Chapter 28

“They say Grand Duke Kahil came to discuss an engagement with Lady Irene of the Daian Dukedom.”

“Engagement?”

“Yes. That’s probably why His Highness the Grand Duke is staying at the ducal residence.”

So that was the reason for his visit to the capital—an engagement. Diana was also surprised to hear that Irene and Kahil were to be engaged.

“An engagement between the Karbel Grand Duchy and the Daian Dukedom. That really is big news.”

“Right? Not many people know about it yet, but I do.”

“How?”

“His Majesty looked into why His Highness the Grand Duke came. Seems His Majesty was curious too, since Grand Duke Karbel’s arrival is such a big deal.”

If even Evan was interested, it meant Grand Duke Kahil was a figure who truly influenced the Imperial Palace.

“I see. So His Highness the Grand Duke… Well, if it’s about an engagement, I bet rumors will spread soon. It’s the Karbel Grand Duchy and the Daian Dukedom, after all.”

“I think so too. People probably already suspect it just because His Highness the Grand Duke is staying at the ducal residence.”

She’d said she hated the idea of becoming Empress, but had Irene already considered becoming Grand Duchess? Diana recalled Irene’s words about never wanting to be Empress.

“Whatever happens, I’d love to meet him. You’d know at a glance. Oh, do you think he’ll come to the palace? To see His Majesty? I heard they’re cousins.”

“Who knows? No one can say. His Majesty wasn’t exactly close with his family…”

Far from close, he’d torn them apart. Diana laughed dryly, remembering the time of the Prince’s Rebellion. Whatever happened, she just hoped the palace wouldn’t get too noisy.

“Anyway, got it. Oh, here, take this.”

Diana handed Neil a small box.

“I brought some things from home—these are cookies. My parents told me to give them to you.”

“To me? Why?”

“I’m not sure. All I know is you really made an impression on them.”

“Me?”

Neil took the box, still looking bewildered.

“Why me? I just tried to be polite since they’re your family.”

“That’s exactly why. Anyway, how are you supposed to avoid becoming my family’s son-in-law if you’ve won over my parents?”

“Then what do I do now? Am I going to end up as your husband?”

“What are you talking about? Just eat them. You probably won’t meet my parents again anyway. They’re always like that when they think someone’s decent—they’ll forget you soon enough.”

“That’s a relief. Thank you for the cookies.”

“Sure. But is that really something to be so relieved about?”

For some reason, Diana felt like she’d been dumped a second time and almost wanted to take the gift back. Still, she decided to give Neil a bit of a break, since he’d worked hard while she was gone.

“That’s good. Since you got them, go have a snack. Try the cookies.”

“But I still have work to do…”

“You worked hard while I was away, so I’ll give you a special break. If you don’t want it, just come work with me.”

“I’ll be off, then!”

Neil quickly darted out of the office. A faint smile formed on his lips. It was the first real break he’d had since Diana left. He really couldn’t do without his aide. Neil walked lightly down the corridor—until that moment.

“……!”

Neil spotted Evan beyond the corridor. Evan was headed toward the office, and he and Neil drew closer. Neil quickly bowed his head when he saw Evan.

“Greetings, Your Majesty!”

Even though Diana had spent quite a bit of time with him before leaving for vacation, Neil still got tense around Evan. Evan looked at Neil, or more precisely, at the box Neil was holding.

“If you’re looking for Senior Aide, she’s in the office right now.”

But Evan only stared at the box Neil held. On the outside, the Amber Viscountcy crest was engraved.

“Oh, this is a gift from Senior Aide.”

“…….”

“They’re cookies. Her parents sent them for me.”

Noticing Evan’s gaze, Neil hurriedly opened the box. In his rush, he didn’t see the slip of paper flutter out and land at Evan’s feet.

Enjoy the treats, and we hope you’ll visit again with our Diana. It would be even better if you bring good news.

Without realizing Evan was reading the note, Neil offered him the whole box.

“If you’d like some, please take them all, I don’t mi—oh, are you feeling unwell, Your Majesty?”

“Follow me.”

“Whaaat? All of a sudden… Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

The atmosphere had turned ominous, and Neil was silently horrified. At the same time, his peaceful break was gone. Neil’s bewildered cries echoed through the corridor as he was dragged off.

*   *   *

Repairing the collapsed ceiling, sweeping the floors, cleaning the windows. Through these steps, the building that had looked like an abandoned warehouse was being transformed into something respectable. Those watching couldn’t help but smile with pride—except for Diana. At this moment, she was grateful to be wearing a mask, as she stared in despair at the increasingly presentable building.

“How is it, Leader? Isn’t it so clean now?”

“We worked so hard while you were gone, Leader!”

“We even fixed the broken parts!”

Why were they so united over such pointless things? So many hopeful eyes were fixed on Diana, and she nodded with tears in her eyes.

“…Uh, yes. You all did a lot while I was gone. Really, a lot.”

“Right? We even stayed up all night to surprise you!”

“The building repairs are almost done, so what should we do next?”

Their enthusiasm was obvious—whatever she said, they’d do. Diana’s eyes darted around. Whatever they did, she’d have to slow them down as much as possible.

“Right! Well… If we just leave the building like this, it’s not enough, is it? We need to disguise it as a mask workshop, so we have to decorate it perfectly to trick people.”

At this rate, she really would end up as the owner of a mask workshop. She had to prevent that disaster.

“To do that, we have to actually make masks, right? The shoddy ones you made last time won’t cut it. We need something we can actually sell. So first, you all need to learn the skills.”

You can clean a building quickly, but you can’t learn a skill overnight.

“Don’t worry about where to learn mask-making. I’ve already found the best place.”

“Wow! Really?”

“Of course. The very best.”

The best place for trainees to run away crying every day. Learning a skill was tough and grueling, so they’d probably be eager to escape within a day.

“I’ll give you the address, so just go learn the skill there. You can all do it, right?”

“Yes! We can do it!”

“Alright, let’s do our best.”

Do your best—and run far, far away. 

Diana smiled but kept that part to herself.

“Anyway, we’ll start learning the skill tomorrow… But what are all those?”

As she finished speaking, something caught Diana’s eye. The wall shelves were neatly organized and filled with items.

“I thought they were just cleaning trash, but they’re actually really clean?”

“Right? We prepared them for the building!”

“Really? What are they… Wait, wait.”

Diana spotted a cloth on the shelf that read ‘Down with the Emperor!’ and pressed her forehead. The other items on the shelves were just as outrageous.

“You put a knife in the Emperor’s face? What are these book titles? ‘One Hundred Days to Successful Rebellion’? ‘How You Too Can Join the anti-Emperor Faction’?”

Just seeing those titles made Diana clutch the back of her neck. If she let her guard down for even a moment, they’d cause trouble like this. With a tired face, Diana flipped through the books—until she found one that was different.

“This is….”

Her eyes widened as she read the contents of the book.