It didn’t seem to be a joke, as he raised one hand in a tight fist.
Even with his slightly lifted eyes, there was nothing sharp about him, only pure absurdity.
Jeyord, who had been watching this situation unfold, answered in a flash before anyone could stop him.
“Fine by me!”
‘Why are you answering that?’
Liselotte also answered without backing down.
“I have no reason to refuse either.”
Not just fine.
She had thought it would be enough if he would just write a single confirmation letter saying that House Gloria really had sent a proposal.
‘What a windfall.’
Wasn’t he someone who even had connections to the Magic Tower that always ignored her replies?
Even aside from the conflict with House Gloria, Hedmillton was basically like central law among the people one could hire.
Meaning, he was someone who simply must be brought in.
Because central law is the kind of clause that must be followed among all laws.
Relying entirely on Ail to assist Liselotte was not easy.
He was even doubling as a subjugation knight commander, and since there were no other aides, they were severely understaffed.
Above all, she herself needed a competent aide.
Someone who handled work quickly, was capable, and had no greed for northern wealth.
And that proven aide was standing right in front of her.
But Eren apparently disagreed.
“On what basis do you expect me to let you into the North?”
A dry yet sharp question cut in from the side.
Hedmillton, however, only tilted his head and asked back,
“I’m a beggar with nothing. I don’t even know how to use a sword. If you think I’m no good, you just have to starve me, and I’ll be weak and groaning by the next day.”
Ah, of course. Talents never come easily.
So this must be his condition for switching jobs.
Unlike the East, the North’s outward image somehow looked harsh and difficult to make a living in.
So this level of adjustment was welcome.
“Do you go down after one missed meal?”
“I need a transfusion of flour for my brain to work.”
Hedmillton tapped his own head with his finger.
At the reasonable claim, Liselotte nodded.
“That can happen. I also feel like I only function as a human after drinking tea.”
When she worked, she lived off caffeine, whether coffee or black tea.
Do you know that feeling when you drink a single cup of coffee when your insides feel tight, and your mind snaps awake as if caffeine suddenly rushes through your whole body?
But unlike Jeyord, who grabbed his stomach and cackled behind them, Eren had no reaction whatsoever.
Even then, Hedmillton calmly placed one hand over his chest, his eyes shining.
“In return, if you give me bread on time, I write documents pretty well. And I organize even better.”
Excellent output for the input.
Perhaps because of his overly minimized self-introduction, Eren’s stiff expression did not change.
At this rate, he was going to smash even the pumpkin that had rolled right in, so Liselotte hurriedly grabbed Eren’s arm.
“Your Highness, hold your comment for a moment. If you say it now, you won’t be able to take it back.”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You were going to. I saw your eyes narrow.”
Forcing herself between the two, Liselotte tightened her grip on his arm with all her strength.
Eren, who had been sharpening his tone just moments before, looked down at her with a softened expression.
When she tugged his arm, he didn’t resist and obediently followed.
Quickly turning her head, Liselotte looked at Jeyord and issued a firm order.
“Lord Seten. Make sure Hedmillton doesn’t go anywhere!”
“As much as you want.”
Confirming him thumping his chest confidently with his fist, Liselotte stepped out onto the terrace.
When she closed the door, the loud noise of the Great Hall became muffled.
In the slightly cool night air, Liselotte downed the champagne glass in one long gulp.
Eren simply crossed his arms and leaned against a pillar beside her, silently watching her.
He lightly tugged at the high, tightly fastened collar of his uniform and tilted his head slowly.
“So that was your taste.”
“I will say this clearly: absolutely not.”
“Jeyord or Hedmillton. Which one are you talking about?”
“One of them is a civil official, so they aren’t even comparable in the first place.”
Setting her glass down on the railing with a clink, Liselotte let out a breath.
It seemed that the correspondence with Jeyord had caused a misunderstanding.
Whipping her head around, Liselotte fixed her gaze and enunciated clearly,
“I sent Lord Seten a letter because I didn’t have a partner for the banquet.”
It was true that unless she forced a summons, no one would volunteer to be her partner.
A partner request from a member of the Imperial Family always took absolute priority.
Liselotte had made very thrifty and efficient use of this rule.
All of that was in the past now.
With a rather brazen little glance toward him, Liselotte asked in return, as if for him to see,
“Now that I have an official partner, there’s no reason to contact him, is there? Why would I, when I have a husband?”
If strange rumors arose and she ended up the at-fault party in a divorce, it would be a disaster.
And on top of that, it would be an unfair false accusation.
But at her words, his posture gradually straightened.
Was it her imagination that his eyes, which had been sharper than when he first entered the terrace, now seemed a little softer?
Either way, what mattered was that this damned body wasn’t trembling.
“Anyway. The reason I’m interested in Hedmillton is because he’s quite a competent talent.”
She tapped the terrace railing lightly with her palm. Tap, tap.
“Now, I will present the reasons why I must bring Hedmillton into the North.”
“Are you drunk?”
“I’m not joking.”
When she focused her gaze on him as if telling him to pay attention, he closed his mouth quietly and firmly.
With a flick, Liselotte raised her index finger, and her Hedmillton promotion began.
“One. You know about the Magic Tower and the magic device contract, right? He’s the one who accomplished that extremely difficult task. He has connections with the Magic Tower. Normally a big catch like this gets scooped up before he even hits the market.”
Even at her desperate appeal, he didn’t so much as blink.
Under his calm gaze, Liselotte flicked another finger open.
“Two. House Keilos is currently short on aides. Aide experience in coordinating joint subjugation efforts is not common.”
It seemed he intended to simply watch whatever Liselotte did.
His reaction remained indifferent.
‘So he’s going to be like this…’
Liselotte unfolded yet another finger.
“Three. He’s the one who sent the most decisive evidence that overturned the compensation plan House Gloria demanded this time. At the banquet, it didn’t look like he had a good relationship with Duke Gloria either.”
Her voice grew louder, almost as if she were staging a demonstration now.
“Four. You heard what Hedmillton said earlier, right? The resolve to work himself to the bone! The determination to give his very soul as long as he’s fed bread! He has experience and he has passion!”
“He was the East’s closest confidant.”
A level, even voice quietly cut off her statement.
Liselotte understood completely.
If he had seen countless outsiders trying to interfere in House Keilos, he could never believe that Hedmillton, who was even the chief aide, had pure intentions.
It was a situation that was reasonable to doubt if one did not know the truth.
‘In the original story, he was loyal to House Gloria because he liked Diana, but that’s not the case now…’
But she couldn’t say that as it was.
Since the hiring authority was hers, she could push ahead unilaterally if she wanted.
But she didn’t want to force it while knowing all the circumstances.
House Keilos was Eren’s home.
Hedmillton would surely be of help to him.
‘It would be more than enough if he could simply be used as the key card to overturn the damages House Gloria claimed.’
Recruiting him had absolutely no downside from any angle.
If it still didn’t work even after this, then she had no other choice.
She really didn’t want to say something like this.
After a brief hesitation, Liselotte spread all five fingers wide.
“Five. Just… can’t you trust me?”
For a moment, Eren’s eyes, which had seemed like they would never budge, wavered.
Not missing that moment, Liselotte stepped closer.
“If you have doubts, put a Word of Command on the contract. I’ll write the termination clauses in detail. If anything happens, you can exclude me from House Keilos’ affairs.”
“That’s not what I mean…”
“The money invested to recruit him will be restored with my personal funds. I won’t let there be any loss.”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
Looking troubled, he swept his large hand down his face.
“Of course, the North belongs to Keilos. I have no intention of letting anyone interfere ever again.”
It sounded like a resolve he had carried all his life.
She thought the sharpness of someone who had blindly protected a single thing since childhood was mixed into his firm tone.
Letting out a deep breath, he looked straight at her.
“Wouldn’t you be in danger?”
