Princess Relief came out of the investigation room set up in the palace.

Because the director who was supposed to verify her identity happened to be absent, she had no choice but to come here.

“I’m relieved that the misunderstanding has been cleared up. I apologize for the rudeness.”

As the escort knights who forcibly brought her along awkwardly smiled and bid her farewell, Princess Relief felt anger surging like a reverse flow of blood.

But since the original intention was impure, she couldn’t make a big deal out of it.

For now, she had to endure and wait for the next opportunity.

Guided by the maid who came to meet her, she passed through the arcade.

“…?”

Suddenly, the sound of the maids’ scattered footsteps from behind.

The princess, lost in thought, raised her head at the sensation of something tense.

What she saw was a light pink hair that flowed down sweetly.

Moreover, it was adorned with a golden crown, as if it lacked.

Prince Irene, with a beauty that always exuded a leisurely smile.

“Do you have time? It probably shouldn’t be.”

“…?”

It was a light voice, but the air was as cold as ice.

It was the same thing he said to the prince during the friendly match.

It started from then.

His leisureliness, which was like the sun, had turned as cold as the moon.

“Do you know what you were looking for in your room? Alteira tree roots.”

“…What is that? No, more than that, how can you search the special envoy’s room… It would be better for you to remember the friendship between Ferendel and our country.”

Relief was a little surprised, but she tried to maintain composure.

‘Just pretend you don’t know. After all, it’s something I don’t know even if I look at it.’

There was nothing to distance herself from her now that the misunderstanding was cleared up.

However,

“There’s no way I’d forget such an important fact. Since you received the royal family’s potion recipe as evidence of friendship, you know.”

‘…Caught.’

As if looking at a toy, he took a step closer to Princess Relief.

In Princess Relief’s contemplation, the sound of his footsteps resonated like thunder, and her heart began to beat rapidly.

“…Wh-what is that…! I-I didn’t do anything!”

“The side effects seem serious. If Lucia finds out about this, you’re in trouble. Whoosh?”

“…!”

With thin eyes, he playfully drew his fingertip across the princess’s neck.

It was a shameful prank on the noble princess.

Cornered, even a mouse shows its teeth, and Princess Relief, who had been subjected to Irene’s mocking fingertip, defiantly pushed away his hand.

Was it because she was questioned about the failed incident that she was angry?

“This is all because of you! If you hadn’t scared me so much, I could have asked casually! So, that child. That golden-haired one! Whose child is it? Who is the father of that child who appeared without getting married!”

She seemed to explode with his playful actions.

Irene laughed nonetheless.

He heard the news the moment Princess Relief entered the investigation room, found evidence, and it was, indeed, suspicion of León as Nia’s father.
And as if he had no intention to respond, he turned away, sighing disappointedly.

“Ah, how foolish. No, am I the foolish one for hoping I could get rid of Leon.”

“Why don’t you answer quickly?”

At her command-not-command, Irene’s face froze coldly.

His merciless face, revealed for once, was as eerie as the eyes of Medusa turning anyone who met her gaze into stone.

“…Why should I? Did I ever board a ship?”

“…!”

Seeing the stone-like face of the princess, Irene, satisfied, began to laugh again.

“Still, for now, since it’s a friendly country, stay quiet, finish your work quietly and leave.”

“…I-I’m a special envoy. Such threats…”

“Do as you please. If you want the king to choose the country or his daughter, let him decide.”

Walking slowly like that, Irene, who was a stranger to swordsmanship, laughed ironically at her ignorance about Lucia.

Among all swordmasters on the continent, except for Helbert, Lucia was the only one who had a sense of war.

And with that absolute sense, she had already conquered the enemy using it before she became a swordmaster, even before Irene left. Why didn’t she know?

After he left, Princess Relief, alone in the arcade, stared blankly at the falling rain.

“…”

How much did her weight in her father, the king’s, scale weigh?

The pitiful answer was something she knew better than anyone else in this world.

Early in the morning, in front of the White Knights’ quarters.

Members of the Black Knights, with their heads held low.

Vernon, Gilyana, and Hess felt awkward in a different knights’ quarters they visited for the first time, but today, they had a grand purpose.

“Uh, excuse me….”

“Ah! No, wait!”

When the members opened the door, a flood of documents poured out into the room.

“Oh no. Please wait a moment! Oh my? The Black Knights? How did you come here?”

“Oh, what should we do about this? First, let me help organize it! Gily, Hess!”