“How could this be…?”

Those words left Beyhern speechless, his lips sealed in frustration.

It made sense now—the arrogant, unpleasant young priest had come here with the sole intention of humiliating their commander. If Beyhern had known this earlier, he would have made the priest even more uncomfortable.

Snapping back to attention, Beyhern spoke firmly.

“Skipping ceremonial honors for the engagement might be tolerable, but they can’t possibly exclude them from the wedding. Navy officers and soldiers won’t stand idly by while such a longstanding tradition is broken.”

Edward knew this all too well.

‘This is a real headache.’

The naval forces were as conservative as the temple, if not more so. To them, breaking such traditions was akin to an insult.

Having led the navy to victory in the war against Iota, their influence had only grown, and Edward had naturally become their representative figure.

Edward’s marriage to Yelodia was no longer just a personal matter between the two.

“…I’ll need to send a letter to Duke Xavier.”

As soon as Edward sat in his chair, he hastily began drafting the letter.

He included a brief greeting and a request for an urgent meeting, then handed the letter to Beyhern.

“Deliver this to the Duke right away.”

“Understood.”

Beyhern accepted the letter and turned to leave, but Duke Xavier was faster than Edward.

Knock, knock.

Before Beyhern could even exit the office, there was a knock at the door.

“Your Excellency, it’s Major Livia.”

“Enter.”

Livia quickly stepped into the office and reported.

“Duke Xavier has arrived, accompanied by Young Lord Kias.”

“Now?”

“Yes, they’re waiting in the reception room.”

Having already dealt with an arrogant high priest earlier that day, Livia’s face betrayed her tension at hosting such high-ranking figures back-to-back.

Edward snatched the letter back from Beyhern, tossed it into the trash, and grabbed his jacket.

“I’ll go immediately.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll escort you.”

Edward strode briskly toward the reception room, with Livia and Beyhern trailing cautiously behind him.

Just before reaching the reception room, Edward turned to his aides and issued strict instructions.

“Stand guard at the door. Make sure no one eavesdrops.”

“Leave it to us,” Beyhern replied confidently.

Edward thought it would be more reliable to post a mannequin in uniform than trust these two, but he had no choice for now.

The reception room was filled with a hazy cloud of smoke—the result of Duke Xavier’s cigars.

Having been disturbed early in the morning by the high priest Peggy, Duke Xavier’s expression was as grim as could be.

“Ah, there you are.”

Edward greeted him with utmost courtesy.

“It’s been a while, Duke Xavier. And Young Lord Kias.”

“It has indeed.”

“To avoid any chance of missing you, I came straight here. Forgive the rudeness of arriving unannounced.”

“Not at all. Your prompt visit is a great relief to me.”

Edward’s candid reply brought a faint, almost imperceptible smile to Duke Xavier’s lips as he exhaled another puff of cigar smoke and crossed his legs.

“Have a seat. This conversation is bound to take some time.”

“Understood.”

Edward took a seat on the sofa as directed.

Though Duke Xavier was a pillar of the empire’s nobility, he was known for getting straight to the point.

“Let’s skip the pleasantries. Have you heard the news from the temple?”

“Yes, I was informed as soon as I arrived this morning. They’ve refused to allow weapons in the sacred venue.”

Duke Xavier frowned deeply, a clear sign of his annoyance.

“Count Havel seems intent on rallying the nobility to his side. If the archbishop presiding over the ceremony insists on the temple’s rules, it won’t be easy to counter.”

“For the engagement ceremony, skipping the ceremonial honors might not cause significant issues. But if the same happens at the wedding, the naval officers are sure to express strong dissatisfaction.”

“Hmm, I expected as much.”

Duke Xavier clicked his tongue in irritation and tapped his cigar ash into the tray.

“The priest handling this is Peggy. He’s unusually political for someone of his rank. He’s also the second son of Marquis Cheshire.”

Edward finally understood the identity of the high-ranking priest who had disrupted the navy’s headquarters earlier.

As Edward processed this revelation, Kias, who had been quietly listening, added some context.

“Marquis Cheshire’s wife is one of the ladies invited to Her Majesty the Empress’s tea gatherings.”

“Are you suggesting… that the Empress herself might be behind this?”

“Precisely.”

Duke Xavier’s words of agreement sounded less like praise and more like a grim acknowledgment.

‘What kind of mess have I gotten myself into?’

Edward’s sharp gaze darted toward the reception room door.

Kias noticed his tense expression and asked curiously, “Why the sudden anger?”

“That priest, Peggy, came here just earlier.”

“Did he now? It seems he wasted no time, leaving my estate only to show up here. He certainly has a fiery temperament. I’ll bet he acted as arrogantly as ever.”

As the shameless visage of Peggy, the priest who had caused a ruckus at dawn, came to mind, Kias’s eyes sharpened with anger.

“How could someone around Fabian’s age behave so arrogantly?”

If he hadn’t been in a position to represent his family, Kias would have grabbed Peggy by the collar and confronted him. The burden of always putting the family’s dignity first felt particularly stifling at that moment.

While Edward remained silent and deep in thought, Kias couldn’t help but press him.

“Was he truly that rude?”

“It wasn’t him. It’s my lieutenants…”

Edward let out a heavy sigh, prompting Kias to demand further explanation.

“What exactly did they do for it to trouble you so much?”

Edward was left with no choice but to confess honestly.

“It seems my lieutenants threatened the priest and chased him out.”

“What?”

Edward succinctly recounted the events of the morning. When he mentioned lining up large, burly officers in place of servants, Kias burst into hearty laughter.

“Pahaha! That really happened? Marvelous!”

“…”

“I’d reward those lieutenants handsomely if it were up to me!”

Edward was reminded of exactly whose older brother Kias was. Avoiding the twinkle in Kias’s amused eyes, Edward decided to feign ignorance of the morning’s incident and turned his attention to Duke Xavier.

“It seems the Empress is not particularly fond of me.”

“As unbelievable as it might sound, I had a hunch this would happen long before the Empress ever invited you to tea,” the Duke replied.

“Then, what would you advise I do?”

Duke Xavier smiled faintly, placing a new cigarette into his pipe. Striking a match, he lit it, and the red flame flickered briefly.

“Unfortunately, there’s little you can do at the moment. You can’t postpone the engagement, so for now, you’ll have to comply with the temple’s demands.”

Kias interjected sharply, his tone tinged with concern.

“But if you simply go along with the temple now, won’t they continue to dictate terms during the wedding as well?”

It was a valid point.

Duke Xavier exhaled a long stream of smoke, narrowing his eyes.

“For now, we have no choice but to follow their lead. Public opinion among the nobles about the Baron isn’t favorable.”

“But if even the wedding proceeds without a salute, the navy will surely object.”

Edward, who had been quietly observing their back-and-forth, suddenly spoke up.

“I have an idea. Would you hear me out?”

“An idea? Let’s hear it.”

“A plan for including the salute in the wedding ceremony.”

Edward explained his suggestion quickly and concisely. When he finished, Duke Xavier slapped his knee and laughed.

“Brilliant! That could work. Still, it might be difficult to implement for the engagement, so let’s keep this under wraps until the wedding.”

“I think it’s an excellent idea as well,” Kias said, finally exhaling in relief.

After taking a sip of tea, Kias suddenly chuckled, prompting the Duke to ask, puzzled, “What’s so amusing?”

“I’ve taken quite a liking to Baron Adrian. From chasing off a priest to his clever improvisation, he’s truly impressive.”

“Well, he is my future son-in-law, the distinguished navy admiral who led us to victory. Learn what you can from him.”

“Thank you for the wise advice as always, Father.”

Kias placed his right hand respectfully over his left chest in response. The Duke shook his head in mock exasperation at his son’s cheeky demeanor.

“It seems we’ll have no choice but to bow our heads during the engagement.”

“Yes, though I’m not thrilled about it, that seems best,” Kias replied promptly.

Edward, after observing the two men for a moment, cautiously broached a sensitive topic.

“If I may ask a rather presumptuous question, why is it that His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress do not get along?”

As soon as the question was posed, both Duke Xavier and Kias stiffened.

“…”

“…It’s been six years since, so I suppose it’s reasonable for you to ask.”

After briefly exchanging glances, both seemed lost in thought, making Edward uneasy at their somber expressions.

Unexpectedly, it was Duke Xavier who spoke first.

“His Majesty had a fiancée he’d known since childhood, Lady Sasha Meinel, the daughter of Count Meinel. Have you heard of her?”

“I’ve heard she passed away from an illness…”

Duke Xavier wore an expression that suggested he had just heard something absurd.

“An illness? The woman never even caught a cold.”

“…”