When the Female Lead Went Off-Script, the Main Male Lead Became the Tyrant's Empress

The response to the imperial salon was extremely positive.

High society thought highly of the Crown Prince’s ability for having organized the salon.

Not only the artists and scholars who had gained the opportunity to frequent the imperial palace, but the nobles as well welcomed a regular venue for cultural exchange hosted by the imperial family.

It was a gathering that satisfied everyone.

Except for one person.

The atmosphere in the office was gloomy.

With pitch-black storm clouds gathering inside the room, it seemed as though a spring tempest might break loose at any moment.

Mishien had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Why in the world was His Highness the Crown Prince in such a foul mood?

Despite successfully concluding the gathering, he wore the face of someone who had invited calamity into his household.

Had he found something displeasing or inadequate in the investigation into the great nobles?

Had they invited too many guests?

Had the food they prepared been unsatisfactory?

Had he had some unpleasant encounter?

Or had he failed to seduce a woman he liked?

Mishien considered the cause from every angle, but nothing in particular came to mind.

It had even been a gathering that satisfied the finicky Grand Duke.

“About Countess Troanne—”

Arden finally spoke in a heavy voice.

“What’s going on between her and Haster?”

“Countess Troanne and His Highness the Grand Duke?”

Mishien tilted his head at the unexpected question.

What was going on between them?

As far as he knew, the two had briefly dated seven years ago.

And now, they were merely close friends…….

A realization struck Mishien squarely across the head.

The Crown Prince had an extraordinary interest in the Grand Duke.

He had already looked into the Grand Duke’s past under the pretext of investigating and monitoring him.

There was no way the Crown Prince didn’t know about the Grand Duke and the Countess’s brief romance.

Then why had he asked?

Obviously, because he had developed a romantic interest.

In the Countess!

The Crown Prince wasn’t particularly fond of the Countess.

Whenever he returned from the salon, he would occasionally grumble about her.

But what if that had been a form of interest?

What if, in the meantime, those negative feelings had turned into love, and the Crown Prince had only recently realized it!

Who was Countess Troanne?

She was the most popular woman in the Empire, everyone’s sweetheart, and second to none when it came to her history with men.

Every man she chose was handsome, capable, and had a promising future.

The Grand Duke had been one of them.

Although they had broken up, the Countess still maintained a good relationship with the Grand Duke.

The Crown Prince must have been terribly jealous.

With the Crown Prince’s personality, he would have forced his way in and taken her for himself regardless of what sort of relationship she had with the Grand Duke.

But the Grand Duke was his cousin, and the two of them were sovereign and subject who needed to maintain an amicable relationship.

So he couldn’t recklessly interfere.

All the more so if the spark of love had begun to rekindle between the Countess and the Grand Duke.

The Crown Prince had asked Mishien, who was investigating the Grand Duke, about their relationship precisely to avoid such controversy.

Because this was the best way he could show his interest right now!

Mishien slapped his knee at his own chillingly brilliant deduction.

After barely recovering from the shock, he answered in a flat voice.

“As far as I know, they have a close relationship.”

“What kind of close relationship?”

Arden asked as though interrogating him.

“The kind where the Countess would agree to chaperone Duke Lurie at His Highness the Grand Duke’s request.”

“I’m asking how close they are.”

“Very close, I suppose?”

At the vague answer that kept circling around the point instead of addressing it, Arden glared at him.

“Just answer me properly. Are they dating or not!”

“I don’t know!”

“What have you been doing if you didn’t even look into that?”

Mishien’s face turned red and blue at Arden’s rebuke.

“Wow, that’s unfair! You’re treating me like I’m incompetent……! I may be investigating the great nobles and tracking their movements, but that doesn’t mean I’m supposed to report every detail of whether two people are about to start dating.”

“So you’re saying there is something going on between them?”

At the aggressive question, Mishien hurriedly defended himself.

“It was just an expression.”

“Then why would you say it like that? You made me misunderstand!”