“It wasn’t an easy decision to come, so thank you, young lady.”

“Not at all. It’s my honor to be invited.”

“I’m grateful for your words.”

A few more humble exchanges were made.

Though mixed with humility, they were merely superficial words.

Perhaps it was because I was with those who had just sincerely congratulated me and shared their hearts.

I felt a bit uncomfortable with these overly formal words.

Usually, they wouldn’t have bothered me at all.

“Actually, it was I who called for you, young lady, not the Duchess.”

So unlike usual, I went straight to the point without any unnecessary probing.

There seemed to be no need to drag things out this way or that.

At my words, she nodded with little change in her expression.

“I had roughly guessed as much. I heard that today’s tea party is a gathering of only the moderate and imperial factions.”

“I deliberately arranged this gathering as meeting at the imperial palace would be noisy and attract too much attention. I hope it’s not uncomfortable for you.”

“Oh my. Why would it be uncomfortable? I also detest unnecessary fuss.”

Arianna laughed and waved her hand.

Then, tapping her teacup, she spoke again.

“If you have something to say, please do. It wouldn’t be good for either of us to drag this out for too long.”

I’ll also need to disappear before the party ends.

Arianna ended her words with a relaxed smile.

As if she knew exactly why I had called her.

Her relaxed attitude, as if she knew everything, felt a bit awkward.

I quietly observed her and then chuckled.

“Yes. There’s no point in dragging this out for long.”

But you know, that doesn’t mean we need to rush things as if I’m chasing you out.

As I said that and picked up the teacup, she looked a bit puzzled.

I don’t know what reasons she guessed for coming here.

The important thing was that none of the reasons she guessed would be correct.

If she knew the real reason I called her, she wouldn’t be able to be so relaxed.

I took a sip of tea and set the cup back down.

“Then I’ll be blunt. What does the young lady gain from helping Lloyd Alois?”

At my ensuing question, Arianna showed a completely bewildered look.

“What… may I ask what you mean by that?”

She was so startled that the smile that had been on her face until just now was gone, and even her voice trembled faintly.

Yes. Now that the families have joined hands, she probably didn’t expect to be asked such a question.

But I wanted to know.

This young lady, who seemed to lack nothing, didn’t seem to be attached to Lloyd simply because of family.

And besides the union between families, there also seemed to be a personal connection between Lloyd and Arianna.

I didn’t care about Duke Valois since he would eventually fall away when the time came or collapse with Lloyd anyway, but this woman was like a variable to me.

A variable that I couldn’t predict at all, that I didn’t know about.

In my past life, I knew she was the young lady who most often guarded Lloyd’s side.

The person he would bring whenever he tried to provoke me.

He said that the families got along well and the mothers liked each other, so I had to work harder to surpass that woman.

But even in the past, did it seem like she was guarding Lloyd’s side and scheming something like she is now? The answer is no.

To Lloyd Alois, Arianna Valois was just a card to tell me that there was always someone to take my place.

Simply for the purpose of stimulating me, nothing more, nothing less. He once told me that directly.

But in this life, as I left Lloyd’s side, Arianna Valois took that place.

I don’t know for what reason, but it seems she is helping Lloyd with quite a few things.

If the present has changed because I changed, I needed to grasp even that small variable for a more perfect revenge.

It would be even better if I could separate her from Lloyd, if possible.

That was the biggest reason I wanted to call Arianna Valois all the way here and meet separately.

Other things I wanted to ask were, well, ultimately secondary.

“I mean it literally. It seems the young lady personally invests a lot of time in Lloyd, more than just for a family deal.”

As I counted on my fingers, Arianna’s expression became even more ambiguous.

“But to say you do it because you like Lloyd like other young ladies, your expression is too dry for that.”

The Crown Princess who now doesn’t even deign to look at Lloyd Alois suddenly called and is saying these things, so you must be curious.

“I was just curious. I heard the young lady is quite intelligent, so I wondered why you’re getting involved in a meaningless fight.”

“Isn’t it only after fighting that we know whether it’s a meaningful fight or a meaningless one?”

“No matter how hard you struggle to assign meaning to it, things that didn’t exist before won’t suddenly appear, young lady.”

At my words, Arianna’s eyes turned hostile for a moment.

It was a very brief moment, but I didn’t miss it.

“To make something that didn’t exist into something that exists requires a very long time, arduous efforts, and painstaking perseverance. From what I see, you two don’t seem to have much of that.”

“…I don’t think that’s for Your Highness to judge.”

“But there’s no need to go out of your way to rise above me, is there?”

The moment someone other than me makes the judgment, everything will go awry.

As I raised an eyebrow and lifted one corner of my mouth, Arianna slightly frowned.

I’m glad you catch on quickly.

I looked at her and spoke again.

“It’s not like I don’t know Lloyd Alois, and I can roughly guess what he’s scheming. But he probably hasn’t realized yet how dangerous and reckless it is.”

“Your Highness. You’d best watch your words.”

“It’s you and Viscount Alois who should watch your words.”

When I indirectly mentioned treason, Arianna’s expression hardened.

But well, it’s not like I said anything wrong.

“I’m giving you an opportunity right now, young lady. An opportunity for you to not become more foolish.”

“You say it’s an opportunity, but your expression is no different from a threat.”

“If that’s how you see it, then so be it.”

But Arianna Valois also didn’t seem willing to back down.

Without saying a word about my question or request, she only continued talking about my attitude.

Does this mean she won’t come over so easily?

“I know Lloyd Alois. I’ve tried to understand him for a very long time.”

“You’re cornering someone without any evidence right now, Your Highness.”

“What did I say? I’m just warning the young lady to be wary of Lloyd Alois.”

As I shrugged, Arianna seemed a bit provoked.

She looked somewhat resentful, giving a younger impression than I had known.

Don’t tell me. The reason she joined Lloyd isn’t simply out of impulse, is it?

“I like working with capable people. There’s nothing better than seeing them find their place and feel a sense of purpose.”

But that’s an emotion she needs to sort out herself, so I didn’t stop talking while observing her.

“As I said, I’m giving you an opportunity, young lady. Seeing as Duke Valois doesn’t seem like he would recognize your abilities and give you a chance.”

Viscount Alois also isn’t very bright.

Arianna seemed lost in thought at my muttered addition.

If my guess is correct, no, if Lloyd hasn’t changed as a person.

He likely hasn’t recognized Arianna’s true worth either.

But it’s enough for just me to be used and lose my life.

If Adela Gilroyt had been a bit more composed, I would have made the same offer to her, but the one frequently contacting Lloyd now was Arianna Valois.

So I looked at her, expressionless and silently lost in thought.

She seemed to be deep in thought about something.

I also thought for a moment while looking at her lost in thought.

According to Betty’s additional investigation, Arianna loves books.

She reads indiscriminately, so she’s well-versed in various knowledge and has asked Duke Valois several times to send her to study abroad.

But I heard Duke Valois, who has a very conservative tendency, opposed it, telling her to just go and get married obediently.

She often told the young ladies she was close with when young that she would never marry when she grew up, but it seems she stopped saying such things as she got older.

Organizing my thoughts as I looked at her, who seemed to be trying in her own way, I spoke.

“Let me know before it’s too late. Because it will be too late after the Viscount does something.”

“And why should I trust you, Your Highness?”

Arianna retorted sharply, all traces of her earlier composure gone.

I suppose feeling attacked is inevitable.

I tilted my head slightly, looking at Arianna’s face with the mask of composure removed.

“Because I would understand what the young lady wants better than the Viscount?”

A girl who loves books and wanted to study.

A girl who has never properly voiced what she wants, faced with the opposition of her conservative father.

As someone who lived a slightly better life than her but tasted the same limitations, I wanted to tell her.

This path may be a bit longer than that one, but it would be a much safer path that comes closest to where you want to go.

The path you’re on now may seem better and faster for now, but as time passes, you’ll only get farther from where you wanted to go.

And at my expression, Arianna slowly opened her mouth.