Well, she didn’t know why he particularly liked Penchev in the first place anyway.

While thinking such thoughts and examining documents much more comfortably, Lysith turned to the next document and suddenly raised one eyebrow.

“……Hm?”

“What’s wrong?”

Naturally, it was Penchev, who was stuck right beside her, who immediately reacted to her unusual response. Though he usually didn’t even glance toward the documents, worried that he might read confidential documents he shouldn’t read, this time he happened to see the document’s contents.

He who had unintentionally seen it also showed a similar reaction to Lysith.

“……Why is this coming up to Miss?”

“It seems like it came to the wrong place……?”

The document in Lysith’s hands contained nothing other than content related to her blood relative Sylvian Gronevelt. And it was content related to marriage at that!

Lysith, who had roughly skimmed through all the document’s contents despite her sour expression, let out a small sigh.

“What is this person trying to do, still not getting married?”

“It doesn’t really matter to you, does it?”

“Personally, that’s true, but I’m not sure how it looks from the nobles’ perspective.”

The fact that the relationship between Lysith and the Gronevelt family wasn’t very good was already widely known when she got married. Since she didn’t use Gronevelt as her middle name.

So, the kind of scene that would normally be expected when pushing a family’s daughter into the imperial palace as empress didn’t unfold. With such a precedent created, among some nobles there were often rumors that they should treat their daughters well just in case for later.

‘But why would the duke’s marriage problem come up as a document……’

The content wasn’t much. It said things like it was hard to find a partner because he was of age but wasn’t getting married. If there was something strange, it seemed like a somewhat…… personal document rather than official.

Anyway, the only places in the imperial palace where documents related to the duke would come up were either Lysith or Verheigen, but this kind of content wasn’t something that should come to her, so it seemed like a document that should have originally gone to Verheigen.

To think that the emperor’s position required caring about even the duke’s marriage problems. If it were her, she probably would have been unable to hide her absurdity upon seeing the document.

The document that had been in Lysith’s hands was handed over to Verheigen, who visited her office after lunch that day.

Contrary to expecting him to sigh or laugh hollowly upon seeing the document’s contents, Verheigen also had an expression of hearing about it for the first time.

“Why would they bring the duke’s marriage problem to me?”

“That’s true.”

……Then what really is it? Lysith’s question as she stared at the document in his hands with a sour gaze was solved by Serul, who entered afterward.

“Ah, that’s my document.”

“……Huh?”

“Tsk. Why is your document here?”

When Verheigen clicked his tongue and handed the document to Serul, he received the document with a respectful attitude then quickly hurried out of the office.

Had he always rushed out like that? She briefly recalled, but it seemed like he hadn’t been that urgent before. Usually he would argue with Verheigen a bit, then give up and greet her before leaving.

“Why is he acting like that?”

“He’s been out of his mind lately because he’s busy with romance.”

This was the first time she’d heard this news. Living in the imperial palace all day and only finding out about this news now! Isn’t other people’s love life the most interesting thing in the world? At Verheigen’s words, Lysith’s eyes lit up as she urgently asked back.

“He’s dating? Who? Serul?”

However, at her question, Verheigen made a subtly displeased face and gave a different answer in a sulky tone.

“……Don’t be interested in other men.”

“What are you saying, other people’s love lives are always the most interesting.”

Now he was even jealous of his aide Serul. As if the other three men were the maximum his narrow tolerance could bear.

When Lysith pinched the cheek of her husband who was sitting stuck right next to her once weakly, only then did he give a proper answer.

“It’s not that he’s dating……”

Verheigen, who paused for a moment, briefly made an expression of ‘why am I talking about this’ then, seeing Lysith’s eyes sparkling with curiosity, had no choice but to continue.

“It seems like he’s got a woman he likes, but the problem is that Duke Gronevelt seems to have become his rival.”

“……?”

This was an unexpected development.

In short, it meant a love triangle. My goodness, a love triangle romance that she’d only heard about in words from around her was happening! And the participants included her blood relative and her husband’s aide, so she couldn’t help but be surprised.

How on earth did such a situation unfold?

“Ah, then that document is……”

“Checking on his rival’s whereabouts, something like that probably.”

“That’s quite serious?”

Hearing Lysith’s words, Verheigen let out a small snort.

“With that guy’s personality, he’ll somehow achieve whatever he sets his mind to. I don’t know what the duke will be like though.”

“……The rival really is Sylvian, right? I can’t imagine it.”

Even recalling the memories of her brother that remained in Lysith’s mind, there wasn’t even a speck of him showing interest in a specific woman or appealing to her.

Moreover, what about when their parents wanted to arrange an engagement? He was the person who said curtly that there was no need to decide such things now.

What did he say again, that he would handle it himself later so there was no need to rush into deciding now? Anyway, because he said such things at the dinner table, she remembered that dinner becoming an ice-cold atmosphere.

But she really couldn’t imagine that such a person had a woman he cared about and was showing it enough for others to notice.

“I’d rather…… support Serul.”

There wasn’t any particular reason, just…… thinking of Sylvian’s personality, how should she put it, he seemed like he’d have a regretful male tag. Thinking of the heart of someone who might become her sister-in-law in the future, that’s how she felt.

Lysith, who had been leaning her upper body against Verheigen’s broad chest as he sat beside her, let out a small groan at a sudden thought, then carefully opened her mouth.

“Come to think of it, should we…… prepare for a banquet?”

“The kids?”

“Yeah, it’ll be one year since they were born soon……”

Just thinking about preparing for a banquet already made fatigue seem to wash over her. It had already been almost one year since the twins were born. The fact that they were healthy without any ailments was truly a joyful thing, but wasn’t the banquet a separate matter?

Just as Lysith let out a small sigh with such thoughts, the sound of someone knocking on the office door could be heard.

Speaking of which, Lysith could generally distinguish the knocking sounds of her four husbands, if not others.

In Penchev’s case, he knocked quite sharply like knock. knock. knock., and in Verheigen’s case, there was rarely any occasion to knock, but when he occasionally made his presence known, he would roughly knock twice and be done. In Ashites’ case…… the number of knocks was quite many.

The sound heard now was three times, but it wasn’t as crisp as Penchev’s, so it seemed to be Dietrich. Would she get a little tired, Lysith blinked several times and gave permission to enter.

When permission was granted and someone entered shortly after, surprisingly it wasn’t Dietrich alone.

“Maah!”

“Maaaa……”

Seeing the two children in Dietrich’s arms reaching out toward her, Lysith jumped up from her seat and couldn’t help but look surprised.

This should be the time when they’d be deep in dreamland. Moreover, at noon Camael had been by her side, and Seraphiel had even been playing with the wet nurse. Since they didn’t sleep then, they should be sleeping soundly now, but both children had bright, alert eyes without any sign of sleepiness.

Why doesn’t this one have any sleepy energy at all?

“……What’s wrong?”

“They’re refusing to sleep today for some reason.”

When she first picked up Seraphiel, who had been separated from mommy for a longer time, the small, warm baby’s body came into her arms. When she gave a kiss on her soft cheek, she burst into giggles as if it tickled.

“Amnyamnaah.”

Perhaps Camael, who was in Dietrich’s arms, was jealous that his sister received mommy’s kiss, he flailed his arms saying he wanted one too. Seeing this, Lysith smiled slightly and gave Camael’s cheek a kiss too, making him giggle like Seraphiel.

Verheigen, who had been quietly watching the three of them, reached out his hand saying he would hold Seraphiel. Seraphiel, who had been seriously contemplating while even pouting her lips at this, soon decided to move to his arms.

Though not as much as mommy, daddy was good too!