“So, the East and the South will support the First Prince, and the West and the North will support you.”

“…To be honest, we lack a bit of power. During the time Raul was engaged to Countess Canterbury, all the central nobles attached themselves to that side.”

However, Belia’s expression was calm. Her gaze turned to Derick.

“But we have the heir of Marquis Ceylon.”

“Hahaha. That’s correct. I decided to align with the Second Prince.”

Derick laughed feebly.

Belia glared at Derick.

“When are you going to enter the Marquisate?”

Come to think of it, there were many things to tell Derick.

They haven’t been in touch at all during that time!

“Don’t worry, Princess. I visited the Ceylon Marquisate and confirmed the family relationship a while ago. I plan to enter the Marquisate soon.”

Derick said with a smile.

“As a doctor working in the clinic.”

Derick knew that the Marquis was his father.

So when the Marquis asked for his help, he deliberately covered his face, and thanks to that, the Marquis had no idea that Derick was the Master of Luness.

“To deceive as a doctor, you should have actual medical knowledge.”

To Belia’s question, Derick answered playfully.

“Operating the Information Guild naturally teaches various tricks. I’ve learned enough to pretend to be a doctor.”

Belia smiled as if relieved at his words.

“And…”

With a determined expression, Derick began to speak.

“Mother’s condition has greatly improved. Now she can move and recover well.”

“That’s a relief. I’m sure I told you it would be effective, right?”

“…Really, thank you.”

Derick bowed sincerely in gratitude.

At that moment, Belia could be sure that he would not betray them.

‘He is someone who does not betray his principles.’

Confirming that Derick had completely returned to their side, she felt strangely relieved.

Then, Belia, mixing in a joke, asked.

“But what about that letter?”

It was about the letter that Clozette had delivered.

In fact, when she came here, she wanted to ask about it more than anything else, but as they talked about other things, she had completely forgotten about it.

“Oh. It seems that Princess Clozette immediately delivered my letter to you.”

Derick smiled warmly.

His expression seemed to contain emotions toward Clozette, so Belia cautiously brought up the subject.

“Derick, do you happen to have feelings for Clozette?”
“Uh, well… To talk about having feelings or not, Princess Clozette seems too young, doesn’t she? I’ve never seen her in that way.”

Of course.

If there were feelings, he wouldn’t have run away secretly. Unfortunately, as expected, Derick seemed to have no feelings for Clozette.

“So, what exactly happened?”

Why did Derick go as far as to run away? To Belia’s bewildered question, Derick explained as if embarrassed.

“Princess Clozette did take care of me, but she isn’t just kind-hearted, is she…”

Somehow, his face turned pale.

“She is quite sharp, and the level of information she demanded was quite high. I did my best to meet those demands. Then, the frequency of her calling me increased, and…”

Derick’s voice gradually grew quieter, and almost as if crawling in, he continued speaking.

“One day, she asked if I had a lover. When I answered no, she proposed that we get married…”

Derick awkwardly chuckled.

“At first, I thought it was a joke.”

“Clozette didn’t confess to having feelings for you?”

“She didn’t confess she liked me…!”

Derick choked up, shouted, then quickly regained composure, smoothing out his voice.

“No, anyway, I have a conscience too.”

Although Derick’s voice was barely audible, Belia and Khalid managed to understand.

“Huh… The little princess is bolder than I thought?”

“Khalid, don’t add comments.”

Clozette turned out to be more straightforward than Belia had anticipated.

“Anyway, I was already considering going to the Empire, and with such things happening, I ended up leaving that letter.”

Belia hadn’t intended to interrogate Derick, but somehow the atmosphere felt heavy, as if he had been forced to reveal the truth. If she had known it was such a situation, she might have gently encouraged him to share more.

“At that time, His Excellency Khalid also entrusted me with a request.”

After hearing his story, Belia felt strangely complicated.

She sighed deeply and opened her mouth.

“I’m sorry for putting you in a difficult position. I’ll talk to Clozette about this.”

As Belia spoke awkwardly, Derick responded with a hearty laugh.

“No need to apologize. Well, I’m just grateful that the young princess likes me because you said so.”

He even offered an apology, as if he was the one with no face.

‘Hmm.’

Now that she thought about it, Derick was quite handsome…

Working with people and adjusting to others’ conversations had been noticeable in his conversations. Moreover, he seemed calm and kind in his tone.

“By the way… What if… even after Clozette’s coming-of-age ceremony, Derick continues to be pursued by her?”

At Belia’s unexpected question, Derick scratched his cheek with an embarrassed expression.

“Uh… Well, I haven’t thought about it. It’s an idea I never considered. Perhaps my feelings won’t change by then?”

Derick casually replied.

Looking at him like that, Clozette seemed a bit pitiful to Belia, but she quickly shook her head and smiled.