Chapter 34

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When Cain woke up in the morning, he was surprised to see not Ilvareno but a butler standing there. The butler informed him that his period of confinement was over, and before he knew it, he was dressed in formal attire.

The tea party was set up as a reconciliation meeting with the Crown Prince. Elise and Dismaya finally told Cain about it the morning of the event.

"A tea party!? And today!?! I haven't even thought of a strategy yet!"

"That was the plan, I suppose."

Cain had been considering various strategies: sending a letter or a gift as an apology, participating in an event where the Crown Prince would be present to seize an opportunity to apologize, or asking his parents to arrange a meeting for him. He had even asked Ilvareno to find out the Crown Prince's preferences and the royal family's schedule to prepare.

"Even though it's a tea party, it will also serve as a luncheon, so we will depart immediately after breakfast. Come, let's move to the dining room."

When Cain gave Ilvareno a look that asked, "Did you know about this?" Ilvareno made a sour face and shook his head, as if to say, "How could I have known?"

"Ilvareno, in such situations, you should keep your expression unchanged and only nod slightly so that only your master understands."

The butler, with a pleasant smile, gave Ilvareno a gentle reminder. Then, still smiling, he turned to Cain and advised him, "Cain-sama, when confirming such facts, do it in a way that those present do not understand. Otherwise, you will be underestimated."

Prompted by the butler, they left the room. Cain walked ahead, followed by the butler and Ilvareno.

"What strategy were you considering, Cain-sama?"

The butler's question was asked in a very calm voice, showing no signs of mockery or triumph.

Still, Cain couldn't stop his face from turning sour. He was in his thirties in his heart and had thought he could outmaneuver them to some extent, but his plans had been thwarted.

"I was planning to participate in the 'Poetry Reading Society' hosted by Her Majesty, where the Crown Prince is said to be attending, to get my confinement lifted and join as well."

The Poetry Reading Society, like the embroidery club, was not publicly known to be attended by the Crown Prince. This information was only shared with existing members. The main reason given for this secrecy was to avoid complaints from families below the rank of Marquis, who might find it unfair. However, Cain suspected there were other reasons, though he didn't know what they were.

"You must have known this well, even though you didn't leave your room."

The butler glanced at Ilvareno, who walked beside him with a blank expression.

Cain had spent his time during confinement reading poetry books and composing several poems, all praising Dian. Ilvareno had been involved in this, but the poems were disposed of before anyone else could see them.

"Another plan was to pretend to run in front of the carriage during the Emperor's inspection of the Knights' Training Grounds the day after tomorrow, making it look like an accident."

The royal inspection and慰问 schedules are public information, but the routes they take are kept secret for security reasons.

Of course, this is to ensure the safety of the royal family and to facilitate security.

"The route this time was supposed to go two streets over from the back of this estate."

Cain was saying that he had obtained the supposedly secret route. The butler, still smiling pleasantly, was inwardly surprised.

How had Cain obtained this information while confined to his room for a week? The butler couldn't judge whether the route to the inspection the day after tomorrow really passed by the estate, so there was a possibility that Cain was just making it up.

It was also possible that Cain was just saying this to get back at them for not being informed about the tea party. The butler knew that while Cain was usually a well-behaved child, he could be quite devious when it came to Dian or when things didn't go according to plan.

"Still, I should have informed you earlier. Your parents, after all, are Cain-sama's parents. They understand Cain-sama well."

"I'm not sure about that. They didn't seem very interested in my studies' progress."

"It's because they trust Cain-sama. They believed the reports that everything was going smoothly. And that wasn't a mistake, was it?"

It was going too smoothly, but it wasn't a mistake. Cain had intentionally kept a certain distance from his parents to avoid interference, which made it complicated to be told that they understood him well.

He didn't want his study and training time to be reduced because they thought he was overdoing it. He wanted to push this body, the "target of the strategy," to its limits to gain the strength to protect Dian no matter what.

"Still, it's disappointing that I couldn't grasp what was happening inside the house."

He had managed to find out about the "Gathering of Crown Prince's Potential Friends" at the Poetry Reading Society and the secret route for the Emperor's inspection, but the servants must have known about the tea party today, given that formal clothes were prepared for him.

"Ilvareno's master is Cain-sama, but our master is your father and mother."

That's all there is to it, the butler said casually.

Being tight-lipped and united is a great strength for a Duke's son, but if his parents became enemies, he would have only one ally.

"Come, we have Croque Monsieur for breakfast this morning."

With that, the butler opened the dining room door. The family was already gathered, and Dian was wearing an apron.

As a form of protest, Cain greeted his father and mother with a sullen face.

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