A sudden breeze blew, rustling the bare branches of the garden trees. Even though she was warmly dressed, she still felt a little cold, so Elliope loosened her outer garments.

“At that time, Baron Ilmos gathered people behind the scenes and rebelled against the Duchy of Elsen.”

“Was there no specific reason for the rebellion?”

Rebellions usually don’t happen without a reason. She thought to herself and asked, but the ambassador shook his head.

“The exact reason is unknown. Ilmos has practically erased the records of that time.”

“……”

“Hmm… in a way, Elsen failed politically. Their oppressive actions caused suffering to the people in their domain. There must have been reasons that seemed justified, but…”

Elliope stared blankly at the dark night sky, feeling as if her fingertips had grown a little colder.

“If you look at the records left in Seor, there’s no specific mention of Duke Elsen.”

“Can we trust Seor’s records from the Duke’s territory?”

“Actually, Seor’s records are probably more trustworthy. The people of Seor, who lived close to the Duke’s territory, had a surprisingly active exchange with the Duke”.

“……”

Besides, they had no reason to favour anyone and leave records. They were more like neutral witnesses. It wasn’t false testimony. Before becoming ambassador, the Seor ambassador had studied and researched the Duke’s territory, and he spoke about it without any hesitation.

“Anyway, it seems that Duke Elsen was a rather moderate ruler back then.”

“Then…”

Following Elliope’s words, the ambassador murmured softly.

“In the end, it was probably a rebellion driven by ambition. After all, the reason people go mad is usually greed.”

The cigar he was smoking had shortened slightly.

“Having been a loyal family for so long, perhaps this time they wanted to be the ones in power.”

“……”

“I’ve heard that for a rebellion without a clear cause, the purges were quite brutal.”

Whoosh.

The wind was blowing again from somewhere. The flame of the cigar glowed bright red.

“It was not only Duke Elsen and his two young sons who lost their heads on the guillotine…”

After a short pause, the ambassador added, “Even his wife, who was pregnant with their third child, was later found floating in the lake as a faceless corpse.”

“Even a pregnant woman?”

It was a brutal story to hear.

“They say it was a bloodbath like no other. The lake at Elsen is said to have been red for months. There are even reports that crops couldn’t be grown nearby because of it.”

Elliope furrowed her brow.

“If they were direct descendants, they were all treated that way without exception.”

“…….”

“Most of the families that followed Elsen lost their lives at that time. The Baron of Ilmos married Elsen’s last remaining relative, the newborn son, made him sign a family transfer agreement… and then killed him the next day to take over the Duke’s family.”

It was a chilling story. The ambassador went on as if it were nothing.

“And so they rose to the top of the Duke’s territory. As the oldest loyalists of the Elsen family and the ones who led the purges.”

Having said that, the Ambassador subtly lifted the corner of his mouth.

“That’s why they’re called usurper. After all, they became dukes through bloodshed.”

“I see.”

“Still, it’s been a long time since the days of their grandfather, and many people have forgotten. The previous duke couple worked hard to change their image.”

“……”

“Perhaps because their grandfather witnessed so much bloodshed… the generations that followed implemented compassionate policies to calm things down. The previous Duke and Duchess were well known for such efforts.”

“That makes sense.”

“Well, by the time it reaches the grandson’s generation…”

The Seor ambassador glanced briefly at the noisy interior. There was a clear grin in his eyes.

“Should I say that he’s the one who ruined his parents’ efforts?”

“……”

“Even the environment isn’t bad. There are capable retainers left over from the previous generation, and militarily…”

The ambassador closed his mouth unconsciously, as if he realised he had said too much.

Elliope could sense what the Ambassador was not going to say.

This person is always cautious and aware of Kallian.

Sometimes the ambassador seemed even more focused on Kallian than on Theodor. It seemed that even to foreign ambassadors, Kallian, who was like the Duke’s right-hand man, was much more threatening than the Duke himself, who tended to cause chaos.

As he crushed the cigar on the floor, the Ambassador sighed and said, “…strangely, I end up saying too much in front of the Viscountess.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s probably because the lady is quite good at listening. There are so many people around who prefer to solve things by force instead of listening.”

“……”

“Despite all that, I often hear that I’m considered cautious and reserved wherever I go.”

The Ambassador, who had mixed his words with a half-joking remark, rubbed his chin. Elliope unconsciously brought up a story she knew about Theodor.

“He said he was raised with nothing but love since childhood.”

“Hmm?”

“Apparently his parents were very kind, and since he was weak as a child… he said he was never really punished.”

“Suddenly I understand why he turned out the way he did.”

“I’ve always wondered who he takes after in temperament.”

In her past life, Elliope had always been curious when Theodor showed his violent temper and caused trouble. She had heard that both the previous Duke and Duchess had been known for their gentle and generous natures.

Indeed, the policies they had implemented in the Duke’s territory had always put the welfare of the people first. They reduced taxes, cared for the poor and distributed land.

Because of the harsh climate, when the off-season lasted longer than the planting season, they recruited idle labourers to serve as border guards and increased the number of knights, a force that was usually quite small.

In this way, a minimal military base was established in Ilmos, and Kallian, as leader, greatly expanded this base and encouraged the knights.

As a result, the Ilmos army now performs as well as can be expected under the circumstances.

Although there have been rare incidents, such as the occupation of the Nahir Plains, these occurred shortly before the death of the previous Duke and Duchess, and before Theodor took over the Duchy.

In the end, the achievements of the previous Duke and Duchess were clear. That is why the people of their domain loved them so much.

But such gentleness was a rare quality in Theodor. When he wasn’t in a bad mood, he would just smile cynically or make sarcastic remarks, but his actions towards the end of his life were tyrannical and ruthless.

‘If he is like his grandfather…’

If Theodor had the blood of a man who, blinded by power, would mercilessly kill even a pregnant woman, it would make perfect sense.

This was especially clear when you consider how often the older retainers gave Theodor suspicious looks.

The older retainers often looked at Theodor suspiciously, which made sense.

‘Dylan was the same.’

Come to think of it, Dylan, Kallian’s butler, also seemed very uncomfortable around Theodor.

“Do you intend to bring down Theodor of Ilmos?”

“Please, say it like that.”

“I want to defeat the damned man.”

There was a note of desperation in Dylan’s voice as he said this, so unusual it was almost disconcerting.

‘Maybe. Dylan, an older man himself, might have known about Theodor’s grandfather’s actions.’

‘If he held such a grudge…’

He may have known the Duke Elsen before the Purge and felt sympathy for his usurpation.

‘But the ambassador said that everyone around Duke Elsen had been killed.’

This made her strangely curious. She wondered if she should ask Dylan about it when she saw him again.

Then she heard a familiar, nagging voice.

“Isn’t it improper for a married woman to be alone with another man?”

Elliope slowly turned her head to look at the person.

“Taleon, the steward.”

A slightly shorter man stood not far away, looking directly at the ambassador and Elliope.

“Especially considering that the other party is a foreigner, and not just any foreigner, but the ambassador of Seor.”

“……”

“Don’t you think this is a rather unhealthy situation?”

Indeed, it was an unreasonable complaint. Both the ambassador and Elliope were fully aware of this, which was why they were deliberately talking in the middle of the open, unobstructed path in the garden.

Taleon, the chamberlain, glanced at the dirty path where the cigar had been discarded and raised his eyebrows.

“Ambassador, perhaps you should go inside.”

“Are you referring to me?”

“Your followers are looking for you. It seems they wish to speak with you.”

“Hmm.”

The Seor ambassador made no secret of his contempt, scanning the chamberlain from head to toe. A vein popped in the chamberlain’s forehead.

“Do you intend to worsen the recently improved relations between our two countries?”

“If you want to put it that way…”

The Seor ambassador said as he positioned himself to accompany Elliope, but Taleon shook his head.

“I have something to tell the Viscountess.”

“Well, it seems the Viscountess is quite popular today.”

The ambassador said sarcastically, but the chamberlain didn’t flinch.

The Seor ambassador made a gesture as if to ask if it was all right. Elliope nodded and loosened her robes.

“I should at least hear what he has to say.”

The ambassador looked at Elliope for a moment with a stern expression before turning away and heading inside. Elliope turned her gaze calmly to Taleon, the chamberlain.

“What is it?”

She wondered what nonsense he was going to say this time. The Steward and his wife, the Head Maid, had always been a source of annoyance to her, even during her time as Duchess, often nitpicking and finding fault with everything.

This time, if the steward started to nitpick and corner her again, Elliope thought she would tell him to look after Princess Leanne instead.

She’d snap at him, ask him if he intended to mistreat the long-awaited princess, and question whether he deserved to be Chamberlain at all. Then she would simply return to Kallian’s side.

However, the chamberlain surprised her with his first words.

“I have never felt ashamed serving a usurper.”