However, even as time passed, Jeremiah’s mouth remained shut.

‘What’s the deal? If you have something to say, say it quickly.’

Karina looked at Jeremiah with an annoyed expression.

At that moment, Caroline entered the dining room.

“You two were in the middle of a meal.”

At Caroline’s appearance, Karina’s brow furrowed involuntarily.

As she tried to smooth out her furrowed brow and compose her expression, Caroline continued speaking.

“I actually had something to say to both of you, so it’s good you’re together.”

‘Something to say? What nonsense are you going to spout to irritate me this time?’

Karina’s brow, which she had tried to smooth out, creased again.

“In a week, some of my acquaintances are coming to the Grand Duke’s residence. I’m hosting a small tea party, and some noble ladies and gentlemen I’m close with will be attending.”

Jeremiah was the first to react to those words.

“A tea party? It hasn’t been long since the last banquet ended.”

“That’s why. There was that unpleasant incident on the day of the banquet.”

Caroline brought up the events of that day in a tone suggesting it was an unavoidable accident.

“We need to show again that the Grand Duke’s family’s face and prestige, which were damaged that day, are still intact.”

Jeremiah didn’t seem to be in a good mood at Caroline’s words.

“The Grand Duke’s family’s face and prestige were never damaged. That merchant paid dearly for disrespecting the Grand Duke’s family.”

I heard later that the merchant was beaten within an inch of his life and abandoned in the northern forest teeming with magical beasts.

It was a forest where even trained knights found it difficult to return alive alone.

He would have long since become food for magical beasts or wild animals.

“That’s that, and this is this.”

Caroline, who had been conversing with Jeremiah, suddenly turned to look at Karina.

“It would be nice if the Grand Duchess could come too, if she has time.”

‘I don’t want to.’

She wanted to answer immediately, but her mouth was full of food, so she couldn’t refuse right away.

She chewed and swallowed the food earnestly to say she wouldn’t go.

But Karina hesitated at Caroline’s next words.

“Jeremiah, I hope you can come for a while too, if you have time.”

“…?”

‘Caroline is inviting Jeremiah to her tea party?’

Caroline was usually always looking for opportunities to torment Karina.

She didn’t like Jeremiah attending tea parties.

The main purpose of tea parties hosted by Caroline was to publicly humiliate Karina.

But there was one exception in the past.

Among the incidents Karina remembered, she recalled that tea party incident where Caroline had insistently emphasized for Jeremiah to come.

‘But that incident happened a bit later than now, didn’t it?’

Karina tilted her head in confusion.

“I have a lot of work to handle, so I don’t think I can attend.”

Jeremiah firmly declined.

“It’s not good to be too consumed by work. Sometimes you need to have a cup of tea and clear your head, that’s how work efficiency improves.”

Caroline continued eloquently, as if she had expected this response.

“…I’ll consider it.”

Jeremiah answered with an expression that clearly showed he had no intention of doing so.

“It’s a tea party I’m hosting, it shouldn’t be difficult to show your face for a bit. I’m not asking for anything big.”

Caroline continued to persuade Jeremiah.

“…”

Looking at Caroline’s attitude, Karina was certain.

‘It’s a bit early, but that’s definitely it.’

Karina’s face bore a sneer.

‘Then I should prepare in advance too.’

As she made up her mind, a good idea came to her.

Karina wiped her mouth with a napkin and spoke up.

“If we’re going to have a tea party, let’s make it bigger. Isn’t the regular meeting of the northern vassals around this time anyway?”

The regular meeting was a quarterly event where the northern vassals loyal to the Colsberg family gathered for a conference.

There, they discussed incidents and countermeasures due to the appearance of magical beasts, as well as social welfare, poverty relief, manpower support, investment projects, charitable works, donations, and so on.

It was a place to discuss almost all matters related to the north.

Jeremiah and Caroline looked at her at Karina’s sudden proposal.

“Along with the regular meeting, it would be good to make it a charity event where we invite all related parties to hear about the current status of poverty relief and support projects carried out in the north, to check on them.”

“…”

“Since many people will be gathering, it would also be good to hear various opinions on recent incidents related to the increased appearance of magical beasts and on establishing related countermeasures. This is necessary for the entire north, after all.”

“…”

As her words continued, Jeremiah’s expression became strange.

He seemed to have not expected Karina to say such things at all.

He also seemed a bit surprised by her unexpected words.

“What do you think?”

When Karina asked, Jeremiah, who had been staring blankly at her, opened his mouth.

“Not bad.”

Caroline also seemed to be weighing something, then nodded her head.

“My, to think of such an idea, it’s a wonderful thought.”

Whatever her ulterior motive was, Caroline praised Karina’s opinion and even agreed that it was good.

Karina also smiled directly at Caroline.

Because Caroline’s inner thoughts were too obvious to her.

‘She must be grinning from ear to ear inside right now. Thinking that I’m digging my own grave.’

Karina accurately read Caroline’s thoughts.

Caroline’s bright smile, with a gleam in her eyes, looked almost snake-like.

‘Laugh all you want for now. I’ll show you what it’s like to fall into your own trap.’

Karina quietly made plans for the future.

Karina glared at the table with a rather serious expression.

Invitations for the charity event were piled on the table.

The review was complete, checking if there were any problems or mistakes in the content or schedule entries.

Now all that was left was to pour wax on the invitation envelopes, seal them, and send them out.

“…Why are you like that?”

Mikhail asked.

“I’m pondering.”

“About what?”

“There’s an easy way, but I don’t really want to use it.”

“Pardon?”

“But… if I don’t use that method, I’ll have to take a very roundabout and troublesome path.”

Karina sighed, pressing the corners of her eyes.

“What exactly are you pondering about?”

“…I can’t say right now.”

Karina stubbornly kept her mouth shut.

Seeing this, Mikhail chuckled.

“Why are you laughing?”

Karina pouted at Mikhail, who was laughing as if amused while she was in serious contemplation.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Your pondering expression was just too cute.”

Mikhail’s beauty shone as he said this with a smile.

The way his eyes curved gently as he smiled was too pretty.

“…”

Karina let out a hollow laugh, realizing that she couldn’t get angry at a handsome person even in this situation.

“I don’t know what the situation is, but if there’s an easy way, can’t you just close your eyes and use that method?”

“Close my eyes and…”

Karina fell into thought.

‘Right. If I take the long way around, the plan might go completely awry. I’m not in a position to be picky right now.’

With a determined look on her face, she handed a letter to Mikhail.

“Please deliver this to the ‘flower shop’ and come back. Also, stop by the orphanage and check on the children while you’re at it.”

Mikhail nodded as he received the letter Karina handed him.

“You act like you’re not interested in the children, but you care about them a lot.”

Mikhail said with a smile.

Karina immediately denied it.

“It’s not like that. It’s just… now that I know, I can’t ignore it.”

‘And this is something I need to do for myself…’

Karina swallowed her words and gave a self-deprecating smile.

She didn’t think of herself as a kind and good person.

After all, she had never had the selfless thought of wanting to help and save all the struggling people in the empire.

‘That’s something only a saint could do.’

Naturally, she thought of Lucia, the saint.

The noble and pure saint who entered the temple as soon as her healing abilities manifested, traveling throughout the empire and using her healing powers generously for the sick.

Lucia was the person Jeremiah had tried to remarry in the past before the regression.

‘Before I died, I chased after them like mad and interfered so I didn’t see them remarry.’

She thought that after she died, the two of them probably remarried without any interference.

The thought made her mood sink even further.

“…?”

Karina raised one eyebrow and questioned herself.

‘Why should I feel bad? Whether Jeremiah ends up with Lucia or not, it’s none of my business now. I should stop caring.’

Karina shook her head to clear her thoughts.

“Grand Duchess?”

Mikhail called her with a puzzled expression.

“It’s nothing. Go on now.”

“…I’ll be back soon.”

Even though it was a task that would be difficult to return from quickly, Mikhail always said that.

Karina nodded quietly with a smile.

As Mikhail left his seat, Karina also stood up.

‘Well then, now I… should go use that easy but undesirable method.’

Although her steps were not easy to take.

Karina steeled her resolve once again.

‘Right. I’ll just close my eyes and do it once.’

Karina headed towards Jeremiah’s office to meet him.

Knock knock.

She knocked on the office door, but there was no answer from inside.

Karina knocked on the office door harder than before.

Knock knock knock.

But again, there was no sound from inside.

‘What’s going on? Is he not in the office? That can’t be right?’

Karina opened the office door with a puzzled expression.

But Jeremiah’s office was indeed empty.

‘Where did he go?’

The question lingered only briefly, as Karina thought this might actually be fortunate.

What she needed was the seal of the head of the Colsberg Grand Duke family that Jeremiah possessed.

‘If I use it quickly while he’s gone and put it back, I won’t even need to face Jeremiah.’

Karina quickly approached the office desk to look for the seal.

‘It’s not here…’

But no matter how much she searched, the head of family seal was nowhere to be found.

Karina even searched the drawers diligently, deducing where the seal might be.

But in the end, it was all in vain.

‘Well, with his personality, he wouldn’t leave the seal just anywhere.’

A sigh of disappointment escaped her.

She had hoped to achieve her goal without having to deal with Jeremiah.

‘Should I just go back like this…’

But she couldn’t give up easily.

‘Maybe it’s in the bedroom?’

Jeremiah used the room next to his office as his bedroom.

Since it was right next door, she thought he might have kept the important seal separately in his bedroom.

Karina felt urgent, thinking she needed to find the seal quickly before Jeremiah returned.

She stood up from her crouched position in front of the drawer and headed towards Jeremiah’s bedroom.

Thinking of course that no one would be inside, Karina flung open the bedroom door without hesitation.

And she was startled.

“…!”

Jeremiah, who seemed to have just finished bathing, was looking back at her with only a towel wrapped around his lower half, his body still wet.