# 54
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The treasures of Richmond, together with the key to the Blue Room, returned to the grand lady's bosom with surprising ease. Mrs. Lexton personally undertook the recovery of the treasures; She is the mother of Joseph Lexton, and the Grand Lady's long-time caretaker and steward of these treasures over the years.
“One box is missing.”
“That's all there is!”
The Marquise's lady-in-waiting raised her eyebrows, but Lady Lexton immediately replied:
"One hundred and fifty pairs of earrings, three hundred and forty rings, two hundred and twenty necklaces, two hundred and forty-two tiaras, and one hundred and thirty brooches. I could stay up all night making a list of what's there and what's missing. Can I hold you responsible for what's missing?"
“……Wait. I’ll come back to check again.”
Even Flora couldn't escape her sharp gaze.
“Miss, take off the necklace and earrings.”
And so the treasures vanished with frustrating insignificance. And in the place from which she disappeared, all that remained was shame and humiliation.
“For the same reason as your mother, you are no longer allowed to stay in the palace. I have instructed the maids to pack your luggage separately, so you can inspect it yourf. You must leave the palace within a week.”
When Mrs. Isaacs added these words as she turned around after completing the redemption, Flora felt as if she were literally being thrown into the abyss.
Flora rushed towards her room unconsciously. The room that had been decorated like a flower was now a scene of the desolation of a fallen kingdom, barren and scattered.
“What are you doing?!”
exclaimed Flora, but the maids contented themves with a bow more like a nod, and returned to tidying up the room.
What lightweight creatures they are. Until this morning, they treated her as if she were a duchess, and then within a few hours she became an unwanted intruder.
Then, a soft voice came from behind her.
“As I expected, your face and heart are both pink, just like your name.”
Flora turned terrified. Standing there was the same person who had run towards her in the morning, calling out to her, and then was met with resistance.
“You said it was difficult to be casual...and I didn’t know that was to my advantage.”
“It is no longer easy for me to deal with you without restrictions. You know what I mean, don't you?
She looked at Flora's stacked luggage and laughed lightly.
“You”
“You? Didn’t we agree to communicate respectfully?”
Flora opened her reddened eyes and bit her lips hard.
“People's affairs are not known. Just this morning you were showing off like you were actually a duchess.”
“Be careful with your words.”
"But be careful. Isn't your father in the lower cell? Rumors are spreading that the Luwin Territory will be confiscated, and that the title will be revoked. Then... tomorrow you may become a commoner."
“……”
“And you won't even be able to stand face to face with me.”
It was as if Flora drank red-hot lava. Her throat melted, her stomach rotted from the inside, and she could only take weak breaths.
"A lot of people have a grudge against you. Have you ever been that bad? Whenever you get engaged, you mess it up, and then you go around consoling as if you don't know anything. Funny, really."
She snarled her words and then, suddenly, a cute, fake smile spread across her face and she gave a smirking salute.
“Then check carefully if you're missing something. No matter how much you take care, something's bound to get lost. And if you leave it behind, you won't come back to get it anymore, will you?”
Her sarcasm, after fawning that reached the point of humiliation, tore Flora's chest. Her insides, which were boiling like molten metal, cooled, and her chest was filled with suffocating smoke that would not go away no matter how much air she swallowed.
She felt dizzy, perhaps because she could no longer breathe. Flora swayed to the sofa and fell down.
Is this a dream?
As if mocking this thought, a sarcastic voice penetrated her mind:
“Tomorrow you may become a commoner.”
A searing sense of danger washed over her.
Am I a commoner? Why is it collapsing?!
“It's impossible. It can't be.”
According to the Deccan Nobility Code, even feudal vassals were widely considered subjects of the Emperor. Confiscating the territory and title without an explicit crime is a serious violation.
“They can't destroy Luwin. Yes… they can't.”
She was muttering as if she had lost her mind, pacing back and forth across the room. But the image of the soldier confessing, pointing to her father, and the image of her father's back being dragged away, did not leave her mind. The swamp of thoughts dragged her further and further to the bottom. An anxiety she had never known before spread to eat even a hair on her head.
When her nerves reached the point of tension like a tie about to break, the Marquise's lady-in-waiting came.
“The Marquis asks for you. Come.”
＊ ＊ ＊
Coming the long distance from DC to Richmond was worth it. Behind the mask, the noble lady's face unfolded like a blooming peony.
What a beauty.
Man's nickname: Red Moon.
Ridiculous, she thought, because the beauty of men is the same wherever they are. She was only amazed by the blondeness of the Taylors. But his wavy silver hair was like the moon of a clear autumn night, soft and dreamy.
As for his eyes, they were bright red, the color of a fresh drop of blood on a wound, a color that sent goosebumps.
“Oh, I used to hate coming to Richmond. But there seems to be one good side to it, at least?”
He sat down opposite her in a loose tunic, pulling his lips into a smile.
“We thank you for attending.”
The noble lady, petite and plump, opened her mouth as if enchanted.
"Hmm, he was a valuable presence. I've heard about you. It is said that a common man with a good face goes over the heads of noblewomen, and a resourceful one who skillfully collects money."
“Excessive compliment.”
"What a compliment? If a commoner calls him Nabil, he should run. They say you don't show your face unless you bring information you like. If you die in misery one day, that's okay, okay?"
Despite the condescending sarcasm, Eric only smiled with his eyes narrowed.
She crossed her arms, tapped her fingers, then pointed her chin at her glass.
"Pour me a glass. My throat is dry."
Eric held up the bottle of wine, smiling.
“Khamri’s fare is a little high.”