Ridiculously, before Callid noticed his own feelings, Bellia had already sensed his heart. So she must have made the first move and run away like that. Like someone afraid of something. As if she couldn’t bear it out of fear.

So Callid tried to approach Bellia slowly.

But every time she stares at him with eyes that clearly show she’s shaken by him, like today, he keeps wanting to see what comes next. He’s not even a teenage boy, but every time he faces Bellia, he doesn’t know what to do because he craves her so much.

‘…No. There’s no need to rush.’

It was clear that she was shaken by him.

But the cowardly Bellia would keep running away, and in this state, he’d have no choice but to keep chasing her. Knowing this full well, Callid decided to start this relationship of chasing and being chased.

Callid truly wanted Bellia.

He wished that even a single glance she cast would be his.

A deep, intense longing flashed in his eyes as he looked back at the garden where Bellia would be, disappearing in an instant.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Hahaha. And then?”

“These days, there are rumors everywhere that the Second Prince is following your elder sister around.”

“Bellia must be in a difficult situation.”

It was a time spent together by the siblings after a long while.

Closet was enthusiastically explaining to Herald about recent events, finding it amusing for some reason.

“Every time he goes to the flower garden, picks flowers himself, wraps them up and carries them, it’s really unsuitable, isn’t it?”

Bellia, who had been observing the situation with a sense of resignation, immediately turned her head to look at her younger sister upon hearing Closet’s words.

Closet, resting her arms on the table and contorting her face, continued speaking.

“You have no idea how hard it is to take your eyes off someone who looks so dark and dangerous carrying yellow flowers as he walks.”

“Hahaha. Still, it seems he likes our Bellia very much, so from my standpoint, I can only feel pleased.”

Thinking the two were very close lovers, Herald just laughed heartily.

Bellia cast a worried glance at her elder brother.

I don’t know what to do with him being so gentle and kind-hearted in the future.

Previously, didn’t he fully trust Raul just because she liked him?

“Elder brother. Although the Ingot Empire is an allied country, it’s not entirely on our side.”

“I know that.”

“No. Even if I were to become the Crown Princess and go to the Ingot Empire, never forget that place is not a complete ally. Always be wary and don’t let go of your doubts.”

At Bellia’s firm words, Herald asked with a serious expression.

“Bellia. If something is happening, don’t hide it and tell me everything.”

“…There’s nothing like that.”

“I really don’t know what you’re thinking.”

Herald took a sip of tea and set down his cup.

“Do you truly love Prince Callid?”

Bellia hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.

“…Yes.”

“I see. Then that’s fine.”

Bellia wore a worried expression as she looked at Herald, who laughed good-naturedly.

At that moment, Closet crunched on a cookie and said grumpily.

“It seems you’re worried about what happens after going to the Empire. It might sound a bit odd to say this, but I think I’m quite perceptive and good at judging situations. So trust me here and don’t worry too much.”

Closet, with her still youthful face, looked at Bellia with firm eyes.

“Honestly, you’re not the only princess. I quite like this life, so you don’t need to feel bound.”

Closet finished speaking and, seemingly embarrassed, reached out again to bite into a cookie with a crunching sound.

Somehow, her younger sister looked cool saying that.

Herald must have thought the same, as he hastily opened his mouth as if he couldn’t be outdone.

“Trust me too. I might not seem very reliable to you, but…”

Herald scratched his cheek awkwardly and smiled.

“I’ll do my best.”

Then he grinned, showing his teeth as if trying to look dependable.

Bellia burst into laughter at the sight.

[This is the timeline separator]

Bellia examined the documents Callid handed over.

“…So it was true.”

Callid nodded at Bellia’s words.

Raul was intentionally controlling the information. The investigation team had sent several reports to the superiors about the monsters discovered in the mountain range, but they were all intercepted midway.

“Are you thinking of making this public?”

“No. Leave it alone for now.”

As expected, Raul was planning to subjugate the monsters without Callid’s knowledge.

“Then why did you ask me to look into this?”

“He will fail.”

Bellia said with a scornful snort.

For Raul to monopolize the credit alone, he had to succeed with only his own knights. So he wouldn’t take Callid’s knights with him.

If that’s the case, it’s no different from the past life. Bellia intended to use Raul’s failure as a stepping stone to highlight Callid’s achievements.

“You’ve read the report, right?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you think he’ll fail too?”

The report detailed the types of monsters discovered.

Most were small fry, but there was a very dangerous creature dwelling in the river.

“I don’t understand why an Alarag is there.”

Alarag was a monster that lived in high mountain lakes.

It was rare to find one in such a low-lying area.

With extremely sharp claws, a hard outer shell, and a slimy mucus covering its body.

The most troublesome part in dealing with an Alarag was this mucus.

When the mucus touched water, its adhesiveness increased, making it difficult for weapons to reach the main body, so it wasn’t easy to defeat an Alarag near water.

“Do you think Prince Raul can really defeat the Alarag? No matter how I think about it, it seems impossible.”

“The Empire’s knights are excellent. It’s too early to jump to conclusions.”

“No. Prince Raul probably thinks that way too as he prepares for the subjugation. But what results can he achieve by leading only his close associates without forming an official subjugation team? They’re underestimating the current situation.”

Bellia flipped through the report.

After a few pages had turned, Bellia’s hand stopped.

“Look here, it says the presence of a magic stone is suspected, right?”

Callid sighed.

“Would a monster possessing a magic stone be the same as a regular monster?”

Bellia grinned.

Then she took out a map and spread it out.

It was the map used to explain the location of the gold mine last time.

“If you follow this river all the way up…”

She naturally pointed to a specific spot.

“There’s a narrow gorge around here where we can block the river water. If we remove all the water around the Alarag before defeating it, the subjugation won’t be difficult. Water is the biggest problem after all.”

Callid stared intently at the map.

Indeed, the terrain seemed quite suitable for the strategy Bellia had mentioned.

Block the water flow upstream to expose the riverbed, then subjugate the Alarag.

It wasn’t a difficult strategy, but it wasn’t one that someone without knowledge of monster subjugation could come up with. It was a tactic only possible with detailed knowledge of the surrounding terrain and the monster’s characteristics.

“How do you know such information?”

“I’ve liked books since I was young, so I read a lot without discriminating by type.”

Bellia answered nonchalantly.

But Callid had too many questions about Bellia.

Aside from his interest in her, there were numerous puzzling aspects.

‘Starting with choosing me over Raul…’

Knowing the location of the gold mine.

Realizing that Raul was omitting reports.

Formulating the Alarag’s information and subjugation strategy as soon as she read the report.

Bellia responded to all these situations as if she knew them in advance.

Callid couldn’t comprehend the situation without that assumption.

At that moment, Bellia continued speaking.

“How I knew this information isn’t as important as another fact.”

“What’s that?”

“You must save Prince Raul and his knights, and definitely defeat the Alarag.”

Callid had to take all the military glory. Moreover.

“There should be a magic stone at the part where the Alarag’s body and tail connect.”

Bellia asserted.

“So you must secure that as well, Your Highness.”

How on earth did she know this fact?

Callid confusedly faced Bellia, who was looking at him with clear eyes.

“I know I seem suspicious. You must be wondering how I knew this, how I obtained this information.”

Bellia bit her lip gently.

“Do you remember what I said last time?”

Callid silently gazed at Bellia.

“…You have to trust me.”

“Bellia.”

“I know too. That I look suspicious.”

But even if she told him she had returned from the future, he wouldn’t believe her.

This was a story that no one could easily believe.

Even Bellia, who had returned to the past, often wondered if this was all a dream before falling asleep.

‘I won’t be understood. But…’

Bellia lowered her head.

“When the time comes, I’ll tell you everything.”

Would he continue to doubt? Or would he decide to wait and see?

She was curious about Callid’s reaction.

But she didn’t have the courage to observe it.

At that moment, Callid called out to Bellia in an extremely cold voice.

“Bellia.”

Bellia’s body flinched.

He probably hadn’t resolved his doubts, so it was a natural attitude. Bellia fully understood his attitude. But somehow, their relationship had to be maintained.

Although she couldn’t talk about the regression, she had made up her mind to try to persuade him by giving more information when she heard a low sigh near her ear.

“I don’t know what you think of me. Am I that untrustworthy?”

“…No. It’s not like that.”

It wasn’t such a simple matter.

The fact that Bellia had returned from the future to the past. It would be an incredibly far-fetched and dreamlike story.

It would go beyond what Callid doubted and anticipated.

“To be honest, from the moment I developed feelings for you, I was already in a position where the princess held my leash.”

“What do you mean…?”

Developed feelings?

Bellia looked at Callid in shock.

At Bellia’s reaction, Callid asked, seeming even more surprised.

“I thought you had noticed. Wasn’t I expressing it rather passionately?”

“Stop joking around.”

“It’s not a joke, Bellia.”

The blue eyes looking at her were serious.

Somehow, it felt like her throat was choked up, making it hard to breathe.

“…Callid.”

She could barely call his name with the breath that managed to escape.

Callid walked around the desk and approached Bellia, who was sitting in the chair. Bellia slowly looked up at him. Callid placed one hand on the desk and stood straight next to Bellia.

“Yes.”

Callid placed his hand on Bellia’s cheek.

Then, with a slow touch, he caressed her eyes, cheeks, and ears.

“My head knows I should doubt you and question you, but the emotion that precedes that is…”

Callid slowly stroked Bellia’s hair.

Bellia couldn’t take her eyes off him. Her heart kept pounding as if it was broken.

We’re just bound by a contract relationship. I should only be using him.

Callid, who had been staring at Bellia’s wavering purple eyes as if enchanted, spoke his current feelings in a husky voice filled with desire.

“I can’t help but think about possessing you.”