Chapter 7 – Wedding Ceremony (Part 1)

Tartenon, who couldn’t take his eyes off Reubellina’s back as she left the office, gestured to Paddington, who was waiting nearby.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“How about my aunt?”

“She sent a reply that she cannot attend the wedding.”

“What reason did she give?”

“……She said that since Reubellina did not come to greet her, the elder of the Grand Duke’s house, before the wedding, she cannot recognized Reubellina  as the Grand Duchess.”

“Ridiculous.”

‘Who is she for anyone to recognize?’

Tartenon coldly laughed at Viverna’s attitude, still under the delusion that she was his superior.

After his father’s death, Viverna had fled as if being chased, and now Paddington reported that she intended to summon Reubellina, claiming to be an elder. It was Tartenon who prevented that message from reaching Reubellina.

“Your Grace, there are rumors that Lady Viverna has gathered the northern nobles.”

“That’s probably why the northern nobles haven’t arrived yet.”

The names of those who always hovered around looking for something to take during grand events were missing from the visitor list. While Tartenon didn’t care, it was a concern for Paddington, who had to entertain the guests. 

A low turnout at the wedding would imply that the authority of the Speraum Grand Duke’s house was not significant.

It was a wedding held at the Speraum house, known as the conqueror of the north. If the northern nobles were absent from this grand celebration welcoming the Grand Duchess, what would the nobles from other regions say?

“Summon Bruelin and the twins.”

“Lord Hemil and Lord Heather too?”

“Yes.”

Paddington went out to carry out Tartenon’s orders. Only then could Tartenon sit down.

He hadn’t been able to sleep properly for days, worrying about Viverna’s movements. Though he spoke lightly to Reubellina, Viverna had long been Tartenon’s adversary. There were even reports that she had been frequently meeting with people in the capital lately, suggesting she might have allied with the imperial family.

‘Discovering the Red Diamond was a stroke of luck.’

Without Reubellina, no one in the north would have recognized it.

To Tartenon, the gem was just a pretty stone. To survive in the north, a sharp sword was more necessary than a beautiful gem.

“Did you call for us, Your Grace?”

Three loyal knights, wearing new shirts and with bright faces, stood before him.

“Let’s go to the prison in the inner castle.”

“Understood.”

Before handing over Count Phineus and his wife to the royals attending his wedding, there was something he needed to uncover: the relationship between Viverna and Count Phineus.

Although they had interrogated the Countess, they hadn’t achieved any notable results. Despite Tartenon’s knights thoroughly searching Count Phineus’s residence, they couldn’t find any documents related to Viverna either.

‘It’s too clean, which makes it suspicious.’

Count Phineus had always wanted to align himself with Viverna. It was more suspicious that such a person hadn’t even sent a letter to inquire about Viverna’s well-being.

‘As if someone had cleaned it up beforehand.’

Countess Phineus truly knew nothing. Even after additional interrogation of Count Phineus, his tightly shut mouth wouldn’t open.

Their daughter was the same. Just like the Countess, she knew nothing. Tartenon, tired of her whining about how they could do this to her, stopped attending Emmern’s interrogations.

“They won’t speak because we’re treating them like nobles.”

When Tartenon arrived at the inner castle’s prison, the knight guarding Count Phineus and his wife complained. Unlike the outer castle’s prison, the inner castle’s prison held nobles who had committed minor offenses. The prison rooms were cozy and well-lit, too comfortable to be called a prison. 

The knight in charge, aware of this, spoke up.

Tartenon’s indifferent gaze fell on the knight, but his surly attitude didn’t change. Heather, unable to bear it, kicked him in the shin.

“Ouch!”

“You’re being rude to His Grace. Do you think you have multiple lives?”

At Heather’s cold words, the managing knight finally came to his senses and knelt before Tartenon.

“I-I’m sorry!”

“Don’t forget that the Count couple are criminals to be transported to the capital.”

“I will remember that.”

If something happened to them before they were interrogated in the capital, it would all be Tartenon’s fault. He had no intention of touching the Phineus couple until the royalty took them away.

‘They won’t leave the north without revealing anything.’

It was enough to pass the responsibility to the visiting royalty from the capital. After that, whatever happened was not Tartenon’s responsibility.

“Open it.”

The door to the cozy prison opened. It was where Countess Phineus was staying.

“Your Grace, the Grand Duke! I am innocent. I truly thought the ring was a ruby.”

“It seemed like you knew it was a Red Diamond.”

“No, I didn’t!”

Countess Phineus desperately denied it. She realized that not doing so would mean her death. The arrogance and haughtiness were gone.

Tartenon let Countess Phineus’s pleas fall on deaf ears.

“Then who has visited your residence recently?”

“Pardon?”

“The visitor records of your residence have disappeared.”

“T-That is managed by the butler.”

“That butler has also disappeared.”

In fact, the butler had been found murdered, but Tartenon hid this fact. Knowing the truth would only scare her more, and he might never see Countess Phineus open her mouth.

“You should think about your daughter, Countess.”

“M-My daughter?”

“Isn’t it obvious? A family possessing a Red Diamond without the imperial family’s permission faces extermination.”

“I am innocent, Your Grace!”

“But if you give me information, I might mention in my report to the royal family that there are extenuating circumstances.”

At Tartenon’s coaxing words, a glimmer of hope passed through Countess Phineus’s eyes. It was a futile hope that she might not be taken to the capital.

“T-Then my daughter Emmern and I will be safe?”

“All you have to do is divorce Count Phineus.”

Tartenon subtly suggested a solution. It really seemed like Countess Phineus and Emmern knew nothing.

“Oh… I never imagined Your Grace would be so merciful.”

Tartenon said nothing more to Countess Phineus, who was shedding tears of gratitude. It was now her turn to speak.

“I received this ring from my husband, and he told me never to take it off.”

“The Count?”

“Yes. He said it was very precious. I had never seen such a ruby before, so I thought it was valuable and never took it off my finger.”

At Countess Phineus’s calm response, Tartenon slightly raised an eyebrow. Heather, Hemil, and Bruelin did the same.

“You’re lying.”

Tartenon’s cold words fell in the prison.

Heather and Hemil nodded. Having become experts at interrogating criminals and traitors, they found Countess Phineus’s attempt to deceive them outrageous. Heather’s face remained stern, and so did Hemil’s.

“No, Your Highness! I…”

“Silence her.”

Tartenon’s stern voice echoed in the prison. The knight, who had been watching, approached and gagged Countess Phineus with a cloth.

“Until the people from the capital come to take them, give them only one meal a day.”

“Do we have to feed them at all?”

Hemil asked, genuinely curious.

“Give them the same food that the commoners eat.”

“What about Count Phineus?”

Tartenon laughed coldly at the mention of a more troublesome matter.

“Treat him the same way.”

“Understood!”

The managing knight, who laughed as if a sore tooth had been pulled, went out to deliver the news.

“It seems he has been quite tormented.”

“Count Phineus wouldn’t have stayed quiet.”

Just by going to Tartenon’s study, one could see the stack of noble petitions demanding the release of Count Phineus. They were all families closely related to Count Phineus. And they still hadn’t arrived at the Grand Duke’s residence.

“What do you plan to do?”

Bruelin approached and asked Tartenon. Confirming that Countess Phineus was looking at him with fearful eyes, he stepped outside and ordered the prison door to be locked. Tartenon didn’t speak until they left the inner castle’s prison, and Bruelin didn’t press him.