A Foolish Grand Duke
Roswell stood there, looking utterly dazed.
Lobelia glared at him, her arms crossed.
Her half-lidded, blood-red eyes were freezing cold, silently demanding to know why he was here.
“...”
Roswell's mind went completely blank, as if a fundamental law of the universe—like water falling downward—had suddenly been shattered.
It wasn't a mere figure of speech; it was literal.
The Princess... rejecting me?
In all his life, Roswell had rarely been treated so coldly by a woman.
At most, his mother had scolded him for being too arrogant, or some lunatic blinded by jealousy had shrieked at him.
With his exceptionally handsome looks, this was a scenario Roswell's brain simply could not compute.
Hadn't the Princess herself always fidgeted with her hair in embarrassment whenever she was around him?
...And yet.
Roswell studied her again, his eyes tinged with bewilderment.
Deciding to ignore his silence, Lobelia let out a quiet sigh and spoke dismissively.
“Daring to seek an audience with me, the Imperial Princess, without prior notice is an offense worthy of punishment. However, I have urgent matters to attend to, so I shall let it slide. Leave.”
“What...?”
Roswell's eyes shook with shock.
Lobelia had already looked away from him and resumed writing.
Just a few weeks ago, she wasn't like this.
To him, this was as absurd as water flowing upward into the sky.
At least, that was how shocking it was to his common sense.
At this rate, she must have truly been targeted by that gigolo.
As Roswell stood frozen in panic, a sigh laced with irritation tickled his ears.
Lobelia glared at him.
“Are you not leaving? Get out while I am still letting you preserve your dignity without calling the guards. That is, if you have no actual business here.”
“...Princess.”
Roswell swallowed hard and finally spoke.
Lobelia gave him a cold, indifferent look.
As if Roswell were nothing more than a common servant.
“Speak quickly.”
“Have you been seduced by a gigolo?”
“...What?”
In his sheer panic, Roswell had accidentally blurted out his true thoughts.
He instantly regretted it, but the words had already reached the Princess's ears.
Wait...
He panicked.
For a moment, Lobelia looked utterly taken aback by the unexpected question.
But she quickly knitted her brows, glaring at him as if he had lost his mind.
“What did you just say?”
Under the murderous glare of her crimson eyes, Roswell began to stammer.
“The letter stated that Your Highness was troubled because you had fallen for a certain man. I, Grand Duke Roswell of the North, came personally to resolve this situation.”
“Ha! Me, seduced by a man? Do you honestly expect me to believe such nonsense? And what could you possibly do even if it were true? Besides, who could ever seduce me!”
Lobelia snorted in disbelief.
“...”
Roswell was left speechless.
The Princess's words were entirely logical.
Seeking an audience with the Princess just because "she seemed to be seduced by a man" lacked any proper justification.
And even if she were seduced, what right did Roswell have to interfere?
As Lobelia tapped her fingers on the desk, waiting for his response, he blurted out.
“Hawin.”
“...What?”
“Hawin. That man has dared to cloud Your Highness's mind and heart...”
Roswell finally said it.
His original plan was to share a few cups of tea with the Princess and gently advise her to forget about such a man, but that plan had long since gone down the drain.
“W-W-What absolute nonsense!”
Lobelia's face flushed bright red with embarrassment as she stuttered.
Her eyes darted around frantically.
Flustered beyond belief, she waved her hands in the air.
“Ah.”
Roswell gasped inwardly.
She was definitely in love.
Out of all the reactions women showed when asked, "Do you like that guy?" this was the most dangerous type.
“It is absolutely not true! How dare you speak such drivel in my presence!”
The denial phase.
Roswell let out a soft sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.
The situation had become dire.
To think it was this bad.
Then again, if the Imperial Palace had suddenly sent a letter, it meant even they couldn't handle the matter.
Roswell ran through every possible scenario in his head.
And he reached a conclusion.
His eyes turned cold.
Hawin. I need to meet this man.
Whether he had to capture and kill him, or torture him...
He had to win over Princess Lobelia for the North to prosper.
To be precise, Roswell was only human; his looks would fade one day.
The best way was to marry the Princess and transform the North into a wealthy capital of commerce like the South,
or build grand structures in the North to make it as prosperous as possible.
And on a personal level... he did adore Lobelia.
“Princess, do you have any idea how worried the people around you are?”
“Me? Worrying about him? Absolutely not! Ha! He is merely a useful pawn and a loyal subject! I shall pretend I never heard your words. Now, leave at once!”
Lobelia quickly turned her head away, as if trying to hide her flushed face, and waved her hand dismissively.
It was a clear command to get out.
But Roswell had no intention of leaving just yet.
Today, he had to find out who this cursed Hawin was and how he had seduced her.
“Princess, who is Hawin?”
“I-I cannot tell you.”
Lobelia stammered.
That was how flustered she was.
Roswell took a large stride toward her.
“Just who is this Hawin that he causes Your Highness such distress?”
“...Leave.”
Lobelia glared at him with sharp eyes, her irritation finally boiling over.
Roswell stopped in his tracks.
His current actions lacked any justification or reason.
Disobeying the Princess's direct order just to pry into the man she was interested in was utterly absurd.
But...
This matter was crucial.
To bring prosperity to the people of the North, he had to stay in the Princess's good graces.
In that sense, Hawin was, without a doubt...
An enemy.
If he antagonized the Princess any further, it would only disadvantage him.
He nodded and stepped out of the room.
“Who are you... Hawin?” Roswell muttered to himself.
“Oh, this wine has an excellent aroma.”
I smiled gently and took a sip.
For some reason, Lady Aran grimaced at the sight of the alcohol and stuck to drinking fruit juice.
Is she still traumatized by what happened back then?
That was a good sign.
When plotting something grand, one must keep a tight lip, and alcohol only clouds judgment.
Well, putting that aside, I simply enjoyed drinking.
“Hahaha! You could call it a specialty of the West! I've seen many people sing high praises of this wine!”
“It certainly deserves the praise. My knowledge is too shallow to put it into proper words, but it is definitely different from other wines.”
That was a lie.
As I had told Princess Lobelia, I preferred rum.
Wine itself was innocent... but the pretense surrounding it was guilty.
If only it were cheap and got me drunk like rum...
Kalupen sliced his meat with a knife, casting a sidelong glance at Lady Aran.
“May I ask why you aren't touching the wine? Is it not to your liking?”
“Mmm, I find fruit juice more to my taste than alcohol right now. Women naturally prefer sweet and tart things, you know?”
Lady Aran flipped her blonde hair back and spoke with practiced charm.
She even threw a flirtatious wink at Rein.
A perfect vixen.
Rein couldn't take his eyes off her.
He didn't even realize the meat was slipping off his fork.
...As expected.
I glanced at Kalupen.
What do you think? my eyes asked.
Kalupen nodded with a smile.
“I see.”
It was a satisfied smile.
I nodded and set my wine glass down.
From Kalupen's perspective, Aletz von Rein, the Margrave of the West, was a troublesome man.
Of course, he was necessary because he was the Margrave guarding the first barrier against the Nine Kingdoms...
But his personality is the problem.
Simply put, Rein was a fool who cared only about himself.
A typical spoiled brat.
There was no telling when or where a loose cannon like him might explode.
Therefore, it was in Kalupen's best interest to hold his leash.
And Aran would serve as the temporary leash for that madman...
Or so Kalupen would think.
The true essence of a honey trap is, of course, information gathering.
I had handed Aran a device similar to the Recording Artifact I kept pinned to my chest.
She needed to get close to Rein quickly and secure evidence of his treason.
A justification.
And it had to be a justification that would incite the people's wrath.
“It is time to dismiss the servants.”
“Very well.”
At my words, Kalupen ordered the servants to leave.
The heavy door shut with a thud.
I gave Lady Aran a look.
She clicked her tongue with a quiet "Tsk," glared at me, and exited along with the servants.
After all, Lady Aran was still an outsider who couldn't be privy to the alliance with the Nine Kingdoms.
Only Kalupen, Rein, and I remained at the dining table.
Even the magic lamps had been extinguished.
With only the candle at the center of the table providing light, a heavy silence settled over the room.
Kalupen rested his chin on his hand.
The flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows across his face.
“Why have you come to the West, Hawin?”
Now, the real game begins.
A faint, cold smile played on my lips.