The next day, after lunch.

After putting Oscar down for his nap, I was walking in the garden alongside Leon.

“Sister.”

After hesitating for a while, Leon carefully called out to me.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry about yesterday. I should have been more attentive. You must have been quite startled.”

“It’s fine. It wasn’t your fault anyway.”

Who could have imagined we’d run into that aggressive reporter there? It was just an accident, not Leon’s fault.

“I heard something explode. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No. It wasn’t near me. I’m fine.”

It actually was near me, but I told a white lie. If I told the truth, Leon would only blame himself more.

“That’s a relief.”

Leon finally smiled, letting out the breath he’d been holding. Seeing his genuine relief made me feel somewhat guilty.

“…Hey, Leon.”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember that man from the ball?”

“You mean the one who danced with you?”

“Yes. I was wondering if you found out anything.”

Actually, I couldn’t shake the thought from my mind. Flying through the sky… it felt like a dream.

I carefully asked, remembering how Leon had vowed to look into it during the Imperial ball.

“One dance and you can’t forget him?”

“Ah, no, it’s not like that…”

“Oh? It was just a joke, but why are you stammering?”

He smirked while furrowing his brows.

“…Well, I met him again yesterday at the square.”

“What?”

“It, it was purely coincidental!”

I hastily explained as Leon’s eyes widened.

“Coincidence or not, avoid him from now on. He seems like a con artist.”

“Why?”

“I asked around, and there’s no one like him in the Knights Order.”

I had suspected he wasn’t an ordinary person. Seems I was right.

Leon grumbled, adding more as if finding it increasingly absurd.

“Besides, if someone like that existed, I would’ve known. With looks like that among all those dark-haired men, wouldn’t he stand out?”

“Could he be among the magicians?”

“What?”

“He used magic.”

“Ugh, this is insane.”

Leon clutched his head as if getting a headache.

“Think about it. What would you call someone who’s not a knight but wears a uniform to deceive people?”

“…A con artist, I suppose.”

Actually, he was both a con artist and a flirt. I held back from saying this, knowing it would only cause more chaos.

However, he was also my savior who appeared at just the right moment to help me in crisis.

Perhaps because he wouldn’t reveal his identity, I became even more curious about who he was.

“You know the answer, so why ask?”

“He’s just suspicious.”

“If he’s suspicious, then avoid him.”

Leon’s words weren’t wrong, but the problem was that I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“Next time you meet him, kick him in the shin.”

“How could I do that to someone who helped me?”

“Impersonating a knight is a serious crime. You think this is something to laugh off?”

Leon argued, veins popping in his neck.

“If you find it too bothersome, why not ask the Grand Magician?”

“Are you crazy? I’ll look into it myself, so please just focus on your manuscript deadlines and keep quiet about this.”

How cute. Despite his criticism, he clearly didn’t want me to ask Benedict either.

“Leon.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know of any secret organizations or professions where people can’t reveal their identities?”

“Do you realize your questions are getting stranger by the minute, Sister?”

“Really?”

“Is there something going on with that con artist?”

He’s always been sharp at picking up on things. Since nothing had been revealed yet, I decided to play innocent.

“What could possibly be going on?”

“This is very suspicious.”

Leon gave me a dubious sidelong glance.

***

“Ari. Come sit here.”

Refreshments were set up in Viscount Hayworth’s office. It seemed he had something serious to discuss.

“I’m sorry. He insisted on following me.”

But I couldn’t leave Oscar behind, who had become even more attached to me after yesterday’s outing.

“That’s fine. He won’t understand anyway. What can we do when this troublemaker causes more headaches if he gets upset? Should I give him a cookie?”

“I have candy. I’m fine.”

Oscar replied primly while sucking on a lollipop. It was a temporary solution, but he tended to be more docile with candy in his mouth.

“Ariella Hayworth.”

Being called by my full name so suddenly was frightening. I froze.

“Yes?”

“The Imperial ball, fireworks.”

“……”

“Shouldn’t you avoid keeping secrets from your father?”

Oh no. I didn’t want Viscount Hayworth of all people to know about this. It seems he found out about the incident with that mysterious man.

“There are various rumors going around, but I want to hear it directly from you.”

“That, well……”

Under his penetrating gaze, I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

“……How did you find out?”

“I have my ways. You might fool a ghost, but you can’t fool your father.”

“……”

“So, are you planning not to answer my question?”

“Well… I don’t know who he is either. He’s just someone who helped me when I was in trouble. He was my partner at the ball, and at the square, he helped me escape from the reporters.”

“While wearing a Knights Order uniform and impersonating a position?”

It seemed he wasn’t going to leave any room for escape. I was at a loss for words under Father’s interrogation. Truth be told, I had no defense.

Even to my eyes, that man had seemed exceedingly suspicious.

“Even so.”

“Isn’t that even more suspicious? It’s as if he was following you or waiting for you. Am I being overly concerned?”

“……No. I’ll be careful.”

Feeling awkward, I could only glance at Oscar.

Oscar was intensely focused on sucking his lollipop with vacant eyes.

***

“You’re here.”

Henry, who had just woken up, called out in a languid tone. Though the sun was already high in the sky, his chambers were still as dark as midnight.

“Did you drink too much?”

The aide frowned at the smell of alcohol permeating the entire room.

“To live up to His Majesty’s expectations, I must drink at least this much.”

“I say this because it doesn’t seem like mere acting.”

“You’re saying I look natural playing the role of a dissolute rake. I must have a long life ahead of me.”

The aide exhaled heavily while adjusting Henry’s nightgown. Henry sank back into the sofa, wetting his lips as though parched.

“What I ordered…”

“I’ve confirmed it.”

“Report.”

“After inquiring with the Knights Order, there was no such person. As expected, he wasn’t on the ball’s guest list either.”

“So he lied about his identity.”

Henry laughed softly.

“It seems he snuck in without going through the entrance check.”

To infiltrate the heavily guarded Imperial ball without revealing his identity.

And not just that, but to dance with the Prince’s former fiancée. He must have been incredibly brazen.

Henry had been secretly tracking his movements since the night of the ball.

“A visible ghost. How interesting.”

The ball wasn’t the only place he had appeared. He’d heard about him running away with Ariella at the square as well.

The timing was too perfect to be coincidental. And this was already the second time he had appeared in public.

Henry couldn’t shake off this unsettling feeling.

“So, have you dealt with the reporters?”

“Yes. But there was also movement from Viscount Hayworth’s side. It seems he knew about the incident at the square.”

“Well, it would have come out anyway once the article was published. Ariella probably reported it herself.”

Viscount Hayworth had likely tried to prevent the article from being published. He probably wanted revenge too, since they had been disrespectful to his daughter in their pursuit of a story.

Though only a Viscount, as a former Shadow Knight, he was quite formidable.

While there were likely many witnesses at the square, official publication was another matter entirely.

“They should just chew on whatever bait we throw them. Give them a little attention and they forget their place.”

“How shall we handle this?”

“Either crush them or eliminate them. Just make sure nothing leaks.”

Henry gave the order without a hint of remorse. He had always considered them disposable pawns for public opinion manipulation, but he hadn’t expected them to cause such trouble.

He thought it might not be bad to clean the house completely while he had the chance.

“I will follow your orders.”

Knowing it would be futile to try to dissuade him, the aide decided to quietly comply.

“Duchess Arwen has arrived at her townhouse.”

Duchess Arwen was the Emperor’s sister and Henry’s aunt.

Her arrival at her townhouse in the capital after being quiet for so long meant she was planning to host social events in earnest. Of course, this was related to Imperial affairs.

Such as the reorganization of the Rose Maze.

“Seeing Aunt taking action herself, things are going to get noisy in many ways.”

“Your Highness needs to either decide on a new engagement or persuade Lady Hayworth to make a clear resolution. You know the Duchess’s temperament well.”

With the Empress dead and her position vacant, she was now undoubtedly the most noble woman in the Empire.

Few people could refuse an event hosted by her. This applied even to Henry, who had fallen from grace as a rake.

“Ah, that reminds me, it’s today.”

“Pardon?”

“The day to cling to Nuna.”

The aide asked again, as if unable to believe what he heard.

“So I should head to the Hayworth residence.”

Henry’s lips curved into a long arc.