This was fine. It was surprising but a cause for celebration. If left to those two alone, an engagement would be too distant a prospect, so he was relieved that things were progressing. However,

‘Lydia carried out a strategy of pretending to like me, and this is how it turned out.’

He had heard this shocking statement.

Arsen had confided in Kedrick, saying that he had reluctantly deceived his allies to fool the enemy, but now Kedrick needed to know the truth as well.

The word “strategy” meant that Lydia didn’t really like Arsen!

‘But our commander is sincere!’

Arsen wasn’t acting. At least the Arsen that Kedrick knew wasn’t someone capable of such pretense.

‘But Priestess Lydia doesn’t know this, does she?’

Kedrick had slapped his knee at that moment. That explained it! That’s why Lydia had said Arsen didn’t see her as a woman!

So did Lydia have no feelings for Arsen at all?

That point was somewhat ambiguous. There was clearly some affection, but it didn’t seem as serious as Arsen’s feelings.

‘Is it difficult for her to open her heart because of past heartbreak? But she definitely has feelings.’

Her gaze—the way she looked at him versus the way she looked at Arsen—was different. Then couldn’t this engagement ceremony be a perfect opportunity?

Indeed, throughout the journey to the capital, Arsen had been attentively caring for Lydia. Wouldn’t a relationship naturally deepen if a man with affection stayed close and took good care of her?

Watching Arsen treat Lydia with such attentiveness and kindness, Kedrick was confident that Lydia would soon fall for Arsen.

But Lydia didn’t give Kedrick a chance to let his guard down.

‘Isn’t Sir Arsen kind to everyone?’

Last time she said he didn’t see her as a woman, and now she was saying Arsen was kind to everyone?

Good heavens. This wouldn’t do. If things continued like this, Lydia would never, ever notice Arsen’s feelings, no matter how well he treated her.

So Kedrick tried hard to show that Arsen was kind ‘only’ to Lydia.

“Commander, look at David’s side. Isn’t it still black and blue where you hit him?”

Whenever Lydia was nearby, Kedrick would drag David over and lift his shirt.

David, suddenly forced to expose his side, was so dumbfounded that he froze.

“Vice Commander, what are you doing……”

“Yes, Kedrick. What are you doing right now?”

Both Arsen and David frowned and glared at Kedrick, but he didn’t care.

“David says he’s in too much pain to ride a horse.”

Kedrick raised his voice, hoping Lydia would hear this conversation.

“I do?”

“David does?”

David muttered with a bewildered expression, and Arsen frowned and asked.

“Well, what will you do, Commander?”

“What do you mean what will I do? He should handle it himself. Oh, if he can’t even ride with that level of injury, wouldn’t it be better to give up the sword?”

Arsen shot David a contemptuous look and turned away coldly. David, still exposing his bruised side, could only blink in astonishment.

Regardless, Kedrick observed Lydia’s reaction. Seeing David’s bruised side, she approached with a concerned face.

“Sir David, are you alright? Have you applied any medicine?”

Just as David was about to answer Lydia, Kedrick interrupted.

“Priestess, isn’t the commander being too harsh? His subordinate is in this state, and he just says to handle it himself.”

See how insensitive he is to his subordinate’s injuries, yet how very kind he is to you, Priestess Lydia. Do you understand now?

“He may say that, but I’m sure he’s worried inside. As you know, Sir Arsen is a kind person.”

Huh? Kedrick’s head tilted to the side.

“Oh, and you shouldn’t call me priestess anymore, Sir Kedrick.”

Before Kedrick could protest, Lydia asked David in a worried voice.

“Sir David, if you’re in pain, would you like to ride in my carriage? There’s space.”

“…… Pri—no, miss, if I did that, I might really be expelled from the knight order.”

David was very serious, but Lydia thought he was joking and laughed brightly. Kedrick, however, couldn’t laugh. The operation had failed.

* * *

“Welcome, Baron Melburn.”

“Have you been well, Your Majesty? Please don’t get up, you must be feeling heavy.”

Baron Melburn hurriedly waved his hands when he saw Giselle trying to stand up to greet him.

“Then you should sit down quickly, Baron.”

Giselle gracefully smiled at his urgent gesture and offered him the seat across from her.

As the empress ordered tea to be brought, she exuded a dignified and elegant atmosphere that belied rumors of her humble origins—she seemed more refined and graceful than the baron’s own daughter, who had been taught etiquette from childhood.

“I heard you’ve been busy lately. Please take care of your health as well.”

“Thank you for your concern. How has Your Majesty been lately?”

“I’m actually more comfortable now than in the early stages. Strange, isn’t it?”

Giselle laughed while habitually stroking her belly. Baron Melburn fervently prayed that the child would be a boy.

Though he had established himself in the capital, he was a nobleman without territory, and Giselle was an enormous lifeline for him.

How shocked he had been when his daughter Alice had unexpectedly attached herself to Giselle rather than Lydia!

But now it seemed his daughter had better discernment than her father.

As Alice became Giselle’s chief lady-in-waiting and Giselle occasionally invited the baron and his wife to the palace, the baron’s standing gradually increased.

“Does Devon still attend that social gathering these days?”

“His attendance has significantly decreased compared to before.”

Currently, the capital was more active with social gatherings than ever before.

Poker, hunting, poetry recitals, and other activities that appeared to be hobbies were actually venues for building power.

Who was pro-emperor and who was pro-nobility? Who had more power and who had more information?

Apart from those who were already firmly in either the emperor’s faction or the nobility faction, many were attending various social gatherings to gauge which power they should align themselves with.

The most active person in these gatherings was undoubtedly Devon.

He belonged to the pro-emperor faction for having protected the current emperor, while also having a foothold in the nobility faction due to the discord between Marquis Evansi and Richard.

Yet he also claimed to be moderate in his views and tried to join moderate gatherings. That gathering was precisely the social circle that included Baron Melburn.

Giselle was investing considerable effort in that group. She wanted to absorb them into the empress’s faction and eventually build a power base for her child.

It had been annoying that Devon kept showing up and causing disruptions. It was fortunate that Devon was attending less frequently, but on the other hand, Giselle couldn’t shake off an uneasy feeling.

“Hmm, I wonder if he’s trying to switch to another side?”

“From what I’ve gathered, he’s not making many appearances at other social gatherings either.”

“That’s strange.”

Devon was fundamentally a person with a desire for ostentation and power. It was suspicious that he would be keeping a low profile now, when he could exert maximum influence.

Lost in thought as she pondered the reasons, Giselle looked back at Baron Melburn when she heard his voice.

“By the way, have you heard? They say Sir Arsen and Lady Evansi will hold an engagement ceremony.”

“Isn’t that just a rumor?”

“I thought so too, but apparently some families have already received invitations.”

Oh dear, Giselle sighed briefly. It seemed Richard’s interference had completely failed.

How many more days would he complain about Lydia’s engagement? Giselle wanted to click her tongue but restrained herself.

“And, well, I heard that His Majesty has ordered preparations for a gift to be sent to the engagement ceremony. Have you heard anything about this?”

“What did you say?”

Giselle’s voice rose as she failed to maintain her composure.

“Is that true, Baron?”

“It’s something I heard secondhand, so I’m not sure if it’s true. Since Your Majesty didn’t know about it, it must be just a rumor.”

Baron Melburn tried hard to reassure Giselle that it was a false rumor before leaving, but according to information his daughter Alice had obtained from a palace servant, it was true.

What angered Giselle was not that Richard had approved Arsen and Lydia’s engagement, but that he hadn’t said a word to her about it.

Giselle gently patted her swollen belly, suppressing her anger and hurt.

“You must be on your mother’s side, my child. Understand?”

* * *

With the capital just ahead, Lydia’s party was delayed by rain. The morning rain had made the ground muddy, making traveling by carriage difficult.

So the group had a day of free time.

After leisurely finishing lunch, Lydia decided to have tea time with Maria.

The innkeeper said he would prepare tea and light refreshments and bring them to the room, and Maria went to her room to get an outer garment, saying it was a bit chilly.

Lydia waited for them in her room, watching the now subsiding rain, and moved to the table when she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Expecting it to be Maria, Lydia was surprised to see a massive figure in the doorway as the door opened.

“Sir Arsen?”

“May I come in?”

In Arsen’s hands was a tray with the tea and refreshments that the innkeeper had promised to prepare.

As soon as Lydia gave permission, he strode into the room and placed the tray on the table.

Though surprised, Lydia greeted Arsen with a smile, but frowned when she saw the cup containing medicine on the tray.

“I was going to have tea first and then take the medicine.”

“Medicine first, tea later. Taking medicine on time is how you get healthy.”

Arsen insisted on putting the cup with medicine into Lydia’s hand. His obsession with medicine made Lydia curious.

According to Kedrick, Arsen didn’t care at all about minor injuries……

“Do you want me to be healthy?”

“Of course I do.”

“Why?”