“It’s been a long time, Pascal. You’ve aged quite a bit since I last saw you.”

In a corner of the royal palace, these words were directed at Duke Dragnaut, who reflexively raised his right eyebrow in response.

Indeed, Duke Dragnaut’s full name is Pascal Jim Dragnaut. However, addressing the kingdom’s leading senior minister by his first name, especially to make a comment about aging, was considered extremely impolite. In this context, striking down the speaker for such insolence would likely not draw any criticism.

However, the expression that appeared on Duke Dragnaut’s face as he turned around was not one of anger but confusion. He recognized the voice that had addressed him.

Duke Clovis Daren, the brother of the great-grandfather of the current King Thorvald, is a figure who served under three generations of Canaria’s kings, contributing to the kingdom’s development as an elder statesman.

Now in his seventies, Clovis was also the head senior minister before Duke Dragnaut.

Known for his strong dislike of the empire, Duke Clovis had little affection for courtiers close to the empire, such as the Marquis of Corkia. Conversely, he was favorable towards Duke Dragnaut, who sought to maintain Canaria’s independence from the empire and had supported the then-young Dragnaut in various ways.

Even after yielding the position of head senior minister to Duke Dragnaut, Clovis remained influential in the court, focusing on discovering talent and educating noble children. However, he had retired to his homeland about five years ago and had since stayed out of politics.

The fact that Duke Clovis, who had been absent from politics, was now in the palace and speaking to him in such a hostile manner puzzled Duke Dragnaut. The reasons for his presence and his harsh words were not entirely clear to Dragnaut, leading him to feel a sense of foreboding. Yet, concealing his inner turmoil, he bowed deeply.

“Your Excellency Clovis, it has been a long time.”

“It seems you haven’t forgotten your manners, even if your convictions may have waned. It’s somewhat better than losing both, I suppose, but it’s disappointing to see such a lack of spirit from someone who should be leading Canaria.”

“Your Excellency, may I ask what you mean by saying I have forgotten my convictions? Since succeeding you as the head senior minister, I have dedicated my life to serving Canaria to the best of my abilities.”

Hearing Duke Dragnaut’s reply, Duke Clovis snorted dismissively and then spoke slowly.

“Inviting the empire’s agents into our court and still claiming such dedication? Your skin has thickened much in these five years.”

Duke Clovis’s gaze seemed to ask, “Do you understand what I’m implying?” Duke Dragnaut remained silent, internally sighing at the realization that this was indeed the issue at hand.

The “empire’s agent” Duke Clovis referred to was the recently married crown princess, Sakuya. It was clear—even, presumably, to Clovis—that she had been married into the kingdom to increase the empire’s influence within Canaria, a fact that Clovis undoubtedly believed, and he held Dragnaut responsible for not preventing it.

For Duke Clovis, who despises the empire, having Sakuya, seen as a thorn in his side, eventually become queen and stand above him is unimaginable.

As if confirming Duke Dragnaut’s speculation, Duke Clovis continued with visible irritation.

“When I heard that the engagement between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and your daughter was broken, I thought we were in trouble. The same when talks of an engagement with the empire’s princess were initiated. The reason I did not intervene, Pascal, is that I believed, without the need for this old man to step in, you would stop this arrangement. I thought you, of all people, could fend off the Marquis of Corkia’s scheming, enlighten His Majesty, and bring our nation back to its rightful path.”

Duke Clovis then sighed loudly, as if to make sure his disappointment was heard.

“I was shocked when I heard the engagement between the two countries had been finalized. I even feared how much power the Marquis of Corkia and his ilk had gained. But still, I had faith in you. An engagement is, after all, just an engagement, not a marriage that has been formally conducted. There should be plenty of ways to halt it. I thought you were planning to seize the opportunity, exploiting the Marquis of Corkia’s complacency to strike at his throat.”

At this point, Duke Clovis clicked his tongue instead of sighing.

“And look what happened. To think you allowed the marriage ceremony to proceed without any plan, and now you’re acting as a pawn for the empire’s princess. It’s no wonder you’re being accused of losing your convictions.”

After the wedding ceremony, Sakuya began to energetically engage in activities both inside and outside the royal palace, with Duke Dragnaut often serving as her assistant.

This was at Sakuya’s request, not something Duke Dragnaut wished for himself. Even as the head senior minister, he is still a subject, and could not refuse requests from the Crown Princess simply because she is associated with the empire.

However, Duke Clovis would likely not accept such an explanation.

Originally known for his resolute and decisive character, Duke Clovis has become increasingly stubborn and set in his ways as he has aged.

Specifically, he has stopped listening to others’ opinions and has become more prone to letting his emotions guide his judgments.

There’s a story that illustrates this point.

There was once a girl proclaimed a prodigy at the Sage’s Academy, highly anticipated to have a promising future.

Duke Clovis, who was passionate about discovering talent, made substantial donations to the Sage’s Academy and became very interested when he heard about the prodigy from the academy.

The girl was set to take her graduation exam at thirteen, two years earlier than usual, a testament to her excellence confirmed by her teachers. Duke Clovis decided to attend her graduation exam himself, intending to recruit the talented young woman under his command.

It was unusual for a duke to personally visit for a mere student, showing how much Clovis expected from her talents.

However, the graduation exam did not take place. The girl did not show up.

Feeling mocked, Duke Clovis stormed out of the academy in a rage, ordering the academy to revoke not only her graduation qualifications but also her enrollment, effectively expelling her.

Later, it was revealed that the girl had been locked in a basement room by the harassment of some students. Yet, even upon hearing this, Duke Clovis did not temper his anger. Instead, he grew even more displeased, dismissing it as a worthless excuse.

He could have easily ordered his subordinates to verify the truth of the matter, but he chose not to do so.

As a result, the girl’s expulsion was never reversed, and the prodigy left the academy in despair…

This incident demonstrates that Duke Clovis had already begun to lose control over his emotions five years ago.

And there had been several similar incidents around that time.

Duke Clovis’s retirement five years ago was also due to such tendencies causing friction with other courtiers. King Thorvald had persuaded his great-uncle to retire, concerned about the turmoil at court.

Duke Dragnaut was aware of this and greatly worried about Duke Clovis’s actions now that he had appeared in the capital.

Regardless of the motives of the various factions, the recent marriage ceremony was agreed upon between the Kingdom of Canaria and the Empire of Adoastera, conducted in the presence of the Pope from the Holy Kingdom of Caritas. If Duke Clovis, a member of the royal family, were to take action against the imperial princess who had married into the kingdom, it would be Canaria that would face condemnation from other nations.

Should Prince Richard of the Empire, known for his territorial ambitions, learn of this, he might view it as an opportunity to accuse Canaria of wrongdoing and consider sending troops. Even if matters don’t escalate that far, diplomatic concessions would certainly be demanded. And the Holy Kingdom would likely support the Empire’s claims.

To avoid such a scenario, Duke Dragnaut knew he had to urge Duke Clovis to exercise restraint. He was about to convey this when Duke Clovis spoke first.

“I hear that even Dragnaut’s lands have been ravaged by bandits lately. A man who cannot govern his own territory has no business governing others. Pascal, you should return to your domain and focus on settling your affairs there. In the meantime, I will see to the proper conduct of the court.”

“Your advice is appreciated, Your Excellency. However, I have sent Astrid to my lands, and we should soon hear news of the bandits’ defeat.”

“You cannot be too sure. Those bandits daring to attack the lands of Duke are not without their own plans. Even if a dragon knight comes to subdue them, they might be prepared to strike back. we might receive your daughter’s head before news of the bandits’ defeat. If you find that unacceptable, then surely you must return.”

Duke Clovis’s gaze was like that of emotionless glass beads as he stared at Duke Dragnaut.

Feeling an unfamiliar chill under the gaze of the great elder, Duke Dragnaut slightly furrowed his brows.

It was clear that Duke Clovis’s aim was to remove Duke Dragnaut from the court. As long as Dragnaut was present, Clovis believed he couldn’t act as he wished.

He was trying to use the chaos in the duchy to his advantage.

The question was whether Duke Clovis had coincidentally heard of the turmoil and sought to exploit it, or if the chaos itself was orchestrated by him.

If it was the latter, it meant that Duke Clovis was ready to resort to force.

—But he should not be so reckless.

Duke Dragnaut mused to himself, though the thought was so faint as to be almost imperceptible even to him.