that woman Karina!”
Caroline’s eyes overflowed with tears and malice.
Caroline looked a mess.
Her hair was disheveled from being torn in anger, and her makeup around her eyes was a mess.
“What the hell is Revals doing! Bring him in front of me right now! Right now!”
Caroline cried and shouted.
“What are you doing out there when things have gotten this bad?”
“That... that.”
Nicole, Caroline’s close maid, swallowed dry saliva and answered.
“They say Lamberda hasn’t sent any reply.”
“What?”
Caroline’s movements stopped abruptly.
“A bastard like him ignored my letter?”
Caroline’s face turned venomous.
“A second son of a lowly Count! You don’t even know how grateful you are for all the times I’ve treated you! How dare you!”
Caroline trembled.
Her patience exploded.
“Bring Jeremiah! I’ll tell him myself! Tell him to come!”
Caroline tried to leave the room without hesitation.
“Lady! You can’t leave!”
Caroline pushed aside the maid who was blocking her way and opened the door.
Armed knights stood guard in front of it.
Caroline commanded confidently.
“Bring Jeremiah right now!”
“...”
But none of the knights moved.
“Didn’t you hear me? Bring Jeremiah! Now!”
When the knights didn’t move no matter how much she shouted, Caroline tried to go out of the room, saying she would bring him herself.
Then as if they had been waiting, the knights blocked her path.
“Get out of the way! Who are you blocking right now!”
“You can’t go out.”
“How dare you act like this to me, the Grand Duke's sister! Do you think you’ll be okay after doing this? Do you want to be kicked out of the Knights?”
“His Highness the Grand Duke has ordered that the Lady never leave the room. If you continue to refuse to cooperate, I have no choice but to report to His Highness.”
“Go ahead! Report!”
Caroline began to scream and throw things around the room.
The knight warned Caroline.
“You’d better stay quiet. His Highness the Grand Duke said that if the investigation is over and you’re found guilty of murdering a noble, he might issue an order of exile to the North.”
“What?”
Caroline gasped and took a deep breath upon hearing that.
“That’s ridiculous. How could you treat me like this!”
Caroline, who had been yelling, finally lost control of her anger and fainted.
***
“Move quickly!”
The escapees found all the hostages and gathered them in a corner.
Everyone in the room was dragged out while they were organizing their luggage.
“First, the family of the guy who left earlier! You guys can do numbers 1 to 3.”
The escapee gestured toward the mother of the two children who was hugging her tightly and spoke in a tone of amusement.
“Yes, let’s see where we go next.”
The people desperately turned their heads to avoid the escapee’s gaze.
In the midst of all this, Karina’s gaze met the gaze of an old man who had been dragged out of the room earlier.
Then the old man, who recognized Karina, muttered in surprise.
“Oh, Your... Your... Your Highness?”
“... You...!”
Karina’s shoulders trembled.
“What? Your Highness?”
All the escapees looked at Karina at the word “Your Highness.”
“Ah! Your Highness!”
The old man’s expression brightened with hope as if he couldn’t see his surroundings.
“Since Your Highness is here, the knights from the Grand Duke’s family will risk their lives to save us!”
The old man approached Karina and grabbed her hands with both of his.
“Your Highness! Tell those robbers to let us go! Hurry!”
The old man’s voice became stronger as if he thought that a way out had opened up.
The child’s mother, who had heard the old man’s words from the side, must have been desperate, as she grabbed the hem of Karina’s skirt and begged.
“Your Highness! Please save our children. Please let them live! Please!”
“Ha.”
A small laugh escaped Karina’s mouth.
It seemed that Karina was the only one who realized that they were escapees.
‘What can I do here now, against these escapees who are even attacking the knights for their lives?’
All she could do was wait quietly until someone came to rescue her.
Now that was difficult.
Then suddenly a question occurred to her.
‘Who am I waiting for now?’
Someone’s face appeared in her mind.
‘You fool!’
She shook her head, shaking the face that appeared.
‘There’s no way that person would come to save me.’
Karina scolded herself.
‘What on earth did I expect? I decided to stand on my own two feet without help from anyone. As soon as the situation became difficult, I just waited for help and did nothing.’
Karina bit her lower lip.
A huge sense of helplessness engulfed her entire body.
She felt so pathetic.
Jeremiah wouldn’t even blink if he found out that she, the Grand Duchess, was being held hostage.
‘He might think it’s a good thing since it’s a chance to get rid of me, who he doesn’t like.’
Karina silently mocked herself.
‘I can’t live by just waiting around, and I almost acted foolishly again.’
She was sick of herself for saying she would live a different life from the past, but then acting timid and weak like before.
‘If I’m going to die anyway, it’s better to do something than to die in vain without doing anything.’
Karina’s expression became frighteningly cold as she made up her mind.
“Are you really the Grand Duchess?”
Just then, the leader of the escapees, who looked fierce, approached Karina.
“...”
Karina remained silent without answering.
She had made up her mind, but she couldn’t immediately come up with a good solution to overcome this crisis.
“I said I was right! Aren’t I right!”
The thin man growled loudly, his voice full of pride.
“You keep quiet! You can’t even do anything right!”
The boss with a grim expression scrunched up his face and snapped at the thin man.
The thin man didn’t seem to be very trustworthy.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
The one-eyed escaped prisoner standing next to the boss asked menacingly.
“I asked you if you were the Grand Duchess.”
The tension was palpable.
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