And Idren grasped her hand that lay between them. Only when his rough, hard palm enveloped hers did Ophelia realize that her hand had been trembling.

Just as she thought it strange, since she wasn’t particularly shocked or nervous, the man spoke.

“It seems the merchant side took the initiative in this situation.”

“But is there any reason for that?”

Anika had done nothing to incur the wrath of the Egelbaum merchant.

Even if she had, there wouldn’t be a merchant reckless enough to assassinate the head of a powerful family.

Idren also agreed with her words.

“It would be difficult for a merchant to act on personal grudges like that.”

“Southern lords wouldn’t easily collaborate with foreign merchants either. They consider themselves above even their own country’s merchants… There must have been someone behind the merchant.”

And that mastermind would have to be of a status that could deal equally with foreign lords, so it must be either a fellow noble or someone above that.

“Considering they specifically chose an Egelbaum merchant, there’s a high probability it’s someone from Egelbaum.”

But where would Anika have incurred the wrath of an Egelbaum noble?

There were mainly two groups of nobles in Egelbaum who could mobilize merchant groups: the second princess Talia and her faction, or those under Crown Prince Orien. Though they were different factions, they could be grouped together under the single entity of the Runtallis imperial family.

However, the current Egelbaum imperial family was maintaining a not-bad relationship with Idren.

The Egelbaum imperial family focused more on the fact that Sigrasal was derived from Runtallis, rather than on Idren having killed the blood-mixed previous Grand King.

In other words, it meant that as long as one bore the name Sigrasal, they wouldn’t be easily antagonized. This was a political stance heavily influenced by the current Crown Prince Orien Runtallis.

There was no reason for a noble under the Runtallis imperial family to target Anika. Although she acted differently from her father, Anika was still a supporter of the Sigrasal royal family.

Idren seemed to have thought of the same fact.

“It’s unlikely to be those under Crown Prince Orien. The Crown Prince quite prefers peace. The same goes for Princess Talia. I’ve personally dealt with her before, so she wouldn’t move in this way.”

The nobles on the princess’s side tend to prioritize maximum profit over socializing, but their main trading partner is Tesendot.

The added words made sense. Ophelia recalled a fact she had half-forgotten. Egelbaum’s second princess had married a prince of Tesendot, opening a path there.

“But what merchant would dare to target a lord of another country…”

At that moment, something suddenly occurred to her.

Netepel also once had a merchant group. Although it was said that the Emperor of Egelbaum personally disbanded it, that doesn’t mean they lost everything.

Even when exiled, it was heard that they still possessed considerable wealth.

“…Could it have been Netepel?”

Once her thoughts started branching in that direction, they spread without difficulty.

Though not as much as Princess Talia or Crown Prince Orien, Netepel could also influence Egelbaum merchants.

There was a motive as well.

First, Netepel had supported Brinwell in this recent war.

Idren had said it was because he envied him, but that statement lacked basis. Which would be greater: jealousy towards a man he had barely met a few times, or the resentment felt when someone he had known for over a decade turned their back on him?

Ophelia took a deep breath at this fact that seemed so obvious now, wondering why she hadn’t thought of it before.

“I think it’s because of me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Given the circumstances, it seems Netepel had a hand in this, and there’s only one reason he would move.”

It’s because he hates me. Because I rejected him last time.

A chill ran down her spine. Ophelia glared at the teacup in front of her.

“…I had no eye for people.”

She had treated Netepel like her only friend, not knowing he was that kind of person. Although she was reluctant to admit it, there were a few instances in her past life where she had relied on him.

Disgust at the opponent who had designed the deception and at her own stupidity welled up inside her.

Thinking she was blaming herself, Idren consoled her in a calm tone.

“Don’t jump to conclusions. We don’t have any concrete evidence yet.”

But Ophelia wasn’t blaming herself. While she did think there were many problems with herself as well, self-loathing wasn’t what she needed to resolve right now.

It’s not too late to grieve after keeping her promise. Ophelia parted her trembling lips.

“You’re right, there’s no evidence.”

But it won’t be that way forever.

It wasn’t the first time she had to scrape up what someone left behind and strike back. Ophelia spoke in a slightly subdued voice.

“First, we need to summon that merchant to Aglante. If he really is in league with Netepel, he’ll be ostracized by both the second princess and the crown prince, so there shouldn’t be any issues with Runtallis. And we need to send Dahel down to Rohos territory to gather information.”

If no proper evidence came from interrogating the merchant, they would have to search through the records left by the former Lord of Rohos. The former Lord of Rohos had a personal friendship with Netepel, so there should surely be useful information left behind.

Even if no evidence remained, it didn’t matter. Lying wasn’t something only Netepel could do.

“After that… I’ll have Netepel come to Aglante as well.”

She needed to confirm if it really was Netepel’s doing, and if her guess was correct, it would be much more advantageous to deal with him here.

If Netepel really had laid hands on Anika, Ophelia had a duty to take responsibility and deal with him. She had made promises to both Siana and Anika’s mother.

However, it wouldn’t be easy to drag Netepel out of Brinwell to Aglante. Ophelia didn’t think he would come without suspicion just because she called.

It was then that a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

“Didn’t Mahanas leave me a lot of debt?”

“Debt, you say?”

“Yes. The debt he incurred in the name of the Mevasa royal family must be substantial.”

And a significant portion of that debt was owed to Netepel.

Ophelia still remembered her brother’s face as he regretted not selling her to Egelbaum’s second prince. Although she hadn’t delved deeply into it at the time due to the urgent situation, it seemed that Netepel had made such a proposal to Mahanas in the past.

It was truly disgusting the more she recalled it, but that wasn’t what was important right now.

Ophelia explained to the man who was looking at her with confused eyes.

“When the debt is large, the lender tends to be anxious.”

So when Netepel learns that she has inherited the Mevasa royal family, he would contact her.

And fulfilling debt relationships was something she had quite a bit of experience with. Ophelia lifted her gaze from the teacup. The banner embroidered with the many-branched tree, symbol of the Sigrasal royal family, came into view.

As expected, a letter from Netepel arrived not long after.

To be precise, it was a dunning letter written in the name of his proxy, a servant. Ophelia sneered at the messenger while returning it.

“It seems your master doesn’t even know how to offer congratulations on ascension to the throne.”

This cold remark, which she rarely made, seemed to surprise not only Netepel’s servant but also Idren who was watching nearby. However, Idren didn’t say anything to her.

No, he rather seemed to like it a bit.

“If you need anything, just say the word.”

Ophelia merely raised an eyebrow at the man, unsure whether he liked that she was burning with vengeance or that the target was Netepel.

In any case, she didn’t need anything right away.

And not long after, another letter arrived. It was from Deos, Haslen’s mother, saying that she would arrive in Edegrun soon.

Despite surely having every reason to hate her and her family, there was no hostility in the woman’s reply. No, she even went so far as to inquire after her well-being as if greeting an old friend. It was full of the kindness befitting a mother who had warmly raised her son.

While waiting for this woman who possessed a tolerance she herself couldn’t achieve even after years, Ophelia wondered if Deos would accept her proposal.

Reden wasn’t a terrible country only to her. If Reden was the land where her fiancé’s death occurred for her, for Deos it was the land that took away her son despite her careful nurturing.

However, it was also true that there was no one else she could entrust Reden to if not Deos. Entrusting Reden to Idren as well would be a terribly unconscionable act. Even if she received criticism from Deos, that too was something she had to endure.

As she worried, time passed, and before long, Ophelia heard the news that Deos Rakmata had entered Edegrun.