After listening to Eve's words, Maggie looked thoughtful.
She had considered this possibility, but the Duke acted quite quickly. However, since Eve had given her a hint in advance, things became much simpler.
Just as dawn broke, there was a knock on Maggie's door. Harlan, who had been out carrying out a mission for her, opened the door and stood in front of her.
The ramrod straight paladin commander's eyes revealed a gentle smile the moment he saw Maggie.
"Your Highness, Holy Maiden."
His voice was hoarse with a hint of weariness, as if he had rushed back from outside and come straight to Maggie.
Maggie nodded blankly, because Harlen did look very tired. His usually handsome face was pale, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
"Thanks for your hard work."
She felt a little awkward, but still offered her words of comfort to Harun.
Harlan has probably been cleaning up the slave auction site these days. According to the progress reported to her by the Holy Knights, Harlan has probably not slept for several days and wants to speed things up to make the Duke's losses even more severe.
Although this was indeed Maggie's goal, she was very happy to see such a gratifying result.
But at that moment, seeing Harlen, who had made herself look so disheveled and whose face clearly showed that she was exhausted, she still felt a little uncomfortable.
Her desire to suppress the Zefneria family's forces could be considered her own selfish motive.
It's okay if you don't work so hard. What employee would willingly work overtime for their boss just to fulfill their wishes?
This is so strange.
As Maggie was thinking this, she looked up and her eyes met those of a bright blue-green man.
Harlan didn't answer her question. Instead, he curled the corners of his mouth. Although his handsome face wasn't as handsome as usual due to exhaustion, strangely, his gaze towards Maggie was surprisingly bright and intense.
This made him appear even brighter than usual; the dawn light shone on him, as gentle as if the god of light had returned.
Maggie felt inexplicably guilty and could only silently turn her head away from his gaze, muttering something under her breath.
"Actually, you don't need to work so hard."
Although Maggie's voice was very soft, Harlan still heard her entire sentence clearly. His smile deepened, and he bent down slightly, resting his elbow on the door frame above Maggie's head. He looked down at the whorl of hair on Maggie's head, with golden strands hanging down, and his voice was low and tinged with helplessness.
"Your Highness, as a qualified leader, you should be giving me words of encouragement now."
"If you say that, I'll lose my motivation."
He didn't take credit; he simply reminded Maggie what she should do in a calm, slightly teasing tone.
"..."
Maggie remained silent. She had indeed let her guard down a bit, but for Harlan, her current subordinate, to remind her like this was really foolish of him. Didn't he want to be tired enough already?
Looking for a boss to lead an animation project?
As strange as Perkins.
"Then keep trying?"
Maggie hesitated a bit as she spoke. Although she was indeed wary of Harlen, it didn't mean she wanted to be a heartless boss. Harlen looked like she hadn't slept for days.
To put a high-level paladin this way, it's highly likely that he hasn't slept at all these past few days, having been constantly clearing out strongholds.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Hearing Maggie's words, Harlan lowered his head even further. As he responded in a low voice, his arm quietly fell from above his head, landing directly on Maggie. His other hand rose in the same direction, and his strong arm completely encircled Maggie in his arms.
Maggie froze instantly.
But it was only for a moment. Harlan gave Maggie a perfunctory hug, then turned and left gracefully, not giving Maggie a chance to speak.
Maggie was left alone, completely bewildered.
"???"
After a long while, Maggie's sluggish face finally showed a look of 'the sky has fallen,' and she seemed to have turned into a huge question mark.
"He just hugged me, didn't he?!"
Maggie was shocked.
Maggie was puzzled.
Maggie was puzzled.
Maggie's brain is overloaded.
Maggie completely crashed.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but she finally seemed to have recovered. She walked unsteadily toward the cathedral, muttering something to herself as she went. Her eyes were vacant, but her feet were still instinctively walking in a straight line.
Even if she were a very straightforward woman, she couldn't possibly interpret Harlen's hug as having any other intention.
But the option that Harlan might have special feelings for her was completely unacceptable to Maggie.
This possibility shocked her worldview.
So Maggie got stuck.
Beneath her seemingly calm exterior, she was actually in complete chaos.
The culprit, Harlan, recharged himself with a hug and then seemed to be on drugs, showing no signs of fatigue whatsoever. If it weren't for the dark circles under his eyes, one would almost suspect that he had gone to sleep for a long time.
At least that's what the deputy commander Ferrier thought when he saw Harun return to the regiment.
...
When Rabai stopped Maggie, who was wandering like a ghost in the corridor, she was a little confused.
Maggie is usually so composed and strategic, so why does she seem so abnormal today? She's like an empty shell with her soul ripped out; only her body is still there, but her mind has disappeared.
Labai hadn't had a chance to communicate with the plants, so naturally he didn't know what had just happened; he only knew that Maggie was acting a little strange.
However, this is a perfect opportunity. I didn't see Maggie yesterday, so today is the perfect time to give her the information I've gathered.
Despite the suspicion it might raise, Rabai knew that Maggie's plan had reached a critical juncture, and if he didn't tell her now, Maggie's losses would be significant.
After weighing the options, Rabai decided to expose himself.
Maggie was unaware of Rabai's thoughts. When her path was blocked, her mind only began to return to normal. Looking up at Rabai's beautiful blonde face, she couldn't even muster the usual concern for her.
Labai didn't mind. She naturally took Maggie's hand and began writing in her palm.
'I know where the Tea Rose Potion is made; I think you'll need it.'
Maggie was like a computer that was unresponsive. After capturing the key information, she suddenly restarted. Labai didn't move for a long time after she finished writing, and then suddenly opened her eyes wide.
"!"
Her current expression truly lived up to the saying, "Her eyes are wide open like copper bells."
"You know that?!"
In her haste, she even forgot that Rabaii was deaf and asked directly.
Labai could read lips, so he naturally understood what Maggie was saying, and nodded seriously.
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