Cheston felt depressed watching his mother grow weaker by the day. It seemed the Queen had taken out her anger on his mother again.

Unable to stand by, Cheston stepped in, but perhaps displeased by this, the Queen visited his mother that night. Though he didn’t understand how his mother was to blame for the poor evaluation of Karl.

The Queen was always like this. Cheston sank down, watching his weakened mother. It was clear she wouldn’t be able to endure much longer at this rate.

“I’ll call a doctor other than the royal physician.”

“There’s no need for that. Her Majesty the Queen would have already known and taken measures.”

“Is His Majesty not visiting you, Mother?”

“How could he come? He wouldn’t be able to, for both my sake and yours.”

Cheston felt his chest tighten at his mother’s words. How on earth could he stop this nonsense? Despite doing everything the Queen demanded, she continued to torment him and his mother.

Even though he lived as an incompetent person, hiding his claws and pretending to know nothing, she was not satisfied. Perhaps from the beginning, the Queen simply disliked the very fact that he was alive and breathing.

“Aaron, what about the thing I asked you to find?”

“I apologize. It seems difficult to obtain. Few know of the existence of Bellonia. It’s not strange, since it’s not widely known that Libenia acts as a poison.”

“How on earth does the young lady know all of this?”

“Since she was said to have an interest in herbal medicine, perhaps she naturally came to know it from a young age.”

Cheston nodded at Aaron’s words. He already knew, but she seemed to have more extensive knowledge about herbs than others.

Cheston bowed his head and tightly gripped his mother’s delicate fingers. If even his mother were gone from his side, Aaron would be the only person left for him. If it weren’t for the Queen’s family, his mother’s life wouldn’t have been so desperate.

“I’m fine, so take care of yourself. You must never upset the Queen. Remember, the way to protect yourself is to lower yourself even more and remain inconspicuous. My beloved son.”

Even in this situation, his mother did not lose her smile. With a knock on the door, the King entered the room.

“We greet His Majesty the King. May peace be upon the Kingdom of Reuwen.”

Cheston and Aaron immediately greeted the King. The King nodded and approached Elenia directly. At his gentle gaze and worried tone, Elenia raised herself.

“Elenia, don’t get up. I came because I heard you were unwell. I’ve called for a separate physician, so they should arrive soon.”

“Since His Majesty has arrived, I shall take my leave.”

“I intend to stay here today, so don’t worry and go to your room.”

Cheston nodded.

‘Asking Father to obtain Bellonia…’

He still didn’t feel inclined to do so. If Father were to move, the Queen would surely find out. If that happened, the seed of Bellonia would surely be destroyed. Cheston had no choice but to turn his steps away.

Whitney Belle Orlean was the only option left to contact, but Cheston didn’t want to involve her. What should he do if she truly caught the Queen’s eye?

Cheston needed help too much to refuse the hand extended first. If another card to break this weary cycle of life were given to him, he was willing to grasp it, whatever it might be.

Whitney couldn’t close her mouth as she looked at her suddenly increased luggage. When she came to the Rubeness mansion, she had so little that one could believe she came with just herself.

But now her carriage heading to the capital was loaded with plenty of luggage.

“Aunt, this is too much for me.”

“Too much? I’m sorry I couldn’t prepare more because the carriage is small. The Margrave also has high expectations for you.”

“I won’t disappoint you. I promise.”

Whitney, dressed in a new dress, bid farewell to her aunt. After exchanging farewells with Leo, promising to meet again, she boarded the carriage.

Sonia informed her of the tasks to be done in the capital. First, she needed to hold tea parties weekly to build relationships with others before entering high society. She had heard that the Orleans ducal residence also held weekly banquets, which meant that those who received invitations would have to choose.

“So it’s to gauge which side people are on.”

“That’s right. You’re very perceptive, my lady.”

Whitney shrugged her shoulders. Rather than being perceptive, it was closer to guessing based on intuition. Just by observing people’s gazes and actions, Whitney could tell whether they were favorable towards her or not.

“I’ve become naturally adept at grasping the meaning behind words from being overly cautious.”

“You don’t need to be cautious, my lady. Especially not at the ducal residence.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Sonia.”

The carriage heading towards the central capital from the border region didn’t stop. Since it would take a full day of travel, they decided to rest briefly in a nearby village.

Whitney entered the lodging where she would spend the night with Sonia and unpacked her luggage lightly. Her aunt had also sent along guard knights in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

Thanks to their presence, they weren’t attacked by bandits while traveling in the carriage. Moreover, with knights guarding the door, she could sleep comfortably.

Whitney, who woke up early in the morning to get an early start, quickly finished her preparations. Sonia was already up and had brought breakfast.

Although it was just soft bread and simple soup, the taste was excellent, and she ate in a good mood. As Whitney left the lodging to head to the capital, she noticed a flyer posted on the wall before boarding the carriage.

“My lady?”

“Just a moment, I’ll take this with me.”

Whitney peeled off one of the flyers from the wall and immediately boarded the carriage. She hadn’t noticed at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it looked like someone she knew.

“Why did you take that?”

“Ah. It seemed like someone I know, so I wanted to check.”

“Is it someone you know?”

“No, it just looks like someone. I couldn’t possibly know a wanted person.”

Sonia nodded. Whitney carefully folded the paper and tucked it into her bosom. Her fingertips, clasped together, were trembling.

‘Cecilia Weston. She looks so much like Mother.’

It couldn’t be, but she had to check. Whitney planned to visit an information broker as soon as she arrived in the capital.

“Oh, and Madam also sent along funds for you to use comfortably, my lady.”

“She didn’t have to do that… How will I ever repay it all?”

“You’ve already repaid enough, my lady. I’ve never seen Madam with such a relaxed expression before.”

Whitney nodded lightly. Thanks to her aunt’s support, life in the capital seemed like it would be smoother. That is, if Cecilia doesn’t come to the mansion after learning this fact.

Whitney, who arrived in the central capital, was pleased with the mansion where she would be staying. The mansion, too spacious for living alone, was well-maintained, and several maids and servants were waiting to attend to her.

The chef’s culinary skills were beyond compare.

“Sonia, have all the invitations been sent out?”

“Yes. I’ve sent them to families that would be helpful to build relationships with.”

“Thank you. Do you think Mother knows I’ve come to the capital?”

“Since we haven’t informed her, she probably doesn’t know yet. However, since we’ve sent out invitations, word will spread.”

“Prepare in case Mother might come.”

Sonia nodded. Although she wouldn’t cause a disturbance here, it was good to be prepared since it was unclear how she might react.

Of course, sending a letter first would be an option, but that might prevent her from holding the banquet. Whitney planned to visit the information broker today.

“Then I’ll go out for a bit. There’s something I need to look into.”

“Alright. Will you be back before dinner?”

“Yes, I’ll return on time.”

Whitney boarded the carriage with her guard knight. She put on a hat to cover her face and lowered the veil. She needed to gather information before her mother and sister barged into the mansion.

‘Oh, His Highness probably thinks I’m still staying at the Rubeness mansion.’

He had told her to ask for help, so he might try to contact her there. However, she had no way to contact him. Whitney pondered for a moment before making a decision.

‘I’ll ask the information broker. To tell me how to send a letter to His Highness the Prince.’

That was the only way to contact him.

Whitney alighted from the carriage upon arriving in the city center. She entered the alleyway with the knight. The figure of the information broker gradually came into view. Whitney headed towards the guild she had used before.

The most renowned information broker in the Kingdom of Reuwen. Although expensive, they provided accurate information. Whitney entered the trading house.

“The guard knight cannot enter.”

“It’s alright, I’ll go in alone.”

When she gave the name W, the curtain was drawn. Whitney followed the guide inside. Soon, a masked man greeted her.

“Welcome, Miss W.”

“This is the first time we’re meeting face to face for a request.”

Since they had only exchanged letters, they didn’t know each other’s faces. They also used initials for names, so they didn’t try to learn personal information.

“What brings you here in person this time?”

“There’s something I want to investigate in detail. It’s about a person…”

“If it’s about what you mentioned before, I couldn’t provide proper information due to a lack of reliable data.”

Whitney nodded understandingly at the guild master’s words and carefully pulled out the flyer.

“Can you find out who this person is? I’m curious about what crime they committed.”

“Is this related to the task you entrusted before?”

“Yes, I think it’s the same person.”

Whitney hoped her thoughts were correct. If so, it would be easier to convince others.

It might be an opportunity to reveal the true face of Cecilia Orleans, no, Cecilia Weston, to everyone.

“Additionally, I need to send a confidential letter somewhere. Is that possible?”

“There’s no place we can’t send to.”

“I’d like to send a letter to Prince Cheston at the palace.”

The guild master’s eyes widened more than before.