The next day, Ekaterina received a report from Laiza.

Last night, she heard that the territory guards and knights had raided the residences of Novadine and many others who belonged to his faction. While the master was away on an invitation to a feast, evidence of bribes and other communications detrimental to the dukedom was seized, and they were all captured upon their return from the feast.

However, Novadine himself escaped after being captured at Yurinova Castle and was currently [missing]. [TL Note: Hmmmm, yes missing, probably hiding underground]

Wow, that was a complete setup!

I was glad I didnt hear about it because I would have been forced to look at them with pity and wonder if all of their fates were going to end today!

As expected of Big Brother!

My brocon is getting more and more empowered!

***

***There may be violent depictions. Please be warned.***

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The night of the feast. Midnight.

Yurinova Castle, like a huge black mass, looming at the center of the night in the capital.

The feast was already over. Even the servants who had been cleaning up the mess were already asleep. It was the deepest hour of the night.

Yurinovas hounds slowly roused their massive bodies.

All right, all right, its time, boys.

Igor, the hound keeper, a bald man with an eye patch over one eye, called low to the dogs.

The Duke presented you with your prey, here.

Igor held up a gentlemans jacket. It was of the finest quality, made of silk and richly embroidered. Even if a poor man spent his entire annual income on this jacket, he would not be able to afford it.

However, the jacket was badly soiled and torn.

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Behind the sniffing hounds came a rather large hound with a beautiful white coat.

Regina, take a sniff. You know what the prey is, dont you?

Regina, the leader of the hounds, sniffed the jacket.

Then she wrinkled her nose and growled.

You understand, I see. The Duke will allow you to avenge your friends death. Hes somewhere in this castle. Find him and drag him out. Remember, dont kill him. But Im sure His Excellency wont mind if you take a nibble. Now go!

Igor opened the kennel door and all the hounds ran out at once.

***

(Whywhy is this happening?!)

In a corner of the vast Yurinova castles garden, there was an evergreen grove of bushes.

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Cowering in it for cover, Novadine trembled with anger and despair. The costume he had spent so much money on for the occasion was stained and ripped, and his jacket was gone. He could not believe his wretched appearance.

His wife and daughter were captured, and Novadine himself was almost captured. He had somehow managed to hide here. But there was no way out of the Yurinova castle now, and he would be discovered.

He was supposed to marry his daughter Keira to Alexei and become an extended family member of the Duke. He was supposed to be the dukes father-in-law, a member of the dukes family, and a powerful man, yet here he was, sneaking around and hiding in the open. It was not right.

It was not supposed to be like this.

Oh, Alexandre, Alexandra-sama, how could they have passed away so quickly? If they were alive and well, Keira would have been safely engaged.

Whats wrong with a count wanting to be father in law of the Duke of Yurinova?

Alexandre laughed happily at that, and I laughed along with him, hiding the bitterness in my heart. Still, he did not give up, and after much pleading, he finally got it.

We didnt just beg. We did everything to achieve it.

They had to constantly run errands for the strangers Alexandra-sama had brought with her. And they even did everything in their power to get rid of those who stood in their way.

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And as they did so, they realized that Alexandra-sama was only complying with the strangers demands.