The Grand Duchess Escape

At the same time, in the Emperor’s office… 

“That’s the most interesting thing Calix has done in a long time! And from all families, no less.”

Fernandez, the Emperor ruling the Harmenian Empire, gave a small smile. He examined the document in front of him with an amused expression and asked the person standing beside him light-heartedly.

“Duncan, what do you think of this?”

Duncan was the illegitimate son of a viscount. He had risen to the position of the Emperor’s closest aide solely on the basis of his superior swordsmanship and had worked by the emperor’s side for many years.

Duncan bowed his head politely as he answered.

“They will only obey your orders, Your Majesty.”

“That’s a matter of fact.”

But then again, it wasn’t a question that Fernandez wanted to get an answer to either. He hated those who expressed their opinion in front of him or acted cocky around him.

At a meeting, he had memorized the names of every nobleman who had been outspoken without knowing the subject and had even annihilated them by charging them with treason.

“Chartus. I never thought I’d hear that name again.”

Fernandez tilted his index finger at an angle and swept it across his chin. Duncan, sensing the emperor’s intentions, asked cautiously.

“Shall I release the Dogs?”

A secret unit under the direct control of the Emperor was commonly known as the Emperor’s Dogs.

They didn’t hesitate to follow any order from the Emperor, including murder, abduction, and torture. They didn’t need any justification or a reason. Brainwashed from an early age, they were willing to commit suicide if the emperor said so.

“No, the eldest daughter of Chartus has no power. It’s not worth investigating.”

Fernandez shook his head and said sarcastically.

“Surprisingly, Philip seems to have a lot of patience. If I were him, I would have discarded that waste instantly.”

“…”

“Being the cunning businessman that he is, he probably planned to sell it off for a large sum later. He got what he wished for since he got a mine of gems for that useless thing.”

Fernandez spat out a pair of mocking words in a condescending tone. Then, as if suddenly remembering, he furrowed his brows.

“Well, there was a second person, wasn’t there? Did you say her name was Mariel? How old is she this year?”

“She’s about to celebrate her tenth birthday.”

Fernandez’s gray eyes flashed coldly at Duncan’s answer.

“Get the Dogs. Keep an eye on her, and if she shows any signs of developing special abilities…”

A foul smile appeared on the Emperor’s face.

“Look for the opportunity and kill her.”

* * *

In the office of the Grand Duchy Palace, a man was receiving a report.

As he stood behind an antique mahogany desk with his back facing the large window, his shadow draped across the room.

The dark sunset behind the man made him look like the God of War. His tall figure, broad shoulders, and muscular body could not be concealed by his outfit.

“That’s all to report for, Your Excellency.”

Having finished his report, Ryzen stepped back and waited breathlessly for his lord, Calix Benvito, to give an order.

There was a brief moment of silence, then a low, cool voice spoke.

“Ryzen.”

“At your service.”

The man turned his body slowly and his face appeared. It was as captivating as if it was a painting. His dark black hair was slightly disheveled, even giving the impression that he was a descendant of a celestial being. 

A pair of aggressive hostile eyes stared at Ryzen, making him swallow hard.

It had been several years since he served under His Excellency, but he still got an instinctive creepy feeling whenever he made eye contact with him.

It wasn’t just limited to him. Even high-ranking nobles could not make eye contact with this young Grand Duke, let alone exchange words with him.

A man who had spent several years on the battlefield naturally had an air of danger surrounding him. Some felt fear in his presence, and others felt awe.

Ryzen was closer to the latter.

“Make sure the news of the marriage gets out on a large scale. Make sure everyone knows about it, even the villagers in the remote countryside.”

“I’ll follow your orders.”

It was not a romantic story to boast widely about one’s marriage and Calix Benvito was a man who acted strategically.

Take it if necessary, throw it away when it becomes useless.

Rather than showing off his marriage, this was more like a kind of declaration that Asella Chartus was his.

And this was another perfectly calculated step.

Ryzen felt a bit of sympathy towards the future Grand Duchess.

“What was it like to meet her?”

Ryzen didn’t even know what the question meant, but he decided to refrain from speaking. Whatever the reason, he was the one his master had chosen to meet the lady. He could not arbitrarily judge and speak about the person who would soon become the mistress of the family.

“As I reported to you earlier.”

A firm answer came from the mouth of the loyal vassal.

“In your opinion, is she not capable at all? In developing special abilities, I mean.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Is there any chance she will awaken it in the future?”

“Not at the moment, no.”

“Interesting.”

Calix’s indifferent face sparked with interest for a moment. His sharp mouth pulled into a smile.

“If that’s your judgment, then we’ll see.”

It was rare for Ryzen to be this certain. Then again, the likelihood was one out of two.

The woman really didn’t have any special abilities, or she was such a good actor that Ryzen couldn’t catch her.

“She could be hiding her abilities.”

“Why would she bother to do so?”

“We’ll see, won’t we?”

“Wasn’t there an exception? Maybe it was Mariel Chartus.”

“Maybe.”

Offspring were rare in the Chartus family.

In one generation, only one girl was born; the others were boys. The only case of a second girl being born was when the eldest daughter had passed away.

Even then, no boys had been born for the past 300 years.

This was a family lineage where only one female was born to be the head of the family. This was the reason why there was currently no official support for the Chartus family.

As a result, many thought at one point that the Chartus bloodline would soon die out, but contrary to expectations, it had continued to live on until now.

“The second daughter of Chartus?”

Hence, the birth of Mariel Chartus caused a tremendous buzz in the Empire. Because it was an unprecedented event, all kinds of wild and groundless rumors circulated in the social circles.

The only thing that put the rumors to rest was a word from her mother, the Marquise Adele Chartus.

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