At the end of his words, Caliph stared at the attendant with an unsympathetic look. It meant that no other words needed to be conveyed, especially regarding the current situation.

Whether the message conveyed in his gaze was understood, the attendant nodded with a composed expression. Only then did Caliph, who turned his head more comfortably, reveal a face with a hint of laughter, covered by Dwayne’s disdain.

“You mentioned a prior engagement; was it a promise with the Crown Princess?”

“Until I meet with the Duke.”

“Now, you are mobilizing attendants, and it seems you are meeting Lady Bi. The way you say it, it sounds like meeting my concubine is something that should be done secretly, away from others’ eyes.”

“If that’s how it sounded, I apologize. I unintentionally said it, as I remember Your Highness never mentioned such things before. Please do not take it as a complaint.”

Dwayne bowed, offering an apology. It was an excessively humble response. By doing so, he seemed to be mocking and despising himself.

If he responded in this way to provoke him, he would have to respond appropriately.

“As you saw, I just changed my mind a moment ago. Will you accompany me now?”

“Are you saying that you want me to accompany you to the Empress’s Palace?”

“I didn’t say I would go together. I only said I would accompany the Duke; I didn’t mention going to the Empress’s Palace together.”

Caliph twisted his lips meaningfully. At that moment, a uniform expression finally appeared on the Duke’s face.

It was clear that he was trying to understand the inner thoughts with the sudden change in posture. Leaving it like this was not an option. Caliph immediately made a proposal to Dwayne.

“If the Duke is fine with it, I would like to go together to the reception room in the Prince’s Palace. Will you accompany me?”

“What? You said you were going to meet Elbelia, and suddenly you’ve come back with this old man out of nowhere?”

Even after Caliph left, Felix, who had been guarding the table near the window, spoke to himself with a voice full of curiosity.

It was quite understandable as Caliph, who went to meet Elbelia, was returning to the Prince’s Palace with Duke Dwayne.

“It’s an incredibly mismatched painting, but it looks interesting.”

Felix chuckled, wiping his chin. His eyes sparkled with a newfound light.
After confirming that Caliph and Dwayne entered the entrance of the Prince’s Palace, Felix hurriedly went out of the bedroom. As he walked along the corridor, he saw the two figures who had just climbed the stairs.

Caliph narrowed his eyes for a moment upon seeing Felix. However, as if nothing had happened, he quickly hid his expression.

Though Felix, who suddenly appeared, was somewhat bothersome, he was an invisible presence to Dwayne’s eyes anyway. Felix also knew the Duke’s face, so he would act accordingly.

It was rather fortunate. If Felix directly observed the situation, he could save himself the trouble of conveying the story later.

After finishing his thoughts, Caliph sent a brief glance towards Felix and headed towards the reception room with Dwayne.

“Please, have a seat.”

“You invite me to Your Highness’s palace; it’s an honor.”

Dwayne sat on the sofa in the reception room, formalizing his manners. Caliph, after giving a wry smile, did not respond further.

Even in the silence that followed, an unspoken tension continued. Leaning against the wall, Felix observed the scene with interest.

After an uncomfortable current flowed for a while, Caliph, who had gone out before the maid entered the reception room, appeared with tea.

With teacups placed in front of each of them, and the maid stepping back, Caliph leisurely lifted the teacup and brought it to his lips.

The tea that used to be sweet when shared with Ibelia tasted bitter when shared with Dwayne. After savoring the taste, Caliph put the teacup down and looked at Dwayne without a gap.

“The Duke seems to find Lady Relia quite charming.”

“There’s no reason not to find her charming. As Your Highness knows, the Garnet Duke and Net Hearth Marquis have had a close relationship for a long time. Although it’s not a relationship connected by blood, she’s an admirable girl whom I’ve known since she was a child.”

“Is that so?”

At the Duke’s pretentious response, Caliph briefly smirked. Despite feeling it every time, Dwayne was adept at disturbing the emotions of others.

It wasn’t easy to smoothly deceive the other person in such a natural and flowing manner, but Dwayne always managed to do it effortlessly, just like now.

If it continued like this until the end, Caliph, as himself, didn’t need to choose his words carefully.

“It’s strange. When I saw the Duke before ordering Lady Relia’s release, he seemed very fascinated by her. Did I misinterpret?”