A banquet was held to welcome the envoys from Hesta. To receive them, the central nobles gathered at the Imperial Palace.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

Before stepping into the banquet hall, Martin called out to her. Evelyn stopped and turned toward him.

Martin stepped closer and opened his mouth.

“There is something I wish to tell you. You must have heard the news that the central nobles have gathered for this ball. Is that correct?”

“Yes. That’s what I was informed.”

As Evelyn nodded and replied, he continued immediately.

“The people from Duke Emmett’s house and those who follow him have likely come to this banquet as well. There’s a chance something like last time could happen again, so I hope you’ll be cautious and avoid getting involved with them if possible.”

Martin’s words were filled with concern for Evelyn. Evelyn no longer misunderstood his intentions, as she now fully understood that he was someone who did his utmost for her—and by extension, for Emperor Reynard.

“Understood. I’ll do so.”

When Evelyn replied with a smile, Martin also responded with a relieved smile.

With the conversation over, Evelyn approached Reynard.

“Is the conversation finished?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go in.”

Reynard escorted Evelyn to the entrance of the banquet hall.

“His Majesty Emperor Reynard Theodore and Her Majesty Empress Ophelia Theodore are entering!”

At the attendant’s announcement, everyone already inside the banquet hall stood up and paid their respects to the two.

Entering the hall, Evelyn passed through the nobles and took her seat on the throne prepared on the dais.

This banquet was the first occasion since the wedding where the central nobles had gathered in one place.

It was also a chance to confirm the key figures among the Bait nobility whom she had learned about from Martin.

Of particular note were the people from Duke Emmett’s side

Adelheid Lorenharts, who had first humiliated Evelyn, was also part of the faction that followed Duke Emmett.

In order not to disgrace Reynard, she intended to follow Martin’s advice and avoid conflict as much as possible.

But…

Keeping a low profile and avoiding entanglements wasn’t particularly difficult for Evelyn. Having been widely disliked even in Hesta, she had become very skilled at staying quiet and hidden.

But there was another problem entirely.

No matter how quietly she tried to live, she couldn’t avoid people who approached her directly. Especially those like Greta—people whose behavior was impossible to predict.

Finishing that thought, Evelyn moved only her eyes to search for Greta. It wasn’t difficult to find her.

All she had to do was look for the cluster of noble ladies and find the one at the center.

Though it was only their third meeting, Evelyn already found Greta difficult to deal with. The memory of their first encounter had been far too vivid.

No matter how much one tried to downplay the incident, pouring wine on one’s own dress?

It was completely unexpected behavior. Even Reynard had shown signs of surprise, though his reaction hadn’t been dramatic.

Moreover, the next day, Greta had approached Evelyn without hesitation and even offered her a drink—As if nothing had happened the day before.

It seemed best to avoid Greta as much as possible. Since Evelyn couldn’t discern Greta’s intentions, it was difficult to know how to deal with her.

Just then, Evelyn felt a prickling gaze. She turned in the direction of the stare and saw the envoys from Hesta. There was a complex blend of emotions hidden in their eyes.

Evelyn let out a small sigh. Now that Hesta knew she was alive, they would surely take some kind of action. But their actions weren’t particularly concerning.

After all, they were unlikely to inform Bait of Evelyn’s true identity. What they wanted was for Evelyn to quietly disappear.

Unaware that Reynard already knew her true identity, they probably feared that if it were revealed, war between Hesta and Bait would be inevitable.

But even so, it was equally impossible for the Hestan envoys to kill Evelyn, who had now become Empress of Bait.

Noticing that Evelyn was deep in thought, Reynard glanced sideways at her, then fixed his gaze forward again.

It seemed that everyone expected to attend the banquet had now arrived.

Reynard rose from his seat. Immediately, all eyes in the banquet hall turned toward him.

“Today’s gathering is to welcome the envoys from Hesta. Please, enjoy yourselves at ease.”

As Reynard finished speaking, he raised his glass in a toast. He then took a sip of wine and returned to his seat.

Even with the words marking the start of the banquet, the atmosphere in the hall remained subdued. 

It was due to the hostile glances directed at the envoys from Hesta. Some of those glances extended toward Evelyn as well.

“Seems like enjoying themselves comfortably is out of the question,”

Reynard said with a hint of self-mockery after observing it all.

“I suppose it’s inevitable, considering they’re Hesta’s envoys,”

Evelyn replied with a bitter smile, echoing his words.

Reynard nodded slightly in agreement with her.

“By the way, are you alright?”

“Sorry?”

Caught off guard by Reynard’s sudden question, Evelyn looked up at him. He, expressionless, was gazing down at the banquet hall.

“In what sense?”

Only then did Reynard gesture subtly with his chin toward the direction of the Hesta envoys.

“Those people. They must be bothering you.”

Though much was left unsaid, Evelyn quickly understood what he was trying to convey.

“They do bother me, yes. But at least for now, I don’t think anything will happen, so I’m not too afraid.”

“You’ve grown quite bold.”

Evelyn gave a faint smile as she replied.

“Rather than bold, I just made that judgment based on the situation.”

She paused briefly, then shifted her gaze toward the Hesta envoys. Outwardly, they seemed to be eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves, but every so often, she caught their anxious glances in her direction.

They, too, must have been deeply troubled about how to handle the current situation.

If this had been Hesta, they would have moved to eliminate Evelyn without hesitation. But this wasn’t Hesta, so unless some unforeseen variable occurred, things wouldn’t go their way.

“As long as I’m in Bait, they can’t act recklessly.”

At Evelyn’s words, Reynard nodded.

“That’s true. They wouldn’t dare commit such a bold act as to touch the Empress of Bait within Bait itself.”

“Yes.”

The banquet continued late into the night. The tense atmosphere at the beginning gradually thawed as time went on.

The nobles of Bait gathered in small groups, enjoying conversation and the festivities.

Reynard and Evelyn also stepped down from the imperial dais and mingled with the other nobles.

Or more accurately, Evelyn simply followed Reynard, using the opportunity to familiarize herself with faces, but in any case, she blended naturally into the banquet scene.

The only ones who couldn’t fully enjoy the banquet were the envoys from Hesta. Daniel’s uneasy gaze remained fixed on Evelyn throughout.

To him, Evelyn—chatting with nobles alongside Reynard as if she truly were the Empress of Bait—appeared precarious and unsettling.

It was inevitable. Knowing Evelyn was an imposter, he understood all too well that the more she mingled with the nobles, the greater the consequences would be if her true identity were exposed.

“What should we do?”

One of the envoys asked Daniel nervously, but he, too, had nothing to offer at the moment. He had sent a messenger pigeon the night before and had yet to receive a reply.

“For now, we have no choice but to remain in Bait until we receive a response.”

They were well aware that prolonging their stay without a clear purpose was inappropriate for an envoy delegation, but there was no other option.

They couldn’t simply retreat while an imposter still held the position of Empress.

“How long do we have to stay?”

“I’ve heard there’s a hunting tournament in a fortnight. His Majesty should have replied by then. We’ll stay until then.”

“Understood.”