The peaceful tea time ended, and a tense atmosphere flowed between Lars and Asella.
The knights standing guard felt the silent current between the two so intensely it almost stung their skin.
'Here we go again.'
'The Princess will win anyway.'
'This time, it seems the teacher has something to say too.'
The knights observed the two while solemnly performing their duties.
When Empress Camilla held real power, the Wolgwang Palace was like a swamp, filled with sticky threats.
Despite her young age, Asella's charisma had far more dignity than Camilla's.
The current Wolgwang Palace was like a sharp ice palace with blades scattered in all directions.
Still, thanks to the Gotberg physician, they occasionally witnessed fascinating events like this one.
The knights were determined not to miss a single moment between the two.
Lars spoke first.
"You seem to have a misunderstanding, Princess."
"Ah, so once again you've done nothing wrong and I'm just misunderstanding for no reason?"
"No, that's not what I meant."
"I heard Heike offered you the position of her betrothed."
"That statement alone is technically true, but—"
"Ha."
Asella turned her head away in disbelief and snorted.
'So it was true.'
'Princess Heike is after the teacher?'
'This is quite a significant incident.'
'Even so, the age difference... Has the First Princess lost her mind?'
'Hey, the woman being older actually makes it more suitable.'
'Do you want to be executed by Princess Asella?'
'Get your heads straight. It must have been a high-level provocation.'
The knights of Wolgwang Palace were of higher caliber than any other imperial knight order.
They could communicate detailed intentions just by moving their pupils. A skill honed for ambushing enemies during operations.
Now they were wastefully using this advanced ability to share observations about the romantic quarrel between the Princess and her betrothed.
"It wasn't the kind of social conversation you're thinking of. It was a metaphorical statement that emerged during a factional negotiation."
"What kind of negotiation?"
"A proposal for a temporary alliance."
"Alliance?"
"Currently at odds with Tojin Palace, Wolgwang Palace lacks both knights and funds. If we become hostile to Mokhwi Palace as well, Wolgwang Palace's actions will be severely limited."
'Isn't the teacher right? We do need allies in this situation.'
'He probably didn't make the first move either.'
The knights' eyes moved left and right as they observed the two.
"You think I don't know that? I'm asking why your personal situation and betrothal came up in that conversation."
"Princess Heike said it was just a joke..."
"What a delightful joke. I simply can't stop laughing."
"You look quite serious though."
"Your eyesight works fine, I see. Did you also get a clear view of Heike's seductive face?"
At Asella's sharp tone, the teacup on the table couldn't withstand the tension and cracked.
'This is getting increasingly serious.'
'The First Princess has poisoned Wolgwang Palace.'
'Has the Princess ever reacted this strongly to provocations from other factions?'
'What an uncomfortable situation. Save us.'
Lars sighed inaudibly. His patience was gradually wearing thin.
In this matter, he believed he had made the appropriate judgment, and he was actually right.
Why was Asella so fixated on that one sentence and so angry about it? He felt a slight headache coming on.
"So, how did it make you feel?"
"There's nothing to discuss. I immediately rejected the First Princess's proposal."
"...Really?"
Asella pulled her chin back and slightly leaned backward at Lars's testimony.
"Of course. It was obviously a trap set to test my loyalty."
"Of course. Hmm."
Left with nothing to say, Asella fidgeted with her lips.
She didn't want to appear weak in front of Lars.
Somehow, a squirming feeling rose in her chest, but it wasn't enough to cover the anger that had reached the top of her head.
Thinking she needed to find fault with him somehow, Asella continued her criticism, though in a relatively less confident tone.
"...If there was an important matter like an alliance, you should have reported to me first. What are you doing drinking tea here?"
"Princess."
A small girl who had been quietly standing in the corner stepped forward.
Neria bowed again respectfully and spoke clearly.
"I am Neria Gotberg, daughter of the Gotberg family. May I humbly offer a word?"
Despite already being acquainted, she lowered herself to show respect to Asella.
Even Asella wouldn't snap at such a small child.
"I'll allow it."
"My brother... Teacher Gotberg was surely on his way to report to you about this important matter. Because I appeared without notice, he was delayed while receiving me. This incident is my fault, so please don't blame my brother too much..."
Neria expressed her opinion in a clear voice.
"Young lady, what I meant was..."
Asella tried to respond but found herself hesitating.
Neria's innocent eyes were welling up as if about to burst into tears at any moment.
Normally, Asella wouldn't be swayed by such things, but Neria's expression was too powerful.
Somehow, her eyes resembled Max's too.
'The Princess has missed her chance to be angry!'
'Even anger has its timing. Once it passes, it becomes awkward.'
The knights watched the atmosphere between the two with great interest.
After all, Neria could potentially be chosen as a Saintess.
This confrontation could be seen as a preliminary battle between absolute good and absolute evil.
And the result of that confrontation was...
"Hng."
The small animal-like sound that escaped from Neria, unable to withstand the pressure, ended in absolute good's victory.
Asella, feeling like she was bullying Neria, averted her gaze.
"Fine. I was taking issue with you not reporting immediately. Now that I know the reason, I'll stop mentioning this matter."
Anyone could see that the core issue was Heike's marriage proposal, yet Asella had smoothly changed the subject.
'The Princess... making excuses?'
'She chose to escape from an uncomfortable situation.'
'The Gotberg young lady's attack power is considerable.'
The knights mentally applauded Neria for standing her ground against Asella as well as she did.
"I apologize, Princess. I will be careful not to let it happen again."
"...Right."
Asella awkwardly accepted Lars's apology.
Her gaze turned to Lars's notebook on the table.
"What's this?"
"Ah, it's nothing you need to concern yourself with, Princess. It's about our family matters."
"Then I should know about it all the more."
Asella quickly skimmed through the contents about the pharmaceutical factory business.
"You'll need a lot of funds."
"Yes."
"Wolgwang Palace will invest."
"Really?"
Lars's face brightened at the mention of investment.
Wait, it would be troublesome if she kept demanding shares even after his retirement. Lars thought he should set a time limit.
"Yes. It's a promising business. When funds circulate through our alliance, I'll send some to the Marquisate of Gotberg. Young Lord, consult with me immediately about such important matters in the future."
"I'll keep that in mind. I'll send you the proposal soon."
"And have some self-awareness."
"What kind of self-awareness?"
Asella closed her eyes and frowned.
Why did this man always say something tactless right after saying something good?
Her insides were boiling, but she couldn't get angry again. The watching knights knew the reason well.
'She already changed the subject. Raising her voice again would only diminish her dignity.'
'As expected of the teacher. He must have driven many women crazy at the marquis's household.'
'Unless the Princess gives a clear order, the teacher won't bow first.'
Who would swallow their pride first?
Or would this meeting end peacefully?
The knights focused their attention.
Finally, Asella pointed at Lars and said in a clear voice:
"The awareness that you are this Princess's betrothed."
Lars heard those words without showing any emotion and bowed respectfully.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Seeing his reaction, Asella turned sharply and left the reception room.
Her footsteps were unusually loud.
'She's upset.'
'Definitely upset.'
The guard knights admired Gotberg's unexpected victory as they moved in formation, following Asella.
***
"I feel wronged."
After clashing with Asella, I felt too tired to think about afternoon work.
I had secured a starting point to extract various things from Heike, but all I got was a scolding.
My heart was full of scratches. Unfortunately, this couldn't be treated with medicine.
Instead, I decided to heal my wounds by squishing Neria's soft cheeks.
"I apologize."
Tanya bowed her head to me.
"I judged the alliance with Mokhwi Palace to be an urgent matter, and since you were busy, I reported on your behalf. I was rash. The Princess rushed out before hearing the full content..."
"You did well. I guess the Princess doesn't trust me that much."
"I think it's the opposite, brother."
Neria looked up at me brightly, even as I held her cheeks.
"I'm glad the Princess cares for you so much."
Where and what did you see, Neria?
"The longer the report was delayed, the greater the Princess's anger would have grown. Think of it as receiving less punishment thanks to me."
"Captain, you've really become shameless since you started hanging out with Asella."
Tanya merely shrugged at my reproach, pretending not to hear.
Well, she wasn't entirely wrong. It was indeed an important matter I should have reported. Tanya's judgment was correct.
And in the end, I secured a promise of support.
I should extract as much as possible from Asella for all the trouble she's caused me.
"Brother, you'll go with the Princess, right? I'm looking forward to the party!"
I patted the head of the little Saintess who had so magnificently defeated the villainess.