Chapter 245 – Central Nobility


    The Hayman Grand Mansion, considered the small imperial pce of the center.


    It subtly implied that the Duke’s power wasparable to that of the imperial family, but at the same time, it was also praise for therge and splendid exterior of the mansion that truly resembled the imperial pce.


    Thewn spanning thousands of acres, the garden beautifully maintained throughout the four seasons, the mansion walls that remained white even in rain and snow, and so on.


    The old gardener, as always, looked towards the main entrance and offered his thanks.


    But.


    “Hm?”


    A procession of carriages entering through the distant main gate.


    The master hadn’t returned yesterday, so is heing home now? And behind? Are those the master’s friends? Somehow, the mansion’s atmosphere seemed more subdued than usual.


    Clop clop!


    Neigh!


    The old man frowned, taking off his hat. Strange. Why do the carriages keeping without end? Behind them followed riders on horseback, and behind them, armed soldiers marched in step.


    The old man dropped his hat with a thud and hurriedly loaded his gardening tools onto a cart.


    “Oh, hey! Hey!”


    “Where are you going?”


    His gestures caught the attention of servants resting in the distant garden, and theirmotion summoned the butler.


    As the butler hurriedly descended the central staircase, the carriages had already stopped, waiting for a response from inside.


    “What’s the matter? Where have youe from? Duke Hayman is currently away.”


    The butler asked this, ignoring the fluttering imperial banners. The main gate was several minutes away from here. Yet there had been no notification. This meant they had either pushed in without waiting or the guards had been subdued.


    Servants anxiously pressed against the windows. Even at a nce, their numbers were not small, giving the feeling of a war breaking out.


    “I am Jeirutt, Captain of the Imperial Guard.”


    “Ah, yes. It’s an honor to meet you.”


    “Is the Duchess inside?”


    “…Please tell us your business first.”


    The butler pretended to support his waist with his left hand while giving a hand signal. Understanding this, the servants quickly ran up the stairs to inform the Duchess Hayman and her children of the trouble.


    But there was one thing they overlooked: these messengers from the imperial pce prioritized notifying of title revocation over seizing and searching for anything.


    Rustle.


    Jeirutt took out an order from his breast pocket.


    “This is an order from the imperial family. All those bearing the Hayman name,e out and follow the august will of the imperial family.”


    The butler’s face instantly turned pale. When he caught a glimpse, he thought he saw the words ‘title revocation’ in it.


    Jeirutt checked his watch with a click. With mountains of tasks piled up, there wasn’t much time.


    “This is a Level 1 urgency. If there’s no one toply, the effect will begin upon deration.”


    “What is this about?”


    At that moment, Duchess Hayman and Lady Mnia, who had remained in the mansion, came out clutching their dress hems. The eldest son, brother to Mnia, was currently in the study checking if any problematic documents remained.


    “Duchess Hayman and the Lady, I presume. I will now deliver the .”


    “What? What did you say?”


    It was abination of words never heard before in their lives. Title revocation? Temporary? Order? But instead of exining, Jeirutt read out the full text.


    “From this moment on, the ducal title, authority, and privileges bestowed upon the Hayman family are temporarily revoked. This is an order approved by the Prime Minister as the Emperor’s proxy, the imperial representative, and the administration.”


    Is this what it feels like to be struck by lightning? The feeling of being so sudden and bewildering that one’s words are choked off.


    Jeirutt gestured that it wasn’t over yet and turned to the next page.


    “The following will be implemented immediately.”


    First, asset freezing.


    For a smooth investigation of funds, not a single coin transaction is allowed from this moment. Thises with the disappearance of the nobles’ right to ‘not have their economic activities interfered with’.


    “…This includes not being able to pay even a single coin in wages to employees.”


    At Jeirutt’s deration, the servants exchanged troubled nces. No wages? Then is there any reason to stay here?


    “Second. Forced reduction of private armies. Dismiss all those employed for the purpose of mobilizing troops, whether they be knights, private soldiers, or even low-ranking guards.”


    Non-nobles could employ private soldiers up to three times the number of their direct family members. This was a policy to preemptively cut off the possibility of rebellion. Hence, those who wanted to build power tried their best to receive at least the lowest title of baron.


    Jeirutt added, estimating the numbers:


    “Hayman’s direct family totals five. You may keep fifteen and dismiss the rest.”


    “What is this! Where is my husband now? How dare you bring such an absurd order here, of all ces!”


    “Madam. Do not act rashly. This is insulting to the imperial family.”


    “No. Wait. Just a moment!”


    As the executors tried to enter the mansion, the Duchess screamed shrilly and blocked their way. The servants and guards waiting behind joined in, clustering together.


    “Step aside. You’re obstructing official duties.”


    “Wait! I am a royal of Ruswena before I am a Duchess! No one, no one can enter the mansion before meeting my husband! Where is he now? Is he detained in the imperial pce?”


    “Not detained, but in custody. And…”


    “Move aside! How dare you, insolent fools!”


    “Madam, what should we do?”


    “Block them! No! Everyone, hurry and-“


    Swoosh!


    The moment the Duchess tried to convey something. Without hesitation, Jeirutt shed the throat of the servant blocking the entrance. The white marble floor was instantly stained with blood.


    Mnia covered her mouth in shock, seeing the head rolling down the stairs. Jeirutt gritted his teeth and asked in a low voice.


    “…Does this order seem like a joke to you, Madam?”


    If they didn’t dismiss their private army, they would subdue them all. That was why the Captain of the Imperial Guard hade to Hayman. Among the nobles, their scale was thergest.


    After clearing the mansion, they nned to go to the private army training ground not far away. Jeirutt pointed his sword at the remaining servants.


    “Well, does it look like a joke?”


    “Eek!”


    “Anyone who blocks or interferes will be cut down immediately. Those who value their lives, step back and cooperate.”


    The Duchess sensed that something was definitely going wrong. She could only think that either Prince Arsen’s magic confirmation ceremony had failed, or even if it had seeded, some ploy from Jin and Ian’s side had solidified the imperial pce situation.


    “Mother! Mnia!”


    “Brother!”


    “What on earth is going on here!”


    ng! ng!


    At that moment, the eldest and second sons, who had been organizing the study upstairs, came running with swords drawn. Though they didn’t know the situation, they were holding blood-stained swords in front of their mother. As the eldest son rushed forward, Mnia spread her arms to block him.


    “No! Brother!”


    “Mnia!”


    “Really, don’t. Please.”


    Let’s stay still for now. First, we need to understand the movements of other nobles allied with father and the situation in the imperial pce.


    If the brothers oppose the imperial family here, it would undoubtedly provide justification. If things are more serious than we think, it could even lead to charges of treason. With father gone and the brothers too, we might walk a truly irreversible path.


    Swoosh.


    Jeirutt stepped over the corpse and entered the mansion. The two brothers could only step back hesitantly, seemingly not understanding what was happening at all.


    “You’re wise, Lady.”


    “Don’t damage the mansion. The right to personal property doesn’t belong to nobles alone.”


    Jeirutt gestured for the executors to enter the mansion. They seemed to have already grasped the structure, scattering to various ces in an orderly manner without rushing.


    The servants, terrified, pressed themselves against the walls, letting out low gasps.


    “And the Duchess and the eldest son wille with us to the imperial pce. There are things to investigate.”


    The Duchess and the eldest son. Mnia immediately understood why these two were selected. They were the ones with inheritance priority. If something happened to father, wouldn’t the authority pass to mother next, and after mother, to the eldest brother? The talk of asset freezing wasn’t just for investigation.


    “I’lle too.”


    “Mnia, then I will as well.”


    “Younger brother, you should stay here and guard the mansion.”


    Mnia stopped her younger brother and whispered softly. The fact that they had pushed into the Hayman mansion like this meant that other noble residences were likely in the same situation. Therefore, someone was needed to gather forces and n outside the imperial pce.


    “We’ll depart in five minutes.”


    “This way! This is the study!”


    “The door is locked!”


    “Bring an axe!”


    “Hurry! Just smash itpletely!”


    Crash! Bang! Bang!


    Crack-!


    Jeirutt was merciless. There was no need to give them an especially long preparation time. While they sealed off the private army training ground, others would move the carriages to escort the Hayman family to the imperial pce.


    Mnia nodded and then quickly ran up to her bedroom.


    Pat pat pat!


    “Mydy! What should we do?”


    “Shh. You keep the others in check. If anyone tries to smuggle mansion items out, immediately report and stop them. If we scatter, we all die.”


    Mnia told her maid this while taking out a small jewelry box from the bottom drawer. On the luxurious cloth, faint traces of dust and fingerprints remained. These were marks from when she had opened it after returning from Gale’s quarters.


    Click.


    Inside were a half-broken amber raw stone, a red flower bookmark preserved by pressing, and a few notes that looked like they might crumble from age. Mnia bit her lip hard and carefully held them to her chest.


    “Let’s go.”


    “Mydy!”


    “It’s fine. Don’t cry.”


    If father was in danger, naturally that danger must be due to Ian on the opposing side. Mnia prayed that she could somehow stop Ian.


    ‘No matter how I think about it, there are many things that don’t add up.’


    On that moonlit night, when she had tried to test Ian in front of Gale’s quarters, he hadn’t shown any reaction. And judging by his subsequent actions, she had thought it was genuine.


    But in this situation, she had no choice but to bet on even the slimmest possibility.


    “What is that?”


    “A container with misceneous items. Would you like to see?”


    “The box looks expensive.”


    “Nothing in Hayman is inexpensive. If you want, I can just wrap it in cloth. It’s just a bookmark and some notes from a friend.”


    Mother was already loaded into the carriage, and her elder brother was waiting for her. An imperial pce staff briefly inspected, but realizing there was no issue, opened the carriage door.


    Neigh!


    Clop clop!


    “We’ll go to the imperial pce first.”


    “Alright. I’ll join you soon.”


    The executor sitting next to the coachman’s seat saluted Jeirutt. Mnia looked back at the grand mansion growing distant, biting her lips in despair.


    “Ah, what is this…”


    “Mother. It’s alright. Please calm down.”


    The eldest brother soothed his mother, stroking her shoulder.


    The carriage soon left Hayman’s private property and entered the central road. As they neared the imperial pce, pushing through the crowds, simr carriages became moremon.


    But.


    “Ah.”


    Mnia saw bloodstains on various parts of the carriages and turned her head towards the window. They were all returning after visiting central noble mansions to execute orders.


    Someone sat half-dazed, covered in blood. It was the moment when Captain Jeirutt’s question, asking if it seemed like a joke, echoed in her ears.


    “What on earth…”


    Familiar faces visible outside the carriage. The heirs of the seven central noble families were all converging on the imperial pce.