Ignoring the echo of the voice behind him, Ivan bit his lips and walked away, his fist tightly clenched.

There was no need to worry about his mother. The plan to kicked her out of power was advancing smoothly, anyways. Perhaps she felt confident now, but soon, she’d lose all she’d protected up to now.

However…

“I’ll invite my sister to the next ball”.

When Ivan reunited with his wife after not speaKing to each other for a while, those were the words she’d said.

“Perhaps… could you also dance with her that day? It’s hard to find an appropriate dance partner and…”. She lowered her gaze and folded her...