‘But just by Your Lordship appearing at the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony and showing your congratulations to Crown Prince Joshua, other nobles will think. That the Emperor has finally accepted Lord Tarel as a prince, as a member of the family.’

‘Such……?!’

‘But no, this is just a misunderstanding. In reality, you merely attended the investiture ceremony as Lord Tarel and congratulated the Crown Prince up close.’

‘Is that… possible?’

‘This is a difference in perspective.’

‘……!’

Filippo belatedly understood the meaning of what Duke Amaterasu’s daughter was trying to say.

‘……A difference in perspective, indeed.’

‘Yes. The Emperor will let the nobles misunderstand as they please. That way, power won’t be tilted to one side. Even if someone comes to question it later, the Emperor will be confident.’

‘It’s because he never actually said he recognizes me as a prince.’

Duke Amaterasu’s daughter nodded.

‘By the way, how do you know so much about His Majesty the Emperor?’

However, to Filippo’s subsequent question, Duke Amaterasu’s daughter only responded with a smile instead of an answer.

In the dining room, Jieselgrante, Duke Amaterasu, and Mikhail were having dinner.

True to the atmosphere where unnecessary conversation was rarely exchanged, throughout the meal, the dining room remained quiet without even the sound of utensils clinking.

“……Jieselgrante?”

Mikhail broke the silence and opened his mouth.

Jieselgrante slightly raised her head and looked at Mikhail.

“Do you remember the conversation we had in the carriage on the way to the Grand Palace earlier?”

To Mikhail’s following question, Jieselgrante lightly nodded.

“If my memory serves me right, you seemed to know what was going to happen today, Jieselgrante?”

At Mikhail’s sharp observation, Jieselgrante gently put down the utensils she was holding onto the plate.

Duke Amaterasu also seemed to be waiting for Jieselgrante’s response.

Only after rinsing her mouth with water did Jieselgrante open her mouth.

“Let me ask a question first.”

Jieselgrante looked alternately at Duke Amaterasu and Mikhail as if seeking agreement, then continued.

“Who does the Amaterasu duchy support?”

“……”

Mikhail wore an expression of being caught off guard, and Duke Amaterasu’s expression also stiffened slightly.

But Jieselgrante continued speaking.

“You said this was a family meal…… But it seems there are only two people from the Amaterasu duchy here.”

“Jieselgrante. Not telling you the complicated circumstances until now…… was for your own good.”

Duke Amaterasu hurriedly poured out an excuse.

He seemed to have quickly grasped the essence of her words.

What Jieselgrante really wanted to ask was why information was being shared unequally among people of the same family.

“I need to know. So that I can decide for myself who to associate with from now on.”

“Jieselgrante, I can say this for certain. It was absolutely not because we disrespected you.”

Duke Amaterasu nodded in agreement to Mikhail’s words.

Jieselgrante looked at the faces of the two, hoping for an answer worthy of her question.

Mikhail, who had been averting his gaze as if troubled, soon looked at Duke Amaterasu.

“It’s a difficult matter to answer right away.”

Duke Amaterasu, wiping his mouth with a napkin, rose from his seat.

Understanding that he meant to ask for time to think, Jieselgrante didn’t bother to stop him.

That dawn.

Jieselgrante, unable to fall asleep, tossed and turned in bed before finally drifting off.

But not long after falling into a light sleep, she woke up.

It was when she closed her eyes again, blinking in a half-asleep state.

The sound of horse hooves was heard from outside.

It wasn’t a loud sound by any means, but even small sounds felt loud in the dawn when everyone was asleep.

‘……Who could it be at this hour?’

Hurriedly rising from the bed, Jieselgrante lit a lamp and approached the window.

It was hard to see clearly because it was dark outside, but the person who dismounted from the horse entered the Amaterasu mansion through the back door.

While the purpose of the visit was unknown, it seemed certain that it was a matter of great importance.

Jieselgrante put on her outer clothes and quietly left her bedroom.

‘If only I had a cloak.’

It was a moment when she missed the cloak she used to wear at the Imperial Palace.

Recalling how she used to sneak into the Imperial special archives wearing that cloak, evading the eyes of the guards, Jieselgrante crossed the corridor, muffling her footsteps.

Wondering where the person who visited the mansion at this late hour was going, who they were trying to contact.

‘That place……?’

The place where the person who entered through the back door of the Amaterasu mansion headed was Duke Amaterasu’s private study.

Meanwhile, in the secret space connected to Duke Amaterasu’s private study, besides the two men of the Amaterasu duchy, Duke Cardia and the nobles supporting him were gathered.

“Marquis Howard seems to be late.”

Cabelased briefly gazed towards the entrance before averting his eyes.

“Let’s wait a little longer. If he doesn’t arrive after that, we’ll……”

Before Duke Amaterasu could finish his sentence, the door burst open.

“I had some business, so I’m a bit late.”

Marquis Howard walked in, slightly out of breath. Duke Amaterasu gestured towards an empty seat.

“Well then, since everyone seems to be here, let’s start the meeting.”

Naturally, the nobles gathered at the Amaterasu mansion were most interested in the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony that took place today.

“It was completely unexpected. Introducing the son of a concubine who had been considered nonexistent until now.”

“If it’s not any other time, but specifically at an important occasion like the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony, doesn’t it mean he intends to recognize the concubine’s son as a prince?”

“I think so too.”

The Emperor’s unexpected move slightly derailed their plans.

However, it didn’t seem like there would be a major upset. At least not yet.

The Empress was firmly maintaining her position, which meant Joshua’s safety was also securely guaranteed.

“……”

The nobles gathered in the meeting room each imagined the worst-case scenarios that might unfold and tried to predict countermeasures accordingly.

As the silence in the meeting room deepened, the young Duke Amaterasu spoke brightly.

“It’s not good for anything to be too one-sided, is it? Rather, doesn’t it seem like the situation has improved? Or am I the only one who thinks so?”

Mikhail looked around at the others with a questioning gaze.

Marquis Howard, who had been frowning as if deep in thought, opened his mouth.

“It seems difficult to place great expectations on the son of a concubine, but wouldn’t he be able to play the role of at least tarnishing the Crown Prince’s image?”

With that statement, the nobles in the meeting room began to voice their opinions one by one.

“Then how about this? Using the Crown Prince’s arrogant nature……”

The nobles began to gather opinions on how to weaken the faction supporting the Empress and Joshua.

“……?”

Cabelased, who had been observing the nobles engaged in heated discussion while leaning back in his chair, furrowed his brow.

Without much deliberation, Cabelased asked Mikhail, who was sitting next to him.

“Who else among the people in the mansion knows we’re having a meeting here?”

As he said this, he looked at Duke Amaterasu, who was listening intently to another noble’s words.

Very few people knew about the existence of such a secret space within the Amaterasu mansion.

The meetings were held at dawn when all the employees were sound asleep, and on the evenings of meeting days, ingredients containing sleep-inducing components were used in the meals.

So there shouldn’t be anyone awake at this hour.

Even less likely was anyone approaching Duke Amaterasu’s private study.

“Apart from Father and me, there’s no one in particular… Cabel?”

Before Mikhail could finish speaking, Cabelased abruptly stood up.

Then he strode towards the door.

“Seems like a little rat has snuck in.”

When the door suddenly opened without a sound, Jieselgrante, who had been standing right in front of it, was startled and hurriedly covered her mouth.

Fortunately, she barely managed to avoid screaming out.

But soon she found herself unable to scream for a different reason.

A huge shadow that burst through the doorway instantly covered Jieselgrante’s slender body.

And an outstretched large hand grasped her nape fully.

“Who are you?”

It was a moment of crisis where she might lose her chance at a second life if she wasn’t careful.

Jieselgrante struggled, scratching at the back of the man’s hand that was gripping her neck.

“Let… this… go……”

Due to her vocal cords being pressed, only a strange, choking sound faintly escaped her throat.

Meanwhile, Cabelased’s eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, took in Jieselgrante’s contorted face.

For a moment, the grip of Cabelased’s hand loosened slightly.

“Duke Amaterasu’s daughter? ……What were you doing here?”

“First, let this… let go and then let’s talk.”

Jieselgrante, barely escaping from his grasp, glared at Cabelased while coughing painfully.

She was about to snap at him, asking what this rude behavior was all about.

“……Cabel? Is something wrong there?”

In the darkness, Jieselgrante and Cabelased’s eyes met.

There could be plenty of excuses to tell Mikhail about why she was here at this late hour.

But somehow, a premonition that she shouldn’t be caught flashed through her mind.

Jieselgrante shook her head urgently.

“……Cabel?”

At that moment, Mikhail’s voice calling for Cabelased grew a bit closer.

Jieselgrante stared intently at Cabelased’s face in the darkness.

To predict his next move.

But no emotion could be read from Cabelased’s expression.

She had no idea what action he might take right now.

As Jieselgrante furrowed her brow in contemplation, Cabelased’s lips slowly parted.