The guard commander chose his words carefully before giving the queen her next piece of news. She'd been in a bad mood ever since she returned from the slave market.
The slave she had bought had suddenly disappeared. Rachel was out of her mind with rage. But even after turning the woods and the nearest town upside down, she could not be found. With that in mind, Rachel was very annoyed.
And then there was this…
For the first ti, the knight got nervous before he started talking. The girl was in her desk chair: but she did not look at him, turning away to the window.
— Your Majesty…» the commander coughed, «Ralph Freundlich… He… Died.
The man heard sothing crunch in the study. It turned out — the glass, which Rachel had been holding in her hand until then, suddenly broke. The red liquid had spilled onto the floor.
— How did it happen? — coldly clarified the queen after a few seconds.
— The guards say it was suicide… He took the poison in secret.
— Suicide? — Rachael grinned icily, «Did that miserable rat really have the nerve to do sothing like that?
It didn't sound very realistic. Usually, people like him clung to their lives to the last. Even before the death penalty, they kept begging for rcy. So it's pretty obvious — that this raised Rachel's doubts.
— Do you suspect it was a set-up? — The knight nodded understandingly.
— Obviously he was murdered,» the girl replied nonchalantly, «Soone wants to stop us.
The commander hesitated involuntarily at those last words. Apparently: he had sothing he did not dare to tell us.
Rachel noticed the subordinate's strange behavior and frowned.
— What is it?
The man made no secret of it.
— After his death, the prison guards examined his body. And… They found sothing.
He slowly pulled out so folded paper. He walked over and put Rachel on the table.
— It was found under his clothes. Probably very valuable, so Freundlich kept it safe.
Rachel unfolded the docunt and read the first lines. Mute surprise froze montarily in her eyes. And afterwards…
— Ha! This lady really knows how to surprise.
The commander was quiet because he already knew what it said. But even so… He found it extrely hard to believe.
— Your Majesty, this is…
A docunt confirming the Archduchess Ashford's direct connection with the slave traders. It described in detail: that the girl not only provided material support to the slave market, but also participated in the kidnapping of people. The Archduchess' n took hostages from other empires to sell at auction.
It also stated that Lady Ashford was a regular visitor to the market and had a good relationship with the owner… The paper looked official, and it bore the seal of the House of Ashford.
After reading all this, Rachel couldn't help but chuckle ironically.
— I could see why she'd been after so insistently… it seed to have been part of her plan for a long ti.
The commander of the guards tried to object:
— Your Majesty, I don't think we should jump to conclusions…
— «Hasty?» What do you an? It seems pretty obvious.
— And yet…!
— It bears the official Ashford seal. Do you really think it's a fake?
The man hesitated.
— Your Majesty, I…
— Enough,» Rachel snapped, «This girl was deliberately going to get close to for her own purposes. I will never forgive the deception.
— But…!
The queen sighed and looked at him suspiciously.
— It's the first ti I've ever seen you stick up for soone. What's the matter? Do you know her?
The knight did not answer at once and looked away. At that mont he felt a twinge of conscience for having lied to his mistress for the first and only ti in his life.
He knew Lady Ashford — but had to pretend he did not. All for Her Majesty's well-being.
Six months ago, Camilla Fernandez had convinced him of that herself. Knowing that she could never remove the Queen's loyal man from her duties — instead she decided to get him on her side.
When it was discovered that Rachel had suddenly lost nearly half of her mories over the past few years — the knight imdiately intended to tell her everything.
But…
— Are you really going to do that? — Camille snuck up on him right outside the office when he was already grabbing the doorknob.
— What?
— Your mistress almost died because of that cunt. Do you want her to continue to suffer?
The commander of the guard remained unperturbed.
— Don't even try! I have no right to hide anything from Her Majesty.
Lady Fernandez grinned.
— Ha… Then go ahead. You will be the murderer of the last mber of the Cassius family.
The man's pupils dilated.
— What?!
— You've already seen everything. Her Majesty almost died if I hadn't saved her in ti. Do you really want her to end up like her father?
The knight didn't think about it at all before. But now…
Rupert Haggis began serving under Duke Cassius many years ago-as a teenager. Since then, he has renounced his na and his past to beco a loyal swordsman of the duchy. His loyalty and intentions have remained unwavering throughout that ti.
In ti, he beca the right hand of the duke's only daughter, Rachel Cassius. The man swore to serve her as faithfully as he served his forr master.
True, no one expected recent events to happen so swiftly. Rachel was the last descendant of the Cassius family — and if she were gone, the entire centuries-old line would cease to exist altogether. The knight could not allow that to happen.
Rupert's main concern was the well-being of the Cassius family. So… For the first ti, he broke his own oath and lied to his mistress. All this was only to save her life.
The knight felt guilty every ti he thought of it. And yet… I thought I was doing the right thing.
— «Of course I don't know her,» the man bowed his head obediently, «It's just… I think the Archduchess' reputation is too decent to be involved with such people.
— «Decent?» — Rachel chuckled,» Half the aristocrats behave like that, so what? Almost all of them are worse than trash.
The commander pressed his lips together. Even though the Cassius and Ashford families no longer had any connection with each other-it remained wrong to accuse her for nothing. The knight knew that Lady Ashford was not such a person.
— Your Majesty, the accusation is a very serious one. I think we should investigate first,» he ventured to insist.
Rachel frowned.
— If you really have nothing to do, do as you please.
For a mont the commander was relieved. He was about to thank the queen for her permission, but…
The expression on the girl's face remained cold.
— I have already warned her. It does not matter if she is the Archduchess or soone else,» she stood up and turned to the window, «If this girl really broke the law… I will not spare her.
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