Joseph raised his head, which he had lowered with a face stained by greed.

His mouth, which had already placed a bet on the answer without hearing it, smirked.

“…Elder brother Magnus. Do you really think the divine object is in Benenum’s vault?”

San Iker, the fourth prince of the Ipero Kingdom, asked hesitantly after deliberation.

The humming that had been loosely continuing suddenly stopped.

The handsome blond man sitting in the ornate chair that should have originally been his slowly and smoothly turned his body to look at San.

“San. Do you know who the three vassals closest to the first king Iker were?”

“…Yes. It’s recorded in the royal records.”

San recited the three families quietly while gauging the situation.

Fondo, Lupinus, and Benenum.

On the day Iker proved his ability to place all power under his feet, six families swore allegiance before Iker, but not all of them received the ruler’s favor.

Fondo, who first swore loyalty to Iker; Lupinus, who was said to have offered fanatical worship beyond loyalty; and Benenum, who, although swearing loyalty last, silently stayed by Iker’s side and followed him until the end of his life.

Among the six meritorious subjects, it was the heads of those three families that Iker particularly cared for and kept close.

San Iker, who had grown up studying royal history and records since childhood, naturally knew this.

“The first divine object I found. The ring I gave to the dull Joseph was with Lupinus. The laurel wreath, we’ll have to search this palace thoroughly to know, but it’s somewhere in the palace anyway. Then what about the remaining one? Where could Iker’s last divine object be?”

The symbols of the first king.

The three divine objects that Iker wore during his coronation, eternally recorded in history and even remaining in the kingdom’s myths.

“The laurel wreath, the ring, the sword. One has been found, one needs to be found but is in this palace, so where is the remaining one?”

Three divine objects. Each of them is imbued with the power of the ruler that Magnus so desperately craves. Therefore, he must obtain all three.

“…I suppose it wouldn’t be with Fondo? They were the first family to offer loyalty, and the first king particularly cherished Fondo…”

“Ahahaha! Oh my, my foolish little brother.”

Magnus patted San’s head as if he found him cute.

“San. Do you know why Fondo was the first to submit to Iker?”

“…Well, I’m not sure, elder brother.”

“Fondo is a treacherous place. The outside and inside are completely different.”

Iker. That man knew it.

“That Fondo was just a beast lying in wait for an opportunity. He read their true intentions from the beginning…”

Magnus Fondo. The man who had to live a ‘lowly’ life at the bottom despite bearing the Fondo name, burst into a chilling laugh.

“Want to bet, San? The remaining divine object is with Benenum. It’s surely inside the vault that only the head of the family can open. My… my divine object… It’s lurking in Benenum.”

I hope the dull Joseph will rampage plenty with a monster on his back. So that Benenum will be irreparably damaged, and that fruit will roll into my mouth.

Magnus closed his eyes, humming again.

San gritted his teeth, trying to suppress his body drenched in cold sweat.

He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to disappear so vainly like Louis Fondo, who was just used and became a corpse.

“How long has it been since we had a banquet? For something like this to happen at Benenum, it’s like a miracle.”

Lady Martin tied the last knot with a dreamy expression.

The dress, not too voluminous yet fitting the body just right to create a wave-like effect, was perfectly completed in her hands.

-Let us hold a banquet for the reconciliation of the three families.

All of this was because of the commotion last time.

That is, the ‘incident’ caused by Rude Lupinus, who kicked Fabio Ardor around like a ball after Fabio proposed to Merche.

Although the alliance of the three families was formed with the engagement of Rude and Merche, there was an unfortunate incident, so a place was needed to resolve it outwardly at least.

That purely nominal pretext was the only significance of this banquet.

Mariette, who despised unnecessary waste of money and time, actually declared the holding of the banquet while nearly dying.

The only ones truly happy about this banquet were most of the servants, including Lady Martin, and a few vassals who liked prestigious positions.

“It is indeed a miracle. Two men who were fighting like dogs suddenly shaking hands and smiling.”

Carla, who was watching the preparation next to Merche, swung her two legs and laughed holding her stomach.

Carla’s eyes looking at Merche reflected in the mirror seemed somehow sad even while laughing.

“I hate that bastard.”

“Lady Carla. There are many ears listening.”

“So what? Do you think these kids here would run to him and tattle? Hey, you guys, are you thinking of tattling on me?”

The servants who were helping with the preparation along with Lady Martin all shook their heads in unison.

Seeing this, Lady Martin rounded her lips as if she couldn’t help it.

“But Merche. You rejected all that mad wolf’s requests to meet until now, right? Why did you do that?”

Carla’s eyes, looking up with her head tilted halfway, brimmed with hope.

“Tell me. You thought about it again and don’t want to be engaged to him, right?”

“No. I have no regrets about the engagement.”

“Liar! Don’t I know you?”

As Carla stood up abruptly, the chair that was suddenly pushed back fell over.

One servant dusted off and set up the chair that had rolled pitifully.

Regardless, Carla put her hands on her waist, not even paying attention.

“He’s a mad wolf! That bastard almost killed you then!”

It was referring to the carriage accident a year ago. Merche smiled faintly even as she watched Carla fuming.

Certainly, that’s right. It was a miracle that she didn’t die then. She still had doubts.

Why was she the only one who survived unscathed from such a terribly destroyed carriage?

“Why are you smiling? Did you go crazy following him?”

“Of course not. The crazy one is me, not my fiance.”

Carla’s mouth gaped open at the appearance of the man who entered the inner room without a sound.

Lady Martin and the servants also took hurried steps back with surprised eyes.

“Hello, my fiancee.”

Rude, who was well-dressed, extended his hand. His hand in white silk gloves stood out under the soft lighting.

“I came to escort you. Our precious fiancee, it’s hard to see this stunning face once. Thanks to you, I almost died from lovesickness again.”

“…How rude. I’m not fully prepared yet.”

“Preparation? Why do you need that?”

Rude bent his waist to meet her eyes at the same level.

Even at the suddenly narrowed distance, Merche did not waver and just silently looked into his eyes.

“You can come out even if you just woke up with eye boogers all over. Even if you look like you’re about to die, anyone with properly attached eyeballs would go crazy, right? Though they’d all die by my hand then.”

Rude laughed like a street thug, lowering his eyes.

At his behavior that didn’t seem sane at all, not only the servants but also Carla shrank back one by one.

Merche, who had observed the reactions around her without having to look around, exhaled a short breath quietly.

“Let’s go out now.”

Fearing he might refuse, she grabbed his collar first and pulled him out.

She seemed to have touched somewhere in the middle of the coat, which was unclear whether it was worn or just draped.

Strangely, as she moved her steps, something like cold metal touched and left her fingers repeatedly.

Merche, who slowly stopped in place, checked what had been hitting her fingers.

“……”

…It was a small piece of a laurel wreath.

The piece, which seemed to have been made by melting gold entirely, had delicate patterns even on the laurel leaves, as if made by a skilled craftsman.

The middle of the piece was thinly pierced, with a thin gold string passing through it. It seemed to have been intentionally adjusted in shape to be used as a necklace.

The tiny thing, small enough to fit entirely in Merche’s palm, dangled, emitting a brilliant light.

Merche, who had been examining it closely, finally realized one fact.

“What are you staring at so intently? Want to strip me and feel me up?”

“…There seems to be no need for that. Everything is already exposed without needing to strip.”

He’s still improperly dressed.

He said he became the head of the Lupinus family, but could the head of the family be like this?

Whether he had half-finished putting on his shirt, the buttons were unbuttoned from the middle, and through that open space, his dark upper body was proudly exposed as if flaunting itself.

If it loosened just a little more, even his navel would be visible.

“It’s for you to see. How is it, killer?”

“You’re not planning to enter the banquet hall like this, are you?”

“Actually, I am.”

“No. Tidy up your appearance right here, right now.”

“Why? I did this on purpose to show off to you.”

“What’s the point of showing off your flesh to me?”

“Won’t it turn you on? Then won’t you want to roll around with me?”

She just closed her mouth without saying anything more.

At that cold gaze, Rude, who had been pouting, halfheartedly buttoned up a few more buttons.

“There. Is it more acceptable now?”

“It’s somewhat better.”

“Really. It’s damn hard to please you…”

Merche, who had been ignoring his grumbling, paused. Seeing him button up reminded her of something she had momentarily forgotten.

“Why are you wearing gloves?”

“…Ah. This.”

His movements, which had been nothing but confident, were awkwardly cut off for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.

Standing with one leg casually forward, he raised his chin and said,

“It’s for style. Looks good, doesn’t it?”

From that grinning smile, Merche instinctively read that his words were a lie.

She blinked a few times looking down at the gloves, then casually linked arms with Rude.