“Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

A harsh gesture slammed the report down.

“What a lunatic we have here.”

“Your Majesty, please maintain your dignity…”

The protocol officer trembled as he offered advice in response to the unbridled cursing, but the source of the profanity merely snorted.

“Do I look like I’m in a state to maintain dignity? Huh? We’ve just discovered that those so-called founding meritorious families have been manipulating taxes for two generations, taking huge chunks for themselves!”

“Y-Your Majesty…”

“And what’s more, they’re using slaves? How can we criticize barbarians for using slaves when we’re doing the same? Tch!”

The emperor clicked his tongue roughly and slumped down onto the imperial throne.

The emperor’s gaze turned to the man sitting opposite him.

“Dante Heigenberg.”

“Yes. I’m listening.”

“The flutter of your butterfly’s wings has stirred up quite a storm.”

The sharp gaze of a ruler who once dominated the continent, expanding borders repeatedly in his youth, fixed directly on Dante.

“You’ve uncovered a cancerous mass hidden within the empire.”

The Fedegrin family used to be prestigious, but their name had long since outlived its glory.

That’s what everyone thought, but it seems they still had the audacity to tamper with taxes.

Manipulating taxes meant to be paid to the state is no different from stealing from the country.

The Fedegrin family would not be able to escape severe punishment.

“I hear it was thanks to the Duchess emphasizing the rooftop garden that the secret space hiding the ledgers was found. Could that really be a coincidence?”

Dante, who had been silent all along, slowly opened his mouth.

“Who knows.”

His handsome lips curved into an arc.

“She’s someone even I find hard to predict.”

“You still haven’t figured out the woman you married?”

“She has so many surprising sides to her.”

The corners of Dante’s mouth twisted a bit more deeply.

“That’s why I fell in love.”

The emperor clicked his tongue softly. Slipping by like a snake, this one.

The emperor crossed his arms and stared intently at Dante.

“I am not like those fools who are bored day by day and get excited over mere gossip.”

“Your words are most wise.”

“I mean to say, I don’t think you’re really floundering in some fiery love affair.”

“…”

“You can’t fool my eyes. There’s something going on between you and that lady, isn’t there?”

Dante smiled faintly.

“You mean passion?”

“…You slippery snake.”

The emperor let out a low groan and leaned back deep into the throne.

About ten years ago, was it?

The Heigenberg ducal family had sent their youngest son to the war that was raging at the time against the barbarians.

Although the war had intensified, the situation wasn’t so desperate that even high nobles had to offer up their sons.

Nevertheless, the ducal family sacrificed Dante to the frontlines of the war against the notoriously cruel barbarians.

They must have hoped the barbarians would carry out the execution of their troublesome illegitimate son.

However, the executioner turned out to be not the barbarians, but the illegitimate boy himself.

After eight years of grueling war, the illegitimate son who returned as a war hero, having beheaded hundreds and thousands of barbarians, now turned his sword towards his own family.

His half-brothers, who had sneered that a mere fighter wouldn’t know anything, fell one after another, entangled in schemes and conspiracies.

In just half a year after his return, Dante had outmaneuvered all the legitimate heir candidates and seized the title of Duke.

The emperor’s secret support had played a part in this.

He couldn’t just stand by and watch as the Heigenberg ducal family, practically the core of the empire, fell into the hands of greedy good-for-nothings.

Even without the support, it probably wouldn’t have affected the outcome, but the emperor chose to think as he pleased.

“The princess has been refusing food and drink.”

Dante merely raised an eyebrow slightly, as if to say, “Is that so?”

“According to reports, she ordered her maids to find out ways to annul the marriage.”

“An interesting idea.”

“Just for your information, under imperial law, a marriage can be annulled within a month even without fatal grounds for disqualification.”

Dante raised one eyebrow.

“Just for your information as well, I’ve already done everything there is to do. It wouldn’t be manly not to take responsibility after that.”

“…Really?”

The emperor leaned in slightly and lowered his voice.

“These days… I’ve been hearing rumors that you, ahem, have issues with the function of a certain important area.”

Dante lightly furrowed his brow.

“Where on earth are such rumors circulating?”

“Where else?”

The emperor cleared his throat.

“From the same source that spread rumors about your promiscuity.”

Dante frowned, then clicked his tongue as if he had a general idea.

The emperor, who had been staring blankly at this sight, cleared his throat softly and continued speaking.

“Dante.”

The emperor spoke with a much more serious expression than before.

“The crown prince is a good person, but he has his dull moments. A vast country like the empire needs a strong and charismatic ruler. Though he’s my son, I don’t think he has that level of quality.”

The emperor lowered his voice and spoke slowly.

“However, if you were to become the princess’s consort…”

“Forgive my impertinence, Your Majesty.”

Dante stood up from his seat.

“I will pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”

You, you insolent…

The emperor lightly grasped the back of his neck.

He was extremely displeased but couldn’t bring himself to shout.

He knew that someone of Dante’s caliber would be receiving love calls from various places, offering to add a couple more ducal titles if he would come to their country.

For him, nationality was merely a shackle that could be discarded at any time if it became troublesome.

The emperor buried himself deeper in his chair and muttered sadly to himself.

“Oh my, I’m called the emperor, but who knows who’s really in charge here.”

“As expected of Your Majesty. Even your jokes are amusing.”

“I’d rather die than suffer like this…”

The emperor muttered sadly as he sank deeper into his chair.

It was then that an urgent knock was heard.

“Your Majesty, I have a report.”

“Come in.”

The aide who approached quickly began to recite his report.

“It has been confirmed through an anonymous tip that Leona Fedegrin was obtaining private loans. However, the source of the money…”

Leona Fedegrin, wasn’t that the name of the previous Marchioness?

What trouble has that insolent family caused now? The emperor, who had been on guard, was shocked by the aide’s next words.

“It is suspected to be the Dawn Faction.”

“Well, this is truly outrageous!”

To think that a family bearing the name of founding meritorious subject, no matter how nominal, would join hands with a rebel group!

This was clearly crossing the line.

They had already crossed it the moment they embezzled taxes, but it was as if they had jumped in place to show that they had indeed crossed the line.

“How long have they been so rotten?”

A tumor, rotten to the core, had been belatedly discovered in the emperor’s front yard, so this was also a disgrace to the emperor himself.

Groaning, the emperor rose from his seat. It was time to cut out the corruption.

* * *

I wonder if the investigators have discovered it by now.

I thought as I walked with light steps.

There was one lie I told Lucas. I did not keep the secret of the Marchioness Dowager’s private loans in my hands.

I had long since released it to the world. In the name of an anonymous tip.

As I climbed to the top of the dungeon stairs, fresh air greeted me.

It was qualitatively different from the air down below where Lucas was confined.

I was about to slowly inhale, savoring that air.

“What a busy butterfly you are.”

He was standing in front of the stairs.

Arms crossed, head tilted askew, looking at me.

I noticed a woman staring at me from right behind him.

Gorgeous attire and a strikingly beautiful face. A face I remembered seeing a few times on posters. I think she was a rising singer around this time.

The woman glared at me with tears welling up in her eyes, then turned her back abruptly and disappeared.

Her retreating figure looked as pitiful and pathetic as a spurned prima donna on stage.

“Where are you looking?”

Dante took a step forward, completely blocking my view.

I looked up at him with a flustered expression.

What could it be?

His demeanor was a little… no, clearly different from usual.

As if he was displeased.

“…Your Grace.”

“That’s the wrong way to address your husband.”

Dante said as he pulled me up the stairs.

At the suddenly closer distance, I heard a low grumble.

“It’s also wrong for a married woman to visit her ex-fiancé alone.”

What suddenly came to mind at those words was the singer who had just left this place in tears.

I had no intention of asking what conversation had passed between them, or what words had been said to make her cry.

Wasn’t this a contract that started with the stipulation of absolutely no interference in romantic relationships?

But if it was thought that I had damaged my dignity as a Duchess by having a secret meeting with my scandal-ridden ex-fiancé, that needed an explanation.

“I came to tease him.”

I said, letting out a small sigh.

“I wanted to tell him directly that the founding meritorious family he was so proud of now bears the stigma of being in debt.”

“So that ‘anonymous tip’ was indeed your doing.”

As there was no reason to hide it, I simply lowered my gaze.

“How did you know? That the Marchioness Dowager had dipped into the Dawn Faction’s wallet?”