# 24
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“Your Highness, all the elders are gathered in the conference hall.”
After the assistant's words, Duke Elad, who was looking at the documents in his office, stood up.
The area under his eyes was dark because he had been conducting thorough investigations by staying up all night for the past few days.
“It seems like all the heavy-set people have gathered together for the first time in a while.”
“Everyone will be busy trying to figure out what's going on.”
“Except the president, of course.”
The assistant lowered his head in a mocking tone.
There was no answer, but the Duke could easily expect Count Valery running madly in the conference hall.
His second son, Master Valery, was suddenly imprisoned and a meeting of elders was held, so he must be boiling inside.
In fact, it was wiser not to attack right away.
Because that guy always looked at me like a half-baked peacock.
“I think they look at it funny and think it's a hit.”
It's just the beginning.
As he passed through a long corridor hung with portraits of heads of former families, Duke Ellard and Dominic sneered coldly.
His father, the former duke, was an incompetent man.
After several failures, he began to depend on the Senate for everything, and in the end he completely abandoned everything.
In order to overthrow the Senate and the incompetent father who controlled the ducal household and seize the title, eighteen-year-old Dominic went to war, won, and willingly became the Sword Emperor.
He had survived miserably even when he became the fearsome cold-blooded Demon of the Empire, and with the Emperor's approval, he was able to take the title from the former Duke with the help of the Grand Duchy of Pylos and the Marquis of Diabelle, with whom he had a close relationship.
However, it was not possible to completely uproot the influence of the Council of Elders, which had already spread throughout the duchy.
To be precise, he had no choice but to retreat due to a sharp disagreement with the Council of Elders over the issue of his marriage.
“The head of the family has arrived.”
As I walked down the long hallway, the door to the huge conference room opened.
When the Duke entered, the elders sitting at the long oval table stood up and showed respect.
Most of them still felt dissatisfied with the duchy, but they still had respect and loyalty to Dominic Ellard, who ruled the duchy well for over ten years.
However, there are still a few elders who resent the suppression of their influence.
It was Count Valery and his followers who could not forget the taste of power they once enjoyed while controlling the duchy.
“Everyone, please take your seats.”
As soon as the Duke spoke and sat down at the head of the table, the president, Count Valery, hit the table and shouted.
“Dismissal! Why did you imprison my son, Master Valery, the proud Deputy Commander of the Rexion Knights, in the duchy dungeon?!”
*Dismissal: This means raising the charge and canceling the ruling, the result of which is by mutual consent of both parties.*
The Duke narrowed his eyes at his confident remark, even though it had not yet been made official.
“The President is very interested in the internal affairs of the Duke’s family.”
“You still have an impatient personality.”
When Count Valery flinched at his expression and uniquely cold eyes, the Duke pointed to Tice, who was standing guard in front of the door.
Count Valery, who was displeased with Tais, the commoner knight whom the Duke trusted like his own son, frowned and was about to say something.
When Tez with a dark expression opened the door of the meeting room, the Knights of the Rexion Order brought Master Valery, who was tied up like a criminal, and knelt down.
The eyes of the elders, including Count Valery, widened in shock at the astonishing scene that unfolded before their eyes.
“Lord Valery?”
"What is this !"
From the sight of the elders raising their voices, the Duke realized that everyone had great confidence in the Valery master, who had served him as their master for a long time and had participated in the war, regardless of the family position.
And it was the same for me too.
If I didn't trust him, I wouldn't have given him the position of vice captain and let him be my son's mentor.
“This is nonsense! How dare you treat Faris Sharif as a criminal just because of a young commoner!”
cried Count Valery, blood rising up his neck.
This was the conclusion he came to after learning that his son was imprisoned in a dungeon through an informant planted in the Duke's house, and trying to find out why.
It was the result of emotional reasoning, as I never expected a commoner girl to have information that could affect Master Valery and Count Valery's family.
“Even though I warned you a short while ago, the president does not understand a single word I said.”
At the Count's protest, the Duke narrowed his eyes as if he were tired.
“Moreover, he is an honorable knight.…Master Valery, you say so yourf, is he really an honorable knight who has kept the chivalric oath?”
“Your Highness, what is this!”
“Count Valery, if you say another word here, I will not leave you alone.”
The Count flinched at the Duke's harsh tone and closed his mouth.
“I will ask you for an answer again, is he really a knight?”
Even though the Duke asked this question, Master Valery, who was kneeling in humiliation, did not open his mouth.
The man who had shown himf to be more loyal and trustworthy than anyone else in front of the Duke thus far was simply staring at the ground with bloodshot eyes.
“You seem to have a mouth but nothing to say, Tise/Tees, speak for him, what is the definition of a knight?”
“He is loyal to his master, protects the weak, and preserves his honor.”
“So is the Monsieur Valéry you know a knight?”
“H—this...”
Tez pursed his lips and lowered his head.
Count Valery's bright eyes were eyes, but in any case, it was not easy to insult the person who was the Deputy Commander of the Knights with his own words.
“Dismissal, I roughly understood the situation. Sir Valery was angry because he had failed in his duty as a knight. However, I still think this might be too much...”
One of Count Valery's confidants, who had shown courage in a bloody atmosphere, fell silent before the Duke's murderous gaze.
“Cost? Even if you are not a knight, do you think it is right for the strong to unilaterally oppress the weak because of their low status?”
“Your Highness, how do you view this from the point of view of the loyal follower of the Duke of Elad?”
That was when the elders tilted their heads at the unexpected remark.
One of the knights who was holding Master Valery came out and spoke.
“I think you all know that Lady Diana went through great difficulties not long ago.”
“Isn’t this what happened because the man who was in charge of guarding the young lady didn’t do his job properly?”
The knight continued to look at Count Valery, who suddenly raised his voice as if he had something to say.
“On that day, the Deputy Commander, in charge of the secret guard, issued us an order to prepare. His Highness has entrusted the guard to Lord Sidian, so there is no need to guard the young miss until the next order arrives.”
“W-what?”
“After the young lady’s disappearance, I strongly advised you not to say anything because it might offend Your Highness.”
The knights behind him nodded as if they heard those words together.
“How funny, the person who casually calls me names cares about my feelings.”
The Duke's mouth twitched violently.
“First, if you really don’t want to offend your will, you shouldn’t order Sidian to step down from his position as knight.”
The faces of the elders and Count Valery, who only then realized the full extent of the situation with a frost-like sound, froze.
Violent blow!
In the blink of an eye, the Count ran towards his son, slapped his son's cheek and shouted loudly.
"You crazy man! How dare you tamper with the young lady's safety? Are you saying that you are the son of the Valery family that is still loyal to the Duke of Elade?"
Then he bowed deeply to the Duke and said:
“Your Highness, this man is no longer my son! This is something he did alone, so please do not doubt my family’s loyalty.”
“Really? Then, is it just Master Valery’s personal aberration that most of the money Count Valery’s family spent on purchasing a mine recently came from the budget of the Rexion Knights?”
". … Yes?"
The Count, who had been acting for a long time while squeezing the juice from his eyes, widened his eyes at the unexpected words.
“No need to say much, you can just check it out for yourf.”
As soon as the Duke finished speaking, his assistant placed the report he had prepared earlier on the desk.
It was a secret notebook found in Valery's palace and a document detailing how the budget of the Rexion Knights went to Count Valery's family.
There, traces of the purchase of mines and lands and the creation of hidden assets remained intact.
"Impossible! Embezzlement?"
“I didn't know the president would be like that.”
“We are people who live by the honor of being loyal to Duke Elad...”
The elders, examining Count Valery's seal, quickly decided their position.
It was ridiculous to claim that Count Valery was not involved here.
Count Valery decided that there was no longer room to retreat, and he quickly knelt down.
“Dismissal! We, the Valery family, have sacrificed our lives and loyalty as followers supporting the duchy for so many years. I made a mistake because of a moment of greed, but please forgive me just this once....!”
The Count, with his gray hair, was earnestly appealing to the Duke, and to his son, who was about the age of the Duke's son.
However, Duke Elad was someone who had cruelly dismissed even his biological father, the previous Duke.
“From now on, I will revoke Count Valery’s title as a vassal, and he must await punishment as a criminal.”
"Just a moment, Your Highness! Please have mercy! Argh! Can't you leave me!"
Count Valery urgently shouted, but in the end he was dragged away by the knights.
The elders who witnessed his fall before their eyes remained silent and silent.