“What exactly did you want to talk about?”

Finally, I gave up on waiting for him to start the conversation. It’s always better to face the music sooner rather than later; curiosity needs to be satisfied quickly.

However, even in response to my straightforward question, Karl simply calmly poured the tea. He first filled my cup, then his own, with slow, measured movements that added to my frustration.

“The aroma is pleasant.”

“Yes.”

Whether he was aware of my impatience or not, Karl savored the fragrance of the tea. Even in such a situation, a noble of his stature maintains composure. It seemed I was the only one eager to get the conversation over with.

Despite my frustration, the aroma of the tea did lift my spirits. I managed to suppress a slight smile and lifted my teacup.

“The Countess seems to have a fondness for floral teas.”

Where did that come from?

“It seems you truly enjoy tea time.”

Since arriving in this world, tea time had become a new hobby for me, and I had developed a particular liking for floral teas, but how did Karl know that? The original Celeste wouldn’t have shared the same hobbies as me.

“I remember you enjoying floral teas two years ago.”

Two years ago? What is he talking about? Karl’s face remained impassive as he spoke, so much so that if you covered his mouth, you wouldn’t even know he was talking.

I didn’t feel the need to respond, so I quietly sipped my tea. Indeed, as Karl said, the fragrance was delightful.

“It seems to me that the Countess must have conceived Valery around that time. Considering the child’s age.”

“Pfft, cough, cough. What?”

Valery’s name coming from his lips caught me off guard, and I inhaled sharply, causing the tea to go down the wrong pipe. I coughed incessantly until my throat cleared.

“I’ll ask you directly, as I’m not one to beat around the bush.”

“Cough, cough, alright. What do you want to ask?”

Karl watched me quietly until I calmed down, then he slowly opened his mouth again.

“Is Valery, my child?”

The conversation with Franz at the train station was meaningless. Just an exchange of words intended to irk each other.

Franz was the first to step back.

〈Having seen a safe Celeste, that’s enough for me. It seems you’ll be escorting her to the Countess’s mansion, so I’ll take my leave here.〉

Karl didn’t like Franz’s significant smile when he looked at Celeste’s baby.

What did that smile mean? Regardless, Franz was truly a disagreeable man. Wasting the kingdom’s treasury without doing anything of value.

Regretting the 10 minutes wasted on the platform with such a man, Karl muttered to himself as he boarded the carriage. Clovis followed him in.

“I didn’t expect Grand Duke Toscour to come.”

“I sent a telegram to the Countess’s mansion, so the news could have easily reached him.”

“Still, I didn’t expect him to come to the platform. He’s not the type to escort or welcome ladies.”

“Trying to give life to rumors…”

Karl didn’t often show his emotions publicly, but in private with Clovis, he sometimes let his guard down a bit. Hence, a slight wrinkle appeared on his forehead.

“If you’re referring to the rumors…”

Realizing too late that he was alluding to the scandalous rumors about Karl and Celeste, Clovis quickly shut his mouth.
Indeed, the two were publicly known as lovers, receiving praise as a well-matched couple.

However, since there were hardly any witnesses to their togetherness, opinions were divided on whether it was just a rumor or the truth, at least until today, when Franz came to meet Countess Luise at the train station.

Grand Duke Franz, a handsome man known for not clinging to any woman, had been rumored to be involved with numerous women, but he was never seen to give special treatment to anyone, given his position of privilege.

Therefore, many thought that his relationship with Countess Luise was just another fleeting rumor that would soon be forgotten by the people of the capital.

But today, the Grand Duke himself, leading his knights, had personally come to meet the Countess returning from the countryside.

This was no ordinary event. It was a scandal big enough to be featured prominently in the tabloids tomorrow.

“I will return to the palace.”

“No.”

“Pardon?”

“Let’s do as the leeches of the royal family expect. Follow the Countess Luise.”

“You mean to go to the Countess Luise’s mansion? Are you planning to escort her as Grand Duke Toscour suggests?”

Escorting the lover of his rival, Grand Duke Albrecht, to her home? Perfect fodder for society gossip.

“Have you forgotten why Countess Luise is accompanying us to the capital?”

“Ah… it’s not an escort, but surveillance.”

She was returning to the capital as a suspect in the murder of Duke Schwaben, to cooperate with the investigation. Karl’s decision to escort her to her mansion was more surveillance than protection.