Damian, who had returned late from the palace at dawn, opened his eyes in the study.

Without even checking the time, he splashed water on his face to clear his mind and immediately got up from the sofa.

He had secured several pieces of evidence from Bruno’s mansion, but none of them could be directly linked to Count Skala.

There were many anonymous letters asking to meet at the club, and most of them were not even in Count Skala’s handwriting.

The only evidence that suggested Count Skala and Bruno had conspired together was an invitation.

It was for the banquet Count Skala held on the day Damian had set sail for the rebellion last year.

Damian held in his hand an invitation inviting Bruno to that banquet.

From that day on, Count Skala’s club appearances became frequent, and according to the nobles close to Bruno, that was when it all started.

Bruno, who had seemed irritable from stress, appeared to be in a good mood starting around that time.

Damian found the second investigation report on Bruno received from the imperial palace among the pile of documents and read it again.

According to Bruno, Count Skala despised Damian immensely.

That was obvious, but since he felt it to the point of madness, what Eriel had heard at the club that day was clearly a lie.

The Count must have figured out the structure of the club long ago.

Moreover, if he was certain that Eriel was there, it meant his subordinates had relayed the information before he talked to Bruno at the club.

Even if Eriel had gone through the back door, she hadn’t entered while hiding her body, so this was information that could be easily discovered…

Count Skala rarely visited the club until he met Bruno.

It was evident from the fact that he stopped going as soon as Bruno ended up like this. Despite that, he knew the club’s internal secrets.

It seemed that someone who knew the club’s structure very well must have informed him.

“Bribing imperial investigators and knowing the club’s secrets… His influence might be greater than I thought. As expected, was the crude rebellion intentional? It doesn’t seem to be solely Count Skala’s forces. I even thought the church could just be used as a means of location. I’ll have to think more broadly about religion as well.”

Damian looked at the two ledgers he had received from Blake.

The donation ledger for the Terios Church was a handwritten copy, but it was good for deducing the individuals inside, and the other club investor ledger used pseudonyms, but at least Count Skala could be confirmed among them, so it wasn’t bad.

Of course, other information related to the club had to be judged as unreliable.

Fortunately, Count Skala didn’t seem to know that the club owner Kerfin was Blake, but regardless, he clearly had no faith in Kerfin.

When he learned about the existence of the secret room, and the fact that Eriel was beyond that room, Kerfin’s credibility must have plummeted.

He probably didn’t trust Kerfin from the beginning anyway.

“Still, he probably used him moderately, not wanting to turn him into an enemy.”

Damian tapped the table.

“If Bruno has Count Skala behind him, and Count Skala’s forces are not solely his own, then…”

It seemed he needed to extend his thoughts a bit further.

He had thought that sending Bruno as an envoy to the Eastern Continent was clearly one of the things Count Skala wanted, but as soon as it happened, he tried to kidnap Bruno alive.

Kidnapping Bruno was once again an action aimed at Damian.

It wasn’t a movement related to political ideology.

If he wanted to put the imperial faction in Count Skala’s grasp and shake them, there was no need for him to kidnap Bruno.

He wanted to put Damian in danger.

They moved as if they simply had an enormous grudge against Damian.

“Even if I point to Count Skala as the mastermind behind this incident based on the club ledger, invitation, and handwriting, what’s at the end might be out of reach.”

Damian frowned.

“If this drags on… Eriel and Lucy could really be in danger.”

Damian, who had clenched his molars, anxiously got up from the table.

He would have to go to the palace again tomorrow, but today he had to go see the merchant ship. Damian, who let out a sigh, picked up the coat he had draped over the sofa.

After checking the pocket watch on the table once, Damian frowned.

“I’m late.”

Damian, who had left the study, quickly came outside.

He had been stuck in the study for a while due to the many tasks he had to handle, so there was no time to talk with Eriel.

Today too, he had fallen asleep on the study sofa, woken up, and immediately started working.

Damian’s gaze, as he was putting the pocket watch into his inner pocket, went to the bedroom and then dropped.

If it was Eriel, she would probably be with Lucy.

Since that day, she said she wouldn’t go out, so she would be in the mansion with Lucy.

He felt a bit guilty. However, Damian shook his head, recalling the ledger he had just checked and barely preventing Bruno’s kidnapping.

Outside was dangerous. At least the mansion had knights and servants.

The mansion was the safest place. Even if something happened, there were servants who could buy time.

Damian steeled his resolve.

When he was at war, he never left the battlefield, but in the empire, he often left the mansion.

Even now, he was busy going back and forth between the palace and the port.

As Damian hurriedly descended the stairs, Lucy’s laughter could be heard.

Lucy’s room door must have been open, as the entire ducal residence was filled with Lucy’s bursting laughter.

Lucy’s voice calling for Eriel and Eriel’s mumbling voice saying something to Lucy could also be heard.

A gentle smile naturally appeared on his lips.

Damian, who had come down the corridor stairs, unnecessarily raised his gaze towards Lucy’s room door.

There was no time to stop, but he felt like going back up the stairs for no reason.

“Shall I announce that you’re leaving?”

The butler came beside him and asked, but Damian shook his head.

“No. Just for a moment.”

Damian dismissed the butler and closed his eyes.

“Lucy. Shall we read a fairy tale book with mom?”

“No. Mom, I’m going to read this today. Mom, let’s read this together and discuss it today.”

“Dis… cussion?”

Eriel’s surprised voice could be heard faintly.

Damian grinned with his eyes closed and turned his body.

*

“Hm?”

Lucy, who had lowered her gaze to the book, suddenly lifted her head.

“Oh?”

Lucy’s eyes moved to the balcony. Then she quickly ran to the balcony in an instant.

“Mom!”

Lucy, who called Eriel, quickly gestured with her hand.

When Eriel, who was sitting at the table, tilted her head and looked at Lucy, Lucy pointed outside with her hand.

“Mom, come quickly.”

“Huh?”

As Eriel approached the balcony at Lucy’s urgent gesture, Lucy tried to put her face between the small pillars of the balcony.

“Lucy, it’s dangerous!”

When Eriel hurriedly picked Lucy up, Lucy shouted in a loud voice.

“Da~ ddy~!”

Eriel was startled and looked down outside while holding Lucy.

There, Damian was standing, about to pass through the main gate. Lucy, in Eriel’s arms, raised her hand high and waved it left and right.

“Have a good trip!”

Lucy, who brought both hands close to her lips, shouted. Then she turned around and said to Eriel as well.

“Mom, you wave too.”

When Lucy pointed at Damian and spoke, Eriel also waved her hand in bewilderment.

As she had the dignity of a duchess, she couldn’t shout as loudly as Lucy, but Eriel also let out a small voice.

“Have a good trip.”

“Mom, if you do it like that, he can’t hear. You have to shout loudly like me.”

“If mom shouts like that…”

“What does it matter! There’s no one watching except daddy and the servants!”

Lucy turned her head back to Damian with a bright smile.

Damian, who had moved a bit further away, stood still for a moment, blankly looking towards Lucy and Eriel, and then waved his hand slightly.

“Daddy is also waving his hand small. Does he think we can see him waving like that? This won’t do. I’ll have to show him.”

Lucy, who was in Eriel’s arms, started waving her arm vigorously.

“Daddy, like this! Mom, you try shouting loudly too.”

At Lucy’s words, Eriel, who had blushed, hesitated a bit before trying to shout a little.

“Have a good trip! Damian!!”

At Eriel’s shout, Damian, who had been waving slightly, stopped his hand.

His facial expression wasn’t clearly visible, but he seemed to be smiling.

Instead of shouting like Eriel, Damian gestured to the butler standing next to him.

Then, after waving his hand slightly to Eriel and Lucy one last time, he got into the carriage.

The butler bowed deeply.

“Wow. Our daddy is so stingy. Look at him not shouting and just telling the butler. With his smarts, he won’t have to work hard physically. Right, mom? Daddy’s really stingy, isn’t he?”

Lucy, who shook her head, lowered her arms from Eriel’s embrace.

“You shouldn’t use such words for daddy, Lucy. To daddy…”

Eriel’s nagging got longer.

Not long after, the butler’s knock was heard, and Lucy jumped up, saying she was finally free from mom’s nagging.

“The Duke left a memo.”

Even though it was roughly scrawled, his neat handwriting was visible.

Eriel smiled as she carefully folded the memo.