“……!”

As the training was conducted under the blazing afternoon sun, it seemed they wanted to quickly cool off instead of rushing back to their quarters.

“Oh, my…….”

Flustered by the sudden display of flesh before his eyes, the butler began to panic, unsure of what to do.

Should he lower the parasol slightly to cover her eyes, or quickly suggest returning to the mansion…….

But contrary to the butler’s expectations, Jieselgrante remained calm.

Although she hadn’t worn armor today as it was informal training, she knew well how grueling it was to train for hours under such intense sunlight.

Sweat would pour down like rain, and not just the outer garments, but even the undergarments would surely be soaked through.

So of course they’d want to remove their clinging clothes as soon as training ended.

Keeping their trousers and underwear on was the most courtesy they could muster.

And the reason she understood the knights’ circumstances was because she had experienced the same as them.

Between a commander who had never held a sword and one who had sweated and struggled alongside the knights, it was obvious whose orders they would follow on the battlefield.

And in the past, the Empress and her ladies-in-waiting had once visited the training grounds on a hot summer day to cheer on Trinity.

They had called the shirtless knights barbaric at the time.

Of course, unlike their husbands with protruding bellies, they couldn’t easily tear their eyes away from the tall, muscular upper bodies with large frames.

Afterwards, some of the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting even began actively flirting with the knights…….

And she secretly envied the knights who could bare their upper bodies in front of everyone.

But unlike the active Trinity, Jieselgrante in the past was a demure young lady.

It would have lacked verisimilitude if she didn’t blush or feel embarrassed at seeing the knights’ bare bodies.

‘I should head back to the Duke’s residence now.’

Just as she was about to say they had seen enough training and should return,

Cabelased walked out of the building connected to the training grounds.

He was conversing with a burly knight beside him as he walked towards where the knights were gathered.

Then, spotting her and the butler standing at a distance, he strode right past the knights training individually and approached.

“What are you doing here?”

He asked, clearly displaying his displeasure.

“Ah, that is… I suggested to the young lady that we watch the knights’ training. I thought she might be bored as the wait seemed like it would be quite long……”

Cabelased glared at the butler with one eyebrow raised, and the butler’s head lowered involuntarily.

The butler suggesting they watch the training must have been within the scope of what Cabelased had allowed.

‘But why is he so angry?’

Puzzled by his incomprehensible reaction, she pointed to his white shirt clinging to his upper body, soaked through, and changed the subject.

“Did you have separate individual training? It must feel quite unpleasant……”

While Cabelased went to wash up, Jieselgrante spent time with the daughter of Count Greykin.

As they were chatting over fragrant tea and desserts for a while, Count Preston arrived.

“So this is where you were, Lady Greykin. Oh……”

Like someone being chased, he was about to blurt out what he wanted to say as soon as he saw Lady Greykin, when his gaze fell on Jieselgrante.

Count Preston blinked slowly upon seeing Jieselgrante, then quickly greeted her.

“Pleased to meet you, Lady Amaterasu.”

And he introduced himself. Jieselgrante also greeted Count Preston with appropriate courtesy.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

Count Preston was a man who would be by Cabelased’s side when he became Emperor in the future.

According to the diary, he was also someone who would become a minister of the Empire.

The sight of Cabelased and Count Preston together in public was rarely seen.

Hence, few people knew of their close relationship.

‘So he had already won him over. Then when exactly did he start planning to usurp the throne……’

As she pondered Cabelased’s plans, Count Preston urged Lady Greykin.

“My lady, it’s quite urgent.”

“Oh dear, what should I do? I have an urgent matter to attend to.”

Finally, Lady Greykin said with a troubled expression.

“I was just thinking I should go see the Duke soon too. Please go ahead.”

“Then I’ll take my leave. I’ll see you next time, my lady.”

Lady Greykin stood up with an expression full of regret.

“Then. I’ll see you again.”

Count Preston and Lady Greykin, after briefly exchanging farewells, hurriedly left the reception room.

‘Is she taking care of some of the Duke’s estate matters?’

Jieselgrante thought as she watched Lady Greykin’s retreating figure.

‘Well.’

She found herself nodding.

Lady Greykin was one of the more capable among Trinity’s ladies-in-waiting.

Perhaps if Trinity had become Emperor as planned, she too might have become a minister like Count Preston.

Jieselgrante was wearing a bitter smile while imagining a future that would never come, when

The butler walked into the reception room. After glancing around the interior, he said,

“Count Preston was urgently looking for Lady Greykin, so I came to check… But it seems they’ve already left.”

“It looked like Lady Greykin had something to do?”

“Ah, yes. That is……”

The butler began to explain in response to Jieselgrante’s question.

Count Preston, delighted to find Lady Greykin, who was formerly Trinity’s lady-in-waiting, at the Duke’s residence, asked for her help.

Lady Greykin, who had been bored, agreed and satisfactorily completed the task she was given.

Since then, Lady Greykin has been assisting Count Preston with his work, he said.

“……I see.”

It was a fact she hadn’t known since Lady Greykin hadn’t mentioned anything related to him first.

“Shall we move to another location soon?”

“Let’s do that.”

Jieselgrante immediately stood up.

In fact, the reason she visited the Cardia Duke’s residence today was partly to check on Lady Greykin’s well-being, but it was also because of an appointment she had with Cabelased.

The place she was guided to by the butler was a reception room a little distance away from where she had been with Lady Greykin.

“May I prepare fresh tea for you?”

Then the butler listed the new types of tea he had brought in.

“Please do.”

She nodded willingly.

The tea the butler had recommended during her previous visit to the Duke’s residence had suited her taste well, and she was looking forward to trying the tea he was recommending now, so she didn’t feel inclined to refuse.

“Then please wait a moment.”

After the butler left, Jieselgrante, left alone, looked around the interior of the reception room.

Although it was a space within the same Duke’s residence, it had a different atmosphere from where she had been with Lady Greykin earlier.

The place where she was now felt a bit drier.

This was probably because the furniture designs were simpler, and the colors were closer to achromatic.

As she was looking around the interior, footsteps approached.

‘That was quick.’

Thinking it was the butler bringing the new tea, she turned her head towards the direction of the sound.

But the person who walked into the reception room wasn’t the butler. It was Cabelased.

Looking as if he had just finished bathing, he was patting his slightly damp hair with a towel as he walked towards her.

And the moment their eyes met, both he and she froze slightly.

“……”

“……”

His face showed an expression full of bewilderment as to why she was here, and

Her face clearly showed surprise at why he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

Silence fell over the reception room.

It was when the two were wordlessly staring at each other’s faces.

The butler walked in carrying a tray.

He casually set down the tray he was holding on the table and said,

“Perhaps because you just finished training, your body looks even better, Master.”

The butler began to pour out excessive praise for the beauty of Cabelased’s muscles.

About the elegant lines of the deltoids, the beauty of the latissimus dorsi, the excellence of the abdominals…….

At first glance, he seemed pleased with his master’s growth, but she soon grasped the butler’s hidden intention.

That he was subtly, no, overtly trying to boast about the superiority of his master’s body.

And certainly, there was truth to the butler’s words.

The fact that she too couldn’t easily take her eyes off Cabelased’s bare body was proof of that.

Afterwards, the butler continued to lavish praise on each of the minor muscles on Cabelased’s body.

Naturally, her gaze moved according to the butler’s explanations.

“Look at what’s commonly called the pubic muscle, the pubis. It’s appropriately thick yet elastic……”

Her gaze fell on Cabelased’s pubic muscle that the butler was pointing to.

Cabelased brushed back his fallen hair and cut off the butler’s words.

“Enough, that’s sufficient.”

The butler promptly shut his mouth.

Then he bowed deeply to both of them and walked out into the corridor.

The space left with just the two of them once again fell into silence.

Without the butler’s praise, it became difficult to continue staring at Cabelased’s bare body.

“……”

Her gaze, unsure where to look, rolled awkwardly towards the teacup.

Since it was said to be brewed with newly brought tea leaves, it would be better to savor it before it cooled.

But her gaze kept being drawn to Cabelased’s bare body against her will.