These days, the social circles were buzzing about the fire at the Tartien ducal family.

Saying that even Tartien, who was said to make birds fall from the sky, was helpless against flames, nobles secretly and openly badmouthed them.

The same was true at the hunting competition held regularly by the royal family every quarter.

Although it lacked its former prestige because their king didn’t attend, nobles who loved to gather and play attended without fail every time, wasting the national treasury.

“The greenhouse completely collapsed, right?”

A noblewoman, riding a horse as if she had come out for a stroll, whispered while leisurely wandering around the royal hunting ground.

Two women of similar attire and age were with her.

“The greenhouse was completely blown away, and one corner of the mansion was completely burned down, I heard? They say it will take a month just to repair and restore it.”

“My goodness, then where are they staying now?”

“I heard the Duke of Tartien is staying in the annex of the mansion, and Maria has gone to the Cissus Hotel.”

“Then what about the young duke of Tartien?”

“I heard he’s staying at the royal palace now. He might have come to today’s hunting competition, don’t you think?”

“No way, surely not? I heard he was badly injured in this fire.”

“Is that so? Ah! More than that, I heard Marquis Evoque was involved in that fire?”

“What? Marquis Evoque is a loyal subject of the Tartien ducal family, isn’t he?”

Everyone knew how obedient Evoque was to Tartien.

So how could such a person have anything to do with the fire at the Tartien mansion?

“Well, the fire started from the kitchen area, and they found Marquis Evoque collapsed there with a pile of matches and tobacco!”

“Gasp, what does that mean?”

“Well, he claims he doesn’t remember anything because he was drunk…… Who knows? Maybe he was playing with fire while drunk and caused that trouble.”

“Oh my, oh my my! Goodness, what’s happening! The ducal family must be absolutely furious!”

“Just look how they let the police take Marquis Evoque away. Should we consider Marquis Evoque finished now?”

My goodness, Evoque was the very person who would give Tartien his liver and gallbladder if asked, yet he fell into the abyss in an instant.

Life truly unfolds in unpredictable ways, they chattered on for quite some time.

In truth, they had little interest in hunting since they merely needed to have their servants catch a few rabbits and return.

They had gathered simply to show off their newly tailored hunting attire and gossip about the fire that happened the other day.

“……Oh my, look over there. It’s Maria.”

“Oh my, oh my my. Her house caught fire, yet she comes to a place like this, what could she be thinking?”

“Well, this place will soon become her home anyway…… There’s no reason she can’t come.”

“That may be true, but this isn’t really a situation to be enjoying oneself, is it? If it were me, I would exercise some restraint.”

“That’s right. But when has Maria ever thought before acting? She doesn’t think at all.”

The ladies burst into laughter simultaneously at the last remark.

Did she hear that?

She, who had been chasing a fox with her followers, sharply turned her head to look at them.

The startled women each averted their gaze.

Maria approached them, grinding her teeth.

“It’s been a while, Mirian. Is Count Lodos doing well?”

“Maria, you’re still beautiful. The Count is doing very well and in good health.”

“That’s good to hear. But the Count doesn’t come home much, does he? So Mirian, you must be very bored. Going around gossiping about others so inelegantly.”

“Oh, my? You’re saying I gossiped about you……”

“Who said anything about gossiping about me? You’re shouting preemptively because you feel guilty. Did you really talk about me? How vulgar.”

“……!”

Mirian’s face turned bright red at Maria’s words.

The other noblewomen who had been discussing Maria with her covered their mouths in surprise, looking completely at a loss.

Maria spoke with bulging eyes.

“You should be careful with that three-inch tongue that seems about to fly away. I will soon become the Queen of this country. Don’t you know you’re not someone who can gossip freely just because there was a small fire at the mansion? You’ll need to be arrested for insulting the royal family before you come to your senses!”

Maria’s sharp voice echoed across the hunting ground.

Humiliated so publicly, Mirian bit her lip and trembled violently before running away with tears in her eyes.

Maria made a dismissive “hmph” sound, finding her pathetic, then coldly turned her back and led her group to the fox hunting grounds.

The remaining group immediately spat out colorful curses as soon as Maria completely disappeared.

“……Seriously, she’s already acting like the Queen. Didn’t she once throw a fit saying she didn’t want to marry the King!”

“Did she inhale too much smoke? Why is she acting like that, seriously?”

“Aah, poor Mirian!”

“Anyway, with a family of such temperament, they can capture innocent people and use them as slaves. It’s been over a hundred years since slavery was abolished in this world!”

“Slaves? What do you mean?”

“Oh? You didn’t know?”

The daughter of Viscount Savoy, with freckles cutely spread across her nose bridge, looked around cautiously before whispering in an even quieter voice.

“I’m talking about Batus Prison, where people who commit the crime of insulting nobles go. They say it’s actually a slave factory for Tartien. If you commit a wrong against the Duke, whether you’re a noble or commoner, you’re dragged there right away.”

“My goodness! That’s impossible.”

“Then  shall I tell you something even more surprising?”

“W-what is it?”

“The La Foudre that the Duke is building now. They say most of the workforce comes from prisoners pulled from Batus Prison!”

“Oh my, oh my my……”

“They don’t treat injuries because they’re prisoners, don’t let them sleep properly. If that’s not slavery, what is? I heard someone even died there a few days ago.”

“That’s so inhumane. How terrible!”

“Across the sea, they have much deeper discussions about human rights…… I can’t even imagine how shocked they would be if they heard this story.”

“That’s right. Looking at what the Duke does, it feels like we’re regressing in time. It reminds me of the monarchies of the past…… It’s unsettling.”

The three women looked at each other anxiously.

This didn’t seem like an issue that would end with their simple gossip.

‘……Should we allow Tartien to devour even the royal palace like this?’

If Maria Tartien and His Majesty married, Tartien’s child would certainly become the king.

Perhaps the King might die before a child is born…… and if that happened, Schultz would volunteer to act as regent.

‘……What if he aims for the throne too?!’

Just thirty or forty years ago, Tartien was merely a count from a humble rural territory.

Without any achievements or connections to the royal family, he suddenly began to stand out in the capital and build his power, eventually earning the title of marquis.

After persevering for several more years and infiltrating social circles, he suddenly became a duke.

A duke!

There had never been anyone in Levania’s history who became a duke in this manner.

Someone who suddenly became a duke without noble origins or significant merits.

People said he had made good connections.

After the Buchanan family fire incident, he was always behind the power structure that changed drastically around Geril Stings.

The bond between late King Geril and Schultz was so strong that only Schultz could have private audiences with the King.

Thinking about it, Tartien’s penetrating power was frighteningly effective.

“Will Maria Tartien really marry His Majesty?”

The three women suddenly shuddered in fear.

Maria’s words as she left in a rage earlier now returned as terror.

‘I will soon become the Queen of this country. Don’t you know you’re not someone who can gossip freely just because there was a small fire at the mansion? You’ll need to be arrested for insulting the royal family before you come to your senses!’

Should they really allow Maria Tartien to become Queen?

They now began to sincerely worry about this.

* * *

“……This is truly an incredible story.”

Even after hearing Lumiere’s entire story, Elina couldn’t believe it and ran her dry hands over her face several times.

Lumiere understood Elina’s feelings.

If she hadn’t experienced it herself, she too would have doubted how people could do such things to other people.

Moreover, they were brothers, and numerous people were trapped inside.

Yet Geril and Schultz killed them all without hesitation.

With knives, fire, by every possible method, they killed people to cover up and fabricate that day.

Murderers!

Lumiere clenched her fist tightly, closing her reddened eyes.

A gentle finger wrapped around her white-knuckled fist.

It was Elina.

She patted Lumiere’s hand and whispered.

“It must have been difficult for such a young child.”