“The Marquis Belliard is very annoying.”

For a moment, Riena almost dropped the teacup she was holding.

She never expected that name to come out of Anaïs’ mouth first.

On the other hand, Anaïs smiled knowingly at Riena. She seemed to have deliberately brought up the topic.

Riena tried her best to pretend to be calm and play along.

“I heard that the Marquis Belliard family supports His Highness the Prince.”

“Yes. Not only that, but the way he looks at me is also very disrespectful.”

“Disrespectful? No way.”

No matter how much he supported the prince, how could he act so rudely towards Anaïs, who was of the imperial family?

Riena thought it was absurd, but Anaïs spoke with conviction.

“You haven’t seen the way the marquis looks at me. He’s polite on the outside. But compared to when he looks at my younger brother or my father, it’s definitely different.”

“…I see.”

Although she had only met her twice so far, Riena felt like she knew what kind of person Anaïs was to some extent.

She was someone who had reigned above everyone else since birth and was accustomed to discerning people’s true intentions.

Thanks to that, she would be able to clearly distinguish between those who flattered her and those who were hostile to her. That was also an essential ability for a monarch.

As Riena nodded in understanding, Anaïs continued.

“Actually, the Marquis Belliard side isn’t much of a problem. He seems to think he’s good at hiding his feelings, but unexpectedly, he has a hot-tempered side. Even a little stimulation will provoke a reaction, so if necessary, we can use that.”

“…”

“The problem is his successor, Johannes Belliard.”

Riena bit her lip again to hide her emotions.

Following the Marquis Belliard family, even Johannes’ name.

Anaïs seemed to see right through the reason for Riena’s visit today.

Unlike the shocking words she kept spewing out, Anaïs’ expression remained calm. Although it didn’t match the situation, Riena thought that was the virtue an imperial family member should possess.

“That man’s true intentions are completely unreadable.”

Riena neither affirmed nor denied it. In fact, she had never thought that Johannes’ true intentions were unreadable.

In front of Riena, he was gentlemanly as rumored and especially kind to her. In addition, he even told her about his own circumstances without reserve.

However, after having a meaningful dream and hearing the claims of the Countess Dyke, there was definitely something strange about Johannes.

But she couldn’t talk about her dream or the Countess Dyke’s claims, so she decided to keep her mouth shut.

It didn’t seem to require an answer, and Anaïs didn’t pay much attention.

“In high society, Marquis Belliard has a very good reputation. I think there was a time when my father considered him as my match, but I opposed it.”

“His Majesty did that?”

“Yes. Since the Marquis Belliard family is favorable to my younger brother, it was probably a plan to openly push for my brother. When I said I didn’t like it, he at least turned his eyes to Duke Winkler, but… Anyway, that’s not relevant now.”

Anaïs smiled.

“You came all this way, but isn’t this kind of talk giving you a headache?”

“No, not at all.”

“But I can’t help my curiosity. Even though my head knows I should ask how you’re doing at the Duke Winkler’s mansion and if the wedding preparations are going well, it’s not easy.”

Anaïs waved her hands.

“And even if I don’t care about those things, Duke Winkler will surely take care of them well.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“So, what worries does our lovely lady have? For you to suddenly request a meeting with me, it seems like a pretty serious concern.”

“It’s not like that. I also just wanted to see Your Highness one more time, so I sent the letter.”

“But there is a special reason, isn’t there?”

“…”

Anaïs burst out laughing.

“I felt it last time too, but you’re really not good at lying. If Duke Winkler’s thoughts are unreadable, then you’re completely transparent. I think I know why Duke Winkler fell for you.”

Riena quietly touched her face. She thought she was managing her expression to some extent, but it seemed it didn’t work on Anaïs after all.

“If you want to survive in this treacherous high society in the future, it’s best to learn how to hide yourself appropriately. While I’m favorable to you, to those who aren’t, you could be good prey.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Anyway, shall I guess why you came?”

Anaïs’ smiling face turned serious.

“It’s because of the rumors that have been making high society noisy these past few days, right?”

“…”

“The death of Count Dyke was not a simple accident. Not only me but His Majesty is also watching carefully.”

She carefully took Riena’s hand.

“I can’t even imagine how you must feel. It’s so difficult for me to even offer comfort.”

“No, thank you for your concern.”

“Anyway, I heard the real culprit was caught and is currently awaiting trial.”

“Yes.”

“But there must be something fishy, right?”

Riena was no longer surprised. No matter what she said, she already felt like she was moving on top of Anaïs’ hand.

“Yes, that’s right.”

So she readily affirmed. As if she didn’t expect that, Anaïs widened her eyes and then chuckled.

“You may be unexpectedly more resilient than I thought.”

“Why did Your Highness think there was something fishy?”

“The real culprit was a man named James Cutler. But from what I investigated, that man had no particular connection to the deceased Count Dyke.”

“…”

“I did a little investigation into the Count Dyke family, ah, I apologize if it upset you.”

“I’m not upset, so you don’t need to worry.”

It wasn’t just empty words but the truth. Rather, Riena gained hope from Anaïs’ attitude.

Perhaps she would actively help her and Cassel.

“That’s a relief then. To be precise, I wasn’t trying to investigate the Count Dyke family. It’s just that while digging into Johannes Belliard’s background, the story of the Countess Dyke came up.”

“Into Marquis Belliard’s background?”

“Yes.”

Then did Anaïs also notice the deal between the countess and Johannes?

Riena listened to her words.

“Anyway, as a result of the investigation, the Countess Dyke has some debt, right? I wondered if James Cutler was related to that, but that wasn’t it either. Then was James Cutler a murderer who killed people for no reason? That wasn’t it either.”

“…”

“The investigation revealed that the man had a weakness caught by Johannes Belliard. Moreover, the Countess Dyke’s debt was also connected to Johannes Belliard.”

“…What?”

It was the first time she heard that, so Riena let out a surprised sound without realizing it.

“Of course, on the surface, there seems to be no connection. But as I kept tracing the source of the funds that went to the Countess Dyke, Belliard was at the end of it.”

Anaïs rested her chin on the back of her hands.

“That’s when the puzzle fell into place. Johannes Belliard must have instructed James Cutler to kill Count Dyke and told the countess to turn a blind eye to it.”

It was a chillingly accurate deduction.

“Then why did that man do such a thing? Belliard has nothing to gain from Count Dyke’s death. What on earth moved that snake-like man?”

Anaïs’ eyes narrowed.

“But after meeting you, I realized. There was something that unfathomable man wanted.”

“…”

“He wanted you, that man.”

Riena tried to manage her expression as Anaïs advised, but she failed again.

“Actually, I’m not sure. But it’s true that Marquis Belliard proposed to me and showed interest in me.”

“I knew it.”

“But he did such a thing just for me? That’s absurd.”

“My lady, people sometimes do absurd things.”

“…”

“It may have seemed like nothing to you, but to that man, it may have been more important than anything else.”

Anaïs straightened her posture.

“But right now, it doesn’t matter why Johannes Belliard did such a thing or what he wants.”

“Then what?”

Anaïs’ eyes flashed sharply. It was the first time Riena saw the eyes of a predator in front of her.

“We need to use this to get rid of Belliard.”

It was also what Riena wanted to hear.

“But is that possible?”

“Of course, if I report this to my father, he will say it’s absurd and try to bury it. Belliard is still useful to my father.”

“…”

“But not for me. It’s better to cut off the sprout early. If Johannes Belliard succeeds the marquis title like this and can manipulate Belliard more freely than now, it would be quite troublesome.”