ITIF Chapter 88

I Seem to Be Losing My Sister to a Friend (2)　

“I understand. Giselle, you really are beautiful…”

After listing her praises like a doting fool, Mikhail finally got to the point.

“…But how? Father will surely oppose this.”

“If one wants to achieve a goal, there are many ways. For instance, issuing an imperial decree. There would be other means to make the engagement news a fait accompli.”

Mikhail’s brow furrowed deeply, clearly displeased with the examples she gave.

An imperial decree—that was something not even Duke Amaterasu could easily refuse.

Moreover, the mention of “other means to make the engagement a fait accompli” implied methods that would insult her, which Mikhail understood all too well.

“This won’t do. This isn’t something we can decide among ourselves—I need to discuss it with Father. Let’s return to the estate immediately, Giselle.”

Mikhail reached out his hand as if to take Giselle Grante’s.

But Kavelaseth stepped forward, hiding her behind his back.

“Kavel? What are you doing?”

Unlike usual, Mikhail glared at Kavelaseth with sharp eyes.

However, Kavelaseth merely uttered one indifferent phrase.

“I have an idea.”

Mikhail looked at Kavelaseth with an expression that said he’d hear him out, and Kavelaseth soon explained his plan.

“If the Crown Prince intends to make his engagement news with Giselle a fait accompli as she says, we just need to beat him to it by announcing our engagement first.”

Giselle Grante, who had been silently waiting for Kavelaseth to finish speaking, stepped aside and voiced her opinion.

“Indeed, that seems like a good idea. If he spreads such rumors about a woman who already has a fiancé, only the Crown Prince will be disgraced.”

“Wait! Wait. I understand it’s a good idea, but you two… are you serious?”

Mikhail asked, looking back and forth between Giselle Grante and Kavelaseth.

Announcing Kavelaseth as Giselle Grante’s fiancé would protect her for now.

But his question was about what would happen after that. Were they really going to get engaged and then married?

Then Kavelaseth looked at her intently with a questioning gaze.

After hesitating briefly at Kavelaseth’s peculiar look, Giselle Grante soon opened her mouth.

“After we announce the engagement and the matter is resolved, we can cancel the engagement then.”

“That’s true, but…”

Mikhail still looked unconvinced as he alternated his gaze between her and Kavelaseth.

“For now, since Giselle, the party to the engagement, says she’s fine with it, let’s discuss the plan going forward.”

Giselle Grante nodded slightly in agreement with Kavelaseth’s words that left no room for objection, then suddenly realized something and blinked rapidly.

‘But what’s this about?’

Kavelaseth’s attitude of casually referring to her as “Giselle” was quite unfamiliar.

After briefly pondering this, Giselle Grante soon found the answer.

‘He must have picked up Mikhail’s speech habit.’

In fact, she had recently experienced something similar as her interactions with Count Greykin’s daughter increased, so she understood quickly.

Only after resolving this concern could Giselle Grante focus on the current situation.

“I have a good idea for how to spread the engagement news.”

She recalled what she had seen in the original Giselle Grante’s diary.

It was written that the Empress mentioned Joshua and Giselle’s engagement and brought up the imperial decree at a public yet not overly crowded venue.

‘It must be a small tea party held at the imperial palace.’

Thanks to knowing what would happen in the future and understanding the Empress’s temperament, she judged she could use this to her advantage.

And she conveyed her plan to the two men—how to announce her and Kavelaseth’s engagement first.

“Sounds good.”

Kavelaseth nodded in agreement, and Mikhail also showed a positive reaction.

“I think so too.”

Having obtained both men’s consent, all that remained was to put the plan into action.

Giselle Grante secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If this went well, perhaps she could change the future.

Something the original Giselle Grante had failed to do despite having the ability to see the future.

“Then it’s settled. Mikhail, you inform Duke Amaterasu about this.”

Kavelaseth issued a dismissal order to Mikhail.

But just as Mikhail was about to leave the reception room, he suddenly stopped and asked Kavelaseth.

“By the way, how am I supposed to… persuade Father?”

Kavelaseth approached Mikhail.

“Mikhail.”

“…Yes?”

Then he placed a hand on his shoulder and said.

“I believe in you.”

In other words, Mikhail should figure out how to explain things well to Duke Amaterasu on his own.

“…Huh? Oh.”

Mikhail blinked slowly.

He looked innocent yet somehow… like a pushover.

But Giselle Grante decided not to bring this up in front of Mikhail.

Thinking there must be an emotional bond between them that she didn’t know about.

****

Returning alone to the Amaterasu ducal estate without Giselle Grante, Mikhail couldn’t shake off his complicated feelings.

‘Kavel and Giselle are getting engaged…’

As family, he should be happy that Giselle Grante would marry the man she liked so much.

He should congratulate her on achieving this result.

Moreover, Kavelaseth, whom he’d watched since childhood, didn’t seem likely to torment Giselle Grante with woman problems.

He definitely didn’t have a sadistic personality, so there was no worry he’d hit Giselle Grante.

Gambling, drinking, women—he had no elements that would cause trouble in any of these areas.

He could guarantee that Kavelaseth was flawless. In many ways.

Furthermore, among unmarried men in the Phasis Empire, he could be called the best choice.

Hadn’t Mikhail himself subtly suggested that Kavelaseth reconsider his feelings about his sister while Giselle Grante was chasing him?

The fact that Kavelaseth was the best match for Giselle Grante remained unchanged, but there was one concern.

They hadn’t yet achieved the goal of their alliance.

After Kavelaseth claimed the throne, perhaps. But before that, the risk was too great.

Of course, given how long and thoroughly they had planned and prepared, there seemed unlikely to be any major complications in achieving their goal.

Still, there was such a thing as unforeseen circumstances…

Mikhail was thinking this far when—

“The Duke has returned home.”

Following the butler’s announcement, Duke Amaterasu strode into the reception room shortly after.

Canceling all his afternoon appointments and returning to the estate early showed just how worried he was about Giselle Grante’s safety.

And Mikhail felt the same way.

“…”

Entering the reception room, Duke Amaterasu immediately looked around.

It was clear he was searching for Giselle Grante.

And for good reason.

After receiving Kavelaseth’s letter last night, Duke Amaterasu had barely contained his fury.

It was Mikhail who had barely stopped Duke Amaterasu from immediately storming the Cardia ducal estate to bring Giselle Grante back.

Mikhail was equally furious about Giselle Grante’s sudden overnight stay.

In fact, Mikhail’s temperament was a spitting image of Duke Amaterasu’s.

Duke Amaterasu had merely become more refined and calmer with age.

So if he visited the Cardia ducal estate in this agitated state, there was no telling what incident might occur.

Moreover, they couldn’t know whether Giselle Grante would want that or not.

So Mikhail had done his utmost to suppress his rising emotions and stop Duke Amaterasu.

He argued that going now would wake Giselle Grante from a sound sleep.

He explained how harmful sleep deprivation was for the skin, and that if Duke Amaterasu’s late visit caused Giselle Grante to lose sleep, given how much she cared about her appearance, she would come to dislike Duke Amaterasu.

Though it was a rather trivial excuse, fortunately Duke Amaterasu understood.

He even shook his head saying that wouldn’t do.

Thus he had gained some time, but dealing with Duke Amaterasu, whose expression was still twisted in displeasure, was once again Mikhail’s job alone today.

‘Kavel, that bastard…’

Only now realizing he’d been played by Kavelaseth, Mikhail squeezed his eyes shut.

“You boasted you’d bring Giselle back, yet you’re alone.”

Duke Amaterasu’s low, powerful voice broke the silence.

Exhaling deeply, Mikhail barely managed to pry apart his tightly sealed lips.

“Well, I…”

Unable to face Duke Amaterasu’s still cold gaze directly, Mikhail soon lowered his eyes.

“I have something to tell you regarding Giselle Grante, Father.”

****

Several days had passed since Mikhail’s sudden visit.

Fortunately, Giselle Grante adapted quickly to the changed environment. After regaining her daily routine, she was taking a walk to shake off the drowsiness that came after a meal.

“…?”

Walking toward the garden, Giselle Grante stopped with a puzzled expression.

And glanced back.

Her eyes met directly with the Cardia ducal household’s maids, who had stopped what they were doing to look at her.

“…!”

Startled, the maids quickly turned their heads away and began moving their paused hands busily.

One maid vigorously scrubbed a massive circular pillar supporting the ducal estate, while another maid energetically mopped the already gleaming floor.

‘What’s this about?’

Tilting her head, Giselle Grante greeted the cleaning maids.

“Good morning.”

The maids, who had been flustered and tense, returned her greeting.

“G-good morning.”

Giselle Grante smiled brightly at them and then turned around.

Leaving the estate and heading toward the garden, Giselle Grante once again noticed something odd and whipped her head around.

Sure enough.

This time too, she made eye contact with the gardeners who had stopped their work to watch her.

As she tilted her head, the gardeners hastily averted their gaze and became absorbed in mowing the lawn.