Jieselgrante could not fall asleep until late dawn that day.

Her mind was filled with thoughts due to the sudden news of the Emperor’s death.

He was a father she respected and feared, but ultimately abandoned her.

In the end, he died in vain just like herself…

After tossing and turning in bed for a while, she finally got up.

She sat at the console, tidied her disheveled hair, and wrapped a thick shawl around herself.

Though it was very late, she thought it would be better to take a walk and get some fresh air rather than lying still in bed.

Just as she was about to step onto the landing leading to the first floor after leaving her bedroom.

‘Did I just hear something?’

Jieselgrante paused and listened carefully to the sound.

Just then, she heard it again. It was the sound of a door closing. Perhaps because everyone was asleep at dawn, even small sounds seemed loud.

‘I guess someone else can’t sleep, like me.’

As Jieselgrante was going down the stairs, thinking it was nothing significant, her eyes widened.

‘The Alliance meeting!’

It was the same when a variable arose due to Filippo’s sudden appearance at the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony.

The nobles of the Alliance had held a meeting in the secret room of Duke Amaterasu’s mansion and left the mansion without the employees’ knowledge only at dawn.

Remembering that time, she nodded involuntarily.

‘It’s quite possible.’

Guessing where the location might be if the Alliance nobles were gathering at the Cardia mansion for a meeting, she moved her steps.

The meeting that had begun at dawn when everyone in the Cardia ducal family was asleep had already been going on for several hours.

Despite the prolonged meeting, not only Cabelased, who sat at the head seat, but also everyone’s faces showed no signs of fatigue.

They had been waiting for too long.

And at the end of that wait, the day to achieve their goal was approaching.

The day when the Emperor of the Paesis Empire would change.

As such, the atmosphere in the conference room was much hotter than usual.

“Since we don’t know when we’ll have such a good opportunity again if we miss this chance, I think it would be best to immediately summon each family’s elite forces to the Imperial Capital.”

A young noble spoke boldly.

Although it was somewhat radical logic, as he had inherited the title of count at a young age, no one in the conference room could easily refute it.

It was because his father had been executed just for displeasing the Emperor.

Ahem.

At that moment, an elderly noble cleared his throat, drawing attention.

“While I understand the Count’s feelings… I think now is rather a time when we should be cautious.”

The young noble who had just given his opinion looked at the elderly noble with a shocked expression.

The elderly noble, though apologetic towards him, opened his mouth again as if he had no intention of yielding his opinion.

“If we’re not careful, we might face backlash from the imperial citizens. Furthermore, there might be groups questioning whether we’re related to the Emperor’s death. If that happens, it would also cause problems for future governance…”

Cabelased looked around at everyone in the conference room with a somewhat troubled expression.

While opinions varied, everyone shared the same expectation due to the Emperor’s sudden death.

And the most powerful decision-maker here was Duke Cabelased Cardia, him.

That’s why it was even more difficult to speak carelessly.

It’s not difficult for those with the same purpose to band together against a common enemy. But afterward could be different.

As they had been preparing for a long time, there was no need to rush. But there’s always an appropriate time…

So it was equally difficult for him to make a decision easily.

‘It’s about time for the sun to rise.’

It was time to announce the end of today’s meeting without narrowing down the differences of opinion.

Just as Cabelased was about to suggest wrapping up today’s meeting.

“…”

He sensed someone approaching near the conference room. Cabelased didn’t think long and stood up abruptly.

“Cabel? What’s wrong?”

Mikhail asked, watching Cabelased suddenly rise and walk towards the entrance.

“It seems there’s an alley cat nearby, so I’m going to check.”

“…What?”

Mikhail, muttering with a somewhat dumbfounded expression, looked around and asked.

“You mean Cathy is here?”

However, Cabelased lightly ignored Mikhail and strode forward.

Then, to avoid startling the other person, he gently knocked on the door from the inside before opening it.

As he had expected, Jieselgrante was standing beyond the door.

“The feeling is a bit odd. I think I’ve experienced a situation like this before.”

Jieselgrante spoke first, smiling slightly. Cabelased also smiled back and said.

“Indeed. I do have a record of catching an alley cat lurking around the conference room.”

“May I come in as well?”

“If I say I won’t let you in, will you leave?”

“No, I won’t.”

Jieselgrante shook her head with a determined expression.

Her intelligent eyes looked quite reliable.

“Come in.”

No sooner had he spoken than she was about to step inside.

Just before her foot stepped into the conference room, Cabelased said.

“But the moment you enter here, Jiesel, you become a full accomplice. With the Alliance nobles.”

For a moment, a look of bewilderment crossed Jieselgrante’s face. But she only glared at him briefly without making any further complaints.

“Alright. I understand the young lady’s intention well.”

Cabelased smiled elegantly, narrowing his eyes, and returned to his original seat.

“Excuse me, look over there for a moment.”

Marquis Howard, who was the first to notice the outsider who shouldn’t be here, alerted the other nobles.

Naturally, the gazes of the Alliance nobles turned to Jieselgrante entering the conference room.

While everyone in the conference room looked at Jieselgrante with disbelief, the most shocked were undoubtedly her family, Duke Amaterasu and Mikhail.

“Jiesel, why are you here…”

“…Jiesel? What’s going on?”

Mikhail immediately glared at Cabelased with a fierce expression.

Although he could feel Duke Amaterasu’s murderous gaze as well, Cabelased’s eyes were fixed solely on Jieselgrante.

She walked to the front of the conference room, neither slowly nor quickly.

Upon reaching the center, she briefly surveyed the room.

Her standing posture was very straight, and her long hair, left unadorned and simply loose, accentuated her pure charm even more.

She was more than a span shorter than the nobles gathered here, and her build was slender and delicate.

But her presence was by no means small.

“You’ve all worked hard until late at night. I believe there must have been a good reason for you to urgently visit the Cardia mansion at this dawn.”

“…”

The gazes of the nobles in the conference room darted busily between the faces of Cabelased and the Amaterasu father and son.

Everyone here had agreed not to reveal the existence of the Alliance to anyone other than themselves.

That wasn’t limited to just wives and daughters.

Although the young Duke Amaterasu was an exception, it was the same for heirs who would inherit the family.

It wasn’t just because of the confidentiality clause.

It was to protect the family in case something went wrong.

But for Duke Cardia to bring in his fiancée who wasn’t even married yet?

Moreover, judging by their very angry expressions, it seemed the Amaterasu father and son knew nothing about this.

While the Alliance nobles were each lost in their own thoughts, Jieselgrante spoke again.

“That’s probably to devise a response to the rapidly changing imperial situation.”

No sooner had Jieselgrante finished speaking than a young noble raised his hand.

“…I apologize for interrupting, but the young lady shouldn’t be here.”

“Why not?”

“Well…”

He trailed off, looking back and forth between Cabelased and the Amaterasu father and son.

Cabelased nodded, indicating it was okay, while the Amaterasu father and son simultaneously jumped to their feet.

Just as the two were turning towards Cabelased.

“I have a good way to resolve this situation that everyone here will find satisfactory… Would you like to hear it first?”

Jieselgrante smiled slightly as she looked around at the nobles exchanging confused glances with each other.

Was it just Cabelased’s imagination that her confident expression, which seemed almost arrogant, looked quite reliable?

Cabelased’s heart beat rapidly.

Perhaps it was because she seemed to shine more brightly than ever in his eyes.

The Emperor’s funeral was held in a solemn atmosphere.

A crowd too large even for the largest grand temple in the empire to accommodate had gathered.

On the platform, the high priest praised the Emperor’s achievements under the guise of a sermon, and most of those gathered in the grand temple nodded in agreement.

Among those immersed in sorrow were Jieselgrante and Cabelased.

“He’s exaggerating.”

Cabelased briefly criticized the high priest.

Jieselgrante just slightly raised the corner of her mouth and turned her gaze to the Empress.

The Empress, wearing a deeply pressed black veil, was constantly dabbing her tears with a handkerchief.

Next to her sat Joshua, leaning back with a somewhat bored expression, staring straight ahead.

Joshua seemed so insensitive to his father’s death that it was almost regrettable that only high-ranking nobles could see the Crown Prince up close.

“Now we will have the Crown Prince’s eulogy.”

Only after sufficiently packaging and beautifying the Emperor’s past achievements, from the trivial to the significant, did the high priest look at Joshua.

It was when Joshua stood up and moved to the center of the platform.

“…?”

The sound of multiple footsteps approaching from afar could be heard.

Turning their heads, they could see the Emperor’s knights entering the grand temple.

Although their expressions were close to blank, anyone could immediately tell that the knights were extremely angry by their aura.