As soon as this thought arose, Leinas denied it, because along the way, the guards were all familiar faces, and there were no signs of any turmoil.
Leinas quickened her steps, walked out of the corridor, stepped onto the pure white marble stairs, and soon arrived in front of a wide door carved with exquisite patterns.
The worry that had risen in her heart.
Made Leinas, who was already not fond of following rules, want to push the door open, but her hand lifted halfway before she ultimately decided to knock instead.
Thump! Thump!
With a "click".
The exquisitely carved door quickly opened.
A pair of pure, sapphire-like eyes were the first thing that met Leinas's gaze, causing her to feel startled, as the one who opened the door was none other than Princess Renner herself.
"Your Highness," Leinas quickly bowed and spoke.
"You're here, Leinas."
Princess Renner looked happy, reached out and took Leinas's wrist, pulling her into the room.
The palace room was spacious and bright.
The only thing was that it seemed a bit empty; the many maids who usually served here were all gone.
Seeing such a sight, Leinas couldn't help herself frown, a rare hint of warmth appearing on her face.
Princess Renner's position in the palace was actually somewhat special; her external beauty and reputation for intelligence were indeed widely known to the outside world.
But her status within the royal family was not high; the title of princess, for the royal family, was originally a bargaining chip used for political marriages or to win over great nobles.
Let's put this matter aside for now.
What truly angered Leinas was that regardless of Princess Renner's previous status, the moment she joined the princess's faction, Princess Renner's own status had actually risen.
The maids' neglect of Princess Renner, in Leinas's eyes, was even more so a slight against her.
"Your Highness, where are the maids? Why aren't they here?" When Leinas said this, her tone already carried a hint of coldness.
Her temper was never good.
"I sent them back. On a celebration day like this, many maids also have noble gatherings to attend."
Princess Renner seemed not to notice the change in Leinas's tone, and spoke with a smile.
The maids serving in the royal palace were different from ordinary maids; most of them came from noble families, especially those serving royal family members, which was not something ordinary minor nobles could be qualified for.
As she spoke.
Princess Renner had already led Leinas to the center of the room, released her wrist, and quickly walked to the tea table, picking up a beautifully packaged, palm-sized gift box and handing it over.
Leinas subconsciously took it.
"As you know, Leinas, unlike my two brothers, I don't have extra ways to earn money. The item isn't precious, but it's my celebration gift for you."
Click!
The door to the palace room closed again.
Leinas walked out holding the gift box, feeling a bit bewildered.
So?
Princess Renner called her over just to give her a celebration gift.
Leinas walked along the corridor, her expression somewhat complex: "There are no maids present, and the guards outside the corridor don't seem unusual, which means Princess Renner sending the maids back isn't the first time she's done this."
"And this gift..."
She opened the exquisite box.
Inside lay a pair of lace-patterned gloves, thin as cicada wings. They weren't woven from ordinary silk threads but seemed to have used spider silk from some magical creature.
They had no magical effects but were extremely tough.
As an expert, Leinas could tell at a glance that this pair of lace gloves fit her hand shape perfectly, clearly prepared with care.
"If I hadn't already sworn a knight's oath to my master, it would truly be easy to fall deeply into this kind of 'careful preparation'," Leinas slowly exhaled.
Inside the empty palace room.
Princess Renner watched Leinas leave as the door closed, the corners of her gentle lips curving slightly upwards.
She turned on her heel.
Her white dress swirled on the exquisite carpet.
With a "pat" sound.
Her translucent high heels landed on the carpet.
Princess Renner lightly leaped, her body gracefully sitting on the tea table, her pure white, flawless feet peeking out from her dress and swinging in mid-air.
"Heh, this isn't my true gift, Leinas."
Princess Renner had a smile on her face, yet her eyes were unusually calm. In a voice only she could hear, she softly murmured:
"Bringing 'Free Will' into the palace, would that count as a real surprise for Miss Leinas?"
"Hmm, that's a bit too blunt. The leader of 'Free Will' is actually more anticipated."
"How can I meet him?"
"Oh, right. 'Blue Rose' and 'Free Will' just clashed... After the celebration ends tomorrow, Lakyus will come here... I can ask Lakyus for help."
If Leinas were here, she would definitely be shocked that Princess Renner, who had always stayed deep within the palace, would know about what happened outside the capital recently.
Those maids who were usually not very noticeable were important channels for obtaining outside information. With Princess Renner's intelligence, she could easily learn many things through simple deduction.
...
The grand celebration event continued until midnight, showing no signs of stopping.
The crowded and lively flow of people.
Minori looked at Enri and the Verdant Witch walking ahead of him and gently shook his head.
He actually had little interest in such events; compared to the activities in his previous life, they held no attraction for Minori.
He might as well research alchemy with this time, but Enri's expectant mood had influenced him.
Even the Verdant Witch, who usually seemed indifferent, showed signs of interest in this grand human event.
"There hasn't been any movement during this time. Are they waiting for something, or do they have other plans?"
Minori watched the lively scene ahead, his mind, however, contemplating other matters.
Since he arrived in the capital, he hadn't actively had direct contact with Leinas, which wasn't entirely for the sake of avoiding risk.
Rather, Minori wanted to see how Princess Renner would make her move.
Minori never believed that the fact that Leinas knew him could be hidden from Princess Renner; the other party might even guess that Leinas's relationship with him was somewhat unusual.
Although this speculation was unfounded.
But when it came to Princess Renner, Minori believed that she should be able to guess this far.
This could also be considered his confidence in this Golden Princess.
Therefore.
Minori was actually very curious about what kind of actions Princess Renner would take when faced with such a situation.
And the reason Minori wasn't worried about things getting out of hand was not only because he had the strength to kill Princess Renner even if she stayed deep within the palace.
But also because even if Princess Renner were to reveal this matter, no one would believe her.
At the same time.
For Princess Renner, this was also an opportunity to shed her "canary" identity.
In the end.
Minori sending Leinas to Princess Renner's side was actually a hint of "cooperation".
Leinas might not have realized this point, but Princess Renner definitely would.
In his previous life, Minori was just a mediocre ordinary person; he wouldn't think he was particularly smart, especially when facing this top-tier intelligent person.
Therefore, only by standing at a higher dimension could he produce a suppressive effect. To put it in more easily understood terms, he could flip the chessboard.
At this moment.
A slender figure, moving with skillful steps, made her way through the crowded flow of people and quickly came to Minori's side.
"I didn't expect you to be interested in something like this. It seems you value those two in front more than I initially expected."
A faint voice, as if someone owed her money, sounded.
"Oh, it seems there's good news," Minori turned his head, looked at Imina beside him, who was somewhat disguised, and spoke with a smile.
"There isn't."
Imina walked forward alongside Minori, her hands in the pockets at her waist, following the flow of people.
"Is that so?"
Minori shrugged: "That's a real shame then."
"Hey, you haven't answered what I just said," Imina's amber pupils widened slightly.