Chapter 21

Euphrasia cast a wary glance at Albert, who had abruptly introduced himself. Albert met Euphrasia’s blatant wariness with a relaxed smile. He instinctively realized that Euphrasia was far more naive and inexperienced with the world than he had anticipated.

“During the conversation between you and the Duke Herrington, it seemed there was some mention of the Elixir of Truth.”

“That is not something you need to be concerned about,Sir Albert.”

“There’s no need to be so cautious. If the Elixir of Truth is what you need… our delegation from the Kingdom of Kettlin might be able to offer some assistance. As you may already know, the elixir is a specialty of Kettlin.”

Albert leaned slightly toward her.

“To be honest, I don’t want to miss the opportunity to establish ties with the Herrington family. This is the official stance of our delegation leader.”

Albert’s discreet whispering resembled a seasoned merchant more than a knight.

“Are you asking me to act as a bridge between the Herrington family and your delegation?”

“You don’t need to do anything. Just return to the Herrington estate, and if you wait a little, the Elixir of Truth will surely be in your hands.”

After some hesitation, Euphrasia slowly nodded. Although she didn’t believe she could be of much help in connecting with the Herrington family, it felt awkward to outright reject the goodwill of a foreign guest.

“By the way, the person responsible for delivering the elixir to you won’t be me.”

Albert added with a satisfied tone.

“It will be the First Prince of the Kingdom of Kettlin.”

***

At the same time, Eric, who had been striding forward with urgency, stopped at the entrance to the Imperial Palace. The area in front of the palace was chaotic. Most of the banquet attendees who had exited earlier were waiting for him. As soon as they spotted Eric, they began to swarm around him like clouds.

“Your Grace, congratulations on your victory. I should have come to greet you sooner…”

“Greetings, Your Grace. I am Jade Mute, the eldest son of the Count of Mute. It is an honor to meet you!”

“Your Grace! Could I trouble you for a brief interview?”

“Duke Herrington! I’m Estelle, senior reporter for the Visbrat Weekly!”

Although Eric had spent only a short time at the banquet hall, the impression he left was profound. Both the nobles and the Empire’s press, who had been waiting outside the palace, expressed immense interest in him.

The greetings from the nobles were something Eric could easily dismiss. They both admired and feared him, maintaining a delicate balance between their desire to establish connections and their pride as nobles. They refrained from crossing any lines that might displease him.

However, the press was a different matter. Like hyenas spotting a juicy piece of meat, their relentless energy was especially persistent today. They had already secured a scoop they couldn’t afford to miss.

Among the crowd, a particularly provocative topic emerged, aggravating Eric’s mood.

“I’m Estelle, senior reporter for Visbrat Weekly! Your Grace, there’s a rumor that you officially revealed both the birth of the young master of the Herrington family and the existence of the Duchess today. Is it true?”

The woman, with her disheveled ash-brown hair tied back haphazardly and a monocle perched on her face, was small in stature. Estelle, a reporter for the tabloid Visbrat Weekly boldly posed her question.

“The prevailing sentiment is one of admiration for your sincere devotion in taking a woman of unknown origin as your Duchess. What are your thoughts on this?”

Eric raised an eyebrow and silently stared at her. A cold fury flickered in his blue eyes. Estelle, who had approached with boldness fueled by her scoop, began to feel her knees weaken under his gaze. The atmosphere grew chilly, and the crowd that had gathered began to quietly disperse.

“Estelle, from Visbrat Weekly, was it? I will remember that name.”

“Y-Your Grace… For the public’s right to know…”

“Move.”

Estelle belatedly realized that the Duke was in a particularly foul mood. She felt like a mouse cornered by a predator. Just then, a hand of salvation reached out to her.

“Are you a reporter from the Empire?”

“Huh? Could it be… Are you from the Kingdom’s delegation?”

Estelle, startled by the voice addressing her, absentmindedly replied in a foolish tone. Leopold, a man dressed in an embarrassingly revealing outfit, smiled with twinkling eyes. Behind him, a group of men and women dressed similarly began filling the space left vacant by the dispersing nobles.

Their attire, unlike anything seen in the Empire, marked them unmistakably as members of the delegation from the mysterious Kingdom of Kettlin.

“Yes, we are. One of our members has expressed interest in the Empire’s media. If it’s not too much trouble, could you spend some time with us?”

Estelle’s eyes lit up with excitement.

A one-on-one interview with the delegation from the Kingdom of Kettlin? This was a major scoop!

“Of course! May I… meet this individual?”

Realizing that Eric was still present, Estelle nervously glanced at him. The Duke of Herrington was clearly displeased, but he didn’t seem inclined to harm her. The prospect of being the first journalist to feature a special article on the Kingdom of Kettlin outweighed her fear of the Duke.

“Could I meet them right away?”

“Certainly. This is Countess Clara Monte of the Count Monte family. She’s also the editor-in-chief of Lus Periodico, the leading daily newspaper in our Kingdom.”

Leopold gestured toward the delegation.

“Greetings, Reporter.”

“Yes! Yes, hello! Please just call me Estelle!”

The beautiful woman at the front of the group awkwardly opened her mouth and waved at Estelle.

“I hope the journalists of our two nations can find common ground. Have a meaningful time.”

“Thank you! Truly, thank you!”

After expressing her gratitude to Leopold, Estelle quickly joined the delegation, and they soon disappeared from Eric’s sight. Leopold, who had naturally sent off both his group and Estelle, glanced at Eric and playfully wrinkled his nose.

He then began circling Eric, as if inspecting him.

‘Can’t leave a woman in distress alone, can he? Just like in the garden earlier. Such frivolity… It’s irritating.’

The young noble from the Kingdom likely intervened to rescue the struggling journalist. Eric found it unnecessary.

‘Tch. Pointless.’

Even if Leopold hadn’t stepped in, Eric had no intention of engaging in a scuffle with a mere journalist. His reason for lingering in front of the impudent reporter was different—he was waiting for Euphrasia.

Though he had stormed out in anger, he had calmed down during his walk and was now left with concern for her. Eric expected her to follow him out shortly. He knew that Emperor Carian was unlikely to grant her a private audience, let alone bestow the Elixir of Truth upon her.

‘What on earth is she doing inside the palace?’

Contrary to his expectations, Euphrasia had yet to emerge. Just then, the Herrington family’s carriage silently rolled to a stop nearby. Instead of boarding it immediately, Eric hesitated and glanced back.

Euphrasia was still nowhere to be seen. However, Leopold, who had been wandering around, caught his attention.

“Your Grace, may I ask where your partner—the Duchess of Herrington—is? I assumed she would be with you…”

“Enough.”

Noticing Eric’s gaze, Leopold inquired about Euphrasia’s whereabouts. Unlike his earlier calm demeanor when dealing with the reporter, Leopold now appeared visibly flustered.

Eric was equally baffled. A man brazenly approaching him to inquire about his wife? How should he interpret this?

“You’ve been overly curious about my partner since earlier. How far should I tolerate this impertinence?”

“Surely not…”

Eric’s irritation and displeasure were evident. Leopold’s face turned pale. Muttering ‘Surely not, surely not,’ he suddenly grabbed Eric’s arm.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Your Grace! Surely the Duchess is still inside the palace?”

Eric managed to suppress his rising anger, sensing the gravity in Leopold’s expression, which seemed far too serious to be a joke.

“We must head to the palace immediately! Right now!”

Leopold hurriedly tried to pull Eric along. Watching the young noble’s frantic movements, Eric’s expression hardened.

“If you cannot explain yourself clearly, you will be held accountable for this insolence.”

“I’ll explain later. For now, the matter is urgent…”

“Hah. I don’t know why you’re so concerned about her, but look.”