TRETTHD 80

#80. Explanation

“What is this story about now?”

Why hadn’t he told her anything?

Belia’s face was full of hurt and disappointment, and Khalid sighed before speaking.

“I was going to tell you after everything was settled.”

What kind of excuse was that!

“…Nothing was certain yet.”

Before Belia could even respond, Khalid cut her off. His expression showed his sincerity.

Belia, whose anger had been rising, finally exhaled softly, her voice mellowing.

“Then explain it properly.”

She wanted to understand it clearly, in a way she could accept.

Meeting her resolute gaze, Khalid opened his mouth with a heavy tone, as if preparing to explain something difficult.

“…Raoul has united the South and the East into an alliance.”

“What?”

Already? How could this be?

Belia was genuinely surprised, her eyes widening as she stared at Khalid.

In her previous life, the southern and eastern noble alliances had eventually sided with Raoul—but that was supposed to take several more years to form.

“When did this happen…?”

Khalid took her hand.

He gently patted her, calming her startled mind as he began to explain.

“I only received the news recently. That’s why we had to act quickly to bring the North on our side.”

However, Khalid was under intense scrutiny from the First Prince’s faction and couldn’t move as freely as before.

In the past, he could have disguised himself as a carefree noble and visited the North directly to negotiate. But after marrying Belia, it wasn’t so easy to go somewhere secretly.

“The situation didn’t allow it, so having the Master handle it was the best option for us.”

That was why Derek had to act in his place. All of Khalid’s closest aides were being watched by Raoul.

“You don’t realize how big a deal it was that you helped recruit the Master of Lunes.”

Khalid chuckled lightly, as if recalling how close everything had been to falling apart.

“First, let me explain Raoul’s current situation…”

Belia nodded, listening carefully.

“You know that Princess Canterif and Raoul have been active in social circles lately, right?”

“Yes. So I was keeping an eye on them along with the Marchioness of Caprie.”

“But that wasn’t their real objective.”

Khalid explained that their social appearances were just a cover to hide the fact that they were uniting the South and East. Their actions were becoming increasingly careful and secretive, which left Belia feeling unsettled.

“As we began to move more seriously, their actions changed too. The situation we were optimistically watching shifted once you and I got married.”

Hearing this, Belia could understand the situation well. From the beginning, she had anticipated that their actions would alter the behavior of others. But this was happening far too quickly.

“So Derek went to the North…”

“Yes. To bring the northern leader to our side.”

The northern alliance was the most tightly knit of all. If the leader supported their side, everyone else would naturally follow.

“But the northern leader…”

It’s him, isn’t it?

Belia couldn’t finish the thought.

The northern leader, Duke Errington.

He was the emperor’s only brother and the empire’s sole duke. He was known to stay mostly in his territory and rarely concern himself with central politics unless it was crucial for the nation.

In her previous life, Belia had tried to gain his support for Raoul, only to be dismissed without even a proper meeting.

“…To ally with Duke Errington… that’s impossible.”

Belia shook her head, sighing.

At that moment, Derek cleared his throat to draw attention.

“Don’t worry, Princess. I’ve handled that difficult task.”

Khalid smiled at Belia.

He began to recount how he had been steadily building relations with the North even before meeting her. Khalid explained that he had tried to establish a contact with the northern noble alliance’s leader long ago.

But Duke Errington was a tough opponent. Khalid had personally traveled north and spent a long time persistently persuading him.

‘So when I went to meet him, he was already allied with Khalid?’

This was news even from her previous life—completely unknown. The more she learned, the more astonishing it became.

By the time Duke Errington’s support was nearly secured, Khalid’s engagement to Belia imposed restrictions.

“The only one who could go to the North was the Master. Since he also had to come to the Empire, it made sense to have him stop by the North as well.”

Khalid shrugged.

“You should have told me earlier.”

“What if it had failed? You’d be disappointed. That’s why I planned to tell you after it was done.”

Khalid lightened the mood with a joke about how stubborn the old duke was.

“But it was successfully completed.”

Satisfaction was evident on Khalid’s face, and Belia let out a relieved sigh.

“So the East and South will support the First Prince, and the West and North will support you.”

“…To be honest, we’re still a little weak. When Raoul got engaged to Princess Canterif, the central nobles who were observing the situation all sided with him.”

But Belia’s expression remained calm. Her gaze turned to Derek.

“However, we have the successor of the Marchioness of Selron.”

“Haha, that’s right. I’m siding with the Second Prince,” Derek said casually.

Belia gave him a sharp look.

“When will you enter the marchioness’s household?”

She realized there was much to discuss with Derek. He hadn’t been in touch for a while!

“Don’t worry, Princess. I recently visited the Selron Marchioness at the temple to confirm parentage. I’ll be entering the household soon,” Derek replied with a smile.

“The Marchioness thinks I’m just a healer working at the clinic,” he added.

Derek’s father was the marchioness. When she requested his services, he had deliberately hidden his identity, and she had no idea he was the Master of Lunes.

“You’d need real medical knowledge to deceive her as a healer,” Belia said.

Derek answered smoothly, “Running an information guild naturally teaches you various skills. I’ve learned enough to convincingly pretend to be a healer.”

Belia smiled, reassured.

“And…”

Derek looked determined as he continued.

“My mother’s health has greatly improved. She can even move about now.”

“That’s a relief. I told you it would help, didn’t I?”

“…Thank you very much,” Derek said sincerely, bowing his head.

At that moment, Belia knew for certain that he would not betray them.

‘He is someone who does not betray his trust.’

Knowing Derek was fully on their side brought a sense of relief to Belia. She even teased him a little.

“By the way, what about that letter?”

It was the letter Clauze had delivered. She had wanted to ask earlier but had forgotten amidst the conversation.

“Oh. Princess Clauze must have delivered my letter immediately,” Derek said warmly.

Belia cautiously asked, “Derek… do you have feelings for Clauze?”

“Uh… well… Princess Clauze is too young to discuss such feelings. I’ve never seen her in that way,” he replied.

Indeed. If he had liked her, he wouldn’t have run away. Unfortunately, it seemed Derek had no romantic feelings for Clauze.

“So what exactly happened?”

Belia asked, puzzled, why Derek had fled. Derek explained:

“Princess Clauze took good care of me, but she’s not always gentle. She was very sharp, and the information she requested was often of high importance. I did my best to meet her demands, and gradually, she called on me more frequently…”

His voice grew quieter, almost a whisper.

“One day, she asked if I had a lover. When I said no, she told me to marry her…”

Derek smiled awkwardly.

“At first, I thought it was a joke.”

“But didn’t Clauze say she never confessed her feelings?”

“She never confessed, but she did like me!”

Derek almost shouted before regaining his composure.

“No… anyway, I still have a conscience,” he said, almost inaudibly, but both Belia and Khalid understood.

“Huh… the little princess is braver than she looks,” Khalid remarked.

“Khalid, don’t add commentary,” Belia said.

Clauze had been much bolder than expected.

“In any case, I was planning to go to the Empire soon, and with this situation, I left the letter,” Derek explained.

He wasn’t being interrogated, but the atmosphere somehow pressed him to reveal the truth. If Belia had known, she would have encouraged him to speak more openly.

“And at that time, Prince Khalid also entrusted me with a task,” Derek continued.

After hearing everything, Belia felt a mix of emotions. She sighed deeply.

“I’m sorry for the trouble. I’ll talk to Clauze properly about this.”

Derek laughed, replying, “No, Princess. I am just grateful that the young princess likes me.”

He even apologized, feeling embarrassed.

‘Hmm.’

Looking closely, Derek was quite handsome. His interactions showed he was good at adjusting to others during conversations. His speech was relaxed and kind. It was no wonder young Clauze had feelings for him.

“But what if… after Clauze’s coming-of-age ceremony, she still follows you around liking you?”

Belia asked unexpectedly. Derek scratched his cheek, looking uneasy.

“Hmm. I haven’t thought about it. Perhaps by then her feelings might change,” he replied lightly.

Seeing this, Belia felt a little pity for Clauze but soon shook her head and laughed.