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The corners of Aries\'s lips curled up into a smirk while enjoying a cup of tea. Putting the teacup on the saucer, Aries lifted her gaze to Veronika across from her. They were currently enjoying a cup of tea on the balcony of the Hyacinth Palace, and Veronika told her of the news she got wind of this morning.

"That… sounds terrible," Aries mused, causing Veronika\'s brows to furrow.

"My lady, you don\'t have anything to do with the incident in the east district, do you?" Veronika blurted out, a bit surprised at the complex reaction she got from Aries.

"Are you saying I am that terrible, Veronika?"

"N — no, of course not." Veronika lowered her eyes whilst shaking her head sideways. "I\'m just expecting a different reaction, but I don\'t think you will do such a thing."

"You think so highly of me, Your Highness." Aries leaned back, waiting for Veronika to raise her eyes at her once again. "I am not that kind."

Veronika\'s brows rose. "What do you mean by that, Lady Daniella?"

"Lady Ivory, Princess Agnes, and I are in a race with a handsome reward. Now that the competition is coming to an end, unexpected things would be expected," said Aries. Her tone was calm — unnaturally too calm. "Our anxiety for each passing day consistently increases, and the uncertainty becomes too much to bear. Knowing your opponents are capable and amazing ladies, we never had reassurance."

"I am aware, my lady."

"Therefore, before the candidates lose their minds before the announcement of who will become the empress, they needed to do everything to secure their peace."

Veronika secretly held her breath, eyes locked with Aries. She gulped, sensing a completely different vibe from the latter. She had noticed something was amiss with Aries in the past several weeks, but only now did she convince herself she wasn\'t just reading too much of it. Something changed.

Aries… somehow changed, and it wasn\'t gradual. It was abrupt — perhaps this was her real colors peeking out, and her nonchalance in the first half of the competition was just a facade. Veronika was unsure because this assumption didn\'t seem the case. All she could think of was something that happened in the middle of the competition that urged Aries to take things seriously.

"Do not worry, Veronika." The corner of Aries\'s lips curled up. "I did not do such a thing to the east district, but I cannot also claim innocence."

"My lady, why are you telling this to me?"

"Because you said it yourself. You took part in this competition because of Ismael, and your goal is to get in His Majesty\'s good graces whilst protecting me." Aries didn\'t beat around the bush, reminding Veronika of her own words. "Or weren\'t you serious about that?"

"Of course not, my lady. It is true that I want to protect you lest something happens during the competition. Fortunately, nothing like that happened. Even so, I will always stay true to my words," Veronika quickly reassured her. "Initially, it was because I promised His Majesty Ismael, but after assisting you all these previous months, I want to protect you because you were my friend."

Aries nodded in satisfaction. "Will you still be my friend if you find out who I am and what I am capable of doing?"

This time, Veronika opened her mouth to reassure her. However, the glint that flickered across Aries\'s eyes caused her tongue to roll back. All she could do for a moment was to stare at those pair of deep green, making her gulp.

Veronika knew Aries as a nonchalant lady. The latter barely gave the bare minimum in the first half of the competition, and even when Lady Julienne or Lady Ivory picked on her, Aries didn\'t bother that much. However, seeing these subtle changes in Aries for the past weeks, Veronika was slightly… scared of her.

"Are you now having second thoughts, Princess Veronika?" Aries snapped Veronika out of her trance.

"No, definitely not." Veronika once again lowered her eyes. "It\'s just that…" she trailed off, lifting her eyes again and letting out a faint huff. "It\'s just that I\'m starting to worry about you, my lady. Did something happen that you are now desiring to win?"

A soft gust of wind blew past them, allowing them to get a whiff of the tea\'s aroma. Aries didn\'t answer immediately, peeling her eyes from Veronika ever so slowly to look at the vast expanse and the beautiful scenery surrounding the Hyacinth Palace.

"Sybil said the view here is good," Aries remarked soothingly, moving her eyes at the Palace in the distance. "She said you can see the beautiful Rose Palace from here. I didn\'t think it was true."

Veronika let out a shallow breath as she followed Aries\'s gaze. She took this as a cue to not press on the matter as it was obvious Aries deliberately changed the subject.

"Do you know how to fight, Princess?" asked Aries after a minute of silence, making Veronika raise her brows.

"Uhm, yes," the princess answered, her tone had a tinge of bafflement. "I did mention that back in Chivisea, I was the overseer of Phicia District. That place is under the governance of the crown prince."

"So, that means you are the crown prince\'s aide?" Aries set her eyes back to her.

"Not necessarily an aide."

"Do you wield your sword for him?"

Veronika pursed her lips and nodded. "Yes."

"And why is that?" Aries cocked her head to the side. "I heard the crown prince was incompetent."

"My brother, the crown prince, might be arrogant, but he is competent. He will be the next ruler of Chivisea, and everyone supports him."

"Are you sure about your claims?" Aries fluttered her eyelashes, observing the look in Veronika\'s eyes. "The look in your eyes tells me otherwise, Veronika."

Aries raised her chin as she recalled the details she got from Gustav and Conan about the people around her. She could no longer trust others, and Aries wanted reassurance she wasn\'t keeping a venomous snake around her. Hence, she asked the people she could trust to investigate the candidates and the people surrounding her.

After all, Aries had learned her lessons.

"I\'ll be truthful, Veronika." While Veronika knitted her brows, Aries confessed she asked someone to investigate the people around her. "I learned a very important lesson in my life and that was, dying in the hands of the enemy isn\'t as painful as dying in the hands of a friend."

She paused, letting Veronika absorb her words.

"Therefore, you do not have to hide from me, Veronika. I know everything."