“As you seem to already know, there’s no use in denying. That’s right. The rumor Duke Cardia mentioned is indeed true.”

Duke Bladnik continued frankly, as if he had no intention of deceiving.

“And that’s not all. Her Majesty the Empress personally sent a gift to my wife.”

For a moment, a crease appeared on Cabelased’s handsome brow.

Until now, the Bladnik ducal family had belonged to the anti-emperor faction as part of the alliance.

This place was also called a social gathering of the empire’s highest-class men, but it was just a means to achieve the alliance’s goals.

So if the Bladnik ducal family were to turn to the Empress’s side now, it could disrupt future plans.

“But don’t worry. My wife is so noble that once she holds a grudge, she never forgets until she gets revenge.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Cabelased’s eyes curved into an elegant arc.

It was undoubtedly a smile that could charm even a man.

Duke Bladnik, who had been staring at Cabelased’s smile as if enchanted, soon made a gesture known to all nobles in the alliance.

It meant that his intentions had not changed and remained the same.

“How was it? Did it seem like Duke Bladnik would turn to the Empress’s side?”

Returning to his original seat, Cabelased glared at the wine glass with narrowed eyes in response to Count Preston’s question.

Duke Bladnik was a man of loyalty, and Cabelased trusted him too.

But if his family, whom he cherished above all else, were to become hostages, the story would be completely different.

He had to take action before that happened.

“Young lady, where should I put this?”

The maid asked, gesturing to the large vase she was holding.

After a quick glance around the hall, the Howard marquis’s daughter pointed to an empty table.

“Over there.”

Today, she had planned a small party gathering young ladies and gentlemen of her age.

Soon, the guests she had invited were expected to visit the Howard marquis’s residence.

For this reason, the Howard marquis’s employees had been busy preparing for the guests since dawn, and this applied even to the Howard marquis’s daughter, who only had to stand still and give orders.

‘It’s not easy.’

The Howard marquis’s daughter let out a deep sigh with her hands on her hips.

Meanwhile, another servant approached pushing a trolley and asked,

“Young lady, where should I move this?”

On the trolley was an artwork that was easily over a hundred years old.

Before leaving on their trip, the Howard marquis couple had given permission to invite young ladies and gentlemen to the mansion.

But they hadn’t given permission to damage the artwork that the Howard marquis cherished.

Of course, displaying it would be perfect for showing off the Howard family’s wealth and prestige, but there was no need to take risks for a moment of superiority.

“Ah, it’s better to put that back where it was originally.”

“Understood.”

The servant carefully pushed the trolley with the artwork away from the Howard marquis’s daughter.

As she watched his retreating figure with anxious eyes, another maid approached to ask for her opinion.

As they busily prepared to welcome guests, the hall was gradually nearing completion.

Just as the Howard marquis’s daughter sat down heavily in a chair to catch her breath, the butler spoke.

“Young lady, carriages have entered the estate grounds.”

“…Already?”

The Howard marquis’s daughter quickly got up and went to the window to look outside.

It was true.

Carriages were approaching the mansion entrance one by one, having passed through the huge iron gates.

“How do I look?”

The Howard marquis’s daughter asked a maid who happened to be walking towards her.

The maid adjusted the Howard marquis’s daughter’s attire.

Only after carefully checking her appearance in the mirror did the Howard marquis’s daughter greet the invited guests.

“Thank you for inviting us.”

“No, thank you for attending.”

As all the guests were young ladies and gentlemen from families friendly with the Howard marquis’s family, the atmosphere was quite convivial.

While greeting guests for a while, the Bladnik duke’s daughter walked in.

“Welcome, Bladnik duke’s daughter.”

“Thank you for the invitation.”

As she was exchanging greetings with the Bladnik duke’s daughter, the hall became noisy.

The Howard marquis’s daughter turned her head to where the nobles’ gazes were fixed.

Jieselgrante was entering the entrance, escorted by Cabelased.

The blue dress reminiscent of a refreshing sea matched very well with Jieselgrante’s fair skin.

Cabelased was wearing a suit slightly darker than hers, and the unique atmosphere brought by the color scheme further highlighted his intellectual charm.

The Howard marquis’s daughter, who had been watching the two approach with her mouth slightly open, belatedly came to her senses and greeted them.

“Welcome, Duke Amaterasu’s daughter and Duke Cardia. By the way, is this your first time meeting the Bladnik duke’s daughter here?”

As she looked back and forth between Jieselgrante and the Bladnik duke’s daughter, the Bladnik duke’s daughter answered first.

“It’s not our first meeting. Although this is the first time we’ve properly greeted each other…”

Jieselgrante responded with a smile to the Bladnik duke’s daughter’s gaze seeking agreement.

‘Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be a bad start.’

Thinking this, the Howard marquis’s daughter winked at Jieselgrante.

In fact, she had invited guests to the mansion today because of Jieselgrante’s request.

Jieselgrante, who had originally refrained from going out, became even harder to see after getting engaged to Duke Cardia and staying at his mansion.

Nevertheless, the Howard marquis’s daughter consistently wrote letters to Jieselgrante.

The point was to play together.

Replies came promptly with every letter sent. But it was always just apologies and refusals.

Then Jieselgrante made a request to meet first.

There were conditions attached, but the Howard marquis’s daughter didn’t mind much.

And so, today came.

It was the first time she had invited guests under her own initiative, so there were several difficulties, but the Howard marquis’s wife was rather pleased.

Saying that someday when she gets married, she’ll be inviting people to the mansion until she’s sick of it, so it wouldn’t be bad to have a rehearsal.

It was when Duke Amaterasu’s daughter and the Bladnik duke’s daughter had been conversing for a while.

“It’s been a while, Bladnik duke’s daughter!”

A group of young gentlemen that the Howard marquis’s daughter also knew well approached and greeted the Bladnik duke’s daughter familiarly.

“It has been a while…”

The Howard marquis’s daughter glared at the young gentlemen while clutching her dress skirt tightly enough to wrinkle it.

But the young gentlemen, either knowing or not knowing her gaze, poured out words to the Bladnik duke’s daughter.

While subtly glancing at Cabelased and Jieselgrante.

‘Tactless fools!’

The Howard marquis’s daughter only criticized the young gentlemen inwardly.

For good reason.

Duke Amaterasu’s daughter was the one she liked best among her new friends, and she was old friends with the Bladnik duke’s daughter.

It was a gathering arranged to introduce these two people, so there was no way she could look kindly upon the tactless young gentlemen butting in.

“Ah, um…”

The Howard marquis’s daughter opened her mouth for a quick resolution of the situation, but even that was drowned out.

“Isn’t this Duke Cardia!”

The young gentlemen, who had been busy sneaking glances at Cabelased’s face until just now, now began openly trying to speak to him familiarly.

The Howard marquis’s daughter, who had been pouting her lips in dissatisfaction, suddenly widened her eyes.

‘No, wait? Isn’t this even better?’

The Howard marquis’s daughter put her thought into action.

“Since it seems the gentlemen are enjoying their conversation, why don’t we move to another spot?”

Then she took Duke Amaterasu’s daughter and the Bladnik duke’s daughter by the hand and led them to a quiet place.

As soon as they moved, the Bladnik duke’s daughter got to the point.

“I suppose the purpose of planning this gathering today was to probe how my relationship with the Empress and the Crown Prince is progressing. Am I correct?”

Seemingly unaware of the shocked expression on the Howard marquis’s daughter’s face, the Bladnik duke’s daughter added scathingly.

“Actually, when I heard that the Howard marquis’s daughter was inviting people to the mansion, I thought she must have eaten something wrong. But I figured it out right away upon meeting Duke Amaterasu’s daughter.”

The Bladnik duke’s daughter looked at Duke Amaterasu’s daughter with a somewhat overbearing expression.

The Howard marquis’s daughter became very embarrassed.

Slightly upturned eyes, a slim face shape, and a sharp nose bridge to top it off.

The Bladnik duke’s daughter had a somewhat haughty impression that could easily bring to mind the image of a villainess at first glance.

Moreover, she didn’t know how to speak indirectly.

So she was prone to being misunderstood by those who didn’t know her well. As having no manners…

One of the common sayings in the Facis Empire was that first impressions are science.

So she had intended to give Duke Amaterasu’s daughter a heads up about the Bladnik duke’s daughter first.

It seemed that plan had been ruined from the very beginning.

Just as the Howard marquis’s daughter was trying to make excuses while forcibly suppressing her deeply dampened mood,

“That’s right. I wanted to know about the attitude the Bladnik duke’s daughter, and by extension the Bladnik ducal family, would take towards the imperial family. So I urged the Howard marquis’s daughter to arrange this meeting.”

There was no sign of displeasure on Duke Amaterasu’s daughter’s face as she said this.

The Howard marquis’s daughter discreetly rolled her eyes to gauge the Bladnik duke’s daughter’s reaction.