“Welcome, Duke Yusten. Lady Danae Rubina Yusten. We’ve been waiting.”

“Duke Yusten greets Princess Meredith.”

“I greet the Princess. It seems like it’s been a long time since we’ve met face to face, after only exchanging letters for so long, Your Highness.”

The Duke and Danae bowed to her in turn. The Princess pointed to the empty seat to her left and said:

“Indeed. There have been many recent events. ……Now, both of you please sit down. We should have a cup of tea before starting our main conversation.”

At the Princess’s words, Danae and the Duke sat down. As a servant poured warm tea, the Duke and Danae took a sip of the fragrant tea and set it down. Seeing this, the Princess slowly opened her mouth.

“I hear that with this engagement falling through, not only your father but also the Duke have suffered great losses.”

Duke Yusten hesitated, then replied.

“……Shamefully, that is correct, Your Highness.”

“I’ve already heard how things came to this. I hear the Duke’s daughter has done it again.”

Princess Meredith said this while glancing sideways at Danae with a peculiar look. Danae bit her lower lip and lowered her gaze. The Princess laughed with a deflating sound, then said as if to comfort her:

“There’s no need to lower your head like that. I’m not particularly trying to scold the Duke’s daughter. Isn’t this situation due to several unfortunate coincidences overlapping?”

“……Thank you for saying so.”

Danae said, looking at her with grateful eyes. But the Princess, who had been smiling at those words, suddenly put on an expressionless face and said:

“Yes, how can we blame what the gods have meddled with? ……The problem is my lovely sister-in-law and nephew.”

At those words, everyone’s expressions hardened. The Princess looked around at them with a cold gaze and continued:

“I was really surprised. To think they would make my lady-in-waiting the adopted daughter of the late Grand Duke Crested. The way they tried to formally marry my lady-in-waiting to the Prince so naturally, as if they had been waiting for this, made me wonder if they hadn’t known this would happen in advance.”

“……Ha, haha. How could that be, Your Highness? It’s not like they used forbidden magic, how could they have known what would happen in the future?”

Duke Klein awkwardly responded. The Princess snorted and said:

“Father, you’re talking nonsense. What need is there to use magic to prophesy? They could just have someone useful eavesdrop on our plans.”

“……That, that means……”

“Our adorable sister-in-law must have bribed a decent informant. ……She must have obtained our information in advance and moved according to a thorough plan. She probably deliberately showed Prince Justin that lady-in-waiting who looks just like his mother. She may have even created an atmosphere for the two to fall in love.”

“Isn’t that too much of a leap, Your Highness?”

Duke Yusten, who had been listening silently, asked with a slightly furrowed brow. The Princess shook her head firmly and said:

“Duke Yusten, you still underestimate the Princess. Princess Ella is as clever as a snake and as bold as a lion. If only she had been born a man, Prince Louis would have long since been pushed out of the power struggle and driven to the frontier.”

“……That may be true, but.”

“She’s a tough woman who has continued this power struggle with us despite the disadvantages of being female and the youngest. We must never let our guard down. Besides, next to that tough woman is a ‘white lion’ burning with revenge for losing his mother.”

“Are you referring to Duke Haven?”

“Who else could it be? ……Really, if it weren’t for him, the fight would have been much easier. Ever since the Emperor’s last birthday celebration, he’s been doing so many irritating things that just thinking of his handsome face makes me so disgusted I can hardly swallow a sip of tea.”

The Princess said this, her yellow eyes flashing. Duke Yusten remained silent with a stern expression. Then Danae opened her mouth with a meaningful smile.

“……Then why don’t we pull out the white lion’s teeth and claws, Your Highness?”

“Pull out his teeth and claws? How?”

The Princess asked, narrowing her brow. The smile on Danae’s face deepened. Soon she said:

“We use a method similar to what we did with Princess Liz.”

“A similar method.”

“Yes. He happens to be a Swordmaster, so he must have very strong magical power, right? So, just like then, we use ‘that medicine’ to weaken his power, then ask the Emperor to send him to the frontier under the pretext of recuperation. Once Duke Haven is pushed out of the center like that, we drive out his close associates one by one from central politics……”

“And finally drive the Princess, who has lost her limbs, out of this palace. That’s the plan.”

“That’s right, Your Highness.”

Danae nodded at the Princess’s words with a cunning smile. The Princess turned to Duke Klein and asked:

“It seems like quite a good plan, what do you think, Father?”

“It doesn’t sound bad. That medicine isn’t a deadly poison, so there’s no worry about doctors or pharmacists detecting it, and there are only a handful of people in this empire who know how to detoxify it. The problem is how to secretly feed it to the Duke……”

Duke Klein trailed off with a thoughtful expression. Then Danae said:

“Don’t worry about that. I have it all figured out. Your Highness, would you lend me your ear for a moment?”

As the Princess nodded, Danae quickly pulled her chair closer to sit by her side and whispered in her ear. The Princess’s beautiful eyes curved into circles.

“That’s a good idea, Lady Danae Yusten. I can’t help but admire your wisdom.”

“Oh my, that’s too much praise, Your Highness.”

Danae responded shyly. The Princess looked at her with affectionate eyes and said:

“I must go see His Majesty tonight. ……Ah, but first I need to prepare the medicine. Belladonna?”

As the Princess turned her head back and called someone’s name, a maid who had not been attending to anything approached her.

“Prepare that medicine and bring it to me by this week. Of course, no one should find out about this. You understand?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The maid bowed her head and left the greenhouse. The Princess smiled with satisfaction and said to everyone:

“I look forward to what’s about to unfold. Don’t you?”

“Your words are most wise, Your Highness.”

“Lady Danae Yusten, if this succeeds, I will reward you sufficiently. Of course, the Duke who has such a clever daughter should also receive a proper reward.”

“We are grateful for your words alone, Your Highness.”

Duke Yusten smiled back and accepted the Princess’s words. Then he looked at Danae sitting next to him and gently patted her hand.

‘I’ll take this opportunity to completely drive my thorn-in-the-side elder sister out of my house.’

Danae thought this as she smiled brightly at everyone. As the Princess said, she was very much looking forward to what was about to unfold.

* * *

Having received a reply from the Duke in the morning, I hurried to prepare to go out to his mansion. In response to my letter saying anytime was fine, the Princess had conveyed her intention to meet me tonight. With Annie’s help, I changed into a modest outing dress. After putting on a robe over it, I asked Annie:

“Has the carriage been called?”

“Yes, young lady.”

“Well done. Where is Uncle now? And Danae?”

“The master and Lady Danae went out in the afternoon and haven’t returned yet.”

Hearing Annie’s answer, I slightly furrowed my brow and said:

“……Uncle and Danae went out together? Why?”

She shook her head and replied:

“I don’t know either. The butler didn’t say anything as usual, and the children working in Lady Danae’s annex seemed not to know either?”

“……I see?”

I answered, deep in thought. It wasn’t that unusual for them to go out just the two of them without me, but it felt somehow unsettling to dismiss it as insignificant. I turned to Annie and said:

“When Uncle and Danae return, could you casually try to find out by bringing a glass of wine or something to Mr. Carter? As the coachman, Mr. Carter would know where Uncle and Danae went today.”

“Yes, young lady.”

“But if Mr. Carter doesn’t want to tell you, don’t press him. That would only arouse Danae’s suspicions unnecessarily.”

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

I came out of the bedroom, escorted by Annie. After descending the stairs, avoiding the maids’ eyes, I headed straight for the back door. As I was hurrying down the darkened alley looking for the parked carriage, someone tapped my shoulder and said:

“This way.”

I turned my head, startled. The person who called me was Oliver, Duke Haven’s adjutant, dressed as a coachman.

“……Sir Oliver!”

“I’ve come to escort Lady Yusten on the Duke’s orders. Now, please get in.”

“……Ah, no. It’s alright. I’ll take the carriage I called in advance.”

“I’ve already sent that one away.”

“What?”

“Come on, hurry. We’ll be late at this rate.”

Oliver urged me, leading me to the Duke’s carriage. I had no choice but to get into the Duke’s carriage.

* * *

A few minutes later, the carriage carrying me arrived at Duke Haven’s mansion. The carriage stopped in front of the Duke’s main building. Oliver, who had escorted me, opened the closed reception room door, and Princess Ella, who had arrived before me, greeted me with a bright smile.