As Liz brought Minerva over, Alice finally noticed her—and her expression subtly shifted.


    "Oh!" Alice reacted with mild surprise, preparing to approach and greet Minerva. After all, it had been days since theyst saw each other. She had even begun to suspect that Minerva might be avoiding her—but quickly dismissed the thought.


    <i>’Minerva’s supposed to be my best friend,’</i> Alice reminded herself. She reasoned instead that Minerva had simply been busy recuperating, especially with her brother tied up inpany matters. And besides, even if Minerva were around, it wasn’t like she could actually help Alice get closer to Rafael. So, Alice had chosen to let her rest and focus on thepetition instead.


    Still, seeing Minerva show up today caught her off guard.


    Her gaze shifted, and her eyes trailed from Minerva to the woman beside her—Liz Goldsmith. Alice’s brows subtly furrowed. ’<i>What’s Minerva’s rtionship with Liz Goldsmith?’</i> she wondered, suspicion quietly blooming in her chest.


    But before she could dwell on that question, her eyesnded on two more familiar figures just ahead of them—Athena and Hera. Athena looked unmistakably irritated as she dragged Hera toward the boarding gate.


    Alice took a step forward, her heart skipping a beat the moment she spotted Hera. She didn’t want to dwell on why Hera was here—because if she did, she might lose herposure. The thought that Hera could truly be ’<i>Andarta Aria’</i> crept into her mind, but she pushed it away.


    That couldn’t be. More likely, Athena was simply dragging Hera along to join Liz Goldsmith on her trip to France. After all, wasn’t Athena quite literally pulling Hera forward right now?


    That had to mean Andarta Aria still wasn’t participating in thepetition herself and had instead sent Liz as her representative, while Athena and the others went along for support.


    But then—what was <i>Minerva</i> doing with them?


    Alice’s confusion deepened. Desperate to find out, she tried to move closer, hoping to speak with Minerva. But the moment she stepped forward, she was subtly blocked. The bodyguards surrounding them moved like a human wall—unobtrusive yet firm.


    Though they were dressed casually, almost like K-pop idols—tall, stylish, and attractive—their sharp eyes and imposing presence made it painfully obvious that they were professionals. No one was getting through them easily.


    Alice’s brows twitched in irritation as she found herself blocked by the silent wall of men, unable to get past them. Meanwhile, Hera and the others moved effortlessly toward the ne, slipping through the gate with ease. The airline staff had just begun boarding, starting with first ss, followed by business ss, then premium economy, and finally economy—leaving Alice to wait and watch from behind since she also holding a business ss seat.


    So, Alice had no choice but to wait patiently and settle into her seat first, nning to look for Minervater. With the social standing of Minerva, Liz, and Athena, it wouldn’t be difficult to figure out where they were seated.


    She didn’t bother thinking about Hera—assuming Athena was footing the bill for her, so she was probably just tagging along. As for the bodyguards surrounding them, Alice assumed they belonged to Athena too.


    After all, Minerva never used to travel with bodyguards. What Alice didn’t know, however, was that ever since Minerva’s kidnapping incident, Rafael had made it clear that Minerva was never to go anywhere without protection. Even on the way to the airport, she had been apanied by a security team.


    It was only when she met up with Hera that her guards pulled back. Why? Because Rafael trusted Hera. He knew she never went out without elite bodyguards of her own, and having both his sister and his woman under Hera’s bodyguard’s protection gave himplete peace of mind—especially after witnessing firsthand the skills of Hera’s highly trained security team.


    Once they were inside the ne, Hera, Liz, Minerva, and Athena were settling into their seats when Alice entered shortly after. Just as she was about to approach Minerva, a flight attendant walked up to Hera with a polite smile.


    "Hello ma’am, may I see your ticket, please?" the attendant asked, her tone respectful and professional.


    There was no hint of rudeness in her manner, but in Alice’s eyes, it looked like Hera was being questioned—perhaps mistaken for someone who didn’t belong in that section. A smirk crept across Alice’s face as she stood by, watching the scene unfold with thinly veiled glee, almost as if she were expecting Hera to be asked to move or reprimanded in some way.