“Alandin is requesting a private talk?”
Inside the carriage, Isabella stopped her small tea party with Winnidith upon hearing the news and began to ponder the other party’s objective.
“That is correct. They stated it is a request from the Second Prince of Alandin, Olivier. To ensure equal status, the Empire is only allowing you, Princess, to go and speak with him.”
The messenger was a Royal Knight who refused to let the royal family be exposed to any danger.
“Princess, I believe this is a conspiracy. They are waiting for you to appear so they can move against you. Please do not grant their insolent request.”
However, Isabella did not listen to him.
After a brief moment of thought, she looked at Winnidith.
“Wendy, do you think I should agree to Alandin’s request?”
“Don’t ask me when you already have the answer in your heart~”
Winnidith lazily looked up.
This woman clearly had an answer long ago yet insisted on asking her.
‘How wicked.’
“Tell me. Who knows? Maybe I’ll change my mind after hearing your opinion.”
‘As if! If she were actually going to change her mind, she would be lying in her bed at the Duke’s Mansion right now!’
Winnidith gave her a playful glare but still honestly voiced her thoughts.
“I think you can agree. After all, our strength is superior to theirs. They will definitely have to consider that before taking action, and they simply have no reason to do so.”
Although Isabella was a member of the royal family, she was widely recognized as the member furthest from the throne.
Moving against her would bring no benefit to the Alandin Kingdom; it would only invite the Empire’s justified vengeance.
“Furthermore, if you refuse this request, it will give them an opportunity to spread rumors that the Robert royal family fears the Alandin royal family. That would be a huge hassle for you.”
After all, Isabella intended to participate in the struggle for the throne later.
She needed to minimize any stains on her reputation.
“However, safety cannot be ignored. If they really are mad dogs, you might still get hurt, Bella.”
“Is Wendy worried about my safety?”
Winnidith froze for a moment, her cheeks turning red, though her tongue remained sharp.
“Is now the time for that!”
“Of course. As long as I know Wendy cares about my safety, then no matter what dangers lie ahead, I will definitely return to your side safely.”
“You! I—I’m angry now! Hmph!”
Winnidith’s delicate body trembled.
She was clearly worried about the other’s safety, yet it had become capital for Isabella to tease her.
‘I’m never going to worry about Bella’s safety again!’
She swore fiercely in her heart.
To fulfill her vow, she even turned around, leaving Isabella with nothing but a view of her beautiful back.
No matter how much Isabella poked at her or apologized, she refused to turn back.
“Fine, fine, don’t be angry. Of course I care about my own safety. Wendy, please stop being mad. It’s not good for your health to be this upset.”
Seeing that Winnidith was like a puffed-up pufferfish, unwilling to accept an apology no matter what, Isabella had to turn her head and give instructions regarding the private talk first.
“Go and tell the Alandin envoy that if they want me to agree to the meeting, I will. However, their guards must retreat three hundred steps. Otherwise, there is no deal.”
“Understood!”
As an experienced Royal Knight, he naturally knew which words to heed and which to ignore.
He hurried to relay the requirement.
The other party’s convoy was clearly in a state of turmoil for a while before Gaius, acting as the messenger, said with a grim face.
“The Second Prince has agreed to your terms, but the Robert guards must also retreat three hundred steps at the same time. If you are worried about your Princess’s safety, Arns can stand ten steps away.”
“If that is the case, I will also stop ten steps behind the Prince.”
“Fine, prepare a horse for me.”
Isabella agreed to their conditions without hesitation.
But as she was leaving the carriage, a magic scroll was suddenly thrown onto her.
“This is a Teleportation Magic Circle Grandpa Elias gave me. It’s very simple to use; you just have to tear it, and it will immediately teleport you back to the carriage.”
Even now, Winnidith did not turn around, but the young girl’s slightly red ears undoubtedly conveyed a message.
A wave of warmth flowed through Isabella’s heart, but she said nothing more.
She carefully placed the scroll into the pocket of her long dress and, with the help of a Royal Knight, mounted her horse.
As she appeared at the front of the envoy, both sides retreated as agreed.
One step, two steps… both sides’ movements were so uniform and consistent that even the earth seemed to marvel, responding with rhythmic thuds.
Nearby, Arns and Gaius both watched each other with wary eyes, their hands resting on their sword hilts.
Should anything unusual occur, they would protect their respective royals regardless of the cost.
However, none of this seemed to affect the excessively enchanting man.
“It has been a long time, Princess Isabella. I wonder if you still remember my name.”
A simple wooden table and a cup of warm red tea were set out.
Olivier sat on a cushion, greeting the arriving Isabella with a smile, as if the one arriving were not the princess of a rival nation, but an old friend reunited after a long separation.
“Prince Olivier’s reputation for beauty spreads among all races. Even if it was only a brief encounter, it would be difficult for Isabella to forget.”
Reaching the spot, Isabella dismounted steadily from her white horse.
She patted it, signaling the nervous animal to return to the envoy, and then sat on the cushion opposite Olivier.
Isabella’s response to his greeting was extremely flat, which made Olivier burst into a fit of laughter.
“It is merely a tale passed along by frogs at the bottom of a well. If they had glimpsed the Princess’s beauty, they would know that before the precious glow of a pearl, even the most exotic flower is but a common thing.”
Olivier enjoyed the beautiful title of “Demonic Flower” in the Alandin Kingdom.
“If you put it that way, wouldn’t jewelry dubbed as ‘opulent’ be even more vulgar?”
“Whether something is vulgar or not ultimately depends on the person. Just like gold—if discussed among merchants, it is naturally unbearably vulgar. But in the hands of a master sculptor, crude gold transforms into exquisite ornaments. The moment anyone sees it, they are struck by its beauty and overlook its economic value. At that point, is it still a vulgar object?”
The two chatted back and forth, both tacitly keeping the conversation focused on trivial matters like life and appearance, remaining silent about the mission to the Natural Forest.
This was torturous for the envoys of both sides.
They didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, fearing that if a fight broke out in the next moment, their side would be caught off guard.
Winnidith was no exception.
Although she claimed she would never care about Isabella’s safety again, she couldn’t help but peek her head out of the carriage once the envoy had retreated three hundred steps, using her self-made telescope to observe their conversation.
But the first thing that shocked her wasn’t the harmonious atmosphere between the two, but Olivier’s appearance.
A large red robe embroidered with golden patterns made his frame look exceptionally thin.
Yet he deliberately exposed his delicate collarbones to the cold wind, making one involuntarily worry about his health.
And this worry would inevitably draw people’s eyes to his exquisitely beautiful face.
Pale skin, rosy lips, a round face, and willow-leaf eyebrows—especially those peach blossom eyes.
A simple glance from him seemed capable of snatching one’s soul away.
‘Is this a man? Is this a man??!’
Winnidith shouted in her heart.
To be fair, she had seen beauties before, and she herself was a rare beauty in the world.
But she had never seen a beauty like Olivier, who was clearly a man yet more beautiful than most women.
Moreover, his beauty wasn’t the soft beauty of a woman; it had a hint of masculine sharpness layered over the elegance.
It was precisely this sharpness that made his beauty androgynous.
In an instant, various cases of women disguised as men flashed through her mind.
She truly couldn’t resist asking Aaron, who was standing guard nearby.
“Uncle Aaron, is Prince Olivier really a male?”
Aaron was stunned for a moment.
It felt inappropriate to discuss such things at a time like this.
But since it was Winnidith asking, he could only reply quickly while remaining vigilant.
“When I first saw him, I had the same question as you, My Lady. However, the Alandin Kingdom has always publicly declared him to be male, so we should just treat him as such.”
Winnidith thought about it, and it did seem to make sense.
Whether Olivier was a man or a woman had nothing to do with her.
Once she had figured that out, she immediately shifted her attention away from Olivier and used the Wind Element to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Whether it was a coincidence or not, the first sentence carried by the wind was related to her.
“Speaking of which, I heard that for your mission to the Natural Forest, the Trenton Family specifically dispatched a direct relative to accompany you.”
Olivier placed his red tea back on the table.
Noticing Isabella’s movements pause for a split second, he said with a smile.
“I would like to know, is the Trenton relative accompanying you the legendary Lady Winnidith?”