After hearing this story, the silver-haired girl remained silent for a long time. She tapped her chin with her fingers, thought for a while, then turned back to look at the sunlight falling from the tall arched window. The sun outside had already started to tilt toward the west.
"So, what is the ending to this story, Lord Overwell?" she asked.
"The ending is me telling this story to Your Highness here. Isn’t the ending already clear, Your Highness?"
"Indeed, but there is still one thing you didn’t mention, Lord Overwell," the Princess asked with great interest.
"You said ’he received something good during this process.’ However, from start to finish, I didn’t hear you describe this item at all—" the Half-Elf Girl asked.
"Is that so, Your Highness? I recall explaining it quite clearly." Overwell smiled slightly, feigning surprise as he answered.
"Lord Overwell, are you saying that Albton gave him a badge? Just a magic badge, that doesn’t count as something good, right? With your insight, you surely didn’t mean that."
"No, no, of course not. Your Highness ought to think more carefully?"
The silver-haired girl calmed down, tapped her chin and thought for a moment, "I think it must be in the Valley of the Saints. I remember there was a part of the story that you described very briefly, Master Overwell. The mystery must lie there."
"Your wisdom is unparalleled, Your Highness," Overwell sincerely praised. "But I didn’t deliberately make it brief; I truly felt two powerful presences lurking nearby and didn’t dare to get closer. I had intended to warn earlier but discovered them too late—"
"Oh? Though you are not renowned for your swordsmanship, I recall your strength is at Lower Gold, right? How could there be someone that makes you hesitant to even approach?" The Half-Elf Girl was slightly stunned.
"About right, but fortunately, it seems those two powerful presences also didn’t want to be discovered. They must have used some strategy to force themselves to retreat." Overwell answered with lingering fear.
"If that’s the case, the young man must have gotten something inside," The Princess thought for a moment, "yes, you haven’t told me, what did he see when he opened his pouch?"
Overwell showed an appreciative expression, looked around, then mouthed something.
The silver-haired girl was stunned upon hearing it, her expression slightly changed, "Such a thing, does it really exist?"
Overwell nodded, "I had only heard about it in legends before, and I was as surprised as you. However, that item, once touched by a mortal, will no longer belong to another person."
"Indeed a pity, otherwise it might change my brother’s personality. For Erune, his personality is a bit too soft." She looked at the important minister beside the emperor and said, "Otherwise, Lord Overwell, you would have snatched it away, right?"
Overwell wasn’t fazed, but he nodded, "Even if he was a friend of Everton’s daughter, it would be the same."
"I’m afraid it’s not just a simple friendship," the Princess couldn’t help but laugh.
Overwell glanced at her, knowing she was reminding him not to make plans involving her. The important minister couldn’t help but shake his head. In the beginning, he had indeed considered using Oberg the Seventh’s daughter to form an alliance with the Highland Knight.
But given the Princess’s dominance, it seemed unlikely. Nonetheless, he couldn’t help but think that, as a royal daughter, she couldn’t escape the path of arranged marriage. Since that was the case, the young man seemed like a good candidate.
At least better than many noble youths he had seen.
Of course, these were just thoughts. He bowed his head and said, "Since the story has come to an end, Your Highness, it’s getting late. May I be excused?"
"Lord Overwell, you may. I’d like to stay here alone for a while longer."
Overwell looked up at the silver-haired girl and couldn’t help but find it amusing. He knew very well that the Princess was avoiding her historical tutor Sir Panosson, who might have been waiting for her all afternoon in the side hall and might be planning to complain to the emperor.
"Avoidance isn’t a good solution, Your Highness," he couldn’t help but softly remind.