Only then did Ariana realize that she was acting too emotionally, and she took a slow deep breath.

Strangely, it was difficult to control her emotions in front of Cyrus. When she thought about it, the words that were enough to upset her didn’t seem that bad.

Still, seeing the same Cyrus as before, she felt relieved that his heart seemed unharmed by coming all the way to the Northern Crown.

Now that she confirmed Cyrus was okay, she had to make good use of her time in the Northern Crown.

‘The first thing to do is…’

Choosing a messenger to inform Duke Ovelier about Ariana’s whereabouts.

Ariana gestured to Sini and called her to sit next to her.

“Sini, from now on, you have something to do for me.”

“If it’s for you, my lady, I can dedicate my life.”

Ariana smiled faintly at Sini’s determined words.

“It’s not that grand.”

Ariana spoke in a low voice to Sini’s ear.
“Get along well with Catherine and Lancer. Be close enough to share anything with each other. Can you do that?”

Sini nodded with determination, clenching both fists.

“Leave it to me, my lady! Should I start right away?”

“Yes, please.”

Ariana expedited her journey to the Northern Crown, arriving at Dragon City faster than planned. The fact that Duke Ovelier knew about it meant that there were people from Duke Ovelier around Ariana.

Only Duke Heron, Isaac, the maid Catherine, and Lancer knew about the change in schedule. Since it couldn’t be Duke Heron or Isaac, it had to be either Catherine or Lancer, and Ariana was convinced it was Catherine.

‘On that day, as soon as Catherine heard about the change in schedule, she left, saying she needed to bring a coat. Even in Dragon City, Lancer stayed by my side all the time, but Catherine stayed at the inn.’

While Catherine was alone, Duke Ovelier might have had the opportunity to meet with someone he had arranged. Knights focused on protecting Ariana, paying little attention to the maid Catherine, allowing her to move freely.

‘Catherine won’t reveal her true identity to Sini.’

If the two become close, Duke Ovelier could use Catherine to hinder Ariana.

+++

Even after Ariana headed to her room with Duke Heron, Cyrus remained in the reception room.

He still couldn’t believe that she had been sitting on the opposite sofa just now. Wasn’t it like having a very realistic dream? Wasn’t it an illusion that felt incredibly real?

Only the fragrance lingering in the reception room told him that this wasn’t a dream.

Knock [Dash]

With a knocking sound.

“My lord, may I come in?”

Isaac’s cheerful voice came through.

“Come in.”

As soon as he answered, the door opened, and Isaac jumped in, sitting on the sofa without permission. It was the place where Ariana had been sitting.

Andrey, who followed Isaac, also sat down next to him.

The two young men, long-time friends, chuckled at Cyrus, but he didn’t like their expressions.

“Why are you laughing like that?”

“Cyrus, where is my thank-you?”

“Why should I thank you?”

“You brought my future wife all the way to this distant Northern Crown! This is an achievement worthy of a duke!”

“Spending time with the generous Eastern Crown has made you quite lax.”

“Lax? I was so tense during the time I brought my future wife. She almost had a big problem.”

Although Isaac exaggerated his words, the mention of a big problem with Ariana made Cyrus unconsciously narrow his eyes.

“A big problem?”

“There was someone in the Dominion aiming for my future wife’s life. If I had returned alone to the Northern Crown, my future wife would be… by now.”

“Who dares to target the life of the princess of the Dominion?”
Cyrus cut off Isaac’s self-praise and asked sharply. Isaac protruded his lips and glanced briefly at Andrei. Andrei responded with a silent smile, implying, ‘Look at this, even the mention of the princess makes his eyes roll.’

However, Cyrus had no time to pay attention to the eye exchange between the two friends.

He thought the Eastern Crown would be a very safe place for Ariana. Of course, there might be some who were unhappy with the sudden appearance of the princess, but he believed there wouldn’t be anyone willing to target her life.

Ariana, at least outwardly, seemed harmless.

“Cheodis Ovelier Duke.”

As Isaac uttered the opponent’s name, Cyrus could guess the turning situation.

“Because of the successor’s position?”

“It seems so. He’s probably boiling inside, afraid of losing his dear friend’s position. He attempted assassination several times. During the hunting season, he called out my name to lure the princess and tried to kill her. I didn’t know anything and was with Duke Ovelier, who seemed friendly.”

His mouth dried up.

Of course, Ariana probably handled the situation well. So, she must have arrived safely in the Northern Crown.

Still, it was worrying enough for his heart to move unexpectedly.

“I almost had a big problem on the way here. The princess was kidnapped, and Sini was hit on the head and fainted… It was chaos.”

Andrei said, rolling his tongue.

“When the duke is raging like that, what is the Eastern Crown doing? Doesn’t the princess know who is targeting her? Hasn’t she told the Eastern Crown?”

“The princess must have a lot on her mind. Duke Ovelier moves without leaving evidence. If the truth is revealed to the Eastern Crown hastily, and their relationship worsens, the entire Eastern Crown could be in danger. Since we can’t create problems inside while there are remnants of Paganus outside.”

Listening to Isaac and Andrei’s conversation, Cyrus massaged his face with both hands.

The words he had spoken earlier returned like an arrow and stabbed his heart.

Although the Eastern Crown was a peaceful place, it was not so for Ariana. She was still living in constant vigilance, surrounded by the threat of death.

Despite that, Cyrus had spoken ill of Ariana, who had come all the way to the Northern Crown out of concern for him. He now realized the reason for her cold gaze.