The power player of the Rhapsody Region,

Estelle Bertina Fernandez

Currently, she was engulfed in a thick sense of anticipation while waiting for the results of a recent endeavor she had undertaken.

This endeavor was related to the unique geographical characteristics that only the Rhapsody Region possessed, distinguishing it from other parts of the Sacred Empire.

Unlike other regions, the Rhapsody area was the only one in the Sacred Empire that bordered the Dragona Empire.

Because of this, the region had maintained a close relationship with the Dragona Empire throughout history.

Utilizing this advantage, Estelle recently sent a letter to the Emperor of Dragona Empire through her connections.

Had there not been the exceptional situation of the Bohemian rebellion, the contents of the letter could easily be deemed dangerous, bordering on rebellion.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have dared attempt such an action, fearing for her and her brother’s lives.

However, sitting on the back of the tiger known as the Heretic Alliance, the Rhapsody Region no longer had a reason to be wary of Emperor Sijip.

They had already crossed the point of no return, and all that remained was to survive the Emperor’s furious offensive by any means possible.

In fact, to this end, the Heretic Alliance was currently making efforts to forge a closer alliance with Lorend and Britain using Friedrich the Lord’s connections.

However, Estelle felt that just that wouldn’t be enough given the circumstances.

The ruler of the island nation of Britain, King Jim I, prioritized his country’s interests above all else, and especially at this point when Friedrich had lost his stronghold, he was likely to avoid reckless fights.

As for Lorend, which had fought against the Sacred Empire for generations to gain independence, they had no choice but to stake everything on this war for their safety, but as a small nation, their capabilities were clearly limited.

Given such a situation, the Heretic Alliance needed a greater strength, and Estelle believed they required the immense power of the Dragona Empire, which even the Emperor of the Sacred Empire could not contend with.

“Though the Dragona Empire is one of the heretic nations, they have maintained a hostile relationship with the Sacred Empire for generations. There’s enough reason to believe that the enemy of my enemy could be my friend.”

In this manner, Estelle was doing her utmost for the alliance.

However, her motives were not solely for the pure intention of Rhapsody and the Heretic Alliance.

She was, quite literally, head over heels for the man who was her fiancé and a key player in the Heretic Alliance, Santana.

And within Estelle’s heart, there burned a fervent desire not for a mere contractual engagement with Santana but to formally become his wife.

To achieve that goal, she was ready to do practically anything except matters involving her younger brother,

and thus, she was working to endear herself to him while strengthening the ties of their engagement to ensure he couldn’t easily break free from her.

But then…

“What? Mr. Santana?”

“Yes, it seems he has come seeking assistance due to some crucial matter that has arisen recently.”

“Oh… really? What kind of important matter could it be?”

“Unfortunately, I do not know. He said he would discuss the details directly with you, Ms. Estelle…”

For some unknown reason, Santana’s visit came quite unexpectedly.

Without realizing it, Estelle started to feel her heart race.

It had already been quite a while since their engagement ceremony, and they hadn’t seen each other even once since then.

The mere thought of seeing the man she loved again brought her joy all on its own.

Moreover, she was certain that if he learned about the matters she was presently involved with, he would surely be pleased.

“I was planning to summon him after some time, but who would have thought he’d seek me out like this… Could this be fate?”

With such high hopes, Estelle immediately accepted the meeting with Santana, and shortly after, she began preparing herself, making sure to display her most beautiful appearance.

For a woman, beauty is an important weapon beyond personal skills.

Like a warrior polishing their weapons before heading into battle, after adorning herself, Estelle concealed the smile that threatened to bloom on her face and headed towards the place where Santana was waiting, wearing a serious expression.

*

“Welcome, Mr. Santana Andreas. It seems a long time has passed since we last met.”

“Has it been nearly a year since the engagement ceremony? I sincerely apologize for not being able to visit due to my busy schedule. I’m glad to see you again, Estelle Bertina Fernandez.”

Before me sat my fiancée in a contractual arrangement.

Looking at Estelle, I greeted her in a polite voice, noticing she seemed to shine even brighter than the last time I had seen her.

However, aside from her appearance, as soon as the formalities were over, I began hurriedly contemplating the urgent matters that needed addressing, and sensing my urgency, Estelle took a sip of her drink before turning to me.

“Well then, let’s set the greetings aside. First, I would like to know why you have come here, Mr. Santana. What brings you to visit without prior communication?”

Straightforwardly diving into the main point without any small talk, Estelle left a rather positive impression on me and instinctively, I glanced around cautiously.

At that moment, the only others present in the room were Polena, who stood behind me, and a servant who seemed to be one of Estelle’s closest aides.

There didn’t appear to be anything much to worry about, so I cautiously began to address Estelle.

“Before answering that question, there’s something I’d like to confirm first.”

“A confirmation? What do you mean?”

Her tone held a hint of inquiry.

As I heard her, I began to wonder whether she really was unaware of the pressing matters, or if she was merely pretending not to know.

Of course, given the previous context, the latter seemed more likely, but I couldn’t jump to conclusions.

Thus, to delve more deeply into the matter, I spoke to her clearly.

“Do you have any knowledge regarding my sister… Queen Andreas?”

“Queen Andreas? Is something wrong with her?”

Estelle tilted her head slightly at my question.

Seeing her reaction made it clear that she didn’t seem to know, and, still harboring my doubts, I began to share more detailed information.

“Actually, not long ago, my sister the Queen was kidnapped.”

“What?”

Estelle’s expression shifted to one of astonishment and confusion upon hearing my words.

Watching her display genuine surprise made me realize I had to explain the situation in more detail.

In the dead of night, a witch who wielded soul-manipulating magic stormed into the lord’s castle, and while trying to stop her, the Queen got captured instead.

Lastly… considering the type of magic used, I speculated that this incident might be related to the Dragona Empire.

“Of course, this is only circumstantial evidence at best, and I can’t be sure about anything yet. The possibility exists that the Emperor might have orchestrated this deliberately.”

With that, I left some room for doubt and observed Estelle’s expression carefully.

She seemed uncomfortable in various ways, apparent even to me.

So, I decided to wait and see what she would say…

After some moments, Estelle, sweating slightly, responded to me.

“P-Please don’t misunderstand, but I would appreciate it if you could hear me out.”