Liana had already signed her name at the base of the pen. What could she do now? The words were already out—there was no way to take them back.

“In that case, I’ll call Vivian along too,” Mepeilu suddenly said.

“It’s perfect, isn’t it? Vivian’s also a maid. She can be of help, and you two have some topics in common. It’ll keep you from getting too bored on the road.”

Mepeilu glanced at Loraviel. She wasn’t lying—but that was only one of the reasons. The other reason was—

With Vivian there, she could pull Loraviel away for a bit, take her off to see some other sights, and avoid disrupting the short time the two of them had alone.

“Thank you, Your Highness,”

Loraviel, of course, had no objections. Just being allowed to follow them was something she was already grateful for. And even if she did have objections—what, was she going to voice them? Impossible. She was just a maid.

“I don’t think Vivian would have any objections either.”

A good maid. That much of what Loraviel said was the truth. As a maid, there was still a lot she needed to learn. Though she had already mastered the basics, she was still far from matching someone like Vivian—or Bet—the truly professional ones. There were many things still left for her to study.

“I haven’t done anything special. I’m just an ordinary maid,” Vivian said as she stepped beside Mepeilu and raised a parasol.

It was a large parasol, easily big enough to shade both Mepeilu and Liana.

In a situation like this, it wouldn’t do to leave someone else standing out in the sun.

“Your Highness, is there anywhere you’d like to go? As your maid, I must plan out your itinerary to ensure nothing unexpected occurs.”

“Anywhere you want to go, Liana?” Mepeilu asked, looping her arms through Liana’s.

“I said I don’t know much about Lisat’s Royal Capital... and besides, back when the last festival happened, I hadn’t even been born yet.”

Liana really didn’t know where to go. If not for Mepeilu, she would’ve just gone back with Sybil already.

“Then let’s just go with the flow,” Mepeilu said.

Rather than having everything planned out in advance, she preferred a date full of unknowns. If everything was decided ahead of time, there’d be nothing to look forward to. It would just feel like checking things off a list—something she didn’t like much.

Mepeilu reached out and took the parasol, lowering her voice as she whispered to Vivian:

“I’ll take this. Go keep Loraviel company, alright? It’s her first time in the Royal Capital—why not take her around a bit?”

Loraviel (thinking): Thank you so much.

“I understand,” Vivian immediately picked up on Princess Mepeilu’s intentions. She walked to Loraviel’s side and raised a parasol above her.

“Lady Vivian?”

“Learning to give your master some personal space is also... an essential skill for a maid,” Vivian said.

Personal space, huh...

She really had been unconsciously, or maybe deliberately, compressing Lady Liana’s personal space all this time. Like right now—clearly it was supposed to be an outing between Lady Liana and Princess Mepeilu, but she’d intentionally said what she did, forcing Lady Liana to bring her along.

“...I understand.” Loraviel nodded. Though understanding didn’t necessarily mean she’d follow through.

On their way back, they just happened to run into the Venus estate’s carriage.

The carriage stopped in front of the three. Countess Ruth stepped out from within. “Your Highness, Lady Kaya, and Lady Liana.”

Ruth and Mepeilu exchanged polite greetings.

But Liana outright ignored Countess Ruth. “So, where are we going next?” 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

“Liana, are you staying here in Lisat’s Royal Capital? You won’t be returning with us?” Countess Ruth asked.

“If possible, I’d like to stay here forever,” Liana replied with a smile. “I want to stay by Mepeilu’s side—whatever I want, she’ll give me.”

“But Mepeilu’s going to be quite busy with everything that’s going on, so she won’t have time to play with me. And soon, I’ll be heading back to Ibet Magic Academy anyway. Staying here might be a little boring, since most of the people living here are royalty.”

Though Liana outranked the stewards and housekeepers here, that didn’t mean she could act as she pleased, like she did back at the Venus estate. Of course, that Liana was long gone anyway. This was just something she said to get a reaction out of Ruth.

“...I’m sorry, Liana,” Mepeilu said, restraining the words rising in her throat. There was just too much to handle. If only she could split herself in two.

“Come on, don’t apologize to me,” Liana said warmly. “You’re just doing what’s best for me, aren’t you? So go on and prepare for whatever’s coming up. Once you’re free, come find me again.”

“I’ll be right here in Lisat’s Royal Capital. Whatever I ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ want, your maids will bring it to me. Even if you’re not around, they’ll take care of me just fine.”

“Liana, don’t keep troubling Princess Mepeilu. She’s very busy right now,” Ruth said.

“I just want to spend time with her, that’s all. What—are you going to stop me, Countess Ruth? Weren’t you the one who wanted us to get along better in the first place?” Liana shot back.

Countess Ruth’s expression turned ugly. Aust II had told her—Liana had become increasingly difficult to control. Especially now that her relationship with Princess Mepeilu had grown so close... it looked like she might abandon Ruth altogether and latch onto a new benefactor.

Anyone with eyes at the frontlines could see it—Mepeilu was now the person everyone wanted to cozy up to. Liana, of course, wasn’t going to pass that up.

Fortunately, Liana hadn’t declared she was staying in the Royal Capital for good. If she had, Ruth would’ve been forced to come up with a way to drag her back to the Venus estate. If Liana stayed at Mepeilu’s side long-term, she would become uncontrollable—and that was Ruth’s final bargaining chip.

Right now, Ruth absolutely couldn’t afford to lose Liana.

No matter what, she needed to win her back. But thankfully, Liana had no way to stay here permanently. She’d be returning to the estate. And there, Ruth still had the greatest power over her.

Liana wouldn’t be able to leave so easily. And if necessary—Ruth was fully prepared to use special measures.

Just like now...

“Why don’t you spend a few days here, then come back to the Venus estate?” Ruth said. “That’s your true home. Your family’s there. Whatever you need, I’ll do my best to provide it.”

Family. When Liana heard that word, she clearly froze.

“Oh, we’re back to that again, huh?” she said, laughing to herself.

The old Liana had genuinely seen Countess Ruth as family—so much so that she had trusted her without question. But Ruth had been acting the whole time. She was the one who’d molded Liana into this kind of killer.

And now she was using those same words to try and shackle her again?

“Mhm. Got it,” Liana nodded. “I’ll be back soon. You take care on your way, Countess Ruth.”

“...Yes.” Ruth nodded back.

This move—bringing up “family”—was a guaranteed way to stir Liana’s emotions.

After all, every time Ruth had used it before, Liana had been helpless to resist. Her emotions would immediately spiral.

After all, Ruth was the one who’d “taken care of” her and “comforted” her when she lost her real family.

After exchanging farewells, Ruth returned to the carriage.

“So, where are we going now, Mepeilu?” Liana took a deep breath, doing her best to keep her mood from being soured by Ruth. “Today, I’m going to make sure we spend a lovely time together—and I’ll make sure you have a beautiful memory of it.”

“...I’m sorry, Liana,” Mepeilu said softly.

“Hm?” Liana didn’t catch it at first. “What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“I promise you,” Mepeilu said, voice calm, but icy cold. “Once this is over—I’ll make sure you get your revenge. Countess Ruth will not be allowed to live.”

Liana could feel Mepeilu’s grip on her hand tighten. She was truly angry—furious, in fact.

She was not going to let Ruth get away with it.

“Don’t think about all that anymore. I’ve already decided to cut ties with Countess Ruth. For now... why don’t we just enjoy the time we have left?”

“Even though it doesn’t seem like there’s much of it,” Liana said.