A few days later, the banquet to welcome Leanne was much larger and more lavish than the one to welcome Elliope. Unlike the previous one, which had been formal and lacking in detail, most of the vassals had arrived. The decorations inside, the quality of the food served and the behaviour of the servants were all different.

The difference in the way Elliope and Leanne were treated at the banquet was so obvious that it couldn’t be ignored.

“Welcome, Your Highness, the Princess.”

“As rumour has it, you are truly an exceptional person.”

“Indeed, you are an inspiration to the women of the Empire…”

Even as they greeted Leanne, the minds of the vassals were in turmoil. It was the vassals who had begun to question Theodor, not those who remained blindly loyal to him.

“The Imperial Family has sent Princess Leanne… but are they really planning to marry her to the Duke?”

“She’s too docile, and that’s a bit worrying.”

“The Duke’s estate isn’t exactly the safest place these days… why send a princess now?”

Eventually, the vassals’ eyes naturally turned to the two of them.

“Pour me some more, Kallian.”

“Yes.”

“Good. Some people have been saying nonsense about us not getting along…”

“…….”

“Even with all that’s happened… you’re still my vassal. Aren’t you?”

Kallian Elsen, who filled his glass without showing any emotional reaction to Theodor’s ramblings, even though the long-awaited Princess Leanne had arrived, paid no attention to Theodor, who didn’t seem to care at all. 

‘This is something.’ 

The Chief Steward looked at Theodor with a desperate expression. Theodor, however, seemed to treat it like a drinking contest, constantly exchanging glasses with Kallian. 

“More. More… pour some more.” 

“Yes.” 

“Tell me, Kallian. You… are my loyal vassal, right? Even if war breaks out, you’ll fight for me…” 

“There will be no war, Your Grace.” 

“Huh?”

“Unless some of Seor’s men come to the Duke’s estate and cause a commotion.”

“Ugh…”

“If anything, I will protect you, Your Grace.”

It was clear that Theodor was completely drunk and uttering random words. His hand gripping the glass was shaking. This was not proper behaviour, especially in front of distinguished guests, especially those from the Imperial Family.

As proof, Count Guile, the Imperial Ambassador, looked at Theodor with dazed eyes as he discreetly checked Leanne’s reaction.

The Chief Steward let out a deep sigh as he exchanged glances with the Head Maid, who was at the banquet with the other maids.

‘At least compared to Princess Elliope’s time… today’s banquet is splendid.’

What’s more, Theodor’s usual mistresses were not present today. He had recently dismissed most of them from his circle. That should have been a good thing, but instead it felt ominous.

The Chief Steward, Baron Taleon, sighed again and fell into deep thought. This ominous feeling could not be ignored. It seemed that something drastic had to be done.

“One more drink.”

Even when the head steward stepped away for a moment, Theodor continued to drink. Although this behaviour could have been upsetting, Princess Leanne showed no sign of regret.

As Leanne spoke to Charlotte and the other noblewomen, she quietly observed the situation around her. It was clear to the vassals that she was a woman to be admired for her ability to adapt and interact smoothly with her surroundings.

Throughout the banquet, Leanne maintained an appropriate demeanour. Often, when other vassals glanced at Theodor and Kallian, she would look back at them with an expression that suggested deep thought.

And in the midst of the exchanged glances, there was only one person Kallian looked back at.

“……”
Elliope let out a small sigh and sat down on a sofa not far away. It was in a place near the wall, hidden by a pillar, invisible to others and only visible from Kallian’s perspective.

Next to her, the ambassador of Seor, who had somehow been invited, leaned against the wall and stared at Kallian.

Today Kallian showed no aggressive reaction towards the ambassador. He just glanced at Elliope’s face from time to time, mechanically poured drinks for Theodor and accepted them as well. His face seemed to have regained some composure.

So Elliope spoke quietly to the ambassador. 

“You have arrived, Ambassador.” 

“Madam Viscountess.” 

The ambassador nodded slightly. 

Although Seor’s protests had remained formal, the Seor ambassador had begun to leave. The atmosphere in the Duke’s estate was still uneasy, but at least it wasn’t as aggressive as it had been when rumours of Kallian’s trial had been circulating. 

“I have something to do as well.” 

“Shall I report you as one of Seor’s spies, Ambassador?” 

“I hope you have not forgotten that I am on your side.”

The ambassador replied calmly, taking a sip of champagne. Elliope, still holding her fingers together, occasionally felt Kallian’s gaze return to her. It was only in those fleeting moments that she felt she could breathe.

Even though she had come, not wanting to make things awkward as the wife of a vassal and the apparent younger sister of Princess Leanne, it was still a place she didn’t want to be. She had no idea what the Imperial Family was thinking. Besides… she might have to face Leanne again while she was here.

As it was, Leanne, who had caught Elliope’s eye through the pillar, turned to look in that direction. Charlotte seemed to be whispering to Leanne.

Then, unexpectedly, Leanne shifted her body towards Elliope. It was the moment when Elliope’s expression stiffened. To her surprise, the Seor ambassador spoke up, giving her a look that seemed full of consideration.

“Shall we go somewhere else and talk?”

“Just the two of us, Ambassador?”

“Well, strictly speaking, it wouldn’t be just the two of us.”

“……”

“Like a garden opened for a banquet, we can talk in a place where others can see us but can’t hear what’s being said.”

Elliope hesitated for a moment before nodding. She didn’t want to talk to Leanne. She had no desire to dwell on the past and preferred to live in peace. When she silently signalled for Kallian to leave, he raised an eyebrow and gave the ambassador a warning look.

The Seor ambassador shook his head in disinterest and led the way. As Elliope stood up, Leanne, who had been about to approach, suddenly stopped. In the middle of it all, Theodor was still shouting.

“One more drink!”

“Your Grace, you’re overdoing the toasting.”

“How dare you complain?”

Theodor slammed his hand down on the table and made a loud noise as he drank hastily.

While Kallian looked at him with a blank expression, he filled Theodor’s glass to the brim. Theodor almost buried his face in the glass as he drank.

When Elliope looked worriedly at Kallian, he responded with a slight smile. Just as Theodor was about to turn his gaze to Elliope after seeing Kallian’s smile…

“Well then, please drink more, Your Grace.”

“Uh-huh.”

Kallian immediately refilled Theodor’s glass, pouring almost the entire bottle into it. The alcohol splashed onto Theodor’s face, which was close to the glass, but he just sat there, dazed, wiping his hands and then drink.

“……”
Elliope stepped out into the garden with the ambassador. Entering the relatively cooler area made her feel a little more alert. The ambassador grumbled.

“This tyrant’s persistence is unbearable today.”

Hearing this, a surge of curiosity filled her. 

“That tyrant, Ilmos, has a sharp tongue, as I told Taleon, the Chief Steward. No wonder Ilmos, the tyrant, refused to meet with me.”

When she first met the Ambassador at the Duke’s estate, he had said something similar.

“Is there a reason you call him that?” 

“What do you mean?” 

As they entered the garden in the cold wind, they noticed people scattered about. They also looked at them.

“Tyrant? You keep calling Duke Ilmos that.”

Of course, no one else called him that. There had to be a reason why the Ambassador kept calling him and Theodor by those titles.

“Oh, that? Are you angry because you’re from his Territory?”

“No, I’m just curious.”

Whether Theodor had heard the term “tyrant” or not was of no concern to her.

The ambassador cocked his head, watching Elliope’s reaction, then stood quietly on the walkway, took out a cigar and asked.

Elliope stood on the opposite side, away from the cigar smoke, her eyes fixed on the night sky.

“Well, Madam Viscountess, you wouldn’t know. It’s something that many of the Duke’s vassals have also forgotten.”

“Do you remember such a thing, Ambassador?”

“It is a blot on the Duke’s family. For an enemy like Seor, it’s only natural to try to find a weakness if possible.”

The ambassador shrugged nonchalantly and blew a puff of cigar smoke into the air.

“Since it’s come to this, let’s have a little chat. It’s hard to whisper important secrets in a place like this anyway.”

“…….”

As Elliope nodded, the Seor ambassador straightened his jacket.

“Originally, the people from the Duke’s estate acted as if the Ilmos family was a very historic one, but… it’s not really like that.”

“Hasn’t the Ilmos estate ruled for a long time? I’ve heard that their lineage is older than the history of the Empire.

In a previous life, the Chief Steward had bragged about it. The ambassador chuckled and replied.

“The Empire has only recently been unified, so there are several families whose history predates the Empire itself.”

“…….”

“Not to mention that even the Duke of Ilmos’ estate in the north, apart from Ilmos itself, has a history that predates the Empire. Before the Empire, it was simply the territory of a Duke of another realm.”

“That is true.”

The ambassador went on quietly.

“The Ilmos family is one such case. They weren’t originally a duke’s family.”

“…….”

“As far as I know, they were originally the Ilmos Viscounts.”

This was something Elliope had never heard before, so she unconsciously leaned in to listen more closely.

“Did you ever hear that the heart of the Duke’s estate was originally in the Elsen region?”

“Yes, I know that.”

It was something Dylan had mentioned a few times.

“About 50 years ago… back when Theodor von Ilmos’ grandfather was in power. It was the Elsen family, not Ilmos, that ruled the Duke’s estate.”
“Elsen…”

“You are a family whose name has now been erased from the Duke’s register of nobility.”

The ambassador tossed the words out casually.

“Almost as if they were traitors.”