Yuder's eyes, as vivid as a road wetted by rain, no longer avoided the gaze that met them.

"You know, Yuder, one of my goals since joining the Cavalry was to be acknowledged as your closest friend."

"Is that so?"

The sentiment he'd just felt vanished in an instant, replaced by the notion that it was a truly peculiar aim. Gakane, catching Yuder's expression, probed, "You find it hard to understand, don’t you?"

"I was confident in my tenacity, but it still felt like a challenging goal. But hearing what you said just now made me feel even happier than achieving that," Gakane said, his usual shyness and brightness slowly returning to his expression.

Seeing that Gakane looked much better than before, Yuder simply nodded in agreement without saying a word. Gakane also refrained from adding anything more on the subject, and instead turned his head, as if he had noticed something.

"Ah, it seems the Commander has arrived."

Yuder’s eyes followed immediately. The entrance area had become somewhat noisy, and soon, a tall man stepped inside. Kishiar, whose height made him stand out like a majestic tree amidst a meadow, drew everyone's attention as he re-entered.

Whether they held him in esteem or not, everyone's eyes were on Kishiar, even Katchian La Orr. Yuder was sharply reminded of how Kishiar could commandingly capture the attention of others.

Having always been by his side, seeing him from a distance was a rare experience for Yuder. Watching him quietly, he saw Kishiar turn his head and scan the surroundings after exchanging a few words with the chief steward.

His gaze stopped precisely where Yuder was standing. Upon locking eyes, Kishiar waved his hand in a grand gesture, his demeanor overtly cordial. The few remaining retainers of Duke Diarca, who had yet to leave their seats, muttered amongst themselves, their brows furrowed. However, they were now clearly in the minority.

Their complaints and anger, their insults and slanders—all failed to affect the evening’s celebration.

Suddenly, Gakane spoke up. "Yuder, you mentioned that today would present an opportunity you've been waiting for."

"That's right," Yuder murmured, without breaking his gaze from Kishiar.

"Now I think I understand what you meant."

Gakane grinned in a way he hadn’t in a long time. He patted Yuder's back a couple of times, gently, before heading back to where the other members were.

Yuder began walking toward Kishiar.

"You've arrived."

"Yes. The hall has become quite clean in my absence."

Kishiar greeted Yuder and whispered with a smile

Yuder answered calmly, looking around at the seats, which had emptied by more than half after the departure of Duke Diarca and his followers.

"I did put in some effort in cleaning. Though there's still some dust left, it should be enough for everyone to enjoy."

"I heard that even from where His Majesty is, my assistant is diligently cleaning."

Kishiar's eyes, which had been leisurely until then, changed slightly at that moment.

"I wanted to hurry back and help with the cleaning, but it seems the dust moved faster than I did."

"..."

Was Kishiar implying that Duke Diarca’s departure ahead of his return was no coincidence? Yuder recalled that just before Duke Diarca had announced his departure, someone had rushed over to whisper something in his ear.

Ah, it was around that time that news reached him that Kishiar had detached himself from the Emperor's side.

Even Yuder, who was Kishiar's closest aide, and the Cavalry had only heard that he was going to meet Emperor Keilusa. They had not been told when he would return. Such movements of the royal family were inherently supposed to be secretive. Yet, Duke Diarca acted as if it was only natural to immediately hear such news and act upon it.

This essentially meant that everything happening within the palace could directly reach his ears.

Yuder felt a chilling realization that the influence of Duke Diarca, including Crown Prince Katchian, extended like a network of veins deep into the palace.

This palace, supposedly the home of the Emperor and the imperial family, was now a place where none of them could freely roam.

'So that's why he made the unusual excuse that he was tired and retreated so easily.'

Suppressing the uncomfortable surge of emotion as if he'd been struck on the back of the head, Yuder quietly asked,

"...Did your visit to His Majesty the Emperor go well, Commander?"

"It went as well as it could have," Kishiar responded with an ambiguous answer.

"He was rather surprised that I used the relaxed rules concerning the second gender as I did. He seemed quite flustered, but he understood eventually. Still, he'll probably want to see the face of my assistant once more soon."

So, in other words, although it was okay to dance Avitan for the first time in the history of the imperial palace, the fact that Kishiar danced with Yuder, a man and omega, was a more shocking event than expected for the Emperor and Empress.

'It's not like I didn't consider the possibility.'

Plans involving people don't always go as thought. Yuder knew the Diarca family's future and the nobles gathered here, but like them, even the doting Emperor and Empress would have parts hard to convince just by Kishiar's words.

Yuder nodded, keeping his facial expression unchanged.

"I see. Understood. So, will you proceed with the next steps now, Commander?"

Dealing with Duke Diarca and Emperor Keilusa didn't mean their tasks were over. Yuder's gaze drifted toward the steps where Katchian La Orr sat. There stood Kiolle, his eyes half-gone as if he couldn't endure the shocking events any longer.

Now that Duke Diarca had left, the time to snag him for a conversation was perfect. Yuder planned to signal Kiolle while Kishiar was busy holding the attention of Katchian and the others.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said I've been drinking."

Yuder's mind, spinning with tasks to come, momentarily halted at the unexpected answer. He closed and opened his eyes, staring at the smiling face looking down at him. Kishiar gently leaned his head toward Yuder's ear, adopting a more sultry and gentle demeanor than before.

To any outsider, it would seem as if Duke Peletta was simply fixing the messy hair of his assistant, but the red cloth wrapped around his arm skillfully concealed Yuder's presence from anyone's view.

"The Quelochet liquor is dangerous enough on its own. If something's been added to it, there's no need for further discussion. I've never even heard that you developed a tolerance to poison after recovering from a monster-inflicted injury. Can you explain?"

Yuder was quietly surprised at the level of detail being discussed about the events that had transpired here. It seemed that not only Duke Diarca was adept at knowing what happened within the imperial palace as if it were in the palm of his hand.

"...I once mentioned that I don't get easily intoxicated by most alcohol. Do you remember? The reason is the same."

Yuder made eye contact with Kishiar, aiming for a brief and clear explanation.

"To be precise, it's not a tolerance developed after being injured by a monster, but something I've had since my Awakening. Unless it's related to my 'weakness,' nothing makes me drunk."

"I understand that Quelochet contains some elements related to that 'weakness'?"

Not a trace of amusement could be seen in the vividly glowing red pupils. Kishiar's keen eyes seemed to pierce through everything, making sure not to miss even a small detail in Yuder's words.

"Yes, I'm aware. However, I judged that the amount was too small to have any effect. And indeed, it didn't, did it? I'm fine."

"Your body temperature is higher than usual. Even so?"

"It would only have an effect similar to being slightly tipsy."

"..."

In the ensuing silence, the fingers that had been slowly running through Yuder's hair finally came to a halt.

"It seems my assistant already knew about that drink."

"...Yes."

"Did you also know that drink would be served today?"

Yuder didn't answer. Although he wasn't entirely certain, it had been within the realm of his expectations. To answer clearly on this point seemed difficult, as it would start to involve details from his past life.

"I thought you seemed more confident than usual."

Kishiar closed his eyes briefly and then opened them again. Moments later, he relaxed his shoulders, reverting back to the same Duke Peletta he had always been.