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— Ha! Because I\'m running out of patience!

The former marquis and now ruler of the Empire Oberon was in his study — and he tore in annoyance the first available documents. All this unrest would sooner or later drive him to his grave.

Following the water, Aubelia also served him some valerian. Rodrigue drank the whole shot in one gulp.

— Tell me, what have we got such a daughter for? — the Marquis lamented.

Obelia snorted.

— Didn\'t you raise her like that? I remember that even as a child you did not forbid her anything.

— It was when she was a child! Why doesn\'t her character change with age?

Both husband and wife sighed. That had been their main problem lately.

Ever since the Marquis of Windsor took the throne, the question of an heir had become quite acute. The Empire cannot be at peace until its future is uncertain. For this reason, Maximiliana was nominated almost immediately.

Since she was the only daughter of the Marquis — this decision seemed quite obvious. Except that neither Rodrigue nor his wife considered the consequences.

Yet Maxie was originally the daughter of a knight. From childhood she had been trained to fight and defend the empire at all costs. Therefore, palace etiquette and all sorts of rules were simply alien to her.

The girl could not believe: that now she would have to leave her sword and instead «hang out» at various social events. It was like locking a wild animal accustomed to freedom in a cage.

Of course, at first Maxie rebelled in every possible way. And the Marquis even spared his daughter when he let her travel with the daughter of the Archduke. The man hoped that this would only last for a couple of months, after which she finally «go for a walk» and be able to seriously begin their duties.

However, it did not turn out the way he had expected…

Recent events shook Rodrigue. As he read the news report, he thought it was just someone else\'s imagination.

Old Raymond was dead. The knight could not believe it. Until then he had always thought that the Duke was a man — who would remain unharmed even if the apocalypse occurred on the planet. And this sudden death was more like a dream.

A clue as to who might have caused it came almost immediately. Archduke Henry Ashford. The man who had terrified Rodrigue for the past ten years.

But even with the past, the Marquis could not have imagined it would turn out this way. Since Ashford had managed to take out the continent\'s chief villain so easily, there was nothing to speak of Rodrigue himself.

There was no one else left alive who could stop him.

So it was only to be expected that the Marquis imagined his end. He knew that sooner or later the Archduke would come for him as payback for his treachery. And then no one would get away with it.

Knowing that this would happen — the Marquis of Windsor even considered committing suicide beforehand. At least it would help to ease the Archduke\'s anger. And perhaps he would let the rest of his family live…

But just when the knight was about to take this desperate step: the next surprise came — Henry Ashford was also dead.

This news shook the man even more than the previous one. What on earth was going on?!

Two people from whom he had absolutely never expected this — died one after the other. And the circumstances of both of these cases remained extremely obscure.

It really seemed to Marquis that he was dreaming.

The ten-year nightmare he had suffered for nearly ten years was over in the blink of an eye. The knight still could not comprehend it.

But… was it worth pondering so seriously? The important thing was that it was over.

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Rodrigue Windsor exhaled a deep sigh of relief for the first time in a long time. Everything is all right. Everything will be all right now.

With his main problem behind him, the Marquis finally decided to release Maxie from house arrest. He had had to take that measure six months before: to prevent that naughty girl from sneaking off somewhere again.

She was only allowed to attend etiquette classes, and the rest of the time the girl was confined to her room. The Marquis thought it would be better for her. He hoped that this way this «dope» would finally get out of her head…

After talking with his wife and a glass of valerian, the knight went to her room. He was about to report that this was enough time for Maxie to have time to think seriously about her behavior… And now, he hoped, was ready to take up her duties as Oberon\'s heiress responsibly.

But when the man reached her chambers and opened the door, he almost gasped in indignation.

The main window was open, but in the room itself… There was no one there.

The Marquis clenched his teeth in helplessness.

— Unbelievable…! Had she escaped again?!

***

The ballroom of the imperial palace shone with a thousand lights. Everything here shone with gold and glitter — stunning once again with the splendor of the event.

The festivities had begun about half an hour before, and since then the guests had been chatting animatedly. It was mostly a cluster of ladies from various strata of aristocratic society beside Camille.

The girl herself looked irresistible today.

Her hair and dress were more exquisite than anyone else in the room. But that was no surprise: it was all a credit to her recent rise in social status. Compared to Camilla, every noble girl in the empire had nothing now.

The noble ladies chirped enthusiastically beside her, trying to win favor with the crown princess. After all, it would certainly be necessary in the future.

— Your Highness, you look marvelous this evening!

— Oh, thank you…» Camilla replied with a smile.

— Congratulations on your wedding. May the years of your reign last as long as possible.

— You and Her Majesty are the most beautiful couple I know!

— That\'s what it means when people are perfect for each other.

Camilla thanked everyone with an embarrassed smile as the ladies continued to shower her with compliments. The girl loved having so much attention paid to her.

— Your Highness, your handbag is so elegant… May I ask where you got it? — One of the ladies in question enquired about it with genuine envy.

— Ah, that…» Camilla grinned and glanced at the clutch in her hand, «it\'s nothing special. Just a Portman bag.

— Portman…?!

The ladies next to her were taken aback.

«Portman was the most expensive tailoring atelier in the empire. It also made exclusive jewelry and handbags. This salon was very expensive and not every lady was able to visit it. So, to see such an elite item in person was truly amazing.

— Your Highness, your accessory is the rarest of all at this ball… May I ask, ahem… How much did you get it for?

— Small change,» Camilla covered her mouth embarrassedly with her hand, «Only half a million gold pieces.

— Half a million…?!

The news shocked the audience even more. Half a million… That\'s an incredible amount of money! One could buy an entire estate or even several… Whereas the crown princess had only bought herself a purse to go to the ball.

It seems that the rumors really were true — the Imperial family was indeed insanely rich.

It was impossible to hide the resulting envy, and yet the ladies strained fake smiles. After all, perhaps if they were on good terms with the princess, they might get something…

All this chatter about Camilla\'s outfit went on until — until a shout from a servant announced the arrival of the next guest.

This was a bit of a surprise. As it seemed that all the invited guests had already arrived.

— The Archduchess Ashford of the House of Ashford enters!

At the banquet held in honor of the wedding of the members of the imperial family-Leriana suddenly appeared. The girl was dressed in a close-fitting blue dress, her hair parted, and jewelry only a pendant and a silver barrette.

In spite of her high status, the Archduchess was dressed quite modestly. But that did not prevent her from almost immediately outshining most of the ladies in the room with her appearance.

Camilla was indeed surprised to find her here. She did not believe to the last: that Leriane would have the courage to come to such an event. After all, in fact, it was the greatest humiliation for her.

Six months ago, after the secret termination of the queen\'s engagement to Leriane Ashford, Camilla had banned her from raising the matter at the national level. In other words, it was as if the incident had never happened. And it was the viscount\'s daughter who had been the crown princess from the beginning.

Of course, no one wanted to risk their own lives and everyone obediently kept silent. But that didn\'t change the fact that everyone knew about it. So when Leriana suddenly showed up at the banquet — there was a predictable silence in the hall. Everyone waited to see what would happen next.

But the Archduchess herself behaved at ease. As if she did not notice the stares directed at her.

The girl with a calm smile approached Camilla and made a curtsy in front of her.

— Greetings, Your Highness,» she said, «I apologize for my lateness.

Camilla grinned back at her.

— Your Grace, I didn\'t expect you to really come.

— Why not? — Lady Ashford answered with the same smile, — I was a little bored. I wanted to take my time and congratulate you at the same time.

— Ah, that\'s how it is,» I said with a strain, «In that case, I hope you\'ll have a good time.

— Thank you.

The girls were polite in public, but it was impossible not to notice the tense atmosphere. Invisible lightning flashed.

Smiling discreetly at each other, the Archduchess and the crown princess were about to continue their dialogue — as another figure appeared in the hall. Camilla became very excited.

Rachel approached and hugged her from behind.

— Your Majesty, you are here at last! — The girl smiled broadly.

— I\'m sorry…» Rachel said guiltily, «Things got a little late.

But the viscount\'s daughter shook her head.

— No, no! The important thing is that you came.

The scene was one of love and awe, which enchanted everyone around her. After all, everyone was aware that Her Majesty is fond of her crown princess.

They embraced for a while, after which Camilla embarrassedly whispered something in Rachel\'s ear. She nodded.

It was the middle of the evening, and so it was time to open the second part of the banquet with a dance. Everyone waited impatiently for this tradition to be performed by the newly-wed imperial couple.

The music began to play, and Rachel was about to offer her hand to Camille. But at that moment a figure suddenly stood between them.

— Greetings Your Majesty,» Leriana bowed to her with a smile.

Rachel hummed.

— Are you…?

— The new Archduchess of the Ashford family,» she announced.

Rachel had indeed heard of it. Not long ago, the previous Archduke had died of unknown causes-and since then, his only daughter had inherited the title. Six months ago, it was all anyone talked about.

Rachel glared at her: a most ordinary aristocrat. Yet she had the courage to come right out in front of the queen and introduce herself.

The girl nodded slowly.

— Greetings Your Grace,» she said dryly, «Congratulations on your recent title.

— Thank you.

When the banal exchange of pleasantries came to an end, Rachel was about to return to Camilla. But the Archduchess suddenly insisted:

— Your Majesty, in honor of our first meeting, may I ask you something?

Rachel frowned.

— What do you mean?

Leriana Ashford smiled softly and held out her hand.

— Could you open this banquet with me?