As Lucia and Liliana walked side by side down the corridor, they stopped just in front of the office door. Lucia tried to step forward, intending to go in first.

She knew that as soon as they stepped inside, Helio would immediately unleash his anger, and she didn’t want to put the small, rabbit-like woman in front of that storm.

“Your Highness, I’ll go in first.”

However, Liliana gave a bright smile and lightly squeezed Lucia’s hand before letting go.

Before Lucia could stop her, Liliana stepped into the office. Lucia was right behind her, so she had a clear view of Helio’s expression.

Helio, who had been glaring at the door with a face as cold as a biting wind, sighed when he saw Liliana enter first. There was a distinct difference before and after that brief sigh.

He still wasn’t smiling, but his stern expression was more like that of a strict guardian, not a harsh ruler.

“Empress Consort, if you have business with me, please step outside and wait.”

At Helio’s words, Liliana immediately walked to a corner of the office. Although there was a clear difference between inside and outside, she awkwardly smiled as if to say, “Isn’t this enough?”

Helio held his forehead as if dealing with a headache but didn’t force Liliana to leave.

With the small exchange between Helio and Liliana over, Lucia made a formal bow with poised grace.

“Greetings to His Majesty the Emperor.”

Helio’s gaze toward Lucia was like a dark, icy cave, devoid of emotion.

“Princess, you seem polite today, but are my words amusing to you?”

Usually, they were like any brother and sister from a common family, calling each other names and raising their voices, but now they were perfectly performing their roles as royals.

“There’s nothing amusing about it. I’m standing here opposing Your Majesty because I know how powerful every word from you can be.”

“I’ve kept you standing for five hours, yet it seems you haven’t changed your mind.”

“If it’s for the people’s safety, I would have no trouble turning to stone right there. Your Majesty, I will go to the kingdom. I will become their queen as they wish.”

Helio watched Lucia before standing up and moving to the window. Seeing his troubled back made Liliana want to reach out and comfort him.

“If I send you away, we might save hundreds or thousands of soldiers right now, no matter what happens to your life.”

“I am a royal of the great Carlo Empire. I have lived my entire life on that honor and am prepared to pay the price anytime.”

As Liliana watched the tense exchange between them, she clasped her hands below her belly button. She didn’t want the atmosphere to become overheated, but she also felt it wasn’t her place to intervene.

“Why can’t my wise sister see the future? The kingdom of Sagreen will realize that the Carlo Empire does not want war, and they will treat you like a hostage. Everything has changed from marrying into a noble family as a precious princess. You’ll become the empire’s weakness and the center of all conflicts that may arise. Will you still go to Sagreen? Would you sacrifice billions for the immediate safety of a few thousand?”

Helio’s outburst froze the room like a glacier. Liliana, Lucia, and even the attendants in the room held their breaths.

Helio rarely raised his voice, even when upset. He might use sarcasm but didn’t lash out without reason.

Lucia’s lips trembled before she turned and walked out without so much as a farewell. Though it was a discourteous exit, Helio didn’t try to stop her, and the maids quickly followed her out.

Helio clicked his tongue and looked out the window. His mind was so cluttered that he was grateful everyone had left, giving him some peace.

But when a small hand cautiously reached out and held his, Helio felt a strange sense of comfort.

When Helio turned, he saw Liliana standing there, looking as if she were about to cry. She lifted her head to meet his gaze and mumbled something, her lips quivering.

“Why didn’t you follow her?”

Helio asked, though the words didn’t come from his heart. Liliana blinked innocently and shook her head, her eyebrows already furrowed even deeper.

“Why would I follow Her Highness?”

“You came all this way because you were worried about her.”

“Yes. I went to the Silver Deer Palace, but Her Highness didn’t return even after several hours. I was worried.”

“So then…”

“I was worried that if you were unkind to Her Highness, you would be upset. What’s troubling you to act in ways you don’t mean?”

Liliana, seeing that Helio didn’t push her hand away, wrapped his hand in both of hers.

Despite the significant difference in their hand sizes, when she enclosed his large hand with hers, Helio was completely hidden. He was at a loss for words at the unfamiliar sensation.

“Your Majesty, I don’t want war either.”

If anyone else had said such a thing outright, Helio would have laughed it off. Could war be stopped just because one disliked it? But instead of mocking, Helio found himself listening intently to Liliana’s voice.

“I don’t want to see you on the battlefield! But I also don’t want Her Highness to go to Sagreen! But the war that’s meant to happen will happen. So I will find a way for this war to end as quickly as possible.”

Liliana’s transparent eyes sparkled with determination.

“Your Majesty, you must be thorough in all matters, so prepare for war. I’ll prepare to minimize the war! So much that you won’t even need to go to the battlefield!”

Who could argue against such confidence? Helio’s mind flooded with thoughts, but he couldn’t voice a single one. He just gave a weak smile and nodded.

“Do it.”

It didn’t matter if she failed. As always, he would go to war, win, and return.

But as if she knew what was in Helio’s heart, Liliana pulled him into a tight hug.

“I won’t let you go to war!”

After making her firm declaration, Liliana slowly took three steps back, smiling brightly as if to assure him that she could be trusted, then exited the office.

Preventing a war wouldn’t be easy; she’d have to run around tirelessly, maybe even more than she could manage. Even then, the likelihood of stopping the war was very low.

And yet, Helio found himself oddly believing that Liliana might just succeed.

With his mind somewhat settled, Helio was about to sit back down when Liliana, who had hurried out, poked her head back through the door, grinning.

“Her Highness knows Your Majesty’s heart too!”

Leaving those words behind, she finally left for real this time. Helio, holding onto his chair, let out a faint laugh.

* * *

As soon as Liliana left the Emperor’s Palace, she looked around. Not far away, the head maid of the Silver Deer Palace approached and greeted her.

“Her Highness is waiting for you.”

Beyond the maid’s shoulder, Lucia’s carriage came into view. Lucia could have left the Emperor’s Palace earlier, but she seemed to have anticipated that Liliana would seek her out.

Liliana stood before the open carriage door, grateful for Lucia’s consideration and smiling.

“Your Highness!”

Lucia greeted Liliana with a strained smile.

“Thank you so much for today.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Your Highness, you’re not too upset with His Majesty, are you?”

Liliana asked with a worried expression, and Lucia shook her head.

“His Majesty was right. The moment I heard his words, I realized how impatient I had been. It was embarrassing.”

Lucia sighed, and Liliana took her hand comfortingly.

“Your Highness, you want the war to end quickly, don’t you?”

“Yes!”

“Because you’re worried about His Majesty?”

Liliana clamped her lips shut, her eyes darting around nervously. Although she was technically part of the empire’s royal family, her desire to stop the war seemed naive, as it stemmed more from concern for Helio than for the nation.

But what was the point of denying it? Liliana nodded.

“I’m worried about His Majesty and you as well. And the war… I don’t know much about wars, but I wish they wouldn’t happen.”

“You’re searching for a solution but don’t know what to do, so you came to me?”

“Yes!”

Lucia rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought, before speaking up.

“If we solve the Gathis River issue…”

“The Gathis River?”

“Yes. I think the Gathis River is the key to ending this war without significant losses. It’s an area with great potential for profit, but it requires substantial financial and time investment to realize that potential. The river is valuable, but compared to the lives of our people, it’s not worth as much. Helio probably thinks the same…”

Sagreen’s demand to return the Gathis River was essentially just a pretext. However, removing that pretext was one of the critical maneuvers in this war.

Even if it meant a loss, giving up the Gathis River to Sagreen as they demanded, without any compensation, could prevent the war.

Liliana, who had been listening intently, responded with a serious expression.

“But that would only work if the carlo Empire weren’t a powerful nation.”

Lucia was well aware of this, too.

“You’re right. Some might see it as mere pride, but as Helio said… if the Emperor’s dignity is shaken, the whole nation could be destabilized.”

“So you’re saying we should give the Gathis River but not just hand it over?”

“But no matter how much I think about it, I can’t come up with a solution…”

Lucia seemed to have been pondering this for a long time. Each time she massaged her forehead and sighed, her beautiful face appeared to age a year.

Seeing her, Liliana thought to herself, ‘What should I do? I don’t know either!’

Liliana, looking as if her head might explode, kept deliberating deeply. Watching her, Lucia laughed and patted her hand.

There was no guarantee that just standing there would bring a solution, so the two decided to end their conversation with the hope of finding a better way next time.