Chapter 29

Diana’s eyes caught sight of a man. Clad head to toe in armor, he stood tall among corpses, a sword in one hand. Even just seeing his image in a drawing, Diana couldn’t help but flinch at the sheer sense of intimidation.

Lord of the North, Grand Duke Kahil

The name Kahil was written as the book’s title. And the man in the illustration inside—anyone could see the main character of the book’s drawing was Kahil.

Was this Grand Duke Kahil Karbel?

Even if it was only an illustration, with such stature and appearance, he was certainly worthy of being called the Lord of the North. As Diana stared at his picture, others crowded around her.

“Oh, that’s a newly released book. So many people wanted it, we barely managed to get a copy ourselves.”

“You all know Grand Duke Kahil?”

“Of course! Every tough guy wants to test their strength against Grand Duke Kahil! Besides, isn’t he incredibly cool? He’s the famous Lord of the North!”

It seemed admiration for Grand Duke Kahil wasn’t limited to noble heirs. He was influential even among the citizens of the Empire. As Diana flipped through the pages, she noticed the writing on the back. There, his achievements were listed.

“He rampages alone across the battlefield, stands strong even in blizzards…! But Leader, we still think you’re cooler!”

“It’s too late for that, you idiots. Anyway, I get the feeling.”

He was a man whose achievements and looks could captivate even those meeting him for the first time. His influence was truly significant.

“Oh, come to think of it, isn’t Grand Duke Kahil related to the imperial family?”

“Right? I think I read in a book that his father was a Prince?”

“That’s right. So he’s cousins with the Emperor.”

The crowd soon shouted in unison.

“Then let’s just make His Highness the Grand Duke the Emperor!”

“That’s ridiculous!”

They were really trying to send her straight to the guillotine. If left alone, they’d probably run to Kahil and make such a request. Diana shook her head vigorously.

“What would you even say to him? Ask him to help with a rebellion? You think that would work on the Grand Duke, who fiercely protects the North?”

“Well, if it’s His Highness the Grand Duke, he definitely wouldn’t do that….”

“Glad you all understand. And don’t forget, if you talk about this and His Highness the Grand Duke tells the Emperor, we’ll all be wiped out. So please, just behave.”

Diana dragged all the items from the shelf outside. They were shocking even at a glance. Instead, she took the book about Grand Duke Kahil with her.

“All the things on the shelf—burn them all. I’ll just borrow this for a while.”

“So Leader, you’re interested in His Highness the Grand Duke’s book too! We cried hot tears reading about his great achievements. Leader, you’ll love it too!”

“I’m not really interested in the achievements… Well, I’ll read it anyway.”

There wasn’t much information about Grand Duke Kahil available. In these circumstances, a book detailing his achievements would be quite helpful for Diana to learn about him. Now that Kahil was in the capital, it was worth reading.

*   *   *

“Hmmm, so this is the book about Grand Duke Kahil’s achievements?”

“Yeah. I skimmed through it, and even just the listed accomplishments are impressive.”

“Of course. He’s so famous.”

Sophia began to look over the book Diana had handed her, sliding it across the desk.

“I knew there were books about Grand Duke Kahil, but I’ve never seen the content before.”

“You knew?”

“If it sells well, our merchant group knows about it. I heard even the latest books sold out. Not that I care much about the content. Where did you get this? It can’t have been easy.”

“I got it from that group of idiots.”

At the mention of “group of idiots,” Sophia immediately understood.

“Right. Of course. By the way, how’s life as a leader these days? Is the rebellion going well?”

“What are you even saying… Oh, right. I found my family’s idiot too.”

“Really? Where was he?”

“At my family’s house. I couldn’t believe it when I found him.”

Diana recalled her encounter with Dian and laughed helplessly.

“After I pinned him down and asked, he said it wasn’t completely his choice, but he did cause a huge mess. So I told him to stay quietly at home.”

“That’s so Dian. Makes things entertaining.”

“If you think it’s so fun, why don’t you take him? He’s driving me crazy.”

And the problem wasn’t just Dian.

Diana thought of Evan and Ed, who resembled Evan so much. Now that she knew there was a hidden imperial in her house, she couldn’t just ignore it. She’d have to find a chance to bring it up. Sighing softly, Diana picked up the book in front of her.

“Anyway, the palace is noisy with stories about Grand Duke Kahil. He’s really popular among his fans. Oh, you know he’s of imperial blood, right? Nephew of the late Emperor, cousin to His Majesty.”

“Of course. That’s why his image in the book makes me feel uneasy.”

“Nothing you do surprises me anymore. But it’s odd that someone like him is trying to get engaged to the Daian Dukedom.”

Diana knew Arthur didn’t like Evan. He didn’t act openly, but Arthur was one of the nobles involved in the Prince’s Rebellion—one of the main figures supporting the First Prince against Evan for the throne.

And Diana had confirmed when she met Irene that the Daian Dukedom’s people were not friendly toward Evan.

“The fact that the Duke of Daian invited Grand Duke Kahil for an engagement just doesn’t feel right.”

“You’re correct. It doesn’t feel good. Anyone can see the Daian Dukedom is trying to keep the imperial family in check. Bringing in a Grand Duke of imperial blood isn’t just a coincidence.”

Of course, Sophia understood that. Her eyes curled upward.

“Well, I don’t care which side wins—the imperial family or the Grand Duchy. I wish both would just fall apart.”

“…You’re saying that because of Lady Irene, right? You heard she might become Grand Duchess.”

Sophia still held a grudge against Irene after the incident at the last social gathering. She didn’t bother denying it.

“I’m just curious what kind of groom she found after saying she absolutely didn’t want to be Empress.”

“Anyway, it’s chaos now. The whole palace knows. The story that Grand Duke Kahil came to get engaged to the Daian Dukedom’s daughter is everywhere.”

And Sophia hadn’t come to the palace just to talk with Diana.

“And you came for that too, didn’t you? To see Grand Duke Kahil.”

Since the rumors about her and Evan, Sophia had rarely visited the palace. The fact that she came meant something here had caught her interest.

“That’s right. I heard Grand Duke Kahil will be staying at the palace for a while.”

Grand Duke Kahil, who had been staying at the Daian ducal residence, was finally coming to the palace. Sophia wasn’t going to miss that moment.

“Of course I had to come. I want to see what kind of person the famous Grand Duke Kahil is.”

“…….”

“And you’ll meet him too, won’t you?”

As Evan’s aide, Diana knew his schedule. So she was aware: before long, Evan and Kahil would meet face to face.