I did not know how long we stayed like that. I did not know how long we kept looking at each other like that. It felt both long and short at the same time. It may be a few seconds. It may be a few minutes. I was not sure. However, at some point, I felt I heard the sound of something breaking. I felt like I was about to break something. It might be my imagination. However, I kept my posture just like that. Paul, too, did the same.

  Then, as I was dangerously close to breaking that something, we were pulled back by the sound of the door knocking.

  “Pardon my intrusion.” It was the voice of Aria coming from behind that closed door.

  Hearing her, we immediately pulled back.

  We tried to remain calm and pretended that nothing had happened.

  As I calmed my racing heart, I replied to Aria. “Aria, come in.”

  Then, after hearing my reply, Aria gently opened the door as she stepped into my room. We awkwardly greeted her.

  Perhaps she perceived something; instead of her usual reply, she tilted her head in confusion as she looked at us. “Your holiness.”

  Yes, the thing that happened was too embarrassing to share, even with her. No, it was because it was Aria that I needed to hide it even more. Don’t you agree with me, Lucy? If it were you, you would also try to hide it from Aria, right, Lucy?

  That was when I tried to distract her. I hurriedly said to her. “You are finally here, Aria. Are you finished with your task?” I even pulled a chair for her as I said that.

  After she sat down, although she was still confused, Aria still replied to me. “Yes, Your Holiness. I made a little extra this month, since I won’t be able to make it next month.” Then Aria turned to Paul. “Paul, could you deliver it to them?”

  Hearing Aria say that, Paul, with a frown, said to her in concern. “Milady, you should not push yourself too much.”

  Oh, Lucy, do you know? At that time, although I was still flustered, he was still perfectly calm.

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  And at that time, I also chimed in to support Paul. “Yes, Aria. You should take care of yourself. Didn’t I warn you about the danger?”

  What she had been doing was indeed very risky. It was akin to constantly using Mother’s Touch. If it were once in a while and in small amounts, it might be fine. However, she has been continually making it without stopping, and the quantities… they were by no means small.

  Although I genuinely wished to stop her, we could not. And… And Aria would not listen to us. That was why all we could do was to limit her production of that red liquid.

  Oh, at that time, it was then that Aria shared with us truly wonderful news. With a smile, she said to me. “Please don’t worry, Your Holiness. I always keep it at a moderate level. I think we can find the alternative soon.”

  Hearing her say that it would end soon, I grabbed her hand in excitement. “It is great news.”

  Yes, it was truly long-awaited news. As you know, Lucy, since Aria made that stone, she also reduced the production of that red liquid. That discovery gave us huge relief. Aria no longer needed to bleed herself dry like before.

  As I explicitly expressed my feelings, your grandpa just silently sipped his tea. However, I knew from his expression that he was genuinely pleased with that development; he could not hide his smile at all.

  Then, Aria innocently brought up something we wanted to forget. With slight hesitation, Aria asked me, “If I may ask, what were you discussing, Your Holiness?”

  Hearing her say that, I found my face turning hot immediately. And you know, Lucy? You should have also been there. You really missed something rare. When I looked at your grandpa, I found him quietly choking on his tea. With his face turned red and a tea gotten into his nostrils, he kept on coughing. At that time, it gave me relief that I was not the only one bothered by it.

  So, that was why I could calm myself down quickly. Then, with a calm tone, I told Aria. “We were discussing the report from Duke Larose. They finish with the grain and medicine. The guild is working hard to expand to other countries.”

  Upon hearing that, Aria smiled at us. Although it was not her real smile, it had already become rare for Aria to smile. With a slightly hyper tone, Aria said, “I am delighted to hear that. With this, we can have room to maneuver. With a bit more progress, we can enter the next phase.”

  At that moment, as Paul saw that Aria was absorbed in her thoughts, he said with a look of relief. “Milady, about the north, it is about time to send some sellsword companies there.”

  “That is wonderful, Paul. Then, about the arrangement and direction, I will leave it at your discretion.” Aria responded to Paul with her rare enthusiasm. She might have been waiting for that news all the time.

  At that time, for the first time in a long time, we could see ‘hope’ in Aria's eyes.

  We were pleased to see that.

  Thereafter, we began brainstorming our next steps with Aria without you two.

  And it was also how we successfully distracted Aria from that incident.