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The Marquis\'s nephew immediately agreed, to which the other simply had to put up with. Led by the elderly lady, they strolled through the Duke of Cassius\'s estate, which turned out to be many things out of the ordinary.

The black castle was very different from the usual dwellings of aristocrats, if only because the atmosphere here remained gloomy to the core. The servants were as quiet as a mouse, and guests appeared once in a hundred years. The interior was exclusively in dark colors, which only made it look more like a haven of otherworldly creatures.

But that didn\'t scare Silver in the slightest, for it was the first time he had ever seen such a curiosity. They walked side by side, and the boy tugged on Razor\'s shoulder now and then.

— You know, His Grace seemed to me such an interesting man! And this house, too!

— Mmm…

— Ray, look! There\'s such an unusual statue in the shape of a raven!

— Yes…

— I also noticed that there\'s a whole bunch of different rooms! I wonder if there\'s a key to them.

— I don\'t know.

— Oh! There\'s a wide black staircase. I wonder what\'s at the top. It seems to me that there are endless corridors in this house.

— Still you wonder…

The second prince sighed wearily as there appeared to be too much energy in this guy. Duke Cassius\'s estate was so fascinating to him, it wouldn\'t be surprising if at some point he decided to move here altogether.

— You can go ahead,» Razor suggested, «I want to take a little break…»

Surprisingly, Silver didn\'t even coax and stick to him as usual, instead nodding. Apparently the gods had heard the prince\'s prayers this time.

— Don\'t touch anything! — Razor warned him in advance. «Just watch, will you?»

— Yes! Yes!

The Marquis\' nephew answered too quickly, which seemed suspicious. But at least he would have that maid with him who could keep an eye on what was going on. They went on their way, while Razor stayed behind.

In fact, deep down, he was terribly worried and could concentrate on nothing else. One could only hope that the negotiations between the Marquis of Windsor and the Duke of Cassius went smoothly. Otherwise, they would really be doomed…

Before the aristocrat\'s appointment by that date, there was only one day to go. And who knows what will happen after that?

Razor grasped his head tiredly.

Leaning against the railing of the bulkhead on some other floor, he tried to catch his breath. There was still no news.

At this moment, when Razor found himself in this part of the manor completely alone, it was as if some premonition had drawn him to this place. One of the many doors in the house was slightly ajar.

Had someone forgotten to lock it?

Out of sheer curiosity, the boy decided to look inside. There was no one else here anyway. Why not?

Even from outside he could see that it was terribly dark. And no light switch on the wall, the prince could find. With that in mind, he had to take and light one of the lights hanging in the hallway.

Slowly, Razor went in.

«What a strange place…» — the first thought flashed through his head.

Why would the Duke want an empty and dark room with nothing in it anyway?

At least, that\'s what he thought when his initial walks failed to yield any results. But then, the prince did stumble upon something interesting.

A huge painting occupied the entire wall, and the curtain that covered it lay on the floor. Razor held up the lamp and peered closely.

It appeared to be some kind of family portrait. And, more surprisingly, it depicted the current head of the Cassius family.

The young duke was standing with a beautiful lady of his age, who was smiling good-naturedly. Such a smile, it seemed to Razor that he had seen someone before.

However… Looking at other people\'s personal belongings was not really good, so the guy was going to leave here.

But before he did he noticed some writing in the corner.

It was a small autograph left by the artist, where he marked the names of the people in the picture.

The second prince was involuntarily dumbfounded when he saw it.

«Raymond Cassius and Adeline Ashford.»

***

— I can\'t believe it…! You\'re really getting married?!

The two close friends were sitting in the garden gazebo when the first shocked the second with some very unexpected news.

Emily Ileas nodded, bringing her cup of tea to her lips.

— Obelia, I hope you will support my decision.

This was a lady whose rumors of beauty had spread far beyond the empire. She had glossy emerald hair in a bun and eyes like two precious amber. Even her posture and movements seemed perfect.

Across from her sat a scarlet-haired girl her age who was the exact opposite of her friend. She was quick-tongued and quick-tempered, and she would get into conflicts before she tried to solve them with words. It is unclear how such different people, in general, managed to be friends for such a long time.

— But why so suddenly? — I couldn\'t help asking Obelia Clifford, — You\'re getting married, and you haven\'t even told me anything!

She smiled weakly.

— I\'m sorry… It all happened so fast that I couldn\'t admit it sooner.

Obelia snorted unhappily, leaning back in her chair.

— «I know,» she muttered. — I see what place I occupy in your life. If I don\'t even know your fiancé\'s name.

— Obi, don\'t be angry…» Emily chuckled, «Of course I\'ll tell you. It\'s… Archduke Ashford.»

— What?!

Her jaw dropped.

— You mean Henry Ashford…? — …just in case.

— Well… There\'s only one Archduke in our kingdom,» Emily reminded her awkwardly.

Obelia Clifford hesitated, for she had not expected to hear the name at all.

— Why him?

— It\'s… The Archduke asked me to marry him, and I said yes.

Obelia hesitated, for this was the first time she had heard of such a twist in the life of her only best friend.

— But…» she said uncertainly, «Will you really do it? What about…»

— I don\'t want to hear about it.

The lady\'s abrupt answer sealed the matter. Obelia sighed.

— And your father? Does he know?

— I… I sent him a letter two weeks ago, but he still hasn\'t answered.

Obelia pressed her lips together, seeing a certain sadness on her face. Of course, it had been obvious from the start that the former Count Ileas would not support her decision. And certainly not coming to the wedding.

But at the same time… Obelia didn\'t feel much joy at the news, either.

— Are you sure you want to be the wife of the Archduke of Ashford?

Emily looked away for a few seconds, then nodded confidently.

— Yes… Henry is a good man, and genuinely cares for me. To be his wife would be a blessing to me.

Obelia was silent. She in no way expected her friend to be so suddenly willing to take such a responsible step. But even so, she was ready to support her in any situation.

— Then… I hope you\'ll be happy.