“By any chance, have there been any suspicious movements among the noble families affiliated with the Council of Elders? It’s too quiet, which is rather suspicious.”

“Because Lord Rode has severely punished the families related to the Turner family’s wrongdoing, everyone seems to be frightened. The Repel family, whose considerable assets were confiscated, is one example.”

“I should call Cain to the palace soon and hear his thoughts. Being cautious won’t hurt.”
Since then, I continued reviewing documents, exchanging occasional conversations with Shione.

At the moment when I was about to finish all the tasks that had become quite familiar to me, intending to take a deep breath,

I discovered a letter with a particularly conspicuous presence from the pile of letters stacked high.

“This is a letter from Wilhelm. Why wasn’t it delivered directly to me?”

“I’m sorry, Princess Bella. It seems there was a bit of a delay in management since the workload inside the palace increased recently.”

In the past few weeks, based on consultations with the head maid Rosa, Shione had significantly increased the staff in Rose Palace.

It was a decision made because of the overwhelming number of gifts and letters pouring in daily from all over the kingdom. Although most valuable items were intended for facilities operated under my name, handling all of it still required the involvement of many people.

I called Rosa and asked her to pay attention to the management of the palace staff and then sent everyone away.

To open Wilhelm’s letter, a considerable mental preparation was needed.

‘He probably resents me because of Charlotte’s incident. Even if I hear complaints, there’s nothing I can do. Anyway, they are mother and son.’

However, the letter I cautiously opened revealed a completely different story from my expectations.

I carefully read the paper with neat writing that began with a simple greeting.

“Hello, Bella. It’s my first time sending a letter like this. As you may know, I’ve been traveling to various expedition sites under Lord Rode’s orders for a while now. By the time you receive this, I’ll probably have already arrived in the cold northern region. I’m already starting to miss the warm air of the capital.”

The contents of the letter, which started with a simple greeting, soon continued with information about Charlotte.

However, there was not a single hint of resentment.

“I thought you might worry about me because of Mother’s incident. But you don’t have to. I don’t want our relationship to sour because of that incident. I don’t resent you at all, Bella. On the contrary, I endlessly admire your courage and goodwill for standing up for Mother. If we meet again in the palace, I hope we can read books together in the library, just like before. Until then, take care. Your brother, Wilhelm.”

Why does the word “brother” feel so warmly comforting?

I covered the letter, feeling a slight regret for once thinking of Wilhelm as nothing more than a rival to be trampled upon.

‘I should send a reply to Wilhelm. Of course, I’ll also prepare the necessary items for the expedition.’

The vast northern region, with endless snow-covered mountains, had an extremely harsh climate.

Even for adults, it was said that they would often freeze, so for Wilhelm, who was barely in his mid-teens, it would undoubtedly be quite a challenge.

I quickly wrote a response and instructed someone to prepare as many items needed for the winter expedition as possible.
Originally, it should have been Charlotte, my mom, who took care of this, but considering her current situation where she’s been prohibited from going out for a while, it would be difficult for her to move easily.

“Since I suddenly have to go on an expedition to a distant place, there might be a shortage of supplies. Money is not an issue, so please deliver it to the military camp as quickly as possible.”

“Using teleportation scrolls or portals might make the delivery faster… Would that be acceptable to you?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Just be meticulous in checking, as using magical methods can sometimes result in items getting lost.”

Although the steward responsible for external affairs expressed dissatisfaction with the expected high estimate, I didn’t mind the money at all.

Wilhelm was one of my few family members.

With overflowing wealth, wouldn’t it be more of a loss not to use it in times like this?

A few days later, I received a letter from Wilhelm expressing gratitude.

Being able to come and go in just a few days over a distance that would normally take over a month using ordinary transportation was truly worth the money.

With confidence that I could maintain a good relationship with Wilhelm in the future, I spent each day with a proud feeling.

Without knowing what adversity would come to me in the future.

At the same time, near the capital.

In a small village where there seemed to be almost no pedestrian traffic, men on horseback gathered one by one.

They were relatively young members of the pureblood faction nobles who had supported Galleo, those who narrowly avoided impeachment due to Bladi’s actions.

“Lately, Princess Bella’s influence seems to be rising. Voices supporting the princess are getting louder around the capital.”

“How can you shamelessly walk around with your face up when the topic of summoning Galleo by death is so obvious? Noble families suffered because of that young girl. We can’t just let it go.”

“Yes, she was born between Lord and his companion, but isn’t the princess far from pureblood? It is only right for her to be eliminated for justice. We, who survived, must make sacrifices.”

They were people who believed that only maintaining vampire pureblood from birth to the present was the way for their race, and they believed that it was also the path for the continent’s peace.

Of course, there was no evidence to support this belief, but for those deeply immersed in their own intentions, change was not an easy thing.

A young man who had been silently observing the situation slowly rose from his chair.

He was the one who hosted today’s secret meeting, the head of a fallen earl family that once had a high reputation.

“Don’t worry. I knew you all would think that way, so I’ve prepared a good solution.”