Greisa Hamlet sat in his chair, rubbing his brow.
The grand duke's eldest son, a stern-looking man with a square face, thick brows, large eyes, and a strong nose, had not been having an easy time lately.
Alvis was alive!
The idiot his men should have disposed of with ease was still alive!
Not only had he survived, but he had also gotten involved with Jimte, Carral, and Hayes.
Jimte, who came from the Novia family yet was engaged to the Second Daughter of the Marquis of West Berlin, had drawn considerable attention from the grand duke's eldest son—so he had secretly investigated Jimte more than once.
The results had been somewhat surprising.
It was not just Jimte's hidden strength, but his hidden cunning as well.
Greisa was certain that, beyond the transaction itself, Jimte's engagement to the Second Daughter of the Marquis of West Berlin had only happened because Jimte had demonstrated sufficient sincerity.
Otherwise, an old fox like the Marquis of West Berlin would never have put a bargaining chip like his daughter on the table.
There might even have been a hand in this from that old woman of the Novia family.
Simply put, beyond the usual foundations of a noble marriage alliance, Jimte's engagement also involved an early investment by the Marquis of West Berlin and close cooperation with the Novia family.
And Jimte had brought all of this about single-handedly!
An ambitious fellow who knew how to hide his true colors!
That had been Greisa's assessment of Jimte at the time.
And now that such a man had saved Alvis, even an idiot should have realized he had an ulterior motive.
So, before the Wintertide Festival, Greisa had directly invited Jimte to his Wintertide Feast. He intended to make his position clear, then give Jimte