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Bright morning.
The dining room of the Imperial Palace was bustling.
It was a breakfast with the three families.
Azeff, who was usually busy with schedules from morning, only joined for dinner, but there were about two days a week when the three families leisurely had breakfast together.
Today was one of those days.
Vanessa, who was affectionately watching Rudhian eat diligently without anyone's help, began to speak.
"I'm planning to hold a charity bazaar soon."
"Not a donation?"
The charity bazaar was one of the annual events carried out by successive empresses.
Especially after the war a few years ago, which resulted in many orphans, it was an event that was given even more attention.
However, even the imperial family couldn't help all the numerous people of the vast empire.
They also couldn't pressure the nobles to forcibly extract donations, so the method they came up with was the charity bazaar.
However, like other events, it was discontinued after the death of the Grand Empress Dowager, and support was currently being provided by voluntary donations from the Empress and a few other nobles.
But even that was gradually losing momentum.
"Yes. I'm thinking of starting it again this year."
"Are you sure? I'm worried you might be overdoing it..."
"The weather is getting warmer, so it's okay. And I'm just a symbol as the organizer, the actual event will be led by Miss Leticia."
"...Miss Chloe?"
Vanessa nodded and added an explanation.
"I asked her to take on the role. Leticia, who runs a business, wouldn't find it too difficult to plan such a one-off event, and it would also benefit her business."
"That's true."
"And more than anything...since she might soon become family, giving her a little boost wouldn't be bad."
Being selected as the planner of an event hosted by the imperial family meant that she was a person trusted by the imperial family.
That trust became the foundation for consolidating power in the center.
'That's as good as announcing that she's the future Grand Duchess.'
And there's no way Vanessa wouldn't know that.
That meant it was what she wanted.
Azeff, reading Vanessa's thoughts, swallowed hard.
Vanessa, and Rudhian, whose eyes sparkled when his mom and dad mentioned 'Leticia.'
Both of the people he loved seemed to like Leticia a lot, but he was cautious.
"Vanessa, I..."
Just as Azeff was about to bring up something related to Leticia.
"Your Majesty, a letter has arrived from Grand Duke Dellua..."
The approaching chief attendant handed over a letter.
Azeff looked at the letter with a puzzled expression before picking it up.
'Why is this guy...'
Usually, Azeff was the one sending letters, and the contents were mainly summoning Idriss to the Imperial Palace.
Therefore, Idriss rarely replied, and it was the same with Idriss sending a letter first.
Even that was almost non-existent unless Azeff had assigned him a task.
For Idriss to send a letter first.
Azeff unfolded the letter from Idriss with a suspicious heart.
In the letter, which seemed to have been scribbled in a hurry...
[The divorce request I took yesterday, Your Majesty, you haven't reviewed it yet, have you?
No, let's just treat it as missing and forget it.]
Huh.
A hollow laugh leaked from between Azeff's teeth as he read the letter.
'He was pushing so hard yesterday.'
What plan is he setting up?
Unable to know his brother's plan, he shook his head and thought.
They say men in love become stupid, he didn't know that even his brother would become that 'fool.'
"These are the letters that came today."
I was about to leave the room after finishing getting ready for work when the butler handed me the letters that had arrived today.
I opened my eyes wide in surprise at the letters piled high on the tray.
"Why are there so many letters today?!"
Since the tea time at the Empress's Palace, invitations inviting me to various gatherings and parties had increased.
Therefore, it was also a task to check them every evening and send replies.
But today, twice as many letters had arrived as usual.
Shocked, I tore open a random letter and realized the reason why.
[Dear Miss Chloe.
I heard there was a big incident at the tea party, how have you been dealing with it?
I can't tell you how surprised I was to hear the news. Everyone condemned Miss without knowing the truth, but now that the truth has been revealed, I feel so relieved.
The reason I'm contacting you is to talk about the charity bazaar that was mentioned at the tea party.
I heard that you have been appointed to plan the event, and if it's okay, would you give me the opportunity to participate in that meaningful event?]
The rumor that Her Majesty the Empress had appointed me as the chief of the charity bazaar had spread.
'It was only yesterday, but the rumors are spreading fast.'
The charity bazaar's main purpose was to help the vulnerable, such as orphans created by the war, but there was another purpose as well.
'For nobles, it's an opportunity to buy friendships with money.'
In fact, it was nothing more than another social event.
The content of the letter was only flowery words, and it was clear that they were trying to get close to me and benefit from it.
Whether it was to gain a connection to the imperial family, or to promote their business at the charity bazaar.
Most of the letters that came today were probably about the same thing.
'But well, it's not bad.'
If so many people are showing interest even before it starts, the chances of the bazaar being successful will also increase.
But the problem is.
'I have no intention of cooperating with anyone on this.'
There are people who will use this opportunity to include those who are close to them as one of the planners of the bazaar, and try to build their power...
I had no intention of doing that.
In the first place, the Empress had given me the authority, and if I used that authority to increase my power.
'It's like I'm really a member of the imperial family?'
When the contract relationship ends, I will be a person who has nothing to do with the imperial family, and that was a bit burdensome.
I wasn't interested in building power in the first place.
'Instead, I'll have to send rejection replies to each of those letters...'
Just thinking about replying to those many letters already made my head ache.
'I'll have to look at them all at once at night.'
I was about to put the letters down with the intention of reviewing them at night when I saw a familiar phrase among the piles of letters.
Farnese Ducal Family.
I frowned when I found the phrase.
'They're so persistent.'
After being quiet since the Founding Day, Feidan started sending me letters again after the incident at the tea party.
'Of course, I burned them all without even reading them.'
Usually, it was buried in piles of letters, but today it happened to catch my eye.
It wasn't just me who found it, Erin next to me frowned and picked up the letter.
"I'm sure he's appealing to Miss about his innocence. That Elise is unconditionally bad, and he was deceived, and he wants to get back together."
"You know the pattern better than I do?"
"The pattern of these people is obvious! How can they be so shameless and not know the shame... I'll go burn it right away!"
Erin, who was usually gentle and quiet, trembled and expressed anger whenever Feidan's story came up.
The sight was funny and cute, so I nodded in agreement.
After a small commotion, I went down to the dining room, and Idriss was waiting as usual.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Idriss."
I greeted him as usual and sat down.
But, Idriss's outfit caught my eye.
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