# 9
---
Meanwhile, Duke Taylor's castle was a veritable hive of problems.
No girl should be quietly locked in her room?! How do you manage things this way, eh?!
Duke Taylor hit his servant several times until he got tired and sat down on the sofa. The Duchess, who was lying on the bed before, was crying and muttering:
“In order to pay off my debts, I must get rid of all my jewels... How did I collect those shining jewels!”
The Duchess rose suddenly and stared at the servant standing beside her:
“Wasn’t it possible to l part of the fiefdom?! The wheat fields are so vast, couldn’t some of the lands be sold?!”
ling fiefdom instead of jewelry, is this the words of a fiefdom lord?
The servant wiped the blood from his mouth and answered in a halting voice:
“According to the law of the empire, the fiefdom cannot be sold freely. When there is no heir, it passes to the temple...”
"Who doesn't know that?!! Grace...! This bastard...! You dare to return the favor like this!!"
The couple did not care about who Grace's future husband was or her life after marriage. Their only concern is who brings the greatest dowry. In this respect, Grace Taylor was the greatest remaining fortune of the Duke and his wife.
They did not dream of her burning herf and disappearing. Dare to admit to having a lover in front of the Empress's nephew in a holy church during a wedding!
"She says she has a hidden man! There is no purity in body and heart!! A girl spends her day locked up with papers!! She has not taken a single step out of feudalism!! That insolent woman lied...!! This completely hinders Rosette's marriage!!"
In front of the young Count Saxon, the nephew of the Empress, she announces the presence of a lover and withdraws from the wedding. Which family dares to propose to her? Taylor's declining reputation and fate were sunk in the mud today.
“Surely whoever helped her escape, arrest them immediately!!”
The Duke shouted at the top of his lungs. While the servants hesitated, Mrs. Cornwall stirred. Over the years she has been the couple's most loyal servant.
“Calm down, Your Excellency. It may be to our advantage.”
"…What?"
The Duke asked in amazement as the Duchess's screams broke out:
“You hide somewhere and come now, what?! Good?! What does this mean?!!”
Cornwall quickly approached the Duchess and said in a reassuring tone:
“I was late looking through debt documents. Excuse me.”
“Enough, keep talking.”
“Because of what happened at the wedding, Grace is socially dead. No noble family will accept her, even the mistress of a rich merchant is impossible. There is no hope of her bringing a dowry to the duchy. Indeed, as long as Taylor’s name is attached to her, the duchy will only be lost. Expel her from the family.”
The Duke got up from the sofa and asked:
“You mean expelling Grace from the dukedom?”
“Yes. Her scandal will affect the marriage of Miss Rosette and the heir William. Besides, the Sachsen family is the Empress’ family. Insulting the young Count and the Count’s wife in front of everyone means insulting the Empress. The Empress’s wrath will be directed at Taylor.”
“What do we do then?”
The Duchess's face turned yellow. The servant helped Cornwall and said:
“Taylor’s innocence must be proven to the Empress and the world. Cut Grace from the family.”
The Duke stood up straight and shouted:
"Did you hear what I said in church?!! I'm going to kick her out of the Taylors! I was expecting it!"
“As expected from seeing your happiness.”
“Hmm!”
“I will secretly send someone to pursue Grace. I will find out who helped her, and wait a little while and think about how to pay off Saxon’s debts.”
At these words, the Duchess lay down and closed her eyes, refusing to think, and the Duke opened a bottle of wine. Debt... just thinking about it makes you sick. He doesn't even remember when or where he borrowed all this. He poured the wine copiously and shouted irresponsibly:
“Servant! Mrs. Cornwall! Make arrangements! Prepare the document to banish Grace from the Taylors forever. I will only put my seal!”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
The servant and Cornwall bowed respectfully, and the Duke poured out the wine and muttered angrily:
“The duchy is nothing. How much did we spend to make the wealth disappear in less than twenty years? Vast lands are not sold. Oh, really.”
They left the servant and Cornwall quietly, leaving him.
＊ ＊ ＊
The breakdown wasn't just limited to the Taylors. The Saxon family was collecting all the wedding gifts and jewelry and returning to their fiefdom, cursing in anger.
"I will never forget this humiliation!! Oh, I want to wash my ears!! What?! She has another lover, so there is no purity in body and heart?! She cannot love my son?!"
The Countess of Sachsen lay in the carriage, cursing Grace incessantly.
“My dear! When you return, tell the Empress about this shame. The Empress will not let it go!”
The Count's mustache twitched and he clenched his fists.
“I will enter the palace immediately to meet the Empress.”
“Sure it should.”
The countess agreed with her husband and then suddenly cried. She got up and stuck her head out the window. In the middle of the caravan was her son's carriage.
“My son’s heart is broken to such an extent. I am humiliated in front of all these nobles...!”
She wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said the words with hatred:
“Grace Taylor, I will never forgive this slut. Never!!”
She'll definitely send men to find her. When she is found, she will be flogged until she apologizes crying, and then she will sleep peacefully.
Miss Taylor? The name Taylor is no longer terrifying. Since the departure of the former Duke and his wife, their family has become defunct. But there is no need to attract attention again, arrest her secretly and that's it.
The Countess's eyes sparkled fiercely.
On the other hand, Jack Sachsen was also thinking about Grace. Her distant, cherished back as she placed the gifts in front of him seemed like a dream to him. If the damned priests had not caught him, he would have followed her.
Even the girl who should be locked up as a criminal disappeared without a trace. The miss who never left Taylor's mansion, where did she go?
'I have someone I love.'
He remembered her snow-white features, and his heart burned. A slanted smile appeared on Jack Sachsen's lips.
“They said she was a quiet, chaste lady, but she was cleverly hiding a lover. Is she with him now?”
The little count's breathing intensified.
Despite the extreme humiliation, he felt as if a delicious dish that was to be eaten by him was destined to be stolen from him. Is it because of her rare beauty, her noble stance, or her saying that she would never love him? His anger at Grace began to distort strangely.
His eyes were filled with fierce emotion.
“You dragged me into the mud, and now you are dancing with that man?”
He wiped his face violently and licked his lips. He leaned back on the chair and muttered:
“I will find her, and before your eyes I will cut that man to pieces.”
Then tears will fall from her beautiful, round eyes?
Just the thought made him shiver, and Jack Sachsen laughed faintly.
“Then I drag you here, Grace.”
Grace.
Grace Taylor.
“I even liked her name.”
He repeated Grace's name several times in a voice filled with madness.