Btw about the duke: when he was first appeared in the story, I thought he'd take the empress's side and support her openly bc he's Heinley's friend, but then he starts to support trashta and I kinda gave up on him. Now, I'm kinda sus about his relationship w Heinley, whether he's really an ally or just a "friend" yk. Maybe he's feeling guilty towards Navier bc he's in the plan to get her a successful divorce, which also means her losing her hard-earned empress position. But then, she will marry Heinley, so it's all in all for the better cause right?