Early the next morning, I called Isabelle. The three of us sat facing each other in the reception room with Cedric. 

 I stared intently at Isabelle as she drank her tea. 

 Since what she wanted was definitive proof, I immediately showed her the contract with Father’s signature. 

 “It’s true. Father really signed it?” 

 “Yes, so return to the Imperial Palace.” 

 “……I can’t go right now. You know that too, right? Will Father leave me alone?” 

 “Are you saying you’ll continue staying here then?” 

 “There’s no reason a sister can’t stay at her sister’s house. I’m also curious about what deal you made with Father.” 

 Isabelle looked at me while drinking her warm tea. 

 “Why should I accept you? Do you know how much grief you’ve caused me?” 

 “Sister has to accept me. You also need to help persuade Father.” 

 “And why should I?” 

 “Because that will make things easier for you, sister. Should I tell you something interesting?” 

 I hate when Isabelle makes that expression. 

 Because while her face shows enjoyment, nothing good comes out of that pretty mouth. 

 She had that same face when I proceeded with the marriage to Cedric as she pleased. When she backstabbed me while smiling brightly. 

 How could I forget that face? 

 She smiled and spoke in a voice so quiet only I could hear. She didn’t forget to include an exceptionally bright smile as well. 

 “Your mother is alive.” 

 See, this is what I mean. 

 I scoffed at Isabelle’s words. Clarira Borset, Claire’s mother and my mother, was dead. 

 That was certain information that appeared in the original novel. 

 I also spoke in a voice only she could hear. 

 “Isabelle, you must be desperate. Looking at how you’re making up things that don’t exist.” 

 “Does it sound like a lie?” 

 Isabelle blinked and pulled up the blanket to wrap around herself. 

 I nodded and sat down next to her. 

 “How could I trust you?” 

 “Whether you believe it or not is up to you, sister, but I told you. It’s my repayment for your help.” 

 Her indifferent voice bothered me. Having been deceived once before, I didn’t believe Isabelle’s words. 

 ‘Clarira is dead. Everyone knows this……’ 

 It was irritating how Isabelle casually brought up a story that contradicted this fact. 

 ‘She wouldn’t say something like this without reason either.’ 

 I tried to ignore it, but my mother’s name kept catching in my chest. Considering the Emperor’s nature, it wouldn’t be strange if she were alive. 

 Since she could become my weakness, and conversely, I could become her weakness. 

 “How can I confirm that Mother is alive?” 

 “If I tell you that, I guess I can stay here.” 

 Isabelle smiled sweetly while observing my reaction. Her golden eyes sparkled with curiosity. 

 “It’s simple. Just go to the Imperial Palace.” 

 “……You’re lying.” 

 How disappointing. 

 It might be a trap to lure me to the Imperial Palace. I half-opened my eyes at Isabelle’s words. 

 “Whatever you’re thinking, I won’t fall for it so stop there. It’s not amusing.” 

 “Think what you want. More importantly, what did you give Father?” 

 “The sailing ship design, it seemed necessary for the divine beast prison.” 

 “……Divine beast prison?” 

 Isabelle looked dumbfounded, as if she hadn’t expected this. 

 “They’re already bound anyway, what’s the use of moving the prison to the middle of the sea? You mean he tried to sell me to Narankas for some mere sailing ship?” 

 “The divine beast escaped, right? It had never happened before, so he must have been anxious.” 

 At my words, Isabelle’s gaze turned to the sleeping Zeno. 

 “That escaped divine beast.” 

 “Do you know why Father doesn’t properly tell you about divine beasts?” 

 “It’s obvious. He’s worried I might form a bond with a divine beast. He freely shows me divine beasts whose bindings have ended.” 

 Her words were right. Isabelle looked shocked simply at the fact that she almost had to marry an old king because of a sailing ship. 

 “Now then, tell me how to persuade Father.” 

 At Isabelle’s words, I laughed mockingly and asked. 

 “You really plan to stay here?” 

 “What’s wrong with that?” 

 Isabelle really seemed to have no intention of returning. She appeared to think she would be used if she returned to the Imperial Palace without any countermeasures. 

 I shrugged as if I didn’t understand why this should be the case. 

 “Since when were we such close sisters?” 

 “Starting today.” 

 What kind of person is this? 

 I laughed in spite of myself. Isabelle smiled with crescent eyes and took a sip of tea. 

 “I told you something interesting too. So sister should make an effort too.” 

 She was more shameless than I expected. 

 ❖ ❖ ❖ 

 Isabelle decided to stay in the guest room. I went to the room with Cedric and continued our conversation about everything that had happened so far. 

 “I couldn’t find the tree with holy power.” 

 “It’s alright. Since the snow has stopped, I’ll look for it secretly. The problem is that if Isabelle stays here, she might find out about my ability.” 

 Isabelle would have to return to the Imperial Palace eventually. When that happens, Father will rummage through her mind to find out everything that has happened. 

 ‘I can’t hit her on the head to make her lose her memories either.’ 

 I couldn’t think of what to do. It wouldn’t be difficult to go out secretly with Zeno at night to find the branch. 

 “What could she be thinking?” 

 “The knights will be watching, so she won’t be able to do anything rash.” 

 “I need to think about how to persuade Father.” 

 “……It might be easier than expected. We can use it in reverse.” 

 “In reverse?” 

 Cedric nodded. I moved closer to listen to his voice. 

 “……” 

 I felt Cedric slightly pulling his body back, but I didn’t pay attention to it. 

 “We can feed false information to the Princess. If we make her believe it’s true, the Emperor will obtain that information.” 

 “You mean use her as a double agent?” 

 “The most important thing in battle is information.” 

 “The act will need to be maintained for quite a while. We’ll have a lot to do, like keeping the people at the mansion quiet.” 

 I would need to let my friends know not to show up at the mansion for a while. 

 “First, we need to deceive her about my ability. That’s not a problem if we’re careful, but……” 

 The problem was that Father had become interested in me because of this incident. 

 ‘It feels creepy somehow.’ 

 I should probably sit down and organize the information about the original story. 

 Since information would be important, as Cedric said. 

 “First, we need to find the tree. We don’t know what Isabelle is thinking, and I still can’t fully trust her……” 

 And also, it seemed we needed to watch Father. 

 “I organized some documents about the territory while you were away, thinking Your Highness might worry. Would you like to look them over?” 

 Cedric’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. He smiled as he checked the documents I handed him one by one. 

 “……The organization is neat. Did you learn this at the Imperial Palace?” 

 “Hmm, no? I didn’t receive a separate princess education.” 

 The place I lived before opening my eyes in this world was a land of Excel people. 

 Basic document organization was essential for surviving in a company with Hancom Docs and Word, so this level of organization was simple. 

 Cedric scanned the documents with an incredulous look. 

 “Wife, it seems we’ll have a lot to do from now on.” 

 I smiled happily at his words. Indeed, if you don’t say you can’t do something, you won’t have to work anywhere! 

 I had no choice since I had to take care of the Grand Duke’s mansion while he was away. What use would there be in regretting it now? 

 “First, shouldn’t we completely control people from entering the Codran Forest?” 

 “Controlling the forest is difficult.” 

 “We just need to create a reason why people can’t go to the forest voluntarily.”