“……Is that alright with you?”

The words that came out of her mouth were not a rejection or acceptance, but asking for Cabelased’s own opinion.

She felt sorry if he had made an unwanted dance request due to Mikhail’s somewhat forceful plea.

Cabelased snorted slightly as if dumbfounded and said,

“Are you asking the opinion of the man who just asked you to dance?”

Instead of answering immediately, Jieselgrante glanced at Mikhail.

Mikhail then shook his head vigorously.

Just as she was about to interpret what the head shake meant, Cabelased spoke first.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d stop torturing me and give an answer, preferably an affirmative one.”

As he said this, Cabelased subtly gestured with his eyes towards their surroundings.

She also rolled her eyes slightly to survey the area.

There were certainly many eyes watching.

This incident would undoubtedly be widely spread through the gossips’ mouths by the end of today.

That Cabelased asked that Jieselgrante to dance at today’s Founding Day celebration.

‘What would happen if I refused the dance request here……’

Considering the rumors that had been circulating, if she were to refuse, it might lead to quite an interesting situation.

After all, Jieselgrante’s feelings towards Cabelased had always been one-sided.

The prospect of that relationship finally reversing might be quite thrilling.

‘……Not bad?’

It was while Jieselgrante was having such thoughts.

“I hope you’re not about to give the answer I’m expecting.”

Cabelased said, raising one eyebrow. Apparently, her thoughts had shown on her face.

“Before that, let me ask one thing.”

“By all means.”

“I want to confirm if your reason for asking me to dance is your own will.”

Cabelased snorted softly and said,

“You worry about the strangest things.”

“So that means…… you didn’t ask me to dance because of elder brother Mikhail’s insistence?”

As soon as her words ended, Mikhail shook his head vigorously, indicating that was preposterous.

“You must think me weak. To extend my hand to an unwanted partner just because of someone’s words?”

Only then did Jieselgrante nod and place her hand on Cabelased’s.

“Alright.”

As they moved to the dance floor, Jieselgrante began to assess the situation.

Come to think of it, Cabelased had firmly expressed his refusal to Jieselgrante’s numerous confessions in the past.

Even when Duke Amaterasu had designated Cabelased as the next emperor, even with the earnest request of his best friend Mikhail.

This meant that the reason he asked her to dance was not due to Mikhail’s insistence, but Cabelased’s own will.

Jieselgrante’s eyes widened slightly as she belatedly realized this fact.

Without anyone’s interference, he voluntarily asked her to dance in a public place.

That Cabelased.

Reconsidering this fact again now made her feel dazed.

Jieselgrante blinked rapidly and looked at Cabelased’s profile.

Cabelased looked at her with narrowed eyes, then smiled with his eyes curved and said,

“I look forward to this.”

“Me too…… I look forward to it.”

The two facing each other on the dance floor greeted each other and then adjusted their posture.

Just then, a new song began.

The two started dancing to the orchestra’s performance.

“Can’t you tell me privately?”

As they were smoothly stepping to the rhythm, he suddenly pulled her waist close to him. Then he whispered lowly in her ear.

The breath touching her ear was so hot that Jieselgrante unknowingly shrugged her shoulders slightly and looked at Cabelased.

“I think it was when the congratulatory speech started.”

Cabelased’s eyes narrowed as if trying to recall the memory.

Jieselgrante just looked at him, waiting for the next words.

“When the young lady left the banquet hall. The speech was unnecessarily long.”

Jieselgrante was inwardly stung, but didn’t lose the smile on her lips.

And staring directly into Cabelased’s red eyes, she opened her mouth.

“You seem to be very interested in me.”

Contrary to her expectation that he would immediately deny it, Cabelased answered straightforwardly.

“……I can’t say I’m not. I’m also a bit excited to see how you’ll surprise me today.”

“Unfortunately, I haven’t prepared anything special today.”

Jieselgrante rolled her eyes slightly to survey their surroundings.

Fortunately, there was no one dancing close enough to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Nevertheless, she pressed her body close to him and whispered in his ear.

“I’ve said this before, but happy birthday again. I didn’t expect to meet you like this on the actual day.”

Just as he had done to her earlier.

After the Founding Day celebration ended, Jieselgrante visited the Cardia ducal residence on the day they had promised to meet.

However, as she had other plans in the afternoon today, she had already sent a message through an employee that she would visit early.

“Welcome.”

As she entered the mansion, the butler bowed deeply to greet Jieselgrante.

Having seen her face several times already, the butler’s attitude towards her was quite friendly.

As she exchanged greetings with the butler, Jieselgrante’s steps naturally headed towards the reception room.

“Where is the Duke?”

“The Duke is currently at the training grounds supervising the knights’ training. Would you like to go there?”

Her question was merely a courtesy, but the butler quite formally informed her of Cabelased’s whereabouts.

‘The training grounds……’

She pondered for a moment on what to do.

Although she had visited the Cardia ducal residence several times since then, it seemed the late Empress’s portrait had been put away somewhere.

Thinking it would be better to watch the training than waiting idly for Cabelased, Jieselgrante nodded and said,

“If that’s alright.”

“Then I’ll guide you to the training grounds.”

Jieselgrante unfolded the parasol she had closed when entering the mansion.

The butler then extended his hand towards her as if asking for the parasol.

She didn’t refuse and handed the parasol to the butler’s hand.

The sight of the large-built butler holding the small, fluttering white lace parasol was incongruous.

Jieselgrante turned her gaze straight ahead to avoid laughing.

And she headed towards the training grounds. Thinking it had been a really long time.

In the past, she used to occasionally take time to watch the training of the Imperial Princess’s direct knight order.

She didn’t particularly intend to interfere with their training.

It just seemed that the knights’ morale improved just by her quietly watching at the training grounds.

After all, 365 days a year.

For those who had been training in swordsmanship daily for at least ten years or more, it seemed that having someone watching provided fresh stimulation.

And it seemed that would not be much different for the knights of the Cardia ducal family.

Even if the head of the family, Cabelased, showed his face at the training grounds for just a moment, it would provide motivation to focus on the daily repetitive training.

“……”

As the training grounds came into view, Jieselgrante’s mouth opened slightly.

The training grounds were so enormously large that they couldn’t be seen entirely even from a distance.

It was a point where one could immediately understand the status of the Cardia ducal family.

‘Well, if they hadn’t prepared this thoroughly, it wouldn’t have been possible to change the reigning emperor.’

Unlike her light-hearted steps earlier, Jieselgrante began to observe the training grounds quite analytically.

Dozens of knights and their assisting squires were fully committed to tactical training, each wielding different weapons.

As she watched the training, Jieselgrante asked the butler various questions.

Who was commanding the knights, and what was the current training in preparation for?

Contrary to her expectation that he wouldn’t know much beyond managing the ducal residence and assisting the head of the family, he answered Jieselgrante’s questions without hesitation.

As she walked while conversing with the butler, she stopped at a spot far from the training grounds. The butler’s steps stopped along with hers.

“Won’t you go closer to watch?”

The butler asked curiously.

“I’m worried I might disturb their training.”

“Ah……”

The butler exclaimed with his mouth slightly open. Then he muttered as if to himself.

“You truly are considerate, young lady.”

Jieselgrante pretended not to hear the butler’s praise and continued to ask him questions.

The reason she did so was that as she quietly watched the knights training, her hand not holding a weapon was itching.

‘Trinity, if you just sit at a desk looking at documents, unnecessary fat might build up on your body.’

Now she knew it was the Empress’s trap to disguise an intentional accident as training, but at the time, she had fully agreed with that opinion.

In fact, she was interested.

Around the time she started receiving sword training, the empire was abuzz with tales of a female knight who had built up quite a reputation.

As she was intently observing the knights’ training for a while, the butler quietly asked.

“Aren’t you bored……”

However, seeing her eyes clearer than ever, he quickly continued.

“……It seems not.”

“Yes, it’s quite interesting.”

Jieselgrante continued to ask about the knights’ weapons, armor, and training methods, and the butler provided appropriate answers.

Jieselgrante was inwardly impressed with the butler.

‘As expected of someone who assists the Duke of Cardia, he seems to know everything about the internal affairs of the ducal family.’

While she was having various conversations with the butler like this, it happened.

The vice-captain of the knight order, who had been giving instructions to the knights, shouted.

“This concludes the tactical training. If you want to do individual training……”

As soon as it was announced that the group training was over, the knights began to take off the upper part of their knight order uniform.