Even if that’s the case, is there any reason to be jealous just for having a little conversation with his younger sister?

While Cabelased was thinking that, Mikhail continued speaking.

“Cabel, didn’t she throw a soft punch at you?”

A soft punch?

‘Is he talking about Jieselgrante’s small white fist?’

Cabelased tried to imagine Jieselgrante throwing a soft punch-like fist at him, but couldn’t quite picture it.

So he immediately asked back.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about that female cat that snuck into the mansion…”

A faint smile soon spread across Cabelased’s lips.

It was because he recalled the image of Jieselgrante vigorously imitating a female cat in heat just a moment ago to avoid a crisis.

“…Don’t tell me, she allowed you to pet her?”

Mikhail was clearly talking about the cat.

But if you think of Jieselgrante as the subject, the interpretation changes completely.

“…”

Cabelased quickly brushed off the thought that suddenly came to mind.

When no answer came from him, Mikhail continued speaking, a bit excitedly, as if frustrated.

“What? Did she really allow you to pet her? That haughty cat? Is that why you’ve been with her all this time?”

Mikhail urged with an irritated voice.

It looked just like someone trying to control a cheating lover.

Cabelased let out a snicker at the sight of Mikhail, who was uncharacteristically frantic.

‘Ah…’

Only then did Cabelased recall that Mikhail had mentioned a few times about the cat living together in the mansion.

That female cat who wouldn’t even give a chance to pet her unless you were holding food, and was always on guard.

“Drop it.”

Cabelased, who looked at Mikhail with just his eyes rolled while keeping his face fixed forward, turned his gaze back to the front.

Mikhail, who had been grumbling for a while, finally shut his mouth after receiving Duke Amaterasu’s sharp gaze.

While Cabelased was away briefly, the meeting had reached its final stages.

It was decided that surveillance should be strengthened on Joshua and the Empress, as well as Countess Tarel and Filippo.

As Cabelased agreed, the nobles began to leave the meeting hall one by one.

Amidst the chaotic atmosphere, Cabelased quietly opened his mouth.

“Mikhail.”

“…?”

“Did you tell your sister about the ‘alliance’?”

For a moment, Mikhail’s eyes widened, then he shook his head vigorously.

“No? Why are you suddenly asking that?”

“Never mind then.”

As they had to move swiftly before dawn, the nobles who attended the meeting, led by Cabelased, quickly left Duke Amaterasu’s mansion.

[This is the timeline separator]

Mikhail stopped Duke Amaterasu, who was heading to his bedroom, blinking his tired eyes.

“Father. Do you have a moment to talk?”

“What is it?”

“I think we need to discuss what to do about Jiesel.”

“Ah, that matter.”

Duke Amaterasu, letting out a small sigh, gestured for Mikhail to follow him.

Entering the bedroom, Duke Amaterasu took out a crystal glass and a bottle of wine, asking Mikhail:

“Will you have some?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

As Mikhail declined, Duke Amaterasu sat on the sofa, sipping wine alone.

Not long ago, the two had advised in the carriage heading to the Grand Temple that they should choose someone suitable for Jieselgrante.

And afterwards, Jieselgrante had replied that if she wanted to fend for herself as a member of the Amaterasu ducal family, she needed to know whom the Amaterasu family was supporting.

“Mikhail, what do you think? It seems we can’t keep pretending not to know forever…”

Mikhail and Duke Amaterasu had chosen Duke Cardia as a hidden card against the tyrannical Emperor quite a long time ago.

After that, they sought out nobles who would share their cause and formed an alliance.

Even though they knew well that if discovered by the Emperor, they couldn’t avoid charges of treason.

And all the nobles who agreed to join the alliance signed a confidentiality clause.

This confidentiality clause applied even to family members, because the more people who knew the secret, the higher the risk of exposure.

It was also to protect their families.

Even if the treason was revealed, a wife could be excluded from responsibility by divorcing, and a daughter could escape treason charges by being married off to another family.

So Jieselgrante shouldn’t know about the existence of the alliance or who the nobles belonging to it were.

Hence, Duke Amaterasu and his son were in a very difficult situation to answer Jieselgrante’s previous question.

Because it would clearly violate the confidentiality clause.

At Duke Amaterasu’s question, Mikhail also couldn’t give an answer and kept taking deep breaths.

The two discussed the matter for a while longer, but couldn’t find a clear solution and remained at a standstill.

“More than that, Father. I’m more worried about the interest the Empress is showing in Jiesel.”

Duke Amaterasu’s brow furrowed deeply.

“Hmm…”

It had been a constant concern for him since the Empress started showing movements to match a partner for Crown Prince Joshua.

“Father, do you remember when Jiesel started showing interest in Duke Cardia?”

Duke Amaterasu nodded with a troubled expression.

How could he forget?

She was a daughter he had cherished. The fact that such a daughter had found someone she loved came as a great shock to Duke Amaterasu.

“Thinking about it now, it might not have been a bad way to avoid the Empress’s gaze.”

“What do you mean?”

“It wasn’t an intended union between families, was it? It was simply that the young lady of Duke Amaterasu fell in love at first sight with Duke Cardia, and Duke Amaterasu, who loved his daughter so much, turned a blind eye to his daughter’s willful behavior.”

Hearing it now, it made sense.

At the time, he was too busy worrying that his daughter might leave his side at any moment to think that far.

But thinking about it now, it was undoubtedly the only way to unite the Amaterasu and Cardia ducal families without offending the Emperor’s sensibilities.

“That’s true, but lately it seems Jiesel isn’t as interested in Duke Cardia as before?”

“Back then, Jiesel was young too. Now she’s an adult. Wouldn’t the size of the pride she needs to maintain have grown as well?”

It meant that while before she might have shown her feelings for Duke Cardia without knowing shame, now she’s learned to hide them somewhat.

At Mikhail’s words, the furrow between Duke Amaterasu’s brows deepened even more.

[This is the timeline separator]

In the quiet prayer room enclosed on all sides, the Empress was lost in thought.

But the peace of mind she found was short-lived.

As the day of the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony came to mind, a vein popped on the Empress’s forehead.

‘How dare that concubine’s son ruin things…’

The Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony was a moving and glorious occasion that fulfilled the Empress’s long-cherished wish.

Things seemed to be progressing smoothly after eliminating Princess Trinity, who had stubbornly survived and caused trouble, but on that historic moment, of all times! The concubine’s son appeared.

Recalling that time again, anger welled up enough to make her teeth grind.

But the Empress deliberately let go of that emotion and regained her composure.

And she calmly looked back on the situation.

‘Was it an idea that came from that stupid concubine’s head?’

The Empress shook her head.

It had been over a decade since she had lived in hiding like a non-existent person, with her tail tucked between her legs, just from being threatened a few times.

She judged that there must be a good reason for Countess Tarel to suddenly come out so boldly.

‘Or perhaps she had been quietly waiting for an opportunity to come…’

The Empress knew well, having waited a long time herself to make Joshua the Crown Prince.

That knowing how to wait patiently for the right time can lead to a much better future.

But that didn’t match the stories she had heard through the watchers she had placed.

The Empress calmly pictured the situation on the day of the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony in her mind.

After a long while of considering various circumstances, the Empress soon came to a conclusion.

‘There must be a force behind the scenes manipulating the Emperor’s concubine.’

And she discovered one fact that she hadn’t realized at the time.

That the Emperor hadn’t said anything about recognizing the concubine’s son as a prince that day.

The corners of the Empress’s red lips curled upwards.

‘So you’re going to keep this up till the end, are you?’

Of course, she didn’t think the Emperor would easily abdicate to Joshua even after the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony.

After quietly organizing her thoughts, the Empress left the prayer room and headed to the Grand Minister’s office.

As the Empress entered the office, the Grand Minister, who had risen from his seat, bowed deeply.

“Did you receive an answer to your prayer?”

To the Grand Minister’s question, the Empress replied with a faint smile.

“Yes. Very well, indeed.”

“I’m truly glad you found an answer.”

To the Grand Minister’s gaze asking what the answer was, the Empress immediately continued.

“It seems the concubine has someone behind her. If anyone who visits the Grand Temple mentions related stories, please be sure to relay them to me. I’ll be counting on you.”

As if waiting for the Empress to finish speaking, Marchioness Ratse quickly handed a heavy purse of gold coins to the Grand Minister.

“Of course. Leave it to me, Your Majesty.”

[This is the timeline separator]

‘One, two, three…’

Before getting out of the carriage, Jieselgrante counted the number of carriages waiting at Countess Tarel’s residence.

She could immediately tell that the number of nobles visiting Countess Tarel’s salon had increased.

‘It must be the aftermath of the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony. It won’t last long though.’

It was evidence that the nobles had started moving according to Jieselgrante’s intentions.

‘They must believe that the Emperor recognized Countess Tarel’s son as a prince.’

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have visited Countess Tarel’s salon, taking on the risk of falling out of the Empress’s favor.