After returning to the 2nd Prince’s Palace, Bellia immediately sought out Erzé.

She had received the letter Erzé sent earlier saying she would depart soon. So she knew Erzé would be arriving and had already instructed the maids to prepare a room for her use.

Bellia slowly walked up the inner staircase. Finally, she stopped in front of the door of the room where Erzé would be staying and knocked twice.

“Are you in there?”

There was a rustling sound from inside the room.

“Yes, yes!”

The door slowly opened and Erzé peeked her head out. Upon confirming the visitor was Bellia, Erzé awkwardly opened the door wide and said with an uneasy smile.

“Please come in, Princess.”

“Excuse me.”

Bellia slowly surveyed the room. It seemed the maids had prepared it meticulously. It looked like Erzé would have no discomfort staying here.

“Do you like the room?”

“Ah, yes! I love it.”

“We had to prepare it hastily, so there may be some shortcomings. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“No! It’s really, really more than I deserve…”

Erzé clasped her hands together in admiration.

Indeed, for the current Erzé, this would be her first time experiencing such a room, so it was understandable she was amazed.

Bellia paused by the window, briefly admiring the view outside.

The scenery was beautiful. Although the gardens of the 2nd Prince’s Palace weren’t visible from here, the central garden could be seen in the distance, making it the perfect room for Erzé who wanted to see the Imperial Palace.

“To be honest, I didn’t think you would allow my request when I made it. It was an impulsive request, and I knew I was asking for too much.”

Erzé approached Bellia’s side and continued speaking.

“I know you were considerate of me despite my rudeness. Thanks to you, I was able to avoid embarrassment. I’m truly grateful!”

There was no sign of malice in her expression.

As if she truly just wanted to see the Imperial Palace out of pure curiosity.

Bellia observed Erzé’s attitude, wondering if there might be any hidden intentions. Just then, Erzé bit her lip once and opened her mouth as if to confess a secret.

“Actually, a clinic was built near our farm too. Many people are grateful to you, Princess. I thought someone who cares so meticulously even for such remote areas must surely be an amazing person.”

Erzé’s cheeks were flushed red.

Dark, luscious hair and fair skin. And large, sparkling eyes.

She was objectively a pretty young lady.

“When we heard the news that our flowers would be supplied for the bazaar the Princess was hosting, we were so happy we couldn’t even sleep. So when I heard Sir Shapin was unwell, I thought it was an opportunity. I wanted to meet you at least once, even if just to see you from afar.”

“Lady Kinnetra…”

“Please, just call me by my name. Our family isn’t grand enough to deserve such a title. Though we’re barons, we don’t even have a territory and are just nobility in name only, running a flower farm.”

Erzé’s bright smile as she said this was truly lovely.

She was completely different from the Erzé that Bellia had seen in her previous life.

Back then, Erzé had been desperate to take what Bellia had, and in front of Raul, she would often slander Bellia with an attitude completely different from how she acted in front of her.

That lovely and pure appearance remained the same, so at the time, no one thought her words could be lies and blamed Bellia instead.

“Alright, Erzé.”

When Bellia calmly called Erzé’s name, Erzé smiled as if very pleased.

“If you want to look around the Imperial Palace from now on, just tell the assigned maid. She will always accompany you. There are places in the palace where you cannot go or should not go, so make sure to always move with the maid.”

Erzé nodded her head.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to check on you often despite inviting you, as I’ve been busy with many things lately. Instead, let’s have tea together soon. I’ll send the place and time through the maid.”

Erzé smiled very brightly, as if even that was enough to make her happy.

“Wow! I’d love that!”

“Well then, is there anything else you’re curious about?”

The explanation was over.

Bellia had no intention of treating Erzé like an important guest. She planned to fulfill her duty of invitation by meeting her once or twice for tea during Erzé’s week-long stay at the palace.

At that moment, Erzé glanced briefly at Bellia before lowering her head. She seemed to have something she wanted to say. Bellia tilted her head and asked.

“Do you have something you want to tell me?”

“No, not really…”

“It’s alright. If you’re curious about something, feel free to ask.”

With Bellia’s permission, Erzé opened and closed her mouth several times before finally speaking with her eyes tightly shut.

“Then… um, I’d like to thank His Highness the 1st Prince earlier… But I can’t go visit him myself…”

At that question, Bellia’s eyes flashed with a strange light.

Seeing Erzé curious about Raul, she thought perhaps their fate was meant to be, but on the other hand, a feeling of annoyance crept up.

“I feel bad that I couldn’t properly greet him earlier due to the situation.”

“I see. Should I consider your telling me this as a request to pass on the message on your behalf?”

Erzé rolled her eyes around before mumbling with a shy smile.

“Um, well… You seemed very close with His Highness the 1st Prince…”

It seemed to be a habit, as Erzé trailed off while fidgeting with her fingers.

Though Bellia felt the urge to correct Erzé’s words, she replied in a nonchalant tone.

“We get along well since we’re going to be family soon.”

“Ah…”

Erzé’s expression was enigmatic.

It might be meddling, but looking at Erzé’s subtle expression, Bellia quietly dropped a comment.

“His Highness the 1st Prince already has a fiancée, Lady Canterif. So I hope your current interest is just curiosity about someone you’ve seen for the first time, Erzé.”

“Ah, no! It’s not like that…”

Faced with Bellia’s firm attitude, Erzé quickly waved her hands in denial. She seemed to have caught the hidden meaning in Bellia’s words.

“It’s really a misunderstanding. I truly have no feelings for him at all!”

“Then that’s fortunate. I only mentioned it just in case, so please don’t take it to heart too much.”

“Yes…”

Perhaps thinking she had been misunderstood.

Erzé’s expression became gloomy, but Bellia turned her body as if she had finished what she wanted to say.

“I hope you make many pleasant memories during your stay here.”

Today, my body felt so heavy and tired, like a waterlogged sponge.

The Emperor, Raul, and Erzé.

After dealing with not just one, but three such uncomfortable people in succession, I felt like all the strength had been drained from my body. I still had to finish preparing for the wedding, but I didn’t want to lift a finger.

Bellia supported her body by resting one arm on the back of the sofa.

All sorts of thoughts kept tangling and twisting in her mind.

‘What on earth is Raul plotting?’

Does he have some plan to harm Callid?

The meaningful words he had spoken kept bothering her.

“…lia.”

Clearly, something was a bit off.

“Bellia.”

“Huh…? When did you come?”

Without her noticing, Callid was standing beside Bellia, looking at her with concern.

“What were you thinking about so deeply that you didn’t even hear me calling?”

“Ah…”

Turning her head to look out the window, she saw it was already dark night. She hadn’t even realized so much time had passed. Bellia straightened up from where she had been leaning on the sofa.

“Did something happen?”

Callid asked gently while fixing her disheveled hair.

Bellia hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should tell Callid about meeting Raul. He would surely be upset.

But if he heard about it later from someone else, he would be even more displeased, so it would be better to tell him directly.

“Actually, I talked with Raul today.”

“I see.”

But Callid’s reaction was a bit strange.

Even though she said she had been with Raul, he didn’t seem particularly surprised.

Could it be?

“Did you already know?”

Bellia’s eyes widened.

“How many people do you think are in the Central Palace? Of course rumors would spread here and there, don’t you think?”

“Then why did you pretend not to know!”

Bellia flared up.

But Callid stroked her cheek and asked.

“Did Raul say something hurtful?”

That wasn’t it. It was just…

I’m afraid he might try to harm you.

He seemed a bit different from how I remembered him before.

“…No.”

Bellia shook her head.

“Then why do you have that expression?”

“It’s nothing, I’m just a bit worried.”

“…What did you talk about?”

Callid asked.

Unlike his gentle caress, his voice was tinged with cold anger.

Noticing his fluctuating emotions, Bellia rolled her eyes, wondering if she shouldn’t have brought it up. Just then, Callid quietly met Bellia’s gaze.

“It’s alright.”

What was alright?

His eyes were already coldly frosted over.

Did he say he would do whatever it takes to have her?

Or that he couldn’t give up?

No matter how she phrased it, he would be furious.

“He just… seems to still not understand why I rejected him.”

“What exactly did he say?”

His voice grew lower and lower.

Even Callid was much more persistent than usual today.

Bellia rolled her eyes again.

“Bellia.”

Callid called her name.

This really doesn’t feel good.

Bellia hurriedly changed the subject.

“Um, I met His Majesty the Emperor today. Aren’t you curious about that?”

Callid stared silently at Bellia, who asked with a smile in her eyes, before finally letting out a sigh.

“What did you talk about?”

His voice softened a little.

At that, Bellia quietly exhaled and began to share the things she needed to tell him one by one.

“He said he would grant whatever I wanted, so I asked for you to be given the position of Captain of the Guards.”

“Captain of the Guards?”

Callid looked puzzled.

He seemed bewildered by the sudden topic.

“Yes. And he said he would give me the authority to command the Guard.”

“The old man was quite generous.”

Callid asked with a smirk.

“Did you request that position to prepare for future events?”

Bellia nodded.

Having the authority to command the outskirts of the capital would be much more advantageous if the worst-case scenario were to occur.

The Emperor probably couldn’t imagine that he would soon die suddenly, so he likely wasn’t preparing much for a succession dispute.

Therefore, the Emperor’s offer to give her anything was a very good opportunity for Bellia.

“That old man wouldn’t have suddenly said such a thing for no reason. Did he want something from you?”

“Something like that. On the surface, he said he wanted to reward me because my charity work has been well-received…”

Callid frowned at Bellia’s words.

As expected, the Emperor wouldn’t give something without any reason.

“In the end, what he brought up last was the opening of Shanetan Avenue.”

And that directly reflected the Emperor’s desire to wage a war of conquest.