At this thought, Herbert felt reassured and calmed down a lot more. The initiative was with him and he did need to panic. They were here because they wanted something from him and he was willing to entertain them, of course, this was from a proper distance.
Moments before Amelia had reached the Ravenmoon manor, she had been panicking. She knew that there had been a lot of fanfare regarding the relationship between the two of them, it was just that she did not expect those in power to also be paying attention of her status with Herbert.
In actuality, it was not just the Ravenmoons that saw an opportunity in the marriage between Herbert and Amelia. There were also members of the royal family that saw it as a chance to get acquainted and gain support from the Northern Duke. It was especially so for Amelia's brothers who were staring directly at the throne. Some had pretended to get along with her just to pull out the backing of the Ravenmoons and take them as their protector.
Since Herbert had no intentions of showing up in front of her to apologize, she decided to go out of her way to look for him at the Ravenmoon's manor in the capital only to find out that he had already left for his home at the north. The reason that she had gone her way to travel to the north was also because of the opportunity that will be missed with Herbert's absence. She was already too close to getting an Awakened Crystal. She didn't want to let the chance pass her by. Her mindset was hell-bent on getting the Awakened Crystal as she believes that once she awakens, she could escape from her destiny to be used as a tool for a political marriage.
As her carriage went ever so closer, she felt her chest tighten. She now knew that Herbert had long been aware of what she had in mind. At this point, she was lost, why did it take Herbert so long to take action to cut her off if he was already aware of it? Was he just testing her or was he really doing it because he meant it, she was very unsure about which it was. But regardless of that, she knew that she shouldn't waste the chance and seize the moment. The winter was already about to arrive, this meant that they would be unable to return for a long while. She had made the trip knowing exactly that she was already a cornered mouse, if she didn't grab a hold of this opportunity, then it would mean that she would no longer have any future.
Taking her first step down, she finally saw Herbert. He was still as cold and distant. It was like nothing had changed, however, as she looked at the lady beside him, she couldn't help but frown which she quickly hid as she still had to reply to their greeting with proper etiquette as the Ninth Princess of the Lionstone Kingdom.
After Herbert had shown them the way inside, Amelia was surprised. Usually, Herbert would take the effort to offer to escort her. This time, however, he seemed to be bound to the lady beside him and had never left her side. She was initially puzzled, she heard her introduce herself earlier when they were welcoming her, but what was the relationship of Herbert with that woman? She didn't understand if this was a bluff or just one of the many ways that Herbert intends to humiliate her to put her off the game.
Time passed without anything much happening. Herbert did not pursue the issue of why they were here and Amelia did not explicitly try to tell him either. Their conversation had reached a weird stalemate with neither of them wanting to show their intentions first.
The entire time, Ingrid had been prevented from causing any harm as Herbert would immediately step on her foot or nudge her from under the table every time she decided to open her mouth to speak.
"Since it's already late, why don't we leave it here for today? I'm sure both of you are already tired from traveling such a long distance. I will have the servants lead you the way. May you have a good night's rest."
After saying those words, Herbert did not look back and instantly set off with Ingrid in tow. He was able to get his head off Amelia as the whole time he had been distracted by Ingrid's antics. He didn't know when she would blow up so he had to keep a close eye on her to prevent her from doing any unnecessary things.
When the two of them reached a fair distance, Ingrid spoke to him in a low voice.
"You don't seem to be happy?"
"Is there a reason for me to be?"
"Well, aren't you glad that you got to rendezvous with Goldie after a long while?"
Recently Herbert had realized that it was much more effective to physically shut her up rather than to talk to her with words. As he once again grabbed Ingrid's mouth, he pulled her close and leaned over to whisper in her ear.
"Don't forget what you're here as."
After saying those words, Herbert gave Ingrid a glare before letting her go. Unfortunately, Herbert's glare wasn't as effective as it once was.
"I see, so you really want me to be your fiance that badly, huh? Wait, where are you going? Hey! Wait."
Herbert did not mind the annoying bug that continued to stick to him like glue. As he went past his room, he entered his father's study. Without his father, the place was temporarily his and he could do anything he wants. After calling a servant to issue an order to, he had Ingrid wait on the corner until he heard a knock on the door.
"Sir Herbert, it's me. I have received a summons from your servant."
A melodious female voice came from outside the door. Herbert soon grabbed a hold of Ingrid and let her sit on his lap.
"You can come in."
At those words, the door opened and a young woman entered the room. She was still in the same outfit that she had when they had dinner together.
"It has been a long time, Sir Herbert."
"Let's skip the pleasantries. Lady Elena, I'm sure you know why I called you here."
The woman in front of Herbert did not lose her composure despite her obvious disadvantage. She remained steadfast with her calm countenance and demeanor.
"I apologize if I have offended you, my lord. Please forgive me."
Without further ado, Elana immediately dropped any sort of resistance and apologized as soon as she could. This was the only thing that she could do after she had been brought down to her knees as a result of Herbert's actions. After all this time, she could only regret not being able to see that the difference between the two of them was not something that she could reach just because she worked hard for it. The gap between them is like heaven and earth, she was nothing but a worm who had been gazing at a bird that could fly freely in the sky.