Even if she questioned them openly, Belle and the relatives, who were clearly prepared for this, would never admit anything.
With so many eyes around them, they would simply offer whatever excuse sounded most plausible.
Liselotte lowered her eyebrows as if genuinely worried.
“I didn’t realize House Rovans’ elder Lady was in such critical condition. She must be very unwell.”
Only then did Belle, as if she had never bristled at all, put on a suitably bitter smile and reply,
“Yes, so we’re trying to prepare ourselves for the inevitable.”
The relatives standing behind her patted her back as though offering comfort.
It seemed they intended to lay the groundwork with this kind of story.
Liselotte pretended to think for a moment, then spoke as if a good idea had just occurred to her.
“How fortunate. I recently made a reservation to receive treatment from the High Priest. Why not have the elder Lady receive treatment as well?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Adding one more person is no problem. After hearing such a pitiful story, I can’t just ignore it.”
At her offer, Belle looked slightly flustered.
“Y-Your Highness, why would you go out of your way to do something for an eastern House?”
“I’ve had some things going on myself. I recently realized that health truly is the most important thing.”
Liselotte clapped her hands together lightly and continued brightly,
“When we summon the High Priest, we can get the will notarized at the same time! If the elder Lady receives treatment, she should be able to manage that much.”
“W-what do you mean…?”
“It’s fine. I’ll even serve as a witness.”
Liselotte had no intention of backing down.
This was an investment worth making.
Hedmilton knew the East better than anyone and he was competent.
And ever since Diana treated his grandmother, hadn’t he become absolutely certain of his love?
She didn’t need his love.
As long as she could win him over to the North’s side, it would already be a success.
Even just using this as an excuse to learn something about the mercenary commander Taebon would make it a worthwhile deal.
At Liselotte’s assertiveness, Belle’s hand — the one holding the fan — trembled slightly.
It seemed she didn’t have the courage to refuse in front of her relatives and Hedmilton.
If anyone other than their own family overheard, the side deserving criticism was obvious.
And she couldn’t risk antagonizing the temple by claiming she didn’t trust the High Priest.
Above all, with the High Priest’s divine power, there was a high chance even severe illnesses would improve.
As Belle fell into a corner with no escape, Hedmilton quickly spoke up,
“Your Highness. Is it really all right?”
Hope sparkled in his eyes.
It was an expectant gaze intense enough to feel overwhelming.
That was how desperate he was.
Liselotte answered without hesitation,
“Of course. Since I’ll be receiving treatment anyway, it’s no burden to have her treated together with me.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. It’s shameless of me, but please take care of my grandmother!”
Hedmilton lowered his head deeply.
Liselotte lightly patted his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I’ll tell my aide to contact you with the detailed schedule.”
“No, I should contact you directly. How many days will Your Highness be attending the banquet?”
“Probably all three days. As long as His Highness the Grand Duke doesn’t have any conflicting plans.”
With Belle pressing her lips tightly together in the background, Hedmilton quickly checked the dates.
True to his reputation as a competent aide, he had an impressive ability to identify only what was necessary without any excess.
‘As expected… I really want him.’
He was far too valuable to be left in House Gloria.
Without Hedmilton, the East would probably collapse on its own.
Just as he prepared to thank her once again—
“Hedmilton!”
Duke Gloria’s voice came from behind.
When Liselotte turned, he was glaring daggers at Hedmilton, unable to openly show anger in front of others but clearly seething.
“Isn’t my aide staying away from his post for too long?”
“A-ah, I’m coming right away!”
Hedmilton hastily bowed to Liselotte with proper etiquette, then ran toward Duke Gloria at speed.
Duke Gloria stared at Liselotte for a brief moment before turning away, smiling as he continued conversing with the other nobles.
He did not pick a fight or say anything else to her.
“How unexpected. I thought he would at least bring up the matter of the cooperation agreement for damage recovery.”
Considering how firmly she had demanded compensation, he was strangely quiet.
While Liselotte was briefly distracted, Belle also used the chance to slip away.
“Thank you, Your Highness. Then we will take our leave…”
The Rovans relatives bowed and moved off, affecting bright, cheerful voices.
Among them, a slightly older woman turned back.
Her furtive glance met Liselotte’s eyes exactly.
Startled, she flinched and hurriedly ducked back into the group of relatives.
“Hmm…”
Liselotte folded her arms and quietly observed them.
The woman looked quite a bit older than Belle.
Belle appeared to be the one holding the reins of authority among the relatives.
Judging by the woman’s age, she didn’t seem to be a direct member of the main Rovans line.
“Since only direct relatives within the second degree can inherit property, is she just sticking around hoping to pick up some scraps?”
Her strangely cautious behavior made Liselotte suspicious.
As she silently watched the woman, a low voice sounded behind her.
“Do you know them?”
Eren glanced in the general direction she had been staring at and asked.
What an awful thing to suggest.
“No. Not at all. I was just watching because they seemed a little strange.”
When she firmly drew the line, Eren shifted his attention back to her, no longer interested.
He lightly took the empty champagne glass from her hand and set it naturally onto a passing servant’s tray.
“Did you not want to come back to the Capital? For someone who did, your expression doesn’t look very good.”
Perhaps because ‘Liselotte’ had always longed for the Central region, he seemed puzzled.
Searching for a suitable excuse, she answered with a slightly bitter expression,
“It’s nothing. I was just thinking about how many people in this world would sell even their conscience for money.”
“Certainly…”
Eren’s gaze naturally drifted toward Duke Gloria, who was laughing and chatting with others.
Though she hadn’t explicitly pointed to House Gloria, it wasn’t wrong, and Liselotte felt no need to correct him.
Instead, she quietly asked Eren about the woman trailing after Belle.
“Do you happen to know the Lady beside Baroness Belle over there?”
“Baroness Ezel, you mean?”
With an indifferent expression, he continued calmly,
“Her husband passed away early. I heard the elder Lady of House Rovans took pity on her and personally supported her.”
So she had practically lived thanks to the elder Lady’s help.
Yet she clung to Belle now — the audacity made Liselotte let out a sigh without realizing it.
“Wow, people really have endless ways of stabbing others in the back…”
“Stabbing in the back?”
Eren, who had heard it exactly as she said it, asked dryly.
His gaze quietly drifted toward the back of Liselotte’s head.
‘No — what kind of thoughts is he having right now!’
Just as Liselotte was about to hastily refute it—
“Oh, look who it is. Eren!”
A loud voice boomed through the hall as if demanding everyone listen, slicing cleanly through their conversation.
The moment Eren heard it, his expression twisted sharply.
“Jeyord.”
“Man, how long has it been? Looks like you got even fitter since I last saw you.”
While speaking, he tapped the area around Eren’s chest with the back of his hand.
Even when Eren smacked him away roughly, he only raised both hands and laughed.
Then he spotted Liselotte and paused for a moment.
At the same time, Liselotte’s shoulders stiffened subtly.
She did not avert her eyes — avoiding his gaze here would mean death.
With wide eyes, they silently stared at one another for a while.
Jeyord propped his chin up and examined her face with deep seriousness.
Before she could point out how rude he was being—
Perhaps noticing something strange, he tilted his head and asked,
“Are you really the Princess?”
