“Nephew, please put that necklace on the young lady.”

“……Pardon?”

“Of course.”

I asked back in surprise. Meanwhile, the Duke got up and took out the necklace from the box. Then, in a posture as if embracing me from behind, he put the necklace on me.

Every time his fingertips brushed my neck while fastening the necklace’s clasp, I flinched and blushed to the tips of my ears. Then, after putting on the necklace, he whispered near my ear.

“It suits you well.”

At his suddenly felt body heat and breath, I felt my neck burning hot.

The Empress looked at the necklace around my neck with a satisfied gaze and said.

“Hmm, yes. As my nephew said, it suits you very well. It feels like that item has found its rightful owner.”

“……You flatter me, Your Highness.”

“Don’t think of returning it while saying that, accept it. This is my order. Surely you don’t intend to defy an Empress’s command?”

The Empress spoke to me with a deliberately stern expression. I replied while gently touching the necklace with my fingertips, still blushing to my ears.

“Yes. Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Now that’s a satisfactory answer.”

The Empress smiled at me like that.

“Well then, as it’s gotten quite late, I should return to the palace now. Let’s save the unfinished conversation for next time.”

“Have a safe journey, Your Highness.”

“I will escort you to the palace.”

The Duke and I also stood up and spoke. The Empress slowly shook her head.

“I’ll be fine, just escort the young lady home.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

The Duke readily answered. The Empress looked at the Duke amusedly and then turned to me and said.

“Return home safely, young lady. If anything happens, send a letter through my nephew. Understood?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After that, the Empress left the reception room with her accompanying maids. Now only the Duke and I remained in the reception room. The Duke turned to me and said.

“I’ll see you to the carriage.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

I curtsied slightly. The Duke and I left the reception room and walked side by side down the long corridor leading to the main entrance. As I was putting on the hood of my robe that I had taken off, the Duke spoke to me as if in passing.

“From now on, refrain from moving around in cargo carriages. If you wish, I’ll lend you my carriage anytime.”

“I appreciate your words, but I can’t keep borrowing Your Grace’s carriage every time. Even if it’s known that Your Grace has a one-sided love for me…… If Danae or my uncle find out that I’m frequently exchanging letters with Your Grace to borrow a carriage, it would cause me various troubles.”

“Then would you tell me the name of the carriage guild you frequently contact? I’ll have one of my knights stationed there. Then we can send you a carriage when you need one.”

Not quite understanding his somewhat stubborn attitude, I frowned slightly and said.

“Is there really a need to go that far?”

“What if Duke Yusten or Duke Klein become suspicious of your movements and bribe a coachman from the carriage guild?”

“……That won’t happen. My uncle and Duke Klein know that I always conduct my business that way.”

“Then what about Lady Danae Rubina Yusten? Can you be certain that woman won’t do such a thing?”

At his following words, I was at a loss for words and could only move my lips silently. The Duke glanced at me with an impassive gaze and said.

“It’s been bothering me for a while. Someone like you who can’t even protect yourself, going around here and there in carriages driven by unknown coachmen. What if something big happens?”

Hearing those words, my brows furrowed even more.

‘Can’t protect myself? Going around here and there?’

Anyone who hears this would think I’m someone who recklessly does things without any precautions. I sighed heavily and said to him.

“You’re not sarcastically implying that I’m acting recklessly without any plans, are you?”

“Of course not. I’m just worried about you.”

“Yes, yes. I understand. I’ll be careful from now on since it would be troublesome for you if a capable advisor like me gets hurt or dies. Is that enough?”

I retorted to his words like that. I knew there was reason in what he said and I understood what he was worried about, but I felt strangely upset. I tried to hide my unsettled feelings by forcing a nonchalant smile.

Just then, the wide-open main gate and the carriage parked in front came into view. I turned to the Duke and bowed my head. As I was about to get into the carriage, the Duke held me back.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“……Pardon?”

“I didn’t say those things because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to use your talent. What I’m worried about is just…… you yourself.”

The Duke added those words and then turned his face away from me. Unlike his impassive face, his exposed ear was slightly red.

Seeing him like that, I also blushed. My heart fluttered again without me realizing it. Even though I vaguely noticed that this kind of emotion was a luxury for me now, who hadn’t even properly taken revenge yet, and that the Duke’s affection for me was only feelings for someone who had experienced the same misfortune.

I bit my lower lip hard to push away the emotions that had bloomed regardless of my will.

“Um… You two, are you finished talking now?”

At that moment, Sir Oliver poked his head in through the door hesitantly.

I covered my reddened face with the hood I had put on, then curtsied slightly to the Duke.

“I’ll, I’ll be taking my leave then, Your Grace. I’ll send a letter again if anything comes up.”

“Ah, yes. Do that.”

He also replied awkwardly, still turning his face away from me.

I nodded in greeting to Oliver, who was looking at me and the Duke with a strange gaze, then hurriedly got into the carriage.

* * *

The next morning, at the Haven Ducal residence.

Roger, the vice-captain of the second division who had come to Duke Elliot Haven’s office to report on the knight order’s training, carefully spoke while observing his lord’s complexion as he reviewed the report.

“Um, Your Grace.”

“……What is it?”

“You look tired, did you perhaps have trouble sleeping last night?”

Elliot answered his question in a gruff voice.

“Yes, I couldn’t sleep so I did some sword training at the training grounds all night.”

“By yourself, you mean?”

“It’s not like I could wake you or Sir Oliver at that hour and ask you to be my sparring partner.”

“……I see.”

Roger said that with a puzzled expression.

‘Sword training alone all night, was he troubled? Or did he have some worry?’

Roger was about to ask what the worry was, but soon gave up on the idea. There was no way his brusque lord would answer his question straightforwardly.

What could that worry be that was disturbing his lord’s mind? As Roger was pondering alone, there was a knock on the office door along with the voice of Oliver, the captain of the first division.

“Your Grace, it’s Oliver. May I come in?”

“Enter.”

Elliot answered that voice, taking his eyes off the report. Soon Oliver, who came in, bowed his head to the Duke. Elliot asked him in a gruff voice.

“What is it?”

“His Majesty the Emperor has sent a letter to Your Grace.”

Oliver handed Elliot an elegant letter with gold embossing. Elliot cut open the envelope with a paper knife and unfolded the letter inside. Roger asked him as he quickly scanned the letter with his eyes.

“What business does His Majesty have to send a letter to my lord?”

Elliot answered in a gruff voice as he flipped the letter over and put it down on the desk.

“Tomorrow night at 8 o’clock, he says he will hold a small tea party inviting all the imperial family members. So he orders me to attend that gathering and sent me an invitation.”

“A tea party, all of a sudden?”

“Gathering all the imperial family members in one place. What could His Majesty be thinking to give such an order?”

Roger and Oliver asked him in succession with surprised expressions. Elliot answered with a bitter smile.

“Well. I dare not guess His intentions either.”

“Will you attend?”

Oliver asked bluntly. Elliot nodded and said.

“I can’t dare refuse the Emperor’s order.”

“Be careful, Your Grace. Somehow I have a bad feeling about this.”

“I think so too. With this broken engagement, public opinion among the nobles and imperial citizens has turned favorable towards the Empress’s ascension as Her Highness regained the Elsi surname. The other imperial family members are likely no different from them. In this situation, for Her Highness Empress Ella, His Highness Prince Louis, and Her Highness Princess Consort Meredith to gather in one place according to His Majesty’s order? His Highness Prince Louis may be weak, but Her Highness Princess Consort Meredith won’t let the situation pass quietly. She will surely try to put Her Highness the Empress and Your Grace in a difficult situation somehow.”

Roger and Oliver took turns expressing their concerns. Elliot looked at them in turn with an indifferent gaze and said.

“I’m not unaware of that either. But I can’t refuse His Majesty’s invitation without a valid reason.”

After that, he pulled a long cord connected to the servants’ room, and a butler entered the office.

“I need to enter the palace tomorrow, so prepare my formal attire.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

After the butler left and the door closed, Oliver still looked at Elliot with worried eyes and said.

“Please be careful, Your Grace. As Your Grace well knows, Duke Klein is a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Her Highness Princess Consort Meredith has taken after him completely in that regard.”

Elliot simply nodded silently.