Though this was entirely predictable, Gideon deliberately raised the corner of his lips mockingly.

“Are you saying your men aren’t capable enough?”

Despite the prince’s distrustful words, Kay responded without wavering. However, what came from his mouth, contrary to his calm demeanor, was quite frightening and cold. 

 “We can kill him. But given their numbers, our side might suffer casualties as well.”

“……”

“Dying is fine. The problem is if, most unfortunately, any of our survivors are captured alive.”

“……”

“That could serve as evidence against Your Highness. I merely wished to inform you of that possibility.”

Gideon nodded while stroking his mouth.

The words of his subordinate, who had spent long years working in the field, were reasonable.

There were multiple methods anyway. And Gideon’s ideal conclusion was to implicate the Empress with the materials his aides had collected and fabricated.

Naturally, it wouldn’t be easy, but at least they could splash some muddy water. Even if it wasn’t a major blow, it wouldn’t be bad to see them get dirty and become more cautious.

However, if they made the first move before that…… After contemplating, Gideon spoke to Kay again.

“Your point is valid, but avoiding that unfavorable evidence is precisely your duty and skill.”

“……”

“Keep trying until we secure more material. I mean to pressure them so they can’t scheme uselessly behind the scenes.”

“……Yes, Your Highness.”

Kay answered with a heavy face and stepped back again.

Perhaps wondering if there were still more instructions to come, the aides remained in the room, waiting to see if any more words would fall from the contemplating prince’s lips.

But what broke that silence was neither the prince nor the aides. It was a chamberlain who had been waiting for the meeting to end.

When he carefully presented a jewel box, Gideon furrowed his brows as if realizing something and checked the time.

Today was a day he absolutely must not forget. Tonight, a very special event was to be held at the palace.

Tatiana had been whispering with his sister for several days as if conspiring, and seemed to have decided to become the host of a charity party.

Unfortunately, Gideon hadn’t received an invitation to that party. But he couldn’t just stand by with his hands behind his back at an event where his wife was the main character. If there was nothing else he could do, sending flowers was the proper thing to do, and besides flowers, he had also decided to gift her a necklace that would suit her well.

But……

“Have I gotten too late?”

“No. I just confirmed she’s still in her room. She seems about to finish preparing and head to the banquet hall.” 

 Gideon nodded and rose from his seat, picking up the necklace in one hand.

His retreating figure as he left the office seemed no different than usual. However, looking closely, there was a subtle hint of hurry in his manner.

The subordinates left behind stared blankly at his figure, thinking to themselves how curious it was. A prince who remembered his wife’s important schedule and left during a meeting. Someone who didn’t know him would think he was a very affectionate and domestic man.

In fact, until just moments ago, this same man had been contemplating how to deal with his wife’s adoptive father, whether to handle him this way or that way. Which was the real prince? Probably both, but the subordinates still sometimes found such aspects unfamiliar.

They say even people who make others’ lives miserable outside become devoted husbands at home. At this rate, they wondered if he might be suffering from multiple personalities. 

 After finishing her preparations, Tatiana left her room and walked for a while before finding Gideon. How long had he been waiting?

Gideon, who had been leaning against the end of the corridor, straightened up when he saw Tatiana.

His sky-blue eyes traced over her hair ornaments, makeup, and dress one by one. Feeling his detailed gaze appreciating her, Tatiana grew increasingly curious.

‘What will he say today?’

Given his personality, Tatiana now knew that he didn’t just casually say pretty things anytime.

He tended not to say embarrassing things when outside or when there were many eyes watching. But when they were alone at night, it was something she could hear quite easily.

He would let slip words about her being pretty like a mumble to himself when he wasn’t even conscious of it in bed. Very casually, like water overflowing from a full glass.

It always felt nice when that happened. It felt like a more secret and meaningful moment.

But on days like today when she had put in her utmost effort to dress up, Tatiana wanted to hear unlimited praise regardless of place or gazes. If that was difficult, she at least wanted to hear that she had worked hard.

After examining her full figure from the front, Gideon grabbed Tatiana’s shoulders and spun her around gracefully. Then he saw her back and waist, exposed much more daringly than at the previous party.

Ah. Wasn’t she most confident about her back?

Gideon frowned while rubbing his forehead, then said:

“Your confidence today is…… remarkable.”

At his reaction that seemed to question why women’s clothes were made this way, Tatiana’s shoulders shook as if almost sobbing. It wasn’t the response she expected, but it was funnier than what she had expected.

Tatiana wiped away tears that she wasn’t sure were from laughter or sadness, dabbing at them carefully.

Gideon belatedly offered his handkerchief, but she declined and asked,

“Aren’t you busy? How are you here?”

“It’s my wife’s first time hosting an event, so I had to come see. Though I didn’t expect that I wouldn’t be invited to that event.”

Gideon smiled very elegantly, but Tatiana somehow felt there was an edge to that smile. 

 But Gideon wasn’t the only one who hadn’t been invited. Prince Vaikal was the same. In fact, not a single man in Valter had received an invitation to this party.

Scarlet, the princess who was another planner of this party, had initially explained it like this:

‘It’s surprisingly fun when women get together sometimes. That’s when more high-quality information comes out too.’

But Tatiana was skeptical. 

 Isn’t this supposed to be a social event with a good cause, not just a private gathering? Wouldn’t it be better to have more diverse people attend?

When Tatiana kept showing doubtful expressions, Princess Scarlet finally revealed another reason.

She had an expression that said ‘Ah, what to do with my sister-in-law being so innocent? Let sister tell you something good.’

‘Sister-in-law. Do you know why couples come in pairs?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘When one person does something crazy, the other person is there to stop them. There’s no one to stop them, right? That’s when wallets finally open.’

Ah. Such a deep meaning.

Tatiana usually tended to filter out advice from married seniors. But this time, she was deeply impressed.

And the princess truly seemed frightening. The fact that she was genuinely excited while plotting how to completely empty others’ private funds was what made her so.

But some of the uninvited husbands might be feeling disgruntled right now.

There might be someone spending a very troubled night thinking, ‘Ah, this woman should at least think of our family’s face before signing recklessly.’

Someone else might be curious about what meaningful conversations would be exchanged there.

Setting aside everything else, there might also be men who simply enjoy going around with their wives.

Gideon also didn’t seem particularly pleased about being pushed aside from his wife’s affairs. However, he didn’t add any further complaints about what had already been decided. Instead, he personally put the necklace he had brought from his office around her neck.

At its center was a sparkling jewel crafted in the shape of a blue rose. It was the symbol of House Bloom.

“Is this a gift?”

“Yes, as encouragement.”

“Does this need encouragement? I’m suddenly feeling pressured.”

“It’s not that serious.”

Gideon spoke casually and tilted his head back slightly to check if the necklace suited her well. His gaze seemed somewhat detached.

But after finishing his inspection, he grabbed her chin. Her cherry-like lips gleamed especially bright today. He felt the urge to devour them, but also thought he shouldn’t ruin her carefully applied makeup.

Gideon swiftly turned her chin to the side and placed a soft kiss on an ambiguous spot on her cheek.

Tatiana cupped her cheek and asked: 

 “Is this encouragement too?”

“No, this is just because I wanted to do it.”

Gideon shrugged as he spoke, and Tatiana laughed softly.

So this is why people want to be sent off when they go to work. She suddenly felt like the head of her household. It made her want to try harder for no particular reason. 

* * *

 The charity auction party was bustling from the start.

It was an event targeting only the wealthiest among Valter’s nobles, and the invitations were limited. As a result, there seemed to have been countless behind-the-scenes requests.