Following the sudden death of the princess, Joshua’s coronation as crown prince, and the unexpected appearance of Count Tarel’s son in the imperial succession dispute,

It was not a good idea to miss the gathering of all the nobles of the empire amidst such chaotic circumstances.

“I suppose I should go.”

“That… lady from the Berilstein marquisate you saw before? Will you attend the imperial palace ball with her then?”

Mikhail asked carefully.

But what came back from Cabelased was not an answer, but a question.

“…What about you, Mikhail?”

“Ah, I guess I’m in no position to worry about others…”

Mikhail was in the same situation, without a fiancée.

Realizing this fact anew, Mikhail slumped his shoulders.

He had resolved not to start a family until achieving the purpose of their alliance. Marriage could come after that.

Mikhail, who had become suddenly gloomy upon realizing he had no partner to accompany him, soon recalled his purpose.

Jieselgrante had brought in Count Frederick just to draw a tiny bit of interest from Cabelased.

While it was uncertain if that crafty jealousy ploy would be effective on Cabelased, as family, he wanted to support and help Jieselgrante’s love as much as possible.

‘If you’re having trouble finding a suitable partner to attend the imperial palace ball with, how about our Jiesel?’

Mikhail made up his mind to ask that. This opportunity might bring the two closer together.

But before he could say it, Cabelased spoke first with a question.

“By the way, why were Jieselgrante and Count Frederick together in the garden of Duke Amaterasu’s mansion?”

Mikhail’s eyebrows raised slightly at his interrogative tone.

“I’m curious about that too…”

“…?”

“I’m the one who’s curious why Jiesel brought Count Frederick to the duke’s mansion.”

Mikhail furrowed his brow slightly.

“…”

Cabelased keenly observed Mikhail’s reaction.

He didn’t seem to be lying just to deceive him.

‘Does Mikhail really not know about the relationship between Jieselgrante and Count Frederick?’

As Cabelased’s thoughts leaned halfway in that direction, Mikhail opened his mouth.

“Hey, Cabel.”

With his eyes narrowed, Mikhail stared straight at Cabelased as he continued speaking.

“Why do you care that our Jiesel was with Count Frederick?”

“Me, care? When did I?”

A crack appeared in Cabelased’s straight brow. His red eyes also trembled finely.

But Mikhail didn’t stop speaking.

“Is it that you don’t want to have her yourself, but you don’t want to give her to someone else? Is that it?”

As he spoke, Mikhail’s eyes grew wider, as if anger was rising.

His approach towards Cabelased also showed an intention to threaten.

‘…This could turn into a fight.’

Seeing Mikhail’s slightly unhinged look, Cabelased quickly decided he needed to defuse the situation.

If they both fought with all their might, they could destroy not just this meeting room but the entire Duke Amaterasu’s mansion.

Cabelased swiftly struck a vital point near Mikhail’s neck with the edge of his hand.

It was an unexpected sudden attack, so Mikhail immediately fell unconscious as if falling asleep.

Cabelased casually draped the limp Mikhail over a chair.

Even as he did so, Mikhail’s voice from earlier kept ringing in his head.

‘Why do you care that our Jiesel was with Count Frederick?’

In the moment, he had blurted out an excuse that it wasn’t true, but then this thought occurred to him:

‘Why should I make excuses?’

It was true that the seemingly intimate image of Jieselgrante and Count Frederick kept popping up and irritating his nerves, but he didn’t know the reason well himself.

‘Is it that you don’t want to have her yourself, but you don’t want to give her to someone else?’

And Mikhail’s words that followed once again grated on his thick nerves.

“…”

But with a faint sigh, Cabelased shook off thoughts about that.

There were many other issues he needed to think about besides that.

For instance, which families had prospered or fallen after this recent Semper Alpuri incident. He needed to know such things inside out.

Mikhail’s worries continued until dessert was placed on the table signaling the end of dinner that evening.

Judging by the new dress, shoes, and matching accessories she had bought recently, it was certain that Jieselgrante intended to attend this imperial palace ball.

But the question of whose hand Jieselgrante would take to the imperial palace ball remained unanswered.

“Jiesel, you’re attending the imperial palace ball, right?”

Finally, he asked the question he’d been curious about all along.

‘His attitude was a bit strange that day, but Cabel would probably reject if I suggested him as a partner, so I guess Jiesel is going with Count Frederick?’

Thinking this while glancing at Jieselgrante, she gave an answer far from Mikhail’s expectation.

“Aren’t Father, elder brother Mikhail, and I going together? The three of us?”

“…Huh?”

When Mikhail asked back with a dumbfounded expression, Jieselgrante hastily opened her mouth.

“If you already have another partner to attend the imperial palace ball with, I won’t mind…”

Before Jieselgrante could finish speaking, Mikhail grabbed his sister’s hand. And said,

“I don’t.”

“…What?”

“I don’t have any other partner or anything like that.”

Jieselgrante looked at Duke Amaterasu, who was subtly glancing this way, and asked.

“…Then what are your plans, Father?”

Duke Amaterasu immediately gave an answer as if he had been waiting.

“I don’t have anyone in particular either.”

“Then this imperial palace ball will be a family attendance.”

Jieselgrante said with a bright smile, and smiles spread across the faces of Mikhail and Duke Amaterasu.

Intoxicated with happiness, Duke Amaterasu and Mikhail completely forgot to ask about Count Frederick.

Meanwhile, around the time the three members of the Amaterasu ducal family were enjoying a warm evening tasting the head chef’s dishes in a harmonious atmosphere, the people of the Minster count family were facing the opposite situation.

‘This is all because of that fool Amaterasu!’

If the Amaterasu duke’s daughter hadn’t insulted Iliana at the Empress’s tea party, then her mother Countess Minster wouldn’t have been fired from her position as the Empress’s lady-in-waiting.

Moreover, if he hadn’t given Countess Minster that nonsensical investment information, they wouldn’t have to be packing their bags and leaving the count’s mansion so late at night.

“Ugh!”

Iliana kicked a pebble in front of her as if it were Jieselgrante.

The pebble that flew off hit her younger brother Benjamin squarely on the forehead.

“Ouch…!”

Benjamin, who screamed and clutched his forehead, quickly looked around.

He seemed to be trying to figure out what had hit him.

Soon after discovering the small pebble that had fallen to the ground, Benjamin shouted.

“Who did that!”

Benjamin’s temper was just as nasty as Iliana’s, if not worse.

Sure enough, Benjamin falsely accused the hired help loading luggage onto the carriage.

“It was you! You did it, didn’t you?”

Benjamin yelled, holding up the pebble he had picked up.

“Wh-what are you talking about…”

The middle-aged employee sighed deeply with a troubled expression.

“What? Did you just sigh? Are you saying you’re annoyed? Huh?”

The situation started to escalate a bit more, but Iliana pretended not to know anything.

And just then, Countess Minster, who was walking this way, frowned.

“What’s going on? I’ve told you many times to be quiet…”

“Mother! You see…”

Benjamin complained, recounting what had just happened.

The moment Iliana glanced that way surreptitiously, her eyes met with Countess Minster’s.

Iliana unconsciously averted her gaze.

Nodding as if she roughly understood the situation, Countess Minster soothed Benjamin.

They couldn’t afford to waste time if they wanted to leave the count’s mansion before sunrise.

Watching Benjamin walk away grumbling, Countess Minster briefly glared at Iliana.

“All the luggage has been loaded.”

Just then, the butler came to say they were ready to depart.

“Get in the carriage quickly.”

And so, in the early morning dew, the people of the Minster count family boarded the carriage.

The carriage soon left the grand, majestic count’s mansion and began to move quickly.

Iliana glared at the receding Minster count’s mansion and vowed.

That someday, she would definitely return here to her home again.

Nobles began to enter one by one into the spacious hall of the imperial palace where the orchestra’s melody softly resonated.

As opportunities to enter the imperial palace were rarely given except for big events like today’s imperial ball, they put a lot of effort into their appearance.

Soon the hall of the imperial palace was filled with nobles in colorful patterned dresses and suits.

“Looks like we arrived just in time.”

Duke Amaterasu said as he entered the hall.

“It seems so.”

Mikhail nodded in agreement.

For the upcoming ball, the three members of the Amaterasu ducal family were also specially dressed up today.

Duke Amaterasu and Mikhail wore black suits with subtle yet intricate dark blue embroidery and white cravats, while Jieselgrante wore a red dress that exuded a seductive atmosphere.

With each step she took, the gold embroidery reflected in the light sparkled brilliantly.

The nobles’ gazes followed each step the three took into the hall.

Some looked at Duke Amaterasu with his mature and dignified charm, while others looked at Mikhail with his neat and upright impression.

Among them were also gazes directed at Jieselgrante, with some staring blankly with slightly parted lips, and others scrutinizing her from head to toe with eagle eyes as if trying to find some flaw.

Just then, Jieselgrante’s eyes met with those of a noblewoman who had been whispering something to the noble standing next to her.