“……Are you trying to raise your price?”

“Pardon?”

Morris, who couldn’t follow Kaiden’s train of thought, asked back.

“But I’m already giving the best treatment I can possibly offer. The lady must know that fact too.”

Then why is she making me so anxious?

As Kaiden ruffled his hair in frustration, Morris, who had been watching him mutter incomprehensible words to himself with pity, added a comment.

“Even if something happens, Terriard is there, so there shouldn’t be any problems. Please don’t worry too much.”

“That’s why I sent Sir Cheshire. But why do I feel even more twisted inside when I hear that?”

“I don’t know about that either.”

“I know. I wasn’t asking you for an answer.”

Kaiden eventually put down his pen and roughly rubbed his face with dry hands.

Eyeing. They’re eyeing her.

Suspicious figures appeared in his mind, scanning Ellen with dubious gazes.

Those figures shifted from black shadows to Duke Tria, then to his half-brother Crescent……

“Oh, damn it. This won’t do.”

Kaiden stood up abruptly and said:

“Pardon?”

“Let’s postpone this for just one more day.”

“Your Highness.”

Morris’s face hardened at the sudden bolt from the blue.

“No. This won’t do. I need to go now. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Even if you go now, it probably won’t be a good feeling.”

But Kaiden was already grabbing his coat and heading outside.

“Sir, hurry and follow me. We’re going to Tria.”

“……”

Morris looked at the documents on the desk with a stunned expression, then sighed at the sound of footsteps growing more distant.

* * *

The Crown Prince’s steps were already fast as he had gone quite far.

I’m going to attend the party! It’s a charity party, so dress modestly! But as splendidly as possible!

After making these contradictory demands, he hastily prepared and rushed to House Tria.

He managed to step through the main gate of House Tria right in the middle of the party, and as soon as he entered the party hall, he cried out in shock:

“That bastard Crescent……!”

Crescent Istazio, his half-brother and life’s greatest nemesis, the 2nd Prince, was flirting with Ellen.

Thinking it was fortunate beyond measure that he had come here now, he moved forward with heavy steps.

A man moving with unusually large strides in the party hall, and quite splendidly dressed at that.

The surrounding gazes began to gather on him one by one.

Moreover, looking at his face, who could he be?

It was Crown Prince Kaiden Istazio, who couldn’t possibly have been invited here.

People expressed surprise at the uninvited prince appearing at the party, and he pushed through them to approach Ellen.

Crescent, who had been smiling at Ellen and saying something, turned his head at the shadow suddenly falling in front of him.

“I knew this would happen.”

“……Brother?”

Kaiden said sarcastically:

“You need to stop coveting what belongs to others, Crescent.”

Crescent, who called him with a puzzled voice, was frowning as if questioning whether what he was seeing was correct.

“You look like you’ve seen something you shouldn’t have.”

“I’m surprised that you would barge in without even an invitation.”

Crescent, whose expression quickly returned to a smiling face at his criticism, nodded slightly toward Terriard.

“At least Sir Cheshire here brought the qualification of being a partner.”

Terriard’s face hardened as if he had eaten something foul.

Ellen was flustered by Terriard’s inability to manage his expression, then briefly dazed by the rapid development starting with Kaiden’s intrusion, but soon decided she needed to pull herself together and clenched her fists.

“What nonsense. I’m the one who attended as a partner.”

“That’s quite amusing. Then what qualification does Sir Cheshire have to be here?”

“He’s a knight substituting for me since I couldn’t come on time.”

“Ah.”

With a “hmm” sound, Crescent crossed his arms, straightened his back, stepped back, and said:

“By the way, brother. We’re all citizens of the same empire, yet some places receive food support while others don’t…… Don’t you think that’s unfair?”

The alliance between them was not yet solid.

Crescent was convinced of this seeing Kaiden trying to block his approach to Ellen.

Kaiden had probably simply received massive amounts of food as payment for helping with the divorce and decided independently where to use it.

“It’s natural since the tax burden is clearly different. Don’t you think support finally makes things fair?”

“Wasn’t it ultimately His Majesty who passed those tax rates?”

“Ha.”

Kaiden let out a hollow laugh seeing his half-brother bringing up their father.

“Let’s stop this pointless talk. So what do you want to say?”

“I just wanted to suggest that in these difficult times for everyone, wouldn’t it be better if we helped each other get through this? Don’t you think so, my lady?”

Ellen felt her throat go dry at the spark that suddenly flew toward her.

Why are these people acting like this? Why are they fighting here?

“I thought the lady willingly offered such a large sum because she wanted the benefits to reach as many people as possible. Was I wrong to think that?”

At Crescent’s repeated question, Ellen forced a smile and answered:

“Of course. I trust that the imperial family will exercise wisdom.”

But Crescent was persistent.

“The food support being carried out in brother’s name also comes from what the lady offered out of goodwill. The donor’s wishes should be reflected too.”

“Isn’t it a subject’s duty to think about what helps the imperial family and the country? The decision belongs to the imperial family.”

As Crescent continued to pester Ellen and subtly get on her nerves, Kaiden, apparently heated up, openly sneered:

“Then why don’t you try buying some food with your own money? And you can donate it yourself.”

“Brother. Unfortunately, the funds I had for maintaining dignity were all donated here today.”

But Crescent’s face, which had been constantly smiling, cracked in an instant.

“Why? Don’t you have the power of your prestigious maternal family?”

When the topic of his maternal family came up, Crescent rapidly hardened his expression and asked:

“……What’s your intention in suddenly bringing up that topic?”

“What’s your intention in keeping this up?”

“It’s for the people of Istazio.”

“Then instead of thinking about having word fights like this, at least do something like the lady did? It’s obvious you’re trying to recruit someone who takes action and claim it as your achievement.”

“Isn’t what you’re doing ultimately just stealing someone else’s credit?”

“In my case, it’s cooperation. Aren’t you saying this knowing everything anyway?”

“I want to try that cooperation too, that’s why I’m doing this. It’s a competitive society, isn’t it, brother?”

“I can’t believe those words came from the mouth of someone who was just suggesting cooperation, saying we should help each other.”

The two exchanged rapid verbal attacks, and the people attending the party showed keen interest in the two big figures who had suddenly appeared and their fight.

Marquis Avalanche, realizing that quietly disappearing was now out of the question, finally sighed and stepped forward to mediate.

“Your Highnesses should stop this now. I understand both of your feelings, but the venue seems inappropriate.”

Avalanche was a key figure for both the imperial and the noble faction.

Since both sides were in a position where they needed Avalanche, his words carried weight.

Both men closed their mouths, and in that gap, the knights who had been watching the situation from behind stepped forward and said:

“Please leave now.”

“Your Highness.”

Claudius and Terriard each blocked their masters’ paths to prevent them from causing more trouble.

Thanks to this, the two were separated, but then Crescent, while stepping back, smiled coldly and said:

“Marquis. And my lady. How about we go hunting together sometime next week, before I go down to my territory?”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t particularly enjoy hunting, Your Highness.”

“Is that so? Then it can’t be helped.”

He cheerfully accepted the marquis’s refusal and said:

“The lady said she has no experience yet, right? It would be quite fun if you went. Take this opportunity to expand your social circle a bit more and find a new hobby.”

He glanced at Kaiden, who was glaring at him, and said:

“Business is important, but you should occasionally try new experiences and get some fresh air. You might even make good friends.”

At the blatant signal that ‘that person is not a good choice,’ Kaiden glared at him as if he would bore through him with his gaze, his anger boiling.

“I’m looking forward to it. I gladly accept the invitation, Your Highness.”

“Claudius, did you hear that?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Keep that in mind and arrange the schedule.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

Crescent wore a very satisfied smile, but Kaiden, who was watching the scene, couldn’t manage his expression at all.

With eyes blazing with rising anger, as soon as he turned his head toward her, his eyes drooped pitifully and said:

“……My lady.”

Ellen suppressed the laughter that was about to emerge from within.

Acting like that makes it too obvious.

“Your Highness. I was grateful for the kindness you showed today.”

When Ellen gave a formal greeting as if drawing a line, Kaiden answered with a stunned face as if shocked:

“……Not at all.”

Seeing that expression, she almost burst into laughter, but thinking that if she distanced herself any further, he might even tear up, she decided to compromise at this point.

“But since you made me wait so long, please follow my lead from here on.”

Ellen placed her hand on Kaiden’s arm as she said this.

“Uh, yes? Ah, of course.”

Kaiden seemed momentarily stunned and stammered.

“Then Your Highness. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

Crescent, who had been carefully observing the relationship between the two following the situation, said:

“Ah…… Yes. I kept you too long.”

“Not at all. I’ll be waiting for your contact.”

Ellen bowed lightly in greeting and then turned around, pulling Kaiden along.