Nikolai was drinking white wine in a far corner of the main reception hall of the royal palace. He was one of the first to arrive at the Royal Ball of Crow, although the official part was still far off. But his journey to the capital had taken several weeks, and the return trip would take just as long. If the railway were ready, perhaps he could have arrived here in a few days and returned home in the same amount of time. The young man shuddered slightly at the thought that for a few days in the capital, he had to spend weeks traveling, and then the same amount of time going back. The Duke greatly disliked such lengthy journeys, especially when most of the time he had to bounce his backside in a carriage. He sighed sadly again, thinking about the way back, wishing the railway on which the train would travel were already finished. But, unfortunately for him, the man understood that this was still just a dream.

  The Duke decided to scan the reception hall once more and noticed Viscount Mol. When his gaze met the Viscount's, Nikolai saw horror in Lord Vasily's eyes, but he only smiled to himself, albeit somewhat bitterly. Of course, he didn't like the method Alisa had used to carry out her master's orders, but the young man understood that part of the blame for what happened lay with him as well. If he had given the dryad clearer instructions, perhaps the outcome could have been achieved without victims. But what was done was done; the girl had achieved the result, yet the Duke still felt a pain in his chest for such a brutally executed order. Now he understood why his father had tried not to use dryads in his work and governance of the duchy, even though he had handled it terribly badly. Of the three sons of Duke Gregory, one had disappeared, the second had been killed by his own father, as Nikolai had discovered, and the third was now trying to sort out the mess in their duchy. Nikolai himself had never wanted to become a Duke; he would have been content with the life of an official in the Royal Palace, for which he had been preparing, even planning to enter the Royal Academy of Crow. But his father's "death" had forced the young man to take on responsibilities he had never sought. Of course, one could say Nikolai was without ambition, and that would be absolutely true. And now a huge burden of responsibility weighed on him.

  Once again, the young man sighed wearily and took a small sip of wine to gather his thoughts. Count Crown had not yet arrived at the ball, but all the gears of the mechanism were already set in motion. It was only a matter of time before he settled accounts with his family's traitor. In the meantime, he could enjoy the wine and the ball itself. As soon as Nikolai made this decision, he saw an old man moving towards him with the aid of a cane, and once again the Duke sighed wearily.

  "Your Grace, the Duke of Wood, is that correct?" the old man said as soon as he reached the young man.

  "Yes, that's right. To whom do I have the honor of speaking?" Nikolai said, trying to hide the weariness in his voice.

  "Lord Howard, Viscount Lines, serving Lord Eduard, Count Sky," the old man introduced himself. Nikolai looked at the man but said nothing, expecting the conversation to turn to the railway, and he was absolutely right. "I thank you for your proposal regarding the lease of unused land. It will help straighten out the financial situation of the Starr Barony over the next few years, as well as facilitate the construction of the railway."

  "Not at all, it wasn't I who proposed it, but my vassals," Nikolai replied, smiling slightly at the old man standing opposite him.

  "Don't be modest, Your Grace. Everyone is well aware of your wisdom, as well as the wisdom of your father," Viscount Lines said, gesturing to a servant to bring him some wine. "It's no wonder they say you are good at getting rid of parasites that eat the leaves in your Deep Forest, especially those that live in the treetops, which they say are particularly difficult to reach."

  The Duke looked at the Viscount, trying to read something from his manner of speaking, his gait, his facial expressions. To Nikolai's surprise, which he tried to hide, nothing was clear. It was as if he was facing a living mannequin, utterly incapable of showing emotion. The Duke was curious how a man so far from his lands could have learned that Count Crown was planning to overthrow his Duke. But more surprising was how he understood that Nikolai had a plan to get rid of this "pest."

  "Forgive me for confusing you, Your Grace," Howard continued when he noticed Nikolai pondering his words. "I did not mean to offend you."

  "No, not at all, Lord Howard. I'm simply surprised that you are so well informed about the parasites inhabiting the treetops," Nikolai smiled, then leaned slightly forward, closer to the Viscount so that only he could hear. "Surely you don't want to help the parasites survive?"

  "Not at all, Your Grace, the thought never crossed my mind," the old man chuckled for the first time during the conversation. "It's just that they say Viscount Mol has suffered a misfortune in his family. What a tragedy—to lose his wife and newborn daughter."

  "Yes, we are all looking for the scoundrels who did this, Lord Howard. Don't worry, we will certainly protect our kingdom from such atrocities," Nikolai said just as quietly.

  "The main thing is that these, as you put it, 'scoundrels' aren't here with us in the same banquet hall. Viscount Mol seems to be avoiding your gaze quite intently," the Viscount replied, taking a sip of wine. "A wonderful harvest this year. And now, if you'll excuse me, Your Grace, I need to speak with some other respected individuals. One rarely gets the chance to converse in person with such a large gathering of noble people. As you know, letters take a long time, and important matters are best discussed personally."

  "I completely agree with you, Lord Howard. You may go. Soon you won't have time for conversing with noble people," Nikolai smiled, also sipping his wine.

  The old man looked at the Duke with his lifeless eyes, said nothing, merely nodded in acknowledgment, and continued on his way through the ball, heading towards Countess Root, Lady Elizabeth, who was at that moment conversing with her daughter Lady Louise, Countess Hart, wife of Lord Ackerly, Count Hart. Well, at least now the Duke understood the source of the information the old man had mentioned. It was good that Elizabeth, unlike Pyotr, was not so crazed with power as to betray her Duke. Although according to Viscount Mol, Count Crown had wanted to win her over to his side, but the woman had decided to wait a bit to learn exactly how Lord Pyotr planned to overthrow his Duke. On one hand, Nikolai could understand her hesitation. On the other hand, by showing such an indecisive position, one could end up losing, by not clearly siding with either of the opposing parties. But as the Duke of Wood himself saw it, this was more a problem of his own reign and his father's. As far as the young man knew, all previous generations of the Root and Crown families had been loyal to the Wood family, even in the most difficult and unpleasant situations, such as the occupation of the former kingdom of Wood by the former kingdom of Blood. Even then, the leaders of these families had remained loyal to the leader of the Wood family. Apparently, not a trace remained of that former loyalty, after the former kingdom was reconquered and became a mere duchy, and old enemies became new relatives.

  Nikolai let out another weary sigh, chasing these thoughts from his head. He had to be a strong personality; he needed to show everyone this evening that no one should trifle with him: neither the other Dukes, nor his own Counts, nor even the King and his family. He would protect his land from all enemies, internal or external.

  Continuing to ponder in this vein, the Duke didn't hear the herald announce the arrival of a guest. But Nikolai saw the girl herself and couldn't take his eyes off her, she was so mesmerizing: long blonde curls, almost touching the ground; a beautiful white dress so thin and airy it was hard to imagine, yet long enough to reach the girl's feet. The Duke noticed it concealed her bare feet. He also gasped in surprise when the girl turned her back to him, revealing her bare back, covered only by her luxurious curls, and the complete absence of a corset. It wasn't hard to guess who this girl was, even though Nikolai had been lost in his thoughts when she was announced.

  Vanessa Crow.

  Only this reckless girl was forgiven everything—even such extraordinary antics and such a careless, yet still beautiful, appearance for a ball. As if noticing the young man's gaze, the girl began to walk towards him. Or rather, it could be said she glided, so delicate and gentle was her gait in that marvelous dress. The Duke wanted to straighten up, but then caught himself: why should he? He wasn't dressed in anything extraordinary, unlike the princess slowly moving towards him. He wore an ordinary green tailcoat with gold embroidery, on the back of which were two coats of arms: a tree with a huge crown and roots—the coat of arms of the Wood family; and a crow with a crown on its head—the coat of arms of the Crow family.

  "Duke of Wood," Vanessa smiled at Nikolai, snapping him out of his stupor when she finally reached him.

  "Your Highness, Lady Vanessa," the Duke greeted the girl, trying to hide his confusion.

  "Not at all, Duke. You may address me simply as Lady Vanessa," the princess smiled her captivating smile, making Nikolai's heart beat faster for some reason.

  "As you wish, Lady Vanessa," said the Duke of Wood, feeling a slight awkwardness standing next to such a beautiful girl. "I would..."

  "VANESSA!" a female cry rang out, interrupting the Duke. Nikolai was about to protest, but he examined the disturber of the peace who was walking towards them, clicking her long heels.

  It wasn't hard to recognize this girl either: she wore a long, black, fluffy dress, but not as light as Vanessa's; on the contrary, it seemed the girl's fragile figure inside it might break. Her black hair was neatly gathered in a bun on her head, and she wore numerous adornments—rings, a necklace on her chest, even the pins in her hair supporting the hairstyle glittered with something. Comparing her to the princess standing beside him, Nikolai realized that Lady Vanessa wore no jewelry at all.

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  *The main adornment is yourself,* the Duke thought, but didn't dare say it aloud. And at that moment, the girl who had interrupted him reached him.

  Carolina Crow, Vanessa's younger half-sister and the twin sister of the current Prince Regent.

  "What is this attire, Vanessa?!" the princess said in a thin voice, but in raised tones, addressing her sister, completely ignoring the Duke.

  "Forgive me, Your Highness, Lady Carolina," Nikolai answered for the girl, stepping slightly in front of her, feeling he needed to intervene. Besides, the fact that the younger princess was ignoring him stung his pride a little. "Her Highness, Lady Vanessa, and I were engaged in a social conversation, and you are interrupting us in such a tactless manner."

  Carolina seemed to notice Nikolai only now, as he stood shielding her sister, and looked at the young man before her with incomprehension.

  *She doesn't recognize me,* Nikolai thought, waiting for some reaction from the second princess. But the fact that Lady Vanessa, renowned throughout the kingdom as slightly simple-minded and not of this world, knew perfectly well that she was approaching the Duke of Wood—one of the four Dukes in the kingdom, a man who owned and governed one-fourth of the entire kingdom—while her younger sister couldn't even say that, struck Nikolai as rather strange.

  "Please, honorable lord, would you step away from my sister?" Carolina said, grasping her dress with her hands, squeezing it slightly, apparently trying to hide her bewilderment and anger.

  But again, Nikolai didn't have time to answer, as he heard heavy footsteps and a familiar voice, laced with notes of hatred, much to his regret.

  "You!" shouted Lord Pyotr, ignoring the herald who was announcing him, heading straight for the Duke of Wood. "How dare you do such things to your vassals, you monster!!!"

  After such words, even the musicians in the ballroom stopped playing, and almost all the aristocrats and their servants focused their attention on Lord Pyotr, who now stood near the Duke and the two princesses.

  "Forgive me, Your Highnesses, Lady Carolina and Lady Vanessa. Would you please step away from this monster who for some reason calls himself the Duke of Wood!" cried Count Crown, attracting even more attention to the scene. Nikolai noticed Viscount Lines observing him with interest, waiting to see what the young Duke would do.

  "So this is what the Duke of Wood looks like now," Lady Carolina muttered quietly, still standing before Nikolai, who continued to shield Vanessa with his small frame. To his surprise, Vanessa was taller than him, though the young man hadn't noticed this immediately.

  "Lord Pyotr, kneel before your Duke," Nikolai said quietly, averting his gaze from Carolina and directing it towards Count Crown. Behind him, he saw both his daughters slowly approaching: Angelica and Anastasia, clearly watching the scene their father had created with interest and bewilderment.

  "A monster like you cannot call himself Duke!" Lord Pyotr spoke again in raised tones, drawing more and more nobles around them.

  "Kneel," Nikolai said just as quietly and calmly, ignoring the Count's squealing. It wasn't time to start the performance yet, because *he* hadn't yet arrived. The Duke of Storm, the Duke of Celestial, and the Duchess of Blood, Nikolai noticed in the crowd.

  "A fratricide like you cannot order a noble gentleman to kneel!" Pyotr continued to shout, seemingly ignoring everyone present. But Nikolai understood that he, too, needed this scene to overthrow the Duke. He just had to wait for the King, and then all the actors would be in place.

  This time Nikolai didn't answer him, continuing to look at Count Crown, who kept insulting his Duke, attracting more and more attention. The young man knew he didn't need to do anything now, just wait for His Majesty to appear and find out what was happening. Fortunately for the Duke of Wood, this happened quite quickly.

  "His Majesty, Lord Idivig, Prince Regent of Crow! And also His Majesty, Lord Arthur IV, Crown Prince of Crow!" the herald announced, and the doors leading further into the palace opened, admitting the future monarch and his current deputy.

  The young men entered the hall, and almost all the nobles, except the Dukes, the princesses, and Count Crown, knelt in greeting and respect to their Kings. Lord Idivig, as Nikolai had thought, immediately noticed the commotion and his sisters, who were closest to him, and immediately headed towards them, passing by all the aristocrats in his way. Arthur, unlike the King, did not rush to investigate the situation but instead intently surveyed the hall, as if looking for someone.

  "What is happening here?" the Prince Regent asked in his quite calm voice, in whose tones one could hear some displeasure that the Royal Ball of Crow was turning into some kind of farce.

  *Now everyone is in place,* Nikolai thought and mentally gathered his courage. He couldn't afford to make a mistake now, to get rid of the old pig who only thought about power.

  "I greet you, Your Majesty," Nikolai said and knelt on one knee before the King, bowing his head. Count Crown did the same, but silently.

  "I will repeat my question: what is happening here? Is the Royal Ball of Crow truly a place for settling internal disagreements publicly, Duke of Wood?" said the Prince Regent, addressing Nikolai.

  "Of course not, Your Majesty," the Duke replied, not raising his head. "I am sorry that Count Crown is spoiling this magnificent celebration with his unworthy behavior."

  "Your Majesty!" cried Lord Pyotr. "It is absolutely unacceptable that..."

  "Silence," Lord Idivig interrupted the Count. "I have not yet asked for your word, Count Crown. You are truly not showing yourself in the best light, disgracing the Duchy of Wood."

  Pyotr bowed his head and fell silent, waiting to be allowed to speak again. At that moment, the figure of the Crown Prince appeared from behind Lord Idivig, and he said:

  "Dear sisters, perhaps you should step away from this minor conflict. You look as if you're participants," Lord Arthur smiled sweetly, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere a little.

  There was no answer, but Nikolai felt a small hand on his shoulder, squeezing it slightly. The Duke decided not to raise his head to check if it was Lady Vanessa, for she was the only one near him. Otherwise, it could ruin his plans; he needed composure now to remove the weed from his garden. He also didn't hear Lady Carolina's heels clicking, so apparently both girls had decided to stay in place.

  "Apparently, your proposal has been rejected, my brother," Lord Idivig smiled softly, lightly ruffling the future king's hair. Of course, this wasn't the behavior to display in public, especially towards the future king, but none of the nobles could object to such conduct now. "Since Lord Arthur's proposal has not been accepted by our sisters, let us return to this matter, resolve it, and then continue our celebration. Well, Count Crown, you may speak now."

  Nikolai again felt the King's gaze on him, but there was no aggression in it, rather interest. Lord Idivig apparently understood that this conflict was unlikely to be resolved peacefully, after all, Count Crown wanted to overthrow his Duke. On the other hand, he probably had no idea how Nikolai planned to extricate himself from this situation. Lord Pyotr, meanwhile, rose from his knees and seemed to address everyone present in the hall.

  "Your Majesty and all respected nobles of our kingdom, as well as the guests who have come to this wonderful ball, forgive me for this impertinence in causing such a..."

  "Lord Pyotr, no need to ramble and waste words. Get to the point," the Prince Regent Idivig interrupted Count Crown again.

  "As Your Majesty wishes," the portly man replied, but no displeasure was visible on his face. After all, Count Crown had lived among the nobility for several decades and knew how to control his emotions. And this whole performance was clearly staged specifically to humiliate the Duke of Wood. "I wish to accuse the Duke of Wood of murdering Lady Victoria, Countess Mol, as well as her newborn daughter—Lady Nadezhda!"

  A thunderous silence fell over the banquet hall, and after a moment, many nobles began quietly whispering among themselves, discussing what the Count had just said. Only the other Dukes and the King remained silent, though not for long.

  "Do you have evidence, Count Crown? This is a serious accusation, and if you cannot substantiate it, I'm afraid the Duke of Wood may even strip you of your title and authority for such a bold accusation, if not execute you for treason," Lord Idivig said, awaiting the old geezer's reaction.

  "Yes, of course, Your Majesty!" cried Lord Pyotr. "As you know, Viscount Mol is my assistant, and he immediately reported everything to me! Also, my daughter Lady Angelica, who was in the service of our Duke himself for several weeks, has stated that His Grace, Lord Nikolai, ordered his servant to execute the Viscount's family!"

  "I understand that Lady Angelica and Lord Vasily are present at the ball?" asked the Prince Regent, addressing the crowd more than anyone in particular.

  "Yes, Your Majesty. I greet you," said the girl in the green dress, stepping forward slightly to approach her father. Unlike the old Count, Angelica hid her emotions poorly, and it was evident she felt some disgust at standing next to him.

  "Yes, Your Majesty," said Viscount Mol in a slightly trembling voice, trying to hide his nervousness and pallor, but he too stepped forward towards the Prince Regent.

  "Good. I am also glad to greet you, my guests, even in such unpleasant circumstances," Lord Idivig smiled. "Allow me to ask you a few questions, servants of our kingdom."

  "Yes, Your Majesty," Angelica and Vasily answered in unison.

  "Well then, Lord Vasily, Viscount Mol, allow me to begin with you?" said the Prince Regent, even softening his tone somewhat, apparently trying to calm Vasily.

  "As you wish, Your Highness," the man replied quietly, his eyes lowered to the floor.

  "Thank you. Now allow me to ask my first question: your wife, Lady Victoria, is she truly dead?"

  "Yes, Your Majesty."

  "And your daughter? Lady Nadezhda, if I heard Count Crown correctly."

  "Yes, Your Majesty, she is also dead."

  "Did they both die of natural causes? Could it have been complications from childbirth?"

  "No, Your Majesty."

  "Then they died by violence?"

  "Yes, Your Majesty."

  "They were murdered?"

  "Yes, Your Majesty."

  "Do you know, Lord Vasily, who murdered them?"

  At these words, Viscount Mol faltered and turned even paler, not lifting his gaze from the floor. Nikolai knew what the man was thinking about. His dryad was still near his son. If he said something other than what the Duke of Wood wanted to hear today, nothing and no one would save the last member of his family from inevitable death. On the other hand, might he want revenge and betray his Duke at the very last moment? Nikolai knew what the Viscount would choose.

  "Yes, Your Majesty," Viscount Mol finally answered after a short pause.

  "Do not worry, Lord Vasily. I can protect your family members from other nobles, considering almost all of them are present here. So you can speak honestly and without fear about who killed your family," Lord Idivig said just as softly, but his face did not show that same softness. On the contrary, it was quite calm and hard, as if the King could accept any decision that fell on his shoulders. But Nikolai knew what was going through Viscount Mol's mind at that moment.

  *You can save me from Nikolai, but you cannot save my son from her!* These were approximately the thoughts pursuing Vasily. Even without looking in his direction, the Duke of Wood knew everything was going according to his plan.

  "Count Crown," the man blurted out, closing his eyes, letting a few tears fall, and dropping to his knees.