“Commander, are you planning to attend the imperial banquet this time?”
As Travis exited the temple building after speaking with the High Priest, Haren suddenly appeared in front of him.
“Banquet?”

“Yes, the imperial banquet marking the start of the social season.”
Travis sighed softly as he looked at Haren, who had appeared out of nowhere to leisurely talk about the banquet.

There was so much work to be done by the Imperial Knights that attending a banquet seemed out of the question.
From Travis’s perspective, the banquet was not a day to enjoy but a busier day, as he had to handle the security personnel entering the banquet and resolve any incidents that might arise.
As such, he would only attend the banquet to greet the Emperor and then promptly leave without spending any more time there.
“I’ll attend to pay my respects.”
“Can’t you stay for the entire banquet this time?”
“Haren, do I look like someone who has time to enjoy a banquet?”
Haren shook his head. No one knew better than Haren, who was closest to Travis, just how busy his superior was.
“I know you don’t have time. But I’d like you to help my friend just this once.”
“Your friend?”
At the mention of Haren’s friend, Travis immediately thought of that pink-haired young lady.
The innocent-looking young lady with a face that seemed to know nothing.
While everyone thought of her as a victim, Travis couldn’t shake a sense of suspicion about her.

From what Travis had interrogated, Sebastian was a born swindler.
Though not involved in major fraud, he was a petty criminal who constantly committed small scams.
It didn’t make sense to Travis that someone like Sebastian, who would abandon love and friendship for money, would engage in stalking behavior that didn’t yield any profit.
“Yes, you know Espin of the Count Leon family, right? The one sitting behind us earlier.”
As expected, it was that lady.
When Travis nodded, Haren began displaying the pitiful expression he always used when asking for a favor.
“To be honest, I don’t know if you’re aware, but my friend has a lot of family issues. Because of that, she’s reluctant to attend the banquet with her family, and she doesn’t have anyone else to go with. Please, for the sake of my poor friend, I’d be truly grateful if you could be her partner.”
Haren blinked his eyes. However, Travis, who had built up immunity to such expressions, looked at him without any change in his own expression.
“Alright.”
It was an impulsive decision. For some reason, Travis wanted to observe Espin more closely.
“Really? I’ll go and tell her the good news right away.”
“I’ll go with you.”
He wanted to see her reaction. He was curious about what kind of expression she would make this time, as she always avoided his gaze whenever they met.
“Will you?”
Haren, excited, led the way to the garden with a spring in his step.
“Espin! I found you a partner!”
Haren’s cheerful expression contrasted sharply with Espin’s visibly stiffened face.
“Haren, what are you talking about?”
“The commander here has agreed to be your partner for the banquet.”
“What…?”
Espin’s eyes wavered as her gaze shifted to Travis.

“You must be busy….”
Espin’s emerald-like eyes seemed to plead with him to decline.
“It’s fine.”
“Come on, Espin. Who else would you take as your partner? You don’t even know any noblemen besides me.”
At Haren’s remark, Espin bit her lip, smiling awkwardly.
“Do you dislike the idea of me being your partner?”
“Oh, no! That’s not it…. I’m just worried it might inconvenience Your Grace.”
“If that’s your concern, you don’t need to worry.”
Espin said nothing more and simply smiled.
Travis, observing her expression closely, was certain of one thing.
Espin was avoiding him.

***

“It’s over.”
Having snuck away under the pretense of going to the powder room, I punched the air, thinking of Haren.
Ever since I transmigrated into this world and decided to scam the scammers, the person I wanted to avoid the most was Travis.

His gaze seemed to constantly scrutinize me, giving the impression he was determined to see through my true nature.
And now, he was going to attend the banquet with me—a banquet he hadn’t even attended with the female lead, Chloe.

This felt like a bad omen.
“I’ll have to avoid him even more from now on.”
“Avoid who?”
Startled, I turned to see a silver-haired man standing before me.
“Count Kidne.”
The man I had been looking for—Count Kidne.
The face behind the mask, which hadn’t been described in the novel, was more surprising than I had imagined.
“Shall we talk somewhere quiet?”
Robert, speaking more politely than when he wore his mask, gestured toward the nearby stairs.
I nodded and followed him.

Once we reached the quiet space beneath the stairs, away from the bustling garden where the tea party was being held, Robert finally spoke.
“How did you figure out my identity?”
Robert’s expression showed he still couldn’t comprehend how an ordinary noble lady had uncovered his secret.
If I hadn’t read the novel and its epilogue, I would never have known either.
Although his actions weren’t illegal, they weren’t exactly recognized by the nobility either. The arrogant aristocrats considered the work of an informant to be beneath them, akin to errands done by their lackeys.
Thus, to protect his family’s reputation, Robert had concealed his work and identity meticulously.
The fact that an ordinary noble lady had discovered it must have driven him mad with curiosity.
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Hah, do you have an informant of your own? No, that’s impossible. I control all the informants in the empire.”
“But is that really the point right now? That’s not the answer I’m waiting for.”
“It is important. Knowing who else knows my identity and where I was exposed is crucial to me.”
“No one else knows. I’m the only one.”
Robert stared at me silently.
One of his eyebrows rose and fell, appearing to measure whether or not he could trust me.

“No matter how I think about it, I can’t understand. Espin Leon. The young lady of the Count Leon family who just came of age. Lost her mother at a young age and grew up timidly between her stepmother and stepsister. A plain noble lady with no notable talent in academics, music, or art—just a spoiled girl from a good family.”
Robert recited everything he had learned about Espin during his investigation.
“A naive girl who gets taken advantage of, believes in fateful love, and yields to her stepsister whenever a suitor shows interest in her. Can’t even speak up to the staff, so she gets ignored. Fired all the staff a few days ago, which caused Count Leon to come to the capital.”
Startled by his words, I asked, “Count Leon—Father—came to the capital?”
Robert chuckled in disbelief.
“What, you didn’t know that?”
After checking his watch, he continued nonchalantly.
“He should have arrived at the mansion by now.”
‘Great.’
I couldn’t help but be impressed by how much Robert knew, even about the Count’s whereabouts.
At the same time, the news that the Count had returned made me uneasy. It meant I’d have to tread more carefully and couldn’t act as freely as before.
The only consolation was that the Leon family wasn’t particularly interested in Espin.
‘The head butler will explain the situation about the dismissed staff, so I probably won’t get scolded too much.’

Right now, what mattered wasn’t Count Leon but the man standing before me. I needed to win him over to my side.
“I see. So, have you thought about the proposal I mentioned?”
“Is the information reliable?”
“Yes, it’s reliable.”
Robert’s crimson eyes gleamed sharply.
“And you obtained it using your own methods?”
“Exactly. So, what will you do? Just as I’m the only one who knows you’re an informant, I’m also the only one who knows about this information. In other words, without me, you’d never get the chance to take revenge. What will it be?”
I extended my hand toward him, signaling that he should take it if he wanted to work with me.
“What else?”
Robert grasped my hand.