He Xi glanced at the notes above the description of himself in Lionel's notebook:
Ston; Ironcrown*
Interaction: Received a warning glare for looking at Princess Aislin a moment too long.
Interpretation: Look one more time and you'll be very unlucky.
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Response strategy: None for now.
"And what's this asterisk for?"
"Ahem." Lionel cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly and swiftly snapped the notebook shut. "It marks my 'priority watchlist.' Put simply, they're the sort of people you either absolutely must not provoke, or need to find a way to win over."
He stuffed the notebook back into his coat, leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and tried to bury the earlier embarrassment beneath a new topic. "Speaking of which, brother, haven't you given that detail from the banquet some serious thought?"
"What detail?"
"Ston Ironcrown! He's a direct member of the Ironcrown Family, Grand Duke Sigmund's own nephew! The fact that he appeared at Princess Aislin's side and even served as her chief guard says plenty on its own."
"What does it say?" He Xi asked obligingly. He truly did not know much about Frost Winter Kingdom's internal political landscape.
"It says that while Grand Duke Sigmund hasn't made a public declaration, he's already made his stance clear in private—when it comes to the heir to the throne, he supports Princess Aislin over her several brothers."
Excitement gleamed in Lionel's eyes. "The Ironcrown Family's stance carries enormous weight in the Frost Winter Kingdom. This means Princess Aislin has far more support than the outside world can see. There's a lot... very deep waters beneath this."
He Xi looked at him, at the way he seemed to see through everything. "What does that have to do with you... or rather, with us?"
"What does it have