There was nothing more to say when she blatantly admitted to being nasty. The Crown Prince’s head maid, who had been standing with her mouth agape in shock, glared at Amy’s back as she walked away with light steps, grinding her teeth.

‘The First Prince needs to become Crown Prince soon…’

She shuddered involuntarily at the thought of the increasingly clingy Crown Prince. Amy quickened her pace towards the tower where the Crown Prince’s attendants were staying.

Knock knock knock. After knocking on the door of Sally’s assigned room and waiting, the door opened slightly a moment later.

“…What is it?”

Sally peeked out with only half her face visible, glaring at Amy with her guard fully up.

“Can I come in? I have something important to ask.”

“…W-weren’t we not supposed to talk to each other anymore?”

Sally stood firmly in front of the door, crossing her arms and making a fierce expression as if to say ‘don’t come in’. Amy, used to Sally’s behavior, spoke nonchalantly.

“Are we the kind of friends who grow apart just because we’re separated for a while?”

“!”

Sally blinked as if shocked. But only for a moment – she completely softened and shook her head with a shy expression.

“No, c-come in.”

As the door opened wide, Amy entered confidently as if it were her own room. Sally followed behind, looking at Amy with an excited face full of anticipation. Amy looked around the interior and spoke.

“I have a question.”

“O-okay… what is it?”

“Do you know Baron Pearson by any chance?”

Sally nodded.

“He’s one of the Crown Prince’s closest at-attendants, right? Of course I kn-know him.”

“Have you heard about him from Her Majesty the Empress?”

“…”

The smile disappeared from Sally’s face at the mention of the Empress. Ever since Sally had unintentionally tattled about the Crown Prince liking Amy, the Empress had been quite fond of her.

‘She didn’t come to see me, but because she wants something.’

Although she couldn’t say anything since Amy had suffered greatly because of her slip of the tongue, she still felt hurt. Sally looked at the floor and replied curtly.

“I have. But wh-why do you ask?”

“He’s the one who attempted to poison the Grand Duke. It’s quite curious, isn’t it?”

“!”

“By the way, I heard he was supposed to be promoted. Is that true?”

Finally remembering that the man had committed a terrible act, Sally became frightened and honestly spilled what she knew.

“Y-yes. From what I heard, it was to Count Benton… or something like that. Her M-Majesty the Empress said she would give him the eastern Benton territory.”

“!”

Amy’s eyes suddenly widened.

“Count Benton? Did you really say Count Benton?”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

Though flustered by Amy’s sudden interrogation, Sally nodded, confirming it was correct. At those words, Amy fell into thought for a moment before looking up. Sally’s heart sank. Amy’s expression was serious.

“I’ve sent a message to the capital of the Empire. As you know, the Crown Prince is currently delaying his return by feigning illness, but he’ll be heading back to the Imperial Palace within the next week.”

As Amy finished her business and turned to walk towards the door, Sally hurriedly followed and asked.

“Th-then what about that attempted murder case…?”

“His Grace the Grand Duke will reach an agreement with the Empire.”

Amy opened the door and looked back. As their eyes met, Amy spoke softly.

“Take care on your journey. I won’t be able to see you off.”

“…”

Thinking this was a final farewell, tears welled up involuntarily. Sally quickly covered her mouth with her hand, holding back sobs as her shoulders shook. Amy sighed as if she couldn’t help it.

“We’ll meet again someday. You have to stay healthy until then.”

“…”

Sally felt like she would burst into loud sobs, so she couldn’t even say goodbye. As she clutched her skirt tightly, holding back tears, Amy turned away coldly and left.

Plop, plop plop. Teardrops fell to the floor, forming round patterns. After silently shedding tears for a while, Sally gritted her teeth and held her head high.

‘Amy. You once said that one must carve out their own life.’

Sally wiped away her tears roughly with her hands and glared straight ahead. Her hazy eyes sharpened with determination. For once, she muttered clearly without stuttering.

“Just wait and see, I’ll surprise you.”

Knock knock knock.

“Your Highness, I’m coming in.”

Opening the door and peeking in, the inner chamber was quiet.

‘Is he asleep?’

Amy gently closed the door and walked towards the bed, careful not to make any noise. As she carefully pulled back the canopy, she met wide-awake golden eyes.

“Amy, you’re here?”

Noah broke into a wide smile. Amy was so surprised and flustered that she couldn’t say anything for a moment. Noah sat up and looked her over.

“Have you eaten?”

“Ah, it’s about time I should.”

Only then realizing her empty stomach, Amy looked towards the window and saw the sun was already setting. If she wasn’t careful, she might be late for dinner. Feeling anxious, Amy sat in the chair next to the bed, thinking she should quickly finish her business. That’s when Noah held something out right in front of her nose.

“Eat this.”

“It’s bread with jam?”

Amy brightened up without realizing it. Noah gestured for her to eat quickly.

“Rita brought it earlier when I said I was hungry. There’s also goat’s milk and cheese here.”

“…”

Amy’s face turned sour. Noah didn’t particularly enjoy eating and rarely had snacks outside of meals. Moreover, he was currently in a state of poisoning. There was no way he could eat just anything.

She lifted her gaze from staring at the food to look at Noah.

‘It seems he prepared this specifically for me.’

The fact that there were no traces of him having eaten any of it further fueled her suspicion. Additionally, the food didn’t need to be heated. But then she shook her head inwardly.

‘I’m overthinking this.’

Perhaps she was still affected by being severely burned by the Crown Prince before her regression.

“Amy?”

Perhaps her thoughts had gone on too long, as Noah tilted his head to the side and blinked. When such a handsome man, beautiful even, acted cute, Amy’s suspicion and distrust melted away.

“I’ll eat well, Your Highness. But let’s finish the work first. It’s an important matter.”

“Can’t you eat first…?”

As Noah looked at the food with a disappointed expression, Amy felt as if she had done something terribly wrong.

“I’ll definitely eat. So…”

Suddenly, Amy’s mouth closed. Noah quietly waited for her next words, but when there seemed to be no sign of them coming, he tilted his head to the other side.

“So, what?”

Amy closed her eyes tightly, then opened them and spoke calmly.

“Let’s focus on work for now.”

“Alright, if you say so…”

Noah muttered as he straightened his upper body, trying to find a more comfortable position.

“Oh, this is a bit uncomfortable. Amy, can you help me?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Amy quickly put down the plate and stood up to support him. Noah leaned back against the pillows, tightly grasping her hand and smiling brightly.

“Thank you.”

“…It’s nothing.”

Amy stared blankly at Noah’s face before answering a beat late. Then, ahem, she cleared her throat and sat back in the chair to begin speaking.

“I believe the Empress is behind this assassination attempt.”

“I thought as much. What about my brother?”

Noah glanced at Amy with a sneer. For a moment, his eyes were very sharp, as if trying to dig into her innermost thoughts. Amy shook her head indifferently.

“I don’t think he knew the details. If he had, he wouldn’t have left the wine glass as evidence.”

“I think so too. But that doesn’t mean he’s not responsible, so we should emphasize that point to the Empire.”

“Of course. Joseph is already drafting a letter of protest focusing on that aspect.”

Amy took a breath before getting into the main content. Noah frowned as he heard about Baron Pearson’s circumstances of joining hands with the Empress’s family for a promotion above Count.

“What does the Empress gain from this? Financial benefits through Baron Pearson?”

“Something similar. She’s trying to misappropriate taxes for personal use.”

There was a reason for her confidence in the Empress’s intentions. If Baron Pearson hadn’t died, the would-be Count Benton was a famous figure in Amy’s world before her regression.

‘He was the witness to the Empress’s crime of tax embezzlement, which the First Prince uncovered.’

It was clear evidence that the Empress was behind this incident. She had moved her family to extend her black hands to select impoverished territories, thoroughly destroying those who refused to cooperate. The sale of titles was also part of this, a mere pretense of compensation and a shackle to bind the other party.

‘Most of the Benton County territory is desert, similar to the previously barren northern region. In my previous life, Count Benton realized he had been used and became an internal informant for the First Prince. But this time, Baron Pearson died without knowing the inside story, which is a bit unfortunate. The presence or absence of a witness greatly affects the proof of a crime.’

As Amy was grimacing, Noah asked.

“Are you planning to include that content in the letter of protest?”

Snapping back to her senses at those words, Amy shook her head.

“Oh, no. We absolutely must not do that.”

“I suppose not. It’s just circumstantial evidence after all.”

“That’s true, but there’s an even more important reason.”

Amy smiled contentedly. As Noah looked at her anxiously, Amy’s eyes sparkled as she asked politely.

“Your Highness, you know about the person claiming to be royalty who’s advancing north across the Ren River, don’t you?”

“Yes. I hear their influence is extraordinary and they’re becoming a headache for the Empire?”

Noah looked perplexed, as if wondering why she suddenly brought this up. Amy spoke gently.

“I plan to inform that person about the Empress’s misdeeds.”

“…”

Stunned by the unexpected suggestion, Noah could only blink. Then, as if something occurred to him, he furrowed his brow in thought. Amy waited calmly. Before long, Noah’s face relaxed and he nodded.

“I see now. You’re saying we should extricate ourselves from this mess.”

“Exactly. We’re trying to divert the Empress’s attention from the north to somewhere else.”

Our Grand Duke is so clever. Amy smiled proudly as she looked at his growth.

“This place will be in such chaos that they won’t even think about us.”

The confrontation would change. Not between the Empress and the Grand Duke, but between the Empress and the First Prince who would become the new Crown Prince.