While the imperial palace was in turmoil due to the monster attack, another disturbance arose within Roam.
It was because of my sister Frijian, who had presented Father with a marriage contract she had drawn up with a man from some family.
Father, who had intended to send Sister Frijian to Prince Heinrich, was naturally furious and likely tried to hush up the matter secretly.
However, the Kendall family, claiming to have secretly wedded Sister Frijian, made a formal visit to Roam, making even that impossible.
Right now only the servants are in an uproar, but it would probably take just a week for rumors to circulate through society.
"The market district would be less noisy than this."
As I murmured indifferently with my chin propped on the windowsill, Palides chuckled and said cheerfully,
"I saw some knights crying earlier!"
"Well, there were many who admired my sister."
One only needed to look at Arin Thorson to know that much.
I replied listlessly and looked down at Baron Kendall, who was making a scene to announce his presence.
To an outsider, it might seem like he was acting thoughtlessly without considering the Roam Duke's fury, but....
Well. I think Baron Kendall is more calculating than one might assume.
The Kendall Baron family is wealthy and has established themselves quite well as local dignitaries. However, that influence only extended to the region where their barony was located.
What do upstarts sitting on piles of money crave next if not noble honor and power?
It just so happened that a decision had been made to expel the Kendall Baron family from Roam's cadet branch. While they were harboring dissatisfaction over this decision, Sister Frijian came to them—how welcome she must have been.
I could clearly imagine how Sister Frijian had enticed them using her direct bloodline as leverage.
I was watching with interest as the Baron argued with the servants when a knock sounded at the door.
"The Second Miss. The Madam requests to see you for a moment."
"Very well. I'll go right now."
"Um... please leave your escort knights behind...."
The maid conveyed the message cautiously while glancing apprehensively at Palides and Samuel, who stood threateningly.
Tilting my head slightly as I regarded the maid, I readily agreed.
Mother probably thought she wanted to pressure me somehow, I assumed.
* * *
Mother was in the annex garden.
The annex was also where Lilia resided, and sure enough, upon entering, I could feel the servants' piercing gazes. Whether they took after their mistress in being uncouth, they didn't even bother hiding their hostility.
I snorted and walked past them, spotting Mother and Lilia in the distance, amiably having tea together.
That was a sight I had often seen before I died.
Without realizing it, I stopped for a moment to gaze at the two, and Mother noticed me first and beckoned with her eyes.
"You've come."
Moving my reluctant feet, I finally reached the table.
A servant nearby pulled out a chair as if to tell me to sit, but I stood rooted in place, carefully surveying the scene before me.
The refreshments prettily arranged on the table, Mother's peaceful expression, Lilia looking at me with innocent ignorance, and the servants watching me closely lest I throw a tantrum at any moment.
"Why don't you sit?"
"It feels like just a few days ago we were treating each other so coldly."
"Family is the sort of relationship where even after fighting, one quickly resolves things and relies on each other again."
Mother spoke gently, glancing at me while holding her teacup.
"If you are to become the mistress of Roam, you must also learn to bury petty grudges."
Mother was just as she had been when teaching me, who aimed to become empress in my childhood.
Lilia held her teacup with both hands, rolling her eyes as she quietly alternated her gaze between Mother and me.
When Lilia's eyes met mine, she trembled and put on a sullen expression. At the same time, Mother's voice reached me.
"If you truly think of Roam's future."
I smiled gently at Mother, who was watching me calmly.
"I am not a child, Mother."
As I readily took my seat, a servant who had been watching approached and placed a cup before me. A fragrant scent brushed the tip of my nose.
As I held the teacup, savoring the aroma, Mother set down her cup and spoke calmly.
"I called you because I wanted to hear your opinion. As you know, Frijian has caused a major incident."
Irritation and sighs were faintly embedded in Mother's voice. A child who had never caused trouble had committed a massive one for the first time—she seemed quite shocked.
"Yes, even at this very moment, Baron Kendall is raising his voice at the servants."
"Originally, Frijian was supposed to be the one to enter the engagement with the imperial family, but circumstances have become difficult."
"And so?"
Mother paused for a moment. Even though what would follow was obvious.
It was as if she were giving me time to prepare myself.
"There is another young lady in Roam."
The words finally spoken were predictable to the point of boredom. So much so that I worried I might yawn.
I looked at Mother with a listless expression.
"Does Mother believe her adopted daughter, whose engagement was broken, can slip back into Prince Heinrich's side?"
I tried to speak dryly, but ended up sneering instead.
Because of that, I could see Lilia's face flushing red. Well... she might think I was disregarding her.
But my words were based on an extremely objective and realistic judgment.
"As I see it, Mother's adopted daughter is not Prince Heinrich's type at all."
Because Heinrich likes me. There's no way a man whose type is me would come to like Lilia, is there?
Just as Lilia, her face bright red, was about to say something with furrowed brows, Mother answered first in a cold tone.
"Reconnecting with that brother after a broken engagement should happen once and be sufficient. There's no need to produce more scandals, so wouldn't it be better to leave what connections already exist as they are?"
"Are you asking me?"
"I know it's late, but I wanted to obtain your consent if possible."
What was that consent for? I couldn't understand at all.
But since she asked, I supposed I should play along, so I answered perfunctorily.
"Is the engagement with the imperial family the only problem? In the first place, driving out someone who regained their prophetic ability makes no sense."
Tilting my head slightly as I looked down at the teacup, I slowly picked it up.
Taking a sip, the lukewarm tea thoroughly wetted my mouth. It was brewed too strongly—neither to my taste nor anything but bitter.
"As for keeping Lilia as 'Lilia Roam,' I agree. I also think it's right to leave the engagement between Lilia Roam and the Crown Prince as is."
Was it because I accepted it so readily?
I could feel Lilia looking at me with wide eyes. Ignoring her indifferently, I turned to look at Mother, and she replied with a smile.
"Thank you for yielding, though it must be uncomfortable."
"It's not uncomfortable. It's all in the past, and as I said, I no longer have any lingering attachment to the imperial family. Rather, I'm sick of that place."
In truth, I'm sick of all of it, everywhere.
However, if I ignored it just because I was sick of it, the ghosts of the past wouldn't let go of my ankles.
I would have to drive away all those who kept trying to hold me back when I wanted to leave.
That was my intention.
"Right now, I am thinking only of Roam's future."
Perhaps because I spoke with such sincerity, Mother had a relieved expression.
Lilia, who must have expected my resentment, also looked surprised. She looked at me as if it was unexpected, then awkwardly averted her gaze.
Then she suddenly started and leaned backward.
"Startling!"
Lilia's chair scraped back and rattled. Flailing, Lilia momentarily lost her balance and fell backward.
"Eek!"
"Lady Lilia!"
"Oh my!"
The startled servants rushed over to support Lilia. She must have bruised her bottom badly, for she couldn't easily get up and groaned in pain.
"Are you alright?"
At Mother's bewildered question, Lilia raised her head with teary eyes.
"There was a bug in the cup, and I just...."
"How terrible! We did pest control yesterday."
"I'll tell the garden manager again, Lady Lilia!"
"I don't know why there are so many bugs in the annex lately."
The servants fretted and repeatedly spoke to her. When Lilia, staggering to her feet, looked at her teacup again, there was no trace of the bug she claimed to have seen.
I glanced at the perfectly clean table, then tilted my teacup and murmured casually.
"It's just that the weather has been good lately, so all living things are coming to life."
[For reference, it was an ant earlier. To summarize with just the word 'bug'—how ignorant, isn't it? A great variety of species are cooperating, you know! See, that's why everyone dislikes that woman?]
Listening to Tristan's mischievous interjection, it was a bit difficult to hold back laughter that almost burst out, but well.
It was a tolerable amount of time.
* * *
With the monster attack issue requiring frequent visits to the imperial palace, and now Sister Frijian's problem exploding on top of that, Father's appearance had become gaunt beyond words.
Father had just joined hands with Prince Heinrich when the Empress collapsed, and the Emperor showed signs of rejecting Prince Heinrich while suspecting the Magic Tower's involvement, giving him even more headaches.
If only Heinrich had been the only option, it would have been easy to judge. But Lilia still bore Roam's name, and as long as Maxel was her fiancé, the connection with the Crown Prince had to be considered still intact.
The belief that they could maintain the relationship with Maxel as if nothing had happened if things went awry was what made Father's worries even deeper.
Lilia was probably feeling triumphant, thinking that was her capability. Sister Frijian was probably starting to realize she had moved too rashly.
And I was watching the situation, gauging what choice I should make next.
I intended to decide after hearing reports from Minte and Zigor. Just as well, the two had returned now.
[I apologize. We couldn't meet Nadab.]
[But we confirmed that monsters had appeared there!]
It wasn't really a problem that required long deliberation. After pondering for exactly three minutes, I reached a conclusion.
...Hmm, I suppose I'll have to go personally after all.