“Um, should I step out for a moment?”

The Duke thought for a moment, then shook his head and replied.

“No. That won’t be necessary.”

The Duke then immediately opened the letter. After quickly scanning its contents with his eyes, he set it down. Then he turned to Oliver and said:

“Come back to my office in about 30 minutes. I’ll have a reply prepared by then.”

“Understood, Your Grace.”

Oliver bowed his head in acknowledgment. As he left, the Duke let out a long sigh, then turned to look at me and said:

“The Imperial Princess has sent a letter. She seems quite angry about my suggestion of a ball as a compromise. The opening line is ‘Nephew, have you lost your mind?'”

“…Is that so? Did she say anything else?”

“Of course she did. She demands I come to the palace as soon as dawn breaks tomorrow. She wants to ask how I plan to clean up this mess.”

The Duke answered my question with a bitter smile. I looked at him meaningfully, as if I knew everything, and opened my mouth:

“Is that really all that was written in the letter?”

“…What do you mean?”

“If I were the Imperial Princess, I would have mentioned in that letter that I’d heard recent rumors about the Duke. And then I would have told you to put aside any ‘one-sided love’ for me immediately. If you said you couldn’t do that, I would have added that in the worst case, I would consider eliminating me. Isn’t that right?”

Hearing those words, the Duke’s sharp eyes widened slightly in surprise. He shrugged and said:

“…I really can’t fool you. You’re right. That’s exactly what it says.”

“I thought so. From the Imperial Princess’s perspective, not knowing the inside story, I suppose it’s only natural for her to react that way.”

I brushed it off nonchalantly. The Duke stared at me intently and said:

“So what do you plan to do now? Are you going to reveal your identity to the Imperial Princess as planned?”

“Yes. Of course. If we want to nullify the Imperial Princess’s royal marriage, we’ll need her help more than anyone else’s.”

“It would be dangerous for you to visit the palace directly. I don’t need to explain in detail, but you know there are far too many eyes and ears in the imperial palace.”

“I know. That’s why I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Alright. Let’s hear it.”

The Duke nodded slightly at my words. I spoke with a determined expression:

“I’d like you to summon Imperial Princess Ella here. Then I’ll sneak out of the mansion and come here, just like today. If possible, I’d prefer the meeting time to be tomorrow night. If we have to reveal my identity to the Imperial Princess anyway, it’s better to move things along as quickly as possible.”

“Alright. I’ll send a reply to the Imperial Princess’s palace right away.”

The Duke answered confidently and immediately straightened his chair. Then he took out parchment for a letter and began writing.

I stood up from my seat and said to him:

“Then I’ll take my leave now. See you tomorrow.”

At that, the Duke stopped writing the letter and stood up.

“I’ll escort you to the carriage.”

“It’s alright. I can go by myself.”

“I’m not alright with that.”

I refused, but the Duke insisted on following me. I compromised by asking him to only escort me to the mansion’s main gate, but he accompanied me all the way to where I had parked the carriage before returning to his office.

The next night.

Upon receiving a letter from Duke Haven, Imperial Princess Ella immediately came to the Duke’s mansion.

With her long dark brown hair pulled up high and adorned with a dark green hair ornament, dressed in a plain dark green outing dress, the Princess’s appearance hinted at her unpretentious and frugal nature.

Moreover, her pitch-black eyes devoid of light, high nose, and firm lips fully revealed her ambitious character. It was as if her firm resolve, which had led her to willingly enter the imperial power struggle that most nobles thought impossible, was written on her face.

The Duke, with the help of his personal maid Evelyn, approached her side as she alighted from the carriage and greeted her politely.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Your Imperial Highness.”

“It’s an honor that the Duke has come out to greet me personally. I’m delighted at the thought of spending an intimate time with my nephew at such a beautiful moonlit hour.”

“I’m delighted as well, Your Highness. I’ve prepared red tea from the Lize region, which you often enjoy, in the reception room. Shall we?”

Imperial Princess Ella responded to his greeting with subtly barbed words. It was a roundabout criticism of her nephew, who had proposed an unfavorable compromise and called her out at this late hour.

The Duke pretended not to notice the Princess’s intention and smoothly countered before guiding her to the reception room. As soon as the door to the reception room closed behind the Princess, who had gracefully seated herself in the chair the Duke pulled out, she opened her mouth towards the Duke.

“Now, explain yourself to me, Elliot. What was the reason for proposing such a compromise at the regular noble assembly? Is it true, as the rumors say, that your judgment has been clouded by unrequited love? And also, give me a satisfactory reason for calling me out at this late hour.”

Instead of immediately answering or offering an explanation to the Princess’s sharp words, the Duke took a sip of the tea placed before him.

Just as the Princess was about to raise her voice again at his calm demeanor, he spoke with a peculiar expression.

“…First, I’ll explain about proposing that compromise at the noble assembly, Your Highness.”

“Go on, explain.”

“At the time, His Majesty seemed very intrigued after hearing the proposals from Duke Yusten and Duke Klein’s side, and appeared to subtly hope for this royal marriage to proceed. In that situation, if I had blindly opposed it, His Majesty might have become angry and ordered the engagement right then and there.”

“Then couldn’t you have proposed a different compromise instead of a ball?”

The Princess asked sharply. The Duke nodded slightly as if partially agreeing, then answered:

“Perhaps. But someone suggested this method to me. While explaining how to make this royal marriage come to nothing.”

“Someone…? Who on earth could that be? Is it someone I know?”

“Yes. That’s also why I requested you to visit my mansion, at the risk of being discourteous to Your Highness. That person said they would meet you in person and explain why it’s absolutely necessary to hold a ball in order to nullify this royal marriage.”

“Is that so? Very well. I’ll grant an audience. I’m curious to know who this person is.”

The Princess said, seeming intrigued by the Duke’s words. The Duke smiled slightly and said:

“That person is already here, Your Highness.”

“…What? But there’s only me, you, and your maid here…”

The Princess trailed off, puzzled.

I, who had been listening to their conversation while holding a teapot and dressed as a maid, approached them. Then I revealed myself to the Princess by taking off my maid’s cap and bowing.

“I greet Your Imperial Highness Ella, the star of the empire.”

Imperial Princess Ella’s intelligent black eyes widened in surprise. She alternately stared at my face and the maid’s uniform I was wearing, then let out a low, mocking laugh. Soon she spoke in a cold voice:

“If it isn’t Christine Yusten, the ‘wisdom pouch’ of that snake Yusten. How is it that you’re here at this hour, dressed like this, greeting me?”

I answered as if I had been waiting for this:

“It’s because I am the one who advised the Duke to propose that compromise.”

“You? For what reason?”

“I will explain in detail now.”

The Princess asked me, her voice still full of wariness. I carefully explained the situation to her up to this point. From asking Duke Haven to have an affair with me, to reporting Duke Klein’s smuggling and putting him in the prison tower, and everything that happened afterwards.

The Princess was surprised by my words, then became somewhat interested, and soon wore a strange expression. Then she asked me:

“I see. I understand that you have helped my nephew and me in various ways. I also understand why my nephew is helping you. I too thought that my sister Princess Liz’s death was quite suspicious, and I was planning to thoroughly reinvestigate the matter once I ascended to the throne.”

“…”

“But there’s one more thing I’m curious about. Why did you suddenly change your attitude? Until recently, you worked for Duke Yusten and Duke Klein. Didn’t you loyally carry out many tasks for them that a lady shouldn’t do?”

I answered slowly with a stern expression:

“…It’s to take revenge on them.”

“Revenge?”

“Yes. Recently, by chance, I learned what my uncle, the current Duke Yusten, did to my father. Not only did he drive my father to his death, but he also seized the duke title and the family fortune. Duke Klein and his family knew the truth but turned a blind eye.”

For now, I only cited my father’s disgraceful death as the reason for revenge. I didn’t want to reveal Danae and Leonard’s affair to anyone yet. The revelation of their affair should happen when they are more ruined than now, in front of more people.

The Princess’s eyes widened again in surprise at my words. She covered her mouth with her hand and was momentarily speechless. Soon she broke the brief silence and spoke:

“It can’t be. …Wasn’t your father, the previous Duke Yusten, supposed to have passed away due to illness? So you’re saying that the reason for that was also the doing of the current Duke Yusten and Duke Klein?”