Delia, unable to sleep a wink all night due to the questions swirling in her head, immediately sought out the maids and servants as soon as morning came.

As expected, several servants came forward, claiming to have witnessed the fight between the Crown Prince and the Grand Duke.

“The training hall?”

What surprised Delia, as she listened to their stories, was that Kaiel had headed straight for the training hall after leaving the annex, not the Empress’s Palace. The training hall was located right in front of the Empress’s Palace.

“Yes. He was striking at the wooden swords in the training hall with all his might, breaking them all.”

“His Highness, the Crown Prince?”

“Ah… no, the striking post……”

Delia let out a sigh and stopped.

If all the wooden swords were broken, then when he met Niol, he must have been holding a real sword…!

“How did His Highness the Crown Prince end up fighting with Hi—the Grand Duke?”

“At first, when His Highness arrived, he said he had something to discuss regarding trade matters… But as soon as His Highness approached, the Grand Duke pointed his sword at him! And it just so happened that the last wooden sword had just broken……”

That seemed to be how the Grand Duke ended up pointing a real sword at the Crown Prince.

Kaiel, enraged after discovering that the Empress was behind the poisoning of his mother with lapocia, had sought out the training hall to vent his anger. And in the midst of all that, the Empress’s son, Niol, had come to see him…

Kaiel probably reflexively drew his sword the moment he heard Niol’s voice.

“It’s a good thing His Highness dodged the sword, otherwise… Ah, that’s right. His Highness accidentally spilled the wine he was holding onto the Grand Duke while dodging the sword.”

The servants shuddered, seemingly recalling the Grand Duke’s expression at that moment.

“Aha……”

Whether it was an accident or not, only Niol knew.

Delia thought for a moment and then asked,

“Is that all? His Highness wouldn’t just lash out just because the other person pointed a sword at him first.”

“That’s right. His Highness only made a remark about his attitude in the conference room earlier and the fact that he had broken all the wooden swords. He didn’t draw his sword right away. By the way, what was the Grand Duke so angry about?”

Naturally, the servants, as well as Niol, were unaware of what the Empress had done. Even in the original story, Niol had died believing that Kaiel had gone mad and killed the Empress and the Emperor.

So, to them, the sight of Kaiel fuming and raging must have been terrifying.

Delia spoke again.

“Then how did the two of them end up crossing swords?”

“Well… yes. I almost forgot about this. Miss, do you have any idea how often your name came up in their conversation?”

“Huh?”

The servant cleared his throat and then launched into an impersonation of what was presumably Niol’s voice.

“Why are you so worked up? Is it because Miss Delia is staying at the Imperial Palace?”

“Don’t say her name.”

This line must have been Kaiel’s.

The servant vividly reenacted the scene.

“You know she’ll be in danger if she stays by your side. It’s not like it hasn’t happened before. She’ll be safer in the Imperial Palace. It’s more comfortable than Tranade. And I really like Miss Delia. I’m serious.”

Even hearing it through the servant’s retelling, Delia could tell how much Niol had gotten under Kaiel’s skin.

It was like pouring oil on a raging fire. While such provocations were a regular occurrence between them, the problem was that Kaiel’s anger was already at its peak.

The maid next to him continued the story.

“The moment he heard about you, Miss, the Grand Duke’s eyes lit up and he just… His Highness had no choice but to draw his sword.”

The maids’ eyes sparkled, as if they had witnessed quite a spectacle.

It made sense, considering that a sword fight between two highly skilled individuals was like a well-choreographed performance.

“It seemed like both of them were fighting with all their might. It seems the Grand Duke really cares about you, Miss. I thought you were the Grand Duke’s Miss, but now it seems like you’re the Miss of the Grand Duke!”

Delia shook her head inwardly, looking at the maid’s sparkling eyes.

‘No, that’s not it.’

The point at which Kaiel drew his sword must have been when Niol said, “She’ll be in danger if she stays by your side.” It was the truth Kaiel hated the most, and the person who had just uttered those words was the son of the Empress, the woman who had put Lady Rant in danger.

Delia left the servants, who continued to chatter excitedly, and went back to her room.

‘Okay, so far, I understand. But what did Kaiel do when he went to see the Empress…?’

Delia, who had been thinking about visiting the Empress after lunch, soon realized there was no need.

As she was leaving the dining hall, feeling a little lonely after finishing her lunch alone, a familiar face was waiting for her at the entrance.

“Doctor? What brings you here?”

Dr. Lambert, who had been all smiles just yesterday after she was appointed as the Imperial physician, now wore a gloomy expression. His usually neatly trimmed beard seemed to droop dejectedly.

“Miss Averbit… Have you seen His Grace?”

Delia shook her head.

“No, I haven’t seen him either. Actually, he said he had to go somewhere yesterday and left abruptly…”

Delia trailed off, feeling as if his sudden departure was her fault. A sense of unease settled in her stomach once more.

Seeing Delia’s crestfallen expression, Dr. Lambert cleared his throat and spoke.

“I… you haven’t heard yet? Oh dear, it pains me to be the one to tell you. This is…”

With Kaiel leaving like that yesterday and now Dr. Lambert acting like this, Delia’s palms began to sweat.

“Whatever it is, it’s not your fault, Doctor. Please tell me comfortably.”

Her tone might have sounded a little impatient, but she couldn’t help it. Dr. Lambert stroked his mustache repeatedly and finally spoke.

“For some reason, Her Majesty the Empress is saying she’ll revoke your appointment as the Imperial physician…! Of all the…!”

What was he talking about?

Revoke…?

She had only been the Imperial physician for less than a day?

Delia, momentarily stunned, asked,

“Her Majesty the Empress?”

Dr. Lambert nodded vigorously.

“I heard that His Grace visited Her Majesty last night. Something must have happened then! Surely, His Grace didn’t suggest it himself……!”

As she listened to his words, Delia finally began to understand everything. All of Kaiel’s actions, from the conference room yesterday to the Empress’s Palace.

‘He had no intention of killing the Empress from the start. Instead, he used her wrongdoing as leverage to…’

If he accepted Niol’s proposal, proceeded with the negotiations, and then brought her back, he would lose nothing. That must have been why Kaiel changed his mind.

Delia had been secretly feeling down since Kaiel resolutely agreed to the proposal yesterday. But now, all the resentment that had been lingering in a corner of her heart completely vanished.

Come to think of it, it seemed like Kaiel hadn’t even considered handing her over to Niol, not even for a second. Why else would he visit the Empress and have her position as the Imperial physician revoked?!

‘That was what happened, and here I was, suspecting him out of misunderstanding…’

Delia held her head in her hands, utterly defeated.

‘This Kaiel…! If only he had told me, this wouldn’t have happened!’

She felt like rushing to Kaiel right away, kneeling before him, and apologizing for misjudging him.

While Delia was inwardly kicking herself, Dr. Lambert, dejected for a different reason, was now tugging at his mustache in despair.

“My plans are all ruined, ruined! I had everything in my lab cleaned up to introduce you to it…”

After consoling Dr. Lambert and sending him on his way, Delia immediately went looking for Niol. He was most likely feeling down after hearing the news as well.

To Niol, it was as if the condition he had painstakingly put forward for the negotiation had vanished into thin air.

‘He must be very upset that his mother, the Empress, did something that benefited Kaiel, whom she dislikes…’

She felt sorry for both Kaiel and Niol.

However, perhaps because he was the Crown Prince and a busy man, Niol, who usually appeared out of the blue, was nowhere to be found when she actually needed him.

‘Is he very busy? Or maybe he doesn’t even care?’

A day passed, then two. Around the third day, new rumors began to circulate within the Imperial Palace. The most talked-about topic was the tightening of trade regulations with Floren, a country that had a relatively small but steady trade relationship with the Empire.

Several nobles involved in the trade industry were said to be badmouthing the Sheriton Imperial Palace. Among them were likely those who had obtained lapocia through illegal means.

Of course, some discerning individuals supported the Imperial Palace’s decision. Although it was a sudden move, in the long run, it would be beneficial for both the Sheriton Empire and Tranade.

And so, countless stories surrounding the Imperial Palace and the Empire spread like wildfire.

And still, Kaiel did not return.