The royal family of the Yarte Kingdom had been devastated by the war.
Heidi’s father, two brothers, and two sisters all fell to the demons, and their royal territories were reduced to a fraction.
The kingdom’s power was at an all-time low.
In this vacuum, nobles were naturally itching to seize the opportunity and claim the weakened throne.
So, managing these nobles sounded simple but was incredibly complex, requiring careful manipulation of factional rivalries to maintain a delicate balance.
One misstep, and the situation could spiral out of control.
No matter how you sliced it, high-stakes scheming with cunning old foxes was unavoidable.
If Eze couldn’t even see through Heidi’s petty ploys, he’d have been torn to shreds long ago.
But this left Velrian stumped.
“If that’s the case, why didn’t you call her out? Why keep dealing with her messes?”
Eze shook his head.
“I wasn’t just helping her… or rather, not only her.”
“What do you mean?”
“Yarte Kingdom is on the front line against the demons. If those nobles were left to usurp power, they’d tear each other apart, leaving us defenseless against a demon invasion.”
Eze smiled faintly.
“So, regardless of Heidi’s attitude, maintaining Yarte’s power balance was a must. Her princess status saved me a lot of effort.”
Velrian blinked, stunned.
“So… that woman was just deluding herself?”
“…You could say that.”
“She thought she was using you, but you were mutually using each other?”
“…Call it a win-win.”
Realizing the full picture, Velrian thought for a moment, then couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing:
“So, for two whole years, she’s been obliviously acting in a play that was already exposed? For a goal that didn’t even need the act?”
“…Yeah.”
Thinking back to the café, where Heidi, despite her obvious disgust, forced herself to act caring.
And over these two years, every time she put on that performance, Eze maintained a straight face while internally sweating bullets from the awkwardness.
Velrian couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Hehehe—hahahaha! That’s too pathetic, I almost feel sorry for her, hahahaha—”
Admittedly, Heidi was quite clever.
But she was too clever for her own good, either shooting herself in the foot or overcomplicating simple issues, always being someone’s pawn.
And her vision was too narrow.
If she could’ve looked beyond her pitiful princess title, she’d have seen it was a win-win.
Just being upfront would’ve been enough—Eze would’ve helped anyway.
Even without shared interests, as teammates, what couldn’t be discussed openly?
If she’d honestly asked for help, Eze wouldn’t have ignored her.
Logically and emotionally, there were simpler paths, but Heidi, in her self-proclaimed cleverness, chose the worst one.
Velrian laughed uncontrollably, patting Eze’s back.
“Hahahaha—but you’re too much! Why not clear things up sooner?”
“Don’t mess around, I’m cooking here—”
Eze dodged, responding irritably:
“You think I didn’t want to? It’s because Heidi’s situation is… unique.”
“How so?”
“You know she’s the only hero from this world among the twenty, but few know she died once before becoming a hero.”
“Oh?”
“Killed in an assassination by a duke aiming to usurp power. She was reborn as a hero almost immediately, and the duke was executed, but it left deep psychological scars.”
Eze sighed.
“She trusts no one, always on edge, nearly breaking. So when she tried to use me, I didn’t call her out, thinking I’d at least stabilize her mindset first.”
The engagement was set during that time too.
Reflecting on those choices, Eze felt a bit helpless.
“Who’d have thought she’d start her act? By the time I realized something was off, she’d already staged a full drama in front of me. Calling it out then would’ve just caused team trouble.”
Besides, as long as Heidi kept up the act, she wouldn’t treat him too badly.
If he exposed her and ended up with another Liya, wouldn’t he just be creating another headache for himself?
Velrian stayed silent, and Eze sighed softly:
“Anyway, it’s over. This is a chance for her to reassess herself.”
The witch nodded, then, as if remembering something, asked:
“Liya Alfred, Heidi Yarte—that’s only two. Wasn’t there another member on your team? I think her name was…”
Velrian had seen the fourth member’s name in the intel Plosia gathered, but too much time had passed, and she couldn’t recall.
After all, she only cared about Eze.
At the question, Eze paused his cooking again.
This time, his face twitched, his expression turning odd.
“Rosalyn Meredith, the fourth member of Blade of the Goddess. She… I can’t quite figure her out.”
***
Sean Edgar hurried back to his mansion, in high spirits.
Nobles fleeing family drama to other territories wasn’t uncommon, and this Vivian was likely one of them.
He didn’t care why she was here—today’s visit was just a courtesy.
But what a surprise harvest.
That Ain guy—if he could be won over, could the damn guild stand a chance?
“Master, you’re back.”
As he entered his mansion, an elderly butler greeted him with a respectful bow.
“Shall I prepare lunch?”
Sean, plotting his next move, had no appetite.
“No, not now! I have three tasks—handle them immediately.”
“Please instruct.”
“First, contact the adventurers’ guild. Tell them to execute the crystal rock centipede subjugation now, as soon as possible. Money’s no issue.
Second, arrange men to monitor the guild.
Once their team heads out, follow them.
When they return exhausted from the hunt, detain and search them, then bring them here.
Third, prepare a banquet soon. Send invitations to all the city’s key figures, especially the guildmaster—make sure he attends.”
“Understood, I’ll arrange it immediately.”
The orders were absurd and demanding, but the white-haired butler didn’t question them, only nodding before leaning in to whisper:
“Master, there’s something to report.”
“What?”
“Princess Heidi Yarte just arrived unexpectedly and is waiting in the parlor.”
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