There will be a lot of work for all of us

Selah couldn't believe it. Of all people, it was Aeneas who defended Blair. That minor betrayal hurt so much.

So the rest of the day, Selah silences Aeneas. And it could continue for days because Selah decided to sleep in another room just this night.

"I'm so childish," Selah muttered, looking up at the ceiling of her unfamiliar room.

Tonight her bedside is empty and cold. There is no annoying teasing that often bothers her, no lullabies that Aeneas often hums softly. The gentle hand that often stroked his head was also absent. The more I thought about it, the more lonely Selah felt.

But her high pride makes Selah reluctant to meet Aeneas. She was stubborn, but that wasn't something she should give up and apologize for. After all, according to her, Selah decided to postpone her leave at a time like this. Especially with the way Blair told him to leave it...

Suspicious. It was clear Blair was hiding something from Selah.

That's enough. Let it go, Selah thought as she turned her body to face the empty side of her bed. Usually, when she was like this, Aeneas would approach her first. He would tease her, asking if Selah had given up on him or not, and they would make up.

Unfortunately, Selah was wrong about that.

***

"You don't look good, Your Highness."

A greeting from Lady Ischa made Aeneas immediately stand up from his seat and return the greeting from the host. "You are the umpteenth person to say that," says Aeneas later.

"Are there any new problems coming up?"

"It's not something that many people worry about. It's a household matter."

Lady Ischa snorted derisively. "Finally, you both fight. With Her Highness' attitude like that, it's only natural that you two would fight," he sneered. "I hope Her Highness doesn't throw something in your face, Your Highness."

"Selah looks like she's about to throw her cup of herbal tea this morning," Aeneas said amusedly, remembering their breakfast this morning. Finally, starting today, Selah has officially taken maternity leave. "Now then, let's put my household matters aside. Aren't we all getting together for something else?"

Several nobles had already gathered in one of the other rooms of Dulcia's residence. They were the ones in Aeneas' faction, the ones who were ready to take down Blair with Aeneas. They were people who were on the same side as the Dulcia family.

At the same time, people already know about King Tristan's corruption and Blair's intentions toward the Tullia Ruby Mine.

"Although it is not snowing today, it is frigid outside. There is a chance that it will snow tonight or tomorrow. That way, the snow will pile up again in Machinea," explained Count Xavia. "I think that will bring both good and bad things."

"Most of us have territories close to the Capital. As for the others…" Another noble looked at the empty seat. "Especially border areas, will indeed face problems. The Tullia Territory we are discussing right now is also the same."

"Is there still no news of a reply?" asked Lady Ischa. "The bird post at a time like this is dangerous. I don't think the bird died in the middle of the road."

"Well… According to the calculations, the message should have arrived yesterday, but–"

A knock on the door made all eyes turn towards it. Lady Ischa, as the host chuckled, then ordered whoever it was to enter.

"Forgive me, Your Ladyship. As per your orders, I will only interfere if messages come from certain family names," said the maid. Her eyes glanced briefly at the noble he was referring to. "I'll excuse you back then."

The letter was opened by the person concerned. Apparently, the letter they were waiting for had arrived.

A letter from Tullia, from Baron Tullia itself, to be exact. It contains information about the condition of its territory and neighboring territories. Yes, they are doing well now, although much must be done. Yes, the atmosphere was too calm right now to make him anxious. No, they still couldn't find anything about the culprit, but that was precisely what brought him to one conclusion.

"Precisely because it's too tidy. It even becomes suspicious, huh?" muttered Count Xavia. "But to be honest, until now, I didn't understand why Crown Prince Blair did it."

Lady Ischa snorted sarcastically. "Didn't you see how my stupid brother ended miserably, My Lord? Some people are too greedy."

"Believe me, Count Xavia, sometimes I don't even understand what my brother is thinking," said Aeneas after a long silence. "But this isn't the time for us to hesitate, is it? Because everything is clear now."

"To think you could say that about your own brother," sneered Lady Ischa.

"Your Ladyship…" said another noble.

Aeneas smiled sweetly. "It doesn't matter. I'm sure some of you are also confused about my feelings for Crown Prince Blair. We seem to have a good relationship, but feelings can change," he said casually. "Moreover, I'm aware that Crown Prince Blair has recently been trying to do something to my wife."

"What?!" Lady Ischa immediately looked angry. "What is that bastard trying to do to my nephew?!"

"Something Selah had better tell you herself, My Lady," said Aeneas. "At first, I wanted to keep quiet. But it looks like Blair has gone too far."

"Her Highness and I started taking leave…"

"Well, that's one of Blair's doings too."

"Then everything becomes clearer, right? Crown Prince Blair is indeed hiding something. He started to dare to make moves."

"We must not be careless," Count Xavia warned. "This winter will be terrible. Let's wait until our original plan goes through."

"Yes…" Aeneas smiled, then drank the dish. "If the weather continues to be cold like this, it is not impossible that His Majesty will die soon."

Count Xavia, who heard Aeneas' way of speaking, which was too calm and relaxed, stared at him for a long time. His eyes then glanced towards the window. Outside, it was starting to snow again.

"This winter, there will be a lot of work for all of us. I hope everything goes smoothly…"