The marquis turned back to Ella and resumed their conversation.

“So, an invitation in a week’s time……”

“You’re also involved in mining?”

She cut in, interrupting the marquis mid-sentence. The mention of a mana stone mining venture had genuinely caught her interest.

Sensing her curiosity, the marquis answered with a pleased expression.

“Yes. A mana stone vein was recently discovered in a mine owned by our family. The purity isn’t particularly high, but the discovery of the vein itself is what matters.”

Mana stones were used across every aspect of daily life in the Becarto Empire, even in a nation that rejected magic and prized holy power above all else. Their uses were endless.

The higher the purity, the value exceeded all imagination, but unfortunately the Becarto Empire produced no mana stones of its own.

Occasionally a mana stone of low purity was found, but they were all of negligible commercial value.

As a result, the Empire was entirely dependent on trade with the northern Kar Kingdom.

The discovery of a mana stone vein was a matter of exceptional national interest, even if the stones were of low purity.

“The discovery of a vein alone is a great glory for Becarto.”

The Harsen Marquisate appeared to be no different.

“If a large quantity of mana stones were found, what would happen next?”

“Hmm…… unless it falls under imperial ownership, they would likely select a suitable merchant guild and begin distribution.”

“Are there specific guilds for that?”

“Yes. There are many guilds that handle everything from extraction to processing and distribution. It varies depending on scale, but…… Harsen intends to entrust it to one of the three most influential guilds in the Empire. Even a modest mana stone vein will yield significant profit, so we can’t just hand it to anyone.”

The marquis said it with a proud air.

Something new stirred in Ella’s eyes.

‘I was looking for a guild to handle the mana stones from that place……’

The place she was thinking of was the Kraitus coast from Marian’s memories.

That place with the breathtaking sheer cliffs.

No one yet knew about the massive vein of high-purity mana stones buried beneath it.

It had been one of the most significant events in Marian’s memories. The place whose ownership had been transferred to Marian by the Grand Temple as a national marriage dowry.

In its original state, it was a coastline of no value whatsoever, but a high-purity mana stone vein Marian had stumbled upon by chance reversed everything in an instant.

‘The imperial family swallowed it whole and still cast Marian aside.’

That arrogant Estrada imperial family.

A year from now, after an unprecedented violent storm, the existence of the vein would be exposed.

There was still time before that vein was discovered and fell into imperial ownership.

‘I need to secure an agreement with a guild before that happens.’

The details of how the extracted mana stones were to be handled weren’t in Marian’s memories.

A figurehead crown princess would never have been given advice on imperial economics or noble politics to begin with.

‘That’s precisely why the imperial family was able to deceive Marian about the vein’s value and strip her of ownership.’

She had no one on her side.

The information available through the memories of Crown Princess Marian, who had been completely isolated, had its limits.

‘For now, I need to learn more about the guilds.’

Even knowing about the mana stone vein in advance, preventing the imperial family and the temple from getting their hands on it was beyond what she could manage alone.

The marquis’s story, heard just as she was turning the problem over in her mind, was more than welcome.

“Three major guilds…… how interesting.”

“Ah, Miss Mariella wouldn’t know about them, I suppose. The temple wouldn’t have had much contact with that world. In the Empire, the Miransel Guild, the Seirmi Guild, and the Deloa Guild are considered the finest. Those three can handle anything and deal in everything, you might say.”

“I see.”

“Oh, for what it’s worth, Harsen intends to go with the Deloa Guild. There’s no one more reliable when it comes to getting things done.”

“The Deloa Guild……”

Ella committed the name to memory.

“The Harsen Marquisate will shine all the brighter for it. Please do share more interesting stories with me in the future.”

“With pleasure.”

The moment their glasses touched, Zikhart’s voice cut across again.

“Miss Mariella.”

Just as Zikhart was about to say something to Ella,

“Your Highness……”

Dienne beside him suddenly placed her hand over his. Her delicate brow was creased.

“Dienne?”

“Your Highness, I don’t feel well.”

“You’ve fallen ill?”

“Yes, my head is spinning. Could you take me inside?”

“It seems the journey hasn’t quite left you yet. Come here.”

Zikhart let out a quiet sigh and supported her shoulder. He looked genuinely concerned for Dienne, but clearly reluctant to leave his seat.

“Miss Mariella. Please excuse us for a moment.”

“Oh dear, it seems the consort is unwell. Please don’t mind me, Your Highness.”

With that, Ella turned back to the marquis.

Even as he walked away with Dienne in his arms, Zikhart’s attention remained entirely on them. The way he kept glancing back was proof enough.

‘Ha! Again?’

Dienne had been quietly seething since earlier, watching Zikhart fail to focus on her.

His gaze had always been fixed on her. Noticing that it was wavering was not difficult.

Even now……

‘He looks like it’s killing him not to watch.’

She had always known Zikhart was a man easily swayed by temptation.

Whether it was food or clothing, he tired of things quickly. There was no reason to think women would be any different.

She had known that about him from the start.

‘How dare he, with me right here.’

She had been the only daughter of one of the founding noble families, raised from childhood to become crown princess.

As she gave her heart to the crown prince, the two had naturally become lovers.

No one had doubted they would marry.

But the national marriage with the saintess had been pushed forward to demonstrate unity between the temple and the imperial family, and her hopes had crumbled.

Even so, against everyone’s advice, Dienne had chosen the position of crown prince’s consort. Partly for becoming part of theimperial family member, but more because she couldn’t easily give up the man she loved.

As the only daughter of the Orpen duchy, she could have risen to become queen of a neighboring kingdom, but Dienne had ultimately taken the position of crown prince’s consort in the Empire.

This was before the national marriage between the crown prince and the saintess had even been finalized.

‘Don’t worry, Dienne. My heart will be yours until the day I die.’

‘The saintess won’t last long, so just bear with it until then. After that, you’ll be the one to take the crown princess‘s place.’

She had believed those words and chosen to wait……

‘This won’t do, Your Highness.’

A brief dalliance she could overlook, but the saintess was different.

She was the woman who would become crown princess. The one who would officially stand at his side.

Having him become drawn to someone like that was a problem.

‘I absolutely cannot allow it.’

Dienne pulled his neck toward her. The strength in her grip was hard to believe from someone claiming to be ill.

“Dienne?”

“I love you, Your Highness.”

So you had better behave yourself.

Dienne pressed herself into his arms.

***

On the carriage ride back to the temple, she was in high spirits throughout.

Not only had she obtained information on the guilds she had been puzzling over, she had also made the acquaintance of several nobles, a considerable harvest.

Since Zikhart and Dienne hadn’t returned to the banquet, the day had wrapped up even more cleanly than expected.

Today’s events would begin to shift how people perceived the saintess.

‘Now, if I can just put a leash on Haven’s heart……’

It would be the start of a perfect plan.

But what awaited Ella at the Grand Temple was unwelcome news.

She had just stepped out of her bath when her eyes sharpened at once.

“What did you say, Molly?”

Molly, who had been attending her in place of Priestess Doris, handed her a robe and answered.

“The High Priest has returned from his circuit.”

“The…… High Priest?”

The news that the high priest, who had set out on a month-long tour of the western provinces, had returned made Ella’s face go rigid.

‘Why so suddenly? Am I misremembering?’

No, thinking it over again, she wasn’t.

According to Marian’s memories, his return should have been five days later.

‘If it’s Capuasia, he might notice something is wrong with my holy power……’

To avoid having her depleted holy power discovered, it would have been better to leave the Grand Temple before he arrived. That was why she had been trying to finish her preparations for entering the palace within that window.

Ella grew anxious.

“……Where is the High Priest now?”

“I was told he’s currently in the prayer hall building, in a meeting with the senior priests.”

With Capuasia back, she needed to accelerate her plans. The immediate problem was her meeting with Haven that very night.