Gilrod said the same thing to Siana as he had said in front of her.

Ophelia watched Siana’s expression grow paler with each word that came out of her father’s mouth.

It was such obvious fear that even she, who had only met Siana a few times, could notice it, but Gilrod continued to speak words that choked his daughter while smiling.

“So I brought that person to Aglante. A perfect match to complement your flaws.”

“B-but marriage is too early. I, I haven’t heard anything…”

“What difference does it make if you heard about it beforehand? Why should you care about marriage when you have this father?”

Listening to the exchange between Gilrod and his daughter, Ophelia recalled that Mahanas had said similar things.

On the day he brought a new marriage proposal not long after Haslen’s death, Mahanas had spoken as if he had done her a great favor.

Although Idren was indeed one of the few good things in her life, it was a separate issue from Mahanas daring to speak in such a manner.

“S-still, you should have told me. I, I never thought I would get married…”

“Are you truly trying to shame your father in front of Her Majesty the Queen? Even Her Majesty here left her marriage to the men of her family. So why do you keep talking back like this?”

Ophelia frowned at the words that inappropriately brought up the royal family. It was then that Salode, who was sitting with them, interjected.

“Lord Nebel, that is a disrespectful remark.”

“Disrespectful? How can you say that when you know what a good husband the King is?”

“That’s a separate matter, and it’s still disrespectful. How dare you casually mention the marriage of those above us.”

And Salode added, as if for everyone to hear:

“How can you be so rash?”

At those words, which clearly paid back what he had just heard, Gilrod’s complexion gradually reddened. Before he could start arguing with a man young enough to be his son in addition to his own daughter, Ophelia spoke up.

“Enough, let’s end the conversation here.”

The main purpose of this meeting was to inform Siana of the situation and provoke hostility towards her father. It seemed that those two points had certainly been fulfilled.

If she kept listening to everyone bickering according to their own opinions, she felt she might get a headache.

Ophelia spoke to the man who wouldn’t take his cold gaze off his daughter.

“I think Lerk has understood your intentions well enough by now, so why don’t you head back?”

“I’ll do as Your Majesty says. Siana, write letters.”

At those words, Siana’s body trembled slightly again. It was an action that clearly showed fear to anyone watching.

Just as the man who had risen from his seat was about to open the door, Ophelia turned to him.

“Ah, and there’s something you’ve forgotten.”

“Please speak.”

“The marriage I had was quite lucky. As you said, men like my husband are rare in this world.”

“…”

“If you’re not certain that the man you’ve found is as good as my husband, you shouldn’t bring up my marriage like that.”

After Gilrod left, Ophelia immediately sent Salode away. She felt she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the conversation she needed to have with Siana if he was present.

Finally alone together, Siana burst into tears that she had been holding back all this time. She pleaded, trying to steady her rough breathing.

“I don’t want to get married, I can’t. Please help me…”

It was a scene that overlapped with something she had seen before. Ophelia looked down at the woman who was just begging her, both then and now. With so many things to worry about already making her thoughts complicated, Siana acting like this made something well up inside her.

However, even if she felt irritated, she couldn’t show it to Siana. What had she done wrong? It was Gilrod who threatened to sell off his daughter and who would benefit from the marriage.

Compared to her father, Siana was trying to resolve the situation in a perfectly sensible and friendly manner. Although her method consisted entirely of clinging to Ophelia, that was because Siana had nothing else she could do.

And if one thought about where that helplessness originated from, the blame once again fell on Gilrod. It was he who had not even given his daughter a proper education.

But that didn’t mean she could just listen to Siana’s words without consideration.

Ophelia spoke to the woman clinging to her, looking much the same as before.

“I understand your feelings of not wanting to marry.”

“T-then…”

“But in Aglante, a child’s marriage is the right of the parents.”

It wasn’t just Aglante. Even she herself had her marriage arranged by Mahanas and Dares.

Siana looked up at her with tear-filled eyes.

“Then what should I do?”

Looking down at that utterly helpless figure that overlapped with her past self, Ophelia spoke.

“You need to change the situation.”

Before the sun had set that day, an unexpected visitor came to Aglante.

Ophelia looked at the new Lord of Rohos sitting in front of her.

“What brings you here?”

The woman replied with a slightly troubled expression.

“His Majesty wrote a letter.”

“About what?”

“He, he asked me to check if you were enjoying yourself and doing well. Saying that as a subject, it’s also my duty to be responsible for the leisure of those above me…”

“That’s quite an unfair thing to say.”

“…I can’t agree that it’s blasphemous, but I don’t want to deny it either.”

Ophelia shook her head, smiling inadvertently at the response.

“If you want to go back, go ahead. I’ll tell your husband I sent you back.”

“It’s alright. I might as well stay a bit longer since I’ve come up here.”

Then there was no reason to stop her. It was about time to check on the situation in the South anyway, and having Anika, who was favorable to her unlike the elder faction, stay in the capital seemed good for appearances as well.

“Alright then, since you’re here, let me ask you a few things. How is the situation in Reden these days?”

Although Salode submitted reports daily, there was no way they would catch her eye in a situation where she had no trust in him.

With Staret dead, the sea route should be open, and Reden was a peninsula surrounded by sea on three sides. The people who started the riot were commoners, so they wouldn’t have been able to completely occupy the ports. That meant capital would be flowing back to Mahanas again.

Even so, it would only delay the collapse a little, but the confrontation between Mahanas and the rebels shouldn’t be prolonged either. If that happened, it would only deplete Reden’s resources.

“With the Black Foam gone, the sea routes have opened up again. Even so, since the grain market is larger in northern Aglante, the southern lords will probably aim for the northern market, but those who originally held the northern market and were pushed out might turn their eyes downward.”

“Even with the high transportation costs?”

“If they think it’s more profitable than participating in market competition, they’ll gladly do so. I’m not sure what Your Majesty intends, but it seems the Reden royal family might import grain and distribute it domestically.”

“They won’t have the capital for that.”

Mahanas was being pressed to repay the debt he owed to Netepel. In that situation, there was no way he would use his own capital to feed the people of Reden. Someone who had lived selfishly all his life, exploiting others, wouldn’t even think that he should do so.

Even if there was someone by his side who thought they needed to win over public sentiment, they wouldn’t dare bring it up. Everyone had seen how Rakmata, who constantly gave honest advice to Mahanas, had ended up.

Anika frowned at her response.

Come to think of it, unlike her father Taeran, Anika was quite considerate of her domain’s people. It was something she had learned after having several conversations with Dahel.

To someone like her, her actions probably didn’t seem justified. Hadn’t she clashed with Idren a few times over similar issues?

Idren had eventually yielded to her will, but not because he thought she was right. Ophelia knew that he didn’t apply other ethics to her. It seemed the favor he held was large enough to cover unethical behavior.

But Anika wouldn’t be like that. Ophelia, who had put down her pen, asked the woman sitting in front of her.

“Are you curious about why I’m being so harsh to my homeland?”

When the Queen asked like that, Anika instinctively realized this was a rare opportunity.

She didn’t know much about the newly enthroned Queen. While the King’s calculating and cold personality could be understood from the path he had walked, there wasn’t enough information to speculate about the Queen who was said to have lived without leaving the palace.

But the Queen wasn’t a person who talked much about herself. Despite having met her face to face several times, Anika had never heard the Queen speak about herself.

“Ophelia is rational and intelligent. She’s kind-hearted, though easy to misunderstand because she doesn’t talk much.”

…But the words of a man blinded by newlywed love couldn’t be trusted.

Anyway, there was nothing to lose by hearing the Queen’s story.

All the southern lords who were close to her father had turned against her, and she had even cut off relations with the second prince of Egelbamont. If she could become close to the Queen, the center of the central power, she could establish a new foundation.

Moreover, if she developed a friendship with the Queen, the King would likely treat her more leniently as well. Having finished her thoughts, Anika responded to the person looking at her.

“I believe you must have proper reasons, but if you tell me, I will listen with open ears.”