Father and others wouldn’t know about the magic stones in the North. 

 “Isn’t there a mine in the Solenin Gorge? I thought that would be sufficient for supply.” 

 Cedric added these words without changing his expression. 

 ‘Come to think of it, he’s quite good at acting.’ 

 They say couples grow to resemble each other, and it seems both Cedric and I were born with a talent for deceiving others. 

 I shrugged my shoulders and said, 

 “There’s only one mine, but the number of nobles residing in Bellado or the capital is countless compared to the North. You don’t know how extravagant they are.” 

 It was common practice to use magic stones for holding banquets every day and setting off fireworks. 

 Among them, Father had devoted everything to the divine beast. He must believe that he couldn’t exist without the divine beast. 

 ‘He must be anxious.’ 

 Knowing other people’s thoughts and true feelings wasn’t necessarily a happy thing. How disillusioned he must feel seeing the nobles and ministers whose outer appearances differ from their inner thoughts. 

 He could have just done well himself, but unfortunately, Father couldn’t do that. This should be blamed on the previous emperor, but what could be said to someone who was already dead? 

 “But why are you suddenly asking about magic stones?” 

 “Because it’s the first thing the Imperial family will need. Your Highness, it’s time to pay back for all the hardships you’ve endured.” 

 First, we needed to block the supply source so Father could no longer obtain magic stones from Kvarando. 

 “We need to prevent Kvarando from exporting magic stones to the Renshad Empire. I wonder how we should do that……” 

 I glanced at Cedric. He remained silent for a moment, appearing lost in thought. 

 His grip tightened, then he smiled brightly and said, 

 “I’ve thought of a good way. It will work out as you wish.” 

 It seems Cedric has decided not to export magic stones to Kvarando. 

 I returned to my room and lay down on the bed. 

 “Things are progressing more smoothly than expected.” 

 If there was one thing that remained unresolved, it was the questions about Mother. 

 It would be nice if a bird I sent to the capital would fly back with news, but no such bird had appeared yet. 

 “Tweet, tweet!”(Don’t worry. Given the distance, it will take quite some time just to get there.) 

 “There won’t be any problems, right?” 

 “Tweet!”(Of course! But why isn’t there any special food today?) 

 “……I put it in the space below the window.” 

 The sparrow chirped excitedly and went to the window. Zeno glanced at me before trudging over. 

 “Woowoowoo.”(You’ll start moving from tonight?) 

 “That’s right. Since they said the monster subjugation ends today, we’ll properly start moving from tomorrow.” 

 “Woof? Wooof?”(Did you request help from the forest?) 

 “We agreed to all meet in the garden tonight.” 

 “Kiiing.” (The Grand Duke’s residence has become a zoo. That guy has quite the personality too.) 

 “Many of them were brought by His Highness to be friends, you know?” 

 Zeno heaved a deep sigh. I knew well what that sigh meant. 

 “I know, everyone’s around because of my power.” 

 “Woof! Woofwoof!”(Use it moderately. What will you do if there’s a huge price to pay?) 

 “……Well, I haven’t used that much power yet, so it’s scary.” 

 I wonder if Isabelle is alright. She must have used a lot of power having caused snowstorms for several days without rest. 

 “Come to think of it, Isabelle has been too quiet.” 

 “Woowoowoo. Woof.”(It’s good if she’s behaving and not causing trouble. What are you worried about?) 

 “Isabelle is as unpredictable as I am.” 

 <The Princess’s Golden Cage> is a novel that revolves around Isabelle. 

 A female lead born with exceptional abilities. She was loved by everyone and easily got whatever she wanted. So this incident must have been quite shocking for her. 

 Even Father, whom she thought was on her side, had betrayed her. 

 Isabelle only had Father and me, her half-sister, as family. The same was true for me, but the problem was Father’s clearly different attitude. 

 Because of this, there was naturally a difference between me and Isabelle, and she must have felt superior. 

 While childhood experiences don’t determine everything, they usually have an influence. 

 When I opened my eyes in Claire’s body, many things were already established, and it was almost time for the original story to begin. 

 “I should go check her room for a moment.” 

 “Woof.”(Just leave her be.) 

 “Even though she’s being watched, you never know.” 

 Isabelle had a surprisingly persistent side. After all, someone who would seduce her sister’s husband wasn’t exactly normal to begin with. 

 I quietly got up from the bed and dusted off my skirt. 

 I was trying to go quietly alone, but Zeno stretched and stood close to me. 

 “You’re coming too?” 

 “Woof! Woofwoof!”(Master, companions are supposed to stick together! I’ll see you off.) 

 “Isn’t His Highness my companion?” 

 “Kiiing! Woof!”(W-well anyway! I’m also a contractor.) 

 Zeno turned his head away haughtily. I stared at the bottom that walked ahead. 

 The glossy black fur moved with a wiggle. 

 “Woowoowoo.”(……Master, you’re being perverted.) 

 Zeno turned his head and said, feeling my gaze. I couldn’t deny it. 

 It was true that I had been looking at the plump bottom. 

 ❖ ❖ ❖ 

 Standing in front of Isabelle’s door, I couldn’t open it and just stood there blankly. 

 The knights watching Isabelle were observing from elsewhere. They couldn’t openly surveil her after all. 

 “Grrrrrr.”(The door won’t open just by staring at it.) 

 ‘I know. But I came without thinking about why I was visiting.’ 

 “Woowoowoo. Woof!”(That’s why I came with you. I can’t go in with you, so talk well and come back.) 

 Although I was probably under suspicion, since I hadn’t explicitly mentioned him being a divine beast, it was better to go in alone. 

 Zeno stared at me for a while, then approached the door and bumped it. 

 Creeeeak—

 “……” 

 I wasn’t mentally prepared yet! 

 Regardless, Zeno had already walked far away. What a quick-footed fellow. 

 Though she should have been angry about the door opening without any announcement from the maid, it was quiet. 

 “……Isabelle?” 

 I carefully entered the room. Even after entering, she remained silent. 

 Getting an odd feeling, I went to the bed and saw Isabelle sleeping. 

 “Are you sleeping?” 

 Somehow it feels like something many ex-boyfriends would say, but in this situation, there were no other appropriate words. 

 She seemed to be sleeping, but something felt off. Her face was flushed, and she was breathing heavily. 

 “Isabelle.” 

 I approached her and examined her face. Still showing no movement, I felt something strange about Isabelle’s appearance and carefully reached out my hand. 

 I could feel her breath on my finger as it touched her nostrils. 

 “Phew.” 

 I stroked my chest in relief and lay down at the edge of the bed. 

 Isabelle kept her eyes closed and wouldn’t open them. How long had she been like this? 

 If it had been ongoing, the maids would have run to me saying something was wrong with Her Highness the Princess. So this condition couldn’t have lasted long. 

 I reached out and pulled the bell cord. As I approached the door, a maid immediately appeared. 

 “You called?” 

 Anna, who had been assigned to Isabelle, blinked at me. She seemed uncomfortable seeing me sitting in Isabelle’s room. 

 “Why is the Grand Duchess in the Princess’s room…… Did something happen?!” 

 The people of the Grand Duke’s residence didn’t like Isabelle. It was probably because her actions and words toward me had already become rumors. 

 I smiled as if nothing was wrong. Only then did Anna approach me with a relieved expression. 

 “Anna. Do you know when Isabelle fell asleep?” 

 “It’s been about two hours, I think.” 

 “Did she eat dinner?” 

 “Yes, she ate in her room. She told us to leave after she had tea and dessert.” 

 “There weren’t any unusual occurrences, I see.” 

 Anna nodded her head. I glanced at the sleeping Isabelle. 

 “For now, just keep an eye on her except for changing the blankets.” 

 “You mean we shouldn’t serve meals or attend to her?” 

 “That won’t be necessary. Let me know when she wakes up.” 

 I don’t know how long she’ll lie there like that, but it seems the price has been activated. 

 ‘I should inform His Highness as well.’ 

 I thought there would be a big price to pay for using such great power, but I didn’t expect it would be sleep. 

 Whether it’s okay that she’s just sleeping will have to wait until she wakes up, but somehow I didn’t think it would end just like this. 

 As I was turning to go back to my room, the maid hurriedly chased after me. 

 “Um, Your Highness…… The Princess……!”