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But even so, the servants of the manor appeared very enthusiastic and spent almost all their free time outside — doing work there. The master of the house was no exception.

Lately, Duke Cassius had become addicted to working in the garden, and even kept other workers away from it, considering it a personal hobby of his. He grew several rose bushes on his own.

It turned out to be one of some new hobbies that the duke unexpectedly discovered. Such an activity helped him relax and gain peace of mind.

After forty years, Duke Cassius voluntarily decided to retire. Or, as they would say in today\'s world, «retire.» He had spent his entire life, starting when he was a teenager, only on the battlefield.

To make the Empire of Azeroth as powerful as it was now, the man had had to work hard. He could not even remember what he had done in his youth, other than take other people\'s lives for the sake of power.

He had as much blood on his hands as any mercenary in the empire.

Raymond Cassius was used to being surrounded by death and destruction. And even the arrival of a child changed the situation only slightly. After all, he still spent a lot of time on military expeditions.

All in order — to continue to hold the title of the most powerful noble family of Azeroth. And thereby cement their secure position in the Empire.

But now the Duke has decided to retire. The king of the Blanche dynasty, whom he had served all along, is already dead. And, moreover, his own daughter was now in power…

The events of two years ago came as a real surprise to the Duke.

As usual, Rachel said nothing to him-before bursting into the palace and causing a commotion in the middle of the feast. Together with the army of the Cassius family, the girl had staged a coup d\'état, causing much blood to spill in the palace.

When the man learned of this, he did not even know how to react at first.

He did not support his daughter\'s actions, but he did not oppose them either. Thus, he remained more in a neutral position. What disappointed him more than anything else was that Rachel hadn\'t really warned him about anything. She just went and did it.

A coup d\'état was no child\'s play and always had enormous consequences for the country. The overthrow of the Blanche dynasty will surely go down in history as one of the most momentous events. And Duke Cassius wasn\'t sure if Rachel could handle such a responsibility.

Not that he found himself feeling sorry for the previous king--in fact, the duke didn\'t care about anyone but his own family members. But such uncoordinated actions by Rachel really shocked him.

Especially since in a couple of years, Raymond himself planned to pass his title to her. And now… It looks like he will have to remain a duke until his old age.

After Rachel took the throne, the Duke made a decision to stay out of all these political games. He did not want to interfere in his daughter\'s affairs, and in general he rarely left the estate.

At this point, Raymond Cassius wanted to live for himself.

He grew flowers, began reading and learning to cook, as he had never had time for that before. For the first time he knew what it was like to be an ordinary man.

When the Duke thought about it, a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips. Very soon Rachel would be married, which meant that grandchildren were not far off. By the end of his life, the man dreamed most of all of leading the life of an ordinary grandfather.

Today, he was also going to take up one of his new hobbies after he finished working in the garden.

The man was cutting off old branches and thorns from the rose bush with garden shears, completely immersed in the activity. Until one of the servants interrupted him.

— Your Grace, you have a visitor.

— Hmm? — The Duke frowned as he was suddenly distracted by this news.

— Shall I let him in? — The servant asked uncertainly.

— No need,» he sighed, «I\'m nearly finished. I\'ll see for myself.

Raymond put the gardening utensils aside, threw cold water on his hands and headed toward the entryway. It had been so long since he had last had company that he couldn\'t remember who it was. Especially since he\'d retired from his main business.

He wondered who had shown up at his house early in the morning.

When Duke Cassius opened the front door, he was quite surprised.

— The Archduke…?

His new father-in-law stood on the doorstep with a friendly smile.

— Your Grace, what do you think of a little game of chess?

The father of the future daughter-in-law of the Cassius family showed up unexpectedly on the doorstep of the manor at nine in the morning. The Ashford family carriage was parked behind the gate.

The first archduke of the empire, Henry Ashford, inquired courteously:

— Your Grace, may I come in?

Raymond Cassius was not immediately sure what to do, but he nodded hastily.

— Of course.

The men entered the drawing room, and since the weather was fine, the duke decided to hold their meeting in the gazebo. Especially since there was minimal risk of being overheard.

Henry Ashford gladly agreed, and they made themselves comfortable in the center of the blooming garden. A maid served them tea, and then all the servants meekly departed.

The Archduke laid out on the table the chess board he had brought with him and offered:

— Your Grace, how about a little game?

Duke Cassius raised his eyebrows in surprise.

— Do you really want to play with me…?

— Of course,» Leriane\'s father replied nonchalantly, «I have heard that you are a very experienced player. It will be a very exciting game.

He hesitated.

— So you have come all this way just for that?

The Archduke smiled.

— A game of chess is a great way to bring people together, don\'t you think? Since we will soon be relatives, we should get to know each other better.

— Hmm… You\'re right,» Duke Cassius agreed involuntarily.

— Shall we begin, then?

As expected, Henry Ashford chose white pieces to play, while his opponent chose black. Their game leisurely began.

During this process the Archduke inquired:

— I heard that not long ago there was a jubilee to celebrate the anniversary of the new queen\'s reign. But you were not on the guest list.

— That is… Indeed,» sighed the duke humbly.

— But why didn\'t you come? It was an important day for your daughter.

Duke Cassius frowned.

— Exactly… Because it is important, I did not come.

— Hmm? — Henry didn\'t quite understand him.

Raymond wasn\'t exactly comfortable talking about it.

— Our families are very different… Rachel wouldn\'t have been happy if I had been present.

The man coughed awkwardly, realizing that the Archduke could never understand him in this regard. After all, unlike him, he was the perfect father, admired by the entire empire. He could not understand what it was like when his own child did not want him.

Meanwhile, Henry Ashford realized that this was a rather personal subject and did not insist.

Instead, he remarked:

— Unfortunately, I couldn\'t make it this year either. The journey to you took me a long time.

Duke Cassius was surprised that instead of attending the banquet, which was also attended by his daughter, Henry Ashford chose to travel across the empire to see him. All for a game of chess…

However, it was also inappropriate to ask about it, so the Duke was silent. It was likely that he simply wanted to mend relations between their families, which would be to the benefit of all.

Over the course of a couple of hours, the men completed several games, at the end of which only black pieces always remained on the board. When the Archduke suffered another defeat, he sighed disappointedly.

— Your Grace, it seems that I have lost to you again,» he said dejectedly.

Raymond decided to cheer him up a little.

— There\'s nothing wrong with that. No one has ever beaten me,» he said calmly.

— Well,» Henry smiled faintly, «Your Lordship, you really are unbelievable!

He was embarrassed.

— You needn\'t be.

This was the decisive game after which they put the chessboard aside. Taking a sip of black tea, Duke Cassius wanted to talk a little about the essentials. He inquired:

— What does Lady Ashford think of this marriage?

— Ah, that…» the Archduke looked away awkwardly, «Don\'t take this the wrong way, but my daughter is still such a child.

— Hmm? — The duke looked at him questioningly.

— Even though she is an adult, she still thinks immaturely,» the man explained, «But you need not worry! In the future, she\'ll understand what\'s what.

— Mm… I see.

Duke Cassius decided not to argue. Since Leriane\'s father had said such a thing, he really should have no reason to doubt. After all, he knew exactly what was best for his daughter.

And while the two of them were in a frank enough environment where they could tell each other something personal, Raymond also dared to open up to him.

Throughout these two years, Duke Cassius continued unceasingly to search for the aristocrat the Marquis of Windsor had told him about. Since the man still posed a threat to the welfare of the empire, Raymond was determined that he should finish him off before he finally retired.

And since they would soon be one family… Duke Cassius decided it would be wrong to withhold such a thing from him.

Taking a deep breath, the man decided to initiate Leriana\'s father into this.

— Archduke, in fact, I have something to tell you…

As Raymond indulged in the details of this matter, his interlocutor\'s face reflected more and more astonishment. Obviously it was a shock to him.

— What do you say…! — The Archduke gasped, «Does such a scoundrel really exist in our empire?!

Duke Cassius nodded.

— The current Ruler of Oberon told me personally. It seems that this man is one of the most high ranking figures in Azeroth.

— You speak of Rodrigus Windsor? — The Archduke asked again.

— Yes… It so happens that he was his main victim.

— I see.

Noticing how pale the Archduke\'s face after receiving the news, Raymond hastened to reassure him.

— But even so, you should not worry. I will do my best to protect you and Lady Ashford.

But he shook his head negatively.

— No… How can I burden you with such a responsibility alone?

— I am used to it…» the Archduke wanted to object, but the Archduke interrupted him.

— Your Grace, you are not the only one who can influence the situation in the country. I am the first Archduke, and I cannot stand idly by either,» said Ashford nonchalantly.

— But…» the duke hesitated.

— While this scoundrel is at large, I cannot be sure of my daughter\'s safety!

Despite the danger, Henry Ashford appeared full of confidence before the coming struggle. Raymond had not expected this from him. For he had always thought that the first archduke was too soft for such challenges.

But when he wanted to make sure whether he really understood the complexity of this operation, Henry suddenly took him by the arms.

— You may rest assured! — He exclaimed, — I will do everything possible so that together we will catch and destroy this scoundrel!