Only after the conference room had quieted did Reynard slowly begin to speak.

“First, I will share with you the information we have uncovered.”

Sensing that the true discussion was about to begin, everyone fell silent and focused on Reynard’s lips.

“Hesta proposed a peace treaty and said they would send Princess Ophelia. But regrettably, the person they sent was not the real Princess Ophelia—it was an impostor.”

At Reynard’s words, some nobles let out low scoffs. Others, unable to contain their anger, crumpled the papers in front of them.

It had been Hesta who invaded first and, once the situation turned against them, proposed the peace treaty. Bait’s forces could have easily overtaken Hesta, but they had shown mercy and accepted the offer.

And yet, despite that mercy, Hesta dared to send a false princess. Worse still, it was Hesta themselves who had insisted on sending a princess.

“Then the story about the Empress—or rather, that imposter—being attacked by bandits on her way here…”

“It seems Hesta orchestrated that incident to prevent the deception from being discovered.”

“Such ungrateful treachery!”

No sooner had Reynard finished speaking than voices erupted in fury.

Politically, the nobles were divided between the imperial faction and the aristocratic faction, but they all held patriotic loyalty and a sense of belonging to Bait.

Thus, they could not tolerate Hesta’s insult and deception toward their country.

“Then we must immediately remove the false Empress and exact retribution…!”

One impassioned noble shouted, stepping forward in haste.

But Reynard interrupted him first.

“The false Empress shall be pardoned in my name. Know this well.”

“Pardon? What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

“You’re going to forgive a fraud?”

“That is unthinkable!”

Voices rose up in protest against Reynard’s words.

But Reynard firmly shook his head, his expression resolute.

“Did you not hear me? I said I would pardon her in my name.”

“But Your Majesty, isn’t she one of the very people who deceived Bait?”

“No, she is different.”

“Pardon?”

Reynard looked at the confused noble and continued.

“She confessed on her own that she was an impostor. Strictly speaking, she never deceived anyone.”

“But didn’t she pose as a princess and become Empress? Your Majesty even married that impostor, did you not?”

Someone among the nobles asked in disbelief, and Reynard calmly nodded.

“I did.”

“Then how can you say she didn’t deceive anyone?”

“Because she acted under my command.”

“What…?”

“I ordered it. I wanted to see how Hesta would react. And the results became perfectly clear during the hunting tournament a few days ago— just how little regard Hesta has for Bait.”

Duke Emmett frowned slightly as he watched Reynard speak with such conviction.

‘Is that really all there is to it?’

Reynard’s explanation did make some sense. Hesta had gone so far as to send a fake to deceive Bait.

Letting the impostor live and become Empress might not have been a bad way to observe what Hesta would do once they learned she survived. In the end, the truth had come to light precisely because Hesta’s envoys tried to assassinate the false Empress.

Now, Bait had the grounds to formally demand compensation from Hesta.

Still, something about this conclusion didn’t sit right.

‘Did he really keep the imposter close just to observe Hesta’s reaction?’

This was the part Duke Emmett couldn’t understand.

Even without doing so, the moment she confessed her identity, Reynard would have had the justification to confront Hesta.

Yes—there was no need to keep her at his side.

‘…Surely not?’

As the thought crossed his mind, Duke Emmett narrowed his eyes and looked toward Reynard.

At that moment, Reynard’s gaze, which had been scanning the confused nobles, met Duke Emmett’s.

Their eyes collided in the air, and Emmett smoothed his frown.

“In any case, I’ve declared in my name that she is to be released, so let there be no further discussion on this matter.”

At Reynard’s firm words, all the nobles fell silent.

If the Emperor had personally vowed to release her in his own name, how could they dare to accuse her of any wrongdoing?

Even so, no one could bring themselves to respond with a clear “Understood.”

Watching this, Duke Emmett let out a small breath.

“Very well, Your Majesty. Then what do you plan to do with the Empress… no, with that woman, from now on?”

“She has committed no crime, so she will be released soon.”

“I see. Then we will consider it so.”

Reynard felt slightly uneasy at how easily Duke Emmett accepted the answer, but since everything was proceeding according to his original plan, he said no more.

“And once we obtain confirmation from the Hesta envoys, we will mobilize our troops again to occupy Hesta.”

“It is time to show them the true might of Bait once more, Your Majesty!”

“Indeed!”

“Hot-blooded revenge on Hesta!”

“Hot-blooded revenge!”

The nobles echoed Reynard’s words with fervent shouts. The conference room was instantly ablaze with heat and excitement.

Reynard nodded with satisfaction as he surveyed them.

“Then let us conclude today’s meeting here.”

Reynard rose from his seat and left the conference room. Even then, Duke Emmett continued to fix his gaze on Reynard’s retreating back.

***

“A false Empress, of all things!”

“Those damned Hesta scoundrels, it’s finally time to teach them a lesson.”

The agitated nobles rushed to add their voices.

Just as the doors closed, Duke Emmett, who had been watching Reynard until the very end, rose quietly from his seat.

“Your Grace, you don’t look well—are you all right?”

Count Lorenharts followed after Duke Emmett and asked him.

At that, Emmett paused briefly, then resumed walking with a quiet sigh.

“It’s nothing.”

“My Lord? It doesn’t quite seem like nothing to me.”

Having seen Duke Emmett’s displeased expressions before, Count Lorenharts couldn’t believe his words so easily.

“Have you never found anything… strange?”

“Strange? Hmm… Yes, it did strike me as odd. From the fact that Hesta would even send a false princess…”

“No, I mean His Majesty the Emperor.”

Emmett briefly replied, cutting off Lorenharts’s misunderstanding, and continued explaining.

“Even if it was to observe Hesta’s response, marrying that imposter woman— does that make any sense? The Emperor of Bait, master of the western continent?”

“Well… yes, you’re right. That is strange. I thought His Majesty simply refused to marry Lady Greta.”

At the mention of “Greta,” Emmett’s brow twitched. Count Lorenharts carefully watched Emmett, worried he might have offended him.

Fortunately, Emmett didn’t appear to take offense at his words.

“I thought the same at first. That it must’ve taken quite a reason for him to make such a choice. But no. That’s not it.”

“Then what do you believe the reason to be, Your Grace?”

“If it was just to observe Hesta’s reaction, there would’ve been no need to go through with a marriage. He could’ve delayed the date with various excuses. The Hesta envoy arrived here exactly fifteen days after His Majesty did.”

“Is that significant in some way?”

“The journey from the border to the Bait capital takes exactly fifteen days. Do you still not see it?”

“Fifteen days… Ah! That means Hesta sent their delegation in advance—because they assumed the imposter was dead!”

“Exactly. Even without the marriage, if we had just waited fifteen days, the Hesta envoy would’ve arrived anyway. And had we detained and investigated them, we would’ve quickly discovered Hesta’s plot. That alone would’ve given us all the justification we have now. But for some reason, His Majesty chose to marry that woman. Why?”

“…My feeble mind cannot comprehend it, Your Grace.”

Count Lorenharts responded to Duke Emmett, who briefly glanced at him, then took a deep breath and slowly exhaled as he answered his own question.

“What if the Emperor has truly taken a liking to the impostor? Wouldn’t that explain everything quite neatly?”