ITIF Chapter 54

Unintended Tattling

After pondering for a moment, Giselle Grante pulled up one corner of her mouth in a smile and said,

“……I think I know.”

“Did you know? That you were being followed?”

At his question about whether she had known and come here anyway, Giselle Grante quietly shook her head.

“Thanks to the Count telling me, I’ve just found out. I only meant that I have some idea of who might have put a tail on me.”

“And who might that be?”

“Probably someone high up in the imperial palace.”

Count Frederick, who had been silent for a moment as if thinking about who the high-ranking person she mentioned might be, lowered his voice.

“Do you mean His Majesty the Emperor?”

Giselle Grante shook her head lightly. Instead of elaborating to Count Frederick, she blended into the direction crowded with people.

“By the way, what was the reason for wanting to meet outside?”

“Ah, about that. It seems I’ll need to go to my county for a while. There’s been a bit of… a problem on my estate.”

Though he expressed it as “a bit,” it must have been quite a serious concern, as a vein bulged on Count Frederick’s forehead.

“I hope you resolve it well. If you need my help, please let me know.”

Nodding readily, Count Frederick spoke again.

“Along with the news that I’ll be away from the capital for a while… I wanted to meet with you in person to tell you that I’ll likely be unable to attend Baron Cypress’s upcoming invitation.”

“Ah…….”

A small sigh escaped through Giselle Grante’s teeth.

‘So that’s why he wanted to meet.’

Count Frederick, who had been building relationships with the nobles on the list she had previously given him, had caught suspicious circumstances regarding Baron Cypress.

So he had immediately dug into Baron Cypress and quickly discovered that he was someone who assisted the Empress and her family, the House of Antares.

Baron Cypress was the one who handled dirty work.

Filled with hope that investigating Baron Cypress might lead to clues related to Princess Trinity’s death, Count Frederick had focused more on building a relationship with him.

And he had succeeded in receiving an invitation that only those close to him could receive.

‘But… of all times, a problem arises on his estate at this crucial moment. Can this really be a coincidence?’

Somehow she couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling.

“I plan to leave behind a few trustworthy subordinates to handle matters here. I’m thinking of sending one of the sharper ones in my place to the invitation.”

“Then may I attend in your place?”

“……Pardon?”

Looking quite surprised, Count Frederick even stopped walking and turned his head toward Giselle Grante.

“You mustn’t think of Baron Cypress, who has survived long in a dangerous district, as an ordinary noble.”

Count Frederick moved to dissuade her.

“Since we don’t yet know what might happen there, I’m planning to bring as many guards as possible.”

“…….”

Count Frederick let out a faint sigh. On his straight brow, three clear lines of worry were etched.

Giselle Grante looked at Count Frederick’s serious profile and let out a small laugh.

“But since when have you worried about me this much?”

Count Frederick, who had been looking at Giselle Grante with an ambiguous expression, soon blurted out,

“Well, do as you please. If it’s you, my lady, you’ll manage well on your own without me worrying……”

Then he began walking ahead with long strides.

Just when she thought they were parting ways like this, Count Frederick turned around and walked back toward her.

“Should I… take care of that for you?”

He gestured with his eyes toward behind her.

“No, just leave it.”

Giselle Grante shook her head.

And she guessed once more who might have put a tail on her.

The person who immediately came to mind was the Empress. But it seemed the Empress wouldn’t gain much from investigating her.

‘Is it Joshua?’

Perhaps he was holding a grudge from being rejected on the terrace the other day and was trying to dig into her background.

It seemed he intended to find something—anything—to criticize, then threaten her and use it to manipulate her into following his will.

Giselle Grante shook her head with a disgusted expression.

Though her influence on Joshua’s character development had been minuscule, she had never regretted it as much as she did now.

****

Having learned that she was being followed, Giselle Grante didn’t head straight back to the Amaterasu ducal residence. Instead, she wandered around the plaza for quite a while before finally returning home.

Moreover, she engaged in some eccentric behavior on the streets.

She stuck a flower poking out from between cloth bags behind her ear and spun around dancing in the middle of the plaza. After that, she went around interfering with people one by one.

Hoping that word would reach whoever had ordered the tail, without embellishment, that Lady Amaterasu seemed a bit strange.

‘I’m a little tired……’

With her shoulders slightly drooping, Giselle Grante entered the Amaterasu ducal residence.

Just then, Mikhail, who had been coming down the spiral staircase, spotted her and said,

“Giselle, are you just getting back?”

“Yes.”

“Where have you been?”

Mikhail asked as he strode toward Giselle Grante.

His face was full of smiles. Moreover, for some reason, she had the illusion that his tail seemed to be wagging vigorously like a dog’s.

“I didn’t want to just stay cooped up at home… and the weather was nice, so I took a walk.”

As Giselle Grante finished answering and tried to head to her bedroom, Mikhail posed another question.

“What about food? Have you eaten?”

It didn’t seem like he was going to just let her go.

“Have you eaten, brother?”

“I’m about to eat now.”

“Then let’s eat together.”

Mikhail nodded his head vigorously. Seeing the smile spread across Mikhail’s face, she thought she had done well not to refuse.

‘Ah, I should bring that up.’

After moving to the dining room and eating dinner, Giselle Grante spoke up as if a thought had just occurred to her.

“By any chance, could you recommend a knight who’s good at hiding their presence and is quick in their movements?”

“Among the Amaterasu ducal house’s knights?”

“Yes.”

“……There are a few. But why?”

Giselle Grante told him that while walking around the streets today, it had seemed like someone was following her.

“What bastard!”

Mikhail clenched his fist and slammed it down on the table with a bang.

Giselle Grante was startled and flinched, her shoulders trembling. Mikhail immediately apologized.

“Oh, Giselle. I didn’t mean to startle you… I’m sorry.”

Saying it was fine, Giselle Grante shook her head with a small smile.

While it was true she had been startled by Mikhail’s sudden and violent action, she knew he was acting that way out of concern for her.

“The Duke has returned.”

Just then, the butler who entered the dining room announced Duke Amaterasu’s return.

As Giselle Grante and Mikhail tried to rise from their seats, the butler quickly added,

“I informed him that the young master and young lady are dining. The Duke said there’s no need to come out and to finish your meal.”

“Where is Father now?”

To Mikhail’s question, the butler answered,

“He’s gone to his bedroom to change.”

Looking at the empty plate in front of Giselle Grante, Mikhail said,

“I just remembered something urgent, so I’ll excuse myself first.”

“Go ahead.”

Mikhail suddenly stood up from his seat and quickly walked off somewhere. As Giselle Grante quietly watched his retreating figure, a bowl of lemon sorbet was placed in front of her.

Since she had been quite active today and was tired, this seemed perfect timing.

Giselle Grante scooped up the lemon sorbet with a teaspoon and put it in her mouth. A refreshing, cool, and sweet taste spread throughout her mouth.

The corners of her mouth curved into an arc.

“How is it? Is it to your liking?”

The chef, who had been watching her, asked.

Instead of answering, Giselle Grante gave a thumbs up.

****

Knock knock.

“Father, it’s Mikhail. Do you have a moment?”

“Come in.”

Duke Amaterasu was in his shirtsleeves, as if he had been about to change clothes.

“It seems Giselle has a stalker.”

“What!”

Duke Amaterasu flew into a rage and summoned the guards who had accompanied Giselle Grante on her outing today.

Then he heard about the presence of the stalker along with the eccentric behavior Giselle Grante had engaged in today.

“…….”

The expressions of Duke Amaterasu and Mikhail became somewhat peculiar.

“Why on earth would Giselle do that, Father?”

“Hmm…….”

After thinking about it for a moment, the two soon agreed that the urgent matter was dealing with the stalker.

To the two of them, it didn’t matter what Giselle Grante was like. She was simply their precious family member.

Naturally, their conversation flowed in the direction of making sure to punish whichever fearless bastard dared to bother their precious Giselle.

“How about stalking the stalker?”

Mikhail offered his opinion first.

“Yes. Paying them back in kind wouldn’t be bad either.”

Duke Amaterasu, nodding with narrowed eyes, continued,

“I need to see the face of this bastard myself, so if they stick to Giselle again when she goes out, make sure to capture them and bring them here. Don’t kill them though.”

“Understood, Your Grace.”

The guard knight nodded as he looked at Duke Amaterasu’s stern face.

****

At that moment, in the imperial palace.

The Emperor was clutching his throbbing head and continuously gulping down wine.

The chamberlain entered the office holding a thick stack of parchments.

“……Your Majesty.”

“Is there more I need to look at today?”

“My apologies…….”

The chamberlain, biting his lip, gently placed the parchments he was holding on the Emperor’s desk.

Even without reading them, he could roughly guess what was written on the parchments.

They would be petitions.

They were flowing into the imperial palace from all over the empire, and the volume was considerable. Already on the Emperor’s desk were petitions that had arrived today and yesterday, piled high.