Episode 16: The Imperial Investigation Team's Raid and a Relaxing Tea Time
Early in the morning, the serene peace of the Duke of Castillo's mansion was shattered by a deafening roar that sounded as if the massive iron gates were about to smash.
Bang, bang, bang-!!
"This is a solemn command from His Imperial Majesty! Open the gates immediately!"
The First Knights, clad in armor emblazoned with the golden lion emblem symbolizing the Imperial Household, and the Imperial Special Investigation Team escorted by them, pushed their way through the mansion's main gate.
A smug sense of victory gleamed on the face of Marquis Morte, the Minister of the Interior, who stood at the forefront. He had just received a secret order from the Emperor the previous night to 'drag Eleanor out and confiscate Castillo's assets.'
'Arrogant Eleanor. No matter how cocky you may be, you will have no choice but to grovel and kneel before the evidence of treason for imprisoning the head of the household!'
"Search! Scrape the mansion thoroughly, confiscate every ledger, and bring the Duchess and her henchmen right here!"
Marquis Morte shouted triumphantly and roughly threw open the central front door of the mansion. He had expected to see the screams of panicked servants and a scene of utter chaos at the ducal estate. However, the moment the door to the massive central drawing room opened, he could not believe his eyes and stood frozen in place, dumbfounded.
Clatter.
"Hmm, the Earl Grey smells quite good today. Don't you think so, Liliana?"
"Yes, Mother. Perhaps because the tea leaves touched the morning dew, the flavor is very deep."
Despite the Imperial Knights having burst in armed, the drawing room was not just peaceful, but downright languid. Eleanor leaned back on a plush sofa, leisurely sipping her tea, while Liliana, seated opposite her, smiled elegantly as she enjoyed her refreshments, without the slightest wavering.
It was a perfect composure, as if they had known their arrival long ago and had willingly awaited it. However, what truly froze Marquis Morte and the Knights was the presence of a man standing leaning against the massive window of the reception room behind the two women.
"...!!"
An overwhelmingly tall figure stood with the morning sunlight behind him. Beneath his jet-black hair, golden eyes gleamed like a beast, scanning the invading Imperial Knights indifferently.
It was Caelon Argentus, the Grand Duke of the North and the strongest warrior on the continent. The mere fact that he stood there and exuded a faint killing intent was enough to weigh down the air in the reception room dozens of times, suffocating the Imperial Knights.
"Your Highness... how are you at the Duke of Castillo's residence at this early hour?"
Marquis Morte stammered in bewilderment. With his arms crossed, Caelon replied in a cold, low voice.
"I suppose it is the Emperor's custom for his dogs to barge into other people's tea time with muddy feet. Doesn't their barking ruin the taste of the tea?"
"Ugh...!"
Enraged by Caelon's blatant insult, the First Knight Commander gripped his sword hilt, but the moment his eyes met Caelon's golden gaze, goosebumps ran down his spine, and he could not bring himself to draw his weapon. He instinctively sensed that the moment that beast's sword was drawn, the heads of every Imperial Knight present would be severed.
Amidst that suffocating standoff, Eleanor set down her teacup and spoke softly.
"It is quite a commotion early in the morning, Marquis Morte. Surely, there must be a justification for the rudeness of the Imperial Investigation Office barging into the Duchess's mistress's house without prior notice?"
Intimidated by Eleanor's cold gaze, Marquis Morte cleared his throat and pulled out an imperial decree from his bosom.
"It is a solemn command from His Imperial Majesty! Duchess Eleanor Castillo is charged with treason for illegally usurping the authority of the head of the household and imprisoning the Duke in the crypt..."
"Ah, you mean that wretched secret letter written by Valdemar?"
"...?!"
As the word 'secret letter' came out of Eleanor's mouth first, Marquis Morte's eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
"To say that I imprisoned the head of the household and seized real power is preposterous. I merely isolated and recuperated a deranged patient, who was mad on gambling and revelry and attempting to squander the family's fortune, for the safety of the household. It is simply part of the household duties that a Duchess ought to fulfill."
"Excuses will not work! The Duke has accused you of embezzling vast family funds through a handwritten letter! The investigation team will immediately confiscate all of Castillo's ledgers to determine the truth!"
At Marquis Morte's shout, Eleanor smirked and gestured toward Liliana with her chin.
"You don't need to go to such trouble searching through them. I anticipated guests from the Imperial Family and had them prepared in advance, Liliana."
"Yes, Mother."
Liliana rose from her seat and pointed to the mountain of documents piled up in one corner of the reception room.
"These are the accounting ledgers for the entire Castillo family for the past five years, covering the main house in the capital, the merchant guilds, and even the taxes of the estates. Now, please examine them to your heart's content."
As Marquis Morte gestured, dozens of accountants dispatched by the Imperial Household swarmed the ledgers and began turning the pages in unison. Marquis Morte inwardly rejoiced. With a vast ledger spanning five years, there was bound to be a loophole. Finding even a trace of embezzlement amounting to just one gold coin would allow him to invoke Imperial Law and hold Castillo by the leash.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Inside the reception room, only the frantic sounds of accountants flipping through papers and snapping abacuses echoed. However, as time passed, cold sweat began to pour down like rain from the foreheads of the accountants scrutinizing the ledgers.
"Uh... what is going on? This ledger shows not a single penny of error."
"Hmph, Marquis. The income records for this estate... match the tax certificates submitted to the Imperial Household perfectly, word for word. In fact, there is even a record of overpaying taxes last year!"
"What?! That can't be! Search thoroughly again! They must have hidden a double ledger somewhere!"
Marquis Morte shouted, having lost his temper, but the result was the same. Liliana plugged in all the holes Valdemar and Claude had made overnight, and the surface financial flows had been 'laundered' into a perfectly legal state.
No matter what genius accountant of the Imperial Household came, not a single speck of dust could be found in these ledgers. Of course, the 'Black Rose Guild's' nominee account, the real weapon to kill Valdemar, was safely stored within Eleanor's subspace.
"Have you verified everything?"
Liliana unfolded her fan and smiled a cool yet elegant smile at Marquis Morte. It was the same overwhelming dignity she had displayed at the ball yesterday.
"As you can see, Castillo's ledgers are innocent. It seems the Duke, while imprisoned in the dungeon, hallucinated due to the shock and sent a false secret letter to His Majesty the Emperor."
"Th-this can't be..."
Marquis Morte barely managed to hold back his urge to collapse. Without evidence, this massive show of force was in danger of facing condemnation from aristocratic society as 'the Imperial Household's unjust oppression' of a great noble.
Just then, Eleanor slowly rose from her seat. A suffocating murderous intent began to emanate from her red eyes.
"If the investigation is over, it is now my turn."
Eleanor approached Marquis Morte, looked down at him coldly, and pronounced her sentence.
"My husband's insane depravity in falsely accusing the mistress of the family of treason. And the arrogance of the Imperial Family, breaking down the gates of another family without a single piece of evidence. I will never let this insult go unpunished."
"D-Duchess! Are you trying to insult the Imperial Family right now?"
"It is not an insult, but the exercise of my legitimate rights."
Eleanor cast her gaze toward Caelon, who stood beside her, and declared in a firm voice.
"As of today, I, Eleanor Castillo, will file a lawsuit against my husband, Valdemar Castillo, at the 'Grand Imperial Court' for divorce and the stripping of his authority as head of the family."
"D-Divorce...!"
Marquis Morte's mouth dropped open.
"And tell His Majesty the Emperor clearly. Tell him that if the Imperial judges allow even a single gram of prejudice to interfere with my trial, the Castillo Merchant Guild will halt all supplies of food and iron ore to the Imperial Palace immediately tomorrow."
Caelon also stood beside Eleanor, his golden eyes gleaming as he snarled like a beast.
"Add this to the Emperor. On the day of Lady Eleanor's trial, ten thousand elite knights from the North will surround the entire Supreme Court to protect her. If you do not want to be held accountable, you would be wise to deliver a verdict that is 'fair'."
At the moment when the overwhelming military might of the North and the suffocating capital of Castillo simultaneously aimed at the Imperial Household, Marquis Morte and the Imperial Knights, terrified by the terror emanating from Eleanor and Caelon, fled the Duke's mansion in panic, forgetting all sense of dignity. Watching the hounds that had arrogantly stormed in tuck their tails and flee, Eleanor and Liliana looked at each other and burst into hearty laughter.
"It was a magnificent defense, Liliana. Your manhood put the Imperial family in their place."
"It is thanks to Mother's teachings and His Highness the Grand Duke's commanding presence."
Caelon quietly watched the victorious smiles exchanged between the two women, casting a deep and gentle gaze toward Eleanor. The 'perfect stage' she had promised had come to a spectacular close, without a single flaw. Now, the long-awaited, bloody divorce trial to shove the scum into the guillotine was drawing near.
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