“What? Suddenly dismissed, you say?”
He looked around. The familiar faces he used to see were nowhere to be found.
The few remaining servants were ones who did not suit his taste.
With a hardened expression, Masid demanded,
“Who gave the order to fire the servants? Was it Sir Ail?”
“Wellā¦ it was Her Graceā¦”
The knight who was speaking quickly changed his form of address as Masidās face grew darker and more menacing.
“NoāPrincess Liselotte, Sirā¦”
No sooner had he finished speaking than murmurs spread throughout the training grounds.
Through the crowd that parted like a receding tide, a figure stood out distinctly ā pale pink hair and a sky-blue dress matching her eyes.
Small in stature, she pushed her way between the tall, broad-shouldered men, walking quickly and steadily toward her destination, eyes fixed straight ahead.
Among the Northerners, whose builds were generally large, there was only one person that small.
“Isnāt that Princess Liselotte?”
“Wow, Iād heard she was small, but this is my first time seeing her in person.”
“She never shows any interest in subjugation forces, so why would she come to the training grounds?”
“Maybe she came to demand a divorce again. I heard she suddenly backed down last time.”
Liselotte quickly swept her gaze over the whispering knights, estimating their number.
‘Where is Sir Masid?’
He was the third son of House Chellon, which served under House Keilos. In the days of the previous Grand Duke, he had been appointed as the commander of the First Knight Order.
Unless the Lord personally released a knight from his oath and granted him freedom, most retained their positions even when the family Head changed.
Out of loyalty and honor as knights who protected their liege, it was common for them to serve the House for life until retirement.
Among them, Masid was known as a man with great pride in the North ā and with that pride, he had always been active in subjugations.
However, after Eren succeeded the position of Grand Duke, Masid became one of the central figures among the old knights who refused to acknowledge him as their Lord.
There was a reason why a mere knight commander like Masid had been able to gain so much power within House Keilos.
It was because the Council of Elders, who had never accepted the previous Grand Duchess as a true member of House Keilos, stood firmly behind him.
Since only the parties of the oath could annul it, Masid used that as his shield ā and his arrogance grew worse with each passing day.
Ail, who had been quietly following close behind her, quickly guided her with tact.
“Heās over there.”
At that single line, the once-noisy training grounds fell into silence.
Although the surroundings were quiet, the air and atmosphere felt noisily tense with an unspoken restlessness.
When Liselotte turned her head, she saw Masid glaring at her sideways, his expression full of displeasure.
Next to him stood Eren, who, unaffected by the shifting atmosphere, continued talking with the other knights.
Masid let out a mocking laugh on purpose, then put on a false smile and greeted her.
“Good afternoon, Princess Liselotte. Itās been three months since the wedding. I see itās been hard to meet because of the subjugations.”
Though his words were polite, his barely hidden displeasure was evident.
The tone and manner carried a subtle undercurrent ā asking what she had been doing all this time, suddenly showing up at the training grounds now.
Especially since she had arrived together with Ail, who openly supported and followed Eren, he seemed to find her all the more unpleasant.
‘The other knights must be thinking the same.’
Normally, Ail and Masid regarded each other with mutual disdain, so this must have been even more surprising to them.
Despite the sharp tension, Ail simply stood straight beside her, smiling brightly as if he were enjoying himself.
At a glance, he even looked cheerful.
Liselotte turned to Eren, who was deliberately pretending not to notice her, and asked,
“Are you preparing for the subjugation, Your Grace?”
She cast a brief glance at his arm, the one that had been injured.
Hidden under his light training attire and leather pauldron, there was no sign of the wound.
Only then did Eren turn his head toward her.
He nodded slowly.
“Thanks to you.”
At that moment, Masid abruptly cut into their conversation.
“Princess Liselotte. I thought you hadnāt heard my greeting, so Iāll greet you again.”
The corners of his long mouth trembled faintly.
It seemed he couldnāt believe she would ignore his greeting and instead speak warmly to Eren, the man he so clearly despised.
Liselotte smiled brightly and replied firmly,
“Iām speaking with His Grace right now. Sir Masid, please wait your turn.”
At that, Masidās expression froze completely.
His tightly clenched fists spoke for his agitation.
By basic etiquette, the person of the highest rank should be greeted first.
And here in this training ground, there could be no one ranked higher than the Head of House Keilos, Eren.
No matter how much Masid refused to acknowledge Eren as his Lord, reality remained the same.
Knowing that, Masid could only press his lips together and couldnāt refute her.
Avoiding him, Liselotte leaned slightly to the side and met Erenās gaze.
“When will you depart for the subjugation again? Itās not right away, is it?”
To go on another subjugation before his wound had even healedā
She couldnāt help but worry and once again glanced sideways at his injured arm.
Were such injuries simply a daily occurrence for subjugation troops?
“The coordination with the East takes priority. I plan to visit there first before departing.”
He answered bluntly but sincerely.
Considering how much sheād previously cried out for divorce, he could have been offended.
She quietly studied his face, so straight and composed.
He looked even more refined than when she had seen him in the dining room.
As their eyes met, he quickly turned his head away.
Just as she tilted her head slightly, unsure of the reason, Masid cut in again.
“Surely you donāt really mean to send that ten thousand gold, do you? I trust youāre not planning to pay tribute to the East for the rest of your life.”
That tone.
Sneaky words paired with a sly-looking face ā utterly unpleasant.
Clicking her tongue inwardly, Liselotte raised her voice, still directing her words only to Eren.
“Then just donāt give it.”
“Exactly! As expected of someone from the Capital, Princess Liselotte, you do understand!”
As if heād been waiting for it, Masid snapped his fingers and continued excitedly.
“If His Grace goes and secures cooperation without payment, just like the late Grand Duke did, that would truly show the Northern spirit!”
“But we canāt just sit by while they hold the Northern people hostage every time.”
“Thatās right! Thereās a limit to how much they can look down on House Keilos. What do those pampered bastards living on fertile land know about hardship!”
“So, Your Grace, please request a meeting with the Eastern side for negotiations. Iād like to go with you when you go.”
“Indeed, thatās riā wait, what?”
Masid, who had eagerly agreed, froze and stared at her, wide-eyed, realizing something was wrong.
Liselotte, without even blinking, pressed her point once more to Eren, who had listened to everything in silence.
“Wonāt you take me with you?”
Flustered, Masid stammered as he tried to stop her.
“Surely, youāre not saying you want to go because itās House Gloria, are you?”
“Itās true that I havenāt gotten along well with the Young Lady of House Gloria, but this time Iāll only conduct proper negotiations. I promise.”
Though Masid had asked the question, Liselotte steadfastly answered Eren instead.
From beginning to end, she had spoken only with him.
His serious gaze fixed squarely on her face, as if searching for the reason behind her sudden actions.
Since he didnāt immediately refuse, Masid hurriedly stammered an excuse between them.
“N-no, this isnāt something to think aboutā this is a negotiation, right?”
Masidās opinion was unnecessary.
Liselotte simply waited for Erenās answer.
The longer he stayed silent, the more anxious Masidās voice became.
“Itās true that our conflict with the East isnāt entirely unrelated to the marriage, isnāt it? Youāve stayed quiet all this time, and now suddenly thisā¦”
“Come to think of it,” Liselotte said, turning her head toward Masid for the first time since entering the training grounds,
“There really are too many people who look down on the North, just as you said, Sir Masid.”
When she smiled deliberately, he flinched and pressed his lips together tightly, remembering what he had just said.
Standing behind her, Ail also lent weight to her words.
“Today, we even dismissed all the problematic employees in the manor.”
Eren still gave no reaction.
He hadnāt from the start.
Even though she had suddenly appeared at the training grounds, he hadnāt asked a single question about why.
It seemed he had no intention of stopping her, whatever she chose to do.
‘Well, that explains how the original Liselotte could run wild in the story.’
Just as she nodded to herself at that thought, Erenās low voice resounded above her head like a quiet echo.
“Iāll propose a meeting for the coordination negotiations.”
