ITIF Chapter 87

I Seem to Be Losing My Sister to a Friend (1)

Giselle Grante doubted her own eyes for a moment.

For an instant, she had seen murderous intent flash in Mikhail’s eyes as he looked at Kavelaseth.

‘What did I just… see?’

Giselle Grante instinctively shrank her shoulders.

“…….”

But he quickly collected himself, released her wrist that he had been gripping, and Mikhail examined her complexion.

“I must have grabbed you too hard. I startled you, didn’t I? Sorry.”

Mikhail looked at her with a sheepish smile, his eyes filled with warmth as always.

She blinked, thinking she must have seen it wrong, when this time Kavelaseth’s expression as he looked at Mikhail seemed off.

Sure enough, Kavelaseth narrowed his brow and spoke as if spitting out the words.

“How unpleasant.”

“……?”

Thinking he was speaking to her, Giselle Grante widened her eyes and looked at Kavelaseth.

However, she didn’t seem to be the source of his displeasure. Kavelaseth’s red eyes were fixed on Mikhail.

“Even between family members, I’d appreciate it if you’d maintain proper boundaries. Touching someone’s body so carelessly is unpleasant.”

As Kavelaseth continued speaking, not only Mikhail’s expression but also Giselle Grante’s became complicated.

“Um… Your Grace. I’m sorry to interrupt.”

Just then, a maid who had entered the drawing room interjected.

“What is it?”

When Kavelaseth turned his gaze to her, the maid answered immediately.

“There’s urgent news to deliver.”

****

On the table cloth embroidered with elaborate needlework sat tea sets made of silver and gold.

The three-tiered tray held desserts of various colors and shapes, and a transparent vase contained white and red flowers.

The guests at the imperial tea party were all enjoying their tea and desserts with refinement while engaged in conversation.

The afternoon tea party prepared by the Empress was proceeding smoothly.

All the invited attendees had been seated for some time, and the atmosphere of the tea party was in full swing.

After briefly scanning the nobles who were busy enjoying their conversations, the Empress secretly sent a glance to Marchioness Latse.

Marchioness Latse nodded as if she understood and was placing her hand on the armrest to stand when—

“By any chance, have you heard any news related to Duke Cardia?”

Suddenly someone brought up Duke Cardia as a topic.

Not only Marchioness Latse, but the nobles who had been chatting in their own groups all simultaneously turned their heads toward the noblewoman who had just spoken.

The person who mentioned Duke Cardia was Marchioness Howard.

Marchioness Howard showed an awkward smile as if burdened by everyone’s attention, then opened her mouth again.

“It hasn’t been made public yet, so I’m actually quite hesitant to bring it up……”

Marchioness Howard trailed off while gauging the others’ reactions.

And this behavior of hers only amplified everyone’s curiosity.

“What is it? Just tell us clearly.”

Then the noblewoman sitting across from her urged her to speak up quickly.

“Well, it will be announced soon anyway, but I thought it would be good for everyone here to know first.”

What could she be planning to say while making such a fuss?

Marchioness Latse glared at Marchioness Howard with disapproving eyes.

The Empress also didn’t show it outwardly, but seemed uncomfortable, slightly lowering her gaze.

Marchioness Latse looked at the Empress with questioning eyes, asking what to do.

When their eyes met, the Empress shook her head slightly.

Understanding that it meant to wait for now, Marchioness Latse waited silently.

What on earth would Marchioness Howard say?

“Duke Cardia is finally getting engaged.”

As soon as she said this, gasps could be heard from here and there.

“Oh my……”

“……Goodness!”

Unlike the nobles who couldn’t contain their surprise, the Empress narrowed her brow while keeping her gaze slightly lowered.

Just as she was about to shift the topic to Joshua, the nobles’ attention instantly turned to Duke Cardia.

The timing couldn’t have been more coincidental. The Empress looked at Marchioness Howard with narrowed eyes.

Meanwhile, the other nobles urged Marchioness Howard with excited voices.

“Who is the young lady?”

“That’s right. Tell us quickly, my lady.”

Marchioness Howard, who had seemed hesitant, opened her mouth, unable to resist the nobles’ pressure.

“Duke Cardia’s engagement partner is Lady Amaterasu.”

“……!”

At such shocking news, silence fell for a moment.

Having grasped the severity of the situation, Marchioness Latse quickly moved to manage it.

“Marchioness Howard?”

When Marchioness Howard turned her gaze, Marchioness Latse continued.

“How do you know this fact? It certainly seems to be a rumor that hasn’t been made public yet.”

“Ah…… My daughter happened to find out and tipped me off.”

When Marchioness Howard cited the source of the information, murmuring voices grew louder from all around.

Until the tea party ended, the guests were busy chattering about the engagement news between Duke Cardia and Lady Amaterasu.

In the end, the Empress postponed even seeing off the guests and headed straight to her office.

The expressions of the maids following her weren’t good either.

As soon as she entered the office, the Empress raised her voice slightly.

“Find out what happened immediately.”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress!”

The maids quickly left the office, and only Marchioness Latse remained alone, gauging the Empress’s mood.

Instead of getting angry or interrogating Marchioness Latse, the Empress walked to stand before the window.

And she simply looked down at the palace garden beyond the window in silence for a long while.

Just when the silence that had settled over the office was becoming suffocating, the Empress murmured softly.

“This is truly strange.”

Marchioness Latse quietly watched the Empress, waiting for what would come next.

“We were going to bring up the engagement between Joshua and Lady Amaterasu at today’s tea party.”

“…….”

“But one step ahead of that, Marchioness Howard announced the engagement news between Lady Amaterasu and Duke Cardia.”

While Marchioness Latse couldn’t immediately grasp what the Empress was trying to say and could only swallow nervously—

“It seems there’s someone leaking internal information…… What do you think about this, Marchioness Latse?”

“I-It wasn’t me! Your Majesty the Empress. Please believe me.”

Marchioness Latse cried out tensely, and the Empress nodded without even looking at her.

“I believe you.”

“Th-Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress. Then I will quickly find out who is leaking the information.”

“Of course you should.”

After Marchioness Latse bowed to the Empress and immediately left the office, the Empress, left alone, fell into thought.

Today’s plan for the Empress had been to broach the topic that there would be an engagement between Joshua and Lady Amaterasu.

As if a decree from the Emperor related to it would be forthcoming.

This was a clever scheme Joshua had devised to extract Baron Cypress from a prison under triple surveillance.

But before they could execute that plan, they were silenced.

By Marchioness Howard announcing Lady Amaterasu’s engagement first.

It truly couldn’t have been more coincidental timing, so naturally she came to think that there was someone inside who had leaked the information.

“Who could it be? Who would do something so thoughtless……”

The Empress muttered to herself and began to speculate about who had leaked the information.

For now, limiting the suspects to one of those who knew about Joshua’s plan.

****

Back to the morning several days ago when Kavelaseth, Mikhail, and Giselle Grante were together.

Kavelaseth’s expression seemed a bit dark after checking the contents of the note handed to him by the maid.

Giselle Grante asked cautiously.

“What is it?”

“The Crown Prince has recently assigned a spy to me.”

At Kavelaseth’s words, Mikhail asked back with surprised eyes.

“Kavel, to you too?”

Kavelaseth nodded and explained the subsequent situation.

That he had captured the spy and persuaded them to become a double agent.

Since she remembered how Mikhail and Duke Amaterasu had dealt with the spies when Joshua had assigned them to her before, Giselle Grante decided not to fully believe Kavelaseth’s words.

‘It wouldn’t have been persuasion.’

Mikhail also seemed to have the same thought as her, nodding with an understanding expression.

“I recently received some news from that spy, and it seems Joshua and the Empress are plotting something.”

Saying this, Kavelaseth looked at Giselle Grante.

“It seems the plotting was related to me.”

When Kavelaseth nodded, Mikhail’s expression immediately crumpled.

“How dare they!”

Glancing at the veins bulging over his clenched fists, Kavelaseth continued.

“And just now, part of their plan was delivered from the spy.”

“What is it?”

Mikhail asked with a growl, and Kavelaseth shook his head.

“I haven’t figured that out yet. That’s why I had Giselle stay at my residence.”

Only then did Mikhail stare at Kavelaseth with his mouth slightly open.

“Without even knowing that……”

From his slightly apologetic expression, it seemed Mikhail had seriously misunderstood, thinking he had simply let an unmarried woman stay at a bachelor’s residence.

Looking at her with a rather serious expression, Kavelaseth let out a soft sigh.

He had cleared up Mikhail’s misunderstanding, but still didn’t know what the Empress and Joshua were planning.

“I think I know what kind of plan the Empress and Joshua have been plotting about me.”

At Giselle Grante’s sudden statement, both Mikhail and Kavelaseth turned their heads toward her simultaneously.

“You know?”

At Kavelaseth’s question, Giselle Grante nodded.

“It’s likely that talk of an engagement between me and the Crown Prince will come up.”

“What?”

A sharp retort burst from Mikhail’s mouth.

Kavelaseth also let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded.

However, neither of them objected, saying her words were too much of a leap.

Because it was quite a plausible scenario.