Bab 137: [Chapter 137] It's time to teach them a lesson
The response from the White Swan Castle was swift. In the evening, they spread their strong, steel-like wings and soared into the sky.
[Let's go.]
A brief, scribbled note was undoubtedly directed at Nellis. She wondered if it was right for the Grand Duke to take direct action, but what could they do?
"The Grand Duke is coming himself!"
The Lord of Draycum, who had to receive many guests without preparation, was overwhelmed with excitement and tension as he prepared to welcome him.
And some time later, on a day when the sky was a deep blue and the fragrance of azaleas filled the air in front of the castle gate.
Cledwin arrived with some of the elite knights of the Silver Knights.
The knights, dressed in their light yet dignified summer uniforms, lined up in front of the castle gate. The Lord, with a humble gait, bowed his head in respect. His subordinates did the same.
"It's an honor to receive you, Your Highness!"
Cledwin dismounted his black horse and smiled brightly. Nellis, standing beside the Lord, showed her respect with a slight bow.
At times like this, it was not impolite to greet either the Lord or Nellis first. As the people of Maindorlant had expected, Cledwin asked Nellis first.
"Have you been well?"
The people of the McKinnon family, who had gathered on one side, were amazed by the Grand Duke's appearance, which was different from what they had heard. He was supposed to be cold and cruel, but he didn't seem that way at all. On the contrary, he seemed... warm and gentle.
Rumors are indeed unreliable. The McKinnon family whispered to each other with such thoughts. Talprin, who was hiding among the crowd, dressed as a servant, smiled to himself."
If they had taken a normal process to bring that many people from Penmurwick, they would have arrived already. It's likely that the Silver Knights had an experience that made it impossible to associate the word 'warmth' with the Lord throughout the journey.
The Lord also thought so, and he didn't mind that the Lord didn't even glance at him. He politely pointed inside.
"Please, go ahead."
"Yes, let's go."
Cledwin finally responded to the Lord, but after a brief moment, he spoke to Nellis again. She, without realizing it, had crossed her arms because he had stretched out his arm too naturally.
The scene of the two entering the castle was not unusual. According to the etiquette of the social circle, a high-ranking lady would walk with a high-ranking man. And was there a high-ranking man who would dare to escort the Grand Duke's advisor?
However, it was rare to see a pair that didn't have a relationship, such as husband and wife, fiancés, or siblings, yet looked so natural together.
By rank, Cledwin and Nellis should have entered together, followed by Diane and Joyce, but as a guest, Diane decided to receive the Lord's escort. She walked with the Lord, arm in arm, and whispered to him. Her eyes were sharply observing the person in front of her.
"Does the Grand Duke respect his advisor very much?"
The Lord also knew that Nellis and Diane were friends over the past few days. He whispered a response, showing a friendly and humble attitude, unlike the arrogance and exclusivity that the people of Maindorlant had heard about.
"Oh, yes. Our advisor is a capable person. I've known the Grand Duke for a long time, but I've never seen him treat someone with such respect."
What's the reason for this? The comfortable atmosphere that flowed between the two people was like a habit.
Diane and the Lord were people who could sense what was hidden behind each other's words. So, the two of them exchanged a knowing smile and began to engage in polite conversation.
Joyce and the Silver Knights, as well as the officials and servants of Draycum, followed behind them. Talprin, pretending to be a servant, casually blended in with the group.
❖ ❖ ❖
"It's the Silver Moon."
Nellis's small reception room, which she had been using as her office.
After the Lord's welcoming ceremony, when only the people of the White Swan Castle were left, Cledwin muttered to himself. The captain of the guard explained, looking embarrassed.
"We caught eight people. It's rare to see this level of covert operation, but since we failed to fulfill our duty as guards, it's our fault."
"It's not your lack of attention. This is an extraordinary case. To think that they sent this many covert operatives to kill the Grand Duke's advisor and the McKinnon siblings, who are mere nobles from Maindorlant."
Nellis calmly refuted him.
Advisor...! The captain of the guard was moved by the generous words of his superior, who was usually strict.
Hmm. Even our Grand Duke was attacked frequently just last year, so shouldn't we have been more careful? Talprin wanted to say something sarcastic, but he couldn't, as he himself was also responsible for this incident. In fact, if the covert operatives had moved, he, as the head of the night watch, should have been the first to know.
Regardless of what the two people in charge of the guard thought, Nellis didn't believe that this incident was caused by someone's lack of attention.
Perhaps there was no unusual sign until the incident occurred. Camil's covert operatives were thoroughly trained in their master's philosophy, and they would process everything habitually, with multiple safety nets in place.
Cledwin fell into thought for a moment. Nellis felt a slight sense of guilt.
The damage to our group was relatively minor, considering we were attacked by multiple Silver Moons. According to Nellis, it was a record-low level of damage. However, there were casualties.
'It was an attack aimed at me.'
Nellis's heart ached and she felt angry, even though she had not been directly attacked.
Cledwin, who had been thinking, glanced at Nellis's face and poked her forehead with his finger.
Since they were discussing confidential matters, only four people were present in the room: Cledwin, Nellis, Talprin, and the captain of the guard. Talprin and the captain of the guard were used to seeing the two of them like this, so they didn't react.
"What's wrong?"
Cledwin looked at Nellis with a serious expression and said, "If you had drawn your sword, you could have been injured or killed at any moment. The person who gave the order is me, and the one who attacked is someone else. Don't think you're responsible for their deaths."
Was that what he was thinking? The captain of the guard, who couldn't read Nellis's expression, looked at her with a mixture of admiration and pity.
"Yes, Advisor. Anyone who becomes a knight must be prepared for a bad ending. The bereaved families will receive compensation, and the injured will recover thanks to the priest's treatment."
Nellis also knew that. She felt a bit frustrated. These people were talking to her as if she were a young student who had seen someone get hurt while trying to protect herself for the first time.
In her previous life, Nellis had also had multiple guards who were injured or killed. The difference was that those guards were knights of a dukedom or the imperial family, and their roles were closer to that of bodyguards.
'Ah.'
That's right, Nellis realized suddenly. She was angry because it was a familiar situation.
"The knights who died or were injured this time were all 'Nellis's' guards. Unlike the guards in her previous life, who had an attitude of 'I'll watch over you because my lord needs you, and I'll sacrifice myself for my lord,' they didn't treat her like a mere object.
They lived with Nellis in the White Swan Castle, and they regarded her as family. So...
Their injuries were completely different from the incidents in her previous life.
Cledwin, who saw Nellis's expression change, smiled wryly. It's good to mourn the death of one's people. One should have a sense of responsibility. But it's pointless to just feel sad without knowing the reason.
Most problems in the world can be solved if you understand the cause.
That's a phrase that applies even to the imperial family's inexplicable actions.
"I'll make sure to pay back the debt since they dared to set foot on my land. But why did they suddenly move? Did they stumble upon 'that thing'?"
The 'thing' Cledwin was referring to was the military movement that Tiphian Count had handled in the spring.
During that time, Tiphian Count and his subordinates were all confined to the White Swan Castle, and their contact with the outside world was strictly prohibited. However, Nellis had made Tiphian Count believe that Cledwin had a secret passage in Aylora, and the Count wrote a letter to his son about it, which was then delivered.
According to the report, the imperial family suddenly pressured Aylora from the Tiphian Count's side, and they hastily moved their hidden troops while making a big fuss both inside and outside. And after that, the fact that Tiphian Count's territory suffered the imperial family's wrath and struggled in many ways was well-known throughout the empire.
The only person in this room who didn't know about this situation was the captain of the guard, who tilted his head. Nellis shook her head.
"There's no element that suggests it's because of me. The letter was thoroughly inspected, and our prisoners are all well."
"Then it seems like they're thinking of digging deeper. Is it Camil or the imperial family?"
"Maindorlant was often attacked by the imperial family, even in peaceful times. Cledwin thought of this as just another one of those problems and gazed at them with a cold light in his eyes.
'I need to teach them a lesson.'
The Grand Duke's family had received their title from the imperial family, but they had never bowed their heads in submission. In fact, the imperial family had granted them the title in an attempt to incorporate the powerful Maindorlant, which ruled the north, into their governing structure.
So, Maindorlant had less loyalty to the imperial family than any other land in the empire.
Therefore, there was no need to bother with those who were causing trouble.
'Who dares...'
Cledwin's eyes gleamed with a sharp light as he thought.
"Camil developed a large silver mine in the imperial family's direct territory, Duchern, and gained merit."
Talprin quickly responded.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Destroy it. Make it look like a management failure. The budget is irrelevant."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Camil, who was trying to impress the emperor and empress, often bribed them with lavish gifts. The silver mine in Duchern was Camil's most cherished business venture over the past three years.
Talprin left the room with a smile, planning to make everyone believe that the entire mining business was a massive scam.
As he walked down the corridor, he caught a glimpse of Diane, who was hiding behind a pillar, quickly turning her head away. It was as if she was waving her hand openly, and it was obvious that she was a covert operative.
The Grand Duke was watching from a distance as he gathered his close aides to receive a report on the assassination incident. It was a very suspicious behavior. However, neither the knights nor the covert operatives, including Diane, stopped her because, firstly, they were too far away to hear the conversation inside the closed room, and secondly, it was obvious that she was just pretending to be careless.
Talprin shook his head and left, showing no interest. Diane, who was watching from a distance, blushed.
I was curious about how well the people of Maindorlant treated Nellis, so I couldn't help but keep glancing at her. I didn't think of approaching her because only a few people were left, and they seemed to be having an important conversation.
What was that servant doing, inserting himself into a place where the Grand Duke, Liz, and the captain of the guard were, and then leaving with such a carefree attitude?
"What's going on?"
The servant reminded me of someone. It was the servant who had given Nellis a handkerchief after she had cried so much after fighting with her, and who had carried her out when the fire broke out.
The man now was different from the servant back then, with a different face and clothes, but somehow, they seemed to overlap.
Diane forgot what she was thinking when Nellis and Cledwin came out of the reception room. She smiled brightly and waved at Nellis when their eyes met.
Nellis also smiled and waved back. Diane, feeling relieved by her friend's bright expression, was about to leave, but Nellis's suggestion came faster.
"Come here, Di. Let's go for a walk."
"A walk?"
Diane happily approached Nellis and linked arms with her. Nellis, with Cledwin on her right and Diane on her left, thought this situation was strange. The composition itself was similar to the graduation ball, but their relationships were different now.
And yet, it was similar at the same time.
Nellis felt a fluttery feeling. The sunlight coming into the corridor was dazzlingly bright.
They started walking, chatting and laughing together.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone