Sinclair showed no reaction to Anneli’s words, which were nothing short of ominous. He simply stared at her intently.

Unfazed by his response, Anneli continued speaking.

“You have grown up before I knew it.”

“I became an adult a very long time ago.”

“I apologize, but when I say ‘adult’, I do not simply mean age, Your Highness. I am talking about being worn and weathered enough to meticulously orchestrate things and manipulate enemies to your liking, even when your life is as precarious as a candle in a typhoon.”

“If that is what you call an adult, then I have never not been one. At least since my mother passed away.”

“…”

“I thought you would know that better than anyone else?”

Was the relationship between these two good or the opposite?

Elaina quietly observed the two, somewhat taken aback by both Anneli’s nonchalant way of saying such things to Sinclair and Sinclair’s equally nonchalant responses to her.

And after a brief moment of silence, it was none other than Sinclair who parted his lips first.

“So, now that you’ve gone out of your way to bring this up, answer me. Why did you involve my wife in that gathering?”

“Sinclair, that’s…”

“It was on the recommendation of Lady Ragers.”

Anneli answered with a shrug.

“As Your Highness knows, aside from Her Highness the Crown Princess, there are many talented individuals in the gathering I created who can be of help and set an example for Edenbell. It may be a cautious opinion, but in my eyes, Her Highness the Crown Princess is also in no way lacking compared to them, so I accepted Lady Ragers’ recommendation.”

“To my ears, it sounds like you’re saying Hister, the crown prince, is useless to Edenbell.”

“I never said that, but if that is how Your Highness interprets it, then so be it. Even when looking at the same thing, it is human nature to arrive at different definitions, is it not?”

Anneli grinned.

“In any case, I am very pleased to see Your Highness having grown so much, but at the same time, it is also bittersweet.”

Sinclair did not say a word. He simply gazed at Anneli with eyes filled with various emotions.

“However, if Your Highness intends to fight your own battles, it cannot be helped.”

“So?”

Sinclair asked in return.

“Do you intend to help me?”

“…”

“I already know. The fact that you invited my wife to that gathering was not simply due to a recommendation.”

This time, Anneli offered no answer. She merely met Sinclair’s gaze with her own incomparably astute eyes.

“You should make it clear. Whatever it is.”

Sinclair spoke ominously in a slightly lowered voice.

“Because I am no longer the young Sinclair from back then.”

“…”

“So I can turn against anyone. Never forget that fact.”

Even as she took in those words, which were clearly a threat to anyone who heard them, Anneli smiled faintly.

“Just as Your Highness is not the same as back then, the same goes for me.”

Then, she parted her lips again in a calm tone.

“So if I am to stake my life, shouldn’t I bet on a more certain hand?”

“…”

“Whose side I take from now on depends entirely on you, Your Highness. I hope you never forget that fact either.”

That was the end of it. With a brief farewell, Anneli shifted her gaze from Sinclair to Elaina.

Then, with her signature faint smile, she began to leave the place without any hesitation.

“…”

Elaina reflexively raised her head to look at Sinclair’s face, but surprisingly, he did not seem angry.

Rather, he appeared to be more pleased with Anneli’s actions.

“Let’s return now.”

However, before Elaina could inquire further, he took her hand once again.

After a moment of contemplation, Elaina decided to return to the prince’s palace for the time being for the sake of Schuler and his companions, who were likely still on the brink of passing out even at this very moment.

[This is the timeline separator]

The conditions of Schuler, Glen, and Eric were just as expected.

It was as if they were determined to prove that a person could lose weight in real-time even in such a short period.

According to Judith and Anna, their mouths had become so dry that they had to pour them tea countless times.

[… I knew that Sir Sinclair’s mind was extraordinary, but I had no idea it was to this extent.]

This was said by Eric.

[To be honest, I was immensely worried that he might even draw his sword at the council hall… As we all know, he is more than capable of doing so…]

This was from Schuler.

[I was praying, fearing that Sinclair might bring back Hister’s head… It seems this is the first time I have expressed such gratitude to God since becoming a priest….]

And this was what Glen said.

In any case, the conclusion they reached after being informed of the entire situation was the same as Sinclair’s.

[For now, it would be most advantageous for us if the emperor remains bedridden for as long as possible.] [Indeed. And starting tomorrow, we must drive Hister to the edge of the cliff. We don’t know when he might come to his senses.] [We have a few people planted in the imperial palace as well, so it shouldn’t be difficult to hear about the emperor’s condition. For now, it would be best to focus all our efforts on pressuring Hister.]

And Sinclair’s response was as simple as it could be.

[If you’re all done, get out.] [Pardon?] [You all seem to be forgetting, but I am still injured. It means I need a bit more rest.]

Schuler and his companions thought Sinclair’s words were blatant lies. With a face that looked like he could be sent off to war right this moment, there was no way such words would sound credible coming from him.

[Elaina needs to rest as well. She attended the council immediately after arriving at the palace from her mother’s villa.]

The group easily realized that in the end, Sinclair’s words meant, “I need to let the exhausted Elaina rest, so make yourselves scarce.”

As a result, they obediently left the prince’s palace without any objection, and before long, only Elaina and Sinclair were left in the bedchamber.

“… I wasn’t so tired that you had to chase everyone away like that, Sinclair.”

Elaina muttered with a dissatisfied expression.

But Sinclair did not offer any notable response.

Instead, he abruptly began to take off his shirt.

“Si-Sinclair?”

Startled, Elaina hurriedly averted her gaze and mumbled his name.

Although she had treated his wounds and bandaged him numerous times before, this was the first time she saw his bare body in such a bright setting. She had no idea where to look, overcome by a renewed sense of embarrassment and shyness.

“You said it yourself.”

As if he couldn’t care less about Elaina’s reaction, Sinclair, who had already taken off his shirt and unwrapped his bandages, sat beside her and spoke.

“That bandages need to be changed frequently.”

“…”

“I had to do it myself yesterday. Because you fell asleep early.”

… Ah.

“The physician said he gave you an ointment that wouldn’t leave scars, was that a lie?”

“No, no, not at all. Just wait here a moment.”

Elaina stood up from her seat and rummaged through the luggage Judith and Anna had organized before leaving, somewhat flustered.

Before long, Elaina, holding the ointment received from the physician, carefully sat in front of Sinclair.

On his chest, which was solidly built with muscle, the wound that had been oozing pus was gradually healing. Of course, it had not completely recovered, but it was incomparable to a few days ago.

It seemed that Anneli’s words about Sinclair’s recovery not being poor were not a lie.

“…”

As she examined the affected area, Elaina carefully extended her hand. After completing a simple disinfection, she began to gently apply the ointment from the physician to his shoulder blade.

Sinclair’s bare body, encountered under the sunlight, resembled that of a god from mythical tales, so Elaina slightly lowered her head to avoid revealing her reddened face as much as possible while applying the ointment.

However, that was a rather futile act. The entire time Elaina tended to his wound, Sinclair’s gaze persistently followed only her face.

“… I’ll wrap a new bandage now. It seems that this won’t be necessary either in a few days.”

Sinclair willingly accepted Elaina’s touch, and Elaina began to wrap the bandage as meticulously and quickly as possible. She felt a strange sense of shyness from his gaze that kept being felt today.

“I have a request.”

And it was the moment when Elaina was tying the end of the bandage that Sinclair parted his lips again.

“Can you hear me out?”

“For me?”

Taken aback by the sudden talk of a request, Elaina involuntarily raised her head and met Sinclair’s gaze.

“There’s someone I really want you to meet.”

“…”

“It might be unpleasant, but I’d like you to grant my request.”

For Sinclair to go as far as to say that… Who could he be referring to? Elaina hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded, and as soon as permission was granted, Sinclair spoke while looking beyond the bedroom door.

“Judith.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As if she already knew the meaning behind Sinclair’s call, Judith responded very politely.

“They have just arrived and are waiting.”

“Show them in immediately.”

As soon as the order was given, the tightly closed door opened, and Elaina’s eyes reflexively widened upon seeing the person stepping into the bedroom.