Chapter 6 – Change (Part 1)

On the second day of the transformation process at the Grendel household, the Duke’s residence was bustling from the morning. Elysia wanted to have a leisurely late breakfast in her room since Cassius had left early, but Millie’s excitement woke her up early.

Seeing Millie diligently preparing her attire, insisting that she couldn’t be lazy while the Madam was taking care of the Ducal household, Elysia couldn’t even get annoyed.

After a simple breakfast, Elysia spent the entire morning inspecting the reception room, dining room, and corridors, identifying items that needed replacement and informing Butler Pedro and Maid Grace.

“You’ve now checked all the spaces on the first floor. Where would you like to start upstairs?”

The main building’s upper floors, the west wing, and the east wing were still left. She hesitated to enter the Duke’s office while the owner was absent, so she decided to leave it for later.

“Let’s just check the corridor leading to the Duke’s bedroom in the main building, then have lunch.”

Elysia climbed the main building’s stairs. The butler, maid, and Millie followed her.

‘My legs are shaky from standing so long. Will there be time for a nap? I don’t think I’ll be able to take a walk today.’

The corridor leading to the Duke’s bedroom had no windows, only doors leading to rooms on both sides. Tapestries, paintings, and sculptures filled the spaces between.

Elysia approached a particularly dark curtain near the Duke’s bedroom in the corridor, which she had also noticed when she first toured the Ducal residence with Pedro.

“This needs replacement too. Is it difficult to remove if there’s alchemy involved?”

Before the butler could stop her, Elysia reached out to touch the curtain.

Crackle!

“Kyaa!”

“Madam!”

A powerful blue flame, like a lightning strike, surged through her arm up to her fingertips, making her feel an electric shock. Elysia screamed and pulled her hand back. Once she let go, the pain stopped, but the shock left her fingertips trembling.

Millie quickly approached and massaged Elysia’s arm, while the maid supported the staggering Elysia. The butler looked extremely apologetic.

“I should have explained how it works. I’m sorry. It’s an object that no one can touch. It was installed by the late Duke to protect the Duke, and even though the Duke ordered its removal after succession, no one succeeded, so it’s just left as is.”

“Is there no way to remove it using tools without touching it directly?”

The butler shook his head at Elysia’s question.

“We tried burning it, using tongs, and cutting it with scissors, but it couldn’t be harmed at all. Even Marquis van Gottree, a close friend of the Duke, visited personally, but he couldn’t touch it and gave up. He said that to find a solution, we need at least a fragment to analyze. It seems to be an object made in a place comparable to the highest-level academy laboratories.”

“I see. It seems we have no choice for now, so let’s move on to other areas.”

“Madam, are you alright? It would be best to take a short rest.”

As Elysia tried to take a step and say she was fine in response to Maid Grace’s concern, her legs wobbled. Only with the maid’s support could Elysia stand properly again.

“Then, let’s take a short break and resume in the afternoon.”

As soon as she said that, Millie also helped support her. With both of them assisting, Elysia headed to her room.

***

Aaron, who had gone to work at the Administrative Palace, hoped for a peaceful day as he headed to the dining hall for lunch. He only had lunch with the Duke when there was an urgent matter to discuss; otherwise, he dined with colleagues of similar rank from other departments.

Today, with nothing special happening, Aaron went to the dining hall and, after receiving his meal, looked for his colleagues. As soon as he sat next to a coworker who waved to him, everyone eagerly awaited what Aaron had to say.

“Yesterday, the Princess visited Duke Grendel, right?”

“Why ask when you already know?”

Saying that, Aaron took a big spoonful of the meat stew from his bowl. But as he chewed, he paused.

“The taste is a bit different today.”

“I heard several kitchen staff, including the head chef, were down with acute stomach pain. They had to call in backup from elsewhere.”

“Really? Why suddenly… Ah!”

Aaron recalled the chef trembling as they prepared the King’s meal for the general staff the previous day and understood why they suddenly fell ill.

Since the taste wasn’t bad, just different, Aaron continued eating while chatting about various topics. Then he noticed a few unfamiliar faces at the far end of the table, some dressed as guards, with their family crests hidden.

“Who are those people? They don’t seem to be new staff.”

“Oh, they’re the servants and guards of Marquis Orga. Apparently, the Marquis visited the Administrative Palace today.”

“Marquis Orga? He’s not even a minister, so why is he here? Did Earl Kumaran call him?”

“That’s what I thought, but their meeting with Earl Kumaran ended in less than 30 minutes, yet it seems he’s still in the palace.”

Curious about what Marquis Orga was up to, Aaron hurried through his meal. He needed to report this to the Duke quickly.

***

After finishing his meal, Aaron swiftly returned to the Duke’s office. Cassius was sitting at his desk, looking at something, just as he had been when Aaron left for the dining hall.

‘Did the Duke have lunch?’

As Aaron approached the desk and glanced at the nearby trash bin, he saw crumpled paper that looked like it had wrapped food.

‘It seems he ordered something from a food cart through a servant.’

Relieved that his superior had at least eaten something, Aaron began his report.

“Marquis Orga visited the Administrative Palace today. He brought five servants and guards with him. His meeting with Earl Kumaran was brief, but it seems he hasn’t left yet. Could he be wandering around the palace meeting various people? It’s concerning that someone not even a palace official is roaming around with guards.”

“We can’t say anything about his visit itself. Although he’s the King’s advisor, he has no official position, so technically, he’s not allowed to visit freely. But Earl Kumaran must have created some pretext like an advisory meeting.”

“Should we investigate his intentions further?”

Cassius shook his head.

“I’m already aware of his intentions. He came to see me during lunch.”

“What?!”

Aaron knew well that the relationship between Marquis Orga and Duke Grendel wasn’t good. They had no interaction outside of court meetings, and Marquis Orga wasn’t someone who would personally visit.

“He seemed to expect I’d be away for lunch, so he came when only the servants would be here. Mentioning his title and being the King’s advisor, the servant guarding the door had no choice but to let him in. He was quite surprised to see me.”

Aaron clenched his fist. While a bureaucrat might have tried to stop the Marquis, it wasn’t easy for a servant of lower status to oppose someone of the Marquis’s rank.

“What was he trying to see here? Couldn’t he get enough information about the meetings and the palace’s workings through Earl Kumaran?”

“Although he advises on finance during meetings, he only hears part of it. Earl Kumaran doesn’t know everything. Especially for matters discussed in private between His Majesty and me, he would have needed documents.”

“It seems he’s quite anxious about not becoming the Minister of Finance.”

“Whether that’s all or if there’s more, we’ll need to attend the private gathering hosted by the Earl to find out more.”

As soon as the Duke finished speaking, there was a knock on the office door. When Cassius told them to enter, the door opened, and the King’s attendant entered, carrying a letter with Clois’s seal.

“His Majesty has sent a letter. He requests an immediate reply.”

After reading the letter’s contents, Cassius told the attendant, 

“Convey to His Majesty that I will carry out his orders.”

The attendant bowed to the Duke and left the room.

“Aaron, make sure you leave the palace at the usual time once your work is done. Inform the estate that I’ll be returning late tonight. His Majesty has given me special instructions that I need to handle before I leave.”

“Yes, I will inform the Ducal residence immediately.”

Aaron left the office to follow the Duke’s orders. The reason the Duke was staying late at the palace after sending Aaron away was usually to have secret meetings with King Clois. It seemed to be related to the uneasy movements of Marquis Orga, Earl Kumaran, and the aristocratic supremacists.

Thinking this, Aaron looked for a servant to send news to the Grendel estate.