Jieselgrante doubted her eyes for a moment.

Because for an instant, there was a murderous intent in Mikhail’s eyes as he looked at Cabelased.

‘What did I… just see?’

Jieselgrante unknowingly shrank her shoulders.

“…”

But Mikhail quickly regained his composure, and as he released her wrist he’d been holding, he examined her complexion.

“I must have grabbed too tightly. Were you startled? I’m sorry.”

As he looked at her with an awkward smile, his eyes were filled with warmth as always.

Blinking and thinking she must have seen wrong, this time Cabelased’s expression towards Mikhail was unsettling.

Sure enough. Cabelased narrowed his brows and spat out.

“How unpleasant.”

“…?”

Thinking he was speaking to her, Jieselgrante looked at Cabelased with wide eyes.

However, the source of displeasure didn’t seem to be her. Cabelased’s red eyes were directed at Mikhail.

“Even if you’re family, I’d like you to maintain proper boundaries. Touching someone’s body carelessly is unpleasant.”

As Cabelased continued speaking, not only Mikhail’s but also Jieselgrante’s expression became subtle.

“Um… Your Grace. Pardon the interruption.”

At that moment, a maid who entered the reception room cut in.

“What is it?”

As Cabelased turned his gaze, the maid answered immediately.

“There’s urgent news to deliver.”

On the tablecloth with intricate embroidery were placed tea sets made of silver and gold.

On the three-tiered tray were desserts of various colors and shapes, and in the transparent vase were arranged white and red flowers.

The guests invited to the imperial tea party were each elegantly enjoying tea and desserts while engaging in conversation.

The afternoon tea party prepared by the Empress was proceeding smoothly.

All the invited attendees had been seated for a while, and the atmosphere of the tea party was in full swing.

The Empress, after briefly scanning the nobles busy with pleasant conversation, secretly exchanged a glance with Marchioness Ratse.

As if understanding, Marchioness Ratse nodded and was about to grip the armrest of her chair to stand up when it happened.

“Have you heard any news related to Duke Cardia?”

Suddenly, someone brought up Duke Cardia as a topic.

Not only Marchioness Ratse, but also the nobles who were chatting among themselves turned their heads towards the lady who had just spoken.

The person who mentioned Duke Cardia was Duchess Howard.

Duchess Howard, seemingly burdened by everyone’s gaze, showed an embarrassed smile before opening her mouth again.

“It seems it hasn’t been widely known yet, so I’m actually hesitant to bring it up…”

Duchess Howard trailed off, looking around at the others.

And this behavior of hers rather amplified their curiosity.

“What is it, please tell us clearly.”

Then, a noblewoman sitting across from her urged her to speak quickly.

“Well, it will be known soon anyway, but I thought it would be best for those here to know first.”

Why was she making such a fuss about what she was going to say?

Marchioness Ratse glared at Duchess Howard with disapproving eyes.

The Empress, too, although not showing it outwardly, seemed displeased as she slightly lowered her gaze.

Marchioness Ratse looked at the Empress with a gaze asking for her opinion on how to proceed.

As their eyes met, the Empress slightly shook her head.

Understanding it meant to wait for now, Marchioness Ratse remained silent.

What on earth was Duchess Howard going to say?

“I hear that Duke Cardia is finally getting engaged.”

As soon as that statement was made, gasps of surprise were heard from here and there.

“Oh my…”

“…Goodness!”

Unlike the nobles who couldn’t hide their surprise, the Empress narrowed her brows while slightly lowering her gaze.

Just as she was about to turn the topic to Joshua, the nobles’ attention suddenly shifted to Duke Cardia.

It was truly an inopportune timing. The Empress narrowed her eyes and stared at Duchess Howard.

Meanwhile, other nobles urged Duchess Howard with excited voices.

“Who is the young lady?”

“Yes, please tell us quickly, my lady.”

Duchess Howard, who seemed to hesitate, finally opened her mouth, unable to resist the nobles’ persistence.

“Duke Cardia’s fiancée is, well, Duke Amaterasu’s daughter.”

“…!”

There was a moment of silence due to the shocking news.

Quickly grasping the seriousness of the situation, Marchioness Ratse hastily moved to damage control.

“Duchess Howard?”

As Duchess Howard turned her gaze, Marchioness Ratse continued.

“How did you come to know this, my lady? It seems to be a rumor that hasn’t been officially announced yet.”

“Ah… My daughter happened to find out and tipped me off about it.”

As Duchess Howard revealed the source of the information, whispers grew louder from various corners.

Until the end of the tea party, the guests were busy talking about the engagement news of Duke Cardia and Duke Amaterasu’s daughter.

In the end, the Empress, postponing even the task of seeing off the invited guests, immediately headed to her office.

The expressions of the maids following her were not pleasant either.

As soon as she entered the office, the Empress raised her voice slightly.

“Find out immediately what’s going on.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The maids quickly left the office, and only Marchioness Ratse remained alone, observing the Empress’s mood.

Instead of getting angry or interrogating Marchioness Ratse, the Empress went to stand by the window.

And for a long time, she just silently looked down at the imperial garden beyond the window.

When the silence that had settled in the office became suffocating, the Empress murmured softly.

“It’s truly strange.”

Marchioness Ratse quietly gazed at the Empress, waiting for her next words.

“We were planning to bring up the engagement of Joshua and Duke Amaterasu’s daughter at today’s tea party.”

“…”

“But before that, Duchess Howard announced the news of the engagement between Duke Amaterasu’s daughter and Duke Cardia.”

When Marchioness Ratse failed to quickly grasp what the Empress was trying to say, she anxiously swallowed dry saliva.

“It seems there’s someone leaking internal information… What do you think about this, Marchioness Ratse?”

“I, I didn’t do it! Your Majesty. Please believe me.”

Marchioness Ratse cried out nervously, and the Empress nodded without even looking at her.

“I believe those words.”

“Th-thank you, Your Majesty. Then I will quickly find out who is leaking the information.”

“Of course you should.”

Marchioness Ratse bowed deeply to the Empress and immediately left the office, leaving the Empress alone with her thoughts.

The Empress’s plan for today was to hint at the upcoming engagement between Joshua and Duke Amaterasu’s daughter.

As if there would soon be an imperial decree related to it.

This was an ingenious plan devised by Joshua to extract Baron Cyprus from the prison under triple surveillance.

But before executing that plan, they were silenced.

By Duchess Howard announcing the engagement of Duke Amaterasu’s daughter first.

It was truly an uncanny situation, naturally leading to the thought that someone inside must have leaked the information.

“Who could it be? Who would do such an inconsiderate thing…”

The Empress muttered to herself, starting to guess who might have leaked the information.

For now, she limited the suspects to those who knew about Joshua’s plan.

Back to the morning a few days ago when Cabelased, Mikhail, and Jieselgrante were together.

Cabelased’s expression seemed a bit dark after confirming the contents of the note handed over by the maid.

Jieselgrante cautiously asked.

“What’s the matter?”

“The Crown Prince recently assigned a spy to me.”

Mikhail asked with surprised eyes at Cabelased’s words.

“Cabel, to you too?”

Cabelased nodded and calmly explained the subsequent situation.

He said he caught the spy and suggested they become a double agent.

Remembering how Mikhail and Duke Amaterasu had treated the spy when Joshua had previously assigned one to her, Jieselgrante decided not to fully believe Cabelased’s words.

‘It wasn’t just a suggestion, I’m sure.’

Mikhail seemed to have the same thought, nodding his head with a knowing expression.

“I recently received news from that spy that Joshua and the Empress seem to be plotting something.”

Saying this, Cabelased looked at Jieselgrante.

“It seems the plot was related to me.”

As Cabelased nodded, Mikhail’s expression immediately crumpled.

“How dare they!”

Glancing at the bulging veins on his clenched fists, Cabelased continued.

“And I’ve just received part of their plan from the spy.”

“What is it?”

Mikhail growled, and Cabelased shook his head and said.

“I haven’t figured that out yet. That’s why I had Jiesel stay at my mansion.”

Only then did Mikhail stare at Cabelased with his mouth slightly open.

“Without knowing that…”

Judging by his slightly apologetic expression, it seemed Mikhail had thoroughly misunderstood, thinking an unmarried woman was simply staying at a single man’s mansion.

Looking at her with a quite serious expression, Cabelased let out a light sigh.

Mikhail’s misunderstanding was cleared up, but they still didn’t know the Empress and Joshua’s plan.

“I think I know what kind of plan the Empress and Joshua might have made regarding me.”

At Jieselgrante’s sudden statement, Mikhail and Cabelased turned their heads towards her simultaneously.

“You know?”

At Cabelased’s question, Jieselgrante nodded.

“There’s a high possibility that the topic of my engagement to the Crown Prince will come up.”

“What?”

A sharp exclamation escaped Mikhail’s lips.

Cabelased also let out a scoffing laugh as if dumbfounded.

However, neither of them objected that her words were too far-fetched.

Because it was quite a plausible story.