At that moment, the imperial palace.

“Is it true that Annette left for the northern regions?”

The voice of Serdis, who had learned of Annette’s departure from the palace overnight, echoed through the empress’s residence.

The empress, exchanging words with the just-arrived Violet, dismissed everyone in the reception room.

“It’s quite noisy. Are you planning to openly spread rumors about liking the Grand Duke?”

The empress blamed her son for being not discreet, but it wasn’t important to Serdis.

Serdis snatched the tea cup that Violet was about to drink. As a result, the hot tea spilled onto Violet’s hand.

Violet calmly wiped the tea off with a handkerchief as if nothing had happened.

“Serdis, isn’t my promise quite similar to yours?”

“Violet, be sincere and sit down.”

Even with the empress’s words, Serdis paid no attention and roughly shook Violet’s shoulders.

“I told you to stay by my side, and you ran away. You need to properly explain why you’re leisurely enjoying tea instead of staying by my side.”

Then, without sparing her a glance, he arrogantly sat on the sofa, crossing his legs.

Violet tidied up her disheveled clothes calmly. Such treatment seemed familiar and she maintained an indifferent attitude.

“Serdis, even if the lady helps us, such an attitude is not appropriate. It might cause trouble later, especially from the Sharpeignon Duke.”

Violet intervened, blocking the empress’s criticism.

“Don’t worry about my father or brother; I’m fine.”

“Well, that’s fortunate. Haha.”

The empress smiled as she liked Violet’s blind obedience. Although she felt sorry for Violet, who loved her wicked son, she considered it fortunate that he was her son.

“Take a look at this.”

With an elegant gesture, the empress picked up a letter and handed it to her son.

“What is this?”

“A letter left by the Grand Duchess.”

In a hurry, Serdis took out the letter at the mention of the Grand Duchess.

Under the pretext of sending it to the empress, the letter mentioned that she would accept the proposed deal and return when it was time. Until then, she asked not to look for her.

“It’s quite audacious. Instead of worrying about punishment, she chose to escape.”

Seeing the empress laugh as if it was amusing, Serdis narrowed his eyes and asked.

“So, Mother, did you just let this go without doing anything?”

He couldn’t understand. If she knew that Annette had run away, she could have pursued her immediately. It was such a nonchalant attitude.

“Didn’t you plan to keep Hertian, that scoundrel, tied up in the capital?”

“I did.”

“Then why send her away?”

With a rising and unknowingly high voice, Serdis questioned the empress.

She laughed heartily at his increasingly agitated tone.

“There’s no need for a fuss. If we send troops to bring the Grand Duchess back, do you think the Marquis of Le Angevin will just stand still? Even within the imperial palace, the Marquis has a good standing, and the power of the Marquis’s wife’s family cannot be ignored. If you directly mess with the Grand Duchess, how do you think your image will fare after losing a match?”

The empress still couldn’t forget the sight of the knight legion standing behind Hertian just after the match had ended. Though Hertian might be called a war hero among ordinary nobles, among knights, he was a subject of admiration.

So, rashly messing with Hertian wasn’t a good idea.

The same applied to Annette.

Externally, interfering with the Grand Duke’s family had to be done with extreme caution.

“Hasn’t it always been like this? You believed and sent such a letter. It’s not like you, Mother.”

A letter almost like a notice of departure with no mention of when she would return.

But in the face of her mother’s composure, only Serdis felt his heart burning.

“My role is to provide a plausible reason for the Grand Duchess to stay in the palace.”

“Then call her back right away. Both Mother and I are not patient people, right?”

At that moment, Violet, who had been silently listening to their conversation, spoke up.
“It won’t be long before the Grand Duchess sends a message that she’ll return.”

“How?”

In response to Serdis’s direct question, Violet calmly turned her gaze to look at him.

“Did you correctly write the charm that Annette won’t fall for me? What’s the point of Annette leaving the palace on her own, despite saying she won’t leave me?”

Until yesterday, he had been relaxed. As Violet said, Annette had come several times to talk to him. Although it was about the events of that day, there were also trustworthy aspects.

Due to Violet, who claimed that Annette would become desperate if she wasn’t by his side, he believed those words like steel. According to Violet, if Annette gradually distanced herself from him, she wouldn’t even be able to breathe, so he trusted her words completely.

But the result was unexpected.

“I’m not in the mood for jokes right now. Speak properly.”

Serdis’s face was not just cold; it was sinister, almost ominous.