CH 132

Chapter 132

“I regret it too. I never thought you would have these kinds of feelings.”

He looked at Philina with mournful eyes. She responded with a cold smile, scanning him.

“I would have been better off if you didn’t show any interest in me, just like in the past.”

Philina raised her hand and gently touched his cheek. Henry stared at her with widened eyes, seemingly surprised.

“Or are you going to smile at me so kindly and then stab me in the back later?”

Henry tilted his head, his face showing confusion.

“I really don’t understand what Devushi is saying…”

Philina’s expression turned cold. Her red eyes stared directly at Henry.

“Right, you probably don’t understand anything.”

Philina raised her eyebrows in frustration.

“That’s the problem. I remember everything we did together so vividly… and yet, you know nothing.”

With those words, she got up from her seat and left the training room.

Henry remained in his place, still staring at the spot where Philina had been.

-ˏˋ ━━━━━━ ʚɞ ━━━━━━ˊˎ-

“Your Highness is participating in the war personally?”

Philina, who was talking with Hestia, looked surprised.

Once again, she had taken her place in the royal palace as soon as morning came. Lately, Ian had not been seen for some reason, and Hestia had filled his empty seat.

However, an unexpected story came from her lips.

Ian had told her that the reason he couldn’t meet Philina lately was because he was going to participate in the upcoming Cohen War.

“I thought Ian would have told Devushi at least, but he didn’t mention anything, did he?”

Hestia raised an eyebrow in confusion.

In fact, Ian hadn’t intentionally kept quiet; there simply hadn’t been time to tell Philina. He hadn’t shown his face to her since he had come to meet Philina at the Swordmaster Academy, and she hadn’t seen him either.

When Philina furrowed her brow and asked, Hestia responded.

“Yes, that’s right. We had information that Cohen was gathering military forces to expand its territory. There have also been small skirmishes around the Alvar Empire recently. The situation seemed strange, so Ian had been keeping an eye on it.”

Hestia placed her teacup on the table cautiously, her eyes rolling.

“But in my opinion, Ian might be more actively participating in the war due to rumors flowing in from the Alvar Empire. If this war goes well, the Alvar Empire citizens who had doubts about him will finally acknowledge him as a worthy candidate for the throne.”

Hestia mentioned, her words making Philina raise her eyebrows in surprise. Could it be that Ian was called to participate in the war?

It seemed like he might be forced to do so, especially if the Cohen War was an opportunity to showcase his abilities.

In the original story, that’s how it was supposed to happen. The war should have taken place after Ian successfully held his engagement ceremony with Cecilia.

Philina sighed and touched her forehead.

However, it seemed that war was happening much earlier than expected. If things went according to the original plot, Ian was not supposed to participate in the war yet.

He had only recently become a formal knight, and he was only a First-Rank Squire. How could he participate in the war at such a young age, especially without completing the Coming-of-Age Ceremony?

Even if they gathered military power at the palace, there had never been a case where a First-Rank Squire was among the participants. It was unbelievable for someone who had not even performed the Coming-of-Age Ceremony to suddenly participate in a political battle.

However, perhaps Ian’s skills were different.

In any case, he was only a First-Rank Squire, so there was no need for the palace to request his participation.

…Was Henry really not going to become a Swordmaster? It was confusing.

This story had taken a completely unexpected turn.

Could it be that he was called to participate in the war?

She had a bad feeling about it.

“Devushi, are you alright?” Hestia asked, noticing Philina’s dark expression.

Philina answered awkwardly, “I was just surprised by the sudden news of the war.”

She mumbled, and Hestia smiled gently.

“Actually, I’ve been expecting Cohen to provoke a fight someday. Despite being allies, we heard that the Alvar Empire recently put severe financial pressure on Cohen. Naturally, Cohen had a strong backlash. In fact, this situation highlights the clear hierarchical relationship among allies.”

Hestia said in a somber tone.

“I think it would have been better if Alvar had expanded its mining of magical coal, increased trade, and boosted Cohen’s economy. Even if we raised the prices of the goods we supplied, they probably wouldn’t have resisted so fiercely.”

Philina commented in response to Hestia’s words, “As Her Highness suggested, if they had done that, we wouldn’t need a war like this.”

Hestia made a dry smile without saying anything in return. She seemed to be contemplating something.

“If Her Highness were to lead the country, the Alvar Empire would become a much more peaceful and secure place.”

Philina looked at Hestia in surprise. It seemed that Hestia was looking at various aspects of the situation, even the mood among the Alvar Empire’s citizens.

Perhaps she had been watching more broadly than Philina had thought.

On the other hand, Ian was lacking in his ability to gauge public sentiment. He was overly aggressive in politics, always pressuring and attacking his opponents without any flexible thinking.

In fact, his lack of flexibility in politics was evident.

He had ignored the public sentiment and attacked relentlessly, which often led to unfavorable outcomes. However, no one pointed this out. In reality, it might not matter much how capable a person was when ascending to the throne. Being the Emperor’s son might be all that was needed.

Philina’s gaze lowered even further.

In contrast, Philina’s sharp eyes, which were directed at Hestia, were sharp and clear.

Perhaps because of her direct gaze, Hestia remembered something Philina had said before.

“If Her Highness Devushi becomes the Empress and firmly takes her place… I will do whatever I can to assist Her Highness.”

The voice that sometimes came to mind seemed to stir up the wicked desires she had kept hidden.

Emotions that the palace residents should never wish for…

Hestia’s laughter curled at the corners of her lips.

Ian was lacking in his ability to understand public sentiment and had no flexibility in politics. His aggressive and unyielding nature often caused problems. However, no one would point out his flaws.

Perhaps it didn’t really matter how capable the next Emperor was. Being the Emperor’s son was probably enough.

Hestia looked at Philina in surprise.

It seemed that Philina was assessing the mood of the Alvar Empire’s citizens, among other things. She was observing more broadly than Hestia had imagined.

On the other hand, Ian was not good at gauging public sentiment and had no flexibility in politics. He was always aggressive and unyielding in his approach, often pressuring and attacking his opponents without considering the bigger picture. In reality, his lack of political finesse was apparent.

Philina’s sharp gaze met Hestia’s eyes, and Hestia felt that Philina’s gaze was like a sharp blade, cutting through the air.

“Expressions reveal everything, don’t they? Your face seems to say, ‘How dare a woman like me speak about politics.'”

Hestia’s golden eyes lowered slightly.

Philina remained silent, quietly observing her expression.

Hestia spoke in a composed tone, “Ian believed that war was inevitable, and that this conflict could enhance the Alvar Empire’s prestige. But my thoughts are different.”

She turned her gaze towards Philina once again, her lips parting.

“War only disrupts a nation’s peace. So, it’s best if it doesn’t happen. The atmosphere among the empire’s citizens is already tense. They must be feeling uneasy, seeing the hurried movements of the royal knights between villages.”

Philina looked at Hestia with a somewhat surprised expression.

Perhaps she hadn’t expected Hestia to be so attentive to the empire’s citizens. It seemed like she was observing things from various angles.

In contrast, Ian only seemed concerned with appearances and might not even know what he was truly worried about.

In the original story as well, the role of monitoring the empire’s citizens was solely Cecilia’s.

After silently gazing at Hestia, Philina elegantly smiled and spoke.

“If Your Highness were to lead the nation, I believe the Alvar Empire could become a very peaceful and secure place.”

Hestia chuckled, seeming slightly embarrassed by her words. Philina continued with a refined tone.

“And that’s precisely the kind of world the empire’s citizens desire, isn’t it?”

Silence hung in the air as Hestia and Philina exchanged glances.

Hestia stared back at her with her crimson eyes, unwavering.

Perhaps it was because of Philina’s straightforward gaze.

Her words seemed to suggest that Hestia was the perfect candidate for the throne.

However, Hestia knew it was an unreasonable idea.

Recalling what Philina had said before, Hestia couldn’t help but think, “If Princess Hestia firmly established herself as the crown princess… I would do whatever it takes to assist her.”

Occasionally, that voice from her memories stirred up her hidden, sinful desires.

The palace residents harbored feelings that should never be revealed.

Hestia’s gaze lowered even further to the tea cup on the table.

In the palace, there was no one who would listen to her words. In fact, there were more people who would ignore her.

Her voice couldn’t reach where she wanted it to, and it would soon dissipate like smoke.

… But should she not even have desires?

A twisted smile appeared at the corner of Hestia’s lips.

Ian was severely lacking in his ability to understand the people’s sentiments and had an aggressive, inflexible nature when it came to political battles.

In reality, he might not be the perfect person for the position of Crown Prince.

But no one dared to point that out.

In truth, it might not even matter how remarkable the person ascending to the throne as the Crown Prince was.

They simply needed to be the Emperor’s child.

Hestia’s gaze sank even lower.

On the other hand, Philina’s sharp gaze when she looked at Hestia was filled with determination.