And the queen looked up at him with bright blue eyes. Salode did not avoid the gaze of the woman trying to test him and said:

“I am an official of Aglante.”

Perhaps these words could be tantamount to kicking away the opportunity to mend relations with the queen.

Salode knew that if he deepened the rift with the queen, his position could be in jeopardy. How many public officials had lost their positions for being disliked by their master’s spouse? Just a few generations ago, even a prime minister was executed and had his head displayed in the marketplace because he was hated by the queen consort.

Of course, the queen was not that type of person, and the king was not one to mix personal feelings with public affairs, but who knows?

However, it would be wrong for him to give an incorrect answer from this position.

Salode had no intention of making a choice he would be ashamed of. It was a heavier burden to know for himself that something was shameful than for everyone else to see part of him and consider it shameful.

The most important thing a person should maintain in life was their inner core. Salode uttered the words that best reflected his opinion on this.

“An official must make choices for the sake of the country.”

The queen silently looked at him for a moment and then nodded.

“Yes, I suppose so.”

There was neither hostility nor favor in those words. The queen put down the teacup she had been holding and shook her head.

“I asked an unnecessary question. I won’t keep you any longer, so you may go.”

Martel, one of the lords of southern Aglante, turned to Galat, who was also from the south, in the carriage heading to Edergrün and asked:

“Do you really think this is right?”

Unlike the still relatively young Martel, Galat, whose beard had turned white, brought the wine glass he was holding to his lips.

“What?”

“You know what I mean.”

Galat frowned sharply at that.

“She was an ill-mannered wench.”

“But still, she was the lord of a domain, wasn’t she?”

It was true that Anika Rohos had been a troublesome presence for them. Unlike her father Taeran, Anika had no intention of allying with the other southern lords. Or to be more precise, she had no intention of allying with their group. She seemed to get along well enough with the lords of other small domains.

It’s true that this had twisted their judgment. Especially for those who were profiting from smuggling and black market trade, it was more irritating that the Rohos lord, who owned most of the lands near the canal, was hostile.

But even so, taking action like this seemed too extreme. Martel recalled the young lord who had been drugged and handed over to mercenaries.

If it had been a plan that came solely from their own minds, it might have been different, but it wasn’t. Martel remembered the letter he had received from the 2nd Prince of Egelbarmot a few months ago. The 2nd Prince, who had been close to Taeran before his death, had sent them a letter trying to instill hostility towards his daughter.

He emphasized that he himself had nothing to gain from this, saying it was merely a lesson for the daughter who acted as if she had forgotten her father after Taeran’s death, but… The more Martel thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He cautiously spoke again.

“It seems we’re being too swayed by a foreign prince.”

“Nonsense. We’ve simply made a choice that benefits us. Don’t you remember how she reported us to the king and made us pay a hefty fine?”

Because the Rohos lord had searched her dead father’s ledgers and provided evidence of human trafficking to the king, they had to pay a large fine. No matter how much the south belonged to the royalist faction, unauthorized enslavement or human trafficking was clearly illegal and could not escape punishment. The current king, though young, was not of a soft character, so there was no favoritism based on personal relationships either.

But was that enough of a reason to take action against a lord with as large a domain as Rohos? Thinking about it that way, Martel simply couldn’t agree.

Moreover, the Rohos lord had a personal friendship with the queen. Wasn’t it because of the queen’s order that she had come out of Edergrün?

Considering that point, there was ample reason for the royal family to intervene in this incident. If a royal investigation were to begin, the truth was likely to come to light, and if that happened, it wouldn’t end with just a fine this time.

Martel cautiously opened his mouth again.

“What if the royal family catches wind of this?”

“It’ll still be fine. Didn’t the merchant sent by the 2nd Prince pour the drinks? We can just say we enjoyed ourselves together and then parted ways. It’s common to receive hospitality from merchants, isn’t it?”

“Just being present could be enough to raise suspicions. Besides, how can we trust a foreign royal? The 2nd Prince was only…”

It was then that Galat burst out shouting.

“Enough with this useless talk!”

Startled by the older man’s outburst, Martel flinched. Galat glanced at him with a look of contempt before letting out a small sigh.

“What’s done is done. We can’t turn back now.”

And Galat raised his wine glass again. After taking a sip of the pungent drink, he said,

“That girl is probably a corpse by now.”

Hazel sat in the carriage running along the capital’s roads, looking out the window. She was currently on her way to Siana’s family home with her.

Originally, her duty was to protect the queen, but this task was directly ordered by the queen herself.

“I’m not sure what harm Gilord Nebel might do to Siana, so take good care of her.”

After their conversation in the garden, the woman whose attitude towards her had softened considerably said this while assigning her the mission to leave the castle.

According to the royal command, she shouldn’t leave the queen’s side, but Hazel simply agreed to these words. It was only for a day anyway, and the knight who alternated guard duty with her could manage with a little extra effort.

It would also be more intimidating for the brigade commander like herself to accompany them rather than some middling knight.

Although she didn’t share the same views as her family, who were on bad terms with the Nebels, Hazel didn’t particularly like Gilord Nebel as he picked fights with her at every turn.

Despite being someone who couldn’t do anything even if grabbed by the scruff of the neck, that man often looked at her with contemptuous eyes. How ill-mannered he was, he had even openly mentioned marriage to her before. He did shut up when she pointed out his sexual dysfunction that couldn’t produce new children despite rolling around here and there.

Unlike her father who looked unpleasant from birth, the daughter seemed to have a naturally docile personality. She always spoke quietly and didn’t go out often.

Although Hazel knew many people around the castle due to her guard duties, mostly staying in the queen’s area, she hadn’t heard much about Siana.

Mostly that she stayed in her room. From what she had roughly heard, it was said that she studied to take a seat in the House of Lerck.

But the woman looked too gentle to sit in a place crawling with those old men. Hazel glanced at Siana sitting across from her. The woman with fair skin that flushed easily and dark brown hair was looking down with her hands clasped together, seemingly nervous about something.

Though they weren’t close, seeing her so dejected made Hazel uncomfortable. Looking at her slightly flushed face, Hazel said:

“Don’t be too nervous.”

“Y-Yes?”

“I’m here to make sure nothing happens. You can relax your shoulders a bit.”

And Hazel smiled at the woman who finally looked up at her. A smile was the most effective and easiest way to melt a person’s hardened heart.

Siana also smiled awkwardly in response. She seemed to have a personality that reacted quickly to people, for someone who appeared defensive.

Thinking that this should have eased her tension, Hazel was about to turn her head when Siana furrowed her brow.

“Um, but you know…”

“Yes?”

“What if… if something does happen?”

What does she mean by that? Frowning as she tried to understand the intention behind the question, Hazel concluded that the woman was still not fully relaxed.

Well, everyone has different thresholds for fear and tension, so it could be the case. Hazel was about to open her mouth to reassure her when:

“You… you never know what might happen with people… Something could happen…”

She seemed very worried, asking with her brown eyebrows drooping. Hazel smiled again to reassure her.

“Don’t worry. I’m the royal brigade commander. I’ll do my best to prevent anything from happening.”

Most knights were no match for her. Hazel was confident she could handle any situation and take care of one young, timid woman.

It wasn’t as if she was the only knight who had come along either.

Even if Gilord Nebel really went mad and tried to detain them, she could certainly return with someone like Siana.

But the woman’s expression became even more distraught at those words. She lowered her eyes and muttered. Ah, this isn’t good… Though it was a small voice, it was clearly audible in the carriage where only the two of them were present.

It was then that a strange premonition arose. Hazel leaned her head slightly towards the woman who had already averted her gaze again.

“Excuse me, Lady Lerck. If I may ask one thing.”

Siana flinched as if someone had grabbed her by the neck. It was a reaction that intensified the ominous feeling.

Hazel asked the woman who was acting like she was obviously hiding something:

“Do you perhaps have plans other than what you told Her Majesty the Queen?”