The Emperor and Empress were seated on chairs a few steps above Cabelased, while Joshua stood next to the Empress, glaring in this direction.

On the surface, Cabelased was positioned below them.

However, psychologically, Cabelased held the upper hand.

The reason the Emperor brought not only the Empress but also Joshua was likely to apologize to Cabelased for the previous incident.

“I received the petitions well. They took up much of my time.”

“Is that so.”

“They seemed to be your handiwork. Not just the southern and western nobles, but even the northern ones. You managed to persuade those who rarely agree, didn’t you?”

The Emperor spoke in a displeased tone.

Since it was indeed Cabelased’s plan to have the petitions flood the imperial palace simultaneously, he simply gave a slight smile instead of making excuses.

“It was such an outrageous matter that everyone did not hesitate to lend me their support.”

Displeased with his answer, the Emperor furrowed his brow.

Then, with an even more disgruntled expression, he looked at Joshua.

“It seems my son has something to say to you regarding that previous matter.”

The Emperor seemed displeased with this situation itself. So he appeared to want to get straight to the point.

“…”

Joshua, who seemed to hesitate for a moment under the Emperor’s gaze, soon descended the stairs.

And stood before Cabelased.

Finding this situation extremely humiliating, Joshua’s tightly clenched fists were trembling.

“I heard you had something to say to me?”

Cabelased asked quite gentlemanly.

His expression was also fresh and straightforward. But rather, that demeanor seemed to have irritated Joshua.

Sure enough, Joshua’s cheek twitched for a moment.

It was an expression of rising anger, but Joshua held it in and spat out words he didn’t mean.

“…I went too far that day. I admit it.”

“I’m not quite sure what exactly was too far, or how.”

When Cabelased asked innocently, Joshua’s cheeks turned red in real-time.

Judging by the heat rushing to his face, he seemed to be barely holding back his anger that was rising to the top of his head.

“…I apologize.”

The Emperor rolled his eyes and turned his head away, while the Empress also let out a faint sigh and lowered her gaze.

Both of them seemed to have judged that Cabelased wouldn’t just let this half-hearted apology slide.

But Joshua’s circumstances seemed a bit different.

Cabelased let out a snicker between his teeth at Joshua’s brazen expression that seemed to ask if this was enough.

“…?”

Joshua raised one eyebrow and glared at Cabelased.

Cabelased took one step closer to Joshua. And whispered softly so that only he could hear.

“Joshua, you should be grateful even now that I didn’t lay hands on your body right then and there.”

Joshua’s shoulders stiffened for a moment.

He seemed taken aback by the disrespect he had never heard from anyone not born into the imperial family.

But that was only for a moment.

Judging that Cabelased had committed an unacceptable rudeness, Joshua’s expression contorted.

Joshua glared at Cabelased with a fierce look as if he would tear him apart right then.

“How dare you…”

Instead of continuing the verbal sparring, Cabelased quietly raised his arm and firmly gripped his half-brother’s shoulder.

“…!”

The knights hurriedly drew their swords. Cabelased quietly gave them a warning look.

And he applied force to the hand gripping the shoulder.

Under the tremendous force pressing down, one of Joshua’s shoulders tilted.

“Ugh…”

A pained groan escaped Joshua’s lips.

The startled Empress jumped up from her seat and looked at the Emperor.

But the Emperor just frowned and turned his head away.

Just before Joshua’s knees touched the ground, Cabelased released his tight grip on the shoulder. And he said,

“This is how you apologize. Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Without even blinking, Joshua, who had been glaring at Cabelased, soon uttered words of apology.

“…I apologize for that incident, Duke Cardia.”

Cabelased stared intently at the face that showed faint traces of resemblance to himself and the bloodshot, fierce eyes.

Thinking that there was no one more qualified than himself in many ways to teach this foolish Crown Prince that there are things a person in power can and cannot do.

“We’ll end it at this for today, but next time, an apology alone won’t be enough. Always remember that there is someone else Your Highness the Crown Prince should truly apologize to.”

“…”

“If you understand, nod your head.”

Joshua nodded slightly.

Only then did Cabelased give a fresh smile and look at the Emperor.

“I will make sure that no more petitions arrive at the imperial palace.”

Unlike the Emperor, who thought it fortunate that the situation was resolved with just an apology despite being humiliating, the Empress’s gaze glaring at Cabelased’s retreating back was quite venomous.

The Emperor, who had returned to his office, gazed out the window with his hands in his pockets.

As he watched Duke Cardia getting into his carriage, the Emperor called out.

“Chamberlain, Chamberlain!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Chamberlain rushed into the office, panting.

In fact, the Emperor did not know the full details of what had happened on the day of the imperial ball.

He had only heard a brief explanation of what mistake Joshua had made towards Duke Cardia.

Because he had no time.

But from Duke Cardia’s reaction today, he could tell that he was thoroughly angry with Joshua.

Since he had managed to extract a proper apology, this matter could be put to rest, but it was uncertain whether Duke Cardia would cleanly forget about it without holding a grudge.

“Explain in detail, without omitting anything, the events of the imperial ball day.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Chamberlain reported everything he had heard, not just summarizing the core of the incident as before, but including the testimonies of the nobles, knights, and palace employees who were present at the time.

Even after the Chamberlain’s rather long explanation ended, the Emperor remained silent for a while.

The Chamberlain just swallowed dry saliva and watched the Emperor’s expression from the side.

The Emperor was trying to guess all possible situations that could have occurred.

‘Whether it’s a memory error, or if the words were distorted in the process of being relayed, or if someone is lying…’

There were matching statements, of course, but there were also inconsistencies in the testimonies despite experiencing the same situation.

In particular, there were conflicting claims about whether Duke Amaterasu’s daughter was seen on the terrace or not, and the Emperor focused on that part.

After imagining various possible scenarios for a while, the Emperor reached one assumption.

Also, the fact that the Empress had recently assigned a bedchamber maid to Joshua.

“The person Joshua tried to assault might not have been Duke Cardia.”

The Emperor muttered as if talking to himself.

“What do you mean… Ah!”

The Chamberlain, who had been tilting his head, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

“Duke Amaterasu’s daughter. Wasn’t her brother a classmate of Duke Cardia at the academy?”

If it was true that Duke Cardia had stood up for Duke Amaterasu’s daughter, there needed to be a reason for it.

The Emperor found that reason in the friendship between young Duke Amaterasu and Duke Cardia.

The Chamberlain, who had been blinking for a moment, soon nodded.

“That’s right! I definitely remember hearing that.”

The Emperor let out a long sigh with his face buried in his palms.

“Chamberlain.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Keep an eye on whether there are any suspicious signs from the Duke of Amaterasu’s family.”

Not immediately grasping the meaning, the Chamberlain tilted his head.

Having worked together for a long time, the Chamberlain knew the Emperor well.

He thought there must be a reason for him to suddenly give such an order.

Soon, a low sigh escaped between the Chamberlain’s teeth.

“…Your Majesty, surely not?”

“Yes. Things have become very troublesome.”

It was already a headache dealing with Duke Cardia alone, but if the two families were to ally, it would truly become difficult.

“For the time being, prohibit Joshua from leaving the palace.”

The Chamberlain nodded repeatedly.

“Yes, I understand, Your Majesty.”

The news that Duke Cardia had received an apology from the Crown Prince was also conveyed to Jieselgrante through the Radcliffe trading company.

It was thanks to Count Frederick’s informant who had infiltrated the imperial palace.

As it was an incident where the Crown Prince was humiliated, it seemed unlikely to be known outside, but Jieselgrante could not understand Cabelased’s actions.

‘Why did he go that far… Making the Crown Prince kneel…’

And in front of the Emperor and Empress, no less.

No matter how she thought about it, Cabelased’s actions were excessive.

‘Could it be for my sake?’

She had such a thought for a moment, but Jieselgrante soon shook her head.

She judged that he, who had been adamantly expressing his refusal towards her, would not suddenly change his attitude now.

‘Then is he thinking of usurping the throne even before Joshua inherits it?’

Recalling that the changed current situation could affect the future, she had such a thought for a moment, but she soon concluded that it wouldn’t be the case.

It would be more advantageous to pretend to follow the Emperor as much as possible and then overturn the situation at once when the time comes.

‘But why?’

Trying to guess Cabelased’s psychology, which she could not understand at all, she wandered aimlessly through the bustling streets.

And there was still a tail following behind her.

To respond to Baron Cyprus’s invitation in place of Count Frederick, who had left to resolve domain affairs, she first needed to shake off that tail following behind her.