Killian frowned in displeasure as he looked at the butler who bowed his head and asked him to move along.

He couldn’t shake the suspicion that the butler had appeared at just the right moment.

“If His Majesty is looking for me, I suppose I must go see him.”

Is the weight different depending on who is calling?

In the past, Killian had always refused Alicia’s summons.

‘I shouldn’t compare.’

Alicia shook off her foolish thoughts and smiled.

She hadn’t resolved any of her questions, but the important thing was the news that her father was looking for Killian.

‘It’s not like he would tell me the answers anyway.’

It would be faster to find the answers herself.

“Your Highness, I…”

“His Majesty has called for you. Please go quickly, Duke.”

“I will come see you again after meeting with His Majesty.”

“No.”

She had no desire to continue facing Killian’s curiosity about how she had changed from the past.

She had already been miserable enough.

“I hope the compensation for my maid’s rudeness was sufficient for the Duke. If it wasn’t, I will send an adequate sum to the Duke’s residence.”

“…It was sufficient.”

“Good. I’m glad.”

Fortunately, it seemed Killian wasn’t interested in this resolute version of herself.

“Then I will take my leave.”

“Farewell…”

Killian placed his fist on his chest and gave a slight bow before following the butler out of the garden.

Alicia bent her knees slightly to receive his greeting, then remained there for a moment, watching Killian’s retreating figure.

It was the same back view of him carelessly passing by her that she had seen to the point of nausea in the past.

As Killian was walking along the long corridor of the imperial palace following the butler, he encountered Reilly, who was likely coming out from meeting the emperor for a similar purpose.

“I greet Duke Diaz.”

“Viscount Anderson.”

Though the age difference was only three years, was it because of the different weights they carried?

Reilly’s attitude towards Killian was polite.

“Are you going to see His Majesty?”

“And you?”

“I’m on my way out after seeing him on behalf of my father.”

They say even expressionless people’s faces become readable if you look at them for a long time… Will there come a day when this man’s expressions become readable if I spend time with him?

Reilly gave Killian, who was looking at him indifferently, a smile full of goodwill.

It was a calculation to build at least some favorable impression before inheriting the title, even if becoming close was too much to ask.

“The Marquis seems busy.”

“He said he’s preparing to welcome the other dukes who are expected to arrive soon.”

“It’s fortunate that Marquis Anderson is the Prime Minister of Eregron.”

But what on earth does one have to do to gain this man’s favor?

Smiling innocently or clinging to him won’t work.

Princess Alicia, who had shown the same behavior but still failed to capture his heart, was a good negative example.

Despite her beautiful appearance and desperate clinging, the man standing before her hadn’t wavered even a bit.

‘Others say it’s because of the young lady from Count Louis’s family, but he doesn’t seem to particularly like her either.’

Reilly shook his head, recalling the provocative red-haired beauty who always tried to occupy the seat next to Killian along with Alicia at banquets.

Since Killian only associated closely with Cheryl Louis, and he never denied the rumors calling her his lover, everyone believed Cheryl to be his partner.

However, in Reilly’s eyes, both Cheryl and Princess Alicia were merely people around Killian.

The reason Cheryl could be called Killian’s lover was simply because she was seen freely coming and going to the Diaz ducal residence.

‘But no man looks at his beloved with eyes like that.’

As the heir to his family, Reilly had many opportunities to observe Killian and Cheryl at various banquets and events.

He recalled that there was no warmth in Killian’s deep green eyes when he looked at Cheryl, and now he looked straight into Killian’s eyes.

‘He looked at the Count’s daughter with those same eyes just now. Since there’s no way this guy would like me, there must be some deal between them.’

Not many people had the courage to look Killian directly in the eyes, so not many had noticed this fact.

Even his own father seemed to have noticed to some extent.

‘Thanks to that, it seems he realized he could come to dislike someone he already disliked even more.’

This meant the relationship between the Diaz ducal family and the Anderson marquis family was unlikely to improve in the future.

“How long are you going to stand blocking the way?”

It’s really quite a talent to make so many enemies with that handsome face.

Reilly thought this as he shook his head.

“No, you should go. But before that, may I ask just one thing?”

Killian, who had thought Reilly would soon clear the way, raised one eyebrow at his continued words.

It was a signal that he didn’t like the current situation, but there was something Reilly really wanted to ask, too much to simply clear the way under pressure from that aura.

“You’ll be heading west again when summer comes this year, right?”

“The punishment His Majesty gave hasn’t ended, so of course.”

“I hear Count Findley has been meeting many people here and there to reclaim his family’s territory.”

“And?”

“Are you going to leave him be?”

“I heard it was Marquis Anderson who was anxious about whether I would swallow up the western border like this.”

“My father is my father, and I am myself.”

Count Findley’s territory.

In simple terms, it referred to the western border.

The Findley family was originally a ducal house responsible for the western border.

However, they incurred the emperor’s wrath by actively interfering in the Diaz family’s succession plans to raise their own family’s influence.

Interfering in another family’s succession competition was strictly forbidden by imperial law.

Originally, they should have lost their noble title and Falce Findley, who instigated it, should have lost his life, but he was cruelly killed by Killian’s hand before he could properly exert his power.

Perhaps taking pity on his son who directly witnessed his father’s brutal murder?

Instead of stripping their title, the emperor demoted the Findley family to count status and made Ayan Findley, the only son of the deceased Duke Findley, the head of the family, banning him and the next two generations from entering politics.

Killian, who had acted before the emperor’s judgment, was also punished for disregarding the emperor’s authority.

His punishment was to be responsible for the western border from summer until before winter arrived.

On the surface, it appeared the Diaz ducal territory had expanded, but the reality was different.

The Diaz ducal family had to fulfill their duties to the western border but couldn’t enjoy the rights.

All taxes from the territory went to the imperial family.

Just moving troops required enormous resources.

Yet being responsible for the western border for two seasons without being able to gain any profit was a huge burden on the Diaz ducal family.

‘It’s different from how previous Diaz dukes stayed in the capital exerting influence except in winter.’

While no one had the courage to disregard Killian, it was inevitable that people didn’t feel the power of a ducal family that could only stay in the capital during spring.

It was truly remarkable that Killian was still building up the ducal family’s momentum amid such circumstances.

“Count Ayan Findley has been meeting with various nobles to gather opinions.”

“And?”

“You should be a bit wary.”

“Why should I?”

“Because small cracks can bring down a dam.”

It was meant as a gesture of goodwill.

He didn’t expect gratitude, but he didn’t expect Killian to frown as if he’d heard something absurd.

“If Ayan Findley tries to point a sword at me, wouldn’t Marquis Anderson welcome it?”

“You’re not the type to fail to distinguish weight classes. Plus, it’s gotten a bit noisy since he’s been stirring things up everywhere, regardless of imperial or noble factions.”

“So that was the goal.”

“I prefer things quiet.”

“You’re lying.”

“Haha, was it that obvious?”

“I’ll handle my own affairs. Well then.”

Killian finished speaking quickly as if he wouldn’t listen to a reply and began to walk.

Reilly, pretending to be startled by his aura, stepped back to clear the way and watched Killian’s retreating figure walking with the butler.

“Even his back view is unnecessarily handsome. Is that why women go crazy over him?”

Reilly had unintentionally heard the rumor about what happened in the palace today – that the second daughter of Count Fleming had tried to throw herself at Killian in a negligee.

Although Sienna had made sure to keep it quiet, the problem was that the news had reached Reilly just as he was having an audience with the emperor.

Moreover, having seen Count Fleming’s pale face as he came to see the emperor, it was difficult to pretend not to know about the incident.

“That gentleman has been making trouble here and there lately, and now his precious daughter is going to flatten his nose.”

The courage of the Count’s daughter who tried to do something to ‘that’ Killian Diaz in a negligee was admirable, but courage and recklessness should be distinguished.

It seems the second daughter of the Fleming family hadn’t learned what nobility should naturally learn.

“Should I have pretended not to know and stayed to watch?”

It was a joke, but also sincere.

If he could have watched, it would have been a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle, but he didn’t have the confidence to withstand both the emperor’s gaze and Killian’s.

Reilly, who had neatly tied his hair in half but now loosened it to mess it up, began to move with light steps.

Spring is indeed an interesting season.

Now even humming a tune, Reilly’s mind alternated between images of Alicia and Killian appearing and disappearing.

“This upcoming banquet seems like it will be quite interesting.”

This was a premonition.

He wasn’t sure exactly what would be interesting or how, but it was clear that the pitiful and foolish princess and the indifferent and cold Duke Diaz would be at the center of it.

And he didn’t know how that premonition would affect him.

With a smile pulling up one corner of his mouth at the unidentifiable stirring, Reilly was disappearing down the end of the palace corridor.