“Well, no, that’s not it! We shouldn’t be doing this. We should quickly go greet the guests.”

“If it’s not that, you just want to see the person you’re going to fall for, right?”

Now I understand why Reinhardt was often pressured by Jade. His mouth was made for pressuring!

“Jade, be quiet. Keep it down.”

“As I thought! Since you have nothing to say, it means I’m right!”

“Just stop talking.”

Ignoring Jade, who continued to make a fuss, I made my way to the reception room where Amil was waiting.

The moment I entered, I made up my mind once again.

‘…I must not fall for him.’

Even if that man was just as handsome as Reinhardt, even if he was a seductive man with crazy schemes…! I must absolutely not, under no circumstances—!

As I silently repeated my determination a hundred times, the man slowly turned around.

“Oh, you’re here.”

“….”

The moment I saw Amil’s face, I was momentarily speechless.

‘He’s good-looking.’

Objectively speaking, he was really good-looking, but what surprised me wasn’t because of that.

‘That angle, that expression…!’

Wasn’t it like a scene from a perfect photoshoot? He must know exactly at what angle to tilt his head and what expression to make to look the most beautiful.

“I apologize for the sudden visit without any prior notice. I thought it would be better to arrive early and help with the work instead of making a call. Please understand.”

As he said that with a slight smile in his eyes, I realized.
…Ah, this guy.

He was in the same category as me.

He knew very well how to captivate someone’s heart!

‘He must have practiced endlessly while looking in the mirror alone.’

How much effort and struggle did it take for him to become like this? Because I knew that pain, I felt a slight sense of camaraderie with Amil.

“Well then, I appreciate it. You must have gone through a lot of trouble to come here early. Thank you very much.”

“Trouble?”

“You went through a lot of trouble to come here quickly.”

As if responding to his efforts, I showed him the most beautiful smile that I had practiced countless times.

“Please take care of me from now on. I’m Irovel Erestein.”

“….”

Amil, who had been examining me with his gaze for a moment, opened his mouth.

“I’m Amil Leopold. As you may have already heard, I’m Reinhardt’s cousin. I’m the one who should be saying please take care of me.”

* * *

Amil was competent. He handled the tasks quickly and did not lack in teaching me, a beginner. Thanks to him, I finished today’s workload earlier than usual and left the office humming a tune.

“Thank you for your hard work today, Madam. Oh, by the way…”

As soon as we were alone after leaving the home office, Jade spoke up.

“How was it?”

“What do you mean?”

“His Highness Leopold.”

“Oh, he did a good job as always?”

“No, besides that. Did you find him handsome or not?”

“Ah…”

He was handsome. But what should I say?

I feel like this was a trap somehow…

“He was handsome, I guess.”

“I knew it! My words were right, weren’t they?”

“I said he was handsome, though I didn’t say I fell for him.”

“But isn’t that what it means to you, Madam?”

“No, not really. If I fell for every handsome man, I would have asked Reinhardt long ago to marry me for real instead of a contractual marriage.”

Reinhardt was so handsome. Not just ordinary handsome, but the protagonist of this world, the most handsome being imaginable!

As I thought that, I suddenly realized something.

Wait, have I become too picky because of him? Was that why I didn’t feel much when I saw Amil’s face…?

* * *

Meanwhile, at that moment, Reinhardt had just arrived at the Northern Erestein Duchy and activated the barrier again.

“Anyone can deactivate it, but only I can activate it. Such an inefficient device.”

“With the current technology, this is the limit. If you’re really dissatisfied, you can stay in the north.”

Arthur Mute, the butler of this mansion, narrowed his eyes at his words.

“Did I leave because I wanted to? Gerard kept bothering me, saying that if I didn’t attend his birthday party this year, it meant I wasn’t loyal to the Emperor. What a hassle.”

“If you had left earlier, you could have returned early.”

“…There were some reasons why I couldn’t return early.”

“What were those reasons?”

“….”

Reinhardt didn’t answer Arthur’s question and just urged him to move faster. He didn’t want to mention that it was because of his new wife. He could already predict how much nagging he would have to endure if he did.

“What was the reason you couldn’t return early? And where are you going?”

“The Information Guild.”

“What business do you have at the Information Guild?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“I’m the head butler of Erestein. Shouldn’t I know?”

“Butlers should focus on their duties in the mansion. Now you’re no longer my aide, are you?”

Since it was Arthur himself who appointed his position as aide to his son Jade, Arthur couldn’t argue back. He could only nag a little.

“You should come back soon. There are many Tartars infiltrating the barrier.”

“I know. That’s why I’m going to the people who can explain the current situation best. It’s better to know the enemy’s information first than to blindly rush in.”

“Is that the reason you’re going?”

“….”

It was not just because of that reason. In fact, there was another reason he could obtain from the guild besides information about the enemy. He felt embarrassed that he immediately thought of a purpose different from information about the enemy in this situation.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Reinhardt hurried his steps, fearing that Arthur would ask another question. He left the mansion and quickly arrived at the information guild within the Grand Duchy. A familiar employee recognized him and jumped out in surprise.

“Welcome, Your Excellency! I heard you had gone south, and finally, you’ve returned to the north…”

“I have some information I want to find out.”

Under the pressure not to waste time with unnecessary greetings, the employee became tense. Indeed, everything needed to be expedited due to the current urgent situation. Even though the guild was funded by Erestein, there was no room for flattery.

“Yes, what is it?”

The employee’s laughter disappeared, and they spoke with a serious face.

The most affected area, the habits of the Tartars operating there, their base…

There were more than enough possibilities for the information the Grand Duke would want to know. The investigation had already been conducted; all that remained was to convey the information to him.

“Firstly…”

The leader of the north, whose very mention made the Tartars tremble, hesitated to speak. But eventually, the hesitant Grand Duke opened his mouth.

“I want to know how to become ugly.”

“…Pardon?”

“Sorry. I tried not to care about appearances. I’ve been trying not to think about your appearance, but I just can’t go out with an ugly person.”

The employee, who had parted ways with their partner with those words and ended their relationship last week, thought for a moment, ‘I shouldn’t punch the Grand Duke, right?’

“…I don’t know.”

The information guild never gave the answer, “I don’t know.” It was appropriate to say, “We will provide the information after conducting an investigation,” or “We will do our best, but it might be difficult to obtain the information.”

However, the employee unknowingly sabotaged their duty and apologized.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say I don’t know… It’s just that we don’t have any information currently available, so we need to conduct an investigation before providing an answer.”

“Even the Empire’s foremost information guild doesn’t have any information. I guess it’s not easy for me to become ugly.”

“….”

The employee thought again.

‘Should I really not punch the Grand Duke?’

* * *

The clock struck ten a.m., signaling the time. This was the moment when the Grand Duchess, having finished her meal, would gradually make her way to the office.

Amil, who had arrived at work 30 minutes earlier, opened the window just enough for a gentle breeze and stood there with a cup of coffee in hand. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror, slightly tilting his head.

‘This angle doesn’t seem right.’

When he moved his head ever so slightly to the right, he finally achieved a satisfactory angle. Now, all that remained was to turn around at the perfect time when the Grand Duchess opened the door.

However, the Grand Duchess didn’t come.

Amil practiced the optimal angle over a hundred times while waiting for the Grand Duchess for ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes… The coffee that was supposed to set the mood had long gone cold.

‘I should throw it away and prepare a fresh one.’

Just as he was about to act on that thought, he heard the sound of footsteps from the far end of the corridor.

Hurriedly straightening up his back, Amil stood up.

And the moment the door opened…

“You’ve arrived.”

As he gazed out the window, lost in contemplation, Amil turned his head towards the Grand Duchess in a seemingly natural manner.

The wind that had been practiced countless times, blowing at the perfect timing, gently brushed his bangs, making his beauty shine even more. It was a bit regrettable that the coffee, which was supposed to emit a steaming vapor, had already turned cold, but such details would not be noticed before his beauty.

“Pftt.”

However, the Grand Duchess laughed.

—