Henrik arrived in Brienne two days ago.

For those two days, he had been frequenting the taverns near the harbor, testing to see if anyone would recognize him. Henrik had once accompanied Josef to Brienne when Josef first entered the city. Because of this, there was a good chance that the Imperial soldiers stationed here, as well as the local nobility of Brienne, might recognize him.

Josef had sent Henrik on this mission despite the risk because he didn’t trust anyone else. That wasn’t to say Josef had boundless trust in Henrik either; he simply wanted to avoid involving anyone else in this matter.

For Henrik, who was born and raised in Olstein, Brienne’s spring felt unbearably hot. He had swapped his cloak for a hooded cape and a lightweight tunic purchased at the harbor.

“Are you from Kut, too?”

The skinny tavern owner asked while setting a platter of thinly sliced bread and ham on the bar. Though Henrik now wore Brienne’s attire, it seemed he still looked foreign to the man.

Henrik hesitated for a moment before silently shaking his head.

“Not from Kut, then? Lately, more than half of the sailors coming through here are from Kut,” the man continued, unbothered by Henrik’s reserved demeanor. His amiable attitude seemed to stem from years of interacting with strangers.

“Thanks to them, the Imperial knights seem to have little time to get bored. The harbor’s so busy they can’t even find a moment to pick a fight.”

“…Because they’re building ships?” Henrik asked.

“Exactly. I’ve lost count of how many. They’ve been hauling timber to the shipyards non-stop all day long.”

As the man poured wine and cleaned dishes, he continued chatting animatedly. Henrik paid attention to the nearby sailors who occasionally chimed in with agreement.

The sailors knew the timber from Kut was being used to build ships, but they didn’t seem aware that these were for the Imperial fleet. Shipbuilding was a common enough occurrence that it didn’t seem to pique their interest. They merely discussed how the influx of cargo ships had made the harbor busier than usual.

‘Crown Prince Josef’s suspicions were correct.’

Though the sailors chatted nonchalantly, Henrik felt a cold sweat trickle down his back.

Relations between the Olstein Empire and the Kingdom of Kut were not particularly bad, but they weren’t good either, especially when compared to the Kingdom of Sarnica. Queen Olga had only sent a perfunctory congratulatory letter for Josef’s engagement ceremony.

The primary reason for the lack of conflict between the two nations was the Har Mountains. The mountain range formed a natural barrier along Kut’s border, making it nearly impossible for Olstein to approach by land—at least until Brienne, located at the base of the range, became an Olstein stronghold.

The moment a point of contact was established between Olstein and Kut, the dormant seeds of conflict between the two nations could very well begin to sprout.

So why, in such a precarious situation, was Brienne importing timber from Kut?

‘Did Brienne disclose anything about the navy to Kut?’

Josef had said it wasn’t impossible. If that were true, Henrik couldn’t return without confirming whether Josef’s second suspicion was also correct.

“Tavern keeper, where’s the shipyard?”

Henrik placed a few silver coins on the table and stood. While he wanted to reward this unexpected informant generously, giving too much might draw unwanted attention.

***

Even on the day of the auction, Amelia hadn’t resolved her questions.

Why had her father put the diamond up for auction?

After confirming the authenticity of the “Kut Diamond,” her fears of tarnishing the Vidal family’s reputation had been assuaged. Yet she still couldn’t understand her father’s decision to auction it.

At first, she speculated that he intended to buy it back, using the letter and necklace she had received as evidence.

However, she realized this theory didn’t hold water. If her father had not separated the diamond from the necklace and sent it to her, there would have been no need to buy it back in the first place.

No matter how she looked at it, the simplest explanation seemed the most plausible:

‘He needed money.’

Most of the countries accessible from Brienne were now under Olstein’s control. Selling the diamond in Kut would inevitably draw attention to the Vidal family.

Thus, the Imperial auction was the most legitimate way to sell such a conspicuous diamond for the highest possible price.

But why did her father suddenly need such a large sum of money?

“…”

Knock. Knock.

Sitting in the dressing room, Amelia looked up at the sound of knocking.

Could it be Betty, returning after searching for her gloves? With the door already ajar, there was no need to knock.

“Betty? …Oh.”

As Amelia rose and approached the door, her eyes widened in surprise. A deer had wandered into the room.

“How did you get up here?”

The deer, naturally, didn’t reply but rubbed its head against Amelia. If Betty had seen this, she would have been furious about the fur getting on Amelia’s dress.

Amelia, however, was more curious about how the deer had climbed the stairs and entered the dressing room. Apparently, it had been the one knocking earlier.

“Let’s go. I’m heading out now.”

Amelia stepped out of the dressing room, speaking to the deer. The deer obediently followed her out of the room. While it took some time, it managed to hop carefully down the stairs, one step at a time, with its front and back legs.

“You shouldn’t go up the stairs alone. You might get hurt.”

Lately, Amelia had taken to talking to the deer as if it were a confidant. Though it never responded or met her gaze, it stayed by her side, blinking its soft, round eyes, no matter how long or tedious her stories were. It was, in its way, a comforting companion.

“Oh, my lady, you were already downstairs.”

Betty approached, gloves in hand.

“Betty, the deer climbed the stairs all on its own.”

“Really? Is that true?”

As Amelia expected, Betty looked startled.

“My Lady, if it worries you, shall we have a pen built for it? The servants could make one if you ask.”

“No, that’s fine.”

Amelia shook her head. The deer was growing quickly by the day, but it was still young. She already felt sorry for it being confined to a human’s world against its will. Locking it up in a pen seemed far too cruel.

“Instead, make sure all the doors in the mansion are securely closed. If it breaks something, it could get hurt.”

“Understood, My Lady. Have a good outing.”

As Amelia turned around, slipping on the gloves Betty handed her, the deer tried to follow her as if it were the most natural thing to do.

“You stay here. It’s night now.”

“My Lady, really.”

Betty chuckled as she watched Amelia speak to the deer.

“You treat it as if it were a person.”

“Do I?”

“I’ll be back soon.”

Leaving Betty, who was still smiling, behind, Amelia made her way outside the mansion. From inside, she could hear a soft thudding noise, similar to the knock she’d heard earlier.

“This one. Don’t kick the door like that. The Lady will be back soon.”

Hearing Betty gently scold the deer, Amelia couldn’t help but smile faintly. She herself was treating the deer as if it were her younger sibling.

***

As the sun set and people began gathering, the auction event’s atmosphere turned out to be quite different from that of other parties.

Lanterns with paper shades hung in rows from the exterior of the banquet hall, giving off a festive, nighttime carnival vibe.

The auction items, which had been displayed during the day, had all been moved to the auction hall. In their place, tables were set up everywhere, where nobles were engrossed in card games. At any event, there were always those who seemed to enjoy the socializing more than the main event itself. Over by a table near the wall, Amelia spotted Dana’s face.

She considered weaving her way through the tables to greet Dana but decided against it. Instead, she proceeded toward the auction hall as she had originally intended. The auction should have already begun.

She and Josef had already reviewed the auction items a few days earlier. She wasn’t here to participate in the card games. Her purpose was solely focused on the diamond from Kut.

“The crown prince will probably claim it.”

If it were just three carats, she might have made an effort. But a diamond weighing thirty carats was far beyond what Amelia’s finances could accommodate. Likely, only Josef would be capable of bidding on such an item in this castle.

In other words, the winner was a foregone conclusion. Amelia wasn’t attending the auction out of curiosity about who would win.

“Who could it be?”

She was curious about the person from the Vidal family who had brought the diamond to Olstein. Surely her father wouldn’t have come in person. Even if it was just an agent, that would suffice. They would undoubtedly be acting on her father’s orders.

Meeting that person and asking them would resolve Amelia’s lingering questions.

Not knowing exactly where the auction was being held, Amelia wandered through the castle halls for a while before spotting a pair of guards standing by a door. That must be the place.

“Please, go ahead.”

The guards took one look at Amelia’s face and opened the door for her without questioning her arrival. Perhaps they were part of the group the emperor had brought in a few days ago.

“The next item is a trophy from Bugrint!”

The auctioneer’s voice rang out loudly from the brightly lit stage. Amelia moved past the long benches, choosing instead to stick close to the wall and head for a secluded corner. The lights illuminating the hall were concentrated around the seating area, leaving the edges of the room relatively dark—perfect for staying out of sight.

On the stage stood a large marble sculpture. It was beautiful, but it wasn’t what Amelia was here for.

“Starting at one hundred gold!”

As the auctioneer announced the starting price, bids began climbing steadily. Amelia glanced around at the nobles gesturing to place their bids, and suddenly she covered her mouth in surprise.

“Oh…”

A familiar figure had caught her eye. Someone she knew—someone she never expected to encounter in a place like this.

In that instant, Amelia realized.

“It’s them.”

The person standing in for her father, the one who had brought the diamond, was none other than that person.