Even so, I told Hersia that I understood, as I wouldn’t let any harm come to her.

But right now, there was something more urgent to convey.

“Sikar. Investigate that cottage.”

Sikar didn’t catch my words right away.

“Cottage?”

“The place where I stayed with Grandmother when I first came here. Seo Yeon said it was the first place she thought of upon arriving.”

“Knowing it’s empty, that makes sense.”

“If we secure that place tightly, we can at least intercept some of the people coming here.”

“The cottage?”

“Yes. So we need to send people there right now.”

Sikar seemed to deeply agree with my words.

“You’re right. We should move quickly on this.”

“But, do you really think someone would side with Gillian?”

“Gillian is curious about where you’re from, your origins. Even if someone from your hometown doesn’t intend to side with him, if his guards find someone with dark eyes, they won’t let it slide. We can only hope no one from your hometown has already been caught.”

“So, you’re saying they’d use any means, even torture, to force a confession about where they’re from?”

“Exactly. That’s how they’d uncover your identity.”

“But even if they confess, they’d probably only say they’re from another dimension. Would Gillian believe that?”

“They wouldn’t dare say it’s a novel, so yes, they’d claim another dimension. And to prove it, they’d share information about this place. Like Seo Yeon did, they might mention that I can see people’s memories, predict future events, or reveal Kian’s identity.”

“That means our Kian would be in danger. He’s still young and powerless…”

“Judging by the lack of movement from Gillian’s side, it seems they haven’t encountered anyone from your hometown yet. Or perhaps they’re scheming something else.”

Since we still didn’t know Veronia’s whereabouts, it had to be the former.

“To keep an eye on Gillian, we’ll need Hersia in many ways.”

“Need Hersia to monitor Gillian?!”

“Yes. If she becomes close to the queen, it’ll be easier to stay near Gillian, which will be useful later.”

Over the past three years, the Hersia I’ve known not only feared Gillian but also despised being around him. Could such a Hersia really do anything properly by his side?

“What if Hersia refuses?”

Sikar gave a dismissive look, as if it were obvious.

“Hersia won’t be able to refuse.”

He’s planning to threaten her again.

Hersia had been my friend for the past three years. We made fruit preserves together, read novels together, and she told me about high society.

Sometimes, when I went to the temple to see Grandmother, Hersia would often come along. To me, she was no different from my only friend in this place.

And yet, to threaten her like that. But I knew Sikar wasn’t the type to listen if I nicely asked him not to threaten my friend.

So, I had no choice but to pull out my trump card.

Truthfully, I hadn’t planned to use it for this, but a trump card is meant to be played when needed.

And now seemed like the perfect time.

I crossed my arms and confronted Sikar.

“By the way, Sikar. I have something to say.”

“Something to say?”

“Why didn’t you write any letters?”

Sikar blinked, confused by my words.

“Letters?”

“When you went off to war, why didn’t you send a single letter?”

“It wasn’t the right situation.”

“You ate meals there, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“You had plenty of strategy meetings, didn’t you?”

“Plenty.”

“So, saying you didn’t have time to write a letter to your family is just an excuse, isn’t it? Or maybe you don’t think of us as family. Giving rosemary as a gift doesn’t mean you’re caring for your family.”

I glanced at Sikar with a disappointed expression.

This tactic was actually something Grandmother used on Sikar. Whenever she did, Sikar would lower his raised claws, wary of her disapproval.

If Sikar truly thought of us as family, he’d listen to me.

Sikar, looking a bit guilty, approached hesitantly.

“Alright. That was my mistake. How can I make up for it?”

“Then don’t intimidate Hersia. You’ve seen my memories; she’s my only friend right now.”

“Fine. I’ll think of a way to persuade Hersia without intimidating her.”

“No intimidating, no threatening.”

“Got it. But a deal is fine, right?”

You make deals with a knife to someone’s throat, you jerk.

Instead of saying that, I smiled and asked,

“What kind of deal are you thinking of?”

“I heard Gillian is trying to marry Hersia off to the Hamel family.”

“The Hamel family? That sounds familiar…”

“They’re a family in the transportation business. They’re pushing for a marriage with Hersia in exchange for opening a northern trade route.”

If Hersia finds out, she’ll be devastated. And like in the original story, she might not be able to refuse and end up going through with the marriage.

Gillian is trying to use Hersia politically.

“No, that can’t happen. Sikar, you have to stop it.”

“If Hersia helps me, I can help her in return.”

Sikar’s attitude showed he wouldn’t budge further, and I couldn’t argue anymore.

I knew it wasn’t easy to stop a marriage pushed by the king.

* * *

The next day, Hersia visited the ducal residence early.

Her reaction was no different from Seo Yeon’s. She rushed toward me, her face tense, as if she’d committed some grave sin.

“Duchess! Why does the Duke want to see me? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, Hersia. The Duke doesn’t just summon people who’ve done something wrong. He just has something to ask you.”

Hersia let out a deep sigh, her face looking like she’d come back from the brink of death.

“Phew. That’s a relief. You don’t know how startled I was when I got the letter saying the Duke wanted to see me.”

Only then did Hersia seem to realize she was speaking to none other than the Duchess of the Blake family.

“Oh, I shouldn’t have said that in front of you, Duchess. I’m sorry.”

Thankfully, Hersia didn’t know Sikar could see memories. If she did, she might have distanced herself from me like Seo Yeon did.

With noblewomen already hesitant to get close to me because of Sikar, it would’ve been so lonely without even Hersia.

To lift her spirits, I gave her a compliment she liked.

“By the way, Hersia, your hair looks really pretty today.”

Fortunately, her attention quickly shifted to her hairstyle.

“Right? They say this round, curled-up style is in fashion these days. You should try it too, Duchess.”

Last time it was perfume, now it’s hairstyles.

But that style wasn’t one I wanted to try.

It was a style where long hair was curled up roundly, barely reaching the shoulders even with long hair.

Still, it looked cute on Hersia.

“By the way, Aaron is getting appointed as a knight of Yukandar.”

“Congratulations, Hersia.”

“It’s not a big deal, just one of the lower knights. But he’ll get a salary and can make a living now, so even if I leave home or get married, I won’t have to worry about him.”

Does Hersia not know yet that the king is trying to marry her off?

Just as I was about to cautiously ask, she spoke first.

“Actually, His Majesty is trying to marry me off to Count Hamel. I really don’t know what to do.”

“I heard about that too, Hersia.”

“Really?!”

Up until a moment ago, Hersia’s bright eyes began to well up with tears.

“Since even the Duke knows, it must really be decided…”

Hersia suddenly burst into tears, overwhelmed by emotions. Her clear tears seemed to reflect her sincere love.

“What am I supposed to do now? It looks like I’m doomed to marry into the Hamel family…”

“Maybe the Duke can provide a solution, Hersia.”

“The Duke?”

She seemed more tense than hopeful.

Instinctively, she seemed to know Sikar wouldn’t help without something in return.

Perhaps because of her nerves, Hersia jumped up from her seat the moment she heard the maid touch the parlor’s doorknob.

“It’s been a while, Your Grace.”

Sikar sat down with a disinterested look, glancing at me and saying,

“Leave us so I can talk to Hersia…”

If I left, he’d likely intimidate Hersia. So I gave Sikar a subtle glare, indicating I wouldn’t.

Sikar cleared his throat slightly and said,

“No need to leave, my lady.”

Seeing him back down so quickly, bringing up the letter must have worked.

But Sikar clearly didn’t know how to handle someone crying.

If it were Reidox, he’d have already offered a handkerchief.

“Your Grace, could you pass a handkerchief?”

Sikar frowned at Hersia, then looked at me as if asking if I was serious.

As if to say, was I really going to use his precious handkerchief to wipe Hersia’s tears?

I wiggled my fingers, urging him to hand it over, and with a grimace, Sikar gave me the handkerchief.

I used it to wipe Hersia’s tears. Considering Count Hamel is nearly twenty years older than her, how much must she dread this marriage?

“Hersia, stop crying.”

“Sob… Thank you, Duchess.”

Poor thing.

Sikar, looking annoyed by Hersia’s crying, tapped the table a few times as if knocking.

“Hersia, crying won’t solve anything. Calm down. Can’t you see I’m waiting?”

For someone like him, saying that was already a sign of restraint compared to his usual “stop crying or else” attitude.

Sikar poured tea into Hersia’s empty cup and spoke slowly.

“Hersia.”

Though he meant to be kind in his own way to ease her tension, it only made Hersia flinch back in fear.

“Yes, Your Grace…”

“Do you want to avoid becoming part of the Habel family?”

Perhaps because I’d just said Sikar might help, Hersia glanced at me, and when I nodded, she cautiously spoke.

“Yes, Your Grace… If possible, I’d like to avoid it.”

“Then I might be able to help you. How about it? Will you follow my lead?”

Hersia gripped the hem of her skirt tightly.