ITIF Chapter 32

Answer to Prayer

Even so, was there really something to be jealous about just because he had a brief conversation with his younger sister?

While Kavelaseth was having such thoughts, Mikhail’s words continued.

“Kavel, didn’t she throw soft punches at you?”

Soft punches?

‘Is he talking about Giselle Grante’s small, white fists?’

Kavelaseth tried to imagine Giselle Grante throwing soft punches like cotton at him, but he couldn’t quite picture it.

So he immediately asked back.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the female cat that supposedly snuck into the mansion…”

Soon, a faint smile spread across Kavelaseth’s lips.

This was because he recalled Giselle Grante’s appearance from earlier when she had vigorously mimicked a female cat in heat to escape from danger.

“…Don’t tell me she allowed you to pet her?”

Mikhail was surely talking about a cat.

But if he thought of Giselle Grante as the subject, the interpretation became completely different.

“…”

Kavelaseth quickly brushed away the thought that suddenly arose.

When no answer came from him, Mikhail continued speaking with some excitement, as if frustrated.

“What? Did she really allow you to pet her? That proud Catsy? Is that why you’ve been with her all this time?”

Mikhail pressed him with an irritated voice.

It looked exactly like someone trying to control a cheating lover.

It was when Kavelaseth let out a quiet chuckle at Mikhail’s unusually anxious behavior.

‘Ah…’

Only then did Kavelaseth recall that Mikhail had mentioned several times the story of a cat living together in the mansion.

That female cat who wouldn’t even give him a chance to pet her unless he had food in his hands, and was always on guard.

“Mind your own business.”

Kavelaseth glanced at Mikhail with only his eyes while keeping his face fixed forward, then turned his gaze back to the front.

After grumbling for a while, Mikhail finally shut his mouth only after receiving a sharp look from Duke Amaterasu.

During Kavelaseth’s brief absence, the meeting had reached its final stages.

The conclusion was that surveillance of Joshua and the Empress, as well as Countess Tarel and Philipo, needed to be even more thorough.

When Kavelaseth agreed, the nobles began leaving the meeting room one by one.

In the bustling atmosphere, Kavelaseth quietly spoke up.

“Mikhail.”

“…?”

“Did you tell your sister about the ‘alliance’?”

Mikhail’s eyes widened for a moment, then he vigorously shook his head.

“No? Why are you suddenly asking about that?”

“Never mind then.”

Since they needed to move swiftly before dawn, the nobles who attended the meeting, led by Kavelaseth, quickly left Duke Amaterasu’s residence.

****

Mikhail called out to Duke Amaterasu, who was heading to his bedroom with tired eyes.

“Father. Could we have a brief conversation?”

“What is it?”

“I think we need to discuss what to do about Giselle.”

“Ah, that matter.”

Duke Amaterasu let out a small sigh and gestured for Mikhail to follow him.

Entering his bedroom, Duke Amaterasu took out a crystal glass and wine bottle, asking Mikhail.

“Will you drink?”

“I’m fine.”

When Mikhail declined, Duke Amaterasu sat on the sofa, sipping wine alone.

Not long ago, the two had advised in the carriage heading to the Grand Temple that they needed to choose someone suitable for Giselle Grante carefully.

And afterwards, Giselle Grante had responded that if she wanted to take care of herself as a member of the Amaterasu ducal family, she needed to know who the Amaterasu ducal family was supporting.

“Mikhail, what do you think? It seems we can’t just continue pretending not to know and turning away…”

Mikhail and Duke Amaterasu had chosen Duke Cardia as their hidden card against the tyrant Emperor quite some time ago.

After that, they sought nobles who would join their cause and formed an alliance.

Even knowing well that if discovered by the Emperor, they couldn’t escape charges of treason.

And all the nobles who decided to participate in the alliance swore to a secrecy clause.

This secrecy clause applied to family members as well, because the more people who knew the secret, the higher the risk of exposure.

It was also to protect their families.

Even if the rebellion was discovered, wives could be excluded from responsibility through divorce, and daughters could also escape treason charges by being married off to other families.

So Giselle Grante had to remain ignorant of the alliance’s existence and which nobles belonged to it.

Therefore, the Amaterasu father and son were in a very difficult situation to answer Giselle Grante’s previous question.

It would be a clear violation of the secrecy clause.

In response to Duke Amaterasu’s question, Mikhail also couldn’t provide an answer and kept sighing repeatedly.

The two discussed the matter further for some time, but couldn’t find a clear solution and remained at an impasse.

“More than that, Father, I’m more worried about the interest the Empress is showing in Giselle.”

Duke Amaterasu’s brow furrowed deeply.

“Hmm…”

It was a problem he had been continuously concerned about since the Empress began showing movements to find a companion for Crown Prince Joshua.

“Father, do you remember when Giselle began showing interest in Duke Cardia?”

Duke Amaterasu nodded with a troubled expression.

How could he forget?

She was a daughter he had raised preciously. The fact that such a daughter had found someone to love came as a great shock to Duke Amaterasu.

“Looking back now, it might not have been a bad way to avoid the Empress’s attention.”

“What do you mean?”

“It wasn’t an intentional union between families, was it? It was simply that the young lady of the Amaterasu ducal family fell in love at first sight with Duke Cardia, and Duke Amaterasu, who cherished his daughter so much, merely turned a blind eye to his daughter’s willful behavior.”

It made sense when he heard it.

At the time, he was too worried that his daughter might leave his side at any moment to think that far.

But looking back now, it was undoubtedly the only way to unite the Amaterasu and Cardia ducal families without going against the Emperor’s mood.

“That’s true, but lately Giselle doesn’t seem to be paying attention to Duke Cardia like she used to?”

“Back then, Giselle was also young. Now she’s become an adult. Hasn’t the size of her pride that she needs to protect also grown?”

This meant that whereas before she showed no shame and openly displayed her feelings toward Duke Cardia, now she had learned to somewhat conceal them.

At Mikhail’s words, the furrow in Duke Amaterasu’s brow deepened even more.

****

In the quiet prayer room enclosed on all sides, the Empress was lost in thought.

But her peace of mind was only momentary.

When the day of the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony came to mind, veins bulged on the Empress’s forehead.

‘How dare a mistress’s son ruin things…’

The Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony was a moving and glorious occasion where the Empress’s long-cherished wish was fulfilled.

After eliminating Princess Trinity, who had persistently survived and caused trouble, things seemed to be proceeding smoothly for a while, but at that historic moment, the mistress’s son appeared!

Recalling that moment again, anger surged up enough to make her teeth chatter.

But the Empress deliberately let that emotion flow away and regained her composure.

And she coldly looked back on the situation.

‘Could it have been an idea that came from that stupid mistress’s head?’

The Empress shook her head.

It had been more than ten years since she had been hiding like a nonentity, tail tucked between her legs, after being intimidated just a few times.

She judged that there must be a good reason for such a Countess Tarel to suddenly come out so boldly.

‘Or perhaps she had been waiting quietly, holding her breath for an opportunity to come…’

The Empress also knew this well, having waited patiently for a long time until Joshua became Crown Prince.

She knew that one had to know how to wait quietly for the right time to face a much better future.

But for that to be the case, it didn’t match the stories she had heard through the watchers she had placed.

The Empress calmly pictured in her mind the situation on the day of the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony.

After doing this for a while and considering various circumstances, the Empress soon reached a conclusion.

‘There’s a force behind the scenes manipulating the Emperor’s mistress.’

And she discovered one fact that she hadn’t realized at the time.

The Emperor had not said anything about recognizing the mistress’s son as a prince that day.

The corners of the Empress’s red lips curled up.

‘So you’re going to come out like this to the end.’

Of course, she hadn’t thought that even after the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony, the Emperor would easily abdicate to Joshua.

After quietly organizing her thoughts, the Empress left the prayer room and walked to the High Priest’s office.

When the Empress entered the office, the High Priest rose from his seat and bowed deeply.

“Did you receive an answer to your prayer?”

To the High Priest’s question, the Empress answered with a faint smile.

“Yes. A very good one.”

“I’m truly glad you found an answer.”

At the High Priest’s gaze asking what the answer was, the Empress immediately continued.

“It seems the mistress has someone behind her. If there’s anyone among those who visit the Grand Temple who brings up related stories, I trust you’ll definitely inform me.”

As if waiting for the Empress’s words to end, Marchioness Latse quickly handed a heavy pouch of gold coins to the High Priest.

“Of course. Just leave it to me, Your Majesty the Empress.”

****

‘One, two, three…’

Before getting out of the carriage, Giselle Grante counted the number of carriages waiting at Count Tarel’s residence.

She could immediately tell that the number of nobles visiting Countess Tarel’s salon had definitely increased.

‘It must be the aftermath of the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony. It won’t last long, though.’

It was proof that the nobles were beginning to move according to Giselle Grante’s intentions.

‘They must believe the Emperor recognized Count Tarel’s son as a prince.’

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have visited Countess Tarel’s salon while taking on the risk of potentially falling out of the Empress’s favor.