“What?”
Liselotte blinked, completely failing to grasp the situation, and he frowned briefly.
Even with his cold demeanor, the refined yet sharply defined features of his face conveyed authority and dignity.
Even his fierce golden eyes looked as though jewels had been embedded in them.
‘As long as he is handsome, what does it matter if he’s a nomad…’
At that moment, something flashed through her mind.
Liselotte let out a short gasp of realization.
“Ah, were you using the Word of Command?”
If there was a reason for him to be this startled, it could only be that — the ability passed down among nomads, a power akin to a curse.
After all, he was someone who had always considered his nomadic blood a disgrace.
Instead of answering, Eren slowly lowered the hand that had been holding her chin.
The emotions that had briefly flickered across his face vanished in an instant.
“Then let me ask again. How did you come into the middle of a Word of Command and remain unharmed?”
A faint trace of wariness mixed with his otherwise calm tone.
The atmosphere was quite serious, but Liselotte herself had no idea what was going on.
Tilting her head, she asked back,
“Was I not supposed to?”
“If something had gone wrong, you could have been affected by it.”
Liselotte brushed her hand lightly over her upper chest.
Since entering his room, she hadn’t felt anything strange — except perhaps her heart pounding from surprise.
With her hands on her hips, she exhaled lightly.
“So that’s what it was. No wonder it felt a little odd — it was the Word of Command.”
Casually raising her hands and shrugging up to her shoulders, she asked curiously,
“When you say something like that, does it usually come true?”
“…Yes, it does.”
For some reason, it seemed that the Word of Command did not work on Liselotte.
Then suddenly, one thought crossed her mind.
‘Wait, no way— could this be my divine power?’
Originally, as a member of the Imperial Family, Liselotte should have received both a divine power (special authority) and a gemstone.
She was neither an illegitimate child nor adopted, yet she had never received one, so people had always regarded her as some kind of anomaly.
But what if the god Donia had granted her a power and she simply hadn’t realized it?
‘Even if I really did get a power… then why don’t I have the gemstone?’
Questions piled one after another, but Liselotte quickly set them aside.
‘No. What matters is that the Word of Command doesn’t work on me.’
That was actually a good thing.
Beaming, Liselotte grabbed his hand tightly.
“Then we can notarize things, right?”
Could there be any ability more useful than this?
Her eyes sparkled with excitement, while Eren frowned slightly and asked,
“…What do you mean by that?”
“What I mean is, with Your Highness’ Word of Command, we could legally— no, we could prove that a contract or document is genuine!”
That way no one could ever come back later claiming the contract was invalid or forged.
And they could do it all easily, without any tiresome legal process — just by using the Word of Command!
It was even more convenient since the person with the ability was right beside her.
Eren only stared down at her silently, faintly frowning, as if he couldn’t comprehend why she was so delighted.
His steady gaze seemed to be studying her, as though trying to confirm something.
Thankfully, he didn’t appear displeased.
Liselotte’s light-blue eyes cautiously lifted toward him.
“Maybe… if I asked, could you…”
Her round eyes gleamed with hopeful anticipation.
Recognizing that look, Eren asked,
“You’re asking me to notarize something using the Word of Command?”
“Yes! Ah, of course, only if it’s not troublesome for you. I think it might be best to have it notarized after the negotiation with the East is finished.”
She nodded energetically and quickly raised a hand, watching his expression carefully.
It would be a shame not to make use of such a convenient power, but if it burdened him, she had no intention of forcing him.
Judging by his demeanor, he seemed reluctant about it anyway.
After silently watching her for a long moment, Eren let out a quiet sigh.
“After the Eastern negotiations, you said… Understood.”
At his ready consent, Liselotte smiled faintly.
She proudly opened the closed door and held out her left hand to him.
“Then, shall we go?”
At her natural gesture for an escort, his extended hand suddenly froze.
Eren quietly gazed at Liselotte, who stood framed by the light streaming in through the open doorway.
It seemed he had only just noticed her attire.
Dressed in an all-black gown that wasn’t overly elaborate, Liselotte smiled innocently, pretending not to notice his reaction.
If not for the diamond necklace—each link of its chain densely adorned like lace—she could have attended a funeral in that outfit without seeming out of place.
The simple, dark dress made her pale skin stand out even more.
Even though she wore just one necklace, her pink hair and bluish eyes made the whole look seem far more dazzling.
Liselotte calmly placed her hand atop Eren’s still, outstretched one.
“Let’s go.”
Her words seemed to act as a signal; Eren quickly averted his gaze.
He then politely took her hand and guided her toward the carriage that was waiting.
“You look different from usual,” he remarked as he escorted her.
His belated comment made Liselotte burst into laughter.
“Well, I’ve already made quite the impression on House Gloria before. I can’t show up looking exactly the same, can I?”
Her expression, despite the outfit, was pure and bright.
There was no need to keep up her brisk act in front of Eren— for now, he was an ally, and cooperation was necessary.
Once they stepped out of the manor, Eren naturally held her hand to help her into the carriage.
When he took the seat across from her, Liselotte stretched both arms out to show off her look and asked,
“Well? Do I look strong? Do I give off the feeling of Northern might?”
“…Aren’t you from the Central region?”
“What a dangerous thing to say. I’m going there as the representative of the North. I’m the Grand Duchess, after all.”
To call her a Central noble when she was about to face the East on behalf of the North—what an ill-timed remark.
At her firm reply, Eren’s golden eyes fixed on her.
She met his gaze squarely, as if to say she meant every word, until he finally looked away.
‘…What is that about?’
Was she imagining it, or did he really avoid her eyes every time they met?
Liselotte silently studied him sitting across from her.
His impassive face remained calm as he simply turned toward the window.
Even when the sound of the carriage wheels clattered, Eren still didn’t look at Liselotte, who would have been visible if he’d only turned his head slightly.
“Your Highness, how do I look?”
Even when she threw the question just to confirm, he only glanced at her briefly and replied in his usual, even tone.
“You’re beautiful.”
Uh— that wasn’t exactly the kind of answer she was expecting.
He always acted so stiff that she thought maybe his sense of aesthetics was broken. But apparently not.
“Not like that.”
He frowned slightly, as if thinking hard, and answered slowly, like someone retracing a magical formula.
“The diamond necklace keeps the dress from looking too heavy…?”
“Right? The necklace is nice, isn’t it?”
Pleased that he understood what she meant, Liselotte instinctively brightened.
‘Ah, wait, no— that wasn’t the point.’
Even now, his gaze was still firmly fixed on the window, as if there were something fascinating outside, proving that she hadn’t imagined it earlier.
Liselotte narrowed her eyes and stared intently at his neat profile across from her.
She was looking so openly that he had to notice, yet Eren ignored her as if she weren’t even there.
Liselotte leaned forward, tilting her upper body and head to follow the direction of his gaze, and persistently asked,
“Your Highness?”
“…I can hear you.”
“I even trimmed my nails for the meeting with the East today. Look, the powder sprinkled here is real gold.”
She waved her fingers quickly, fluttering them in front of his eyes in a deliberately annoying way.
But his reply was brief and dry.
“Yes.”
Liselotte leaned closer, raising her face toward his profile.
Yet Eren, just as he had before, stubbornly kept his gaze on the window.
At this point, it wasn’t suspicion— it was certainty.
“Why won’t you look at me?”
She widened her eyes and waited for an answer.
“There’s nothing good that would come from looking, is there?”
After a long silence, Eren finally gave a somewhat defensive and sensitive reply.
“…What?”
“You’ve seen me use the Word of Command. The golden eyes—the mark of the nomads—must look unfamiliar and frightening to someone like you, raised in the Imperial Palace.”
