/
“What kind of person is the Queen?”
“Very. Annoying.”
Kalcion answered briefly, and did not slow down as if he was fleeing from someplace. For that reason, Selena had to put more strength into her tired legs to keep up with his pace.
“Is she someone we’re going to see often?”
“Probably.”
She looked around to see if there were any people present, and then she asked quietly.
“A suspect?”
Kalcion nodded briefly.
“It seems we’ll have to be cautious even if we don’t see her often.”
“We will see her from time to time. I’ve turned her down today, but she’ll return with an excuse soon.”
“She must be good at pretending.”
“It doesn’t seem like it, but she’s unnecessarily fast to catch up.”
Every word he described her with had a tinge of dislike. No less than his dislike for Fionel or Rosalyn.
“Compared to Rosalyn?”
“Both are terrible.”
“And Fionel?”
“Fionel is better than her.”
“Ugh, why?”
“She’s simple.”
That was true. Selena was convinced immediately. Speaking of, those two must’ve heard the news, so they would make a visit soon.
However, they needed to be careful with the Queen. If she was as strong as Rosalyn, Selena should be prepared to bump into her.
“How terrible is she?”
“I’ve never thought about it. She’s just horrible.”
Selena slapped Kalcion’s back when he responded. The sound rang in the empty hallway. As she was entering the front door, she could feel the eyes of the maids on duty looking back in surprise.
“You’ll have to deal with her, Duke. So think about it. Let’s rehearse in advance.”
“Ah, I see.”
Kalcion stopped and looked back at her. All of a sudden, his face brightened.
“I don’t have to deal with her alone this time because I have you.”
“
..? True, but
..”
“I trust you.”
“I can’t believe you’re

”
She opened her eyes wide and looked at him.
“We need to get closer to dig up information, and we need to deal with her to get closer.”
In this way, she could fulfill the terms of the original contract. However, Kalcion was not lying.
“We’ll have to be prepared. Queen Mariah could appear naive on the surface, but she’s getting complicated to understand.”
“Uh-huh
..”
To be honest, she felt like she had a rough idea.
Fionel and Rosalyn, whom she had met earlier, were on the same terms on words and actions. Fionel was openly aggressive in both words and actions, while Rosalyn was ostensibly smooth in her speech, but she did not hide her acts.
Queen Mariah, as per Kalcion’s guess, would only say good and pretty words on the surface, but she would have an unsettling personality underneath.
Selena didn’t want to mean it in a bad way herself, but she would be someone who’d manipulate people or encourage bad outcomes. People around her said she was a good person, but she always felt like she was being beaten. A person who seemingly gave in to everything but had her own way when looking at the results.
‘Haa
..’
Just thinking about it made her tired. Such people should not be given a chance from the beginning. Kalcion asked, noticing her determined expression.
“Whatever happens, please don’t let yourself be defeated by Queen Mariah.”
“What else is it that makes you tired, Duke?”
“She keeps trying to establish a marital relationship between the Princess and I.”
“Even though you had a fiancĂ©e?”
“She’s acted like that since my visit before. They kept visiting me since I brought her here.”
That way, Queen Mariah quickly became a prime suspect.
“But wasn’t the Duchy on bad terms with the Royal family?”
“I don’t get along with the Crown Prince. To be more precise, I don’t pay any attention to His Highness when he keeps fretting about not being able to grasp me.”
She was now confused even more.
“I don’t understand why the Princess is trying to marry someone the Crown Prince hates so much.”
“Didn’t I say that the Princess’ position was precarious? The Queen is equally anxious. She’s the second wife and has only one daughter. Their lives would all be over the day the Crown Prince ascends the throne.”
Their worry about Kalcion was all an act. Kalcion continued with a voice as dry as their calculating relationship.
“The central aristocrat seems to have taken me as a target because she is unstable, and by the fear that she wouldn’t be treated properly.”
“Uh-huh

”
Now, it made all sense. Selena nodded and recalled the Princess.
‘A Count’s daughter, a Marquis’ daughter, and now a princess are after him.’
He was very popular.
His attitude toward women was so simple that she couldn’t imagine him being with them, but in reality, that popular guy had women all around him.
His personality was a drawback, but he deserved it only because of his other advantages. He was rich. He was handsome. He had a good figure. He ruled a large area of land. She could imagine invisible enemies popping from all over the place.
“The rumors have definitely reached a lot of ears, so they can’t kill me right now. That means we start from tomorrow, right?”
“I think so.”
There was no time to rest after getting to the Capital.
“By the way, wouldn’t it be easier to just pick one at a time?”
“You don’t have to face disgust around you to improve your discomfort.”
“That
..”
Objectively, just as Kalcion was perfect except for his personality, so were all of the women except for their obsession. She thought it might be a happy ending for him to meet people with bad personalities but good hearts, but she was also in denial.
“By any chance, you don’t hate all women, do you?”
“There’s no woman I’d like to come at me.”
“Oh. Is there a girl you like? No, has there been one in your life?”
“

”
He stayed silent.
It reminded Selena of the first conversation they had about love. About him loving an object and not a woman.
“No. I shouldn’t have asked that.”
“That is not a good question. If I have to think of a girl I might like

”
He could have an ideal type even if he liked no one so far. Her ears pricked up. If she could match his type, acting as a couple might be easier.
“
..A pretty girl?”
“

.”
“Why? What’s wrong with your face?”
To put Selena’s expression into words: ‘Yes, I am as well’, with a look of disappointment.
“All right, I will try my best to be pretty according to your taste. That way, you’ll find it easier to act.”
To Selena’s sarcastic response, Kalcion asked in an honest tone.
“Aren’t you pretty enough?”
“Ah, thank you.”
Selena was well aware that Kalcion thought she was pretty. Therefore, even though it was a high-profile remark, she wasn’t excited at all.
“Then, this girl will do her best to go shopping to be prettier.”
“If you need anything, shall I call for a merchant here?”
“That’s fine, but to understand the trend, I’ll have to go in person.”
No matter how thoroughly it was prepared at Renbird, it would be useless if it did not suit the atmosphere of the gathering. In order to intervene in any society, identifying and aligning invisible rules was the first task.
Originally, she thought of resting for a few more days and then venturing out, but she had to hurry now that she’d learned about Queen Mariah’s motives.
***
“The first thing we must do is to see a dress at ‘Diatte’. Next, we’ll have some cake and tea, and then we’ll have a look at the dresses from ‘Simeon’, which is a little far away. Finally, we’ll be off to see Lalanta’s jewelry! It’ll be perfect!”
“One after another.”
Juna excitedly chirped as if she was the one who’d be buying Selena’s things as her own.
She wouldn’t stop talking. It seemed as if someone had fueled her mouth with kinetic energy. Thinking it would last until late at night, Selena changed the topic.
“Were you there when Miss Irelle used to go out?”
“Ha, don’t even bring it up. She said she didn’t need it at first. She turned it down, but later on, she became very addicted to shopping

. She knew what was good for her, and she only looked for famous and good shops. Thanks to her, I’ve become very strict.”
“I see. You knew everything so well that I thought you were originally from Miong.”
“Oh, I am from Miong. But I didn’t dare go to a shop where noble daughters went. It was all because of Miss Irelle.”
“You’re from Miong. But, how did you end up in Renbird?”
She casually asked, but she saw Juna’s eyes dart to the ceiling. Even though it wasn’t a difficult question.
“Ah, when I was looking for a job, I was recommended a position in Renbird by an acquaintance.”
“Wow, that’s impressive though. You were able to come all the way here to work. Even when you had no connections here.”
“You’re right

 At that time, I guess all I thought of was that I had to do everything I could. Was this how I met Miss Selena? Hahaha.”
Even her laughter had a suspicious tone in it. Now, Selena felt as though everything was suspicious about her.
From Miong, Renbird was a very distant land. It wasn’t in the countryside, but it was very far from the Capital. What’s more, she even came to look for work in Renbird? That’s weird.
‘It is possible that someone intentionally placed her here.’
That was the most plausible reason.