He was talking about the day the former Grand Duke and Grand Duchess died.
Liselotte understood at once.
The murderous looks Ail and Ferento were shooting at him, as if they would tear him apart on the spot, explained everything.
Baron Herrigan pointed a finger at Ferento and Ail.
There was no hesitation in that gesture.
“Even the ones you keep closest are the sons of the knights who died defending the former Grand Duke that day. Is that mere coincidence?”
“Baron Herrigan. It would be wise to keep your mouth shut while I am still able to tolerate it.”
Gentle-looking Ferento bit out the words with deadly coldness.
The atmosphere around him was so brutal it made one freshly aware that he was the one who led the subjugation force.
No matter how mild they looked, a knight was still a knight.
Those who faced monsters could not conceal their ferocity.
Yet Baron Herrigan’s mouth did not stop.
“When His Highness first dismissed the outsiders sent from other regions, both the collateral branch and Sir Masid were delighted, thinking he had finally begun to act for House Keilos. And now he casts them out like this.”
Even amidst the uproar, Eren did not budge.
He simply watched the situation in utter stillness.
It felt as though the chaos had parted around him alone.
By the time Baron Herrigan finally sensed that strange, unsettling feeling…
Eren’s level, steady voice sank even lower.
“How amusing coming from the collateral branch, who stood with their hands behind their backs even when the former Grand Duke was ambushed.”
The end of his voice scraped like something dragging along the inside of a cave.
Compared to Ferento, who showed his anger openly, the pressure coming from him felt even heavier.
“Or were you behind the assassination attempt?”
“Wh-what kind of nonsense is that?! That matter was already clarified long ago!”
Baron Herrigan’s bluster visibly wilted.
His face had gone pale, and the sight of him hiding his trembling hands under the table made him look as though he might collapse at any moment.
But thinking he had finally found something to latch onto, he forced himself—terrified—to continue voicing his opinion.
“W-when the former Grand Duke passed away, instead of distancing yourself from the collateral branch, you should have expelled the outsiders! You should have caught the mastermind then!”
Breathing unevenly, Baron Herrigan hurried to add:
“It is the same even now. You bring in outsiders and then pick apart Sir Masid for no good reason.”
“Ah, I was the one who brought in the recent hires.”
In the murderous atmosphere of the council chamber, Liselotte cheerfully raised one hand as she answered.
As if driving a wedge in, she added one more line:
“His Highness only learned of it after returning from the subjugation, you know?”
Baron Herrigan’s twisted expression stood in stark contrast to Liselotte’s.
Faced with an unexpected variable, he rushed to excuse himself.
“I-I mean, you continue doubting the collateral branch and nitpicking at us…”
“What matters is that this incident caused great losses to the House.”
Eren cut him off without listening any further.
At that forcefulness, Liselotte lightly rubbed her own arm with one hand.
‘This is the first time I’ve seen him like this.’
He wasn’t fuming like the others, but anyone could tell from his expression alone that he was angry.
Judging by the tension in Ail and Ferento’s jaws, it seemed everyone except her could feel it.
Catherine, clutching her fan like a shield, bravely stepped forward.
“B-b-but Masid is saying that because you didn’t t-treat him properly…”
“So he lost the trust of the retainers, and ignored the Grand Duchess’s order, who acted as my proxy?”
“…”
Terrified, she immediately shut her mouth.
Eren spoke firmly.
“I will not overturn the decision regarding Masid.”
With no escape to be found, one by one, the collateral branch representatives began turning their heads away.
As each gaze withdrew from him, Masid’s expression shifted—from shock, to desperation, and finally into a twisted mix of complicated emotions.
In the midst of all this, Liselotte calmly clapped her hands together—snap—and lightened the mood.
“Ah, I’ll also be billing you for the treatment costs for the senior priest!”
***
In the marble-lined corridor of the Gloria estate.
Even in a bright place, the maids had gathered in a quieter corner, whispering anxiously.
“Is it true?”
“I’m telling you it is. My younger sister heard it recently, so it’s definite.”
One of the maids, huddled with her shoulders drawn up, cautiously poked her head out to check the surroundings.
After confirming no one was there, she quickly continued.
“Then the East is handing the subjugation force over to the North?”
“Maybe so. I mean, Lady Diana’s illness still hasn’t improved, and she’s not married yet, and there’s no heir either.”
“True, and it’s not like His Highness Valen is going to come in as a son-in-law…”
“Wow, you’re right… What are they going to do? Is there no way another region could help?”
“I actually hinted to my father that he should look into moving to another region…”
As they each discussed the worries and possible measures they could take in the current situation,
A slightly innocent voice behind them posed a straightforward question.
“Which region?”
“Well, since the prices in the Central region are high, maybe the West or… kya!”
Without thinking, the maid answered automatically — until she turned and saw who had asked the question, and she jumped in shock.
“S-Sir Hedmilton!”
The maids hurriedly bowed their heads.
Headmilton, with a piece of bread still in his mouth, blinked round eyes and asked again.
“Why are you bowing? I just asked because I was curious.”
Soft curls the color of light brown mixed with cream.
A beauty mark beneath his eye and slightly upturned eyes that curved like a fox’s whenever he smiled.
Even with his light and friendly way of speaking, the maids quietly pressed their lips shut.
There was no one in House Gloria who didn’t know him.
Hedmilton was counted among the most capable retainers of the House.
No, it would be no exaggeration to say he was the most capable in the entire East.
Especially the contract he secured with the Magic Tower — something no other House had ever managed to secure — was known to everyone in the East.
Thanks to him, unlike other regions, the East could often be found using inexpensive magic tools for daily life.
Everyone also knew that he could never bring himself to refuse Diana’s requests.
One could tell just by how his cheeks flushed rosy whenever he spoke with her from time to time.
Thus, even if one day the House were to collapse, if Diana were still there, Hedmilton would unquestionably remain in House Gloria.
There was no way the maids had the courage to speak of the House’s problems in front of someone like him.
The maids pretended not to know anything and awkwardly forced their words onward.
“Ah, it was nothing. D-Did you have a good vacation?”
“Yeah. Probably?”
“Th-Then we’ll be on our way. H-Have a nice time!”
With a farewell that barely made sense, the maids hurried away at high speed.
As the people around him quickly scattered, Hedmilton blinked, shoved the last bite of bread into his mouth, and muttered,
“Am I scary? Why do they avoid me?”
Tilting his head slightly, he began walking as if nothing were wrong.
Someone passing by recognized him and greeted him.
“Hedmilton, you’re back.”
“Ah, Jar.”
Gulp.
Swallowing the bread in his mouth, Hedmilton smiled brightly at Jar, his fellow aide.
Unlike him, Jar’s expression was far from good.
“Sorry to bring this up the moment you’re back from vacation, but Aide Joyron has decided to take some time off.”
“Huh? Why? Did something happen?”
“He submitted a leave of absence. His wife is pregnant.”
“Then who’s doing the work?”
“You and me.”
Even at Jar’s firm answer, Hedmilton simply listened blankly with his usual clueless expression.
At a glance one might think he hadn’t understood, but Jar, used to this, simply sighed.
“And also, um… listen without being shocked.”
“I feel like there’s nothing left that could shock me anymore?”
“Well, that’s true too. Anyway… His Grace told us to manage the subjugation force for the time being.”
“…Why are we doing that?”
An aide’s job was to assist with administrative work; the subjugation force belonged entirely to the knight order.
Normally, the knight commanders handled everything from selecting subjugation force members to overseeing damage restoration. After that, they submitted reports, and aides like Hedmilton would organize and process those reports.
In other words, the subjugation force was absolutely not an area that people like them, who barely knew anything about it, should be managing.
