ITIF Chapter 103

Misunderstanding

The scoundrel who had just caused an unexpected accident was none other than Duke Kavelaseth Cardia.

“Open your eyes properly… and then what comes next?”

Kavelaseth’s voice was pleasant enough to settle gently on the eardrums.

A faint smile graced his lips, making him appear both gentle and noble at first glance.

But separately from that, his gaze upon the chamberlain blazed like that of a wild beast.

“…….”

As the chamberlain stood with his mouth agape, stammering, Kavelaseth gestured with his head.

Understanding this to mean he should continue if he had something to say, the chamberlain prostrated himself flat.

“I-I have committed a mortal sin, Duke Cardia.”

“A mortal sin… That’s not a phrase commonly used. Unless one has truly committed a grave crime.”

His low voice echoed through the empty corridor.

“You and I are meeting for the first time today. I’m rather curious as to how you’ve committed a mortal sin against me.”

“…Pardon? Th-that is, just now I failed to properly watch ahead and didn’t see that Duke Cardia was coming, committing the great discourtesy of bumping into you. I bow my head and apologize once more.”

The chamberlain apologized repeatedly, and Kavelaseth slowly shook his head and spoke.

“Ah, that was an accident. Not a one-sided mistake by either party. Isn’t that right?”

Duke Cardia smiled brightly.

Perhaps due to the smile added to his handsome features that could captivate even a man, the chamberlain stared at him with his mouth slightly open before coming to his senses.

‘He’s forgiving me? This easily?’

Duke Kavelaseth Cardia.

His outstanding abilities were worthy of respect. It was something the chamberlain acknowledged a hundred times over.

However, he had always thought that a person’s abilities and personality were inversely proportional.

This was because rumors circulated that the Duke was such a tyrant that it was difficult to determine who was superior between him and the Emperor.

Naturally, he had thought Duke Cardia would punish him for ramming his body into the Duke’s noble person. But…

The chamberlain was greatly shocked to see Duke Cardia even begin to personally pick up the documents scattered in the corridor.

“I-I’ll do it.”

The chamberlain quickly gathered the documents scattered on the floor, but Duke Cardia paid no mind and picked up the remaining papers.

Then he neatly organized the scattered documents and handed them to the chamberlain.

“I’ve caused you trouble.”

“I simply thought two would be faster than one.”

Saying this, Duke Cardia lifted the corners of his mouth slightly.

‘Wow…’

The chamberlain gazed admiringly at Duke Cardia’s retreating figure, now some distance away.

He too was a proper noble born into a noble family. However, his family’s power was weak, and he was the youngest of four brothers.

Which meant there was no hope of benefiting from the family.

So he had chosen to enter and work in the Imperial Palace.

At first, he had been excited to see the renowned great nobles.

He had even bragged about being acquainted with those great nobles when he went out.

But as he became worn down by his long years in the Imperial Palace, he realized something.

Though he was a noble, his position here was no different from an employee of an estate.

The prestige of the Cardia ducal house had risen so high after his engagement to Lady Amaterasu that rumors circulated it was on par with the Emperor’s.

And such a person had personally picked up documents from the floor and handed them to him.

This was undoubtedly a major event.

Though he suddenly wanted to boast about it, the chamberlain forcibly suppressed that emotion.

He thought he must not let rumors spread that the great Duke Cardia had picked up dust-covered documents.

Just then, the irritated voice of the head chamberlain reached his ears.

“What are you dawdling for? His Majesty the Emperor is asking for you. Hurry up.”

Judging by how he had personally come all this way, there must have been an angry order from the Emperor.

“Y-yes!”

Clutching the documents Duke Cardia had personally picked up preciously, the chamberlain moved toward the Emperor’s office.

“Would you open the door for me?”

Arriving at the door of the office, the chamberlain made a request to the head chamberlain standing beside him.

He felt that if he let go, he would drop the documents Duke Cardia had personally picked up back onto the floor.

“Do you have no hands or feet?”

Grumbling, the head chamberlain opened the office door and snatched away his documents.

Then he set the documents down on one side of the large desk inside the office.

“Is that the report regarding Baron Cypress?”

Without taking his eyes off the documents he was reading, the Emperor asked.

“That’s correct.”

“You may leave now.”

Only after watching the head chamberlain, who had bowed to the Emperor, exit the office did the chamberlain feel relieved.

Though he would have to continue pulling all-nighters, he felt somewhat proud at the thought of having safely completed the work within the deadline.

But that was only momentary.

Not having taken more than a few steps past the office, the chamberlain realized the documents had gotten mixed up in complete disorder.

After Kavelaseth had picked up the documents, the head chamberlain had immediately appeared and rushed him, causing him to forget for a moment.

‘What should I do…?’

As he glanced at the head chamberlain with a flustered face, it happened.

“Head chamberlain!”

It was the Emperor’s voice. Judging by the somewhat raised tone, it definitely wasn’t about anything good.

As the head chamberlain looked at the chamberlain with furrowed brows, the Emperor’s voice was heard again.

“…Head chamberlain!”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

The head chamberlain, who had glared piercingly at the chamberlain as if he wouldn’t let it go if something had gone wrong, rushed into the office.

The chamberlain’s complexion hardened.

‘…What should I do?’

At this rate, the head chamberlain would surely be severely scolded by the Emperor.

His feet wouldn’t move in either direction.

****

“So, are they doing satisfactory work?”

At Marquis Antares’s question, the Empress nodded her head slightly with a thin smile on her lips.

“Her personality is peculiar, but having learned from Duchess Blatnik, her work handling is quite capable.”

At the Empress’s answer, Young Marquis Antares’s eyes widened slightly.

“Isn’t that an incredibly generous evaluation?”

“Indeed. Didn’t even Marchioness Latse struggle for half a year without adapting, just fumbling about?”

Agreeing with his son’s words, Marquis Antares showed a smile.

Though they had said this much, in truth Lady Blatnik was doing quite satisfactory work as a lady-in-waiting.

She could be considered on par with Countess Minster, who came after Marchioness Latse among the ladies-in-waiting.

Considering that Countess Minster had been serving at the Empress’s side for well over ten years, Lady Blatnik’s perceptiveness could be rated at a hundred dan.

However, rather than adding such words, the Empress dismissed the continuing praise.

“That doesn’t mean she’s perfect. I mean she seems like she’d be quite good if taught.”

Nevertheless, the smiles on the faces of Marquis Antares and the Young Marquis showed no signs of fading.

If the Empress, who was stingy with praise, gave an evaluation of “quite good,” it was no different from acknowledging her as considerably outstanding.

“It certainly seems true that one can never know what lies ahead. It feels like yesterday that we were anxious about the news of the alliance between Cardia and Amaterasu, yet we’ve already gained the Blatnik ducal house…”

As Marquis Antares trailed off while lifting the corners of his mouth, his son Young Marquis Antares continued.

“Your Majesty the Empress is surely aware that Lady Blatnik and Lady Howard are close enough to frequently visit each other’s estates.”

Instead of adding more words, the Empress simply nodded lightly.

However, her raised lips showed no signs of coming down.

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together—Marquis and Marchioness Howard were no ordinary people either.

Marquis Howard was as stubborn in temperament as Duchess Blatnik.

Though Marquis Antares had been steadily making contact since before, time had merely passed without receiving any definite answer.

But now, not only had Duchess Blatnik bent her will, but the prize of Marquis Howard’s house had rolled in along with the vine, so smiles wouldn’t leave the three people’s faces.

However, as the saying goes, when good things happen, bad things follow.

Knowing this fact well, the Empress calmed her heart. And she brought up a matter that needed to be handled quickly.

“That aside, what happened with Baron Cypress?”

“It seems the documents regarding Baron Cypress that were compiled over time were delivered to His Majesty the Emperor today. We’ve already made our moves, so Your Majesty the Empress need not worry.”

At Young Marquis Antares’s reliable answer, the Empress nodded.

As long as the Emperor and Duke Cardia’s surveillance continued, there were difficulties in directly meeting and persuading Baron Cypress.

She had been anxious about it, but evidence came before testimony anyway.

Since they had succeeded in fabricating the evidence, it would be fine even if Baron Cypress said something different from the evidence in court.

They just needed to make his words untrustworthy.

“Then I’d like to have a leisurely lunch together for the first time in a while—how is your time, both of you?”

Just as Marquis Antares readily nodded at the Empress’s suggestion, it happened.

A knocking sound rang out. And soon after came Marchioness Latse’s voice, which somehow felt urgent.

“Your Majesty the Empress. I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but there is something you must know.”

The warm atmosphere turned cold as if cold water had been poured on it—it happened in an instant.

And before the Empress could even give an answer, the sound of multiple footsteps began to be heard from the corridor.

It seemed the Empress wasn’t the only one who thought something had gone wrong. The expressions of Marquis Antares and the Young Marquis also hardened in real-time.

“Come in.”

As the Empress’s permission fell, the door soon opened.

Beyond the door, past Marchioness Latse who was looking inside with a troubled expression, there were several more people.

They were the Commander of the Imperial Knights and his subordinate knights.