All in all, they had acted too hastily.
So hastily that none of them, herself included, had considered that a "palace coup" might occur at this particular moment.
By the time Dark sent word asking about Anna and Angie's whereabouts, she had still been completely unaware of it.
Besides, their attention had also been drawn by Charles's movements.
But now, it seemed highly likely that Charles had merely been bait released from within the palace.
They had originally believed that Charles's "disappearance" had been Austin's doing.
But now, it was also possible that Eliza had been responsible.
However, was "forcing the palace" truly the right answer?
If Eliza intended to stage a coup, what reason did she have to bring Anna, Angie, and the Second Princess Consort into the palace as well?
Surely the Second Princess Consort could not have learned the news and rushed into the palace of her own accord.
There was a faction backing the Second Princess Consort as well.
But because Anna and Angie were still young, they had always remained outside the struggle for the throne.
Even if they suddenly wanted to join the contest now, they could not possibly be Eliza's match.
Such behavior would be no different from handing themselves over for free.
Therefore, Anna, Angie, and the Second Princess Consort entering the palace actually made a coup less likely.
Unless they had already been in the palace for some other reason before the coup began.
Alvitr's gaze flickered. Countless possibilities formed paths through her mind, weaving together in constant deduction before finally narrowing into the most likely scenarios.
She seemed to be gradually seeing the thread behind the events—a possibility that outsiders would likely never conceive of, even in a lifetime.
As the kingdom's most powerful duke, with an intelligence network spanning