Liz shook her head as if fed up and said, “If you intend to tease me, stop it. Haven’t you done enough already?”

“Do you remember how you teased me?”

Rene leaned over the table.

“Tell me honestly. Was the incident with the actor spy all a lie? Did you know Amelda would be replaced by another actor?”

Liz laughed in disbelief. “Why would I do that? What would I gain from it?”

“…….”

“On the contrary, I wanted to use that incident to convincingly prove that my words about this world being the world from the books I read were true. I wanted to erase any suspicion about it being a tiny dust in the words.”

Rene narrowed her eyes as if trying to ascertain the truth. But soon, with a sigh, her eyes returned to their original size. It seemed like Liz could no longer trust her eyes.

“Fine. Let’s assume that’s the case.”

“…….”

“Then, is there nothing else you deceived me about?”

Liz nodded her head.

“Other than the information about the Codel Street fire?”

Liz nodded her head again.

“What about the story of the traitor?”

“…….”

Liz hesitated for a moment at the last question. It wasn’t because it wasn’t true, but rather the discomfort from the word ‘traitor.’

“I hope you won’t call Ishar Kyeong like that anymore.”

How much help had she received from him? Even now, the touching comfort she received from him occasionally warmed her heart.

She didn’t want to see such a grateful person being cursed.

“Ishar Kyeong promised the independence of the Valdemion Duchy from my husband. Not the Duke Montaner but promised by Emperor Your Majesty. So, he’s no longer a traitor.”

A strange smile appeared on Rene’s face.

“Is that so?”

“…….”

“Then what did I see?”

As doubt crept into Liz’s eyes, Rene continued.

“The Duke Montaner and the Valdemion Duke. I saw them together in the central court.”

“…….”

It was a statement that bewildered her mind.

If you were to pick someone who would never fit together by their own nature, it was undoubtedly the Duke and Ishar.

They were like black and white in terms of color, and if we talk about their positions, it was like the Antarctic and the Arctic.

It was a combination that could never be close either by human nature or the laws of nature.

If there was a reason to make them get along, it was only one.

The fate in the original work….

“Just…just a chance meeting.”

Liz tried to divert her thoughts.

“You can exchange a few words when you meet by chance. We’re not strangers, and you can’t just ignore and pass by, right?”

But at that moment, the floor plan of the palace unfolded in Liz’s mind, and considering it a chance meeting seemed too distant and isolated.

“I thought you would say that.”

Rene said.
“I just turned away that day, knowing you would say that. I didn’t say what I saw because I thought you wouldn’t believe me.”

“Why do you think I would believe now?”

Liz asked. Rene shrugged her shoulders, as if it were obvious.

“Has anything believable happened now?”

She raised a finger as she spoke.

“Out of the thirty votes that elected the Duke as the prime minister, there’s one undisclosed vote. Who do you think that is?”

“Ishar supported him, didn’t he?”

“Or why were they together in the central court? What could the two of them talk about?”

“…….”

It was a fallacious logic that knew it was fallacious but strangely caught Liz’s ears.

She had heard about a banquet the Duke held, inviting the nobles who supported the election of the prime minister. The number of people who attended that gathering was one less than the number of heads supporting him.

There were rumors about being a neutral force, and there were also rumors that, although outwardly supporting the Emperor, he secretly supported the Duke.

But either way, Liz didn’t care. Everyone was free to cast their votes for whomever they wished.

But if it was Ishar… could it still be called freedom?

No, what business did he have supporting the Duke? Didn’t he already get everything he wanted?

“I should ask Ishar about it.”

Liz stood up with a determined look.

“A… ask him?”

Rene widened her eyes, seemingly surprised by the direct action.

“Ask him? Do you think he’ll just admit that he voted for himself?”

“No. I don’t think that.”

Liz answered without hesitation. And she added.

“But at least he won’t lie.”

If my eyes were not wrong, it would surely be like that. It was a pitiful insight, but now she had no choice but to rely on it.

“It’s still difficult for you to deal with things.”

Rene sighed deeply and then stood up.

“But what can you do? As a maid, I can only follow the person I serve.”

“…Maid?”

Liz asked with a puzzled expression.

“Weren’t you done with that already?”

“I thought so, but your actions seemed so foolish that I couldn’t ignore them.”

“…….”

“If he lies or not, I’ll see. Still, I have a somewhat better eye for people than you do.”

She approached Liz and extended her arm.

“If you fall, you might be in trouble. Please grab the arm of this maid, Empress.”