At Lillia's gentle words, Heinrich merely offered a faint smile. Seeing him strangely keep his distance, Lillia sighed.
"Of course I know you and Lord Maxel don't get along. You probably don't trust me either..."
Lillia looked down dejectedly and spoke in a gentle, measured tone.
"Still, I think it would be good if you two became close. You're brothers, family after all. I'm also very grateful that you've been helping Lord Maxel like you have recently."
Lillia gathered both hands at her chest and slowly lifted her gaze.
"You could definitely have a better relationship..."
"I'm sorry, but."
Suddenly, Heinrich cut off Lillia's words.
"I have not helped Maxel."
"Ah, I heard you did work in Lord Maxel's stead... I didn't know you were forced to do it."
At Lillia's frail words, Heinrich's eyes grew cold. However, he did not erase the smile from his lips.
"It's been quite some time since you came to the capital, and I heard the Roam family teaches separately... It seems your learning is a bit slow."
"Pardon?"
"Just as people have different intelligence, I understand that learning can be delayed. The Roam family's children are exceptionally brilliant, so their learning methods might not suit you."
Lillia, who had been blinking innocently, hardened her expression. She parted her lips as if to object, but she could not stop Heinrich's words.
"My younger brother's fiancée might make a slip of the tongue elsewhere, so I'll offer a little advice. The work I recently performed was merely a duty I ought to fulfill as a member of the imperial family. Simply what I 'should naturally' do."
His red eyes curved gracefully. With his hands clasped behind his back, he continued speaking affectionately.
"You are someone who aims to enter the imperial family, are you not? If you cannot even distinguish the duty of caring for the nation, how much would others mock you? So next time, criticize my lazy past when I had neglected my duties."
Heinrich smiled brightly at the dazed and frozen Lillia and offered a greeting before striding past her.
Mary, who had witnessed this scene from a short distance away, fumed and belatedly poured out insults.
"What is that! Talking about imperial duty when he's barely breathing!"
Thanks to Mary getting angry on her behalf, Lillia came to her senses somewhat.
'It's a good thing Maxel is the male protagonist. I'm glad I got rid of him early on. If it had gone according to the original story, it really would have been troublesome.'
As Lillia shook her head and took a deep breath, Mary spoke seriously.
"Lady Lillia, shouldn't you tell His Highness the Crown Prince right away?"
"No, it's fine. He must be full of inferiority, so he probably wanted to express himself even like that."
"Lady Lillia is too kind! You shouldn't accept things like that! Being so gentle, how will you manage palace life later..."
Mary sighed and wiped away tears. Comforting her, they reached the carriage, and Jace, who had been waiting in front, opened the door.
"Shall we go straight to the mansion?"
"No, to the dress shop. I'm going on a trip with Lord Maxel, so I need to get clothes made."
"Yes, understood."
Lillia boarded the carriage bearing the Roam ducal family's crest and looked out the window.
Maxel, who used to escort her all the way to the carriage saying he didn't want to part, hadn't even come out to the front gate today.
If Maxel had been there, Heinrich wouldn't have dared make a sound.
Her good mood had turned somewhat unpleasant, but Lillia tried to recall the promise she had made with Maxel. Then she suddenly looked at Mary sitting across from her.
"Mary, is there still no news from Freshy?"
"No. No separate news has come."
Freshy was a figure from the underworld who had maintained a long relationship with Lillia.
Since before Lillia came to the capital, or rather, since she was stuck in the provinces guarding a fallen family.
'Freshy,' who fell in love at first sight with 'Lillia' and harbored unrequited love until the end, was an excellent helper.
Since entering the Roam ducal family, she had refrained from contacting Freshy while being mindful of appearances, but the situation was no longer one where she could sit idle.
Lillia inevitably contacted Freshy. Naturally, he accepted her contact with joy.
"Lillia, you're contacting me."
"I haven't been able to reach out much, have I? Life in the ducal house had more things to mind than I thought."
"It's unfortunate, but I understand because I know that's a place that suits you."
"But you're not there."
"What does the beautiful Lillia need from me this time that she's raising me up?"
He was a man who was cruel to everyone but generous only to her. So Lillia could ask without hesitation.
"You heard the rumors about the resurrected one too, right? The content is so ominous, I can't stop worrying at all."
"Ah, I see what you need."
He nodded meaningfully.
"Isn't your worry because you don't know where she is or what she's doing?"
He was quick-witted, so there was no need to explain at length.
Freshy was a capable person, and during the struggle for the throne, he had a record of moving on Lillia's behalf. So this time too, he would bring proper results.
"Tell me as soon as any contact comes."
"Yes, miss."
"We're going to the sea. You prepare too."
"Wow, are we playing in the water?"
"We'll play in the water and eat delicious food too."
Mary clapped her hands and rattled on about how she would dress her beautifully. Lillia smiled brightly at such Mary and cautiously gripped her dress.
"..."
The 'next chapter' that Lillia knew was still not progressing.
At first, she was surprised by the suddenly changed situation and wandered about, but Lillia now decided to compose herself.
If the next chapter doesn't start, then she just needs to make it start. That way, the prophecy can begin again.
"The sea, that'll be so fun!"
"Yeah, that's right."
Lillia smiled broadly.
" Somehow I have a feeling something amazing will happen."
It's a bit troublesome to go wake the sea monster who has no news directly, but if that fixes everything, how could she refuse?
* * *
If I had known Samuel was this talkative, I wouldn't have hastily decided to travel with him.
"I'm dying of sleepiness."
I stretched as hard as I could to fight off the pressing drowsiness.
To think I'd feel the pain I experienced in the old days when I studied eight hours a day before getting engaged to Maxel, here on this road.
I had guessed that I would hear all the information I wanted before reaching the next city. I thought I could listen while moving on horseback from time to time, so it wouldn't be difficult.
And to me asking about the story of the twelve sinners, Samuel started droning on from the antiquated beginning of creation theory.
When I told him to skip the unnecessary stories and just tell me the key points, I received an inflexible answer that since it was an organically connected flow, I needed to know everything.
"...Organic, my foot."
I was now on my umpteenth day listening to boring primeval mythology.
Even without that, since mountain climbing started right after coming out of Clime, it was all trees and grass, and listening to Samuel's words surrounded by such an environment was no different from a lullaby.
My decision to drag out all the Durahans I had carefully stored in subspace was unavoidable.
If I didn't do at least this, it would really be so boring and sleepy that I'd break out in hives.
At least if the Durahans chattered beside me, I might avoid the disaster of falling off the horse while dozing.
Lunch time and a brief rest. Moving to a separate thicket, I spoke the activation word I had预先 inscribed into the bracelet.
"Pallides, summon!"
Pallides, enveloped in twinkling light and revealing his form, boasted about the subspace with an excited voice as soon as he saw me.
"Boss! You finally called me! I wanted to tell you about the scenery inside there! It's really comfortable, you know? It would be nice if I could show it to you...! Camping can't even compare!"
"Seems it suited you well."
But I won't go in. You said if you make an effort, you can put humans in too, but there's a high possibility of mental collapse, you said.
Excited Pallides didn't even hear my answer and turned his gaze to Nadav.
"Nadav, aren't you curious too?"
[I prefer walking with Boss.]
Of course, this time too Pallides was too busy boasting to hear Nadav's answer.
'Anyway, it's good that the review is positive.'
Leaving Pallides who was stretching and saying he had rested properly, I summoned the other guys one by one.
[Boss, Boss! My wings have all healed! I even practiced flying fast in the subspace!]
The second one to pop out was Zigor. Zigor, who had been occasionally flapping his wings since before, seemed to have fully recovered in the subspace.
He came out and chattered excitedly while flying around in all directions, very energetic. I secretly felt sorry that he was rejoicing about finally being able to transform into his true form, though.
But the last one out, Tristan, was rather wilted. He flew listlessly and landed in my hand, grumbling dejectedly.
[Boss, the subspace is too vast. It's a lonely place. Can't we not go in?]
Ah, perhaps the space was too large for a bumblebee.
But then, couldn't he just stay transformed into his true form? Is transformation itself impossible in subspace? I tilted my head in wonder, and Tristan made a pitiful voice.
[Then I'll go in the same place as another guy.]
I made separate rooms for them at great expense...
[If that doesn't work either, then just one female bumblebee together...]
"You lecher, Tristan!"
[Boss, please get rid of this useless playboy bee! I can fly faster!]
[You poor things who don't know the charm of love!]
...Is this the atmosphere I missed?
I was looking at the Durahans, seized by rising doubt, when Xen, who had been resting to one side, approached stealthily and spoke.
"We'll arrive at Kes soon. If we open a warp gate there, we'll reach Immon Port quickly."
"Has it already come to that?"
"Yes. But is it really okay for us to use the warp gate?"