She had vaguely thought that there would be a chance to run into her at some point.

But that was the image of Erzé by Raul’s side, not a scene like this.

The moment Bellia discovered Erzé standing next to Callid, she was overwhelmed by an ominous premonition that she would lose everything to her again this time.

‘Bellia. Pull yourself together.’

Now is not the time to sink into this quagmire.

There were things to resolve, and time was short.

Bellia closed her eyes tightly, sorted out all the dark emotions inside, and then opened them.

Then she walked towards them and spoke as usual.

“Callid. I see you were in conversation with a guest?”

“Ah. Bellia. I was just about to come find you.”

“Is that so? I also had something to discuss with you.”

As Bellia finished speaking with a slight smile, Callid smiled back and pointed to Erzé beside him, saying:

“This is the daughter of Baron Kinetra.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Erzé Kinetra. Our family has been put in charge of flower deliveries this time, so I came!”

Was the place that delivered flowers the Kinetra barony?

I think the person in charge had a different name in the documents I looked over at that time.

As Bellia’s eyes narrowed, Erzé was startled and explained:

“Ah! The original delivery person was Baron Shapin, but he fell ill, so we came instead. The flower cultivation is done jointly by our Kinetra barony, Shapin barony, and three other families.”

If I had seen the name of the Kinetra barony in the documents, I could have immediately thought of Erzé.

Of all things, it was a joint business with several families, and it was just delivering flowers that couldn’t be sold to the bazaar, so I didn’t bother to understand how the business structure worked.

So I had no idea I would meet Erzé.

Moreover, Bellia, who had been confined in the empress’s palace, couldn’t know in detail what kind of life she had lived, so it was an even more unexpected encounter.

But Bellia didn’t show her emotions and greeted Erzé with a kind face.

“Is that so? Thank you for delivering such lovely flowers. The bazaar has become even more beautiful because of them.”

“No! No… Everyone was worried because we had a lot of flowers left over, but thanks to you, princess, everyone’s worries have been eased. Thank you so much!”

Erzé blushed and waved her hands in response to Bellia’s words of gratitude.

The current Erzé had done nothing wrong.

But does that make this anger and fear I’m feeling now disappear?

‘Of course not.’

Bellia inwardly scoffed.

No longer wanting to continue the conversation with her, Bellia changed the subject, drawing a clear line while remaining kind.

“I’ll send separate letters to each family later to thank them for allowing their preciously cultivated flowers to be used for such a good cause. But we have some urgent matters, so…”

“Is it because of this?”

At that moment, Callid, who had interrupted her words, pointed to the object in the servant’s hands with a refreshing smile.

It was clearly the magic tool sponsored by Marquis Caprie.

Bellia asked in surprise.

“How did that…?”

“The young lady of Kinetra was preparing to leave when she found something that wasn’t theirs mixed in, so she came to return it.”

When Bellia looked at Erzé with a surprised face, Erzé smiled sheepishly and scratched her cheek.

“It wasn’t our item, so it’s only natural to come and return it.”

“Thank you so much. You’ve saved us from a big problem.”

“No, not at all! I was worried I might have caused trouble due to our mistake!”

Erzé’s expression as she spoke with a bright smile was no different from when I first met her.

A bright energy that felt radiant, pure, and lovable just by looking at her.

She was a completely different person from the calm and quiet self.

Bellia looked at that figure with mixed feelings, then quickly instructed the servant to move the item to the auction hall and turned around.

“…The auction will end soon. I’m sorry, but could you wait until then? I’d like to properly express my gratitude.”

“Of course!”

“Then I’ll go ahead.”

I had to tell Susan and Rachel that we had found the magic tool. But I didn’t want to leave Callid and Erzé together.

Seeing Bellia’s hesitant appearance, Callid, thinking she was worried about leaving Erzé alone, reassured her.

“You go do what you need to do. I’ll take care of the young lady of Kinetra.”

He had clearly stepped in to help her.

But Bellia felt even worse about it.

He was usually so indifferent to others.

Why is his attitude different towards Erzé?

‘…I hate myself for thinking like this.’

How many days had it been since I kept telling myself that he would be fine, that he could be trusted?

I hated myself for doubting him just because of the fact that I had encountered Erzé.

Bellia chose her words carefully for a moment, then barely managed to thank him before fleeing the scene.

“Bellia. Look carefully. That woman will become my empress.”

Stop it.

“The person I truly love is not you, but Erzé. So take your hand away.”

Stop it.

“I wish you would just die, Bellia.”

Stop it!

Bellia stopped abruptly.

The many words Raul had whispered were circling around her like a curse. It was like a ghost, and no matter how hard she tried, it just wouldn’t go away.

Bellia clutched her chest and took several deep breaths.

“It’s okay.”

It will be okay.

Bellia thought that it was more important to solve the problem she was facing right now rather than worrying about things that hadn’t happened yet, and straightened her posture.

After all, she had to put on an even stronger armor to hide her festering dark interior and protect her wounded self.

After the auction of artists’ works ended, the items put up by the nobles, which everyone had been secretly waiting for, began to appear one by one. Jewels, precious furniture, and works of art appeared.

Thanks to Erzé finding Marquis Caprie’s sponsored item safely, there was no problem with the proceedings.

‘Thank goodness.’

As this was the first big event she had prepared, a lot of attention was focused on it. If a big problem like the disappearance of a magic tool had occurred here, all that had been built up so far would have been in vain.

Although Erzé was not to her liking and was uncomfortable, it was only natural to properly convey her thanks, as it would have been really difficult without her help.

“It’s really fortunate.”

“The young lady of Kinetra did a great job.”

Susan and Rachel also sighed in relief as they watched the auction proceed calmly.

The auction proceeded quickly, and eventually, the magic tool put up by Marquis Caprie appeared.

The competition for it was the fiercest of any item that had come out so far.

‘Honestly, I didn’t think he would put out something like this.’

It wasn’t a magic tool with tremendous power. However, it was a magic tool that could be incredibly useful in certain situations.

This small box put out by Marquis Caprie had the ability of ‘locking’, which, when something was put inside and the spell was activated, made it impossible for anyone but the owner to open it. Of course, it could only be used once.

‘Wouldn’t there be a moment when Callid needs it?’

Even though it was a one-time ability, it was somehow a bit tempting.

Thinking that, Bellia unconsciously moved her head to look for Callid.

At the end of her gaze searching for him, she saw Callid standing next to Erzé.

They were just watching the auction, but the scene of Erzé and Callid together was enough to hurt Bellia.

Bellia quickly turned her eyes away from them.

‘Callid is fine. He’s not Raul…’

But.

Is he really that different?

Her feelings kept becoming more and more distant.

Rachel, who had helped with the clean-up, approached Bellia.

“Princess. Everything has been wrapped up.”

“You’ve worked hard until late.”

“No, it was fun!”

Rachel said, raising both arms vigorously.

“Thank you for saying that, Rachel.”

As Bellia was about to express her sincere gratitude to Rachel, someone approached them as they were conversing.

“Princess Bellia.”

It was Marquis Caprie.

“Today’s event was really enjoyable.”

“You flatter me. I’m worried that I’ve troubled the young lady of the marquis too much.”

“Hahaha. Not at all. My daughter wanted to help, didn’t she?”

The marquis’s attitude was polite.

Rachel had an anxious expression, wondering what her father would say.

“Besides, it seems my daughter will be indebted to you a lot in the future, so I thought I should greet you and ask for your favor, hence I’ve taken the liberty to speak up like this.”

“Oh my, if anything, I’m the one receiving a lot of help.”

“Thank you for saying so, Princess.”

I had heard that Marquis Caprie owned fertile territories in the south and several gem mines. Moreover, he was a figure with considerable influence in central politics.

If we could draw him to our side, it would surely be an enormous power.

In the previous life, when Raul ascended to the throne, Marquis Caprie remained silent without expressing any opinion.

He was the epitome of neutrality, neither supporting nor opposing Raul.

“I hope we can see each other often in the future, Marquis.”

To Bellia’s meaningful words, Marquis Caprie gave only a polite response and returned to the mansion with Rachel.

‘…Not yet, I suppose.’

It would be good if I could persuade Marquis Caprie.

Bellia let out a small sigh as she watched their retreating figures.

And the most important task remained.

“Young lady of Kinetra.”

“Princess!”

Bellia approached Erzé, who was standing awkwardly beside Callid, and asked kindly.

“I’m sorry it’s gotten so late. I made you wait longer than expected.”

“No, no! I’m really fine…”

Erzé trailed off, fidgeting with her fingers.

Then she glanced at Bellia’s face, startled, and bowed her head deeply.

“I’m really grateful for what happened today. Thanks to you, we were able to avoid a difficult situation. So I’d like to repay you somehow. If there’s anything you want, please tell me.”

Bellia hoped to wrap up this matter quickly and not see Erzé’s face anymore.

She thought that since this person had no connection to her anyway, if she gave a definite repayment, she could move past today’s events as if they were just a happening.

“I’m really fine…”

As Bellia encouraged the hesitant Erzé to say anything with a smile, Erzé clutched her fidgeting fingers tightly and muttered in a very small voice.

“Um, if so… I heard that if the owner of the palace allows it, one can stay in the imperial palace…”

Even through the blurred pronunciation, it was clear what she was trying to say.

“…Pardon?”

Bellia asked again, surprised by the unexpected words.

However, Erzé raised her bowed head, made eye contact with Bellia, and more clearly and distinctly stated what she wanted.

“Is it possible for me to have a chance to stay at the imperial palace for a few days?”