Chapter 38

“Why?”

“Why?”

Faced with something they couldn’t even imagine, Evan and Sophia spoke at the same time.

“Why, you ask? Even if things have cooled a little because of His Highness, you haven’t forgotten what kind of rumors are going around about the two of you, right?”

Diana alternated her gaze between Sophia and Evan, as if to remind them that the hottest lovers in the palace, even more so than Kahil and Irene, were Evan and Sophia.

“There aren’t any other members of the Imperial Family to enter with His Majesty, so if you’re going to enter with a lady, that lady can only be Sophia.”

No lady would dare to be Evan’s partner for the banquet, especially since they were all afraid of Sophia and had refused even the Empress’s seat. Evan shook his head quickly.

“Absolutely not.”

“Then who will you go with?”

“I’ll go with you.”

“I can’t do that. I’ve already told you—I’m attending this banquet as your aide, Your Majesty, not as Lady Amber of the Amber family.”

With so much to worry about at the banquet, Diana preferred to support Evan from behind and keep an eye on the situation. The very people who had wanted the banquet most, Sophia and Evan, now looked unsettled at the idea of attending as partners.

“Well, if you think about it, it’s not that hard, right? You just escort each other into the ballroom and dance the first dance together… Or maybe that’s too much.”

Come to think of it, expecting these two to do something like that together was impossible. They’d rather handle poison than hold hands. As expected, Sophia firmly refused.

“I can’t either. My body is precious, so I can’t let it touch anything strange. I might break out in hives.”

Evan looked equally displeased. Then he muttered,

“If your partner can’t come for unavoidable reasons, that can’t be helped, right?”

“What are you imagining, Your Majesty? Sophia, don’t act like you just realized something.”

As expected, Sophia seemed to agree with Evan’s idea.

“Oh my, why not? If something truly unavoidable happens, you can’t come. Even if my partner is His Majesty the Emperor.”

“So what exactly has to happen for your partner to have an unavoidable reason not to come? Whatever it is, don’t do it.”

This could go on forever. Diana shook her head, deciding it was time to settle things.

“Decide now. Don’t come up with some unavoidable excuse when I’m not around. Will you attend the banquet as partners or not?”

“…….”

“…….”

Silence fell over the office. Evan and Sophia, more serious than anyone, finally reached a conclusion.

“Being partners is the worst, but I’ll attend the banquet.”

“Sometimes you have to make a noble sacrifice for the fun, so it can’t be helped.”

Both agreed to attend the banquet as each other’s partner.

*   *   *

The Imperial banquet invitations were sent out to the noble residences. Since it was a welcome banquet for Grand Duke Kahil, everyone was eagerly awaiting it. Some nobles were simply curious about Kahil and wanted to meet him, while others had different motives.

“They say he’s the Lord of the North. I’m curious—what’s he really like?”

Baron Bihor stroked his chin, holding the invitation in one hand. His servants busied themselves with flattery at his smile.

“Of course. It’s amazing that you were invited to such an important event, Master.”

“Well, every noble in the capital got an invitation.”

“Even so, some people won’t be able to attend. We really wish we could see the famous Grand Duke. You’re so lucky, Master.”

Bihor smiled in satisfaction at his servants’ words.

“Of course! That’s right! If you want to go, maybe I’ll think about it.”

With all the praise, Bihor’s shoulders rose with pride. As the servants said, it wasn’t easy to get a chance to see Grand Duke Kahil. News of his arrival in the capital had made Bihor eager to see him, and now he was satisfied with the opportunity.

Bihor Gam. He was a baron of a noble family, but also ran a merchant company. In reality, he cared more about making money than about his baronial rank.

He believed that the only way for someone of his low status among the nobles to be equal with the others was through wealth, so he had done everything possible to gather money. That’s why he was looking forward to the banquet—it was a chance to find influential people to invest in his business.

It would be nice if the current center of attention, Grand Duke Kahil, took an interest in him, but in truth, Bihor would welcome any wealthy and foolish noble to invest in his business. And since it was a welcome banquet for the Grand Duke, all sorts of nobles would gather. Bihor’s lips curled slyly.

“Oh, by the way, Master, did you hear about that?”

“Hm? About what?”

“The building you sold last time. There’s news about it.”

“Building? What building did I sell?”

“You know, that warehouse-like place.”

At the mention of a warehouse, Bihor finally remembered.

“Oh, that building I was going to tear down? Yes, I sold that.”

He remembered some fools coming to buy it, so he sold it for several times the market price. It was in a remote area and almost falling apart, so he thought he’d made a good deal.

“I was in the area recently, and they’ve actually renovated it quite nicely.”

“Well, what can they do with a building in the middle of nowhere?”

“That’s what I thought, but apparently they’re opening a workshop there.”

“A workshop?”

“Yes, a mask workshop. There seemed to be a lot of people inside.”

At his servant’s words, Bihor sat up straight.

“There were that many people? When they came to buy the building, there were hardly any.”

“Yes. I think only a few came then. That’s why the repairs finished so quickly. Now they’re even getting training.”

He’d thought it was just a place for fools to gather and waste time, but seeing there was a systematic plan, Bihor stroked his mustache. Maybe there was someone clever among them.

“If it’s a mask workshop, there must be a boss.”

“Yes. I heard there’s a manager. Supposedly, he wears a mask, for promotion.”

“For promotion? A mask?”

“Yes.”

To wear a mask for promotion—how passionate were they about opening this workshop? Bihor’s eyes gleamed at the thought of a well-restored building and plenty of manpower. The story was tempting.

“By the way, was the contract done properly back then?”

“Yes, it was. You sold it for several times the market price…”

“Ahem.”

“Oh, no! I mean, I think they misunderstood something in the contract.”

The servants quickly caught on and changed their tune. Satisfied, Bihor’s lips curled up.

“Right, I thought so. I think they misunderstood something in the contract.”

“Of course.”

“So I’ll have to visit the place myself. Where’s the manager now?”

“I’m not sure. Should I find out?”

“No, that’s fine. I’ll just visit the building myself and meet the manager there.”

First, he’d go to the banquet, then visit the building. He was looking forward to it—who knew what else might fall into his hands? Bihor happily anticipated the banquet’s arrival.