“Thank you so much for earlier.”

“…You don’t have to keep saying that, Your Highness. I’m also a member of the imperial family now.”

Saying it was only natural, Amelia had been avoiding eye contact with an awkward expression since earlier.

But Leoprick’s thoughts were different.

She didn’t have to do anything.

His mother was not someone who would be easily defeated by a scheming person like Duke Valois, and he could have used his authority as the crown prince to subdue him easily.

He knew it wasn’t the right way, but how could he just stand by and watch such behavior, daring to mention Isolde’s tears as if threatening?

But before all that happened, Amelia had stepped in.

She who always kept her distance from him and said she would leave his side someday.

For someone who tried not to give her heart to anyone except Betty, whom she had brought herself, it was an incredible thing she had done.

So of course, she deserved to receive this much gratitude and praise.

Separately, he also wanted to keep looking at her lovely blushing face.

Leoprick picked up his teacup, inwardly thanking his mother who had tactfully left them alone.

“Though Mother will probably do so as well, I also want to express my gratitude to you.”

“You’ve already done so enough. You really don’t need to say anything more.”

“Don’t speak so disappointingly, Amelia. Please tell me anything you want, whatever it may be.”

Even among family, gratitude should be clearly expressed.

Reciting this eternal truth learned from his parents, Leoprick smiled.

However, Amelia still didn’t open her mouth at those words.

Though bearing the same surname, sharing the same space, and living in the same place, the two were not yet a complete family.

A relationship where all the different parts were being fitted together to match.

Would that be enough to define the relationship between them?

Leoprick felt his excited mood from earlier subside a bit as he took a sip of tea.

If he could hold onto that heart with anything, he would not hesitate to use any means necessary.

“Come to think of it, didn’t you have something to tell me?”

He smiled faintly as he looked at Amelia, who seemed to have been embarrassed since earlier.

And he decided to help her a little.

Whatever reason she had for asking for his time, he would listen to it all, as she wasn’t someone who would ask for time without reason.

Thinking that would make her feel more comfortable to speak, he waited leisurely for Amelia’s words.

Just as he was waiting, thinking he would do whatever she wanted regardless of what it was about…

“…Um, it might be a bit presumptuous to use this as leverage, but is really anything okay?”

It was an excessively cautious attitude.

Wondering why someone usually so confident would be this careful, Leoprick nodded for now.

Saying she could speak comfortably about anything.

And while he was inwardly preparing himself…

“Actually, it’s about Isolde’s tears…”

The words that came out of her mouth completely overturned that mental preparation.

I didn’t think Leoprick wouldn’t be shocked at all when talking about Isolde’s tears.

I knew how much he had been hurt by his mother’s tears in his past life.

I had just pretended not to see his upset face and placed Isolde’s tears in Lloyd’s hands.

In this life too, he had already failed to find Isolde’s tears, and might have half given up.

So, I thought he would surely be surprised when I mentioned Isolde’s tears, but…

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

I didn’t expect him to get angry with such an anxious and impatient face.

I slightly clenched and unclenched my fist, which was damp with cold sweat, as I looked at him staring at me with a stiff expression.

“…Well, um. I didn’t think it was something to mention carelessly. There would surely be those who would think to misuse it, just as Duke Valois did earlier.”

“Then all the more reason you should have told me first. Do you think those who think that way would leave you alone if they knew you had it?”

Leoprick continued with a slightly trembling voice.

Whether he was very surprised, or experiencing some emotion I couldn’t understand, it was a confused face that I couldn’t easily read.

“And this is related to my mother, not just anyone else. Didn’t you think it was something I absolutely needed to know?”

“I was short-sighted. The guild contacted me so secretly, and I was also deliberating on what to do, so I was very late in informing you.”

I inwardly sighed briefly as I looked at his quite uncomfortable face.

This was his reaction even though I said the guild had ‘coincidentally’ obtained Isolde’s tears and quietly informed me of the fact.

What if I had said I directly obtained the jewel from Wayne’s and brought it?

Perhaps I would have had to see him flailing about asking if I was in my right mind.

Of course, I can understand why he’s angry like this, but…

I exhaled softly while putting on the most apologetic face I could muster.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. It was all my oversight.”

He let out a long breath.

“…No. I was just worried that you might get hurt because of it.”

He was worried about me.

I felt an indescribable, subtle emotion as I looked at Leoprick saying such things.

He had worried about me before with Adela too, and now again.

He had said it was just a feeling of concern, separate from knowing what kind of person I am.

I could only look at him opening his mouth again, unable to find words to respond.

“I ask you, could you please consult with me about such matters from now on? That way I can also think of ways to protect you.”

“Um, yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

What would he need to think about to protect me?

No, was I even someone who should be recognized as someone he needed to protect in the first place?

We were partners, not a relationship where one side unilaterally received help, as far as I knew.

But instead of pouring out the questions that came to mind, I chose to simply nod my head.

That seemed to be the way to get through this without any trouble for now.

I looked at him with an obedient face and even smiled faintly.

For now, it’s more important to show him Isolde’s tears and ask him to arrange a meeting to give it to Her Majesty the Empress.

“And this…”

I carefully took out what I had prepared from my pocket and handed it to him.

“What is this?”

“Um, it looks like just a book on the outside, but Isolde’s tears are inside.”

I handed over the box that looked like a well-packaged book and told him how to open it.

“If you look carefully on the inside of the cover, there will be something that catches your fingertip. Just press that part lightly with some force and open it like you would open a normal book.”

At my words, Leoprick lightly ran his fingertip over the cover.

“There’s a special mechanism inside, so the box won’t open unless you press that part and open it.”

“So this is like a safe in the shape of a book?”

“Well, you could see it that way.”

When I nodded, Leoprick looked at me with a very surprised face.

“Was this also made by the Jenit Guild?”

This ‘also’?

I nodded while trying to recall if he had seen the guild’s safe before.

“To be precise, it was made by my mother and Hayley, who is currently acting as the guild master.”

“It’s really amazing. I’ve heard that your mother was very intelligent…”

“She was a wise person.”

I felt my shoulders unconsciously puff up at Leoprick’s admiration.

Well, who wouldn’t like hearing praise about their parents?

Feeling my mood improve even while knowing it was just flattery, I showed him the location of the lock on the book cover once again.

“You must not forget this part. This looks like an ordinary book on the outside, so if you don’t remember this, you won’t be able to open it twice.”

“Are you saying it becomes an ordinary book if I fail?”

“Rather than that, you should see it as the lock inside the safe activating. You don’t know how to open it a second time, right?”

As I spoke to him a bit playfully, he also chuckled and tapped the book cover.

“I guess I’ll have to open it well on the first try if I don’t want to whine to you to solve it.”

“You should. Otherwise, you’d have to call me or Hayley to ask us to open it directly.”

He nodded and put the book in his pocket.

It didn’t look unusual to anyone, just like he was holding a book in his arms.

It was fortunate that Isolde’s tears were crafted to fit perfectly in the Empress’s tiara and were small in size, otherwise it would have been difficult to deliver them to him.

As I turned my gaze from the safe that had gone into his pocket to the teacup, he opened his mouth again.

“It’s a slightly different question, but.”

“Please go ahead.”

When I raised my eyes to look at Leoprick again, he hesitated a bit before speaking.

“Is it alright if I continue to use this as I wish from now on?”

“Pardon? Do you mean the safe?”

Use it as he wishes?

As I looked at him with a puzzled face, Leoprick nodded with a faint smile.

“Yes. I think it could be useful in the future.”

If you need it, I’ll return it to you after visiting Mother.

He looked at me with a serious face.

He really seemed ready to return it if I said no, but he didn’t seem to realize that his face was dripping with attachment to that safe.

I nodded with a small smile.

“I would be grateful if you could make good use of it, Your Highness. The guild has many such things, so it’s fine.”

“Is that so? Then, I’ll use it with gratitude.”

His face brightened at my words.

His brightly lit face looked just like a child receiving a gift, making me chuckle involuntarily.

Since I laughed loud enough for him to hear, I glanced at him furtively, but he was staring at me intently, having wiped the bright smile from his face.

Could he be angry, thinking I was making fun of him?

“Ah. I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

I apologized to him immediately, but for some reason, he remained motionless, his gaze fixed on me.

He seemed almost frozen in place, so even when I tilted my head slightly, he still didn’t move.

Could he be thinking of something else?

Only after I tilted my head to the other side did he blink, as if suddenly coming to his senses.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was just thinking of something else for a moment…”

“It’s nothing, Your Highness. As long as you weren’t displeased. I was worried you might think I was making fun of you.”

“I wasn’t displeased. Not at all.”

Leoprick concluded firmly.

But there was some deep hesitation remaining at the end of his expression, so I continued to look at him.

He looked like he had something more to say, but after taking a moment to catch his breath, he only added briefly.

“It’s just that seeing you laugh reminded me of something.”

Leoprick waved his hand and smiled faintly.

That smile somehow looked lonely, and a bit painful, so I couldn’t bring myself to ask him what he had been thinking.

Because that look in his eyes as he smiled like that seemed too nostalgic.