RTM 09

Count Remington was making a fuss. It was because Edward had come down from the dais and was looking in their direction.

Roberetta immediately averted her gaze. The rumor had surely already reached the Empress’s ears, and she had also heard through palace informants that the Empress was leaning toward removing her entirely. At this point, there was no reason for Edward to seek her out.

He’s probably just here to greet Father.

Roberetta remained calm. The Remington Marquis House had made its fortune and then aligned itself with Edward and the Empress, functioning faithfully as the Empress’s hand. So Edward offering a simple greeting out of courtesy was entirely possible.

Rather, since Crown Prince Henry had been showing off his faction by gathering his close allies, Edward would need to make a similar gesture.

“Marquis Remington, how do you find today’s banquet?”

“It is a splendid banquet. The atmosphere is especially fine today.”

“Is that so? Over there seems quite lively indeed.”

Edward pointed toward Henry’s side. Many nobles had already turned their backs on Edward while watching Henry instead. Even the usually oblivious Marquis Remington could tell Edward was displeased.

“Not at all! I meant to say that Her Majesty the Empress’s banquet is wonderful. Please take a look at my daughter and ease your mood.”

The Marquis pulled Roberetta forward. Whenever his own words failed him, he always made Roberetta speak instead. It had always worked well, so he simply waited for her to handle it.

“I greet Your Highness Prince Edward.”

“I heard from the Marquis that you might be able to ease my mood. What can you do for me?”

“What I can offer is only a small opening—like creating a waterway.”

“A waterway?”

As Edward tilted his head in confusion, Roberetta quietly began calling over the eastern nobles who had been observing from a distance.

“This is Marquis Achillet. A leading figure in eastern maritime trade. He is indispensable in direct trade with Mildrak.”

“And this is Count Braham. A master of iron mines and metallurgy.”

“Marquis Drowd, the ‘King of Forests,’ oversees more than half of the empire’s timber production.”

Starting with the three nobles she introduced, the nobles around Edward began to gather as well.

After finishing her introductions, Roberetta quietly stepped back and slipped away.

Calius felt like tearing his cravat loose in frustration.

But he couldn’t.

Too many people were watching him. Every single movement of his was under scrutiny, and that was not a pleasant feeling.

Even when Nathan reported it, he could hardly believe it—but seeing how the entire banquet now treated him as the center of attention, it was clear everyone already knew the rumor.

Not to mention Crown Prince Henry and even Archduke Armand had openly commented on it.

Henry had even mocked him, saying there must be a reason he hadn’t been detained on the spot and that he should “do his best,” sarcastically.

He had also said that since Calius had been marked as “unfit as a guardian,” he would need to follow Henry’s judgment properly in order to complete any inheritance procedures.

Then the Archduke’s daughter from Armand arrived, and the attention shifted elsewhere.

Taking advantage of the moment, Calius stepped back. He had decided to keep his distance from Crown Prince Henry, just as Roberetta had advised.

Meeting Henry in person had felt strangely different from what he had heard. Until now, public opinion had leaned toward Calius becoming the guardian. Yet once Henry raised the possibility that Calius was unfit, the result had shifted to disqualification.

Perhaps Henry had manipulated things behind the scenes.

There he is!

At last, Calius spotted Roberetta standing in a corner of the banquet hall.

The moment their eyes met, she smiled—then turned away.

Whenever Calius approached, she moved away.

After circling the banquet hall like that, he grew increasingly irritated. It felt like she was toying with him.

The next time their eyes met, Calius rushed forward and grabbed her hand.

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

All eyes in the banquet hall turned toward them.

Calius didn’t seem to care about the attention at all.

Everything was going exactly as she had planned.

Roberetta smiled brightly and tugged his hand. Calius, almost spellbound, stepped closer to her. Then, realizing she was right in front of him, he panicked and covered his ears.

“Are you planning to do that again here like you did at the funeral?”

Of course, she had only intended to whisper. But the sight of Calius nervously covering his ears was amusing, and she couldn’t help smiling.

“Let’s go somewhere quiet.”

Calius and Roberetta stepped out onto a nearby terrace. The cold night air helped clear his head slightly. Still, his frustration didn’t fade, and he loosened his cravat.

Roberetta stood by the railing, quietly waiting. She looked calm, but to Calius, even that felt like mockery.

He felt like nothing more than an inexperienced soldier being toyed with.

Getting this agitated won’t solve anything.

Calius steadied his breathing.

He had questions for her.

“You told me to trust you if something happened, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Did you already know about the masterminds behind the kidnapping attempt?”

“Yes.”

Her simple affirmation made Calius realize she likely knew more than just that.

“Can you tell me more?”

“What are you curious about?”

“You told me to keep my distance from Crown Prince Henry. When I met him, he indeed seemed… unpleasant. But the issue is that after he declared me unfit as a guardian, the Emperor’s approval was delayed and an official notice of disqualification was issued.”

At first, he had thought she was simply trying to sow discord.

But after the attempted kidnapping of Michael, his thinking had changed. He now believed Roberetta had information hidden from everyone else.

“Did you warn me because you foresaw all of this?”

This was the question she had been waiting for.

“How long did it take you to reach the scene after receiving news of the kidnapping?”

“Two days and nights without rest. I switched horses at each relay station, so I arrived faster than usual.”

Calius recalled those chaotic memories. The Western Front had been in a lull, and he and his mercenary unit had been rotated to the rear.

Then, quite suddenly, they had received news of the archducal couple’s kidnapping.

Crown Prince Henry, the Western Front commander, had immediately ordered deployment, and Calius and his mercenaries had raced to the scene, changing horses at each post.

Yet the outcome had been poor.

“And when you returned to the capital, you entered with your mercenary unit without inspection, correct?”

“That was thanks to Prince Henry’s discretion. Ah!”

Calius realized it.

Without Henry’s permission, his mercenary unit would never have been allowed into the capital.

He had been too focused on rushing back to care about his nephew left behind—but now it was obvious.

“So it really was overreach… bringing a mercenary force not officially assigned to territory into the capital.”

No armed force outside the Emperor’s direct control was allowed in the capital. Only a few knights and guards assigned to noble estates were tolerated. No noble was permitted to station troops there.

“That must be why he said that…”

Henry had requested 300 soldiers for the hunting festival.

The Imperial Hunting Festival was a mandatory event hosted directly by the Emperor.

Even a hunting drive required at most thirty beaters.

Ten times that number…

That meant Henry was aiming for something far larger.

“Don’t tell me… rebellion?”

“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Sir Calius.”

Calius felt a strange familiarity in the way Roberetta said his name. It felt as if he had heard her voice calling him like that many times before.

Why does even a normal voice feel like this?

Moreover, few people ever called him by name.

Most referred to him as “Lord Droyson.”

The previous Duke had granted him a courtesy title before he even entered the academy.

Because he was a bastard, he had no right to use the family name, and the title was meant to protect him from being reduced to a mere label of insult.

“The Alexandros Ducal House supports Crown Prince Henry. If something happens, it won’t end safely.”

“There’s still time before anything happens. We can respond.”

At Roberetta’s words, Calius looked straight at her.

“Then… let’s enter a contract marriage.”