"Don't be a jerk."
Dante pulled Arianna behind him. He then growled, his voice not hiding his displeasure.
"Get up before I kick you, General."
"I apologize if I startled you."
Tommen bowed his head politely.
"If it weren't for your army, Your Excellency, I would never have reclaimed my home from the barbarians. The Karka people swear an oath to the most beautiful being they have ever seen. The Duchess is my benefactor wife, and I would gladly offer my oath to her."
"Don't be a jerk."
Dante glared at Tommen with eyes that looked like a giant trash bag. Arianna looked back and forth between the two of them, feeling slightly uneasy. Everyone in the room was looking at them with interest. If she left like this, someone would gossip. The Duke is so arrogant that he treats foreign envoys rudely, or something like that.
Ariana smiled politely and looked down at Tommen, who was still kneeling.
"I heard that Karka is a beautiful country."
Tommen's expression brightened, and Dante's brow hardened as if he was displeased.
"They are feared by people from other regions because of their excellent military power and aggressive culture, but in fact, they are the most polite people as long as they do not cross the line."
Ariana smiled brightly after saying that.
"For example, those who covet what is theirs."
"You know exactly about our Karka."
Tommen smiled brightly. Some nobles hesitated as they thought that the genuinely happy smile on his grim face made him look even more fierce.
"That's right. We Karka people reward those who know manners with loyalty. If you ever come to Karka-"
"That won't happen even if you wake up dead, so you'd better get up now."
Dante warned fiercely.
"My people are enough to protect my wife. Let's go, Ariana."
Dante led Ariana as if he didn't want to waste any more time. Ariana whispered, hurriedly keeping up with his brisk strides.
"Can we just leave him there?"
"It doesn't matter. Don't worry about it. He's just doing that because he thinks you're beautiful."
"..."
"People don't know, but Karka guys actually have really bright faces."
Dante, who had just said that suddenly realized that Ariana was strangely quiet next to him. After a moment of silence, Ariana opened her lips. A slightly dazed voice flowed out.
"...What did you just say?"
"What?"
"I, am beautiful..."
Ariana looked up at Dante cautiously, her voice hesitating.
"Do you think so?"
Even as her lips moved, Ariana thought that she didn't know why she was acting like that. She must have just thrown out a remark without meaning to. What did it matter whether that person thought she was beautiful or not?
"..."
His red eyes widened slightly as he scanned Ariana's face. Hesitantly looking up at her, her cheeks flushed slightly. His gaze reached her slightly swollen lips and he muttered softly.
"You're making me dizzy."
He pulled Ariana's arm and made her lean against his chest as if to hide her, then whispered.
"Don't make that kind of expression anywhere."
"Huh?"
"A face that makes people laugh."
"..."
"I've already held it in until the limit."
The hot air in his voice reminded him of last night. Ariana felt the heat rising to her cheeks and lowered her eyes.
"I guess I said something in vain."
Everyone passing by was staring at the two of them, so she had to control her expression, but it wasn't going well.
"Master."
Ariana turned her head at the familiar voice she heard. From afar, she could see Dante's aide Rio approaching her diligently with quick steps. Rio greeted Ariana politely and looked back at Dante.
"I, Master. His Majesty..."
The whispering voice eventually subsided so that only Dante could hear it. It seemed to be a rather secret and important matter. Ariana quickly said,
"Go on your way. I'll be talking to the others."
"... I'll be back soon."
As she nodded, Dante disappeared from sight with Rio. She was left alone when she heard the sound of footsteps clanking towards her.
"Hello, Sister."
Ariana smiled faintly as she looked back at the owner of the voice.
Elena, dressed like royalty in a tiara with a fist-sized ruby and a dress adorned with dazzling jewels, was standing there.
"You look good, Elena."
Ariana said with a light smile.
"The trading company seems to be making quite a profit."
Elena said, proudly stroking her tiara.
"Yes, we're already receiving a considerable amount of dividends. If the trading ship returns, we'll receive even more. That's right, I wish you had followed Adolf's advice and invested together with him last time."
Elena shrugged and continued.
"By the way, I heard that you were also granted permission to perform on stage by His Majesty the Emperor today. Is that true?"
"Yeah. It's true."
"Huh, really?"
Elena let out a light laugh. The situation was the worst at the last wedding, so she had to bow down to Ariana, but things were different now. Thanks to going to all kinds of social gatherings with Adolf, her reputation had recovered quite a bit.
'The downside of using him too much is that he becomes too clingy...'
Seeing the trading company that Adolf had invested heavily in growing rapidly, it didn't seem like a bad thing. Adolf was definitely a big fish. He was worth feeding with care for a while. Maybe becoming Viscountess Schmidt wouldn't be so bad. The status was a little lacking, but did the world these days only revolve around status like it used to?
It was becoming an era where money was as important as status, and Adolf had a lot of money. It was going to be even more abundant in the future.
"What... stage? Yes. Do your best."
Elena smiled and bowed her head close to Ariana,
"I don't know what you're going to do with traitors and country bumpkins."
Elena continued with a lovely smile.
"But don't lose your strength too much, sis. No matter how hard you try, you'll be buried behind the scenes anyway."
"Elena."
Ariana smiled brightly instead of answering.
"Why are you so excited?"
"...What?"
"Do you believe that I've solved all the evidence?"
"..."
Elena flinched for a moment and soon laughed at Ariana. She must have kept her mouth shut because there was no more solid evidence. It was the moment when she opened her mouth to mock her obvious bluff.
"You even took medication to get pregnant with Lucas's child."
"Wh-what are you talking about?!"
A sharp voice burst out. She felt the people around her looking at her with surprised eyes, but she couldn't easily control her expression.
'How on earth did you know?:
... No.
Elena managed to calm herself down. It was long before Ariana started acting like a demon that she had been prescribed such medicine. It didn't make sense that she had been collecting evidence since then and had held it in until now. If there had been evidence, she would have released it a long time ago.
'She's just trying to see how I react.'
Elena, who barely managed to control her agitation, tried to laugh.
"Why are you suddenly saying such strange things, sis? You still don't trust me? I thought you would finally understand my true feelings...."
As she showed off her acting skills that she had honed as much as her singing, the people around her started to murmur. Ariana smiled as she looked at Elena, who was trembling pitifully.
"Well. You'll know what I mean soon enough."
"... What?"
"Then I'll see you later, Elena. I'll go first because I have something to do. Oh, and I won't forget to watch your performance, so don't worry."
Ariana added with a refreshing laugh.
"From the seat with the best view."
Elena chewed her lips as she watched Ariana's back moving away. An unpleasant feeling of foreboding rose up in her throat.
'... No, I'm the main character today.'
Elena calmed her stomach as she thought about the stage she would soon perform on. Even Elena, who was not particularly good at hearing, could tell that the aria was excellent. It would be a perfect stage. Ariana had probably begged the Duke for the stage, but it was obvious that she would lose her presence after their stage.
After today, not only the people of the island but also the foreign dignitaries will not forget Elena's name. Elena smiled with satisfaction as she imagined such a tomorrow.
***
The sound of measured footsteps echoed through the quiet hallway. It was a space that seemed old-fashioned and splendid at first glance, as expected of a part of the palace, but in fact, it was an interrogation room where political opponents were dealt with.
"We are here."
Dante opened the door at Rio's cautious voice.
"Duke. You are here."
The Emperor pretended to know with a slightly tired expression. Dante looked back at the Emperor, the Crown Prince standing next to him, and the man tied up in the middle of the room.
"Is that you?"
Ugh, ugh!
The man tied to the chair twisted his body wildly. The Imperial Knight Commander said to Dante casually.
"He is the leader of the Dawn Corps. He was the mainstay of the contract-killing business."
"I see."
Dante nodded briefly. He hadn't gotten much out of the other Dawn Corps member he had interrogated last night.
It just turned the conviction into a fait accompli.
"Tha, that's right. About ten years ago... At that time, there was a request to deal with Count Lopez and his daughter. But I, I really did not participate in that. Please, please believe me!"
The Emperor's voice interrupted the memories of the Dawn member trembling and confessing.
"If Eduardo Lopez and Cecilia Lopez were really murdered as you say, then it is highly likely that he carried it out. It seems that he served as the Dawn's action captain for over ten years."
"Then this person will soon."
Dante twisted his lips as he walked towards the chair.
"So you are saying that he is my wife's enemy."
"Ugh! Ugh!"
Dante looked back at the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
"Please go inside. It will not be a pleasant sight for your nobles to see."
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