Surrounded by others and engaged in conversation, Duke Emmett turned his gaze to glance alternately between Evelyn and the Hesta envoy.

Then, belatedly, he noticed something unusual.

The eyes of the Hesta envoy directed at Evelyn held a rather disquieting air.

Duke Emmett continued to mingle with the others while quietly observing the Hesta envoys.

Unlike Evelyn, who seemed to pay little attention to them, the Hesta envoys looked at her with evident anxiety.

As though hiding something that must not be discovered.

Even if that were the case, he couldn’t help but wonder—were these not people of such stature as to be chosen as foreign envoys? How could they fail so completely to mask their expressions?

Clearly, something was wrong with the Hesta envoy, but it wasn’t something he could ask them directly.

“Greta.”

Duke Emmett called to Greta, who stood nearby, sipping wine.

“Did you call for me, Father?”

Duke Emmett frowned at the sight of her—how many glasses had she already drunk?

“I imagine Her Majesty the Empress must feel lonely, coming from such a distant country without a friend she can call her own. Go and keep her company.”

Though his words appeared considerate of a foreign-born empress, Greta knew very well that he wasn’t genuinely concerned for Evelyn.

Under the guise of easing her loneliness, he was instructing Greta to extract information.

Greta let out a faint, subtle sigh and nodded with a smile.

“Yes, Father.”

Without hesitation, she turned to locate where Evelyn was.

Though she agreed readily, there was nothing she could do for the time being.

Evelyn showed no intention of leaving the imperial throne.

And Greta could hardly approach her there.

That seat was reserved only for the royals—Reynard and Evelyn.

Given the circumstances, even with her father’s order, she couldn’t easily move.

Instead, she merely held back from drinking more and kept her eyes on Evelyn.

Just then, Reynard, who had been conversing on the throne, rose from his seat.

He moved to speak with other nobles.

Greta expected the empress might rise with him, but disappointingly, Evelyn chose to remain seated on the throne.

That was, in a way, a relief.

If Evelyn stayed on the throne, there would be no opportunity for Greta to approach her.

Though they’d never had a proper conversation, Evelyn seemed shockingly ignorant of the ways of high society.

How else could she have been so easily deceived by Adelheid Lorenharts’ crude prank?

Greta still couldn’t forget the look on Evelyn’s face at that moment, when she realized that Adelheid had tricked her on purpose.

‘Are all from Hesta as naïve as their princess?’

Evelyn had seemed genuinely flustered—yet smiled and changed clothes as though nothing had happened after having wine dumped all over her.

Greta didn’t dislike her.

In fact, perhaps she had been deeply struck by a kind of freshness that she’d never felt from those who’d spent long years in court society.

She was curious about Evelyn.

How could someone who had once been a princess of a country know so little?

And if it were possible, Greta wanted to get closer to her.

But not like this.

Greta knew all too well what her father truly wanted.

It wasn’t simply about keeping Reynard in check.

He had long coveted the power of the emperor.

It was he who had arranged her engagement with Carlos, the former First Prince, with the intention of becoming regent through a child if she conceived.

But that plan had been ruined by Reynard.

Still, Duke Emmett hadn’t given up.

He had simply shifted his target from Carlos to Reynard.

People often called Duke Emmett the final barrier to keep Reynard, who had seized the throne by killing his brother, in check—but the truth was different.

It was all part of his long path toward regency.

And Greta was the only one who knew it.

As she continued to watch Evelyn, who still showed no signs of moving from the throne, Greta turned her head and briefly glanced toward Duke Emmett.

By then, he had already approached the Hesta envoy and was exchanging greetings.

***

“Greetings, envoys of Hesta.”

As Duke Emmett drew near to the Hesta envoy, Count Schultz, his closest aide, stepped forward and offered them a formal greeting.

The Hesta envoy rose from their seats and greeted Duke Emmett and Count Schultz.

“Greetings. I am Count Daniel Bradley from Hesta.”

“A pleasure, Count Bradley. I am Bauman Schultz. A Count, as well. This gentleman is Duke Ruben Emmett.”

As Count Schultz introduced Duke Emmett, the Hesta envoy appeared surprised and extended their hands to him with utmost courtesy.

Duke Emmett naturally shook each of their hands in turn, a smile on his face.

“Pleasure to meet you. I am Ruben Emmett.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Duke Emmett. I’m Daniel Bradley. I’ve heard much about you.”

“It’s an honor. I am…”

Back when relations between Hesta and Bait hadn’t yet soured, the two nations had enjoyed fairly active diplomatic exchanges.

Therefore, even if they didn’t know the current political situation in detail, they at least had enough prior knowledge to roughly gauge each other’s standing.

Among those, Duke Emmett’s name was particularly well-known.

It was no surprise, considering he had been the late Emperor’s closest confidant and was set to become the crown prince’s father-in-law.

Though Reynard had ascended the throne and things hadn’t gone according to plan, the Hesta envoy could easily guess that Duke Emmett still held considerable influence within the Empire.

“I heard you came here specifically to deliver a gift. Is it because Her Majesty the Empress encountered bandits on her way here?”

Count Schultz, lacking tact, asked bluntly.

It was a question Duke Emmett himself had been curious about, so he feigned indifference and waited for the delegation’s response.

“…Yes, that’s correct,” Daniel answered reluctantly.

However, not knowing how much to say or where to start, he couldn’t bring himself to say more.

“It is truly a relief that Her Highness—no, Her Majesty the Empress—is safe. We were deeply shocked when we learned of it belatedly. We heard His Majesty the Emperor found her alone and came to her aid…”

“So that’s what happened. We hadn’t heard the details and were left in the dark. But we were greatly relieved to hear the two of them were able to hold their wedding safely.”

“Come to think of it, did anything happen to you all on your way here?” Count Schultz suddenly asked the delegation.

“Pardon?” One of the envoys replied in confusion, prompting him to shrug as he spoke.

“I ask out of concern. After all, the presence of bandits capable of attacking the princess’s carriage suggests they’re operating along the border. And skilled enough to wipe out Hesta’s soldiers, no less.”

As Count Schultz spoke, the members of the Hesta envoy exchanged glances.

The look of anxiety on their faces showed no signs of fading.

Duke Emmett found it suspicious.

What exactly were they hiding?

“You’re saying you traveled the same road where such bandits are active.”

“Fortunately, we were unharmed. It seems Her Majesty encountered the only group of them…”

“That’s unlikely.”

As Daniel hurriedly tried to cover the situation, a new voice interjected into the conversation.

Arrogant and composed, the haughty tone drew everyone’s attention to the side.

Standing beside them was the Emperor of Bait, Reynard.