“The scout reported seeing the flag used by the army under the command of the First Prince.”

In the previous life, the army led by the First Prince of Brinwell was the first to advance. The war began when his forces crossed the Kirios Mountains, advocating for the enthronement of the Namie royal descendant.

Despite knowing this fact, Salode’s words were somewhat perplexing. Idren asked.

“How many troops has the First Prince brought up?”

“We’ve confirmed the 1st and 2nd armies, but we must also consider the possibility of more forces lying in ambush.”

“What about the report from our spy planted in Brinwell?”

“It seems the First Prince’s advance was kept secret even within the royal family. They say the moderate Second Prince has hastily returned to the capital upon hearing the news.”

“…Check if there are any ambushes in the northern part of the mountains, and confirm exactly how many days the First Prince’s army is from the mountain peak. Send a special message to Soeh to prepare for conflict, and report immediately if there are any changes.”

That’s how the conversation ended in the lounge where only the two of them were present.

Several days passed without additional reports. It was a period marked by anxiety.

It takes time for dispatches to travel to and from the vicinity of the Kirios Mountains. Even knowing this, Idren couldn’t stop thinking about the mountains.

The Kirios Mountains, spanning the northern edges of Brinwell and Aglante, had long been the designated border. The moment either side crossed its peak, it was considered an intrusion into the other’s territory.

As far as he knew, the war had broken out the following spring. In his previous life, Brinwell’s First Prince had ascended the mountains in the second month. He crossed the peak after spring had arrived.

But now it was the middle of the seventh month. It was too early, far too early.

Moreover, if the prince were to cross the peak after a couple of months like in the previous life, it would coincide with Aglante’s harvest season.

Unlike Brinwell, which relied on rye as a staple and imported other grains from foreign countries, Aglante had a large domestic market.

The harvest season in the south, which accounted for most of that domestic market, spanned the eighth and ninth months.

Everyone knew that troops shouldn’t be conscripted during the harvest season.

Besides the poor timing, there were other concerns.

As far as Idren knew, Brinwell’s finances were not in a state to wage war right now.

After Queen Isde’s death, Brinwell’s economy had plummeted instantly with the loss of diplomatic advantages and assets obtained through her.

The long-reigning king of Brinwell had flexibly managed the situation to prevent a national panic, but he couldn’t stop the economic contraction.

Brinwell was now in a period of recovering from that contracted economy. Advancing in such a situation didn’t make sense.

If war broke out, they might be able to hold out for now, but at most for a couple of months. During that time, Brinwell’s economy would suffer a shock greater than what it had recovered.

Even if they were to win, which was unlikely, it would take a long time to recover from the aftermath.

As far as Idren knew, the current king of Brinwell was not the type to make such a fatally damaging choice for his country.

So he must have prepared countermeasures, but there were no apparent clues.

Gilrod, who had openly allied with the Brinwell royal family, was still under house arrest. Having been recently expelled from the assembly, he seemed to be cautious with his words and actions. There were no reports from those assigned to watch him.

His communication with the Second Prince of Egelbamot was concerning, but even that had ceased now.

Idren could easily guess the reason. The Second Prince’s circumstances must not be favorable.

That man, rejected by Ophelia, would have no time to worry about nobles from other countries. His half-sister, the Second Princess, would have targeted his hidden assets.

Related news would be brought by Salode either today or tomorrow. As soon as he thought this, there was a knock on the door.

“Your Majesty, I have something to report.”

The aide who entered the room didn’t mince words. Salode placed the papers he was holding on the desk and said.

“Levenen I has banished his illegitimate son from the imperial capital. Additionally, he disbanded a merchant guild run by a commoner-born guild master. Given the timing, it’s speculated that all of these are related to the Second Prince.”

That much had been expected. Idren asked him.

“What’s the pretext? There must be an official statement.”

“The official reason given was that he failed to show his face at the banquet held in place of the conference, neglecting his duty as a member of the imperial family.”

“They found any excuse to pick on him.”

It was already well-known that the Second Prince didn’t attend banquets where the Emperor, Empress, or Crown Prince made appearances. Among the imperial family members, those three were particularly averse to illegitimate children.

And all three would have attended the banquet held in place of the conference.

While it was true that Egelbamot’s Second Prince was an unpleasant person who shouldn’t be close to Ophelia, hearing about the circumstances of his expulsion didn’t sit well with Idren.

He knew that if he had been in the same position, he could have easily found himself in a similar predicament for the same reasons.

But wasn’t it also true that he himself had guided the situation to this point?

Even if given the chance to choose again, Idren thought he would make the same choice. The Second Prince was an unpleasant person in many ways to let him encounter Ophelia, and his feelings were just a matter of enduring that one thing.

Removing his personal feelings, he continued to speak.

“I thought the Second Princess wasn’t on good terms with her father, it’s surprising she’d use her father’s hand. If he’s been expelled from the imperial capital, where is the Second Prince now?”

“This is actually unexpected, but it seems he immediately boarded a ship bound for Reden.”

“Reden? Why?”

It was true that the Second Prince frequently traveled to and from Reden, but each time he moved very cautiously. As if he didn’t want anyone to know where he was heading.

However, Salode’s answer was not satisfactory.

“There’s no accurate information about that.”

Not long after the bill to expand the royal family’s private army was passed, the day came when Ophelia had to host a banquet as the governor of Galisa.

However, Ophelia didn’t have much to worry about. Salode had taken charge of the detailed preparations, using it as an opportunity for Dahel to learn the practical aspects, and Idren had also agreed to accompany her that day.

While reciting the somewhat extensive political relationship chart of the nobles invited to the banquet, which was a bit too much to memorize, he said.

“I’ll be by your side on the day, so you don’t need to worry excessively.”

It was undoubtedly a remark that kept in mind the conversation they had while making rounds together some time ago.

Hearing this, Ophelia felt a slight sense of guilt.

Idren seemed to have become much busier in recent days.

Although she hadn’t particularly waited for him, Ophelia knew that he wasn’t coming to the bedroom until late. In the mornings too, he was gone before she opened her eyes.

Even though she had thought she should reduce the number of face-to-face encounters to avoid unnecessary build-up, when the situation actually became like this, it bothered her a little.

She didn’t ask anything, thinking it wasn’t significant enough to bring up.

Previously, she had asked about anything she was curious about without hesitation, and even complained to the other party not to beat around the bush. Thinking about it now, it was a contradictory act.

But Ophelia didn’t delve into this contradiction.

To examine what was conflicting, she would first have to consider where this subtle emotion came from, and in doing so, it would instantly lead to the heat she felt on the day she removed his hand from the doorknob. As someone who knew how long that heat had lasted, it wasn’t a welcome thought.

No, was it really unwelcome?

There were days when such thoughts crossed her mind.

Ophelia didn’t know much about what was inside people, and the same was true for what was inside her. It was because too many changes had occurred after the person who knew her better than herself had died.

So perhaps, the familiar yet unfamiliar heat from her husband might not be unpleasant.

But such thoughts always ended up rebelling against herself.

Whenever her heart seemed to flow even slightly in the direction the man desired, Ophelia found herself unconsciously contradicting it internally.

So what? What does it matter?

What would change even if it did?

The fact that Idren Sigrasal was a man perfectly suitable for loving, or that the things he had proposed closely resembled the happiness she once dreamed of, wasn’t important in choosing the future.

Whether Idren was suited for things like love or happiness was a separate issue from her knowing and accepting him as such.

No matter how much he swayed before her eyes like sweet fruit, it didn’t matter if she didn’t reach for it.

For these reasons, Ophelia thought it didn’t matter what was inside her, but nevertheless, today’s Idren caught her attention.

There wasn’t any apparent problem on the surface.

Idren, who had accompanied her to the governor’s residence for the banquet, acted impeccably in the social aspect, as if determined to fulfill his role.

Ophelia felt him deflecting topics appropriately without infringing on her right to speak. Throughout the banquet, the conversation flowed smoothly, with no one daring to speak too freely in front of the king.

After the meal, there was time for socializing.

Ophelia engaged in conversation with several heads of elder families and their relatives who had recently begun to show interest in her, sparked by a debate in the parliament. Most of them belonged to the royalist faction, so there were no difficulties.

Idren remained by her side during this time as well, but unlike before, he kept his mouth shut.

Ophelia couldn’t distinguish whether he was trying to create a situation where she could speak freely or if his attention was focused elsewhere.