However, even as time passed, Jeremiah’s mouth did not open.
‘What? If you have something to say, say it quickly.’
Karina looked at Jeremiah with a dissatisfied look.
At that moment, Caroline came into the restaurant.
“You were both eating.”
Karina’s brow furrowed involuntarily at Caroline’s appearance. She tried to straighten her furrowed brow and smooth her expression, but Caroline continued.
“I already had something to say to you two, so it’s good that you’re together.”
‘What to say? What nonsense are you going to say to get on my nerves?’
Karina’s brow furrowed again after trying so hard.
“My acquaintances are coming to the Grand Duke’s house in a week. They’re having a small tea party, and my close friends, the young ladies, and the young masters, are coming.”
The first to react to those words was Jeremiah.
“Tea party? It hasn’t been long since the last banquet ended.”
“That’s why. There was something unpleasant on the day of the banquet.”
Caroline brought up the incident that day as if it were an unavoidable accident.
“We need to show that the Grand Duke’s honor and prestige are still intact that day.”
Jeremiah didn’t look too pleased with Caroline’s words.
“The Grand Duke’s honor and prestige were never hurt. That merchant paid a heavy price for ignoring the Grand Duke.”
Later, he heard that the merchant was beaten to death and abandoned in the northern forest swarming with monsters.
It was a northern forest where even trained knights would have a hard time returning alive on their own.
He must have fallen prey to monsters or beasts long ago.
“That’s that. This is this.”
Caroline, who was talking to Jeremiah, suddenly looked at Karina.
“The Grand Duchess, if you have time, I would like you to come.”
“I don’t want to.”
She tried to answer right away, but her mouth was full of food, so she couldn’t refuse right away.
She chewed hard to say that she wasn’t going.
However, Karina stopped at Caroline’s words that followed.
“Jeremiah, I wish you could come for a little while when you have time.”
“...?”
‘Caroline is inviting Jeremiah to her tea party?’
Caroline was always looking for an opportunity to tease Karina.
She didn’t like Jeremiah attending tea parties.
The main purpose of the tea parties that Caroline hosted was to publicly embarrass Karina.
However, there was one exception in the past.
Among the incidents that Karina remembered, the tea party incident where Caroline had persistently urged Jeremiah to come came to mind.
‘But that incident happened a little later than now?’
Karina tilted her head.
“I have a lot of work to do, so I don’t think I can attend.”
Jeremiah firmly refused.
“It’s not good to be too busy with work. Sometimes, I have a cup of tea to cool my head, and that way I can work more efficiently.”
Caroline continued speaking fluently as if she had already expected that.
“...I’ll consider it.”
Jeremiah answered with an expression that showed no intention of doing so.
“It’s not hard for you to come and show your face at my tea party. It’s not like I’m asking for anything big.”
Caroline continued to persuade Jeremiah.
“...”
Karina was convinced by Caroline’s attitude.
‘It’s a bit early, but that’s right.’
Karina sneered.
‘Then I should prepare in advance.’
As she made up her mind, a good idea occurred to her.
Karina wiped her mouth with a napkin and spoke.
“If we’re going to have a tea party, let’s make it bigger. Wasn’t the regular meeting of the Northern vassals held around this time anyway?”
The regular meeting was scheduled where the Northern vassals loyal to the Colesbergs would meet once every quarter.
There, they discussed incidents and accidents caused by the appearance of monsters, and countermeasures, as well as social welfare, poor relief, human resources support, investment projects, charity projects, donations, and so on.
It was a place to discuss almost everything related to the North.
Jeremiah and Caroline looked at Karina's sudden suggestion.
"In addition to regular meetings, I think it would be good to make it a charity event where we can check the status of poor relief and support projects being carried out in the North and hear from all the people involved."
"..."
“Since so many people are gathered here, it would be good to hear various opinions on the recent frequent occurrence of monsters and countermeasures. This is something that the entire North needs.”
“...”
As she continued to speak, Jeremiah’s expression became strange.
It seemed as if he had never expected Karina to say something like that. He seemed a little surprised by her unexpected words.
“What do you think?”
When Karina asked, Jeremiah, who had been blankly staring at her, opened his mouth.
“Not bad.”
Caroline also nodded after thinking about something.
“Oh, it’s such a good idea.”
For some reason, Caroline complimented Karina’s opinion and even agreed with her.
Karina also looked at Caroline squarely and smiled.
It was because Caroline’s true feelings were so obvious.
‘You must be laughing so hard right now. You're digging your own grave.’
Karina read Caroline’s thoughts exactly.
Caroline’s smile, bright and radiant, looked like a snake’s.
‘Laugh as much as you want now. I’ll show you what it’s like to fall for my tricks.’
Karina quietly made plans for the future.
Karina stared at the table with a rather serious expression.
There were invitations to charity events piled up on the table. They had all been checked to make sure there were no problems and no mistakes in the content or schedule.
Now, all she had to do was pour wax on the envelopes, seal them, and send them out.
“...Why are you doing this?”
Mikhail asked.
“I’m thinking about it.”
“What?”
“There’s an easy way, but I don’t really want to use it.”
“Huh?”
“But... If I don’t use that way, it’ll be too much trouble and a long way to go.”
Karina sighed, pressing her eyes tightly.
“What on earth are you thinking about?”
“... I can’t tell you right now.”
Karina stubbornly kept her mouth shut.
Mikhail snickered as he watched her.
“Why are you laughing?”
Karina pouted at Mikhail, who was laughing beside her as if he found it amusing, while she was deeply troubled.
“Oh, I’m sorry. You look so cute when you’re troubled.”
As he said that, Mikhail’s beauty shone through.
The way he gently arched the corners of his eyes and smiled was so pretty.
“...”
Karina let out a hollow laugh, feeling that she couldn’t get angry at such a handsome man even in this situation.
“I don’t know what the situation is, but if there’s an easy way, can’t you just close your eyes and use it?”
“Close my eyes...”
Karina was lost in thought.
‘Yes. If I go too far back, my plan could completely fall apart. I’m not in a position to be picky right now.’
She handed Mikhail a letter with a determined face.
“Please take this to the ‘flower shop’ and come back. You can also stop by the orphanage and check on the kids.”
Mikhail nodded after receiving the letter Karina handed him.
“You pretend not to care about the children, but you really care about them,”
Mikhail said with a smile.
Karina immediately denied it.
“That’s not it. It’s just.. Now that I know, I can’t ignore it.”
‘And this is something I need to do...’
Karina swallowed her words and let out a self-deprecating laugh.
She didn’t think of herself as a good or kind person.
She had never thought of herself as a dedicated person who would help and save all the needy in the empire.
‘That’s something only a saint can do.’
She naturally thought of the saint Lucia.
As soon as her healing powers were manifested, she entered the temple and traveled around the empire, sparing no effort to heal the sick.
‘What? If you have something to say, say it quickly.’
Karina looked at Jeremiah with a dissatisfied look.
At that moment, Caroline came into the restaurant.
“You were both eating.”
Karina’s brow furrowed involuntarily at Caroline’s appearance. She tried to straighten her furrowed brow and smooth her expression, but Caroline continued.
“I already had something to say to you two, so it’s good that you’re together.”
‘What to say? What nonsense are you going to say to get on my nerves?’
Karina’s brow furrowed again after trying so hard.
“My acquaintances are coming to the Grand Duke’s house in a week. They’re having a small tea party, and my close friends, the young ladies, and the young masters, are coming.”
The first to react to those words was Jeremiah.
“Tea party? It hasn’t been long since the last banquet ended.”
“That’s why. There was something unpleasant on the day of the banquet.”
Caroline brought up the incident that day as if it were an unavoidable accident.
“We need to show that the Grand Duke’s honor and prestige are still intact that day.”
Jeremiah didn’t look too pleased with Caroline’s words.
“The Grand Duke’s honor and prestige were never hurt. That merchant paid a heavy price for ignoring the Grand Duke.”
Later, he heard that the merchant was beaten to death and abandoned in the northern forest swarming with monsters.
It was a northern forest where even trained knights would have a hard time returning alive on their own.
He must have fallen prey to monsters or beasts long ago.
“That’s that. This is this.”
Caroline, who was talking to Jeremiah, suddenly looked at Karina.
“The Grand Duchess, if you have time, I would like you to come.”
“I don’t want to.”
She tried to answer right away, but her mouth was full of food, so she couldn’t refuse right away.
She chewed hard to say that she wasn’t going.
However, Karina stopped at Caroline’s words that followed.
“Jeremiah, I wish you could come for a little while when you have time.”
“...?”
‘Caroline is inviting Jeremiah to her tea party?’
Caroline was always looking for an opportunity to tease Karina.
She didn’t like Jeremiah attending tea parties.
The main purpose of the tea parties that Caroline hosted was to publicly embarrass Karina.
However, there was one exception in the past.
Among the incidents that Karina remembered, the tea party incident where Caroline had persistently urged Jeremiah to come came to mind.
‘But that incident happened a little later than now?’
Karina tilted her head.
“I have a lot of work to do, so I don’t think I can attend.”
Jeremiah firmly refused.
“It’s not good to be too busy with work. Sometimes, I have a cup of tea to cool my head, and that way I can work more efficiently.”
Caroline continued speaking fluently as if she had already expected that.
“...I’ll consider it.”
Jeremiah answered with an expression that showed no intention of doing so.
“It’s not hard for you to come and show your face at my tea party. It’s not like I’m asking for anything big.”
Caroline continued to persuade Jeremiah.
“...”
Karina was convinced by Caroline’s attitude.
‘It’s a bit early, but that’s right.’
Karina sneered.
‘Then I should prepare in advance.’
As she made up her mind, a good idea occurred to her.
Karina wiped her mouth with a napkin and spoke.
“If we’re going to have a tea party, let’s make it bigger. Wasn’t the regular meeting of the Northern vassals held around this time anyway?”
The regular meeting was scheduled where the Northern vassals loyal to the Colesbergs would meet once every quarter.
There, they discussed incidents and accidents caused by the appearance of monsters, and countermeasures, as well as social welfare, poor relief, human resources support, investment projects, charity projects, donations, and so on.
It was a place to discuss almost everything related to the North.
Jeremiah and Caroline looked at Karina's sudden suggestion.
"In addition to regular meetings, I think it would be good to make it a charity event where we can check the status of poor relief and support projects being carried out in the North and hear from all the people involved."
"..."
“Since so many people are gathered here, it would be good to hear various opinions on the recent frequent occurrence of monsters and countermeasures. This is something that the entire North needs.”
“...”
As she continued to speak, Jeremiah’s expression became strange.
It seemed as if he had never expected Karina to say something like that. He seemed a little surprised by her unexpected words.
“What do you think?”
When Karina asked, Jeremiah, who had been blankly staring at her, opened his mouth.
“Not bad.”
Caroline also nodded after thinking about something.
“Oh, it’s such a good idea.”
For some reason, Caroline complimented Karina’s opinion and even agreed with her.
Karina also looked at Caroline squarely and smiled.
It was because Caroline’s true feelings were so obvious.
‘You must be laughing so hard right now. You're digging your own grave.’
Karina read Caroline’s thoughts exactly.
Caroline’s smile, bright and radiant, looked like a snake’s.
‘Laugh as much as you want now. I’ll show you what it’s like to fall for my tricks.’
Karina quietly made plans for the future.
***
Karina stared at the table with a rather serious expression.
There were invitations to charity events piled up on the table. They had all been checked to make sure there were no problems and no mistakes in the content or schedule.
Now, all she had to do was pour wax on the envelopes, seal them, and send them out.
“...Why are you doing this?”
Mikhail asked.
“I’m thinking about it.”
“What?”
“There’s an easy way, but I don’t really want to use it.”
“Huh?”
“But... If I don’t use that way, it’ll be too much trouble and a long way to go.”
Karina sighed, pressing her eyes tightly.
“What on earth are you thinking about?”
“... I can’t tell you right now.”
Karina stubbornly kept her mouth shut.
Mikhail snickered as he watched her.
“Why are you laughing?”
Karina pouted at Mikhail, who was laughing beside her as if he found it amusing, while she was deeply troubled.
“Oh, I’m sorry. You look so cute when you’re troubled.”
As he said that, Mikhail’s beauty shone through.
The way he gently arched the corners of his eyes and smiled was so pretty.
“...”
Karina let out a hollow laugh, feeling that she couldn’t get angry at such a handsome man even in this situation.
“I don’t know what the situation is, but if there’s an easy way, can’t you just close your eyes and use it?”
“Close my eyes...”
Karina was lost in thought.
‘Yes. If I go too far back, my plan could completely fall apart. I’m not in a position to be picky right now.’
She handed Mikhail a letter with a determined face.
“Please take this to the ‘flower shop’ and come back. You can also stop by the orphanage and check on the kids.”
Mikhail nodded after receiving the letter Karina handed him.
“You pretend not to care about the children, but you really care about them,”
Mikhail said with a smile.
Karina immediately denied it.
“That’s not it. It’s just.. Now that I know, I can’t ignore it.”
‘And this is something I need to do...’
Karina swallowed her words and let out a self-deprecating laugh.
She didn’t think of herself as a good or kind person.
She had never thought of herself as a dedicated person who would help and save all the needy in the empire.
‘That’s something only a saint can do.’
She naturally thought of the saint Lucia.
As soon as her healing powers were manifested, she entered the temple and traveled around the empire, sparing no effort to heal the sick.
Lucia was the person Jeremiah had tried to remarry in the past before her return.
‘I didn’t see him remarry because I chased him around like crazy and interfered with him before I died.’
She thought that perhaps the two of them would remarry without any interference after her death.
Her mood sank even further as she thought of that.
“...?”
Karina raised one eyebrow and asked herself,
'Why should I be upset? It's none of my business whether Jeremiah is with Lucia or not. Let's not worry about it.'
Karina shook her head, shaking off her thoughts.
“Your Highness?”
Mikhail called her with a puzzled expression.
“It’s nothing. Come back soon.”
‘I didn’t see him remarry because I chased him around like crazy and interfered with him before I died.’
She thought that perhaps the two of them would remarry without any interference after her death.
Her mood sank even further as she thought of that.
“...?”
Karina raised one eyebrow and asked herself,
'Why should I be upset? It's none of my business whether Jeremiah is with Lucia or not. Let's not worry about it.'
Karina shook her head, shaking off her thoughts.
“Your Highness?”
Mikhail called her with a puzzled expression.
“It’s nothing. Come back soon.”
“...I’ll be right back.”
Even though it was difficult to come back right away, Mikhail always said that.
Karina smiled quietly and nodded.
When Mikhail left, Karina also got up from her seat.
‘Then now I... I’ll have to use that easy but unpleasant method.’
Her steps were not easy, but Karina steeled herself again.
‘Yes. I’ll just close my eyes once and do it.’
Karina headed to Jeremiah’s office to meet him.
Knock.
She knocked on the office door, but there was no answer from inside.
Karina knocked on the office door harder than before.
Knock, knock.
But this time, there was no sound from inside.
‘What? Is he not in the office? That can’t be?’
Karina opened the door to the office with a puzzled expression.
However, Jeremiah’s office was truly empty.
‘Where did he go?’
For a moment, Karina thought it was a good thing.
What she needed was the seal of the Grand Duke of Colesberg that Jeremiah had.
‘If I just use it for a moment when I don’t have it and return it, I won’t have to face Jeremiah.’
Karina quickly went to the office desk and looked for the seal.
‘It’s not there...’
However, no matter how hard she searched, she couldn’t find the seal.
Karina searched through the drawers, trying to guess where the seal might be.
However, it was all in vain.
‘Well, with his personality, he wouldn’t have put the seal anywhere.’
She sighed in disappointment.
She had hoped that she could achieve what she wanted without having to deal with Jeremiah.
‘Should I just go back like this...’
However, she couldn’t give up easily.
‘Is it in the bedroom?’
Jeremiah used the room next to his office as his bedroom.
Since it was right next door, she thought that he might have kept the important seal separately in the bedroom.
Karina became anxious, thinking that she had to find the seal quickly before Jeremiah came back. She got up from where she was crouching in front of the dresser and headed to Jeremiah’s bedroom.
Assuming that no one would be inside, Karina opened the bedroom door without hesitation.
And then she was startled.
“...!”
Jeremiah, who looked like he had just washed up, was looking back at her with only a towel wrapped around him.
Even though it was difficult to come back right away, Mikhail always said that.
Karina smiled quietly and nodded.
When Mikhail left, Karina also got up from her seat.
‘Then now I... I’ll have to use that easy but unpleasant method.’
Her steps were not easy, but Karina steeled herself again.
‘Yes. I’ll just close my eyes once and do it.’
Karina headed to Jeremiah’s office to meet him.
***
Knock.
She knocked on the office door, but there was no answer from inside.
Karina knocked on the office door harder than before.
Knock, knock.
But this time, there was no sound from inside.
‘What? Is he not in the office? That can’t be?’
Karina opened the door to the office with a puzzled expression.
However, Jeremiah’s office was truly empty.
‘Where did he go?’
For a moment, Karina thought it was a good thing.
What she needed was the seal of the Grand Duke of Colesberg that Jeremiah had.
‘If I just use it for a moment when I don’t have it and return it, I won’t have to face Jeremiah.’
Karina quickly went to the office desk and looked for the seal.
‘It’s not there...’
However, no matter how hard she searched, she couldn’t find the seal.
Karina searched through the drawers, trying to guess where the seal might be.
However, it was all in vain.
‘Well, with his personality, he wouldn’t have put the seal anywhere.’
She sighed in disappointment.
She had hoped that she could achieve what she wanted without having to deal with Jeremiah.
‘Should I just go back like this...’
However, she couldn’t give up easily.
‘Is it in the bedroom?’
Jeremiah used the room next to his office as his bedroom.
Since it was right next door, she thought that he might have kept the important seal separately in the bedroom.
Karina became anxious, thinking that she had to find the seal quickly before Jeremiah came back. She got up from where she was crouching in front of the dresser and headed to Jeremiah’s bedroom.
Assuming that no one would be inside, Karina opened the bedroom door without hesitation.
And then she was startled.
“...!”
Jeremiah, who looked like he had just washed up, was looking back at her with only a towel wrapped around him.
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