As Eve had predicted, the Grand Duke’s invitation arrived not long after. It was a direct invitation from the Grand Duke, bypassing Roanne.

A response in just one day—Eve inwardly swallowed a laugh.

Moreover, the invitation stated that he would arrange a meeting at a time of Eve’s choosing. The Grand Duke’s goodwill was evident from the letter.

“Just a moment, I’ll write a reply right away.”

Eve stopped the royal servant who had brought the invitation to the door of the guest quarters.

Without hesitation, Eve wrote a letter accepting the invitation and sealed it well before handing it to the servant.

The servant received the reply, bowed politely, and disappeared from the room.

The meeting Eve proposed was for tomorrow.

In truth, she desperately wanted to see him today and stir up his thoughts, but she restrained herself.

Fruit tastes best when ripe, and grain provides nourishment only when fully grown.

Eve opened the window wide.

Cold air rushed into the room. White vapor formed and dispersed with each breath. After being exposed to the cold air for a while, she felt her mind clearing.

After much effort, she would finally be able to meet the Grand Duke tomorrow.

What kind of man would he be? The ruler of the Grand Duchy who had unified small countries through war. She was well aware of the Grand Duke’s achievements.

Eve suddenly felt afraid.

She worried whether she could maintain a good conversation with the Grand Duke, and though unlikely, whether he might discover her true intentions. Above all, she was concerned about hiding her k*lling intent toward him.

‘It’s okay, I can do this well.’

Eve closed her eyes, which kept wanting to turn fierce, and composed herself.

She had come this far without rest, thinking only of her one goal.

Of course, thanks to being the Duchess of Archild, she had reached this point in one leap without taking a longer route, but what came next was truly important.

After tomorrow, she could neither turn back nor stop.

“Ivan…”

She thought of his face, which she would never see again no matter how much she called his name.

***

The next day.

Eve waited for the Grand Duke in the reception room to which the servant had guided her.

When the servant’s loud voice announced the Grand Duke’s arrival, Eve stood up with a tense face and bowed deeply.

The sound of the door opening was heard, and only the Grand Duke’s footsteps echoed in the quiet reception room.

His footsteps stopped right in front of her.

“Raise your head.”

A voice too young for the ruler of a country.

The Grand Duke she had so desperately wanted to reach was now right in front of her, within arm’s reach.

She barely suppressed the urge to rush at him, strangle him, and demand to know why he had driven Ivan to his death.

Her reason controlled her.

Eve slowly raised only her head while keeping her eyes downcast.

“I am honored to meet the most exalted ruler of the Lonavita Grand Duchy.”

Despite her chattering teeth and trembling eyelids, her voice remained unwavering.

“Yes, you must be Eve Archild. Thank you for accepting my invitation.”

Seeing that Eve couldn’t meet his eyes, the Grand Duke raised the corner of his mouth.

“You needn’t be so afraid. My reason for wanting to see you is quite positive.”

“I am sorry.”

“Come now, let’s sit down first.”

Sitting face to face with the Grand Duke, Eve felt as though red blood vessels would rise to her eyes at any moment.

Knowing how Ivan had been killed, just seeing the Grand Duke alive and breathing before her made her blood boil.

“So, you’ve been keeping the Grand Duchess Roanne company.”

The Grand Duke got straight to the point as soon as he sat down.

His monotone voice made it impossible to gauge whether he was in a good mood or not.

“The Grand Duchess tells me that you think highly of the Grand Duchy.”

The Grand Duke spoke as if Roanne had relayed this information, though he had observed everything himself.

“I am honored that she would say such things.”

The Grand Duke crossed his arms and looked down at Eve, who still couldn’t meet his eyes.

“But you know, it seems the Grand Duchess heard some excessive information during your last meeting. She seems greatly troubled and won’t tell me what conversation you had.”

“…Is that so? I am truly sorry.”

“What conversation did you have that caused this? I’d like to hear about it from you as well.”

The Grand Duke deliberately questioned Eve about their conversation to test her.

According to Roanne, the Grand Duke hated lies. She had advised that frankly telling him what was wrong and asking for forgiveness was the best way to appease his anger.

Eve carefully chose her words and slowly opened her mouth.

“In truth, I’d like to take this opportunity to ask for forgiveness.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“I spoke to the Grand Duchess about matters that weren’t official information about Ptotr, but rather exposed corruption and misconduct. For this presumptuous behavior, I wish to apologize belatedly to the exalted ruler of the Grand Duchy.”

“Hmm…”

The Grand Duke looked at Eve as if examining her.

How would he react? Would he dismiss it as nothing? Or would he scold her to demonstrate his dignity? Even though she had memorized all available information about the Grand Duke, she couldn’t predict his next move.

As his sharp gaze swept over her, she felt her hair standing on end.

‘I feel like a rabbit placed before a predator.’

After staring at Eve for a long while, the Grand Duke finally spoke.

“Very well, I’ll confirm this separately with the Grand Duchess. However, I’m curious—why did you pass on Ptotr’s corruption to the Grand Duchess?”

“I despise Ptotr.”

Eve spoke with sincerity. The words came without even 0.1 seconds of hesitation.

“I disliked the idea of Ptotr gaining advantage over the Grand Duchy. That’s why I passed on this information about corruption, hoping the Grand Duchy’s authority would become equal to or surpass that of Ptotr.”

Eve raised her head and met the Grand Duke’s eyes for the first time.

As she met his deep blue eyes, an inexplicable churning arose within her.

When the churning stopped, a distinct nausea immediately overwhelmed her.

It felt as though her body had been thrown into a blazing fire pit and then pulled out.

Heat rose and anger welled up.

Eve disguised her anger toward the Grand Duke as anger toward Ptotr.

“…The more I hear, the more curious I become about your past. What happened to make you hate Ptotr so much?”

Eve barely maintained her composure, suppressing what threatened to become a distorted expression, and bowed her head again.

She parted her lips, from which breathing had become difficult, and forced out words.

“…My brother died when I was young.”

“How terrible.”

The Grand Duke clicked his tongue as if in sympathy.

“He died at the hands of King Gregory. You probably don’t remember it, as the likelihood is high. My brother’s death was a decision he made lightly.”

“It seems you’ve lived a difficult life. I thought the King of Ptotr might cause trouble someday, and it turns out he already has. He’s notorious among other kings for his cruelty.”

His words of comfort made bile rise in her throat. She could barely breathe. She felt moisture rising in her wide-open eyes.

“The King of Ptotr—that fellow never sat well with me from the beginning.”

The Grand Duke uncrossed his arms and placed his hands on the table. After staring intently at Eve, he smiled and said:

“It seems we have a common enemy.”

“I am sorry.”

“You’re more formal than I expected. You may raise your head.”

Eve couldn’t raise her head for fear he might detect her k*lling intent directed at him. She composed her expression and looked up at him.

Somehow, he looked pleased.

“I had my doubts about calling you here, but now I think it was the right decision.”

She couldn’t even smile. He was lying without hesitation, having observed everything and judged whether she would be useful to the Grand Duchy before summoning her.

“I think we could be good allies. What do you say? Would you join hands with me to strike a blow against our common enemy?”

Perfect.

The first button of her revenge had been fastened.

Though not perfectly, she had gained the Grand Duke’s trust.

For this single achievement, she had bowed her head to her brother’s enemy and carefully selected only stories he would like to hear.

Eve bowed her head even lower.

“I am honored. This is an offer of unparalleled honor for me. Thank you for giving me such an opportunity… I am truly grateful.”

While inwardly imagining plunging a large knife into the Grand Duke’s chest, her lips uttered the answer he wanted to hear.

“Haha, there’s no need for such formality. I feel we’ll get along very well.”

At the Grand Duke’s gesture, servants approached to pour warm tea into the cooled cups and bring out desserts.

“At this rate, you’ll keep your head bowed until our conversation ends. Come, have some refreshments.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

When Eve glanced at him, he seemed even more pleased by the formal address.

“Now then, I have many questions for you. Today’s meeting will be a long one.”

“That’s what I was hoping for. What would you like to know?”

The Grand Duke uncrossed his arms and lifted the teacup placed before him.

“First, I’m curious about your thoughts on how the Grand Duchy should respond to what Ptotr is preparing.”

“Are you aware that Ptotr’s movements are unusual due to their preparation of a standing army?”

“I’ve heard something about it.”