For the state council meeting, nobles and ministers gathered in the conference room early in the morning.

“Just who could have planned something like that…?”

“Well, since the perpetrator has been caught, we’ll soon find out.”

The ministers and nobles each exchanged words about the incident at the hunting competition. It had been a crime that dared to target the Empress of a nation.

And not just any nation—she was the Empress of Bait, the ruler of the Western Continent. Even if the woman in question was a princess of Hesta, which had once invaded Bait, she was still, in name, the Empress of Bait.

To lay a hand on her was equivalent to a declaration of war against the entire Western Continent.

“Your Grace, how do you view the current situation?”

Count Lorenhart, seated to the left of Duke Emmett, addressed him.

Duke Emmett, who had been staring forward with a stern expression the entire time, turned his gaze slightly to glance at Count Lorenharts.

“That’s not what’s important right now.”

“Pardon?”

Count Lorenharts blinked in confusion. From a logical standpoint, Emmett’s words made no sense. What could possibly be more important than an attempt on the Empress’s life within the Bait Empire?

However, seeing the duke’s unchangingly grim expression, his words didn’t seem to be mere pretense.

“Then are you saying there’s something more pressing than this?”

Unable to contain his curiosity, Count Lorenharts asked in a low voice.

Duke Emmett simply nodded in response.

Just as he was about to speak, an attendant called out loudly.

“His Majesty the Emperor approaches!”

Duke Emmett pressed his lips shut once more. Now that the Emperor—Reynard—had arrived, attention had to be directed to him.

Once seated, Reynard surveyed the noisy conference room.

“Let’s begin the meeting.”

At Reynard’s declaration, the ministers began presenting the agenda items one by one.

Reynard listened as he slowly looked over the gathered nobles. Eventually, his gaze landed on Duke Emmett.

Duke Emmett’s stern expression momentarily wavered, but that was all.

As usual items were presented, Reynard responded briefly, seemingly bored. He was acting as if there had been no attempt on the Empress’s life.

Duke Emmett realized even this behavior was intentional. But he couldn’t stay silent.

“Your Majesty, is Her Majesty the Empress safe?”

The directness of the question caught everyone off guard, and all eyes turned to him.

Reynard, leaning against the backrest, replied in a slow tone.

“Fortunately, she is unharmed.”

As expected, Duke Emmett lowered his gaze briefly.

“Then, Your Majesty, have you identified the one who attempted to assassinate Her Majesty? Such a crime against the Empress of Bait must be dealt with severely.”

“You speak as if you already know who orchestrated it.”

Reynard, too, could guess why he was reacting this way. Emmett was a sharp man—he would’ve figured it out quickly.

Originally, Reynard had intended to keep Evelyn’s identity hidden for another six months, but the incident at the hunting competition had forced the timeline to shift.

Still, for Reynard, this was not necessarily a bad outcome. He had been able to return to the empire for a month, reorganize the military, manage state affairs during his absence, and maintain stability

Before answering, Duke Emmett furrowed his brow and stared at Reynard. Even after meeting with the Hesta envoys and learning the full truth, Reynard’s true intentions remained elusive.

Moreover, Reynard appeared calm, as if he had anticipated that Emmett would uncover the culprit behind the incident.

The thought that perhaps his very inquiry was part of Reynard’s scheme made the blood in his fingertips run cold.

‘A slippery snake.’

With a brief thought, Duke Emmett relaxed his gaze and spoke.

“I believe Your Majesty has already conducted a fair bit of investigation.”

Reynard gave him a glance, signaling for him to continue.

“Go on.”

“On the day Her Majesty was attacked during the hunting competition, the attendant responsible was arrested, and several individuals went missing. Is that not so?”

Now it was Duke Emmett pressing Reynard with his questioning tone. Reynard, though surely already aware of all this, listened with a curious expression.

“That’s true. From how confidently you speak, I imagine you already know who they are.”

“Yes, I do. I know them well. That day, weren’t the Hesta envoys captured by imperial soldiers?”

Even before Emmett finished speaking, the conference room erupted in murmurs.

“That’s absurd! Are you saying Hesta tried to assassinate Her Majesty the Empress?”

“But that can’t be. Isn’t Her Majesty originally a princess of Hesta? How could they possibly target the Empress?”

“What in the world is going on here?”

A flurry of bewildered questions poured toward Reynard.

Duke Emmett didn’t stop there—he rose from his seat.

“Your Majesty must know why the Hesta envoy tried to target Her Majesty the Empress.”

“……”

“Please, tell us, Your Majesty.”

Duke Emmett pressed Reynard for an answer.

Reynard, quietly sweeping his gaze across the room, shrugged once and finally opened his mouth.

“Haven’t you already found the answer?”

Reynard’s short rhetorical question was loaded with meaning.

Immediately, all eyes turned to Duke Emmett, silently urging an explanation.

“Your Grace, what in the world does this mean…?”

Count Lorenharts, who was seated closest, couldn’t hold back his curiosity and cautiously spoke.

“May I speak the truth myself?”

“Go ahead.”

Reynard nodded without resistance.

Yet Duke Emmett hesitated to open his mouth.

If all of this was part of Reynard’s scheme, revealing the truth could turn into a trap.

But now that it had come to this point, what was the use in hiding it?

No—in fact, he had attended today’s council meeting fully intending to make the matter public.

No matter what other plans Reynard had, it didn’t matter.

He was a proud Duke of Bait.

He could not simply turn a blind eye to the fact that they had been deceived by Hesta.

“Because Her Majesty the Empress… is not the real Princess Ophelia, isn’t that right?”

Though Duke Emmett spoke in a quiet voice, everyone in the chamber heard him clearly, as all attention had been focused on his lips.

“She’s not the real Princess Ophelia?”

“Her Majesty… is a fake?”

The moment Emmett finished speaking, the entire chamber fell into a state of panic.

“Your Majesty, is this true? Is what Duke Emmett says a fact?”

“How could something like this even happen?”

“So that’s why the Hesta envoys tried to kill Her Majesty—or rather, the fake Princess Ophelia?”

Reynard slowly looked around the tumultuous chamber and nodded slightly before he spoke.

“So it seems.”

“What…!”

“Incredible!”

At Reynard’s affirmation, everyone in the room was stunned.

Even those who had silently hoped the claim wasn’t true couldn’t help but gape at his confirmation.

“What in the world is going on here! First they invaded during His Majesty’s coronation, and now they send us a fake princess?”

“Then was the assassination attempt meant to cover up this secret?”

“Is that why we haven’t seen the Hesta envoys since then?”

“Now it all starts to make sense!”

“Hesta has deceived us yet again…!”

Cries of fury erupted from all sides.

Even before this, anger toward Hesta had not cooled.

And now, learning that they had sent a fake princess made it impossible to contain that rage.

As the tension in the chamber continued to rise, Reynard raised his hand.

“That’s enough. Enough.”

Only then did silence return to the previously chaotic chamber.