“Yes. She said something. It was an extremely expensive fabric, apparently.”

“Ha! That’s not even funny. It was a dress gifted by the duke, so why is she making a fuss? I heard she demanded something from the fabric merchant and the seamstress and took a hefty cut for herself.”

“My goodness. Are you saying the head maid takes bribes?”

“Of course! Everyone knows but no one dares to say it. Someone saw the head maid sneaking out at dawn to meet someone.”

“Hmm, I see.”

It was extremely interesting information. If even Lin, who was somewhat ostracized among the maids for being on the head maid’s bad side, knew about this, it was safe to assume that all the servants in the mansion were aware. Mel could easily deduce one fact from this.

‘Then there’s no way the young master doesn’t know about this.’

All of this was either happening with Duke Ivanstein’s tacit approval, or the head maid was acting under his orders. If so, there was only one attitude Mel should take.

To carry out exactly what she had decided when her eyes met the head maid’s in the carriage earlier.

“Lin, it’s time for me to go to Duke Ivanstein’s bedroom.”

“Yes, I’ll escort you.”

“It’s okay. You had a sudden stomachache today and had a hard time. I hope you get some good rest.”

“Princess……”

Lin looked at Mel with her hands clasped together as if deeply moved. That appearance was so uncharacteristically cute that Mel smiled as she draped the shawl Lin offered over her shoulders.

“I’ll also go straight to bed after putting the duke to sleep. Lin, you can finish here and go in.”

“Yes.”

Seeing Lin nodding her head quickly as if afraid Mel might change her mind, it seemed today had been a tiring day for Lin as well. With that thought, Mel rose from the sofa and began walking.

“Shall I prepare a book for you to read today? You might get bored waiting for the duke to fall asleep.”

“No, I think I have too many things to talk about with the duke today, so I won’t need it.”

“Is that so? Well, a lot did happen today.”

“Yes, indeed it did.”

Mel was nodding and smiling, but her hand holding the shawl wrapped around her shoulders was so tense it had turned white.

Although this wasn’t the first time she had visited Genoa’s bedroom due to his insomnia, it was a night that burned with more tension than ever before.

* * *

Knock knock.

When the proper knocking sound Genoa had been expecting was heard, whatever had been swirling chaotically in his mind instantly settled.

“The princess has arrived.”

At the butler’s voice outside the door asking for his permission, Genoa was finally able to escape from the thoughts that had been troubling his mind all along.

“Open it.”

A feverish warmth tinged Genoa’s voice as he answered the butler.

Genoa expected the princess to hesitate as she entered the bedroom after the door opened. She would likely shoot him a resentful look for overworking her shoulder in the carriage.

Finally, the bedroom door slowly—

“Duke Ivanstein!”

No, it burst open.

The princess’s stride as she pushed her way into the bedroom was unprecedentedly vigorous. Each time she took a powerful step toward Genoa, who had the moonlight at his back, her hair fluttered in the night breeze. It looked almost like a valiant knight approaching his lord with an enemy’s head.

“……Princess?”

“I have something to tell you!”

At the princess’s imposing declaration, Genoa slowly blinked his eyes for a moment. Then his gaze fell on the butler who had let her in. The butler made a face as if he was fed up, shook his head from side to side, and then firmly closed the bedroom door.

“Let’s sit down first. Let’s talk while sitting……”

“I’m planning to meet with the head maid after you fall asleep!”

“Is that something to announce so gravely?”

“Because I’m planning to deceive you, in collusion with the head maid.”

Genoa was considerably taken aback by this sudden, unexpected announcement. This kind of conversation had not existed even in his imagination among the discussions he planned to have with the princess today.

“What do you mean by that?”

Genoa’s voice lost some of its strength as he questioned the princess. Even as she led him along, the princess couldn’t seem to hold back what she wanted to say, repeatedly glancing back to make eye contact with him. At this sight, Genoa smiled slightly without having time to think about what the princess had brought up. He thought fleetingly that she was quite an adorable woman in some ways.

“I know you’ll be wary if I say this, but since I’m confessing so readily, I hope you’ll grant me absolution and listen……”

“Sit down first.”

Genoa briefly interrupted her words, gently wrapped his hand around the princess’s shoulder, applied pressure, and seated her in a chair.

The chair always kept beside the bed was the princess’s. After seating the princess in that chair, Genoa sat on the edge of the bed and said.

“I thought you came to put me to sleep, but it seems you have another purpose.”

“This is important, so will you listen seriously?”

“It had better be more important than my fatigue right now.”

When Genoa spoke with a warning tone, the princess’s body momentarily flinched. Seeing her hand clutching the shawl around her shoulders turn white from the excessive force, Genoa sighed.

“If it’s important to the princess, even if not to me, I’m willing to listen.”

“That’s exactly it.”

The princess nodded her head and slightly relaxed her grip on the shawl. At that small action, Genoa focused his attention on the princess’s lips while restraining his lips from curling upward.

“I don’t think the head maid is entirely loyal to the Ivanstein ducal family.”

“This is quite interesting. Why do you think so?”

“She asked me to hold a tea party without you knowing, but don’t you understand what it means for someone in my ambiguous position to hold a tea party in a mansion without a mistress, Duke? The fact that she’s doing this while deceiving even the duke means she has other intentions.”

“I’m aware that the head maid is anxious because she hasn’t had a chance to prove her abilities.”

Mel’s revelation was quite blatant, but Genoa showed no sign of being flustered. His face didn’t show even the slightest crack, as if everything was entirely within his expectations. Seeing this, Mel seemed to realize something and spoke in a dejected voice.

“You knew it all along. That the head maid is deceiving you and secretly meeting someone, that she’s taking bribes, all of it.”

A smile appeared on Genoa’s lips as if it had been painted there. Seeing that smile, Mel could be certain. That her choice to confess to him about the head maid’s actions today was the right answer.

“Then you must have been fully aware of the head maid’s proposal to me as well. I could have been in serious trouble if I hadn’t confessed like this today.”

“That’s not the case.”

“So you didn’t know?”

“I knew the head maid was busy preparing something diligently, but I didn’t expect her to involve you, princess.”

“……”

Mel narrowed her eyes and glanced at Genoa with a very dubious look. The lack of credibility in his claim that he didn’t know was one of Genoa’s many talents. The princess’s gaze, showing her lack of trust in him, was so blatant that Genoa finally smiled and said.

“You’re right. I did know that the head maid couldn’t get what she wanted without the princess, so she absolutely needed the princess’s help.”

“But what exactly is the head maid plotting?”

“Would you like to guess? What do you think the head maid is plotting?”

Mel pondered deeply at Genoa’s question.

Meeting strangers secretly, taking bribes, and the noblewomen invited to the tea party held without the duke’s knowledge don’t have much power. With just these small pieces of information, it felt like a large piece was missing to figure out what the head maid wanted.

Something that was the most important and the largest piece.

“If you answer three questions, I’ll try to guess.”

When Mel made the proposal, Genoa’s eyes sparkled with interest as he leaned his upper body forward. A small thrill formed at the end of his mouth, which curved upward in a gentle arc.

“Go ahead.”

Mel swallowed hard and pondered for a moment.

The information available to her was limited, but she had a good understanding of who Genoa Ivanstein was. Genoa was cautious, suspicious, constantly testing those around him, and selective about who he kept close.

The head maid had a short history of service at Ivanstein and wasn’t experienced enough to use the excuse of never having held a tea party as a pretext to ask Mel for help. The fact that the head maid was still intact despite Genoa knowing she contacted strangers and took bribes meant one of two things.

Either the head maid still had some use to Genoa, or she was moving exactly according to Genoa’s plans.

When her thoughts reached this point, Mel posed her first question to Genoa.