As soon as the commotion began, the steward—who had been observing the situation from a distance—rushed off at the Grand Madam’s command and summoned the family knights.
The first to arrive at the scene was Jurin Baltos, the captain of the Pandion Duchy’s private knights. He was the son of a vassal family and had grown up as a milk brother to the Duke. Being close to the Duke, he naturally did not get along with Karia.
If it were just mild dislike, it wouldn’t be so different from others. But Baltos went out of his way to keep the two apart—standing guard in front of the Duke’s room under the guise of protecting him, refusing to disclose his whereabouts, and doing anything to isolate her.
He also rarely lent knights to accompany her, so it wasn’t unusual for Karia to go out with only a single new recruit.
When Karia frowned at the sight of Baltos in displeasure, the Grand Madam seized the moment and called out urgently.
“Sir Baltos! Over here at once! And seize this insolent—!”
“Stop right there.”
But Karia ordered the opposite. Normally, the knights would’ve obeyed the Grand Madam’s command. Strangely, however, what they heard and followed was Karia’s voice. Though they didn’t know why, her firm tone rooted them to the ground as if their feet were glued.
They didn’t realize it was the sheer force of her presence that compelled them.
Among the frozen knights, it was Jurin Baltos who asked for an explanation.
“What exactly is going on here?”
“Can’t you see?! This vulgar woman—!”
“The Grand Madam dares lay hands on a member of the royal family. It seems age has made her weary of life.”
Karia’s voice was emotionless, but her words were ice cold. Hidden within her refined tone was a chilling accusation—Are you so eager to die?
Had she ever shown such anger before? To Baltos, Karia had always been like a small, submissive creature, declawed and defanged. Timid and passive to the point of making others uncomfortable.
But now—what was that look in her eyes? Like a beast. Jurin Baltos, with his animal instincts, sensed something was very wrong.
The Grand Madam, however, was too busy defending herself to notice any change in Karia.
“Royal family? Ha! You married my son—you’re part of Pandion now! And so what if I tried to teach my daughter-in-law a little discipline?!”
“Royal status is granted at birth and takes precedence over any title one might acquire later. I didn’t expect someone as esteemed as the Grand Madam of Pandion to be so ignorant of the basic etiquette of noble society.”
Karia’s calm but authoritative argument shattered the Grand Madam’s excuse. No matter how prestigious the House of Pandion was, all noble families were subjects of the Imperial Family.
The laws of the Imperial House superseded all others, and a royal must be respected—regardless of what other titles they held.
“I am the Emperor’s niece and the Archduke’s daughter. Sixth in line to the throne, and officially listed in the imperial lineage. Yet no one in this house seems to recognize that.”
In Castaros, direct royal lineage extended to fourth-degree relatives of the Emperor. That meant if Karia had a child, that child would also be royalty. Even if the Crown Prince ascended the throne, she would still remain a direct member of the royal family.
To insult or harm royalty—especially deliberately—was a grave crime, punishable by immediate arrest. Even if the offender was a high-ranking noble or a mother-in-law.
“Captain of the Knights, escort the Grand Madam to her chambers. She is to rest until she calms down and reflects on her actions. Only then will I hear anything further.”
Though spoken gently, the order was clearly one of confinement. The knights looked nervously between the Duchess and the Grand Madam, unsure of what to do.
“W-What? What did you just say? Are you saying you’ll imprison me, your elder?!”
“Captain Baltos,” Karia said, releasing the Grand Madam’s wrist with a flick. She then dusted her hands as if she had touched something filthy.
Looking directly into the Grand Madam’s eyes, she continued in a flat, icy tone, without raising her voice:
“Oh, but if this becomes a royal investigation, you’ll at least lose your wrist. Is that what you want, Grand Madam?”
The Grand Madam grabbed the back of her neck, her blood pressure rising. Born and raised among nobles, she had never been threatened so viciously.
But Karia stood tall and unbothered. To an outsider, she would’ve appeared the victim, not the aggressor.
“I shall obey.”
In the end, Baltos raised his hand—in Karia’s favor. It was likely the first time since Karia had entered the Pandion household that such a thing had happened.
As the Grand Madam was escorted away by two knights, groaning and sighing theatrically in an attempt to guilt-trip Karia, she didn’t even flinch—let alone withdraw her order.
“Steward.”
“Yes, my lady!”
Karia called the steward who had been silently observing. He rushed over and bowed deeply.
Years of serving nobles had made him extremely perceptive.
Like the other servants, he had previously dismissed Karia, who had always been at the mercy of the Grand Madam. But now, his instincts told him she was no longer to be underestimated.
Karia looked down at him silently before speaking in a cool, even tone.
“Bring me the household ledgers and the records of the mistress’s duties to my room. Immediately.”
“Y-Yes? But, uh, the Grand Madam has always handled—”
“I lived in peace because the wise Grand Madam handled things so well. But after today, I see that was a mistake. Age must have taken her wits along with her strength. So, I suppose it’s time I do what I should have done long ago.”
The steward knew that wasn’t true, but he didn’t dare argue. He simply bowed his head and accepted the order.
As the steward scurried off, Karia slowly turned to face the remaining servants—those who hadn’t yet run away.
Some were clearly frightened. Others pretended not to see. A few still wore defiant expressions.
Interesting, she thought.
Karia took mental note of each of them, recalling exactly how they had wronged her in the past.
There was one thing she knew that they didn’t: every action comes with a price.
If you slap someone, you’d better be ready to be slapped back.
Equivalent exchange was a fundamental law of the world—simple and absolute.
And as an alchemist, no one was better at calculations than her.
She had been the greatest alchemist in history.
Now it was time to return everything she’d received—with interest.
