Cerdith’s relationships with women were simple. He only had eyes for Annette.

“Perhaps we should protect the prince in this situation.”

If Cerdith dies, he would be the first to be suspected.

“Ugh. I don’t like it.”

“It’s your job to protect the prince.”

“Should I just hit him?”

Habel stuck out his tongue. Having worked in the palace for a long time, even though he was the commander of the royal knights, his loyalty belonged to a very low category.

“First, we need to find out why the prophet wants to kill the prince.”

“I don’t want to meet such a gloomy woman. Ugh.”

Habel, who had become disheartened, complained.

“Considering all the troubles with my younger sister lately, there’s a lot to worry about.”

Then he sighed deeply and took out his sword.

“But still, fortunately, that woman is not my younger sister. I should be thankful for that.”

“How’s the lady doing?”

He asked Hertian, who had been talking about his younger sister frequently lately. It was also a matter of interest because Annette seemed to particularly care about the lady.

“I don’t know. She seems to be doing well and not doing well. Lately, she seems to have changed a bit. Is it puberty?”

“Suppress her temperament.”

Habel clicked his tongue and grumbled about his personality. Then, seeming irritated, he stood up to return to the mansion.

“How’s the training ground?”

Hertian asked. It was about the issue of investigating the training ground managed by Habel in this event.

“Oh. There was.”

Habel’s eyes, which had lost their playful look, became serious.

“And it was an incredibly clever trap.”

Two days later.

The event was held as scheduled.

I thought I could meet him today.

But Cerdith continued to claim that he was not feeling well, preventing us from meeting.

“What really happened?”

The only person to ask was the prophet.

Frustrated, I could only feel stifled.

“The prophet will come today.”

I opened the bracelet again to check the location.

The location was still somewhere in the capital alley.

‘Is she onto us?’

There was a possibility.

However, even if I didn’t use location tracking, if I followed Mika or followed the Empress, I could meet her again. There wasn’t much to worry about.

I turned on the enchantment again. But this time, a new map appeared as if I had malfunctioned. This time, a point near Sharpenan was visible.

It was the enchantment I gave to Violet.

“I’ll see her face after a long time.”

This event was a huge event hosted by the Empress, inviting all nobles in the capital.

Therefore, it was a mandatory event for high-ranking nobles like Violet.

‘I hope she’s doing well.’

She must have heard the news of the canceled duel.
As Habel had mentioned, there was concern about how the family was doing.

However, the anxious feelings were brief.

“Your Grace.”

The Empress, adorned in dazzling golden attire that could blind the eyes, called me. A lavish jacquard fabric swayed elegantly from her hip line to the floor. Behind her, a maid lifted the dress, muttering softly.

“If someone sees, they might think it’s a coronation.”

It was dazzling.

“I greet Your Grace, the Empress.”

The Empress, acknowledging my greeting, looked out over the courtyard of the palace.

“You’ve prepared well in a short time.”

Along the outer wall of the palace, extravagant tents were set up for the nobles to rest, and tables were placed throughout the courtyard with food and drinks.

Not a single place seemed untouched, even though it seemed like a simple task.

“Thanks to Your Grace, I’ve learned a lot of new things.”

Talking about palace events, which seemed useless.

“Well, fortunately. Then, after lunch, Your Grace will prepare for the tea party.”

“Tea party?”

I opened the documents containing today’s schedule to check. There was no mention of a tea party hosted by the Empress.

The Empress, unfurling a fan as splendid as her dress, laughed heartily.

“I hosted it this morning. I’ve sent tea party invitations to all the ladies attending the event today, so you can figure out the attendance yourself. Understand?”

The Empress turned away, as if she didn’t care about my response.

The duel must have disappeared. The event must have proceeded smoothly.

I sighed, realizing that things had only gotten busier.

“Yes, there won’t be a duel.”

The somewhat harsh attitude was probably because of that.

I took a deep breath and exhaled, deciding to be grateful that it ended with a tea party.

After the Empress threw tasks at me and left.

Not long after that.

Nobles from the capital gradually entered the palace.

Unlike usual events held in the main palace hall, this event took place outdoors, so everyone was dressed lightly. The ladies each held parasols as they entered.

At the far end, I could see my parents.

The two of them continued to search for me with their eyes, and when they spotted me, they waved their hands.

I waved back at them, and at the call of an attendant, I entered a makeshift tent inside the event venue.

“What’s going on?”

When I asked him, having led me into the tent for no apparent reason, he carefully looked around before skillfully tying the tent door.

“Previously, you asked me about the prophet.”

The attendant spoke discreetly.

“Do you know who it is?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet, but I saw the prophet heading to meet Her Grace the Empress just now.”

Until a moment ago, the location tracker was pointing to an alley.

‘Did we get caught?’

I wanted to check it now, but I couldn’t see the attendant.

“If you’re curious about her appearance, should I help you?”

“The attendant?”

“Yes.”

The attendant vigorously nodded. From the previous encounters, it seemed that this attendant liked me a lot, even though I had no memory of treating him well.

“As soon as Her Grace leaves the Empress’s palace, I will pretend to make a mistake and deliberately remove her robe.”

The attendant seemed excited about the secret mission.

But I declined his offer. I didn’t want to involve the attendant unnecessarily.

“If you remove the prophet’s robe, it will only arouse unnecessary suspicions about Her Grace.”

I was worried about getting hurt at his age.

Hmph, the attendant’s disappointed sigh made his shoulders slump.

“Even with just the information you provided, I’m grateful.”

“Are you thanking me for such a small thing? I’ve received much more.”

“What did I give you?”

I really didn’t know, so I asked.

“Even though it was an urgent event, didn’t you plan and budget everything perfectly and quickly?”

He seemed impressed even though I just followed the manual.

“I just did my job. I couldn’t have done it alone either.”

“You haven’t left the palace, so I hope you stay in the palace, Your Grace.”
The moist, wrinkled eyes of the attendant, blurred with emotion, were touching.

In contrast, my emotions cooled down indifferently.

Continuing to stay in the palace?

“Please don’t make such malicious comments.”

“You’re going too far!”