"Your Grace!" The Minister of Revenue stammered, his face turning an ugly shade of gray as he looked at the trail of blood sliding down Ace’s sword, "This is an imperial decree! To defy the Crown Prince is—"

"Treason?" Ace interrupted.

His jaw tightened as he stepped closer, forcing the imperial commander to tilt his head back to avoid the blade.

"The Alvarez iron cavalry answers only to the Emperor’s seal. Until the crown prince wears the sun crown, his decrees are nothing but expensive scrap paper to me. Move your men back, or I will leave their heads on the palace steps before sunrise."

The silence that followed was heavy enough to suffocate everyone to death.

The imperial guards froze, their hands hovering over their swords. They were fully aware that the northern cavalry outnumbered them three to one and lacked any concept of capital politics.

And they were more so aware of the Duke of North’s influence and prowess.

Evelina watched the scene quietly, her thoughts unreadable.

In fact... as she witnessed the view, she felt like... Ace’s fury was magnificent right now, and he was acting exactly like the kind of man that high society loved to read about in poetries and novels. Even, she liked it in her previous life.

But right now, she felt like it was a terrible business strategy.

If Ace spilled imperial blood here, Elian would have the perfect excuse to lock the Alvarez family out of the capital courts permanently.

Ace had ’zero’ clue that his act of protecting his wife was already declared as a ’bad strategy’.

The man was standing at his business when Evelina stepped forward.

She placed her hand directly over Ace’s leather-gloved fingers, right on the hilt of his sword.

"Lower the blade, Your Grace," Evelina commanded smoothly.

Ace paused. A hint of concern crossing his face. He probably scared by showing her this side of him. Evelina was gentle as a flower, she couldn’t probably bear the sight of blood.

Despite thinking that way, Ace didn’t look back at her, his eyes still locked on the guards, "Close your eyes and let me deal with it."

"I can handle it," The man was obstinate to a fault but Evelina wasn’t the one to back off.

Ace’s chest heaved.

For a second, the territorial beast inside him looked ready to defy her just to wipe the arrogance off that crown prince.

But then, with an immense amount of restraint that made his forearm tremble, Ace pulled the broadsword back.

He didn’t sheath it though, as if he was ready to use it any moment.

Evelina turned her attention back to the minister, who was currently wiping sweat from his forehead with a silk handkerchief.

"Sir," Evelina addressed him calmly, "You said you came to investigate tax evasion and register the inventory, correct?"

"Y-yes, Duchess," the man stuttered, glancing nervously at Ace’s resting sword, "The Crown Prince requires a full accounting of the luxury linen stored here."

"Excellent," A smile bloomed on Evelina’s face, making her dirtied face look beautiful still, "Then let us do an accounting. My head clerk, bring the ledger."

The trembling clerk rushed forward, handing over a thick leather-bound book.

Evelina didn’t look at the pages; she knew every number by heart.

"Three warehouses," Evelina stated, her voice carrying across the quiet docks, "Containing exactly forty thousand rolls of high-grade northern flax and refined linen, fully cleared by the port authorities two days ago. Total market value before the fire: eighty thousand imperial gold coins."

She stepped closer to the minister, her presence completely overwhelming the armored guards behind him.

"Since the Ministry of Revenue is seizing the site under an emergency decree before any official investigation or trial has taken place, the crown is legally assuming custody of the goods inside," Evelina explained, her tone still as sweet and gentle.

"According to Section 4 of the Imperial Commerce Act, any property seized by the ministry during an active crisis becomes the financial liability of the state until the investigation is complete."

The minister blinked, his greasy brow furrowing, "What... what are you saying?"

"I am saying that since your investigators failed to secure the area before issuing the seizure, the crown now owes the Alvarez estate eighty thousand gold coins for the destruction of property under imperial custody," Evelina said, her voice dropping an octave.

"That is absurd!" The minister gasped. "The fire happened before we arrived!"

"The fire is still burning, Minister," Evelina pointed to the roaring green flames behind her, "And you are standing inside my perimeter, refusing to let my guards extinguish it because you are busy confiscating the land. Every second you stand here delaying us, the crown’s bill increases."

She turned back to Ace, raising one of her brows, "Your Grace, instruct your men to document the Minister’s face and the insignia of every guard here.

Tomorrow morning, the Alvarez estate will file a formal collection suit against the Ministry of Revenue for the total loss of eighty thousand gold coins, plus interest for the spring season delays."

Ace’s lips twitched.

The murderous tension in his posture didn’t completely vanish, but a strange spark of dark amusement flickered in his eyes.

He looked at his wife, seeing the fox tails popping behind her as she cornered the minister.

"The ledger will be delivered to the High Court by dawn," Ace said, his voice smooth and dangerous.

The minister looked between the sly duchess and the ruthless bloodthirsty war duke.

He realized, with a sudden jolt of terror, that the crown prince had sent him into a trap of a different kind.

If the ministry was hit with an eighty-thousand gold liability suit during a luxury tax crisis, the Emperor would have his own head on a silver platter before the week ended.

"We... we will suspend the seizure pending a proper tribunal review!" the minister screamed, backing away toward his carriage, "Move the men back! We are leaving!"

The imperial guards retreated faster than they had arrived, the carriage rattling away into the dark streets.