A day had passed.

As the sun began to set in the west, Elliot put down the official documents he had been reading and stood up. He went to the room next to his office where, with the help of his butler, he donned a neatly groomed formal attire and draped a cloak. After exiting the main building, servants who had prepared a horse for him and knights who had come to see him off were waiting.

Lightly jumping onto the horse’s back and grasping the reins, Elliot looked down at the knights and said.

“I entrust the mansion to you while I’m gone. Also, if anything happens in the territory, make sure to send me a messenger bird at any time.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

His adjutants, Sir Oliver and Sir Roger, along with Gwen and his other knights, answered in unison. As the duke struck the reins, the horse carrying him quickly darted out in front of the mansion.

The horse, with its legs enhanced by magic, soon brought him to the front gate of the imperial palace. The duke left his horse with the palace stable keeper, then was guided by a servant to the ‘Goddess Room’.

Soon the door opened and as he entered, the royal family members who had arrived earlier recognized him and greeted him.

“It’s been a while, Duke Haven.”

“Welcome, Elliot! How long has it been?”

“It’s been a while, Your Highness Grand Duke Schuchtern. …It’s been long since I’ve seen you, Grand Duchess Enzol.”

Elliot greeted them in turn before proceeding to his designated seat. Today his chair was placed at the same table as Princess Ella, Prince Louis, and his wife Princess Consort Meredith. Before sitting down, he greeted Princess Consort Meredith, who was sitting directly across from him, looking at him with a cold gaze.

“Elliot Francis Haven greets Your Highness Princess Consort Meredith.”

“You’re here, Duke Haven. Sit down.”

The princess consort arrogantly pointed to Elliot’s chair with her eyes as she spoke. The garnet and opal hair ornaments and earrings that shimmered brilliantly with each slight movement of her head accentuated her haughty attitude. Elliot sat down politely and she spoke suggestively.

“There’s been a very interesting rumor going around about you recently. Are you aware?”

Elliot, who couldn’t possibly be unaware of what she was referring to, replied in a calm voice.

“If you’re talking about the rumor that I have feelings for someone, yes. I’m well aware.”

“You already know that the person in question is my younger brother’s fiancée, right?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Huh, I never thought that a righteous man like you, Duke, who seems like he wouldn’t bleed even if stabbed, would commit such an immoral act as loving someone else’s fiancée. Moreover, it seems you have no intention of hiding it at all.”

The princess consort said with a light laugh. Elliot also responded with a light smile and opened his mouth.

“There’s nothing to hide. It’s not a crime to love a wise and beautiful woman. Even if someone points fingers at me for this, I don’t care. I cared more about her knowing my feelings than people pointing fingers and criticizing my immorality.”

“My. What a great example of true love, Duke Haven. I suppose even a cold and rational man like you is helpless in the face of love? …But it’s strange. You and my brother’s fiancée have been politically opposed on every matter until now, haven’t you? How did you suddenly come to love her?”

The princess consort deliberately paused, then looked straight at him and continued.

“…Surely you don’t have any ill intentions, do you?”

“Ill intentions. I’m not sure what you mean by that.”

“Well, you know, things like that? Like seducing Christine to extract information from our side. Or provoking my brother, Viscount Leonard Klein, in this way to induce rash behavior.”

Elliot remained silent with a stoic expression. The princess consort spoke to him mockingly.

“Let me warn you, whichever it is, you won’t achieve the results you want. Unlike some others, Lady Christine Yusten is quite a discerning and rational woman, and she’s deeply in love with my brother.”

At that moment, Elliot suddenly showed a quiet smile. The princess consort raised one eyebrow as if displeased and asked sharply.

“Why are you suddenly smiling, Duke Haven? Do you find my words amusing?”

“No. It’s just.”

“Just?”

The princess consort caught his words and asked. Elliot slowly opened his mouth.

“It seems Your Highness is quite overestimating the charm of your brother, Viscount Leonard Klein.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“Even the most beautiful spinel loses its luster in front of a genuine black prince’s ruby. Title, wealth, charm, and achievements. Honestly, compared to me, what the viscount has seems quite insignificant in every aspect.”

“…!”

“Please convey this to the viscount when you see him, Your Highness. If he doesn’t want to lose his fiancée to me, tell him to try his best. Because I have no intention of giving up on her.”

“No intention of giving up, you say. Are you planning to challenge that child to a duel? Do you think even the Duke of Haven could show his face in this empire’s social circles after causing such a scandal?”

The princess consort said in a trembling voice. Elliot looked straight at her and spoke.

“As a knight, I only know how to take what I want and protect what’s precious to me. I’m not afraid of social scandals.”

“…!”

“Please tell the viscount. ‘A duel challenge is welcome anytime.’ …Well, I don’t think a weak and indecisive man who needs to send warnings through his sister would have the courage to challenge a sword master like me to a duel.”

“A-are you insulting my brother now, Duke?”

“If my words sounded disrespectful, I apologize. As a knight accustomed to testing each other’s strength, I have a bad habit of unconsciously looking down on weak men. So please forgive me generously, merciful Your Highness.”

Elliot said this while bowing his head politely. At that apology, the princess consort’s beautiful face twisted hideously. If she accepted Elliot’s apology, it would be admitting that her brother was a weak man, and if she didn’t accept it, she would appear ungracious. In other words, she was put in a situation where she could neither do this nor that, and had to keep her mouth shut and swallow her anger. Her hand grasping the fan under the table trembled with rage.

At that moment, the door opened and the emperor entered the Goddess Room along with Prince Louis and Princess Ella.

Elliot observed Princess Ella in a neat teal dress adorned with simple emerald decorations, and beside her, Prince Louis with his short brown hair swept back, dressed in a splendid light blue formal attire. In contrast to the princess’s confident and dignified expression, the prince’s appearance – with hunched shoulders and drooping eyes of hazel brown glancing furtively towards Princess Consort Meredith – looked just like a marionette being dragged out by a clown’s hand.

Elliot quietly chuckled as he noticed Princess Consort Meredith’s eyes growing cold as she looked at her husband.

Meanwhile, the emperor slowly looked around at the royal family members who had risen from their seats with a benevolent gaze and said.

“I’m so pleased that you all gathered at my call. I’ve prepared the finest Rita fruit from my estate and the highest quality tea from the Lasca Empire for you, so eat and drink to your heart’s content.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Grand Duke Schuchtern, the eldest among the royal family members, thanked the emperor on behalf of everyone, to which the emperor smiled and said.

“Give your thanks to my daughter, Princess Ella. This precious tea you’ll drink today is what the princess received as compensation from the emperor of the Lasca Empire.”

At those words, the eyes of the royal family members widened in surprise. Until now, the emperor had never publicly praised the princess or given her credit. Especially not in the presence of Prince Louis. It had been a warning not to dare covet her brother Prince Louis’s position.

The emperor’s attitude had changed.

If the emperor had changed his mind and pushed Princess Ella and Prince Louis into a competition for the throne, how would the political situation unfold? Which side should they take between the princess and the prince to continue enjoying wealth and power unchanged in the reign of the next emperor? The royal family members quickly exchanged glances.

Among them, Grand Duchess Enzol, who had quickly assessed the situation, spoke in a honeyed voice.

“Oh my, goodness! To willingly share such precious tea with us! Thanks to the princess, my taste buds will be indulged today.”

“Indeed! The finest tea even in the Lasca Empire, known for its tea! Even I, who have tasted many precious things as a royal, have never experienced such top-quality tea! We’ll enjoy great pleasure thanks to the princess!”

“And you even received an enormous amount of emeralds as compensation, didn’t you? My son, who is at the border as a margrave, said he felt relieved thanks to the princess who proposed a wise diplomatic solution even in a humiliating situation!”

The royal family members vied to flatter Princess Ella. The emperor looked at them with a satisfied gaze and then said to the head servant.

“Head servant, bring the prepared tea and Rita fruit. Don’t forget the sweet cookies and cake that go well with the bitter tea.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

With those words, the emperor went to sit on the imperial throne prepared at the head of the table. Soon after, led by Prince Louis and Princess Ella, Princess Consort Meredith, Elliot, and the other royal family members also took their seats in turn.

As soon as she sat down, Princess Ella turned to Elliot seated next to her and said.