Renev immediately recognized who Dehan was talking about.

‘It seems like the Duchess Benderfelt has come.’

The preparation for the National Foundation Day was originally the Empress’s duty, and the Empress usually had several maids to assist with her work.

Although Icarus had requested Renev to be the Empress of Basuker, she had not given an answer yet.

Therefore, Renev was not yet the fiancee of the emperor or the empress-elect.

Renev had almost no interaction with the nobles of Basuker.

To suddenly bring in a maid now made Renev feel a little awkward.

Dehan had made a sweet proposal to Renev, who was preparing for the big event, not too long ago.

To bring in a maid to help with the work.

“Okay.”

Renev answered readily and stood up from her seat.

As Dehan and Renev left the office together, the royal knight guarding the door smiled at Renev.

“Good afternoon, Lady.”

About to exchange greetings, Renev was taken aback.

It was because Dehan was looking at the knight with a fierce gaze.

Renev gave a light nod to the knight and quickly moved away.

“Here.”

“Thank you for the guidance, Dehan.”

Renev looked at Dehan, who was lingering and hesitating, before leaving quickly.

“Why are you like this?”

“Since you are meeting for the first time, I wanted to ask if it would be better for me to stay with you or if you would prefer to talk privately.”

Since Dehan’s time was already limited due to his busy schedule, Renev answered right away.

“I want to have a conversation with the lady alone.”

“I understand.”

Only then did Dehan turn towards the office.

Inside the reception room, a graceful lady with a teacup in her hand was sitting. She looked even younger than when Renev had seen her before the regression.

Duchess Benderfelt put down the teacup on the table and stood up.

“Nice to meet you for the first time. Welcome, Baroness Siren Young Ae.”

Through a short conversation, Renev was convinced.

People don’t change.

Duchess Benderfelt had a charm that made people feel comfortable.

Did she disarm people?

Even though Renev had only had a few conversations with her before the regression, encountering someone in noble society who treated others with sincerity was not common.

Having such a person by her side was fortunate. Renev made her decision with confidence.

‘It would be good to receive help from Duchess Benderfelt.’

As they returned to the office, Dehan, who had been looking at documents, raised his head.

“How was it?”

“It was a pleasant conversation.”
“I’m glad you liked it. Actually, Your Majesty, you’ve been…”

Dehan, who said that much, silenced me.

“…Your Majesty, what’s next after you’ve been…?”

When Renev looked at Dehan with a questioning look, Dehan subtly lowered the hand that was covering his mouth and said, “I’ll tell you, but please keep it a secret from His Majesty.”

Dehan politely clasped his hands together and nodded.

“Of course.”

After receiving Renev’s promise to assist Icarus, Dehan revealed the truth.

He wanted to introduce someone to Renev, who had no interaction with Basuker nobles.

Was it a façade?

“…?”

When Renev didn’t respond, Dehan quickly added.

“Indeed, Young Ae’s generosity is as broad as the Jenne River.”

The Jenne River was a fairly large river in Basuker.

And recently, Renev learned that in Basuker, people with a broad mind were said to have a personality like the Jenne River.

So, Dehan’s praise was the most he could give.

‘I wonder if secrets will pile up so much that I won’t be able to tell Icarus.’

For a moment, she had such thoughts, but she also thought that it might be better this way. Since Renev, who held Dehan’s weaknesses like building a dam, would be the one to manage them.

The bigger problem was that she was playing within Icarus’s premeditated scheme, knowing about it in advance.

Of course, it wasn’t all for Renev’s sake.

“Then, is it okay for Lady Benderfelt, who will assist Young Ae in the short term?”

Dehan asked for confirmation, and Renev nodded reluctantly.

Having someone like Duchess Benderfelt, who had a strong inner self, by her side was a good thing for Renev too.

“I will make arrangements so that Lady Benderfelt can start working at the palace from tomorrow.”

After finishing the strategy meeting, Icarus walked to the residence. At that moment, a black bird flapped its wings and flew.

“It seems there’s a reply from Dehan.”

Soon, the black bird landed on Bain’s shoulder. Bain quickly untied the note attached to the bird’s leg and unfolded it.

“…!”

After checking the contents, Bain let out a loud sigh.

“What’s going on?”

Naturally, Icarus’s gaze turned toward Bain.

Bain had frequently laughed while looking at Icarus’s face recently, but now it was more than that.

Looking at Bain’s face, which was grinning widely, wrinkles naturally formed on Icarus’s forehead.

However, despite Icarus’s reaction, Bain confidently spoke.

“Your Majesty! What did I say?”

Due to the lively atmosphere created by Bain, Icarus’s wrinkles deepened even more.

“Bain.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Remember that this is the battlefield.”

When Icarus warned lowly, Bain quickly looked around.

Not too long ago, the Solti army had launched a surprise attack. The soldiers who hadn’t slept or eaten properly for a while looked exhausted, and their eyes were sharp.

The facial muscles of Bain, who had risen to the sky, had also returned to their place following the flow of gravity.

“I’ll rectify it. Your Majesty.”

Bain’s grinning expression quickly turned indifferent.

Icarus asked with satisfaction.

“What’s going on?”

“Uh… it’s nothing. I just conveyed a story about Your Majesty’s wounds.”