The guild was as noisy as ever.

It was a time when everyone should have been asleep, but the atmosphere of the drinking party was just reaching its peak.

Mikhail, who was guarding the bar as usual, skillfully prepared a cocktail and handed it to the customer in front.

“Ah, drinks from men don’t taste good. Aren’t there any women? A pretty older sister.”

Just as Mikhail was dealing with the drunk customer, another bartender entered the bar.

“Mikhail. It’s time to switch shifts.”

Though he was speaking casually, the look in his eyes as he gazed at Mikhail was respectful. After all, there was no one in this guild who dared to be above Mikhail.

Mikhail left the bar and went up to the second floor.

The friendly smile that had been painted on his face in front of the customers disappeared, and a cold light shone in his eyes behind his glasses.

As if waiting for him, one of his subordinates approached and handed over some documents.

“Here are the personal documents of the subject of investigation. It took a long time because we had to go to Delmark territory since he’s a knight of Delmark.”

“Good work.”

The subordinate bowed his head and walked away. Mikhail flipped through the received documents.

The documents were about the personal information of ‘Caligo Elfarind’, which Blair had requested two weeks ago.

[Abandoned in front of a temple immediately after birth, discovered and taken in by a priest, raised in the orphanage inside the temple.

Grew up in the temple until about thirteen years old, then joined the Delmark Knights on the recommendation of Pope Gerard Lumiel.

Afterwards, went to war with the Duke of Delmark…]

Mikhail’s brow gradually furrowed as he read through the documents with a calm expression.

‘Why this person of all people.’

Caligo Elfarind was entangled with someone who was not particularly welcome to Mikhail. Could this really be a coincidence?

After finishing reading those documents, he became curious.

Why Blair was investigating this man.

* * *

“A banquet?”

Blair, who was taking a walk in the garden in the noticeably warmer weather, widened her eyes at the unexpected suggestion from Mason.

“Yes. There hasn’t been a banquet even once in the past ten years since the previous Duchess passed away.”

“Ah…”

“Now that Madam seems to have adapted to life in the Duke’s family, I thought it might be good to hold a banquet to welcome spring.”

A banquet is not simply a day for enjoyment, but a day to reveal everything about the family to outsiders.

Not only wealth, but also the family’s atmosphere, the relationship between the head of the family and his wife, and even the family’s influence in the empire that can be gauged from those who attend the banquet.

It truly is an occasion to show everything about the family.

Especially, the first banquet held after the mistress of the house has changed holds even greater significance.

It was a place where not only outsiders but also the family’s retainers gauge and judge the new mistress they will serve.

As such, it was an even more burdensome occasion for Blair.

‘Come to think of it, I held a banquet around this time in my past life too.’

When she was an imperial princess, she never had to prepare banquets herself.

Blair’s personality wasn’t the type to enjoy boisterous parties in the first place, and for big events like birthdays or coming-of-age ceremonies, the imperial family prepared everything themselves.

The imperial princess didn’t need to do anything.

No matter what kind of party the imperial princess prepared, who would dare to judge the imperial family’s wealth and her?

For Blair, who had lived in such a world, preparing the first banquet was bound to be difficult and clumsy.

‘Besides, back then… my health was quite poor.’

It was a banquet prepared with much consideration and effort.

At that banquet, Blair happened to overhear the family’s retainers disparaging her. The reasons were varied.

Because the imperial princess had prepared a banquet thoughtlessly with just a lot of money spent, because white wine was prepared instead of red wine, because a separate banquet for children wasn’t prepared…

Those words mercilessly clawed at Blair’s heart.

More than her efforts being criticized, the thought that she had brought shame to Herdin and to Delmark’s reputation made her chest tighten.

But now she knows.

No matter how perfect the banquet is, they will find some excuse to disparage her in the end.

What doesn’t suit their taste isn’t the banquet. It’s her, the daughter of the imperial family, of Katrina.

So she now knows that there’s no need to be hurt by each of those words.

“The past month of the Duke’s household has run on the budget you prepared, Madam. So I believe you will be able to prepare for the banquet without any problems.”

When Blair hesitated to answer, Mason, thinking that she was shrinking back out of timidity, praised her abilities.

Blair, who read the meaning behind his blunt but sincere encouragement, answered readily.

“Yes, it’s about time we held a banquet.”

Personally, she had some regrets about that past banquet, so she wanted to do it properly this time, making up for those points.

“Please prepare the past records for me to reference.”

“I’ll have them ready for you to see tomorrow.”

Just as Blair was wrapping up her conversation with Mason, the sound of hurried footsteps was heard. It was Mellie.

“Madam, the Empress Dowager has summoned you.”

It was unexpected news.

* * *

“Still no news?”

At their first private meeting since the wedding, the first thing Katrina asked about was pregnancy news.

It wasn’t surprising to Blair. Mother was always like that.

Blair answered calmly.

“No, not yet.”

“And you’re having intercourse regularly?”

“Yes.”

Katrina picked up a teacup that had cooled appropriately and began to speak.

“Men are foolish creatures who only see the reality right in front of their eyes. They only learn to fear and take care of themselves when they have a child hanging around their neck.”

The subject of that statement is Herdin.

Blair, who had lived as her daughter for twenty years, noticed that she wasn’t saying this without reason.

Only then did she become curious.

What conversation did the two of them have when they were left alone at Katrina’s birthday banquet?

“Did something happen?”

“I hear you’ve been meeting regularly with Countess Lorelaine lately?”

Blair, who was lifting her teacup, paused.

She never intended to hide this matter in the first place. It wasn’t as if she was doing anything she shouldn’t. She was just doing something that should have been properly addressed at some point.

However, knowing full well that it was an uncomfortable topic for Katrina, she simply hadn’t bothered to inform her.

“And you’re planning to try hypnosis too?”

The fact that she knew Countess Lorelaine hadn’t attempted hypnosis yet meant she was aware of the progress of the counseling.

And to grasp that progress, she must have planted someone in the Duke’s household.

“…Did you plant someone?”

“I was worried about you. How could I know if the Duke would mistreat you?”

Katrina didn’t even try to hide that she had spied on the Duke’s household. Rather, she was proud of it. As always, under the pretext of a mother’s love.

It was all the more painful because the sincerity in those eyes was unwavering.

‘Someone who worries about her daughter so much, how could you have seen and heard how isolated your daughter was in the Duke’s household in my past life and still left her alone?’

An old resentment popped up unexpectedly, like a chestnut hidden in a blanket.

Blair swallowed that prickly chestnut, suppressing her emotions.

Katrina put down her teacup after moistening her throat and said,

“Go and tell them you’re going to stop. Say it’s unpleasant to doubt your mother like this.”

“I’m not doubting you, Mother. I’m just going over the parts that were unclear at the time once more.”

“You’re doubting the testimonies I gave, aren’t you?”

Katrina’s voice gradually rose. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again as if disgusted.

“I’m tired of it. It’s horrible. How long do I have to suffer from the ghost of that crazy woman who died ten years ago?”

“Mother.”

“What changes by digging into that now? Will that dead woman come back to life?”

“…”

“That woman is dead! She went mad with jealousy towards me, even getting prescriptions for neurosis medication, and died like that while trying to take it out on you.”

Blair stared blankly at Katrina, who shuddered at the mere thought of Esmeralda.

She too had lived her entire past life being suspected by Herdin and the retainers of Delmark regarding Esmeralda’s death.

Knowing this, she didn’t want to carelessly doubt Katrina.

Above all, she was afraid. Afraid of doubting her birth mother.

Ten years ago on that day, Katrina personally went to seek help from Gerard. She, who never visits anyone on her own accord, at that late hour. Only to save Blair.

Blair realized through that incident. That even she, who always prioritized Ivan, was ultimately her mother.

Ivan and Blair. If she had to give up one of them, she would abandon Blair without hesitation, but the heart that wanted to save her daughter at that time must have been sincere.

That’s why after that incident, she clung even more to Katrina’s love.

Still, mother loves me.

Leaning on that hope and affection.

She truly believed so.

No matter how much of a trophy her mother treated her as, no matter how much her mother used her daughter as her son’s capital, she wouldn’t have gone as far as to use her daughter’s life.

But seeing Katrina, who was not just reluctant but terrified of her recovering her memories, a doubt she had long ignored began to sprout.

“Mother. If that’s the truth, what are you so afraid of?”

In Katrina’s eyes that met hers, various emotions were mixed. Anger, betrayal, surprise, and… fear too.

Reading those emotions, Blair added,

“Please don’t oppress me anymore, Mother.”

“…”

“If you truly thought of me as your daughter.”

In Blair’s eyes as she looked at Katrina, there was determination. Along with a trace of sadness.

She’s still afraid of what might be beyond the veil of truth.

However, this time, she had no intention of running away.