65 - The Bride of the Great Lord is a Warrior from Hell
Alicia simply seemed to hope the treatment would be effective.
The face that had offered the shocking gesture softly retreated.
"Your Highness?"
Reikart didn't fully realize that the unpleasant sensation that had been creeping into his mind had vanished without a trace.
He looked at the pure violet eyes gazing up at him with concern and hastily covered his chin with his awkwardly clenched hand.
"Yes, what is it?"
Alicia looked up at his face, her eyes and neck flushed.
Seeing her bashfulness, he felt a little better, as if the embarrassment he had experienced earlier was somewhat relieved.
He freely indulged in looking at her face, which was trying to avoid eye contact.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"I am fine."
Reikart stood up a little straighter and answered earnestly.
He barely stopped himself from saying something like, "Yes, thanks to you."
"Comparing last time and this time, which one is more effective?"
Alicia asked, like a curious researcher.
"...I don't know."
Reikart hesitated for a long time.
He firmly shut his mouth, trying not to blurt out the idiotic thought swirling in his head, "Both are amazing."
Whether it was the last one or this one, it didn't matter.
He couldn't deny that the miraculous phenomenon was good.
But more than anything, he liked the caster the most.
Alicia Lane was synonymous with miracle to Reikart.
The being who performed miracles for him, he liked the miracle, but he liked the being itself even more.
"Both are effective, right?"
"Yes."
Reikart answered immediately to Alicia's question.
"That's a relief."
Alicia smiled brightly at Reikart's reaction, who even nodded.
"Is that so."
"Yes. I have a request. Lend me the Tessen 1st Knights today."
Alicia requested with a face that seemed to say she was prepared.
Before she could even finish speaking, Reikart nodded.
"I will."
Alicia, who had made the request, was rather taken aback by the easy answer.
"Your Highness. Did you hear what I said properly?"
"Yes, I heard."
Reikart nodded repeatedly, conveying his agreement.
Even though the team was poorly organized and doomed to fail, the Imperial Spring Hunt was a meaningful event for the Imperial Family.
If he didn't participate, it wouldn't matter, but if he did go hunting, he had to achieve a certain level of success.
If he lacked a knight to assist him, it would be difficult to expect results.
Also, if Grand Duke Tessen left his most important knights by his fiancée's side, there would definitely be gossip.
He would inevitably hear things he didn't need to hear, like how he was so infatuated with a woman that he neglected the important Imperial Hunt.
For some reason, Reikart was willing to endure everything.
"Thank you for Your Highness's consideration."
Alicia readily accepted the favor.
The more armed helpers, the better.
Because there would be an accident at the Imperial Spring Hunt today.
"Shall we leave Roderick behind?"
Reikart calmly tried to abandon his aide.
The more helpers, the better, but it wasn't to the extent of taking away the Grand Duke's aide.
"What? No. You need your aide if you're going hunting, Your Highness."
Alicia refused with a smile.
"His Majesty is participating in the hunt. Since the winner has already been decided, there's no reason to exert meaningless effort. I'm capable enough to be a guard on my own."
"Still. His Majesty won't make you the winner. If you show an impressive side of yourself at least once, wouldn't you become the winner? Sir Juan is enough."
Alicia refused again.
At the same time, she naturally excluded Juan from the Grand Duke's entourage.
Reikart nodded, saying that was fine.
"Ren is here. He came with the 1st Knights, so I'll leave him behind."
Ren was one of Reikart's favorite cleaners.
"Was he a knight?"
"He's a knight who has even been knighted. But even if he's in a small group like a squad, other people don't remember him well. Don't act like you know him too well."
It seemed that Ren had a use.
Alicia also had good memories of Ren and his group.
She had unintentionally received help from the cleaners several times.
Alicia readily agreed.
"Yes. Earlier... I met Duchess Belz on the way here. I don't think she likes me."
Just in case, she casually mentioned it to Reikart.
It could be dismissed as just an unpleasant encounter, but the attitude Duchess Belz had shown was unusual.
Reikart looked like he knew something.
"Did something happen?"
"She said she was disappointed that I didn't visit Belz. There's nothing else."
Alicia expressed her dissatisfaction without exaggerating.
"She probably doesn't dislike you, but thinks of you as an enemy."
"An enemy...?"
What Duchess Belz had shown was clearly hostility.
But Alicia didn't expect Reikart to readily agree and give her advice.
"Do you know the current situation in the Imperial Family? I'd like to take the time to tell you separately, but I'm busy now, so I'll have to unilaterally inform you of my thoughts. His Majesty has only three male siblings left. That's because Duke Belz died in an accident seven years ago. The late Duke Belz and Duchess Belz have a son."
Because of that, Duchess Belz had ambitions for the Empress Dowager position.
"I see."
Alicia added appropriately.
"The Baronet was only two years old when Duke Belz died. He was too young to inherit the title. The Imperial Family decided to appoint Duchess Belz as the proxy for the dukedom as long as she didn't remarry a foreigner. The Baronet will have to wait at least nine more years to inherit the dukedom. Belz is the Imperial Family's territory, so if the administrator is deemed incompetent, the Emperor can revoke the title."
"I understand. Is that why the Duchess dislikes me?"
Alicia deliberately grumbled with a question that seemed foolish.
"Probably. The Belz Baronet and the Duchess's position are unstable within the Imperial Family. His Majesty still has no heir. The only male descendant born to His Majesty's direct male siblings is the Belz Baronet. Princess Anri has a son, but the Bennet family has also been a family with few descendants for generations. With the Baronet growing up without an heir to His Majesty, the Imperial Family has been trying to exclude Belz from events."
Reikart spoke about the Emperor's heir in a light tone.
"Ah."
On the day Alicia received the Echeveria baronetcy, the day she became engaged to Reikart, Duchess Belz and the Baronet were excluded.
The Imperial Family decided to exclude the Belz Baronet, who was in an awkward position, from the official Imperial Family event.
They saw that time as the right time for Alicia to become a prospective member of the Imperial Family.
"His Majesty has been summoning his siblings and nephews, regardless of gender, to the Imperial Palace to select a suitable person for the succession. He also visits the Belz Baronet often. Not just because he's a nephew, but the Baronet is a truly intelligent child. He seems to be the most outstanding of the next generation of the Imperial Family. In comparison, even though the Bennet heir is still young, he can't even be compared."
Reikart sighed with a face that said he didn't even want to talk about it.
"Is it that bad?"
"The Bennet Count, who married Princess Anri, has several titles. The Count is even considering whether to give the countship to his son and all the remaining titles to his daughter, or to give his son the baronetcy and pass on the countship and the rest to his eldest daughter."
Alicia didn't know much about the Bennet heir.
She just found Reikart's face, which seemed to be saying, "What is he even trying to be?" amusing.
"What about the other nephews?"
It was something she shouldn't carelessly add to regarding the Imperial succession, but she was interested in the story Reikart was telling.
"Josefina would be a decent ruler. But she would be the most extravagant and pleasure-seeking ruler in history. She would host four parties a day. Princess Henrietta's daughter, Rubin, would turn the Imperial Palace into an animal village. Rabbit Village, Fox Village, Cat Village. If you want to bring Lady Magda of Bennet as the heir, the Imperial Family would have to go to war with the Bennet family."
Enjoyment was etched on Reikart's face as he talked about his nephews.
"Your Highness seems to like your nephews."
"Of course."
Agreeing with Alicia's words, his face darkened slightly.
Looking at the Imperial Family's selection of heirs so far, it seemed unlikely that the children of the princesses would be designated as the next Emperor.
If the Emperor had no heir, the most likely candidate for heir was the Belz Baronet.
Because he was the most likely candidate, the Imperial Family was gradually ostracizing the Belz Baronet.
It was understandable that Duchess Belz showed hostility to Alicia, who had provided that timing.
"What kind of person is the Duchess?"
"Don't associate with the Duchess. Avoid her if she approaches you. She seems to lack restraint when it comes to spending gold, but she has a stronger patience than anyone else, and she's the type to use any means necessary for power and her goals."
Reikart's words were overly assertive.
She could feel that he was wary of Duchess Belz.
His choice was right.
"I will be careful."
Alicia wondered if Reikart had a lot of information and judged Duchess Belz to be dangerous, or if his insight was so good that he made this judgment.
"Your Highness, it's time for you to leave."
Roderick's voice echoed from the entrance of the tent.
"I'll be going."
Reikart grabbed his weapon, which was placed on one side, and pointed outside.
Alicia followed him out of the tent.
"Be careful."
Reikart nodded lightly at Alicia's greeting.
Roderick seemed to be following behind him, heading towards the open space, and saying something.
Reikart gave Roderick a look of disdain, and Roderick said something again.
It was clear that Roderick was complaining about something, but from afar, he only looked like a reliable and earnest adjutant.
Alicia watched the two of them walk away and headed towards the area where the tents were gathered.
She had to pay her respects to the Emperor's Imperial Concubines.
That was the Imperial Family's etiquette.
She already felt suffocated.
She was about to pass by a tent that was simply decorated but stood alone.
"Your... Your Highness, when will you be back?"
A soft voice whispered quietly.
It was such a small voice that you had to focus your hearing to hear it.
It wasn't because she was far away, but it seemed like the person speaking had a particularly small voice.
Alicia stopped walking.
Even though there were only members of the Imperial Family here, there were several people who could be called "Your Highness."
Without realizing it, she focused on where the voice was coming from.
The man's voice that answered the cautious voice was refreshing.
"I'll be back in three days."
It was the opposite feeling from the woman who was so intimidated.
"In three days? Are you very busy with work?"
The woman whispered, dejected, with a voice full of regret.
Her voice itself was delicate, and her tone was cautious, making the listener feel even more sorry for her.