If I Disobey the Duke

Mistake (8)

Ivan, who was covering his mouth with his chin on the table, rolled his eyes.

A young man with a modest and handsome appearance who sat in the next seat opposite him stepped on Ivan’s feet.

“Excuse my discourtesy, but even if the lord wants to take the head of the sinner, the development of the port cannot be delayed any longer…” said Ivan.

The chief administrator had light brown hair and was wearing round glasses. He was a young man with the appearance of a typical scholar.

He looked at Vlad with restlessness as he sat on a cushion of thorns. “Priest. Please be quiet…”

“Honestly, it makes my stomach ache to even open the door to the port. Sometimes we go through Cadis, but…”

“Ivan.”

The voice was terrifyingly heavy.

The vassals frowned and turned their heads.

Vlad’s jaw was still clenched and his eyes were fixed on Ivan.

Ivan slowly averted his eyes.

“And Hans.”

The chief administrator shuddered.

“Other than those two, please leave.”

They rushed out like grasshoppers.

Ivan glared at the rapidly emptying hall. “Traitors…”

The urge to shut Ivan’s mouth and the fear of being called by the lord soared to the point where Hans wanted to cry.

Vlad looked indifferently at Hans, who was shaking like a leaf. “Did Lily pardon him?”

“Yes?” Hans, who had been stumped for a moment at the random question, quickly shook his head. “That… If you’re talking about that guy, no. Madam has not yet found an administrative officer.”

Vlad’s eyes narrowed.

Ivan, who had seemingly lost his sanity, opened his mouth. “My lord, you must have been thinking of Madam the entire time, haven’t you?”

“…”

Silence was affirmation.

Ivan picked up the map in front of Hans and waved it around. “To give such an important opinion, the chief administrator hung his head and came to this meeting, but no one listened!”

“I never hung my head…”

“I was thinking of something far more valuable than the chief administrator’s neck.”

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“This discussion is more important since it concerns the opening of this land.”

“Ivan.” Vlad tapped the armrest with his index finger. “Know that if you bring up that matter in front of me again, I’m going to rip open all the skulls of those who thought of it.”

Ivan’s arm dropped. His blue eyes had an unusually dark tint.

Hans glanced at them and sneaked in the conversation. “I don’t think the people of Cadis can live on this land forever.  At the very least, I thought a little that it should be opened to other estates, my lord.”

Vlad clicked his tongue in annoyance. “I’m sure outsiders will leave the disabled in the territory walls.”

Disabled. It was a new title defined by Arcadia’s decree for those who were often called those who were hated by God.

Ivan ruffled his shiny blonde hair as if frustrated. “Can’t we come up with a solution? As the title of the disabled is coined, there will be a transitional period, but it is something that must be dealt with…”

“The Servant Priest of the Knights of Winter plans to place such a blessing on the gravestones of those who will die in the transition.”

“…”

Ivan’s mouth closed like a clam.

“Also.” Vlad slowly leaned back on the backrest. It was like a lion starting to stretch. “Even with the harshest possible punishment, prostitution will not go away even in Cadis. Like rats who survive by eating filth, there will be no end.”

Vlad’s gray eyes were vicious, like he would catch those people right away and twist their necks with his own hands.

“Tristan. He, a commoner, was trying to sell the the servants of my castle into prostitution. Is he so unfamiliar with the rumors that he took such a risk?”

Ivan kept his mouth shut and lowered his gaze. He knew better than to answer rhetorical questions.

Reluctantly, Hans answered timidly, “The maids… Probably because he sells them at a high price to sadistic perverts.”

In other territories, it was not a sin to abuse those who were hated by God.

Vlad tilted his head crookedly. “If you understand, don’t talk bullshit in front of me anymore.”

And that put a period on the discussion.

The duke raised his chin and sighed exasperatedly.

Hans’ eyebrows twitched. “Are you still pardoning him? That Tristan…” He pushed up his glasses.

Unlike his right hand, Hans’s left hand only had his thumb and two fingers. It was a congenital anomaly.

Vlad looked somewhat disturbed rather than fierce.

Ivan and Hans couldn’t believe their eyes.

“If Lily looks for him, tell the chieftain to report to me without delay.”

“Are you determined to kill Madam’s friend?”

At Ivan’s question, Vlad cast a blasé look at them.