Chapter 245

The Hayman Grand Mansion, considered the small imperial palace of the center.

It subtly implied that the Duke’s power was comparable to that of the imperial family, but at the same time, it was also praise for the large and splendid exterior of the mansion that truly resembled the imperial palace.

The lawn spanning thousands of acres, the garden beautifully maintained throughout the four seasons, the mansion walls that remained white even in rain and snow, and so on.

The old gardener, as always, looked towards the main entrance and offered his thanks.

But.

“Hm?”

A procession of carriages entering through the distant main gate.

The master hadn’t returned yesterday, so is he coming home now? And behind? Are those the master’s friends? Somehow, the mansion’s atmosphere seemed more subdued than usual.

Clop clop!

Neigh!

The old man frowned, taking off his hat. Strange. Why do the carriages keep coming without end? Behind them followed riders on horseback, and behind them, armed soldiers marched in step.

The old man dropped his hat with a thud and hurriedly loaded his gardening tools onto a cart.

“Oh, hey! Hey!”

“Where are you going?”

His gestures caught the attention of servants resting in the distant garden, and their commotion summoned the butler.

As the butler hurriedly descended the central staircase, the carriages had already stopped, waiting for a response from inside.

“What’s the matter? Where have you come from? Duke Hayman is currently away.”

The butler asked this, ignoring the fluttering imperial banners. The main gate was several minutes away from here. Yet there had been no notification. This meant they had either pushed in without waiting or the guards had been subdued.

Servants anxiously pressed against the windows. Even at a glance, their numbers were not small, giving the feeling of a war breaking out.

“I am Jeirutt, Captain of the Imperial Guard.”

“Ah, yes. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Is the Duchess inside?”

“…Please tell us your business first.”

The butler pretended to support his waist with his left hand while giving a hand signal. Understanding this, the servants quickly ran up the stairs to inform the Duchess Hayman and her children of the trouble.

But there was one thing they overlooked: these messengers from the imperial palace prioritized notifying of title revocation over seizing and searching for anything.

Rustle.

Jeirutt took out an order from his breast pocket.

“This is an order from the imperial family. All those bearing the Hayman name, come out and follow the august will of the imperial family.”

The butler’s face instantly turned pale. When he caught a glimpse, he thought he saw the words ‘title revocation’ in it.

Jeirutt checked his watch with a click. With mountains of tasks piled up, there wasn’t much time.

“This is a Level 1 urgency. If there’s no one to comply, the effect will begin upon declaration.”

“What is this about?”

At that moment, Duchess Hayman and Lady Melania, who had remained in the mansion, came out clutching their dress hems. The eldest son, brother to Melania, was currently in the study checking if any problematic documents remained.

“Duchess Hayman and the Lady, I presume. I will now deliver the .”

“What? What did you say?”

It was a combination of words never heard before in their lives. Title revocation? Temporary? Order? But instead of explaining, Jeirutt read out the full text.

“From this moment on, the ducal title, authority, and privileges bestowed upon the Hayman family are temporarily revoked. This is an order approved by the Prime Minister as the Emperor’s proxy, the imperial representative, and the administration.”

Is this what it feels like to be struck by lightning? The feeling of being so sudden and bewildering that one’s words are choked off.

Jeirutt gestured that it wasn’t over yet and turned to the next page.

“The following will be implemented immediately.”

First, asset freezing.

For a smooth investigation of funds, not a single coin transaction is allowed from this moment. This comes with the disappearance of the nobles’ right to ‘not have their economic activities interfered with’.

“…This includes not being able to pay even a single coin in wages to employees.”

At Jeirutt’s declaration, the servants exchanged troubled glances. No wages? Then is there any reason to stay here?

“Second. Forced reduction of private armies. Dismiss all those employed for the purpose of mobilizing troops, whether they be knights, private soldiers, or even low-ranking guards.”

Non-nobles could employ private soldiers up to three times the number of their direct family members. This was a policy to preemptively cut off the possibility of rebellion. Hence, those who wanted to build power tried their best to receive at least the lowest title of baron.

Jeirutt added, estimating the numbers:

“Hayman’s direct family totals five. You may keep fifteen and dismiss the rest.”

“What is this! Where is my husband now? How dare you bring such an absurd order here, of all places!”

“Madam. Do not act rashly. This is insulting to the imperial family.”

“No. Wait. Just a moment!”

As the executors tried to enter the mansion, the Duchess screamed shrilly and blocked their way. The servants and guards waiting behind joined in, clustering together.

“Step aside. You’re obstructing official duties.”

“Wait! I am a royal of Ruswena before I am a Duchess! No one, no one can enter the mansion before meeting my husband! Where is he now? Is he detained in the imperial palace?”

“Not detained, but in custody. And…”

“Move aside! How dare you, insolent fools!”

“Madam, what should we do?”

“Block them! No! Everyone, hurry and-“

Swoosh!

The moment the Duchess tried to convey something. Without hesitation, Jeirutt slashed the throat of the servant blocking the entrance. The white marble floor was instantly stained with blood.

Melania covered her mouth in shock, seeing the head rolling down the stairs. Jeirutt gritted his teeth and asked in a low voice.

“…Does this order seem like a joke to you, Madam?”

If they didn’t dismiss their private army, they would subdue them all. That was why the Captain of the Imperial Guard had come to Hayman. Among the nobles, their scale was the largest.

After clearing the mansion, they planned to go to the private army training ground not far away. Jeirutt pointed his sword at the remaining servants.

“Well, does it look like a joke?”

“Eek!”

“Anyone who blocks or interferes will be cut down immediately. Those who value their lives, step back and cooperate.”

The Duchess sensed that something was definitely going wrong. She could only think that either Prince Arsen’s magic confirmation ceremony had failed, or even if it had succeeded, some ploy from Jin and Ian’s side had solidified the imperial palace situation.

“Mother! Melania!”

“Brother!”

“What on earth is going on here!”

Clang! Clang!

At that moment, the eldest and second sons, who had been organizing the study upstairs, came running with swords drawn. Though they didn’t know the situation, they were holding blood-stained swords in front of their mother. As the eldest son rushed forward, Melania spread her arms to block him.

“No! Brother!”

“Melania!”

“Really, don’t. Please.”

Let’s stay still for now. First, we need to understand the movements of other nobles allied with father and the situation in the imperial palace.

If the brothers oppose the imperial family here, it would undoubtedly provide justification. If things are more serious than we think, it could even lead to charges of treason. With father gone and the brothers too, we might walk a truly irreversible path.

Swoosh.

Jeirutt stepped over the corpse and entered the mansion. The two brothers could only step back hesitantly, seemingly not understanding what was happening at all.

“You’re wise, Lady.”

“Don’t damage the mansion. The right to personal property doesn’t belong to nobles alone.”

Jeirutt gestured for the executors to enter the mansion. They seemed to have already grasped the structure, scattering to various places in an orderly manner without rushing.

The servants, terrified, pressed themselves against the walls, letting out low gasps.

“And the Duchess and the eldest son will come with us to the imperial palace. There are things to investigate.”

The Duchess and the eldest son. Melania immediately understood why these two were selected. They were the ones with inheritance priority. If something happened to father, wouldn’t the authority pass to mother next, and after mother, to the eldest brother? The talk of asset freezing wasn’t just for investigation.

“I’ll come too.”

“Melania, then I will as well.”

“Younger brother, you should stay here and guard the mansion.”

Melania stopped her younger brother and whispered softly. The fact that they had pushed into the Hayman mansion like this meant that other noble residences were likely in the same situation. Therefore, someone was needed to gather forces and plan outside the imperial palace.

“We’ll depart in five minutes.”

“This way! This is the study!”

“The door is locked!”

“Bring an axe!”

“Hurry! Just smash it completely!”

Crash! Bang! Bang!

Crack-!

Jeirutt was merciless. There was no need to give them an especially long preparation time. While they sealed off the private army training ground, others would move the carriages to escort the Hayman family to the imperial palace.

Melania nodded and then quickly ran up to her bedroom.

Pat pat pat!

“My lady! What should we do?”

“Shh. You keep the others in check. If anyone tries to smuggle mansion items out, immediately report and stop them. If we scatter, we all die.”

Melania told her maid this while taking out a small jewelry box from the bottom drawer. On the luxurious cloth, faint traces of dust and fingerprints remained. These were marks from when she had opened it after returning from Gale’s quarters.

Click.

Inside were a half-broken amber raw stone, a red flower bookmark preserved by pressing, and a few notes that looked like they might crumble from age. Melania bit her lip hard and carefully held them to her chest.

“Let’s go.”

“My lady!”

“It’s fine. Don’t cry.”

If father was in danger, naturally that danger must be due to Ian on the opposing side. Melania prayed that she could somehow stop Ian.

‘No matter how I think about it, there are many things that don’t add up.’

On that moonlit night, when she had tried to test Ian in front of Gale’s quarters, he hadn’t shown any reaction. And judging by his subsequent actions, she had thought it was genuine.

But in this situation, she had no choice but to bet on even the slimmest possibility.

“What is that?”

“A container with miscellaneous items. Would you like to see?”

“The box looks expensive.”

“Nothing in Hayman is inexpensive. If you want, I can just wrap it in cloth. It’s just a bookmark and some notes from a friend.”

Mother was already loaded into the carriage, and her elder brother was waiting for her. An imperial palace staff briefly inspected, but realizing there was no issue, opened the carriage door.

Neigh!

Clop clop!

“We’ll go to the imperial palace first.”

“Alright. I’ll join you soon.”

The executor sitting next to the coachman’s seat saluted Jeirutt. Melania looked back at the grand mansion growing distant, biting her lips in despair.

“Ah, what is this…”

“Mother. It’s alright. Please calm down.”

The eldest brother soothed his mother, stroking her shoulder.

The carriage soon left Hayman’s private property and entered the central road. As they neared the imperial palace, pushing through the crowds, similar carriages became more common.

But.

“Ah.”

Melania saw bloodstains on various parts of the carriages and turned her head towards the window. They were all returning after visiting central noble mansions to execute orders.

Someone sat half-dazed, covered in blood. It was the moment when Captain Jeirutt’s question, asking if it seemed like a joke, echoed in her ears.

“What on earth…”

Familiar faces visible outside the carriage. The heirs of the seven central noble families were all converging on the imperial palace.