Sensing something in their words, Anelope froze. The knights scratched awkwardly at the back of their heads and smiled sheepishly.

“Actually… Layla came around nine.” 

The words hit her like a bolt from the blue. The coat she was holding slipped from her hands and landed on the floor with a thud. 

“…What?” 

Her stunned reaction slipped out, a mixture of shock and disbelief. She blinked quickly, unable to process the situation. An awkward silence settled over the room, stretching uncomfortably. 

It was unclear how long the silence lasted before a knock broke the tension. 

“It’s Layla.” 

Speak of the devil, Layla’s calm voice followed the knock. Anelope froze, her body stiffening as if turned to stone. 

“Is Her Grace still resting?” 

Caught in the moment, unsure of what to do, Anelope let out a long sigh, as if resigned to her fate. 

“Layla, I’m awake.” 

Her voice sounded subdued, almost defeated. 

“May I come in?” 

“Yes… come in.” 

The door clicked open and Layla stepped inside. At the sound of the latch, Anelope squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself. She didn’t need to look to know what was coming – an onslaught of scolding was inevitable. 

[“How could you, with not one but fifteen knights!”]

[“And yet, as an unmarried lady, you should value your body more!”]

[“How will you face your future husband one day if you continue like this?”] 

She could almost hear Layla’s stern and traditional rebuke in her head. With a heavy sigh, Anelope draped her cloak loosely over her shoulders, resignation written all over her face. 

“Your Grace.” 

“Yes?” 

“His Majesty the Emperor has invited you to have lunch with him. He mentioned that he would be coming directly to the Grand Duchy. As the announcement was rather sudden, the chef has prepared a provisional menu, but we need your confirmation to make sure there’s nothing His Majesty can’t eat.” 

Contrary to Anelope’s expectations, Layla’s words were quite different from what she had expected. But whatever the subject, it was no less disturbing. 

“What? My brother is coming? Today?” 

“Yes, the time has been tentatively set for 1 pm.” 

The Emperor rarely visited so unexpectedly, which made her worry about what might be going on. Sensing her concern, Layla added another comment. 

“In addition, His Majesty has ordered that all of Your Grace’s knight escorts be present.” 

“What?” 

The Knights also froze at the next announcement, stunned by the suddenness of the situation. 

—

Having only just woken up, Anelope hastily bathed and dressed. Even though it was her brother, she couldn’t be careless in greeting the Emperor. She even put on an elaborate ceremonial robe, which she rarely wore, and draped it over her shoulders. 

The carriage carrying the Emperor arrived at the estate. Contrary to expectations, Astrid’s attire was surprisingly modest for someone of his stature. He was wearing a simple shirt, paired with neat black trousers, giving him a casual and understated appearance. 

As he stepped out of the carriage, Anelope rushed forward to greet him. 

“Brother!” 

“Anelope, have you been well?” 

“Yes, of course. Thanks to you, I’m always at peace and well.” 

Behind her, the knights stood rigid with nervous tension. As Anelope’s personal guards, they had always known there was a chance they might meet the Emperor, but none of them had expected it to happen so suddenly. 

They, too, were impeccably dressed in the high-quality, custom-made uniforms Anelope had ordered for them. 

“We salute Her Majesty Astrid of Cresso, the noble sun of the Empire!” 

Their voices echoed with military precision as they bowed to Astrid in unison. The Emperor responded with a friendly smile, graciously acknowledging their greeting. 

Anelope and Astrid exchanged light conversation as they made their way to the dining hall. 

Once seated, the knights stood in a line behind Anelope, maintaining a perfectly disciplined posture. Observing this, Astrid tilted her head slightly, a look of curiosity crossing her face. 

“It seems my instructions were misunderstood.” 

“What do you mean?”

“I meant I wanted your knights to join us for the meal.”

The fork slipped from Anelope’s hand and fell to the floor with a clatter. The knights, equally stunned, stiffened in disbelief.

“Haha, was that too sudden for you?”

“Well… it’s just… my knights are all commoners and unfamiliar with noble dining etiquette…”

For most nobles, the idea of dining with the Emperor was unthinkable. For the commoner knights, it was even more so – a scenario completely out of the realm of possibility. The knights themselves silently hoped that Anelope would politely decline on their behalf. 

But it seemed that Astrid had come with a firm resolve. 

“It’s all right.”

“…” 

“Today I’m not here as the emperor, but as your family, Anelope, to meet your knights.” 

Anelope furrowed her brow, struggling to comprehend his unexpected statement. 

“Sorry for the sudden visit. It’s just that things have been very busy at work. A meeting was unexpectedly cancelled, so I finally had some free time and decided to drop by. If I startled you, I apologise.”

The Emperor’s apology left everyone stunned. Both the knights and Anelope were at a loss, their eyes darting around as they awkwardly tried to assess the situation.

“Come, take your seats.”

Astrid encouraged, gesturing to the table with a smile.

But the knights hesitated. How could they sit at the same table as the Emperor? It was completely unheard of for commoners. 

It wasn’t until Astrid repeated his invitation in a more insistent tone that the knights reluctantly shuffled forward and took their seats. No sooner had they done so than the waiting maids began to place cutlery in front of them.

“Brother, I really don’t understand what’s going on all of a sudden.”

“Hmm… Anelope.”

Astrid started, leaning back slightly.

“Aren’t you going to marry them?” 

“What?” 

Anelope’s eyes widened in shock at the mention of marriage. The knights mirrored her reaction, equally startled.

In the Cresso Empire, it was common for nobles to take both spouses and concubines. There were no legal restrictions against such arrangements. So Astrid’s question – whether she intended to marry ‘them’ – was not particularly surprising in the cultural context.

What made Anelope uneasy, however, was Astrid’s tone, which implied that he was fully aware of everything that had happened between her and the knights.

With a slightly uncomfortable expression, she parted her lips to reply, but before she could speak, Astrid continued, clearly sensing her hesitation. 

“I’ve heard that you’ve often shared your bed with the knights. So naturally, Anelope, I assumed you’d marry them one day.” 

As expected. Astrid knew all about what had happened between her and the knights.

Anelope let out a hollow laugh. It seemed that there were spies among the maids of the Grand Duchy working for Astrid. She wasn’t entirely surprised – after all, everyone in the Grand Duchy of Besetten, from butlers and knights to maids, had been selected and placed under Astrid’s supervision at some point.