Grand Duke Rasmus looked at the person before him with narrowed eyes, his heavy stare causing the surrounding atmosphere to turn a few degrees colder.

Even men would find themselves shivering under the gravity of the grand duke's scrutinizing gaze, let alone a woman. They would have long fled. But the bulky woman before the grand duke remained standing in attention, seemingly unaffected by the pressure he was emitting.

Grand Duke Rasmus' face turned sullen. When Carlton the butler informed him that an unusual candidate for Ingrid's lady-in-waiting appeared, he thought Carlton meant unusual behavior, not unusual in size.

The woman was as tall as the male soldiers that escorted her to the grand duke's audience chamber. It's best to know that the soldiers that guard the grand duke's palace were specifically chosen by Carlton for their remarkable height and physique. He calls them show knights. They were meant to bring terror to the outsiders so they would think twice before trying anything funny within the grand duke's territory.

However, though they are called show knights, their height and muscles aren't just for show. They are still well-trained soldiers, capable of overpowering some of the strongest knights in the imperial army.

When Carlton first saw the woman among the candidates for lady-in-waiting, he was instantly drawn. It was hard not to be when the woman towered over the other candidates. She stood there like a rigid soldier, her muscles bulging from within the dress she was wearing. It seemed like one wrong movement and the poor fabric that barely fit her body would instantly rip.

Not to mention the way she walked like a waddling penguin. It was quite obvious she'd never worn a dress before. If she were a spy, she was one hell of a failure.

"You say your name is Iris," Grand Duke Rasmus started, his deep voice booming within the enclosed room. "I don't believe your purpose in coming here is as what you said in your application. I'm not much of a fool to believe that a seasoned soldier like you is here to become a mere lady-in-waiting."

Iris bowed and said in a genuine compliment, "As expected of your highness, nothing escapes your eyes."

Even in her home country, no one ever guessed that she's a soldier when she's out in public without her military uniform. She had been mistaken as a matador, a mason, a mercenary, and some other things, but only those who were in the same line of work as she managed to guess her real occupation.

Iris stood straight and looked directly at the grand duke. "I am here under the command of my prince, Prince Aleric."

The faces of the people in the room instantly turned ugly.

But Iris, unbothered by their sharp stares, simply continued, "I am proficient in both combat and nullification magic. Apart from his highness, Prince Aleric's magic, there is no magic I can't nullify—something I believe you are in desperate need of."

"Insolent! You are in the presence of the grand duke!" Cried one of the show guards as they pointed their spears at her.

Grand Duke Rasmus waved his hand, and the soldiers reluctantly recalled their spears and went back to their positions. The grand duke gave Iris a calculating gaze. The way she quickly admitted whom she was affiliated with made him even more wary.

"And what might your master's motive be for sending a capable person such as yourself here?" Elias, who was standing on the grand duke's right, asked.

"Nothing," Iris answered in a monotonous tone. "Having witnessed the young lady's plight, his highness, in the kindness of his heart, simply wished to lend a helping hand. For a span of a year starting today, I, Iris, have been commanded to serve and protect the young lady Ingrid of the house of Lennox even at the cost of one's own life..."

Grand Duke Rasmus remained sitting in the audience chamber after everyone had left. There was a complicated expression on his face as he stared at the empty space.

"Does the prince truly have no ulterior motive?" Elias asked, jolting the grand duke from his deep thought.

"He does," Grand Duke Rasmus answered. "But not towards my daughter. He's after something else." Or why would he ask him to hide the fact that Iris served under him? Not to mention the way he massacred King Oliver's spies without any regard for his daughter.

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Grand Duke Rasmus should have been happy that he had one less person to worry about. But for some reason, he felt a bit displeased at the knowledge that the prince had no affection towards his precious child. How dare he not like his daughter?! His daughter is literally perfect in every sense. She's lovely, kind, smart, and extremely beautiful!

It was a rather ironic thought for the grand duke to have when he had gauged the eyes of countless men, in a literal and metaphorical passion, all because they dared lay their eyes on Ingrid.

"How's my daughter? Has she awakened?"

Elias shook his head. "According to the physician, apart from her sprained ankle, the young lady did not suffer any other physical injury. But what she witnessed must have terrified her. The physician said not to worry. The young lady will soon wake up."

Grand Duke Rasmus heaved a deep sigh. He once again found a reason to complain against the prince. He's fairly certain Prince Aleric was the one who massacred those black-clad figures that day. Those Serunian men died in a similar fashion as those from the fallen empire of Idan—where the title barbaric firmly became attached to Prince Aleric's name.

There was a rumor that a merchant who unknowingly traveled through the empire went insane after what he witnessed there. According to that merchant, heaps of dead bodies were scattered on the barren streets of the empire, none of which were intact. It didn't seem like they died under the mercy of a sword. Rather, it was as though a horde of beasts ravaged the empire—leaving not a single thread of life behind.

Grand Duke Rasmus did not believe such an absurd tale the first time he heard of it. But when he saw what was left of the men that tried to abduct his daughter, he was instantly reminded of the story of the mad merchant.

"Onto some other news, my lord. Count Servin has expressed his wishes to withdraw his investment in our housing project."

Grand Duke Rasmus hummed in response as though it was something he expected. The news of what happened during the hunting competition had long spread like wildfire. Though the palace made every effort to contain the news, the grand duke did not trouble himself to stop it from spreading. This caused some unwanted rumors to arise, the most prominent among them being the rumor that the grand duke and the emperor apparently had a falling out.

It did not help that Emperor Cecil kept scolding the grand duke in the presence of his ministers during the court's morning session. Some nobles saw it as a sign and began to choose sides.

"Also a letter from Baron Alder arrived this morning."

Elias handed Grand Duke Rasmus a letter enclosed in a luxurious brown envelope.

Grand Duke Rasmus scoffed upon reading the content of the letter. "Ha! He's saying that the Alder Merchant Group would no longer do business with our grand dukedom for the foreseeable future and that he is deeply regretful. He said bandits have been increasingly active around the grand dukedom, and he is uncomfortable risking his goods and staff's safety."

"What a load of crap!" Elias sneered in amusement. "They could have at least used a more believable excuse. Bandits? Around the grand dukedom? That is by far the most ridiculous joke I've ever heard!"

Grand Duke Rasmus shook his head and handed the letter back to Elias. "Send the baron a response. Tell him we are willing to provide guard knights to ensure their safety. Upon his response, send him a letter of our deepest regret."

Elias smiled knowingly and bowed, "As you wish, my lord."

Grand Duke Rasmus knew that even if he offered to guard his merchant group himself, Baron Alder wouldn't change his mind. Hence, the second letter. The first letter was simply to keep up pretense.

////////\

Ingrid dreamed that she was in front of a long table filled with mountains of dishes. She looked down and found that her hands had become smaller, and so had her body. Now her feet could barely reach the floor. No wonder why she felt like her field of view had become shorter.

The table overflowed with food—so much she couldn't even begin to identify it all. Despite the mouthwatering dishes, however, she lacked the appetite to eat. Instead, the sight of them made her nauseous.

"Eat!" roared a commanding voice.

Ingrid's shoulder jumped in fright. With a snap, her head pivoted towards the owner of the voice, and her body shook.

She couldn't see the face of the man as though there was a fog covering it. Yet she was able to recognize who it was. Her muscles spasmed as a horribly familiar fear crept from within her heart.

"I said eat!" the man slammed his palm on the table. Several dishes clattered on the floor.

Tears rolled down Ingrid's cheeks in an endless wave. She tried to reach for the cutlery, but her body, paralyzed with fear, wouldn't move.

"WHY WON'T YOU EAT?!" The man roughly grabbed Ingrid's jaw and forcefully squeezed it open.

Ingrid whimpered in pain. She desperately grabbed the man's hand in an attempt to free herself, but it only aggravated him. He squeezed her jaw even tighter and started stuffing her mouth with whatever he could grab on the table.

"I said eat! Eat! Eat! Eat!"

Ingrid's eyes widened. Her face turned red then blue as the food blocked her airway. But the man kept stuffing food in her mouth without any signs of stopping.

Ingrid flailed her arms widely in her desperation to breathe. Just when she thought she would truly die, she felt a hand hold hers. The hand holding her radiated a soothing warmth. Slowly, the erratic beating of her heart turned to a steady calm.

The choking sensation in her throat suddenly vanished alongside the scene before her.

Ingrid opened her eyes and found herself in her bedroom. Every mana lamp in her room was lit, so not even a shadow of darkness could be seen. She felt a pang of disappointment when found that there was no one there.

Her eyes traveled down her hand. They felt rather cold and empty. She stared at them with an unreadable expression for a very long time.