ITIF Chapter 57

His Birthday

The person currently following her would report to someone about where she goes and whom she meets.

If that happened, they would learn that she had connections to Baron Cypress, and even to Count Frederick.

After unnecessarily wandering through shopping districts and busy streets, the sun began to set before she knew it.

It was only when the sky had turned pitch black with nightfall that Giselle Grante boarded a carriage heading to the Amaterasu ducal residence.

The road leading to the Amaterasu ducal residence was quiet.

Naturally, it wasn’t difficult to notice that besides the carriage she was riding in, there was one more horse following from a distance.

As the Amaterasu ducal residence drew near, she ordered the carriage to stop.

When the carriage stopped before entering the Amaterasu ducal residence grounds, the person who had been following her seemed momentarily flustered and slowed down their galloping horse.

As the distance between the horse and carriage closed, Giselle Grante slowly opened the carriage window and spoke to the tail who was reluctantly trying to pass by the carriage.

“If you don’t mind, could you help me with something?”

The other person, seemingly flustered, hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Is something wrong?”

“The carriage wheel seems to be broken.”

“Ah, I see. That must be troublesome for you…”

“Could you go to the estate just ahead and call someone who can help?”

“…I’ll do that.”

“How kind of you…”

Giselle Grante smiled faintly as she watched the man walk away.

‘Walking into the tiger’s den on his own feet.’

The person who had been following Giselle Grante for some time was captured by the Amaterasu ducal house’s knights before even reaching the estate’s iron gates.

****

“How did it go? Did he open his mouth easily?”

Giselle Grante asked, looking at Duke Amaterasu and Mikhail as they emerged from the interrogation room.

She had only learned today that this place was used as an interrogation room—or rather, a torture chamber. If not for the bloodstains on Duke Amaterasu and Mikhail’s fists.

Noticing Giselle Grante’s gaze on his shirt sleeves, Duke Amaterasu adjusted the sleeves he had rolled up in an instant and said,

“Well, it wasn’t easy to make him talk… Anyway, there won’t be any more strange fellows following you around, Giselle. So don’t be afraid.”

Duke Amaterasu spoke reassuringly, and Mikhail added his own comment.

“That’s right, Giselle. We’ll take care of everything. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

“….”

She had many questions—who had ordered him to tail her, how much had he reported?

But instead of asking such things, Giselle Grante showed a bright smile.

“Thank you, Father, Brother. Thanks to you both, I can now go out without worry.”

“…..”

Duke Amaterasu and Mikhail, who had been staring at her face for a moment, rolled up their carefully arranged shirt sleeves again and re-entered the interrogation room.

Soon, harsh curses followed by a man’s screams could be heard from beyond the door. As it was used for interrogation—or rather, torture—they seemed to have paid attention to soundproofing, as the man’s screams felt like they were coming from far away.

Turning around and walking down the corridor, Giselle Grante tilted her head.

‘That means they anticipated such things happening from when they built the estate…’

The prevailing opinion had been that the Amaterasu ducal family members had for generations loved books, cherished peace, and possessed gentle dispositions.

Having actually become an Amaterasu and experienced it firsthand, she could realize that the public’s assessment was quite mistaken.

****

After the Emperor’s order forbidding outings, Joshua was killing time boringly in the imperial palace. That didn’t mean he was doing nothing, however.

He was spending time with a chamber maid. For the Crown Princess he would welcome in the future.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, ahhh…”

It was around the time the moans in the bedroom were growing louder again.

That’s when Count Court Anwarz’s voice was heard from beyond the bedroom door.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Joshua shouted nonchalantly.

“Come in.”

Count Court Anwarz, who had opened the bedroom door and entered, flinched in surprise and stepped back. But Joshua didn’t care about his reaction.

“I came to report something, should I come back later?”

“If you have something to say, say it quickly and get out.”

“Yes, yes…”

Count Court Anwarz, not knowing where to look and only rolling his eyes around, quickly began his report.

The content was about the matter of tailing the daughter of Duke Amaterasu.

After listening to her eccentric behavior for a while, Joshua raised his hand as if to say that was enough.

“The more I know, she’s nothing but a crazy woman.”

Soon, as if he’d lost interest, Joshua released the chamber maid he’d been holding and got up from the bed.

Count Court Anwarz hurried to spread wide the silk gown that was on the sofa. Joshua promptly slipped his arms into the silk gown.

Wearing only a thin silk gown over his bare body, Joshua approached the table and poured strong liquor into a crystal glass.

Since they were already struggling with a shortage of hands, Count Court Anwarz thought this was his chance and asked Joshua’s opinion, hoping to stop the surveillance of Lady Amaterasu.

“Then what about the surveillance of Lady Amaterasu—would it be better to continue?”

Swirling the crystal glass with ice floating in it, Joshua said,

“Forget it.”

Then he took a sip of the liquor in the glass.

But before any color could return to Count Court Anwarz’s face, Joshua immediately opened his mouth again.

“Have them follow Duke Cardia instead.”

Biting the soft flesh inside his mouth, Count Court Anwarz asked back.

“…Yes. What aspects should I focus on investigating?”

“Everything, all of it… Whether it’s women or debts, anything that could be a flaw.”

Count Court Anwarz let out a sigh without Joshua noticing and answered.

“Understood.”

And he had to leave the bedroom without even recovering his investment.

****

Walking through the garden after a meal, Giselle Grante discovered Mikhail sitting on a bench leisurely reading a book and moved her steps in that direction.

“Brother?”

He was so absorbed in his book that he didn’t even notice her presence.

‘Would speaking to him be disturbing?’

Thinking she might be needlessly bothering the concentrating Mikhail, and wondering if she should just continue on her way, Giselle Grante changed her mind and poked Mikhail’s shoulder.

“Ah! You startled me… Giselle?”

Mikhail looked at her in surprise.

Was he embarrassed about being absorbed in his book just moments ago?

“I’m sorry. You didn’t respond when I called…”

When she apologized with a troubled expression, Mikhail blushed slightly on his cheeks and offered the seat beside him.

“…Want to sit?”

Giselle Grante sat next to Mikhail and glanced at the cover of the book he had been reading until just before.

Sensing her gaze, Mikhail quickly flipped the book over.

‘Politics and Theology in Mythology…’

She had already read the title, so it was meaningless.

“Out for a walk?”

At Mikhail’s question, Giselle Grante nodded.

“These days, everywhere I go people are talking about His Highness the Crown Prince… You’ve heard too, haven’t you, Brother?”

Though Mikhail had seemed uninterested in gossip until now, since it was a topic closely related to his friend Kavelaseth, he immediately nodded.

“That’s right. It makes sense…”

“I don’t understand complicated matters well, but still, as one member of the Empire’s people, I have some doubts about whether the current Crown Prince is suitable as the next Emperor.”

Mikhail turned his head sharply toward her and asked back.

“You mean you doubt the Crown Prince’s qualifications?”

“Yes. I understand that a monarch should not be swayed by emotions. But His Highness the Crown Prince’s actions recently were quite impulsive. If someone so emotional and spontaneous becomes Emperor, he might become an even worse tyrant than the current Emperor…”

Giselle Grante, who had been listing her opinions at length, closed her mouth at that point. And she checked Mikhail’s expression.

‘I thought he would react appropriately if I went this far.’

But contrary to her expectations, instead of adding his own opinion, Mikhail only frowned slightly as if lost in thought.

“…Brother?”

“I’m a little surprised.”

“…By what?”

The question was almost laughable, as Mikhail’s expression right now showed his thoughts too transparently.

‘When did our Giselle become so smart?’

He seemed to be thinking something along those lines.

‘A serious conversation will be difficult at this rate…’

Thinking that, Giselle Grante turned her gaze to the well-maintained greenery of the garden, as if trimmed with a ruler.

‘I wish I could know how far the usurpation plan has progressed…’

But neither Duke Amaterasu nor Mikhail said a word about the important plan on which the ducal house’s survival depended.

‘Did they make some kind of confidentiality agreement?’

Otherwise, there seemed to be no need to keep it secret from her.

Having no choice, she spent time exchanging various trivial conversations with Mikhail without bringing up what she really wanted to talk about.

She focused the conversation topics on the current imperial family and Kavelaseth, hoping Mikhail would inadvertently let something slip about the plan, but Mikhail only skillfully evaded.

“By the way, Giselle, how are things with Kavel these days?”

Could it be?

‘He doesn’t still think I like Kavelaseth, does he? Come to think of it…’

Only then did she realize that since the owner of this body had changed, she had never revealed to anyone other than Kavelaseth that her feelings toward him had changed.

While she just blinked blankly, Mikhail quickly added,

“You don’t need to worry about that Marchioness Berilston who came to the palace ball with Kavel. There seems to be a rumor about engagement talks, but he said it was just to attend a partner gathering together.”

It was a matter she hadn’t been concerned about at all, but instead of adding such words, Giselle Grante only nodded.

After watching her reaction for a moment, Mikhail spoke brightly as if to lighten the mood.

“Oh, right! Kavel’s birthday is coming up soon.”

“Duke Cardia’s birthday is soon?”

“It’s on the Founding Day. Giselle, did you not know?”

Mikhail looked at Giselle Grante with a surprised expression.

‘The Founding Day is Duke Cardia’s birthday? Then there’s no way I wouldn’t know…’

This was because the Founding Day, which was Kavelaseth’s birthday, was also Trinity’s birthday.