“The tea has a very fragrant aroma. Try these almond-filled cookies. Unfortunately, Shaya took all the ones with chocolate. In my opinion, Your Majesty, Shaya seems to have a crush on a male student at her school.”

Hayden stopped sipping his tea and hesitated. His thick eyebrows instantly gathered in a menacing manner.

“…Who is this guy…”

“Oh dear, what if Your Majesty reacts the same way as Ethan? Even teenagers of that age have mutual feelings. Now, please eat. Eat a lot.”

Milene shook her head vehemently, pushing a plate of thick cookies and scones towards Hayden, just as if she were feeding her daughters.

It was too large for an afternoon tea, and it was a bit disorderly, but these sweet treats made in the imperial palace were all tailored to the tastes of the emperor’s ladies.

Furthermore, both the empress and the Duchess of Halcanea had a tendency to ignore the etiquette set by the Eastern nobility, so the established rules set by the Eastern aristocrats were quickly being forgotten.

“I set up a school so that they would study, telling them to do so…”

“Children gather and give cookies to someone they like.”

Milene sharply cut off Hayden’s words. It was unthinkable at a formal banquet, but in a private setting, especially as a lady and a sister-in-law, it was acceptable to trim the rigor of her brother-in-law.

“Children are children. No matter what family or lineage they are from, it’s essential to thoroughly investigate…”

“Oh, really, Your Majesty!”

Hayden quickly put a cookie in his mouth.

“What if someone who will become a parent is already like this? I’m genuinely concerned and can’t help but intervene. You know I hate intervening.”

“I know… very well…”

When Hayden heard a word from Milene, he couldn’t even make a retort.

It was partly because everything she said was correct, but also because this was all due to Rua resembling her too much.

Certainly, Rua was the birth daughter, but strangely, her way of speaking was similar to Milene’s. Even though it was known throughout Perseta that the parents of the empress were highly respected, especially for the empress’s mother-in-law, her rigor toward her brother-in-law in private was somewhat relaxed.

Then came a soft knock on the door.

“Your Majesty, the Duke of Halcanea requests an audience.”

His ally! Hayden quickly chewed and swallowed the cookie, nodding his head.

“Let him in.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Not long after the courtier left, Ethan entered.

“Ah, Your Majesty. Are you enjoying your tea? Well done. You need a break.”

“You hardly rest, so I forced you to sit down.”

“Please sit here, sir.”

Oh, this is strange. Ethan, with a dry smile, discreetly looked at his wife’s eyes, and following the urgent eye gesture, sat next to him as the wife indicated. In a blink, the men were sitting side by side, facing the Duchess.

“I heard Shaya has a male student she likes.”

Ethan also smiled wryly.

“Oh dear, she’s already at that age. Should Your Majesty and I take a look at who this guy is?”

“Of course, together…”

“Stop both of you.”

At the chilly words, the men fell silent.
“Your Majesty will become a parent someday, won’t you? Take a break when you can, and let them grow naturally. Are you going to deprive them of the joy of childhood?”

“No, from behind, we just want to find out a little. Aren’t you curious about who he is?”

Hayden nodded in agreement with Ethan’s words. There are too many scoundrels in this world. But Milene chuckled.

“He’s probably the most handsome. His conduct isn’t bad either. It would be nice if everyone trusted Shaya a little. That child has eyes too. If he wasn’t pretty, neat, and tidy, she wouldn’t even spare a glance. I wonder if he caught the eye of that child.”

That’s true. Both men nodded vigorously.

“And Shaya will handle it herself, so why do you keep interfering? Rua will say the same thing as me. Your Majesty, you should focus not on Shaya now, but take things a bit slowly.”

Hayden grimaced at Milene’s objection.

“That’s a valid point, Your Majesty. Why are you so impatient when no one is chasing after her from behind?”

Ethan had also been aware of this part.

Hayden was struggling to establish a proper administrative organization as soon as possible, even if it meant just for a day.

And what about Rua, who was in the south? The couple undoubtedly knew.

“Could it be Carlos…?”

When Ethan’s face stiffened, Hayden lowered his head.

“No, not him. That guy…”

He briefly glanced at Carlos, who was still somehow alive. Still as stubborn as ever.

“There’s nothing much aside from his madness, so there’s no need to worry. He’ll come back to his senses soon… Well, will he endure it?”

Carlos, who had collapsed and crumbled on the battlefield, had been restored to his senses by Hayden several times.

Honestly, Milene was amazed at Hayden’s ability to restore Carlos to reason or at herself for sympathizing with his vengeance.