“Your Highness! The results of the support project evaluation are out.”

Betty, who had gone to check the documents Hayley had sent last night and send them back to the top, entered urgently.

She was so rushed that she came in panting and delivered the message to me.

“The results are already out?”

Her content made me swallow the words I was about to say, asking why she came in such a hurry.

The evaluation results of the support project were out.

I had expected it to take at least another month, but I never thought the decision would be made so quickly.

Considering that it took two to three months in my previous life, it was a truly exceptional speed.

Does Leoprick have something in mind?

I was perplexed by the unexpected news, but for now, it was important how the results turned out.

It was the first stepping stone for Lloyd’s political rise and a measure of the fame he would gain.

It was also about whether Lloyd Alois would imprint his name on the people of the empire or not.

I hurriedly handed a moderately cooled tea to Betty, who had rushed in.

“Have a drink first and tell me slowly. What’s the result?”

Feeling my heart getting impatient for no reason, I stared intently at Betty.

After barely catching her breath with a cup of tea, Betty took a long breath and slowly opened her mouth.

“I met a knight in a messenger’s outfit on my way out. He said the results just came out and he was on his way to our company.”

“And?”

“I insisted that he let me see it a little earlier, saying it was Your Highness’s order.”

“Then what happened?”

“So I saw the results first, and…”

Betty slowly inhaled.

What is she trying to say by keeping me in suspense like this?

I clenched and unclenched my slightly sweaty palms, urging Betty.

“Betty. Quickly. I’m about to faint.”

“We were selected!”

Before my words were finished, Betty raised both hands high in the sky with a joyful expression.

…What did you say?

“We were selected?”

“Yes! We were selected! It said the final selection was the Jenit Company!”

“That’s all? Nothing else was said?”

“What else needs to be said? The important thing is that we were selected!”

Excited, Betty jumped up and down with her raised hands together.

She said she struggled to come all the way here, trying not to show her excitement after returning the letter to the messenger.

While doing so, she did not hide her joy, saying that nothing else mattered.

Then that means Lloyd’s was rejected.

I tilted my head, recalling his proposal, which was similar to Hayley’s at a glance.

Usually, when two or more proposals show similar patterns, isn’t it a priority to determine plagiarism?

Of course, what Hayley wrote was truly outstanding, but it wasn’t to the extent of ignoring Lloyd’s.

I haven’t said anything to Leoprick yet.

Did he already judge Lloyd’s as plagiarism?

Or, if there’s another reason besides that?

Of course, it’s a very good thing that Lloyd wasn’t selected.

It means he has lost the stepping stone to stand in the opposite position of Leoprick.

But when things have been going differently from what I knew so far, will this matter go as I knew it?

I let out a small sigh, lowering my expression.

“That’s a relief. Let me know if Hayley contacts you.”

“Oh… yes? Yes.”

Betty stopped jumping in place after seeing my expression not looking very good.

I lightly tapped her shoulder and left the room.

Thinking that I should properly ponder the reason why the feeling of uneasiness doesn’t go away.

“Joint selection?”

Lloyd held the letter brought by the messenger in his hand and laughed hollowly.

Joint selection, they say.

They’re going to support not one, but two massive projects, each worth several years’ living expenses for ordinary people?

He looked at the letter he had just read once, then at the messenger from the imperial palace, raising his eyebrows.

“Can you explain it again? I don’t quite understand.”

“It is as you heard, Viscount. His Majesty thought that both projects were highly viable and would contribute to the future of the empire this time, so he unusually decided to support both projects.”

“Did he say there was enough budget for that?”

“That’s beyond my knowledge.”

The knight who came as a messenger slightly bowed his head.

Well. What would a knight who only came to deliver the news know?

Lloyd let out a small sigh, holding the news that was welcome but not entirely pleasing.

“You’ve worked hard. I’ll tell the butler to give you some light refreshments to take with you.”

“No, I must return to the palace immediately.”

“If your superior questions you about being late, tell them I held you back.”

Lloyd rose from his seat and smiled at the knight.

At his smile, the knight had no choice but to bow his head with an awkward expression.

With the letter in his hand, Lloyd left the reception room, instructed the servant standing in front to take care of the knight, and returned to his room.

This didn’t happen in the previous life.

Well, back then, Amelia was by his side, and the Jenit Company didn’t take direct action.

To begin with, the fact that Amelia is not by his side is a variable, so is it redundant to find this situation strange now?

Lloyd threw himself on the bed, looking at the letter stamped with the emperor’s seal.

It would be good news for Arianna Valois, but on the other hand, it also meant that he would stand in opposition to Amelia once again.

It would have been nice if he could win back Amelia’s heart with this opportunity.

She is a woman with a strong sense of pride and boldness.

A lovable woman who knows how to reach for what she wants and doesn’t hide her desires.

That makes her the best woman to hold hands with and move together.

If he had been selected and the Jenit Company had been rejected, she would have contacted him even out of a sense of injustice.

Asking what the reason was, why his was selected and hers wasn’t, saying she didn’t understand.

She would have prepared to be selected for the project again next year or the year after.

He could have lingered around her even a little, taking that opportunity.

But unfortunately, not only his but also hers were selected together.

They might see each other’s faces from time to time, but there would be no chance to talk with her for long.

Because she’s a woman who focuses terribly once she’s immersed in work.

She won’t want to pay attention to anything else.

“Mel, when will you give me your time?”

He had to meet her.

If he met her, he could appeal with tears as usual or do something to shake her tender heart.

Despite him constantly taking a low posture, Amelia didn’t even bat an eye.

She just kept getting angry and avoiding him.

Of course, there still seems to be hesitation at the end of her gaze, so she’s suppressing her rising anger, but…

If it were now, he would gladly show his smile to protect her devotion solely for herself, without being swept away by meaningless sophistry.

“I miss you, Mel.”

So let’s admit it.

To get Amelia back, he has to put in several times more effort than before.

To defeat that impudent Leoprick, he also has to work at least twice as hard as Amelia did.

Lloyd, who let out a small sigh of patience, closed his eyes, imagining her guarding his side like before.

Even the her in his imagination wasn’t smiling, though.

I learned that this year’s project selection unusually supported two projects after Hayley came to me.

After the messengers returned one by one, Hayley hurriedly rode here and handed me the letter.

“Joint selection? Does that make sense?”

The most surprised was Betty this time as well.

Just as she was the most excited earlier.

Betty was as surprised and angry as she was excited just now.

“No, even if they have a large budget, how can they do a joint selection? Are they in their right mind?”

“Lower your voice, Betty. This is the palace.”

I cautioned in a small voice while re-reading the letter Hayley had handed me.

At my words, Betty closed her mouth but grumbled softly with a dissatisfied expression.

It’s not that I don’t understand.

I, too, am deeply concerned about the frugal financial state of the current imperial family.

But it wasn’t to the point of protesting this decision.

“Which company was selected together?”

“It’s Alois.”

Hayley answered my question in a heavy tone.

The collaboration between Lloyd Alois and Duke Valois was selected along with our company.

As expected, Leoprick must have some ulterior motive.

Otherwise, such an unusual decision different from the past would not have been made.

“Then you’ll frequently run into each other, Your Highness, right?”

Betty asked worriedly.

Not only her but Hayley also slightly nodded her head, giving a similar look.

It must be because both of them know about my relationship with Lloyd.

I nodded my head while folding the letter.

“That could be the case. But this is a matter handled by the Jenit Company, and the official submitter of this proposal is Hayley. There’s no need for me to deliberately go to the palace and meet Viscount Alois.”

“That’s a relief, but…”

“And as I said earlier, this is the palace. You’ll have to watch your words, Betty.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

The palace has many ears to hear and mouths to spread.

When I pointed that out, Betty covered her mouth with both hands and rolled her eyes to look around.

Seeing Betty like that, I smiled faintly and handed the folded letter to Hayley.

“As I said, Hayley. I won’t take the forefront.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“To begin with, it was Father who told me to plan the project, and Hayley made and submitted the proposal, so there’s no room for me to intervene.”

“You are the owner of the company, Your Highness.”

“And if I step forward, there will be massive criticism.”

I shook my head at Hayley’s words and let out a small sigh.

I am the first crown princess in the empire’s history to have her own business.

Even without that, the aristocratic faction is desperate to find fault with it, so there’s no need to give them an unnecessary pretext.

I spoke firmly.

“I won’t intervene. I won’t stop you from coming to report, but there’s no need to proceed with this matter under my name.”

“…I understand what you mean.”

“Good. And don’t forget to report to me only about the matters in the North and East.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Hayley bowed slightly at the waist.

Beside her, Betty looked at me with an expression that wanted to say something, but I conveyed my intention not to listen to her by averting my gaze.

It’s not that I don’t know their hearts, but there are more important matters now.

Adela Giloitte and the food shortage in the North, and the epidemic in the East are enough to make my head complicated.

So it would be best to conclude this matter here.

I made up my mind to focus only on matters for Leoprick as much as possible and sent the two out.