“So, Regent.”

His face, which had been fixed on the stage, slowly turned towards me. Feeling his gaze, I also met his eyes.

Perhaps due to the brilliant lights of the opera house, his golden eyes sparkled especially brightly.

“If it’s alright with the Regent, to resolve this situation……”

At that moment, the prima donna’s clear soprano reached its climax on stage.

Aaah, aaah!

“……would you consider seriously discussing marriage arrangements with me?”

“Pardon?”

“……”

So I really didn’t hear it.

What the Imperial Prince Raphael had said, why he had such a tense expression.

Finally, the heart-pounding high notes ended and the applause for the prima donna also died down.

Only then could I ask him.

“I apologize, Your Highness. I couldn’t hear what you just said.”

“……”

The warm-toned lighting illuminated Imperial Prince Raphael’s bright red hair.

His cheeks and tightly closed lips also looked flushed, perhaps due to the lighting.

“Your Highness?”

“Yes? Yes.”

“To resolve, what did you say after that?”

“Ah, that……”

Then he spoke again slowly so I could understand easily.

“I asked if you would consider sending one of the Regent’s children… as my companion.”

“Ah.”

So that’s what he was trying to say.

I pondered for a moment.

Certainly, his proposal is not objectively bad.

It’s quite a well-known story that Imperial Prince Raphael didn’t have a childhood companion to stay with him in the palace.

But he is 19 years old.

A proper adult male who even had his debutante last year. So it’s too late to bring in a companion now.

‘Of course, it’s not impossible.’

Usually, a child who enters the palace as a royal companion at a young age is appointed as a direct servant or maid the moment they come of age. Depending on the circumstances, they may even become an aide.

For this reason, noble families with many children often educate their children from a young age to become royal companions.

That’s how honorable and status-elevating it is to become a companion.

‘But in this case, it would be a hostage in the name of a companion.’

However, one must keep in mind that from the moment of appointment, the companion becomes a servant belonging to the royal family.

I cannot go to see the child, and the child cannot come home to see me either.

Of course, if they enter the palace, I would be able to see their face. But just because entry to the palace is permitted doesn’t mean private meetings are allowed.

The companion strictly belongs to the royalty after all.

So I can’t help but be indifferent.

I wanted this promising young prince to become friends with my children, not their slave.

“It’s an extremely honorable offer, Your Highness.”

In a gentle voice, as if persuading a child, I continued.

“Daiern was already preparing to offer up 10,000 acres of land, including diamond mines. I’m not sure if this will be enough to appease His Majesty the Emperor’s anger, but…”

Of course it will be enough.

Daiern’s revenues will be cut by a significant amount.

Especially the diamond mines, which the Emperor had been eyeing for several years.

Am I not feeling regretful?

Honestly, I want to bite my tongue in regret. How hard did I work to accumulate all that!

But looking at it differently, it’s just material things after all.

If I can protect my children, I can give up twice, no, three times that amount.

‘And it’s also a level that can be fully recovered before Kardiel succeeds to the duke’s position.’

Above all, if we can avoid Daiern falling out of the Emperor’s favor with such material things, it can be said that we’re getting off very cheaply.

After all, since Daiern is a noble of the Kalant Empire, to make it easier to have Kardiel’s duke position recognized in 3 years, we need to score points with the Emperor in advance.

Ah, to be honest, it also includes a bit of gratitude for taking care of Wilhelm York Baden instead.

If I punished him, there would surely be talk.

“Ah… So the Regent had a plan.”

He smiled sheepishly and turned his gaze back to the stage.

After that, small talk ensued. Asking how each other was doing, giving notice of an upcoming visit.

In the meantime, the opera viewing finally ended.

As I watched the curtain fall on the stage and applauded, I mentally organized the things I needed to do after returning home.

‘First, I need to prepare to formally dismiss and send away Baden Viscountess… no, Katerina Jeanne Baden, who is still staying at my house.’

She has been staying in the 4th floor guest room for a week.

The Baden mansion was still off-limits due to the Emperor’s orders for search.

But from what Imperial Prince Raphael said, it seemed an official announcement would be coming soon.

‘Come to think of it, Lady Baden hasn’t been doing well lately.’

That was the worrying point.

After I ordered her virtual confinement, she started showing symptoms like mental confusion.

Well, saying there’s a monster in the mansion. That she went out after 10 o’clock and met a monster.

That this is all a curse for covering the face of the gargoyle statue, and that the statue must be restored quickly.

‘But when I ordered to uncover what was covered, this time she started screaming at night and couldn’t sleep.’

Now that ordeal should be over too.

Perhaps this might be better for Lady Baden. She was very afraid of our house after all.

‘Even bringing out the green bedding I had put away in storage to decorate the room.’

Now that I think about it, I remember Lady Baden’s room that I peeked into last night was full of things belonging to the former duchess.

Euphemina said she allowed it, so I didn’t say anything, but……

‘Those green beddings were all things that bastard husband had painstakingly bought, so I didn’t even touch them because of the ominous feeling.’

Well.

I decided not to worry about her anymore.

She’s someone who tried to kill my son. Whether by curse or whatever, if there is divine punishment, she deserves to receive it.

“Ah. There was one thing I was curious about, Regent.”

Behind me as I was about to leave the box seat, Imperial Prince Raphael opened his mouth.

“Do you know that among the Tower of Honor sages, there is someone from the Daiern family who entered the tower 6 years ago? That person was included in the group that came to verify Sage Jephet’s academic paper this time.”

Huh?

That was news to me.

As I blinked my eyes, Imperial Prince Raphael continued speaking.

“I asked because among the sages, there was someone who looked remarkably similar to the portrait of the late Duke Daiern that I saw at the Regent’s mansion before. According to that person, the name they used before entering the tower was……”

And the name that finally flowed from his lips was.

“……Sergei Tisser Daiern, they said.”

It was the name of a most unexpected person.

“What did you say……?”

And it was also the name of someone whose whereabouts had been unknown for the past 10 years.

Sergei Tisser.

I never expected to hear that name here. I felt dazed the entire carriage ride back to the mansion.

I first came to know him 10 years ago. To be precise, it was on the day of my social debut before marriage.

Until then, I had been receiving heir training for the Landgritz Baronial family, but with my grandfather’s sudden death, I was pushed out of the succession order.

In an instant, the title was passed on to my older brother, Nergal Ernst Landgritz. In the end, I had to have a late debut at the age of twenty-two.

That’s where I first met Sergei. A 19-year-old noble younger son who had just made his debut.

The younger brother of Duke Daiern, with an eleven-year age gap.

Yes, Sergei Tisser Daiern was the younger brother of my deceased husband.

‘But as soon as I married Duke Daiern, he disappeared somewhere.’

I once asked my husband if he didn’t have a younger brother. He casually answered, ‘He became independent.’

Of course, I knew that was a lie.

For a noble younger son, independence means marriage.

If the Duke’s own brother had married, a grand banquet should have been held. The preparation period for a wedding is at least 6 months.

But at that time, I hadn’t heard anything about marriage from Sergei. Even though we were quite close.

Anyway, after that, the name Sergei Tisser was forgotten in my memory.

The changes in my life after marriage were too great to track his whereabouts.

‘But now it turns out he went to the Academy.’

He was of the right age for it.

Unless it’s a special recommendation, one can take the entrance exam for the Academy’s university course from the age of 18……

If Sergei, who was 19 at the time, took the entrance exam and entered at 20.

‘Assuming he entered the tower after his graduation was delayed by about a year, this would indeed be his 6th year as a sage, as the Imperial Prince said.’

It felt strangely odd.

I’m not sure how to explain it.

It’s like hearing news of an old friend you thought was dead and had forgotten about, only to find out they’ve become an incredibly accomplished person.

‘Should I congratulate him?’

I did feel a bit hurt.

Why did he leave so abruptly without saying anything to me? It’s not like he seemed particularly interested in the Academy.