The reception room of Duke Hillburn’s residence was filled with a heavy atmosphere. Shade frowned as if troubled, looking at his father, Duke Hillburn, and his friend, Grand Duke Elyos.

Between the two people he most trusted and followed, there was a tense atmosphere. Duke Hillburn, whose wrinkles between his eyebrows deepened, spoke first.

“Duke, are you just going to watch it like this?”

“Because of the noble assembly?”

“You know well. If we continue like this, the noble factions in Upieter will completely split.”

“So, is your position as a moderate faction leader difficult?”

“You know well again. I desire stability and peace in Upieter. The Hillburns have maintained neutrality for generations to protect Upieter.”

Duke Hillburn glanced briefly at the family crest hanging on one side of the reception room. The emblem depicting the balance of Libra symbolized their commitment to maintaining balance without leaning to one side.

The Hillburn family, which had produced the most ministers since the founding of the empire, pursued harmony between imperial power and noble power. It was Hillburn’s belief that this was the role of the ministers and the way to create a stable empire.

Duke Hillburn played the role of the leader of the moderate faction, mediating between factions in case of division and conflict within the nobility.

However, recently, the conflict between the so-called Emperor faction and Grand Duke faction was deepening. Due to the exhausting debates where they clashed on every issue, Hillburn was troubled.

“I’m sure you know well about this situation… Why don’t you intervene?”

“I haven’t united the so-called Grand Duke faction. You know that, don’t you?”

“I know. Your Excellency has been striving to maintain the balance between imperial power and noble power since the enthronement of the current Emperor.”

“And you also know that there is a figure who deliberately created this situation.”

“Of course. Lady Countess Katrina is intentionally fueling the conflict between the Emperor faction and the Grand Duke faction.”

“Do you hope that I will step forward in this conflict? Trying to calm the Grand Duke faction and show the appearance of cooperating with the Emperor faction?”

“…Yes. Because I have limitations in my own strength. Moreover, if this continues, the relationship between the Emperor and the Grand Duke will become unstable, as Lady Countess Katrina desires.”

What Duke Hillburn feared most was that part. The distancing of the relationship between the Emperor and the Grand Duke.

When Caelon voluntarily stepped down from the position of Crown Prince and Pascal suddenly succeeded to the throne as Crown Prince after his elder brother, the support base was still shaky.

On the other hand, Caelon, who received education as the future emperor from an early age, not only inherited the vast wealth of the Roman Ducal family but also continued to receive support from the Gassin family, a loyal family following him.

Until now, there was no major problem because the friendship between the Emperor and the Grand Duke was good. The Grand Duke firmly supported the Emperor, who had a weak foundation both internally and externally, and the Emperor trusted and relied on the Grand Duke.

However, with the polarization of the Emperor faction supporting Pascal and the Grand Duke faction supporting Caelon among the noble factions, the confrontational situation between the Emperor and the Grand Duke, whom they supported, naturally emerged.

“Your Excellency must show even stronger support for the Emperor. His Majesty is still immature, and he may be swayed by such political currents.”

“Pascal is not as naive as you think. He probably understands the essence of the current situation.”

“In fact… although Your Excellency may not have known since you haven’t visited the palace for a long time, there have been ominous rumors circulating within the palace lately.”

“Rumors?”

“It is said… His Majesty is a puppet of the Grand Duke. The current Emperor is just a proxy, and the real hidden Emperor is said to be the Grand Duke. Such rumors are spreading within the palace.”
“……Shade, is this true?”

It was information that had not been grasped as Caelon had been concentrating on Idel’s kidnapping case. Caelon asked Shade, who was sitting next to him, narrowing his eyes.

Caelon, who had been cautious of the power of words circulating among people, had instructed Shade, who was well-informed about the social circle, to report any suspicious rumors.

“That… I was planning to report it, albeit a bit late.”

Shade scratched the back of his head with a perplexed expression.

‘I should have been able to see the Duke’s intentions during all this time.’

Shade, who had finally seen the face of the busy Grand Duke after the capital’s lockdown, which had kept him in a daze, was now facing Caelon with a somewhat troubled expression.

“Since when? When did such rumors start circulating?”

“There have been people discreetly mentioning such things for a while now. Mostly those belonging to the Grand Duke faction.”