"What's wrong?"
Greg noticed a subtle change in Catherine's expression for a fleeting moment.
"No, nothing."
Catherine gently shook her head, her smile turning soft and natural again, as though that brief oddness had only been Greg's imagination.
Greg did not dwell on it and instead asked, "So what exactly did you mean by 'having a dance together'?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
Catherine tilted her head slightly.
"I simply wanted to pass the time. This banquet is rather dull for me, after all."
The moment Greg heard that she merely wanted to kill time, he lost all interest. He had no time to be someone else's entertainment.
"You might be bored, but I'm the one taking a risk. I'm leaving. Don't contact me unless it's important."
He rolled his eyes and turned to leave.
But he had only taken two steps when Catherine's unhurried voice came from behind him.
"Although I previously provided Victoria with some financial resources through 'simple tasks with generous rewards,' I imagine she's spent most of that on the various expenses for the Exchange Meeting by now."
Greg stopped in his tracks.
He slowly turned back to Catherine, a hint of wariness and scrutiny entering his gaze. "Why are you suddenly bringing that up?"
Catherine maintained her harmless smile. Her tone was casual, but her words carried unmistakable leverage.
"Hmm... I was simply thinking that if I'm in a good mood today, perhaps I'll go see her after the banquet and provide her with more resources. But if I'm in a bad mood, I might need to wait a while, until I'm feeling better, before I go see her."
"..."
Greg fell silent for two seconds.
Looking at Catherine's gentle, innocent smile, he took a deep breath, then returned to her side and held out