“What are you talking about, Lady Monique?”

“You shouldn’t accept it!”

Although the pro-emperor faction strongly resisted, I just smiled silently.

While looking at me with a smile, Marquis Mirwa opened his mouth, “Good decision. I think Lady Jena will help you a lot.”

“Thank you. But I would like to point out one thing. A little while ago, you mentioned that Lady Jena and I were referred to as the empress and concubine, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Well, if that’s true, isn’t it unfair to accept only Lady Jena’s help? There is another lady mentioned as the candidate for the concubine. So, I would like to make a proposal. Please make the choice between the two options. The first option is to have Lady Jena and Lady Whir help me with the job. The second option is to have me take on the job by myself if you reject the first option. I won’t care about which option you take.”

When the marquis turned to the noble faction, as if he was asking for their proper response, Duke Jena, who was constantly making a frown, replied, “Okay, I think it’s good for my daughter and Lady Whir to help her.”

“Good. I have no problem with that.”

When I nodded, the emperor, who was watching me and Marquis Mirwa arguing over the matter, raised his hand lightly. Then, he looked back at me once and said, turning his mouth up a bit, “Then, I think this problem has been solved. Let me leave the task to Lady Monique.

Duke Lars, is there any other agenda items for today?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Good. Then, let me leave now. Good job, everybody.”

He got up and left the conference hall. Duke Jenna, who was staring at me sharply, also turned away, and Marquis Mirwa also left, bowing to me with a smile.

Members of the pro-emperor faction came to express thanks to me, with smiles on their faces. I felt bitter at their expected response, but I pretended to smile at them, then headed home with my father.

The next day I went upstairs with my father, holding a teapot and mugs after breakfast.

In fact, I wanted to spend time together with my father after a long time as I promised to, but it was the piles of letters that greeted me when I arrived at the home office.

I felt I needed to sort out the letters first. As soon as I brewed tea, I helped my father sort out the letters. However, even after organizing them for a long time, I could not dispose of them as much as I wanted.

“This one is from the estate.”

“Put it over here.”

“Well, this is an invitation from the Hamel family. Can I throw it away?”

“Sure.”

While I was placing those reports that required review or invitations that I had to respond to in the left file folder, while putting those I could reject or ignore in the right folder, I suddenly noticed a red envelope in the pile of letters. Sealed with dark red wax, it was stamped with a sword and a rose.

As if he confirmed it was from the Lars family, my father subtly hardened his face after opening the letter. Why did he make such an expression?

“What’s the matter, Daddy? Any bad news? ”

“… It’s nothing. Never mind.”

“But…”

“Don’t pay any attention to it!”

I was more puzzled when he cut me off firmly. Isn’t it a letter from the Lars family?

It was evident that there was something bad, given that my father, who hardly revealed his feelings, hardened his face.

Did he notice that I was puzzled? After he was lost in thought for a while after sorting out the letters, he finally opened his mouth, “Well, I can’t hide it anyway…”

“Pardon? What are you talking about? ”

“Okay, take it.”

His eyes were full of worries when he handed the letter to me with a sigh.

Tilting my head a bit, I opened the red letter. According to the luxurious piece of paper, his family held a ceremony to name the eldest grandson of the family, born one month ago, under the imperial customs, and there would be a banquet to celebrate his naming five days later.

‘I see. That’s why Daddy…’

I made a bitter smile. Only then did I understand why my father hesitated to tell me. He probably didn’t want to distress me by telling me about the baby one day after I was called an infertile woman by the noble faction.

“…Tia. ”

“I’m fine, Daddy.”

I hurriedly changed my expression and folded the letter. Although I felt empty, I couldn’t make him hurt because of this. When I was told that I might be infertile, he was hurt more than me.

If the baby was the eldest grandson, he was Frincia’s baby and Carsein’s nephew. Accordingly, this was an occasion I should congratulate her, not make a gloomy expression like this.

When I tried to say something, trying to brighten my face, I heard a knock on the door. The butler stepped in quickly and bowed politely. I said with a sigh of relief, “What’s going on, butler?”

“Lady Jena wants to see you. What shall I do? ”

“What? At this time?”

I made a frown unconsciously. How could she storm into my house without any notice in the morning when we were about to have breakfast? She visited me abruptly last time.

She was really rude, to say the least.

While agonizing about ignoring or keeping her waiting for a minute, I reluctantly nodded.

As she was supposed to help me with preparing for the festival, I had no choice but to meet her often for the time being. I didn’t have to make any friction with her from the beginning.

“Okay. Let me go to the reception room now.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“I will be back soon, Daddy.”

“… Go ahead.”

Didn’t he like my meek attitude when I agreed to meet her without any objection? He looked at me with a frown before slowly nodding at me.

I instructed the butler to prepare the gifts for Frincia and her baby and inform the temple about my visit, then headed to the drawing room. I suddenly had a headache when I thought I would have to see this in the morning.

“It’s been a long time, Lady Monique.”

“Hi, Lady Jena. What business has brought you here early in the morning?”

Although I asked her sarcastically, she smiled silently as if she was conscious of the butler next to her. Then, she opened her mouth only after he put tea cups and cookies on the table and left.

“How shameless you are!”

“What the heck are you talking about?”

“I heard you asked for the help of the two candidates for the emperor’s concubine because you can’t prepare for the festival alone. Is that right?”

“I don’t know who told you that, but he must be very good at distorting the facts. It was your father and Marquis Mirwa who said I needed helpers. Besides, I only mentioned Lady Whir, and I never mentioned you as the emperor’s concubine candidate.”

When I casually answered, picking up a cookie, she said sardonically, “It looks like you were more eloquent after you said you would be the successor of your family. But you don’t deny you volunteered to host the festival. Is it true then?”

“Well, if I have no other choice but to, I think it would be better for me to volunteer.”

“Hmm… don’t make any excuses. I hear that you are meeting the emperor often these days on the pretext of discussing the affairs of the knights’ divisions. So, are you on close terms with him now? Even if you do, you won’t have the heart to love him anyway.”

“It’s none of your business! Tell me why you are here.”

When I sharply retorted, managing my expression, she, who had been staring at me for a long time, tossed a bunch of paper to me. Instead of picking it up, I looked up at her and asked, “What is this?”

“Take a look first.”

Although I felt she tried to lead me on, I stretched out my hand and picked them up.

The first page of the paper, which was not that thick, had a few letters on it.

Festival plan? Did she come here to give it to me?

I was a little puzzled, but I quickly read the plan. She seemed to have prepared it for a long time, given that it had some detailed action plans on the festival.

After reading the last page, I opened the middle of the papers again. Looking at me with a sullen expression, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Why is it vacant here?”

“Why do you want to know about it?”