Shazo says, "You're called Henwell, The Fsh, Arius's stand-in, who walked the Path of Honor in his pce. Later, you were knighted by Grand Duke Amir. Am I wrong?"

  Henwell smiles and corrects him, "Prince Shazo, there might be some misunderstanding. You've heard rumors and taken them as truth. I'm not Arius's stand-in; I'm his cousin. We grew up together, and I'm part of the Phoenix family. Arius never used a stand-in for the Path of Honor; he braved it alone. Even though I would have liked to help, the Path of Honor is too sacred to have someone else take pce. The entire duchy is buzzing with Arius's story, a fact witnessed by all our people!"

  Of course, it's all a joke!

  Some things are best left unsaid. How can one bring them out into the open?

  Especially in front of foreign royalty,it's crucial to maintain discretion.

  Prince Shazo smirks, "You're a crafty one, aren't you? Fine, if you say so! Can you tell me about your 'brave' cousin's experiences on the Path of Honor?"

  Henwell catches the sarcastic emphasis on 'brave' but pretends not to notice, unching into tales of his experiences. Most are the well-known stories circuting in the duchy, but Henwell also shares some lesser-known anecdotes.

  Prince Shazo listens intently, occasionally interrupting with questions about the details.

  After Arius finishes dancing two songs, Henwell wraps up his story. Shazo, still intrigued, remarks, "Arius sounds quite interesting! How did he know that the Snowcrest Chickens would mingle with the ducks in the summer? He's clever to think of catching the featherless Snowcrest Chickens among the ducks. But tell me, was it really a Snowcrest Chicken he caught?"

  Henwell raises an eyebrow, "Of course! Not many have seen what a Snowcrest Chicken looks like in summer. I caught one when I was young to observe their seasonal changes! Honestly, if I didn't care about deceiving Viscount Luer, I could've just plucked a wild chicken and he wouldn’t have—"

  Halfway through his sentence, Henwell freezes.

  Prince Shazo, with a pyful grin, asks, "Wouldn't have what? Detected your little scheme?"

  Henwell ughs awkwardly, "Hehe... It wasn't my scheme; it was Arius's!"

  Prince Shazo chuckles and, turning to leave, says, "Your stories are amusing. I'll come find you again sometime."

  Watching Shazo's retreating figure, Henwell curses inwardly. What a tricky little minx! How did he fall into her trap, getting carried away by her fttery and banter? Truly, the prettier the woman, the more deceitful she can be!

  From the first gnce, Henwell realized this young man was actually a woman in disguise. Despite the meticulous disguise, even with a fake Adam's apple, the feminine features were unmistakable. Plus, there was a hint of a high-end perfume favored by dies of the Billie Kingdom.

  Most importantly, Henwell knew what Prince Shazo looked like. Before arriving, he had obtained portraits of many key figures. Aside from a few reclusive dies, he'd seen images of nearly every royal family member. He remembered Prince Shazo clearly.

  For someone to impersonate Shazo and be addressed as "Your Highness" by Daniel, while being a girl, the identity was obvious. It was Arius's intended bride—Princess Catherine.

  The beautiful woman chatting with Arius is likely a fellow stand-in, a substitute for the princess. Who would have thought Princess Catherine would be so bold as to send her stand-in to entertain Arius while she herself seeks out Henwell to learn more about him?

  Henwell gnces at Arius, who is ughing and joking with the beauty not far away. He silently muses that his younger brother's future might be quite complicated.

  After the banquet ends and they return to the residence, Henwell waits until everyone else has left before telling Arius, "The girl you were talking to isn't the princess!"

  Arius, casually peeling dried fruit, doesn't seem surprised at all. "Of course she's not the princess! I've met the princess once before."

  Henwell is puzzled, "Then why were you chatting so enthusiastically?"

  Arius responds matter-of-factly, "Why not? She's pretty, isn't she?"

  Oh boy! This guy has fallen for the beauty trap, unaware that his fiancée is here probing for information about him!

  Then Arius adds, "Even if I knew she was a fake princess, what could I do? Expose her directly? That's clearly inappropriate in this setting, so I just pretended not to know."

  Henwell says seriously, "There's something else! The real Princess Catherine disguised herself and came to me to inquire about you!"

  Arius's interest is piqued, and he jumps out of the footbath, running over to Henwell. "Really?! Tell me, how did your conversation go?"

  Henwell doesn't hold back, recounting the entire exchange, including his own little slip-up at the end.

  After hearing the story, Arius raises an eyebrow and asks, "Henwell, what do you think of Princess Catherine?"

  "She's smart, composed, strategic, and likely has some impressive skills..."

  Arius rolls his eyes and interrupts, "That's not what I meant. I asked if she's pretty?"

  Henwell pauses, then recalls, "Despite the disguise, I can tell from her eyes she's quite a beauty."

  Arius nudges Henwell, "So, did she make your heart skip a beat?"

  Henwell immediately stands up, "No! If you're going to talk like that, I'm leaving the Billie Kingdom!"

  Arius grabs Henwell's arm, "Why are you panicking? I'm not jealous; I'm genuinely asking what you think of the princess. If you like her, we could figure out how to have you marry her. You're at the age for marriage, after all!"

  Seeing Henwell's incredulous expression, Arius realizes something.

  "Huh?! You don't get it?"

  Henwell is bewildered. Princess Catherine is his fiancée! Is Arius twisted? How did he never notice this side of him before?

  Arius pulls Henwell back to sit down. "Henwell, so you do have things you don't understand! Let me expin the logic to you!"

  Arius is thrilled, as he sees Henwell as a jack-of-all-trades, knowledgeable in many areas. Now that he's found something Henwell doesn't quite grasp, Arius is eager to show off a bit!