As the atmosphere softened, Lieselotte's expression suddenly turned serious.
"Mother... about the debt. Do you intend to consult Her Majesty the Grand Queen Dowager, Lady Liliana, and Madam Lucretia?"
"Yes, that is my intention.
"Her Majesty the Grand Queen Dowager has helped me in many ways ever since she was the Queen Dowager. I am sure she will hear me out.
Lady Liliana is trustworthy as well. And as for Lucretia... well, she can never resist an interesting proposition, so I daresay she will be willing."
The Grand Queen Dowager was the mother of the late king and grandmother to the first prince.
For Celine, she was not only a mother-in-law by relation, but a powerful protector as well, since Celine belonged to her faction.
Liliana—Liliana von Heidenrose—was the ruling lady of the March of Ishurias, the liege house of the Reberk Barony.
Back when Celine was the Virtuous Consort, Liliana had served her as an apprentice lady-in-waiting and attended her devotedly, which made her someone Celine felt she could trust.
And Lucretia—Lucretia Bartini—was the gifted proprietress of a luxury brothel in the royal capital, and held a royal warrant.
She's clever and dependable, but she certainly has her quirks... Still, if I'm going to protect my lord husband, I need her network of information no matter what...
After taking a breath, Celine continued her explanation to Lieselotte.
"If we place ourselves under the Grand Queen Dowager's protection, the Queen Dowager faction will not be able to move against us so easily.
And Lucretia is exceedingly well-informed. There is no one better suited to sounding out the movements of the nobility.
To protect my lord husband, we cannot do without good intelligence."
At that, Lieselotte fell silent for a moment in thought, then gave a quiet nod.
"Yes, that's true.
There is nothing more troublesome than noble envy."
Celine smiled a little at her daughter's agreement, but that did not mean she was free of worries.
"Still, the real problem is Lady Liliana."
"Lady Liliana? She rules a margravial domain, does she not?
And she once served in the inner palace as an apprentice lady-in-waiting.
Surely she can be trusted?"
At Lieselotte's question, Celine considered for a moment before answering slowly.
"Yes, Liliana herself is unquestionably trustworthy.
It's simply that I do not think she possesses a great fortune in her own name.
And if we borrow carelessly from the margrave's house, there is a chance certain troublesome relatives will involve themselves."
"...Surely you do not mean him?"
At the note in Lieselotte's voice, Celine gave a small nod.
"Yes. The very man who once sought your hand."
The moment he was mentioned, Lieselotte's face twisted as though she had bitten into something bitter.
"That would be... troublesome indeed..."
"Yes. He may try to use the debt as leverage and press you to marry him again."
"P-please spare me. I... well...
I have feelings for my lord husband."
Lieselotte said it with a blush, then turned her eyes away.
The sight made a smile slip from Celine before she could stop it.
"My, have you already fallen for my lord husband?"
"I-I don't know!"
Watching her daughter avert her face in embarrassment, Celine found the whole thing endearing.
"Hehe. Still... I wonder whether there is anyone besides Lady Liliana we can trust..."
Celine let out a small sigh and lowered her eyes, thinking.
"In that case, would it not be better to look for a trustworthy merchant house?"
"A merchant house... yes. We do not have the spare hands to run such things ourselves, so if we could find one we can trust, it would be a great comfort."
She tilted her head slightly, knitting her brows as she murmured,
"But will we find one so easily?"
"That aside... we will need money for my lord husband's plans either way.
Why not sell off the things in the house that we no longer need?"
Celine was a little surprised by Lieselotte's suggestion, but she quickly understood the scheme behind it: Lieselotte meant to judge the merchants by the prices they placed on the goods.
A soft smile touched her lips.
"I do not mind. Hehe, Liese, you do think of interesting things."
"So you saw straight through me, Mother."
Lieselotte smiled with a trace of shyness.
"Yes, but it will be good practice for you. Go ahead and try it.
"Anything that would only go to waste if left in the capital may be sold off."
"Thank you very much."
At Lieselotte's firm reply, Celine nodded in satisfaction.
When they reached the stairs, Celine came to a halt.
"I still have to offer my farewells to His Majesty and Her Majesty the Queen Dowager before I leave the palace, so go on ahead to the townhouse with my lord husband, Liese."
"Understood."
Just as Lieselotte started down the stairs, she turned back as if remembering something.
"Mother, may I ask one more thing?"
"Yes? What is it?"
Celine tilted her head, wondering what Liese could possibly want to ask that had nothing to do with her lord husband.
Lieselotte spoke in a hesitant voice.
"Why does Her Majesty the Queen Dowager regard you with such open hostility?"
At that question, Celine blinked in surprise.
Come to think of it, Liese doesn't know the reason, does she?
She hesitated over how best to answer, but in the end decided to be honest.
There was little point in keeping such things from her daughter. One day, she was bound to learn the truth.
"Because... I was His Majesty's first love."
"What? You mean His Majesty Alexis, not Father?"
Lieselotte's eyes went round.
With a wry smile, Celine gave a light shrug.
"Of course. Her Majesty the Queen Dowager was the Noble Consort at the time, and apparently she could never forgive it."
Lieselotte went still for a moment at that answer.
Seeing her daughter's astonished face, Celine found herself recalling those distant days.
She had been young then, full of reckless momentum, but now it was only a fond old memory.
"When was that?"
"Let me think... His Majesty must have been around eight."
At those words, Lieselotte frowned despite herself.
"Eight... He was just a child."
A small smile touched Celine's lips at her daughter's reaction.
"Hehe, I can understand why that surprises you, Liese.
But even a child's first crush must have seemed precious to the Noble Consort.
She may have felt as though someone was taking her son away from her.
After all, I accepted a title myself because I could not bear to be separated from you, Liese, so I cannot say I fail to understand the feeling."
Lieselotte fell silent, as if slowly digesting those words.
At last she nodded.
But there still seemed to be a faint trace of dissatisfaction between her brows.
"Even so...
forcing such a deeply indebted territory onto us was far too cruel."
Lieselotte said it with a slight pout, her voice tinged with grievance.
She was so earnest about it that Celine could not help letting out a quiet laugh.
"Oh, but isn't it all right?
Thanks to that, we met my lord husband, and we even gained a harem of our own.
And with my lord husband's power, we will be able to pay off the debt as well."
At Celine's answer, Lieselotte blinked in momentary confusion, then nodded as though the logic had won her over.
"That is true...
I suppose we ought to thank the nobles who spread those rumors about the hapless noble."
Celine smiled at her daughter's straightforward reply.
"Indeed.
Her Majesty the Queen Dowager could never have imagined that House Leonidas's disinherited son would possess such power."
Celine said it jokingly, and Lieselotte gave a quiet little laugh.
"I still can scarcely believe it myself, so I doubt anyone else would."
Watching that smile on her daughter's face, Celine suddenly thought of something and spoke.
"And so... who was your first love, Liese?"
At once, Lieselotte's cheeks went crimson and her gaze darted helplessly through the air.
"M-my first love...? I... there is no such person!"
The sight of her daughter blushing and flustered drew a satisfied smile from Celine.
"Oh? So you have not had a first love yet? Or is my lord husband your first?"
"T-that's not it.
Th-there's no way that could be true!"
Her voice cracking as she desperately denied it, Lieselotte only made Celine laugh softly.
"Hehe, very well.
Feelings like that begin before you even realize it.
But... if my lord husband is your first love, then he is a fortunate man indeed."
"M-Mother, please stop teasing me!
I'm going ahead!"
Her face still bright red, Lieselotte hurried down the stairs.
I wanted Liese to remain free...
Watching her daughter's retreating back, Celine found herself remembering the days when she had busied herself with menial tasks in a luxury brothel, only to catch the late king's eye and be drawn into the inner palace.
Back then, she had never had the leisure to dream of love.
She had been forced to surrender herself to fate, her own will nowhere in it.
If possible, she wanted Lieselotte to walk toward a freer future.
And yet, if House Strauss was to take royal blood into itself, there had been no real choice.
She did feel a trace of guilt over having forced Lieselotte into Yuri's harem, but if it was him—if it was Yuri, with all his kindness and sincerity—then perhaps Lieselotte, too, might one day learn what it meant to love and be loved.
With that certainty in her heart, Celine smiled.
It's a bit of a nuisance, but... I should finish my farewells quickly and go see my lord husband.
They had only just met, and yet every time she thought of Yuri, a gentle warmth welled up from deep within her.
The feeling spreading through her chest surprised even her, and her lips softened before she realized it.
For all the way she had spoken to Lieselotte, perhaps she herself was the one falling in love for the first time.
Celine let out a small breath. Feeling heat gather in her cheeks, she hurriedly cupped them in both hands, trying to cool them even a little.
Surely not... me...
Her heart was wrapped in a feeling that was both ticklish and pleasant.
Cradling it like some sweet secret, she found herself smiling without meaning to.
Her spirits lifted, and as though something were gently urging her onward from behind, she started down the palace corridor with a light, buoyant step.