Small things accumulate and create an unstoppable fire.

The significance of the duel was not straightforward.

It was also a fight where Serdis openly revealed his feelings for me.

‘But even if I let the duel go on, will Violet view me favorably?’

She already suffered from deep emotional scars.

Although we maintained a good relationship, she might think I took an ambiguous stance.

This time, it could be overlooked, but if a similar situation arises next time, I couldn’t guarantee anything.

“Empress.”

Calling out to the Empress without going out, she grinned.

“What is it?”

“I think this duel should be stopped.”

“Suddenly? Are you trying to be aware of the lady now? Even if the lady already knows that Serdis likes the Grand Duchess, what does it matter?”

It’s a different problem.

The reason I fell into the abyss ending in the original work was not solely because of Serdis.

More precisely, it was because it seemed to Violet that Serdis resented me.

Only now did my hazy mind become clear.

“We need to stop the duel.”

Although I tried not to get involved, a clear reason to stop the duel emerged.

This was because it was related to my survival.

“Grand Duchess, why are you suddenly changing your mind after promising to prepare for the duel properly?”

“Please stop the duel.”

“It’s suddenly difficult. Even if there is a reason to stop, I am not the Emperor, so how can I unilaterally cancel the duel?”

“If it’s the Empress, you can do it.”

In practice, the Empress suppresses the Emperor, and the person above is the Empress.

How can the person with the authority to decide on the Grand Duke’s participation cancel a duel?

“I don’t know what the circumstances are, but it seems difficult.”

“Empress.”

I pressed close to her, and we reached the point of persuading to cancel the duel.

“Grand Duke is a person who defeated a dragon.”

I didn’t intend to say this much.

Parents who know their son will lose won’t send him to a duel.

“Are you mocking me now?”

“No. I’m talking about reality. Grand Duke has led countless wars, and not even a speck of dust has touched him. Empress, have you ever seen the Grand Duke’s naked body? I have. Without a single scar, with clean and firm muscles without a single sagging area.”

“Our son is the same!”

The Empress snorted angrily, rudely sniffling.
“The Imperial Knights who claim to be the best in the palace can’t even compete against Serdis!”

Of course, that would be the case.

Even if the training is neglected, the physical abilities would be top-notch due to the protagonist buff.

“The opponent is the Grand Duke, who has been training to survive since childhood. The Empress should know better. The Grand Duke, who has only received training without proper education all this time.”

Since she created him like that, she would know better than anyone.

“This is not a simple love fight that the Empress is talking about.”

“Then what is it?”

“Really, you don’t know?”

It was the right time to inject tension into the relaxed Empress.

She raised her eyebrows.

It seemed she understood what I meant.

“Regardless of the outcome, our side won’t suffer much. Since the Grand Duke has always been lenient to others.”

But if Serdis, who always won, was in a different situation, it would be different.

“Beyond the outcome of the duel, it’s about what kind of repercussions it will bring. Ah, I see. I can see it.”

I gasped as if I had seen the future.

My ability is something the Empress is well aware of.

I grabbed the bell used by the Empress when she calls the servants and shook it vigorously a few times.

Dang, dang, dang!

The clear sound of the bell echoed loudly.

“What, what do you see!”

She, surprised by my sudden action, stood up abruptly.

“A new wind blowing into the palace.”

“A new… wind?”

I nodded.

I lowered my head dignifiedly.

“Please send us back to the northern region safely. Your Majesty should consider the Grand Duke not as an enemy but as an ally. If there is internal division while another threat is approaching from a distance, this empire will soon crumble.”

“Another threat? Where? Corsica? No, Turan? Or the distant Desert Empire?”

This time, I shook my head.

“I can’t know for sure yet. But we can anticipate the near future.”

Someday, a war will break out with other nations, so it wasn’t entirely a lie.

Dang!

I rang the bell once again and advised the Empress.

“We should join hands rather than pointing swords at each other for the sake of a good direction.”

The Empress hesitated.

“Are you playing with me, or did you really see the future?”

Annette, who had been acting gracefully, suddenly seemed strange when she asked for the duel to be canceled.

“Is it possible for the Grand Duchess to know unless someone tells the Grand Duke about what the Empress talked about?”

“It’s definitely not me! Why would I talk to the Grand Duke about what the Empress said?”

“Who said what? Why did Lady Brini, who usually speaks quietly, suddenly make such a loud noise?”

“I-I’m not at all! Why would I, Lady Brini, speak to the Grand Duke about what the Empress said?”

The Empress, dismissing the maid’s words, glared coldly.

“Who said what? Why did Lady Brini, who usually speaks quietly, suddenly make such a loud noise?”

“I-I’m not at all! Why would I, Lady Brini, speak to the Grand Duke about what the Empress said?”

“Apologies. Your Majesty.”

The Empress turned away as if to say it was enough and focused on Annette again.

“But her eyes were too strange. Her pupils dilated as if she could see something like a person who can really see!”

It’s even strange to hold hands.

Why would you hold hands with the person who threw you into the abyss?

Annette clearly said that the Grand Duke also had the same thoughts.

“What does it mean to hold hands?”

“Isn’t it the Grand Duchess’s will alone? If so, there would be no reason for the Grand Duke to challenge the duel.”

“But before that, the Grand Duchess, who had always agreed, now seems strange. Originally, seers often say they see things we can’t see.”
The Empress could not have forgotten Annette’s ability, which prevented the poisoning incident. After all, the main character of that incident was my relative.

“Oh, and didn’t the young lady from the Blandiche family say that the Grand Duchess earned tens of billions in business?”

“Yes! I remember. She was a cute young lady with pink hair.”

Annette’s extraordinary ability proved itself in business.

Earning tens of billions just with extensive knowledge of herbs is not something ordinary.

“Then did things really turn in favor of Serdis? Even in the war?”

However, regardless of her ability, I couldn’t easily trust someone who harbored hostility towards me.

“Gather all the famous fortune-tellers!”