Meanwhile, someone was watching the retreating figures of Lelia and Griffith as they returned to their quarters.
It was Rut.
"...."
He bit his lip like a tense man, then turned away.
Strangely, his mind was anxious enough to drive him mad.
This anxiety had started after hearing earlier that the Empress had suddenly summoned Romeo and Calix.
In fact, the Empress had reportedly said this in front of the noblewomen she had invited to a tea party a few days ago.
That she would find the finest groom for Princess Yurianna.
Hearing the rumor here and there, male nobles seeking to curry favor with the Empress overflowed.
'Damn it....'
Rut had even made a direct promise with Princess Yurianna, but his heart was still uneasy.
He could laugh off others as beneath his level, but he couldn't help but be concerned about men like Romeo and Calix.
They were impressive even to him, looking at them as a fellow man.
Anyway, he had been walking around the imperial castle to clear his disturbed mind after hearing that news.
Suddenly, he thought it might be good to get advice from the princes and headed to the Prince's Palace.
On the way, he witnessed a strange scene.
The princes engaging in a two-on-one bare-handed duel against Sir Raymond.
'What on earth...!'
It was an incredibly cowardly act. Sir Raymond looked visibly pale, clearly someone who didn't know how to fight.
'To attack someone like that together, the two of them.'
While impressing the princes was important, he couldn't ignore his friendship with Sir Raymond.
Just as Rut, unable to watch any longer, was about to step forward to stop them.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Griffith appeared. Rut's heart sank.
'Of all times, for Griffith to show up now....'
Griffith was precisely one of the finest grooms the Empress would covet.
Rut's mind became complicated.
All sorts of imaginations rose up. Griffith, Romeo, Calix, and even that Oscar fellow currently not in Auraria.
They were all imaginings of them competing against him for Princess Yurianna's affection.