Clang.
The broken fragments of a ceramic teacup rolled on the floor.
The old man's hands were trembling. The finger adorned with a large emerald ring looked awkward, as if the ring might slip off on its own.
As the owner dropped the cup, the maid, who should have come immediately to check if there were any injuries and clean up, stood hesitantly. It wasn't because she was negligent in her work.
It was just that every time the old man, Tifian Viscount, panicked and pushed her away, she had learned to expect it.
It wasn't just the maid. After being imprisoned by the monsters of Maindland and barely escaping, the Viscount had left no one around him. He avoided even food that might have been touched by someone else's hands.
Fruit with peels intact, water straight from the source, freshly cut pork that was alive moments ago. Despite eating only such simple things, he always looked suspiciously at his food. Reacting obsessively to everything, his body, already weakened from spending the winter in Maindland, continued to deteriorate.
In the past, there might have been people who pitied him. After all, he had been a long-standing ruler of the land, and many had risen to positions of authority under his trust. It was normal for those who had benefited from his favor to wish for the Viscount to live longer and healthier.
However, that did not happen.
The cause lay with the Viscount himself. Always suspicious, he would chase away and execute those he had previously trusted, and imprison them without hesitation. He seemed to be unable to escape the thought that someone would betray him, like a person convinced that someone would betray him and unable to shake that belief.
And his observations were indeed correct.
"Unfortunately. You will be betrayed by everyone you trusted, strive but gain nothing, cry but receive no comfort."
Those words echoed in the Viscount's mind, unseen by anyone. Like the sunrise every day, without fail, Neiris Trude's violet eyes appeared when he woke up, and her calm voice came to mind when he fell asleep.
And as the same words repeated in his mind, the Viscount lost his sanity.
Knock. Someone knocked on the door of the Viscount's room. The Viscount was startled. Nervously, he grasped the dagger he always kept on his table and asked anxiously.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Father."
It was the voice of the Viscount Tifian. The Viscount revealed himself. There was no invitation to enter, but the door opened.
Viscount Tifian glanced at the maid with a disapproving look as he saw the fragments of the teacup on the floor.
"Clean it up. Why are you being so lazy? Do you want to die?"
"Don't come any closer!"
As the maid quickly moved, the Viscount's scream erupted. Since this was not the first time, Viscount Tifian tried to explain calmly.
"Father, if the teacup is not cleared, you might get hurt. Nowadays, even priests are not allowed to come close. What if something serious happens?"
"Yes, you wish for something serious to happen to me."
The Viscount, suddenly extremely agitated, sneered as he stumbled over his words. Viscount Tifian sighed.
"How many times have I told you, Father? I didn't know you were in such trouble. I didn't want my nephew to cause trouble if I asked for you to be returned, so that's why. I was prepared to bring you back secretly."
"Lies! You ungrateful wretch! Have I raised you like that?!"
Viscount Tifian was disappointed. If the heartless Maindland Grand Duke, known for lacking compassion, knew that he had been annoyed by the Viscount, he would have expected the Viscount to capture the troublesome Viscount. While he couldn't execute him for deceiving a fellow noble about the origin of a learned apprentice, how long could the Viscount endure the cold northern life?
With such calculations in mind, he had recently pretended not to know about the letters his father kept sending. He had gathered some useful information in his own way. Perhaps there was a secret passage to Aylora that could be monitored by the Grand Duke, and maybe he could exploit his weakness, and so on...
He was not the kind of person to directly kill someone just because his father disliked them. However, he had become so resentful that he was subtly waiting for his father's death.
However, who could have known that the stubborn old man would escape with his skinny body like a weasel?
'Preparing for a rescue' was, of course, a lie. He was very annoyed.
'Old folks like these tend to live particularly long lives.'
While thinking this, Viscount Tifian spoke gently outwardly.
"Of course, Father did not raise me to be ungrateful. You know how loyal I am to you, so why can't you believe me? Now, didn't you ask me to complete the task you assigned me and report back?"
The Viscount slightly relaxed the grip on the handle of the dagger in his hand.
Viscount Tifian closed the door behind him as innocently as possible and then went to the table to report to his father.
"First, I found the whereabouts of the actress you mentioned. She ended up in the hands of a woman who had lost her husband and went to her family home. She seems to have a strong personality, as she has been venting her anger from morning till night. It seems difficult to retrieve her as she treats herself like a slave, punishing herself wherever she can see."
"Is that so?"
The Viscount was unusually pleased with this news. He believed that the reason he had ended up in this situation was due to the fake Catherine, or rather, Roem.
If he hadn't suddenly changed his attitude and ranted nonsense in front of Cladwyn, why would he have spent the last two seasons in a cold room?
He had thought that if Roem was running away and living well, he wouldn't let it go, but now that it turned out that way, he felt relieved.
"There's no need to retrieve her. It seems Ellen was involved. It will probably be difficult for her to escape for the rest of her life."
"Yes, Father. And the preparations for the journey you mentioned have been completed."
"I-I-Is that so?"
The voice that was gradually calming down trembled due to intense excitement. Viscount Tifian asked with great concern.
"But are you okay? You barely escaped, and now back to that troublesome fellow's land..."
"I-I-I have to go. I must go. I must...!"
"You must scold your father and seek revenge on the Grand Duke to survive. Isn't that right?"
Neris Trude's words were correct. Yes... he had to seek revenge on Cladwyn. The crime of locking up this father in a filthy room, the crime of daring to survive the son of a filthy bastard... he had to kill him. He had to eliminate the threat altogether!
"If not, he will turn the blade on us."
The twitching appearance of the Viscount was extremely eerie. He couldn't sleep properly at night, with dark circles under his eyes and a pallid complexion.
"I don't understand the order to prepare for a trip back to Maindland," Viscount Tifian couldn't comprehend. However, the more his father behaved irrationally, the better he thought it was for himself, so he had no complaints. No, he was even pleased.
"If he takes that annoying fellow with him, it's even better."
This morning, a courier from the royal palace arrived at Viscount Tifian's command. The message clearly indicated that the royal cousin, Adrian, who was undoubtedly evading taxes, would come personally to express gratitude.
"Ridiculous. What gratitude from that man. He'll probably demand a bribe."
Adrian, the current emperor's distant cousin, was a notorious troublemaker in the royal family.
He caused disturbances in the palace and had a hobby of squandering royal possessions on gambling. Naturally, he had a bad reputation among the common people.
However, among the known nobles, no one dared to ignore Adrian. Despite his wild behavior that seemed fearless to the world, it was secretly known that he was under the thumb of the fearsome Princess Camille.
'What's wrong with the imperial family, anyway?'
It wasn't just the unfair taxation. Since this spring, the Tiphian Marquisate had been receiving sudden sanctions from the imperial family.
The merchants from the Marquisate, including those from the imperial direct control territories, had to pay sudden and heavy taxes. The Marquisate's relatives were also being scrutinized for any minor mistakes, and were being punished for them.
It was clear that the Marquisate itself was being targeted by the imperial family.
The reason the Marquisate had maintained its position until now was due to its importance as a bridge between the Grand Duchy and the rest of the empire, and its value as a border region.
However, despite being under surveillance for some time, they had not been able to uncover anything about the Grand Duke's secret communication channels. And now, the imperial family was suddenly angry, which made Tiphian anxious.
Moreover, Adrian, who could destroy the surroundings with a single step, was being sent over.
Once he arrived, Adrian would demand an enormous bribe under some pretext. To prove their loyalty, the Marquisate would have to pay an impossible amount of money, which would be equivalent to treason.
Tiphian, who had no intention of offending the imperial family, was already preparing the bribe with all his might.
The Marquis, who was busy suspecting everyone in the peaceful Marquisate, didn't know, but the people of the Marquisate were already in an uproar. The original administrators, who had never been generous, were suddenly being executed, creating an administrative vacuum, and the new administrators were no better than the previous ones. In fact, they were even more ruthless in collecting taxes and seizing the Marquisate's assets.
"This time, if we just endure a bit, it'll be fine. Those foolish, ignorant people.'
Tiphian, who was more incompetent and timid than his father, believed himself to be cautious. So, if he were a more intelligent lord, he would have dealt with the people's discontent more quickly.
And if there was an opportunity to get rid of the annoying Adrian, he would seize it.
The Marquis's son didn't even flinch at his father's cold gaze, and the Marquis chuckled to himself. His hand absent-mindedly touched the emerald ring.
"Ah, are you preparing a big procession? I hope you're not going to bother me again, saying that I'm not doing anything!"
Everyone was talking about the young and pitiful Grand Duke who had suddenly died, just like his mother, and how nothing was found during the autopsy.
The Marquis needed an excuse to return to Maindlandt, and his anxious mind could only come up with a ridiculous reason that no one else would believe.
"I'll apologize, I'll apologize! Yes! He imprisoned me for no reason, after all!"
Even if the Marquis brought his army, it would be difficult to get an apology from Cledwin Maindlandt. Tiphian knew the truth just from the rumors he had heard about his nephew.
However, he smiled innocently. He didn't know anything, after all.
"...Yes, Father. I've taken care of everything as you said. But wouldn't it be better to wait a bit longer? Would he dare to act so recklessly in front of the imperial mediator?"
It would be great if the annoying guy would take his leave at a good timing.
"What, the imperial family?"
The Marquis looked puzzled.
***
Nellis put down the letter of protest sent from the Tiphian Marquisate and smiled faintly. It was a formal complaint about the previous imprisonment.
"Is that good news, Miss?"
Dora, who was putting down a teacup on the desk, asked. Nellis nodded.
"Yes. The Tiphian Marquis is coming again."
'That guy? He's shameless. Is he coming to bother our lord and lady again?'
Dora knew the circumstances of this incident well, and that's why she was even more outraged. How could that guy, who was spared his life, come back and do something again? Who would welcome him?
Dora was aware of the situation because she had accompanied the Marquis to Draycium. She knew that Nellis had planned something by releasing the Marquis. However, the Marquis's shameless attitude was contemptible.
On the other hand, Nellis laughed faintly, unlike the loyal maid.
"No, it's perfect."
The information that the Tiphian Marquisate was in a bad mood had already been gathered by the Night faction. Nellis, who knew Camil's methods, could infer what would happen when she heard that the Marquis was collecting excessive taxes after the imperial sanctions.
That was exactly what she had intended. Around this time, Adrian would have arrived at the Marquisate.
The sky outside the window was clear. Nellis gazed at it and muttered meaningfully.
"...Things that have outlived their usefulness should be discarded at the right time."