《Kill The Villainess》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Whether you want it or not, everyone is supposed to be born into the world. I was born that way, and I didn¡¯t live by doing what I wanted to do, but I¡¯ve lived just as normal and happy. However, life is often unpredictable, and some of them are absurd enough to be broadcasted on radio stories to win prizes or spread around the Internet community as a laughing stock. I came to this world in the blink of an eye. A world where the Crown Prince still exists, where the warrior walks through this street, where there is faith and magic. To be exact, the world of common romance novels that I read at my friend¡¯s house the day before yesterday. I opened my eyes as the only villain there, the only daughter of the Marquis, the childhood friend and fianc¨¦e of the Crown Prince, Eris Mis¨¦rian, who is jealous of the female protagonist. Some women may have dreamt of such a world once, and some women may have decided to live earnestly here since they cannot help it. However, I have no confidence in loving this world. So, let¡¯s die as soon as possible, and return to my world. *** ¡°Lady, are you awake?¡± Is it because I am an agnostic person looking for God? I earnestly hoped to get myself back at this point, but I still opened my eyes in the novel today. Instead of hearing my mother¡¯s voice that I wanted to hear, it was the voice of the maid that woke me up. My mouth, which has always been obstinate, is bent gently to me, but it did not impress me. The part-time job I did just to make ends meet was surprisingly useful in these places. ¡°Huh. Did you say that we would enter the Imperial Palace today? A polite smile hung awkwardly around my mouth. Because the main character and narrator of the novel was Helena, the heroine of the novel, I didn¡¯t know Eris¡¯s personality or surroundings. However, when they see that Eris was not particularly strange, I seem to have managed to imitate the nobleman. Getting dressed usually took about two hours, but today I had to go to the Imperial Palace, so I had to start preparing an hour earlier than usual. She¡¯s probably trying to do it to look beautiful to her fianc¨¦, the Prince. It¡¯s all useless. The Crown Prince loves Helena, the mistress. From the moment I first met her until now. Her desperate devotion continues until the end of the book, finally reaching the end when Helena will be welcomed as the Empress. Eris, who loved the prince, or to be precise, was jealous of Helena, went crazy. Actually, this novel wasn¡¯t my cup of tea. It was a perfectly decent story to read if one was bored as it contained commonly recurring tropes and characters that reduced the story¡¯s perfection. There was no twist, no memorable narrative. Just a repetition of sweet excitement with three handsome and talented male lead candidates, and the vicious acts of Eris who interfered with them. Despite being another villainess who confronted the female lead, there was no such thing as the narrative of Eris. She was just full of inferiority, a person who unilaterally disliked the good Helena and did not reflect on herself until the end. She was more like a plot device as the heroine¡¯s ordeal instead of a human being. Eris eventually succeeded in poisoning Helena, but she dramatically returned from death because one of the male protagonists was the High Priest. Such a clich¨¦ story. This is the story that Eris dies and Helena lives happily ever after, but everyone who likes Helena will be satisfied. ¡°What are you thinking, my lady?¡± A woman who arranged Eris¡¯s hair after dressing up asked. This was exactly what I imagined Snow White to look like when I read it as a child, with black and rich hair, white skin, and bloody lips. A strange and beautiful woman was reflected in the mirror. It was scary. ¡°Thinking that time is really slow.¡± ¡°My lady, you must be looking forward to your engagement ceremony?¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± My death is so painful. *** ¡°A glorious afternoon, Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± ¡°¡­ Your Majesty, what a glorious afternoon it is, as you have waited for me.¡± When I came out after greeting the Emperor, the prince¡¯s attendant and knight were waiting for me. Since the prince hates Eris so much, he might skip teatime at least once, but he inevitably kept his promise. This is because it was neither a promise to me nor a promise to the Emperor. ¡°Eris! No, Lady Miserian! Oh my God!¡± An innocent and cheerful voice with a lovely smile greeted me. When her silvery hair fluttered lightly as if her sugar was melted and pulled out, the prince smiled and arranged her hair. It was a pair that matched well with, ¡®a glorious afternoon¡¯. The blonde prince warmly watched as Helena tied her hair, then turned a cold gaze to me. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s later than usual.¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s a glorious afternoon, Your Highness, Helena.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad the tea hasn¡¯t cooled down yet. Come on, sit down.¡± ¡°Stop being so formal to her, Helena. You¡¯re two are friends¡­ right?¡± Helena, whose eyes were filled with anticipation, and the Crown Prince, whose gaze looked as if he would slap my cheek if I shook my head, turned towards me at the same time. It was funny. The fallen Countess, who was a close friend of the Empress, accepted the position of the Crown Prince¡¯s nanny, and her daughter turned out to be Helena. Although she has the blood of a prestigious family, she is considered a commoner now. She hadn¡¯t even dreamed of drinking tea together in the original story, and she would use the prince¡¯s favor for her in order to be a nobleman. Originally, if we were following the development in the novel, Eris would attempt to catch the fault and then be expelled by the angry prince, but it was also tiring to cause such a disturbance. Regardless of whether I give Helena a verbal rebuke now or later, the Crown Prince would hate Eris, but I didn¡¯t have to lose my strength. So I gently turned to Helena. ¡°Cold tea tastes bitter. Will you fill my cup?¡± ¡°Oh, sure Eris.¡± ¡°¡­ Has the young lady not learned how to pour tea at home? Or maybe she has discomfort in her hands?¡± Seriously? The Prince opened his sharp eyes and glared at me because I asked his woman to work, but it is unfortunate that a person who has no regrets in life is not afraid to respond. Although the Marquis couple wasn¡¯t my real mom and dad, I was annoyed by the man in front of me who was immediately talking about family education. ¡°As I said, Your Majesty, we¡¯re friends¡­ is it against the law to ask a friend for a cup of tea?¡± ¡°¡­ You.¡± When considering the law, he was at a disadvantage. The Crown Prince, who was about to yell at me with a wrinkled brow, shut up because of Helena¡¯s sudden intervention. ¡°Yes, Alex. I went along because we are friends. If you keep grunting like that, would you like to pour the tea instead?¡± The Prince¡¯s lips were pouting with discontent when his words were lightly greeted with disdain. Then Helena patted his lips lightly with her index finger and middle finger. This was a sign of her own anger. It was very rude, but she was as lovely as a famous painting. Maybe that¡¯s why everyone loves Helena. According to the book¡¯s description, Helena was not hated for anything because of her unique innocence and straight personality. Even those who hated her would fall in love with Helena, reflecting on themselves and betraying Eris. At that point, it was not attractive but more like magic. ¡°Are you guys drinking without me?¡± ¡°Jason! Are you back already?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll stay in the capital for a while, it¡¯s a glorious afternoon, Your Majesty.¡± With a cheerful voice, Jason appeared, hugging the Prince and Helena at the same time. The eldest son of Duke, Jason was more famously known as a warrior. They are childhood friends, and Jason was one of the pitiful men who falls in love with Helena. In fact, Eris should have been kicked out after acting stupid. The scene of the three quietly unraveling the story is the content of the novel, but the two male protagonists hated me anyway, so I was going to stretch out a little more. ¡°Oh, my God, I¡¯ve been rude. Lady Mis¨¦rian, you¡¯re still beautiful.¡± Laughing and chuckling while he treated people as if they were invisible. But then Jason raised his head and greeted me as well. He did not forget the wink, befitting the nickname of ¡°the Empire¡¯s best playboy¡±. He is handsome, but it wasn¡¯t funny. ¡°A glorious afternoon, Sir Kazar.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any contribution to the Duke of Kazar, and the title is not suited me. Jason is enough.¡± ¡°As the Prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, how dare I?¡± When she gave strength to the word fianc¨¦e, Jason¡¯s eyebrows were raised. He peeked at the Crown Prince¡¯s expression. The Crown Prince was a man who could not hide his feelings. At least in front of both Eris and Helena. One because this blunt person openly loves Helena, and he doesn¡¯t like her. ¡°I see many things. Your Highness.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need that. The attention of others does not affect me.¡± Actually, I didn¡¯t want to deal with him. Even if I got angry at children being childish than me, I could only lose my energy. However, it was unbearable to see the Crown Prince raising his lips as if he had won. So I smiled more calmly on purpose and said it like a fling. ¡°There is only one person under the sky who can do that¡­ And he also looks for comfort in silence.¡± (T/N: Eris talks about the emperor). ¡°Eris!¡± Helena called her name in surprise. The Prince held back his anger and clenched his fist. Jason stood beside the Crown Prince and focused on me, in case of emergency. Indeed, it could have been upsetting to say that he was not an Emperor. If you scratched my stomach, I should have felt relieved, but somehow I felt bitter. Strange, I¡¯m sure Eris was their childhood friend. Eris was perfectly treated as an uninvited guest in this room, or almost a foreign object. If you were the real Eris, you might have been hurt. I slowly got up from my seat while looking at them. With a subtle smile to Helena, who looked at me with her eyes wide open, I added- ¡°Thank you for the tea, Lady Antebellum, but you shouldn¡¯t talk down to me and His Highness in crowded places. There is social status to be considered.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡± Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Helena hugged the Prince, who was almost ready to rush at me. Then he bowed his head in a timid way and nodded. Even the sight was cute, like a dog in the rain. She smiled as if she were satisfied with his answer and I slowly returned to the carriage and sat down. The heavy accessories, tight corsets, and slightly thick makeup were all heavy. I looked out the window and held my breath. Helena, who was born with such a good heart, always suffered losses. It was okay though. There were three of the best men in the world who would devote themselves to her. A stranger who wants to die soon, wouldn¡¯t be a big problem. The day has dawned. It was a perfect day to kill myself. In conclusion, I didn¡¯t kill myself. There are many reasons for this, mainly, if you try to kill yourself, you can¡¯t die. Not only can you not kill yourself, if you try to cut your wrist, or fall from a high place, or take poison, one does not die. A hanging beam or branch broke when I tried to hang myself. If I shot a gun, the gunpowder did not work, and if I ate poison, despite it being actually bad, I slept well instead. In a world where supernatural phenomena is taken for granted, causality seemed to interfere. The incidents in which I tried to kill myself does not disappear, but it was modified to be an unfortunate accident if it went far enough to affect the story. For example, if I openly stabbed others in the stomach with a knife, a mysterious man suddenly appeared and stabbed them with a knife too, and fortunately, he was the one caught in the wrong. When I fell from the roof, the horses stationed below picked me up. Despite the apparent suicide attempt, everyone thought I had lost my footing. Supernatural phenomena must be dealt with by supernatural phenomena. Even when I was in Korea, I¡¯ve never seen a tarot card before, yet in here, I can¡¯t do anything to die. I gave a little tip to the maid and asked her to find a fortune teller who said she was good. After a series of ¡°accidents¡± and the Crown Prince¡¯s coldness, the maid was delighted when I said I was going to see a fortune teller. She seemed to want me to change my mood, regardless of the fact that she believed in the point. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since you¡¯ve been out, so why don¡¯t you dress up a little bit more?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be right back after I meet a fortune teller.¡± ¡°Oh, come on. It¡¯s in the back alley of the main street anyway, so look at the clothes and accessories. You can eat sweet snacks.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it now you¡¯re saying that. There must be some snacks you want to eat, right?¡± When I asked the maid, who wanted to choose clothes, she touched her hair as her face turned red and answered back. ¡°Do you think I am doing this because I want to eat sweets? Ahem, there are some things I want to eat with sweets, but sweets originally make people feel better¡­ I¡¯m just saying I want you to feel better.¡± It was a smile full of love. With a bitter feeling, she nodded her head, and the woman knelt down and helped her put on her chosen shoes. ¡°We still have plenty of time before sunset, so don¡¯t rush.¡± ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my lady.¡± Everyone in the mansion loves Eris. Did Eris love them, too? I thought it would be nice if I loved them. The streets were crowded with people. When I examined it, I recognized it from the time when the invention of the gun came out, so the Empire was closer to modern times than to the Middle Ages. All the roads in the castle were built with stone, and even in a country where there is basically a diplomatic relationship, magical engineering was developed, so there were trams in the castle and street lights that lit up in the night. It¡¯s ridiculous for a country that believes in gods but rejects wizards to be able to develop magical engineering, but for now, those who study magical engineering are called engineers rather than wizards. It is similar to alchemists, so to speak. Whatever it may be, it was both strange and envious from the standpoint of a modern person who lived on Earth that it generates energy such as electricity without the risk of environmental pollution. Of course, the story is about the highly developed civilization of an Empire that developed magical engineering, and where other small and medium-sized Kingdoms were still far behind the Empire. No, maybe this prosperity and development of the Empire was achieved by squeezing other Kingdoms. As expected, when you ride something, you have to think about it while looking out the window. Before I knew it, I arrived at the back alley of the busy street and the Knight opened the door. I came out holding the knight¡¯s hand and looked around. Even if it was a back alley, it was not a chaotic atmosphere. Rather than colorful and expensive items like the store at the roadside, there were many cute shops opened by ordinary people. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the same for Eris, but for me, this side was more affectionate and interesting. ¡°Shall we wait?¡± ¡°No, go back to the mansion.¡± ¡°But my lady, wasn¡¯t it dangerous the other day? It¡¯s dangerous to go around alone.¡± ¡°Do I need to say it twice? I told you to go back because it was annoying.¡± I couldn¡¯t even die anyway. If there is a family knight next to me, I will not be able to ask what I really want to ask. The Knight hesitated for a while, then asked me to call for pick up when I finished my business, because I said I would look around for a while. I decided to accept the compromise because it would only make me tired if I was more stubborn. Then slowly, I went into the store in front of me. It was clearly a shop inside the building, but it was a shop that felt like a tent or a hut. My eyes were quickly drawn to the shelves full of mysterious and sparkling clutter, and I was about to unconsciously reach out to the items. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t touch it, sweetheart.¡± When I looked back in a horrified surprise, a woman with red hair and white skin slowly walked out. The thin black dress and the bright jewel necklace matched very well, so she was more like a rich family figure than fortune teller. ¡°If you¡¯re really good at it, you know what I¡¯m worried about.¡± ¡°Well, Lady Miseran, no, should I call you a poor stranger?¡± Surprised by that, I stared at the fortune teller. The fortune teller smiled, grabbed my frozen hand, and slowly led me down the stairs to the basement. I felt overwhelmed by the dim lighting and cold air. She sat me on one of her sofas and she sat on the opposite side, on her wooden chair. ¡°You know who I am, so things will be easier. I want to go back to where I was.¡± ¡°Poor stranger, it¡¯s not as easy as it sounds. Smelling your soul, you¡¯ve already tried a lot of things.¡± ¡°Smelling?¡± ¡°You wanted to break your soul, but the world would not allow it.¡± She took some medicinal herbs out of the cupboard, put it in a large pot in the corner, and stirred it. She looked like a witch rather than a fortune teller. Before long, the fortune teller gave me a bowl containing an unknown violet liquid, and it smelled awful that I really didn¡¯t want to drink. ¡°Gulp it down.¡± ¡°Do you know what this will do?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s poison, isn¡¯t it good for you?¡± True. She wasn¡¯t wrong, so I had no choice but to shut my senses and drink it all at once. It tasted terribly sour. When I finished and closed my mouth, the fortune teller smiled and put sweet jelly in my mouth. ¡°You seem to have noticed, but I¡¯m not just a fortune teller.¡± The fortune teller took off her lace gloves and held her hand slightly closed. At that moment, a very beautiful and strange pattern shone in her hand, as if burning. Well, if you consider the form, it¡¯s more like an art. ¡°Let me introduce myself, outlander. I¡¯m Medea, the last witch of the land.¡± Witch? This was a little interesting. It was because she was a character who did not appear in the novel. She looked at me with a shine in her eyes and then laughed out loud. ¡°You seem to have a lot of questions about me, so I¡¯ll answer only two questions.¡± ¡°First of all, you said you were the last witch of the earth, so there is no witch other than yourself? Or is it somewhere else?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the last one in the Empire. Everyone lives far away from the persecution of the Empire. But it¡¯s not a lot.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a castle. Don¡¯t you have any offspring?¡± ¡°Yes, there are cases where children are left behind, but they are rare. We only call each other by name because each individual¡¯s presence is important. And they¡¯re all considered sisters.¡± There were many things I wanted to ask, but I held back. Medea served her jelly one more as if she knew it was good. I asked as I rolled it in my hand, which had white powder on the surface. ¡°Is there any way I can go back?¡± ¡°We can only help you if you¡¯re willing to die like you¡¯ve tried. But it¡¯s my first time seeing a poor stranger in my life, so I think I should ask my sisters.¡± ¡°How long does it take?¡± ¡°It takes about fifteen days. Please understand that the distant sisters live beyond the continent, so there¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to die?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t ask me that. Poor Stranger¡­ You don¡¯t seem to know the difference between magic and theology yet. Theology is the study of creation, and magic is the study of anomalies. If you want to make a way that¡¯s not there, you should go to the temple and ask for directions. Of course, I¡¯m not sure there¡¯s a way out there. It¡¯s something I don¡¯t know about¡­¡± I nodded and gave out the money I had prepared. Medea bowed down, but I insisted. ¡°I¡¯m giving it to you to be burdened. I don¡¯t believe your secret is more fatal than mine, so you won¡¯t try to take advantage of it.¡± ¡°If you say it¡¯s for my life, I¡¯ll take it. I¡¯ll call you if I find out anything, so always keep the mirror by your side.¡± While I was here, I walked a little bit to stop by the dessert shop that the maid told me about. It was a huge store worthy of the rave reviews that called it the best store in the Empire. I was already tired by the time I saw people waiting in line. Even if the snacks were delicious, I would just go back, but I lost my balance due to the crowd. A high-heeled foot was twisted and someone held my falling body from behind. ¡°Hey, are you all right?¡± Dark hair, dark skin I know this man. High Priest Hybrid, who saved Helena by dedicating all of his devotion to the subject with a better heart than anyone else, and sincerely praying for Eris to fall to hell. You¡¯re smiling at me now, without even knowing the future where you¡¯re going to hate me. Chapter 3 Episode 03 Hubris When Hubris¡¯ eyes met mine, the awkward smile on his mouth faded. Slowly he put his lips near my ear. And asked, ¡°¡­¡­Who are you?¡± It pierced me. My head was spinning. I was almost suspicious that I wasn¡¯t getting enough rest. Should I be honest and get help? Or is it the right answer to pretend not to know? If Hubris is on my side, no, if I was in the same position as when I met the witch today, I would have confessed my situation without even thinking about it. But Hubris was on Helena¡¯s side, which meant he would soon become my enemy. Can I give my biggest knife to a man who will one day be my enemy? The answer is ¡®no¡¯. I wanted to die. For it to be clean and painless. When I think about the fact that I¡¯m not actually Eris, things will get troublesome if I¡¯m also caught by people who don¡¯t like me. Since it is a country with advanced magical engineering, I may be tortured as a living experiment to see how other souls can enter the body, or they would treat me as a crazy person, imprison me in a remote estate, and watch until I grow old and die, Even if Hubris continued, later, if he spoke to the Crown Prince, there would be no need to see the result. The Crown Prince was even more, not a person who would look after me. ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange that you, a priest, want to know about an unmarried noble woman?¡± ¡°¡­.What I¡¯m talking about is not your identity¡± ¡°Not my identity?¡± I insisted. I should have answered right away, but it was too late to regret. However, a person with a loud voice wins this kind of fight, He looked up and looked away, perhaps because he had never met such a woman. In addition, people¡¯s eyes slowly gathered. As a substitute, Eris is quite a celebrity as the fianc¨¦e of the Crown Prince. So it was suspicious to chat with a man. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been interrogating me in a terrible manner, and you¡¯re hiding the reason.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not interrogating! How can I be an interrogator in the body of a priest?¡± I brought my face close to Hubris, who looked up in surprise. In fact, it was almost half a gamble, because it could lead to a rumor of a prostitute seducing a high priest. Still, I was confident that I would win this gamble. In the novel, Hubris was terribly indecisive and conscious of others, and was the only coward who could not even confess to Helena, and it took all that he had And according to the description in the novel, unlike Helena, Eris looks scary. ¡°I feel that I am being interrogated. If I grope the priest¡¯s chest right now, is it not assault because a woman touched it?¡± ¡°¡­It must have been my misunderstanding. I apologize for the slip of the tongue.¡± ¡°I accept it.¡± I don¡¯t think I can buy dessert today. I left the shop because I wanted to, leaving an embarrassed Hubris. It was difficult to find evidence that I was not Eris after trying to be next to him for no reason. The eyes of other people were also a concern. This store was a place where many nobles and servants of nobles came and went, Even now, Eris¡¯s reputation is not very good, so everyone is probably talking about having a good story. People¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t really matter. It¡¯s not really my body, and I¡¯m going to die anyway. However, I thought a lot on my way back by carriage. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to ask now if it was Hubris who would love Helena later anyway? The witch said there might be a way to go back without dying. And if you know that, you have to go to the temple. The temple is not easily accessible to the public. Aristocrats were only able to enter them after rigorous procedures and thorough screening. In the novel, even Helena, the heroine, was not able to step in because of her low status. However, in Helena¡¯s case, one of the male protagonists, Hubris, was the High Priest. Therefore it wasn¡¯t a big problem¡­ I should have caught Hubris and asked him what he saw in Eris, if I was a stranger and had a way to go back to the world. It was better if I could go back alive. I am not afraid to die, but the pain I inflicted on my body to die was vividly memorable. It would hurt terribly. Nevertheless, I tried because I thought everything would be over when I opened my eyes again. But instead, when I woke up in the same world, it was even more painful. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I lost a good opportunity because I was seized with fear. When I realized so, there was a groan of grief. It¡¯s already a missed opportunity, so I have to pray for another chance. To find out the next opportunity, I need to know the contents of the original, but it was hard to remember, though the general storyline was there, I read the novel as if one was passing by briefly, Moreover, the majority of the descriptions were focused on Helena, and it was hard to guess because there was no incident without Helena. Since we had tea together a week ago, I think it¡¯s still the beginning of the novel¡­ If I knew this would happen, I should have read it more seriously. ¡°We¡¯re here. My lady.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Oh, there will be a knight swearing ceremony soon. Will you not pick up personal knights this year?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± While holding the knight¡¯s hand and descending the carriage, a question suddenly occurred to me. Was there such a purpose for me? As she stared at the knight with a quaint face, the knight smiled and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, you don¡¯t have to take the oath, but it is more convenient for both the knight and the noble to have a personal knight. The numbers are strictly limited, but you can also enable them for private use.¡± I was a little bit overwhelmed by that, but still, I shook my head. It is a life that will soon die anyway. If you try to increase the number of people around you, it is obvious that it will only cause discomfort. At my refusal, the knight responded as if he had expected it, but with a little regret, ¡°My apologies, there are a lot of people who want to be the lady¡¯s escort.¡± ¡°¡­¡­My?¡± ¡°Of course. Isn¡¯t it the romance of a knight to give one¡¯s life to a beautiful lady?¡± ¡°It is truly selfish and uselessly romantic.¡± Are you saying that if it¡¯s not beautiful, it¡¯s not worth your life? No, in the first place, I felt reluctant to carry the weight of other people¡¯s lives, like a burden. Why are you trying to sacrifice yourself? Men¡¯s way of thinking, in the past and now, couldn¡¯t be understood. I tried to step through the door and looked around the knight. ¡°Someone may love that romance, but not me. So let the knight sacrifice his life to her.¡± I don¡¯t intend to be someone¡¯s romance, nor to carry it on my back. The morning was bright and I¡¯m still Eris. I thought about it carefully, and came to the conclusion that it would be better to be pre-emptive and tell Hubris before the relationship gets worse. If you ask him to keep it a secret, he¡¯s not going to go around bragging about it at the lady¡¯s request. I was thinking about putting in an application in the temple, but the process was so complicated and I was worried that the contents would leak out. Which means I¡¯m supposed to run into Hubris again, most likely by chance¡­¡­ In the novel, Hubris usually appeared in the palace and yesterday¡¯s dessert shop. Fortunately, they can both be visited frequently if I want to. Hubris didn¡¯t like sweet things much, but he secretly enjoyed the expensive desert because it was considered a luxury to some extent here. After Helena, he no longer hid his taste because she cheered that eating sweets was not bad. It was Hubris, who was too tied to his life as a priest, which led to a surge in his favor for Helena, I didn¡¯t want to take away Helena¡¯s love event, but I thought it would be better if I met him at the dessert shop. It was difficult to talk at the palace for no other reason than to step on a landmine called ¡°The Crown Prince¡±. In addition, if Eris was misunderstood as seducing Hubris for no reason, she might have suffered from a tantrum for three days. ¡°My Lady, you must get ready. His Majesty has sent us a message asking us to enter the palace.¡± ¡°¡­¡­His Majesty?¡± ¡°Yes, you have to be prepared, so you can¡¯t keep him waiting.¡± Simpler decorations were made at a faster pace than usual. Everyone must have been embarrassed by the sudden royal command, and all the women in the mansion were mobilized. I had motion sickness when fifteen hands shook me around. When I entered the Imperial Palace after a great deal of trouble, the attendant took me straight to the Emperor¡¯s office. ¡°Your Majesty, Lady Mis¨¦ran, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Mis¨¦ran and the fianc¨¦e of His Highness Crown Prince, is waiting for you to see her.¡± ¡°Let her in.¡± Taking a breath, then wearing a smile of hospitality with the edges of my mouth, I slowly stepped through the door opened by the attendant. The light pouring over the large window was reflected in the white marble and gold frame. As the Emperor was sitting with the window against his back, he was illuminated by the light and looked more dignified. The Emperor, who had nice white hair and beard, said in a friendly voice. ¡°A glorious afternoon, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I called you in a hurry. Wasn¡¯t it uncomfortable to come?¡± ¡°A call from His Majesty is not uncomfortable. It is always a pleasure.¡± ¡°You too have come to know how to say good things pleasing to the ears. No other thing, I called because there was something I wanted to discuss about your coming-of-age ceremony.¡± The people treated 21-year-olds, whose physical and mental growth was complete, as adults. This is because they were not eager to treat children who have yet grown into adulthood by sending them to production sites and wars like other countries. Eris is the youngest character in the novel, so everyone probably became adults last year. By the way, the Emperor¡¯s words had just given me a sense of where the story is, ¡°It¡¯s unprecedented, but I¡¯d like to have a coming-of-age ceremony at the Imperial Palace. Do you have a place in mind?¡± Even if it bounces, it will be according to the Emperor¡¯s will. I shook my head coolly because didn¡¯t want to argue with the Emperor. The reason why the Emperor wanted to hold a coming-of-age ceremony at the Imperial Palace is because of the rumor that the Crown Prince cares about Helena, a commoner, and looks down on me¡­ because this fact is widely known in the country. This was a disgrace to Marquis Mis¨¦ran, one of the centers of the aristocracy and one of the Empire¡¯s top powers. Chapter 4 Episode 04 Are You Jealous? In fact, Eris¡¯ father, the Marquis of Mis¨¦ran, did not say anything, but he was very angry. The Crown Prince¡¯s favorite wasn¡¯t the center of the Emperor¡¯s faction. It was even more so because it was Helena of the Antebellum family, which he destroyed by himself. The engagement of the Crown Prince and Eris was a political card that the Emperor offered to appease the aristocracy, but with the Prince coming out like that, the Emperor was in trouble, Therefore, the emperor wanted to express that there is no problem with this marriage by directly hosting my coming-of-age ceremony at the Imperial Court, ¡°Thank you for your consideration. It will be an honor for the family that will never be again.¡± ¡°I heard that the Crown Prince cares about his nanny¡¯s daughter.¡± The emperor seemed to want to deal with all the trouble since she met him. It started to give me a headache. ¡°You mean Lady Antebellum.¡± ¡°Do you know her?¡± ¡°When I was young, she used to play house with His Highness the Crown Prince and Lord, Kazar.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of the nanny. The Empress took a bad habit of caring for the baby.¡± The Emperor kicked his tongue and tapped the desk lightly. I felt a little bit suffocated because I was eager to leave. He is now acting up like a loving grandfather, but the Emperor once killed another prince with his own hands. The reason was that he was plotting treason, but despite insufficient evidence, there was no reconsideration or hesitation, The Empress was also involved, but she was able to survive because she had Alecto, the current Crown Prince, in her belly The Emperor still loves the Empress, but it was also understandable that the Empress, who lost her son overnight, clung to the nanny or the current prince. ¡°Are you jealous?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s nothing to be envious of.¡± The Emperor beckoned me to come near. When I approached him, he held my hand tightly with his warm hands. It was too tight and a little painful. ¡°A man¡¯s love is more fleeting than a flower of the season. What is more important than love is the position and power that the man will bring.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since the agreement with your father had been signed, so don¡¯t be too impatient. It is you who will become the Crown Princess anyway and take the place of the Empress. Your people will fill the palace, and your child will become the Crown Prince.¡± At first glance, he seemed to be soothing me, but it was actually a threat to me, or ¡°Eris¡±. The threat of giving up if you have someone else in your mind, the threat of the Imperial Court having that power, the threat of Eris being at the Crown Prince¡¯s mercy, But the Emperor chose the wrong person. When making threats, it is important to understand, what your opponent is afraid of. I¡¯m not afraid of death. In fact, it didn¡¯t matter if the Mis¨¦ran family was exterminated. They¡¯re Eris¡¯s family, not mine. No matter how many terrible things your boss says, his subordinates have to laugh it off. There is no labor office, so there is no place to report. Originally, I wanted to talk back to him because of my temper, but I endured being the eldest daughter of the Marquis. I still had a little hope that I could get out alive. I really just want to live my life after I meet Hubris and get a definitive answer that I can¡¯t go out unless I die. The nagging given on New Year¡¯s and Chuseok (P/N: Korean Thanksgiving) under the disguise of well-wishes were a big help. Managing a smile, I replied, ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°¡­.. The Crown Prince has a good mate. The Imperial Family will be in charge of preparing for the coming-of-age ceremony, so keep that in mind.¡± As I walked a little bit out of the office, I was a little worried about whether I would run into the Crown Prince and if he would become embarrassed when I was here even though he was still my fiance. I was upset because I was told that he doesn¡¯t need all the women in broad daylight and that getting married is the best, but if the Prince was annoyed, I don¡¯t think I can really manage my facial expression. Yes, today is not the day. I was walking to the carriage that was waiting for me, when I heard someone running from behind and my shoulder was suddenly tightly grabbed, ¡°Kyaa!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± I was so frightened that I pushed her, and then heard a new scream. Looking back, Helena, whose pretty silver hair hung around her face, was crying. She looked up at me with tears in her big eyes, hoping that I would help her up, but I couldn¡¯t say a word because I was so astonished. As I stared pathetically, she woke up with a whimper, ¡°I was surprised, Lady Antebellum, to see you run in the Imperial Palace.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s just because I wanted to see Eris, so I want to¡­¡±, ¡°If you want to say hello, just call me. You¡¯re not a child. How come your hand comes before your words?¡± ¡°Alec likes it, so ¡­¡± Oh, my gosh¡­ My head is aching. I felt like I¡¯m seeing my five-year-old cousin. As I lowered my eyes, the skin on Helena¡¯s palm seemed to have peeled when she fell, thus it turned red and showed blood. Helena quickly hid her hands behind her. Luckily, she didn¡¯t seem to be seriously injured when I pulled her hand to look at it. ¡°Look. Are you hurt?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Helena looked at me with a confused face, shook her head quickly, and laughed. ¡°That¡¯s all right, the Royal Doctor can just take a look at it later.¡± ¡°How does the Royal Doctor, who treats only the Imperial Family, see Lady Antebellum¡¯s wounds?¡± ¡°He likes me¡­ because he likes me.¡± I was worried for nothing. I dropped Helena¡¯s hand, a little annoyed. I did care about Helena, who is loved by everyone, but I had to worry first about my fate, as one who couldn¡¯t even die. She was a person who would live very well, whether with the Crown Prince or meeting Hubris, who called in the Emperor to heal her, she was a very well-off person As I turned around and walked away. Helena followed me, staring at me. She murmured in a high, thin voice. ¡°¡­¡­Eris, are you angry?¡± ¡°Uh, please don¡¯t. It¡¯s annoying.¡± And why does she keep talking informally? I was worried I¡¯d make a harsher remark, so instead of walking, I stopped and stared at Helena, If you had to take it off anyway, you¡¯d better finish it quickly before they get upset for no reason, Even in Korea, I hated people with smiling faces, ¡°Lady Antebellum, don¡¯t you know why I use honorifics to you, though you¡¯re a commoner? As the eldest daughter of the Marquis, I deserve to be addressed with courtesy as one belonging to the Royal Court¡­ Nevertheless! The reason I give you honorifics is because the Empress and the Crown Prince love you. I respect them, not you.¡± ¡°But, but Eris¡­ we¡¯re friends. I want to be close to you¡­.¡± ¡°Friends? Sigh¡­¡± In the novel, Helena claimed to be a friend of Eris, an ironclad friend. But in her retrospective scenes, Eris was not described in a single line. Both sad and joyful memories were focused on Alecto and Jason. Either Helena¡¯s standard of a friend is ridiculously low, or she did not care at all when Eris was with her. Every night when she went to bed, Eris must have hated Helena, Well, when I saw it, it seemed like a setting that the author put in mindlessly for a villainess character who had everything yet hits a friend¡¯s back. I don¡¯t even know about Eris¡¯ life, but it¡¯s funny to take revenge on Helena while I¡¯m on this side, so let¡¯s just stop talking to Helena, ¡°Let¡¯s break up, then.¡± ¡°¡­..What?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s break up. I don¡¯t want to be friends with you. We¡¯re not even friends in the first place.¡± ¡°Why, why, why? Is it because I¡¯m close to the Crown Prince?¡± I was very irritated. I don¡¯t want the Crown Prince! You can have him! I¡¯m making someone abandon a friend for a man! Is this all you need to do if you have a pretty face? As I was trembling with bewilderment, someone turned me around roughly. The cold, hard face of the Crown Prince looked down at me. I didn¡¯t want to lose, so I glared at him. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦ran, you haven¡¯t changed. No, it¡¯s getting shameless.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a glorious afternoon, Your Highness. It¡¯s a virtue for those of high status.¡± It was a funny statement, but honestly, I was annoyed and answered in a slightly sarcastic tone, and the Crown Prince became furious, ¡°Do you dare to speak before me now?¡± ¡°Your Highness, that¡¯s why I can discuss my status in front of you. You¡¯re engaged to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just an engagement! Do you think the Imperial Family will tolerate the arrogant act for a marriage that has not yet been confirmed, as if you have already become a Crown Princess? Any engagement like this can be destroyed. There are many who can be my fiance if not you!¡± ¡°Alec, stop it¡­¡­ I¡¯m wrong. Eris, no¡­ Lady Mis¨¦ran wanted to give me the code of law¡­.¡± In the meantime, Helena poured gas into the fire without notice. While stopping the Crown Prince, she exposed the wound from her fall a while ago. On behalf of Helena, who could not answer the Crown Prince who questioned who did it, someone shouted at the top of her voice, ¡°Lady Mis¨¦ran did it!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I saw Lady Mis¨¦ran pushing Helena with my own eyes! So I brought Your Majesty in before things got worse.¡± When I looked at her, a small, devious woman quickly went and hid behind the Prince, And then I smiled at Helena, ¡®Did I do well?¡¯. It was a fact that I pushed, but Helena¡¯s surprise, attack on me first was completely omitted from the statement, The Crown Prince slapped me before I could refute anything. My head turned with a smack, it was a loud sound. As if the inside of my mouth had been torn, a metallic taste spread, and my cheeks burned. I was slapped in the face. I¡¯ve never been beaten by my parents, but I was slapped on the cheek by a guy I just met. ¡°Eris!¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯ve scratched mine first, it¡¯s only fair to give you a scratch, right?¡± (T/N: ¡°mine¡± he means she scratched ¡°his Helena¡± / ¡°My Helena¡±), If that¡¯s the case, ask Helena to hit me, else I don¡¯t know what¡¯s fair, Come to think of it, I think I read this part in a novel. When I read it, I wondered if there were any crazy people like this, but after having experienced it myself, it made my blood boil*. *[T/N: ¡°Yama turned around. ¡®OFOP is referring to yama as in which is apparently ¡®mountain¡¯ in japanese. The ¡®SCF¡¯ means spinning¡­.so literally it says ¡®mountain is spinning, the ¡®mountain¡¯ is referring to your head, so 0F0 ECH (according to namu and other korean blogs) means something like ¡®LOOD LET 012/01 I 2 SACP = blood in your head) boiling from anger.] I know I feel the same way, I am just about to blow up¡­¡­ But if I¡¯m going to live my life, I¡¯m going to have to do it only after getting confirmation from Hubris¡­¡­ Anyway, since I was going to be executed at the end of the novel. Should I just slap the Crown Prince and hang him now? Chapter 5 Episode 05 Jason Kazar However, no matter how much I thought about it, I would have been imprisoned. They would be saying I was out of my mind, and at this point, I didn¡¯t think that Eris would die by hanging. To avoid suspicion, I had to pretend to be Eris. What would Eris say? How did she behave? I was going to seriously think about it, but the prince couldn¡¯t stand it and tried to grab Helena¡¯s wrist and leave. Hence I just grabbed him with words. If I sent these two away like this, I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep because it¡¯s unfair. ¡°Your Majesty, you¡¯re not marrying me, but a descendant of Mis¨¦ran. I¡¯m not marrying His Highness, I¡¯m marrying the Imperial family. You¡¯ll get married to me even if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Eris seemed to have built up her pride. At least that¡¯s what I read of her. A child who expects an innocent ending that she will eventually choose herself. The Crown Prince stopped walking and turned his head at my words. He had a face full of ridicule. ¡°Not me, but the Imperial family? You¡¯re saying funny things. Didn¡¯t you say you were going to love me and marry me not too long ago? Wasn¡¯t that your real intention?¡± Eris, you¡¯ve got a lot of things going on don¡¯t you? My cheeks hurt, but suddenly I felt drained. Did Eris really love the Crown Prince? Later in the book, Helena denies that it is not love, but Helena did not know Eris. At least, that¡¯s what I thought. And I didn¡¯t know Eris either. Though I didn¡¯t know Eris, at least I wanted to be considerate of her feelings, if they were really so. ¡°I loved you. Not now.¡± The Crown Prince somehow looked embarrassed when I looked straight at him and said it, Somehow his face looked young. Well, everyone here was younger than me. I sighed and added, thinking that it was only myself that I had to fight. ¡°¡­I mentioned the Imperial family because this is not my will either, but the marriage that my father and the Emperor are promoting. And if you want to get rid of it, don¡¯t be mad at me, ask, His Majesty. Now that I¡¯ve made this fuss, I think it has already reached His Majesty¡¯s ears.¡± His face hardened knowing that he will have to confront his scary father. I shook my head and went back and stood in front of the carriage, and the knight looked a little surprised when he saw my face. The knight hesitated a little and did not ask about the redness of my cheeks, but instead told me that something more tiring had happened. ¡°There¡¯s Lord Kazar inside.¡± I left one, and now had to confront another. I felt like I wanted to die under the carriage, Jason, who was trying to greet me at me, hardened his face. It seemed obvious that I was slapped by the prince. I thought he might want to kill me if I told him a joke that was uncomfortable or useless. ¡°Never mind. It had nothing to do with Lord Kazar.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do as you please, lady.¡± ¡°By the way, what brings you to this carriage?¡±, Jason comfortably leaned back and clapped one foot with his legs crossed. The carriage, which I thought was quite spacious, somehow became narrow, ¡°The Duke of Kazar wants to ask the Marquis about the oath ceremony of the knight. I¡¯m the only errand boy in the house, so I got a carriage. Horses get sick and tired of adventures. I don¡¯t want to use them for a while.¡± ¡°The position of Lord Kazar should have been given the Imperial Household wagon.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no such beautiful lady in the royal carriage.¡± It was interesting to see him talking with a constant smile even though he looked like he had a piece of dung stuck under his nose. Is that how you ask for help from the villagers and flirt with women passing by? I asked, while avoiding the greasy gaze on me, ¡°Are you going on your next adventure?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I wanted to, but since I killed the dragon, the mother of nature, I¡¯m going to hide myself in the capital for a while. Because there are dragons that hate me.¡± ¡°I wanted¡¯? I originally asked him because I wanted him to disappear from my eyes, but an unexpected answer came back. It was described as just wanting to visit Helena and returning, but in fact, there was such an issue. This was quite interesting. Jason was born after receiving a prophecy from the High Priest that he would become a ¡®dragon killer¡¯. The Duke of Kazar¡¯s family tree always produced generals, and because of the prophecy, Jason was raised under harsh and severe training at an early age, The novel already started after Jason killed the dragon and returned, with Helena as a maid in the Imperial Palace. Since the book is about a love affair, it seems that he could not help it. It was the setting where Jason fell for Helena because she looked at Jason, instead of a person who was raised as a tool for killing the dragon¡­ ¡°There¡¯s some time before we get to the Marquis, so tell me a little more about your story.¡± ¡°¡­.. You are unexpected. I thought you weren¡¯t interested.¡± With a slightly surprised look on his face, Jason quickly recovered and smiled again. I could see it slyly coated like slippery butter, so I replied more coldly. ¡°I¡¯m not interested. It¡¯s because I don¡¯t like Lord Kazar asking me questions. At least you won¡¯t ask me a question while you are talking.¡± ¡°Be cold¡­¡­¡­ All right. Whatever the intention, I can¡¯t refuse the lady¡¯s request.¡± ¡°Where should I start? As for the prophecy, there are rumors outside the Empire, so I don¡¯t have to tell you. I was trained to kill the dragon. I had to hold the sword as soon as I walked, and since then, could never take a day off¡­¡±, I used to resent my parents, but I didn¡¯t know¡­¡­¡­ Now that I think about it, they did it to protect me. If it weren¡¯t for Helena, I wouldn¡¯t have realized it until it¡¯s too late and would have regretted I knew I was going to be a dragon killer, but I didn¡¯t know when or how I was going to kill it. The family wanted to turn me into a knight, but I¡­ I saw it differently. I felt threatened by the prophecy and feared that dragons might attack wherever I am. So I wandered around. I didn¡¯t know if there was a reason to be stronger. Now that I think about it, I think there was another reason. There was uncertainty and I might have given up. Maybe I thought I could die¡­.But in my heart, I had to come back alive. I met a lot of friends while I was wandering. It was a good time. The best relationship among them was, by far, the dragon. Haha, you looked a bit surprised. ¡­¡­ You thought she was a princess? No, where did the rumor stop¡­ Hmmm, like a fairy tale, across swamps and mountains, across rivers and fields, the dragon was huge. I wondered if I would ever see such a big creature in my life again. I¡¯ll let you know that I found out later, as they say, the perception of size differs in proportion to the fear and pressure one has. I realized it for the first time. I was actually scared. I wanted to run away because I wanted to live and I thought this whole situation was absurd. Why was I the only one training when other kids were running around? Actually, I wanted to stay at home, but why should I be the only one wandering around? Yes, it¡¯s funny, but I couldn¡¯t complain until I faced the dragon. Maybe it was because I thought it was really my last day. Even if you beat the dragon, you can¡¯t go back to normal. However, the dragon somehow spoke in a sad and calm voice, ¡°Even though it would have been a moment for you, the time I waited for you was too long. ¡°Did you know I was coming?¡¯ I asked him without pointing the knife. The dragon said that it was not God that gave the revelation, but the dragon, for he manipulated the priest in order to die. The dragon was not allowed to die by natural causality, because he told me that he was the best product of nature and that it was possible because he paid enough for it. And then the dragon shut its mouth. What I saw wasn¡¯t a dragon, and the person afraid of dragons disappeared without a trace. Instead, I had to find and stab his heart, When I finally poked it¡¯s heart, the earth shook. And I got life. ¡­ It was a good story, but I didn¡¯t really sympathize with it. Well, there was no part to sympathize with, and no, I was not interested in Jason enough to sympathize with him. Rather, I paid attention to other parts. Instead of his stupid family history, I was worried about the fact that the dragon had to manipulate the priest in order to die. Not allowed to die by natural causality. That part too. Somehow, it seemed to be a clue. I was sorry for Jason, who was in a wistful mood, but I tapped him on the hand and asked. ¡°Do you happen to know who the manipulated priest was? And what do you mean by not being allowed to die by natural causality?¡±, ¡°I heard that Priest Prometheus was old and passed away in his hometown¡­¡­ I don¡¯t know much about natural causality. The dragon only gave the answer, not explaining it to me. Well, I think you can understand it from the eyes of a trivial human being¡­¡± I thought he would be suspicious if I asked any more, so I roughly nodded. I wanted to find out more. One of the great things about the Empire was that it had a culture for good information agencies, and that it wasn¡¯t illegal. Jason, glancing at me, asked after thinking about it. ¡°You¡¯re not talking informally to me¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯re not in such a friendly relationship. Therefore, it¡¯s not a relationship that can be treated as such.¡± When I deliberately said it colder on purpose in case a friend request came out again, he shut his mouth, with an expression resembling a scolded puppy. He wasn¡¯t even a real dog, so it didn¡¯t have the same effect. When I arrived at the mansion, Jason got off first and reached out to me. I didn¡¯t really want to hold it, but since the proper etiquette demanded it, I just tried to put my hands on top of his and get out. But Jason held my hand tightly ¡°Don¡¯t blame them too much. Being only in the Imperial Palace, even I¡¯m awkward because I¡¯ve never met my peers.¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s past the age to be forgiven for being awkward.¡± With my arm bent inward, once again, Jason¡¯s affection fell with defending Helena and the Crown Prince. There aren¡¯t many people who can strike the Marquis¡¯ daughter, it was even more so when he said that to me, the victim, even though he knew who hit me in the face. Even if it was a small child, you¡¯d be scolded by your friend for not doing this, but instead you¡¯re protecting an adult to this extent. ¡°My father will be in his study. Then I wish you all the best.¡± As if to shake off the hand I was holding, I bowed slightly with my legs. I said goodbye properly, so you should too? Fortunately, Jason was rather tactful. He bowed bitterly and bent his arms. ¡°¡­¡­Goodbye, Lady Mis¨¦ran.¡± Chapter 6 Episode 06 Is Love That Important? I had to soothe the maid who was about to faint after seeing my face. I was given a bag of ice. Somehow, around the evening when the swelling had subsided, I ate alongside the Marquis. To be honest, it was a little awkward, so I was pushing food into my mouth to quickly finish as the Marquis talked. I wondered what I would do if he asked if something happened in the palace, but fortunately he didn¡¯t. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not going to choose a knight?¡± ¡°I think our family knights are enough.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t have any particular reason to dislike it, go to the ceremony.¡± The Marquis paused and spoke in a calm voice. ¡°¡­..Every year, small families or commoners become knights to seek for success, but are often not chosen due to their weaknesses. If I choose to choose anyway, it is to strengthen the union between the families by choosing the retainer of a powerful family.¡± ¡®Is this because it creates a connection? I thought that modern society and the fantasy world; the places where people live are all the same. ¡°A knight of noble birth values only himself, and his mouth is light, so he cannot be entrusted with secrets. Although there are many cases in which the owner is serving a knight due to the disorganized relationship, that is not the duty of the knight.¡± The Marquis, who had touched the tip of the knife for a while, added with a sharp glance. ¡°You send him to go to where you can¡¯t go, you let him do what you can¡¯t, one who won¡¯t tell anyone about it, so¡­ if you find any nonsense, bring in someone to die for you.¡± Eris is so good at decorating evil schemes, so Eris may need such a knight. Not me. But it¡¯s strange, as it couldn¡¯t be, but it seemed like the Marquis was telling me. Not to Eris, but to me. That¡¯s how it seemed. I don¡¯t know Eris. She has a ferocious heart, but I just vaguely mimicked ¡®the noble lady¡¯, not Eris. Minor habits, tastes, and preferences would have changed. People who had watched Eris all their lives couldn¡¯t help but recognize it. My hand holding the fork trembled. Should I apologize? I¡¯m sorry I stole your daughter¡¯s body? What if I apologize? Will you want to kick me out? Will he blame me? I was more afraid now than the time when I was caught by Hubris. Because it¡¯s a psychological debt. I feel guilty for taking away her beloved family. The Marquis looked at my hand and sighed. I closed my eyes tightly because I thought I was wrong, And he held my hand. When I looked up at him in surprise, he passed without saying a word. The blunt consideration brought tears to my eyes. I missed my dad. ¡®What happened to me? Is he dead? Is he alive? Would my parents be looking for me if I went missing?¡¯ In my head, a picture of my parents who would distribute leaflets while looking for their daughter was drawn. Would my younger brother, who used to be immature, calm our parents as much during that time? Can I go back? It was scary. It is scary. I want to go home. Emma was a maidservant who had worked in this mansion since her birth. Emma¡¯s mother also worked for the Marquis, and if Emma had a daughter someday, she would work here too. She remembered the day when the girl, was first born. The white skin and red cheeks were so lovely that she thought all, babies were so pretty. When she gently touched her cheek for fear of breaking, her small hand tightly holding my finger was soft and warm and she shed a little tear. So Emma fell in love. The girl grew beautifully day by day. In this world, Helena, the maid of the Imperial Palace, is said to be the most beautiful, but Emma could be confident that the girl was saying such things to people who didn¡¯t know her. ¡®If Emma was looking at the dark blue hair planted after cutting the night sky, the skin shining like snow, the green eyes that resembled a forest in the middle of summer, and the bloody lips redder than a rose, she felt a desire to express her heart out. The girl was the only daughter of a noble family in the country, so her appearance was different. She always did her best, and she wanted the people around her to be the best. She even refused to meet her own standards, or even became angry. In the streets, she said she was arrogant and proud, and Emma hated the people who said that. ¡®What are the complaints that the most precious lady in the country deserves? She said that her fianc¨¦ was the prince, and she was the body that would one day become the empress. Her future will always be high up anyway, and people were jealous of it and always tried to trash her lady. The more they did, the more she tried. She thoroughly fostered herself to prevent another disgrace. She studied when she was teased for being stupid, and she put a lot of effort into her appearance so that she wouldn¡¯t be told that she has become uglier than before. When she heard the harsh words, she paid ten times as much as she did when he touched her things, twenty times as much as he did. She didn¡¯t have to be pretty to those who didn¡¯t like her. Rather, she acted more vicious than the rumors. Emma, who was sad that a beautiful baby was hated, asked why, and the girl replied with a strange face. ¨C I have to be mean, so you guys won¡¯t be ignored. ¨C But unlike you, we¡¯re from a humble background. ¨C Foolishness, men of high posts are insidious, and they make fun of me by putting me on top of you as lowly people. That¡¯s what they¡¯re saying, and the owner (father) knows. Because I can¡¯t see it, make sure you guys hold your heads high. As soon as the palace recognized her as a woman of marriageable age, they sent people to teach her royal court manners and practical affairs of the palace, At that time, her young lady could hardly sleep. Oftentimes, she used to run out of energy, but she never skipped visiting the Imperial Palace. She continued to go and return, still dazzlingly dressed but with a pale face. There was a rumor that the Crown Prince hated her, but there was no way to express it. Emma could not console. She watched as it hurt the young lady¡¯s high self-esteem. Emma was anxious about the girl. Her young lady was melting away. ¡®It was a sunny day. After the long winter, the weather finally cleared up, and the servants were all busy tidying up their closets. Emma was also carrying a blanket in her arms and totteringly, unsteadily, moving her feet. It was then. What she saw in the far corner. The young lady didn¡¯t cry. Even though she was criticized by everyone for being a tough woman, she never shed a tear in front of people. So was that day. The young lady was just sitting. She wasn¡¯t crying, she didn¡¯t even look at the forest. Emma was suddenly struck with fear. ¨C My lady. Eris did not answer. ¨C My lady, the floor is still cold. Eris didn¡¯t get up. ¨C My lady, my lady, please say something¡­! Eris did not cry. Emma ran to her and wrapped the blanket around her as if she was hiding the young lady. Finally shielded from everything, Eris asked. ¨C Is love that important? ¨C Pardon? ¨C But it¡¯s a position that you can¡¯t just sit in with just love. That¡¯s not a good thing. Can you be an empress if you just love the Emperor and smile? The empress, the empress¡­ She¡¯s a person who assists the Emperor, and I learned that way, and I worked hard. They don¡¯t appreciate her efforts. Her sincerity is not seen. Her determination is treated as self-righteousness, and she is considered arrogant when she is motivated. Because she¡¯s not nice, because she¡¯s not sweet, because a villainess is disgusting. ¨C I like it even if you (the Crown Prince) don¡¯t love me. But I can admit it. Huh? ¡­She can only laugh, but everyone loves her¡­¡­ Finally, the blanket got wet. Oh, Emma wished how good it would have been if she had been a witch. If only she could hide Eris¡¯ tears right now because they were raining down. But Emma was just an ordinary and ugly maidservant, so all she could do was pray. May all of Eris¡¯ wishes come true. However, Eris wished that she would be able to disappear at that time. Miracles work in the most unfortunate way. Emma was a maid who worked in this mansion from the time she was born. She could actually say that she had watched Eris longer than Eris¡¯ parents, and she was confident. So Emma was so sure that her lady had suddenly changed. She didn¡¯t tap her fourth finger lightly when she¡¯s contemplating something anymore. Her habit of drinking a glass of water before she went to bed, and the habit of chewing the tips of her fingernails when she was nervous. Instead, she began to cross her legs lightly one day and found spicy spices that she had not eaten. Emma thought she knew better than anyone else, but the lady kept feeling unfamiliar. Changed speech, changed steps, changed habits¡­¡­ Emma was sometimes caught up by the urge to grab and shake her lady. Who? She will be kicked out as a crazy woman, but she wanted to ask. She wanted to shout in her heart, ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±, and, ¡°Where did my lady go?¡± ¡®It was a simple thing to say that she had simply lost her memory, but yet she remembered all the really important facts. What¡¯s really driving Emma crazy was that the young lady was trying her best to ¡±pretend to be fine¡¯. So Emma was even more suspicious. What if the young lady was taken away by a bad witch? If you ask for help, you will be executed as a witch. The helpless Emma won¡¯t be able to save her. But one night, Emma decided to ask questions she wanted to throw up again and again everyday. When she suddenly woke up thirsty, Emma unconsciously sneaked open the door of the young lady. This is because she sometimes checked it, to cover the fire well again if the lady kicks it. But instead of her sleeping young lady, what greeted Emma was a crumpled blanket that had lost her master. Emma¡¯s heart hurt. ¡®Nowadays, there are many unusual accidents. There were times when the lady was stabbed by an eccentric, and there were times when the stall keeper managed to get his foot on the wrong spot on the roof. What if it wasn¡¯t an accident? What if someone was executing a clever plan to hurt Eris? No, no, no. Emma barely picked up a candle and ran barefoot. Emma couldn¡¯t call Eris because her voice broke. It was a big deal if the kidnapper noticed and ran away or hurt Eris, so Emma ran regardless of the cut of her foot. Please don¡¯t go too far. Chapter 7 Episode 07 Hold You Back When she finally found Eris in her pajamas, walking far away, Emma thought her heart was about to burst, out of breath. She quickly moved her legs, creating a squeaky sound, to snatch Eris. Eris was crying, out of focus. ¨C I want to go home. ¨C Your house is here. ¨C I want to go home¡­ Mom, Mom¡­ ¨C My lady, your mother, your mother¡­ ¨C Mom, I want to eat kimchi fried rice. Only then did Emma realize. That her lady will never come back. What was in front of her was not the faithful, arrogant and lovable Eris. The poor child was lost, suffering as she wandered around without waking up from her dream. Emma was sorry for admitting what she realized so late. As the child began to tear herself apart, Emma hugged her whole body and whispered. ¡®It¡¯s okay, it¡¯ll be okay. She didn¡¯t let go of the child¡¯s arm and head even if she hurt her. I¡¯ll be by your side. Until the night burns white again and again¡­ She whispered to her again and again and again. You know, lady. Actually, I wanted to ask you something. In this world, was there nothing that could hold you back? I didn¡¯t want to do anything, but the novel wouldn¡¯t leave me alone. The maids washed and decorated me constantly, as if even mold would grow if I was still. When I said I didn¡¯t want to eat anything, the maid grabbed the spoon and fork and tried to feed me, saying I would only have to open my mouth. I was treated as a three-year-old, so I had no choice but to eat a little bit of food. In the last few days, the maids were nervous that I would collapse straight away. It was also funny to hope that the rumors would not spread as the Imperial ¡®Palace would make a fuss. Perhaps by now, the social circle might be throwing a party for me being slapped by the Crown Prince. They were not against Eris because they were afraid of her, but no one in the community who really liked Eris and took care of her. In the novel¡¯s description, Eris was completely self-conscious, so if I were the real Eris, I would have made a disturbance by now. Since I am not, the people in this family were rather worried about why Eris was sitting still. They even took my temperature to see if I was sick. To be honest, I was a little angry that I was slapped, so I wanted to break into the Imperial Palace. I wanted to kill him by using a club when the prince was sleeping, but I repeatedly remembered that the Marquis held my hand. It¡¯s because my own dad¡¯s hand is similar in size. I¡¯ve never held my dad¡¯s hand more than a few times in my life. Maybe that¡¯s why. If I had known this, I would have held my dad¡¯s hand a lot. I thought of my family whenever I was absent-minded. People said they start to regret only after losing it. It was just like that. My family and I weren¡¯t on bad terms, but it wasn¡¯t that good either. No, to be exact, I drew to the corner of the house. At that time, I didn¡¯t like the expectations my parents had on me. If I had hoped for it, I would have been interested in it, but it was unfair. I was always left on my own to do well, but if I couldn¡¯t do it, they scolded me. Even if it was a joke, they never did it to my brother who is three years younger. I wanted to go to music school. I think I had the talent. I got good grades as well. The only thing I didn¡¯t have was money, but that passion was the most important. Instead of the university I wanted to go to, I put in an application at another university, where the tuition was cheap. But because I didn¡¯t have higher grades, I couldn¡¯t get into the course I wanted. Still, in order to get a scholarship, I studied really hard. When I needed pocket money, I got a short-term part-time job. I was told that we had no money every day, so || thought this is what I had to do. When it came to my brother, he had to retake his college exam. The reason was that it couldn¡¯t be helped. When he failed to go to the department he wanted to go to, my parents paid all the tuition fees for my younger brother, as well as the cost of his cram school. Thated such parents. They are much more generous to my brother than to me, and they seem to love him more. I got a job with all my might, and I became independent early. I reluctantly called to say hello during the holidays, but I never went down. I purposely sent birthday presents in cash. But since they raised me, I felt like I should do that much. I thought we could meet again whenever I wanted. Maybe that¡¯s why I acted colder. I knew my parents would wait for me. If I knew I¡¯d never see them again, I should have gone down there pretending | couldn¡¯t win when I got a text message saying I can do what I liked. ¡®If I knew this would happen, I shouldn¡¯t have said nothing when they asked what I wanted for my birthday. I always thought I wouldn¡¯t get it, but when I think about it, didn¡¯t do anything for them. Acting cute has always been my brother¡¯s responsibility, and I helped him with the common massage and housework. When they ate chicken, they said they were feeding chicken legs to my younger brother and me, so they ate other parts first. It may be natural to like my younger brother more. If we meet again, I¡¯d be more considerate. My throat was choked with belated remorse. I was so sorry I couldn¡¯t go home, but in the midst of this, the Imperial Palace finished sewing the clothes to match with the prince, so they told me to come to try them on. The knight oath ceremony was one of the big events in the novel anyway, so it was natural to call me, who is the prince¡¯s fiancee. Tunderstand this in my head, but it¡¯s not that it¡¯s not my heart. There was a Crown Prince in the palace. The Crown Prince who slapped me in the face, who didn¡¯t get punished, and could flirt with Helena without guilt. Even if we meet at the oath ceremony, we won¡¯t be able to control our facial expressions. Just the two of us? When | came to my senses, it was fortunate that there was no Crown Prince in front of me. I dressed myself as if I was going to a slaughterhouse and loaded myself into a carriage. It¡¯s going to happen anyway, so I decided to get there first. Somehow I managed the strength to look out the window, and noticed that the people on the side of the road were all laughing. Except me. Everyone looked so happy except me. Why should I be the one to get hit? It flashed across my mind. Why do I have to put up with it? What am I doing so wrong that I have to stand next to the guy who slapped me and smile? ¡°Stop the carriage.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear that? Pull over the carriage now!¡± The carriage came to a sudden stop. As soon as it stopped, the knight ran outside without a hitch. My shoes were a little high, but they were fine. I wore this a lot in Korea, too. I jumped into the narrowest and deepest alley to keep the knights out. I felt like throwing up because I was out of breath, but I kept laughing. Should I hide like this forever? If I ran away from this life, would they not give up on me someday? Then, if the world gives up on me, wouldn¡¯t I be able to go back? My eyes heated up. Let it go. Give it up. Helena is the only thing the world needs anyway. ¡°There she is! Get the young miss! The knights¡¯ cries made me impatient. I even threw off my shoes and walked up and down the stairs barefooted. I don¡¯t want to get caught. If I got caught, I would be dragged into the palace. No, even if I don¡¯t go to the palace right now, I¡¯ll be taken home and pushed into the palace tomorrow. The mere thought of it made me feel sick. I was urgently looking for a place to hide ¡®myself, someone grabbed my hand. I thought it was a ghost and was ready to scream, but I swallowed it. The scruffy-looking boy in front of me covered her lips with her fingers and asked me. ¡°Do you want to run away?¡± ¡°Haa, haa¡­ what?¡± ¡°Goodness, do you want to hide?¡± As I nodded blankly, the child laughed and whistled. Then other children popped out of the alley. They dispersed in unison while I was being led by hand. Some of them paired up and played with rubber bands, and some of them played hide-and-seek deliberately. While they were blocking the road and drawing attention, I was pushed into a house. The door closed, and the child grinned and reached out. ¡°My compensation. You saw al-I those kids that jumped out, right? And you better not try to call it even by just getting me some snacks, alright?¡± ¡°What, that¡­¡± I was embarrassed and touched my waist for a moment, because of my full dress, it didn¡¯t have a pocket. I felt sorry for the child¡¯s growing disappointment, so I took out the jewelry from my ears and gave them to her. Then she gave me a big smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you will be tracked down and accused as a thief. Use it well.¡± ¡°No worries, miss. This is our specialty!¡± When I heard a rattling sound from the back of the door, the child quickly said ¡°here, here!¡± and pushed me into a closet. The family¡¯s knight came to search the house, so she paused and hid herself. But the man who came in was not a knight of the family. As if he knew the child, he welcomed her with a smiling face. Blurred with brown hair and brown eyes¡­. In this novel, which is full of sparkling faces, he was a man with a typical ¡®extra¡¯s¡¯ appearance. Looking at the floor without responding to the child¡¯s small talk, he suddenly asked the child. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Who did you bring home?¡± ¡°Who do you think I will bring here? Oh, my God, this dusty house¡­¡± Sighing at the deft liar, the man walked straight into the closet where I was hiding. Teven took my eyes away from the crack, covered my mouth with my hands and held, my breath, but the man did not hesitate. ¡°Come out.¡± ¡°Brother!¡± The man opened the closet door and looked down at me. The calm eyes were filled with tiredness, rather than contempt or pity. I didn¡¯t want to squabble with a weary man, so I kicked my tongue and exited the closet. When I came out, the man reached out to the child. When the child blinked, feigning ignorance, he raised his eyebrows. The child groaned and put the earrings she had received into the man¡¯s hand. The man placed it back in my hand. ¡°Take it.¡± ¡°I saved her and received it!¡± ¡°Quiet. You know there¡¯s nothing good about being involved with aristocrats.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± I looked at a man who was soothing the child, who raised his voice as if he was being falsely accused, and threw my earrings at him again. The man who reflexively caught the earrings looked at me. Chapter 8 Episode 08 Kill The Crown Prince ¡°That¡¯s right. She saved me and I gave them to her.¡± ¡°See? I¡¯m right?!¡± ¡°Still.¡± ¡°I will be in trouble if she doesn¡¯t accept them. The earrings include the payment of silence.¡± I thought it would take another year at this rate, so I stopped talking to the man after saying that. Whatever the man¡¯s expression, it seems something just occurred to him. Still, I thought of saving the trouble of trying to connect to an information guild to find the priest Metheus. ¡°You don¡¯t know who I am, but even if you find out later, please keep quiet. And¡­ I want to find a reliable information guild.¡± ¡°She knows!¡± ¡°Keep quiet!¡± The child raised her hand and tried to reply. But the man grabbed the child¡¯s hand quickly, pulled her away, looked straight at me and took a breath. There was a hint of uncertainty. There was nothing good about commoners hanging out with aristocrats. Even if you take advantage of it, you must keep being secretive and you can¡¯t say anything. ¡°Ha, Lady¡­¡± ¡°If you know my family, you¡¯ll have no choice but to comply with my request.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll just call you lady. Lady, I¡¯m sorry to bother you with a child who doesn¡¯t know anything, but we can¡¯t afford to bring you anything you want. Please excuse us for being poor and incompetent, and leave this house.¡± Then the man bowed his head exaggeratedly. It was truly a polite and smart gesture. Unfortunately, for him, I liked it more. It was better to be polite rather than cheeky, and to be wise instead of stupid. The effort not to get entangled in any way was hypothetical, but I was more desperate. I sat down on the nearby bed and crossed my legs. ¡°If I go out now, my family will think you kidnapped me. Then, all those little children will be dragged and questioned. Do you really want that?¡± ¡°Instead, you both need to listen to my request. Then, I can create the opposite scenario. I almost had a rough time, but you guys saved me. What will you do?¡± The child jabbed the man in his sides. What was he hesitating about? The man nodded as he brushed away his troubled face. In fact, such a threat was my only option, so I didn¡¯t feel guilty. You shouldn¡¯t have dragged me in like that. I looked straight at the child and said, ¡°I need a very reticent, highly capable information guild. But most importantly, they need to guarantee that information doesn¡¯t leak out, so please keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Nancy¡¯s father in the back alley is doing an information service, and he¡¯s a very sincere and trustworthy person.¡± ¡°All right. Tell him to find out where the Metheus Shrine is.¡± ¡°How much is the commission?¡± ¡°Hoh, are you so confident in your skills, that it¡¯s enough to receive an advance payment? If you don¡¯t find it, it¡¯s going to be hard.¡± The child nodded as if she was convinced. Tasked the man standing, who was staring at me all this time. ¡°You look unhappy.¡± ¡°Did you come here on purpose?¡± The fresh misperception was cute. Although my clothes were a little wrinkled due to hiding, everything I had on my body was expensive enough to buy the whole neighborhood. Even if it was a trap, I would not have come all the way here to harm them, who had nothing. I¡¯d just have a knight in the family carry out the bullying in my stead. ¡°No way. Do you think I have a lot of time to come and visit people who don¡¯t even know who I am? I was being chased.¡± ¡°Nobles do not go about ordering the first person they meet today to find something through the information guild. They might reveal secrets to others.¡± Aha, so you are suspicious. I rose up, getting slightly on my tiptoes, turned my head and pushed my face close to the man. Eris thought the man would be affected, it wasn¡¯t empty words that she was the second prettiest in the Empire. But surprisingly, he just lowered his eyes and looked at me. ¡°If I wanted to, if I set my mind to it, I could kill you in half a day.¡± ¡°Even if a gutter rat threatens to bite, will humans be afraid? Instead, just kill the rat and stop talking about everything the rat said.¡± In modern society, it is common for powerful people to prey on the weak in such a way. In a society where the caste system openly exists, doing such could not be a big challenge or become a flaw. That¡¯s probably why the man desperately tried to separate the child from me. It was only after hearing me that the child was frightened and trembling. Well, I didn¡¯t mean to threaten them unless they really spoke out. So I deliberately put secrecy before skill¡­ I smiled and patted the child on the head. ¡°You¡­ you don¡¯t even see us as human lives.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m a little different from the average aristocrat.¡± The man¡¯s shoulders shook, as if he were angry. I was not interested in how other nobles looked at the common people. I just remembered that it was not a good treatment in the novel. But the reason why I can be so cruel is not because I have a high status while they have a low status. Unfortunately, for me they weren¡¯t really people. No one agrees with virtual characters who do not exist unless they themselves are immersed in it. Even if a character, who is as good as the background in the game, dies, instead of crying in regret, they just accept it with a text describing dead¡¯. Immersion requires a convincing narrative, which in turn creates affection. One hopes a character they love doesn¡¯t die. Unfortunately, there was no such character that made me feel this way in this novel with a cliche narrative. Everything I love, everything I cared about¡­ existed in my original world, not here. My family, my friends, my favorite songs and the scenery I loved¡­ I was prepared to die to get all that back. I looked back at the man and whispered, putting aside his ideas. ¡°¡­¡­Now take me there.¡± The man looked at me in bewilderment and soon took off his shoes. He got down on his knees and put onto my feet the shoes that he took off. Even if it was loose because it was not the right size, it would not come off because it had a long neck. Judging from the situation of the house | entered, I don¡¯t know what to do because I don¡¯t think there are any shoes left. Even with the down payment I gave you, the stores would be closed because it¡¯s time¡­ ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have any shoes left, why did you give me your shoes?¡± ¡°Because I can¡¯t let the lady walk barefoot.¡± The man replied as he opened the door and waited silently for me to come out. ¡­¡­I honestly don¡¯t want to go out. If cross through that door, the story will go on again. I couldn¡¯t even guess how much more obvious a future I would have to endure. It was short to read, but it was said a long time had passed in the novel. I still wanted to run away. But if I really want to run away, I shouldn¡¯t have rushed out like this. They are the most powerful people in the country, so if I don¡¯t plan carefully, they will find me somehow. If | hide in this house, I¡¯ll be discovered before 2am in the morning. In addition, it felt funny that I, who am prepared to die, was afraid of the Crown Prince because he slapped me once, or that I was worried about the future that might not happen. ¡®If you posted this concern on communities or broadcast programs, of course, there might be a lot of comments asking why you are so frustrated when you have to hold a man. Suddenly, I felt much more at ease. Yeah, why would I avoid it? I¡¯ll kill the Crown Prince. I was a little curious about what would happen if I, which the world keeps alive because of the causality, kills the male protagonist. When I got home in good shape, people couldn¡¯t even scold me and just stared blankly. I smiled nonchalantly because one couldn¡¯t curse on a smiling face. ¡°I was so frustrated that I wanted to get some air alone.¡± ¡°But miss, you got rid of your escort.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I come back safely? I¡¯m tired. I want to rest.¡± As I cut the conversation, the head maid instructed the younger maid to get water for me to wash, as if it couldn¡¯t be helped. While she was attending a bath, I thought | had to meet Hubris as soon as possible. It was a bit embarrassing to admit that I am not a person of this world after doing so, but I thought that it was because there were so many people. No way the benevolent high priest will pretend to be unaware of a lamb in trouble. In fact, I should have tried on my clothes yesterday. That way, it would have been possible to properly attend the knight¡¯s oath ceremony, but I turned my eyes and ran away. Since the palace is also a place where Hubris appears at, I decided not to run away and quietly go today. Still, the people of the Marquis family were not reassured, and thus more people than usual escorted the carriage. Even if Eris ran away, she would not escape for more than ten steps as they would be so strict that she would be caught. As soon as I arrived at the Imperial Palace, I needed to say hello to the Emperor, but today the Emperor said that he needed to go out for an inspection. The Crown Prince said that he was working on behalf of the Emperor after having finished his fitting yesterday, so I thought it was good that I ran out yesterday anyways. The purple cloth, one of the colors that symbolizes the Imperial Family, fluttered. Because it was a hot day, my shoulders and back were open, but perhaps because of the neatness, it was an elegant dress with a collar that came up to the neck but off the shoulders. ¡®It was a smooth and sticky fabric, but it somehow looked elegant. I thought it would be inconvenient to wash because the tail is long and drags on. ¡°Oh, my¡­ you will be such a beautiful fianc¨¦, and everyone will be envious of you.¡± ¡± ? ¡°Are there any places that are ill-fitting?¡± I didn¡¯t really want to answer her, so I kept my mouth shut and the quick-witted maid hurried back. When I roughly shook my head, she examined me carefully then undressed me again. When I looked at the maid after having changed out of everything I had worn, she smiled softly, saying that I wouldn¡¯t worry because she would send my dress to the mansion within the day. I was crossing the back garden to go back, and after I got used to it, I saw his head. ¡®It¡¯s Hubris! I thought I shouldn¡¯t miss this opportunity, so I ran recklessly, It wasn¡¯t as long as the dress I wore earlier, but it was still cumbersome because it was not short. I tried to grab him somehow while running, but I tripped and fell. Chapter 9 Episode 09 Irony ¡°Argh!¡± I screamed at the pain of spraining my foot. Only then did Hubris look back. If it was Helena signing, he would immediately notice. I was a little irritated to realize I had to scream for him to take notice. Hubris¡¯ approach became a little faster, then he knelt down and asked. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°Do I look all right?!¡± I¡¯m dying from pain, but he is asking the obvious. When I snapped back, he hurriedly reached out with a perplexed face. ¡°I¡¯m touching your ankle¡­ Please forgive my rudeness.¡± Hubris used divine power. The white light came out of his palms, and soon, gradually, the pain in my ankle died down. I was staring at him because it was a strange sight, but it ended quickly. Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s a small injury. Greetings then were given to Hubris, who was about to leave. ¡°You¡¯ve met me before.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± ¡°You asked me who I am.¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡®Hubris looked uncomfortable, but somehow he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off me. The focus in his eyes was clouded. Not because I was beautiful, but because he saw something beyond. I looked around and whispered to Hubris. ¡°Who do I look like?¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t see the image of the soul.¡± Hubris sighed and looked straight at me and said. ¡°I see the color of the soul. And there is not a single person in the world who has a color like yours. I thought it was an illusion, but it wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­..Back then, there were a lot of people¡¯s eyes on us and I was distracted, so I didn¡¯t know what to do. Now, as you see, I came from a different world. Can I go back to where I used to live?¡± With a faint hope, I desperately asked him. Hubris hesitated, repeatedly opening and shutting his mouth again and again. Hey, do you know or do you not know. Is there a way, or there¡¯s no way. Tell me quickly! There was nothing good about seeing the prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e having a long talk with another man as she exited the palace. I was so frustrated that I tightly gritted my teeth and asked again. ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t give you a definite answer. But as far as I know¡­¡± I was stunned by his words, ¡®There is not a single foreigner who has gone out alive¡¯. I thought it was okay to die, but I guess it wasn¡¯t. I kept laughing in vain. ¡°No? There must be some way. A door to another dimension¡­.¡± ¡°My lady.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t have a way out alive, how could I come into this world alive? Right? There¡¯s a way, but you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°My lady¡­¡± ¡°Please find it. Since you are a high priest, if you go back to the temple, won¡¯t you be able to find historical records? That¡¯s why-¡± ¡°Lady! Listen to me.¡± Hubris grabbed me, who was talking gibberish and shouted. I was a little short of breath. Hubris explained to me slowly and clearly, one word at a time as if I was a child. ¡°The lady¡­. If the lady (original Eris) was born into this world, the original soul inside the lady¡¯s body has disappeared now. That¡¯s why you could come safely into this world. That¡¯s the law of life. In other words, in order for the lady to die safely, it is possible only when the soul of the lady¡¯s in the original world dies, precisely the soul of the lady¡¯s body.¡± ¡°Then ¡­¡± ¡°But the original lady isn¡¯t here. That lady¡¯s body probably had an empty shell without a soul. Since, there is no soul to die, there is no way to go back alive. Accept fate and live her life instead.¡± (T/N: few readers might have gotten confused let me explain in simple terms: the OG Eris Mis¨¦rian¡¯s soul has disappeared completely, that¡¯s why she(MC) was able to enter into this body safely, in order for MC to return to her ¡®OG world¡¯ she needs to kill the soul that is residing in her previous body, but the MC is here now which means her body has become an empty shell=dead) He finished his speech calmly and slowly raised me up. I was rather irritated by his endlessly benevolent expression. His job allowed him to spit it out so easily. How to accept? If I were to accept, it was better to learn magic, make friends with a witch, and have an adventure rather than the status of the Crown Prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e. My stomach, which I had tried to stab myself to death, felt ill. How many more times do I have to stab myself to finish it? No, I don¡¯t know if I can even tie it up. I think I¡¯ll be cut off before then. The painful thoughts started to eat me. Before despair swallowed me, I barely opened my mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the law of life, I¡¯ll die and go out.¡± As I jumped up and tried to hurry to the witch, the surprised voice of Hubris caught me. ¡°Lady! You must cherish the life God gave you!¡± ¡°God-given life?¡± I was dumbfounded, so I looked around. I was originally an atheist in my world, but I had to hear such a thing even in novels. ¡°My life was given to me by my parents, not by God. If you weren¡¯t conceived by the Holy Spirit, then it would be the same for you.¡± Be filial to your parents, mister. Do you understand? This sentence was about to rise from my throat, but I decided to hold it in because there could be no Confucian thoughts in the world. To be honest, it¡¯s a speechless remark, even if it does sound like heresy. But you can¡¯t accuse me, a person from another world, of being an apostate. At least, that¡¯s what I know of Hubris. I was tired of being a living human mannequin who couldn¡¯t buy clothes without their own mother. I really couldn¡¯t think of anything and I felt as if I was broken, so it was time to take a heavy step and go lie down on the bed. Helena was walking across from me when she saw me. I was nervous about showing everything, so I tried to run away, pretending not to notice and just kept walking. Then, she grabbed my hand just as I was about to pass. When I looked at her in a daze, she took a deep breath, looked me in the eye and said, ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian, I want to ask for forgiveness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°His Highness¡­ about hitting Lady Mis¨¦rian in the face.¡± A sigh came out of my mouth. The person who hit is another, but I don¡¯t know why Helena should apologize. But I felt much better because she didn¡¯t speak informally like last time. ¡°Did Lady Antebellum slap me in the face? No, you did not. You don¡¯t have to apologize.¡± ¡°Still, but still¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel guilty. Then I¡¯ll leave you¡­¡± I was going to say good-bye roughly, but Helena didn¡¯t let go. Her hands were warm and soft. ¡°No, I¡¯ll keep apologizing. It¡¯s okay if Lady Mis¨¦rian doesn¡¯t forgive me. Even if I didn¡¯t hit Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s cheek myself, I¡¯m guilty of helping His Highness¡¯s slap.¡± Helena¡¯s hands tightened. Her eyes got wet, but she didn¡¯t cry. Even though her voice trembled, her bright purple eyes did not shake. She¡¯s asserting herself. ¡°I should have kept his Highness from touching Lady Mis¨¦rian that day. And I should have reported that the maid who was following me had misunderstood. But | just watched until Lady Mis¨¦rian left. Obviously it¡¯s my fault. Sorry. Sorry. Please forgive me.¡± You are upright and lovely. Your kindness makes me cry. If I were a villain who only pretended to be good, I would have hated you with ease. Then I suddenly saw Helena¡¯s hands. Her hands were flawless, soft and clean. As far as I know, her status was a maid of ¡®honor. It would be more like a low-ranking maid who usually does chores, not a senior maid who came from a noble family to serve. Come to think of it, Helena grew up in a difficult environment and was too busy in her role of healing the hearts of the men and making them fall in love. Everyone loves Helena. The good girl had an obligation to ¡®give an impartial answer to all of them. There is no time to wash the dishes, do the laundry, or clean. The Crown Prince and Empress must be busy calling her in to chat. When I read it, I skipped it without thinking, but after facing it, I felt strange. No, let¡¯s be honest. I felt bad. ¡°How can you be so clean and pretty?¡± ¡°¡­My lady?¡± Helena resembled my old friend who was in college. She was the only child. Her pretty and kind personality made her popular with everyone, and was strangely fond of me. You¡¯re honest, you¡¯re funny. That was the reason. I liked her, too. No one can dislike someone who approaches with kindness. Considering my situation, my friend, sometimes paid for my meal without saying a word, and even if I couldn¡¯t attend the lecture, on my behalf, she told me about the progress of the class. Most of all, she didn¡¯t have any intention or shallow sympathy. She would have helped me the same way, even if I had more money than her, because she understood my poverty because she didn¡¯t like the poor me¡¯, but because she liked ¡®me¡¯. But the reason why I couldn¡¯t really get along with her¡­ ¨C Don¡¯t your parents help you that much? ¨C No, I¡¯m not the only one in my house, and I¡¯m not the only one¡­ ¨C But you¡¯re still a daughter, so¡­ talk to them. It is ironic because of her innocence. The only difficulty she had in her life was to study for a while for Gon University. No, in fact, since she received expensive tutoring at home, her starting line was ahead of others. She used to say it with a smile, though she said ¡®it was hard enough to die¡¯. She was nice to me, but she didn¡¯t know the difficulties. And I didn¡¯t even know it was a privilege not to know the difficulties. No, maybe she could be so pure because she didn¡¯t know the difficulty. I think. ¡­. The same is true of Helena¡¯s innocence. ¡®If Helena had been less beautiful, if she hadn¡¯t been close to the Crown Prince, could she have been so naive if she had been doing something as bad as a commoner? Your uprightness, for it has never been broken. Because everyone loves you and protects you. ¡°I¡­¡­ I don¡¯t like people like you.¡± Chapter 10 Episode 10 Inferiority Complex ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­¡± Someone may be doing what Helena had put off (work) on her way to see the Crown Prince every day. That¡¯s why Helena was able to have such pretty hands, and I couldn¡¯t stand it. No, no¡­ Let¡¯s be more honest. I hated the feeling of inferiority after finding motivation I thought it was worth living, but when I met her, I kept blaming myself and the surrounding environment. Would it have been different if I had been a girl from a rich family, this is a question that has always crushed my heart. I knew it for sure only after I came to this world, and became an enviable aristocrat, Eris. It¡¯s just that my personality isn¡¯t pure. But what about my bad personality? There is also a prince who lives by beating others, so it¡¯s not so bad that I hate him inside. My feelings are completely mine. ¡°So there is no need to apologize to me. I will not like you in the future.¡± So it¡¯s okay if you feel comfortable hating me, Helena. Even you, who lived without hating others even once. I was tired because I had been getting dressed up since dawn. Even when I lived in Korea, I didn¡¯t wear makeup unless it was to go to someone else¡¯s wedding, but after I became Eris, I was told to wear ¡®makeup whenever I tried to go out. She¡¯s better off without all the makeup and erasing it, but¡­ I¡¯II convince them not to even do it in the middle of summer. Eris is skinny even without a corset, so let¡¯s stop doing this today. Wearing a purple dress sent by the Imperial Family, I went outside with a bunch of shiny jewels. Tusually ride a family carriage, but today is the day, so they sent a carriage from the Imperial Palace. The carriage flashed with dazzling white marble and gold. Ha, I got tired and sighed. The Marquis told me to hire a knight, but this body decided to die anyway. I didn¡¯t want to ruin someone else¡¯s life for not protecting me, being hired for nothing. ¡®It was supposed to be an eye candy to hang on to such beautiful ladies and return quickly. ¡°It¡¯s a dazzling morning, Your Highness.¡± When I got off the carriage, the prince with a weary expression was waiting for me. The Crown Prince I knew would not have come out, so it must have been the Emperor¡¯s influence. Theard a gasping sound from around me. Because of the elaborate decorations, today¡¯s Eris was beautiful enough to make her eyes cold, so it was understandable. However, it seems that it wasn¡¯t effective on the prince, who lives every day seeing the face of Helena, the most beautiful woman in the novel. There is no compliment, even as empty words, I didn¡¯t even want to give my hand, but I forced my finger out, so the prince tilted his head groaning with his eyes, asking what this was. Originally, if you¡¯re handsome, all is forgiven. Even though the Prince looks better than any other actor I¡¯ve seen, I feel bad because I don¡¯t like him. Do you know how to raise your eyebrows? I know how to do it. As I did the same thing and looked at him, he grabbed my hand and walked along. My hands were wriggling with chills, but he held me with a lot of strength. Don¡¯t be dragged away in a stupefying way, stop your feet. The Crown Prince looked back at me in annoyance as I held back, with my feet tight. There was a war of nerves without words. No matter how much I hate it, when the Crown Prince leaned down and lifted me with a princess carry at the same moment when he shouted, ¡°What kind of attitude is this?¡±, whistles spread along with cheers. Are they really crazy? ¡°What kind of disrespect is this?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to be hugged by me?¡± I really wanted to rip off all that great hair. Sol naturally raised my nails while pretending to wrap my arms around his neck. I should have asked the maid to sharpen my nails when she was cleaning them up. ¡®If the Crown Prince speaks nonsense, I¡¯ll scratch him. I clenched my teeth and whispered. ¡°Not at all, so won¡¯t you put me down? If I struggle, it would be ugly.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re going to be married to the Imperial Family anyway, so let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t know what you asked His Majesty to do, but he even ordered me to take good care of you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying it as if it was my fault?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it. When I see him responding sensitively.¡± ¡°How do you blame me for not being trusted?¡± I thought he had been broken by his father, so I tried to endure it, but he blamed me again. The little girl who had never left as much as her fingerprint disappeared. I looked around and stabbed the prince with my fingernails. With the unexpected surprise attack, the Crown Prince released his strength from the hand that was holding me up. I came down in a hurry and fell to my knees. ¡°Your Majesty, if you have a hard time, please let me know right away. How can you overdo it! Oh, no! Would you forgive this young lady for being foolish and not noticing your difficulties earlier?¡± The knights¡¯ eyes fell on the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince¡¯s face quickly turned red after being treated and seen as a weakling by his fianc¨¦e. I cried out again before he could open his mouth. ¡°Where is your servant! Why didn¡¯t you bring the parasol? If His Highness falls on this important day, will you be responsible?¡± The attendant, who was contemplating my hysterics, ran back with a parasol the size of his body. I pretended to support the prince, but I pressed his body tightly and folded my arms. As I changed my stance like flipping the palm of my hand, the prince stared at me with an extremely angry face, like I was a crazy person. Of course it wasn¡¯t my business. Thad to pay him back two or three times so I had just decided to go all out. I parted my lips a little, as if I were ventriloquizing with a smiling face, and spoke with force. ¡°Smile. Didn¡¯t you say His Majesty told you to take good care of me?¡± ¡°His Majesty is asking if you¡¯re coming or not, you¡¯re really crossing the line, young lady.¡± ¡°Then please listen again, Your Highness.¡± I took out a handkerchief and pretended to wipe the Crown Prince¡¯s sweat. I didn¡¯t forget to smile with my eyes. ¡°You should break up with me, who is so hard on you, and write to me that you want to be engaged to Helena Antebellum¡­ Should we kneel down and plead together?¡± If the Crown Prince said yes, I was going to go with him anyway and beg His Majesty to break off the unwanted engagement anyway. It¡¯s a problem because the Crown Prince wouldn¡¯t. You can¡¯t even say anything to your dad, so why are you taking it out on me? The more I thought about it, the angrier | got. Even if I sell an invention, someone who¡¯s more in a hurry should sell it, so why are you picking on me? To imitate Eris, who was obedient to the Imperial Family, I had to endure it roughly, and then he dared to put his hand on my face?! It was a big deal that I had to endure it twice. As we stood still and fought again, the servants gave us an urgent look. The Crown Prince mumbled in a low voice. ¡°Until when do you expect His Majesty to adore you, for you have the gift of being a little distant.¡± ¡°Did you ever have affection for me? | don¡¯t have one, but it¡¯s a novelty.¡± You bark, I¡¯m coming. This time I dragged the Crown Prince along with his urging servants. I hope it ends soon, so please cooperate. ¡®It is gorgeous and magnificent, but frankly, it has grown so much that the endlessly boring pre-dinner event has ended. No matter how cool it was, it was just uncomfortable to be wearing makeup and a corset. It¡¯s amazing to see that it¡¯s the same state for the Imperial Family. Get up early in the morning. I didn¡¯t eat anything, and I kept on feeling nauseous because of my tightened waist, so I came out to get some fresh air for a while during the break. The front of my shoes was narrow, so if I even walked a little, my feet hurt. I wanted to sit down, but I had to go out in front of people again soon, so I couldn¡¯t get my dress dirty. I was looking for a place that looked moderately clean to put my bottom on it, but I heard a strange sound somewhere. It¡¯s a bit suppressed. I think I can hear a buzzing sound¡­ There are witches, but I thought it was a ghost, so I followed the sound. What I soon discovered is more ordinary than | thought¡­ ¡®It wasn¡¯t a ghost anyway. Although a man in a ghostly sack was surrounded by a number of knights and was beaten. ¡°Stand up, man!¡± ¡°The little one is falling out, and he¡¯s acting like a weakling. Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°Answer.¡± Again, with a heavy hitting sound, the man¡¯s body flew back. The man in the artillery, who was rapidly waking up as if he had a great deal of pain, was not able to stand up easily this time. ¡°No, sound?¡± ¡°Hey, get him up. He doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. He doesn¡¯t have grit.¡± Aha, now I get it. The Empire was a country with quite a solid caste system. In the first place, it was a country where the Emperor was strongly centralized, but it was difficult if there was no difference in status. That means that someone can take over the emperor¡¯s position. Even Helena, the heroine in the novel, was only able to marry the Crown Prince after her identity was reinstated when she was cleared of the false charges. In a country with such a clear hierarchical order, there were only two ways for commoners to rise in status. Be it a knight or a magic engineer. Both were possible only if they had talent and put in some effort, but that effort and talent were not given to the common people. Unless they were outstanding geniuses, the fact is, aristocrats supported by their rich family were better off and had more opportunities for success. Of course, everyone who gets ahead knows it. Especially in the case of the knights, as Marquis said last night, noble escorts are often chosen to rise for the role. Naturally, wealthy commoners were united, and the poor nobles could not touch the wealthy_commoners. Even though they offered a modest bribe to avoid getting targeted in the first place. The fear and helplessness that they may not be able to get ahead was expressed amongst the poorest commoners, the weakest among them. They (wealthy commoners) try to relieve their anger and resentment by bothering them every day when they are anxious to death. ¡­¡­Well, so far, this is a common occurrence in Korea. It¡¯s a place where people live, because everyone is there The question is whether I should go out or not. ¡®It wasn¡¯t only once or twice, but a long-lasting harassment, looking at the clothes being dirtied and being beaten up with cloth over them in case they could get caught for what they did. Even when I stopped them with a sense of compassion or justice, as soon as I left, was sure they¡¯d be vented on several times more aggressively. Chapter 11 Episode 11 Anakin It¡¯s not like there wasn¡¯t a way to help, but honestly, it was annoying. I can¡¯t give up my life, and I can¡¯t help anyone in a difficult situation¡­. While thinking about it, the man was kicked harshly again, and the bag that covered his body and face was peeled off. Oh, I recognized him. It¡¯s the man who put his shoes on me last time. The man seemed a little surprised to see me. The worries deepened. We don¡¯t know each other at all, and we don¡¯t know each other enough to be saved. It wasn¡¯t that little girl or that man who signed me anyway. Isn¡¯t it arrogant of me to pretend to know him? It was that idea that stopped me in my step. Thated those who hastily sympathized with me. Of course, I didn¡¯t like people who used or laughed at my situation when I said difficult things and asked for understanding But even though I could do it enough, was more disgusted by people who were fussing and showing concern¡¯. They made me an inferior being by raising themselves by their ¡®consideration¡¯, and even getting drunk on being ¡®considerate of me¡¯. We were on good terms, but we didn¡¯t really like each other and his first impression of me was close to the worst. The woman who threatened to kill with one finger is now saving him from being bullied? It was deceitful. I didn¡¯t ask for anything, but nothing made a person seem ridiculous as much as helping. It was clear that I would be cursed even if I saved him. I turned around and he didn¡¯t call me either. That¡¯s how the oath ceremony began. The Empire strictly limited the number and timeframe of an individual¡¯s promotion to a knight to avoid private armies being formed. Since the knight ceremony is not held every year, nobles who want to attract any soldiers, or those who want to hire a noble-born knight to connect with, gathered like clouds. Some nobles were worried that they would lose the knight they wanted to take, while others were already giving out hints during break time. Thad to sit in the front seat because it was in the order of high status, but I gave up my seat to a noble who seemed more desperate because I would not be selecting anyway. When I stood at the back and looked around comfortably, I somehow focused on the heterogeneous knights. They looked a little older than the others around them and were visibly intimidated. ¡°They were not chosen at the last ordination ceremony, so the appointment was postponed, my lady.¡± Perhaps because he noticed my gaze, the ¡®foolish romantic¡¯ family knight from before whispered to me. (Q/N: the knight who accompanied her in chapter 3.) ¡°¡­¡­¡­.And then what if it¡¯s delayed?¡± ¡°No one wants to have one that has never been chosen, my lady. Well, it may have been bad luck, but if you keep not getting chosen, there¡¯s probably a reason. And as time goes by, you get older and you lose your stamina. So after 10 years, you usually give up on being a knight and become a mercenary. Mercenaries may be better, but it was never a good ending for those who ¡®dreamed of an honour. Standing at the back corner where | couldn¡¯t even see well, there was the man who was beaten earlier. I cannot even see what kind of expression he was making. No matter how good that position is, it¡¯s hard to be chosen. ¡°What happens when you become a mercenary?¡± ¡°Well, the wealthy commoners prefer clean knights to mercenaries of unclear origins. Besides, if you¡¯re a poor nobleman? Then the price will go through the roof. If you have a daughter, you can marry and aim for an increase in status. You can trade with other wealthy commoners who have a daughter.¡± ¡®It was a hand me down tradition. No, I have to say it¡¯s a slave. It is a terrible future for nobles who value dignity rather than death. In the meantime, one by one starting from the Royal Family, they started calling out their names or raising their fingers to point out the knights standing below. The knights who were pointed at climbed onto the platform and knelt in front of the noble who pointed to him. The nobleman then was handed a sword from an attendant, using it to tap the knight¡¯s shoulders, slightly away from his head. At first, it seemed like a scene that would be portrayed in famous paintings, so I watched it carefully. ¡°¡­¡­ The last time I dared to disrespect ¡®myself with talks of romance.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t keep the past in mind.¡± ¡°Thank you for your generosity, my lady. But dare I say it once again. If there is no reason to decline, please take in a knight.¡± I stared at the knight¡¯s face. It was an attempt to hear the reason. The knight knelt down quickly and met my gaze. ¡°The lady¡¯s choice may save someone. Even if she dismisses him later because she doesn¡¯t like him, the knight was chosen by her so he could easily be picked up again by someone else.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°These men have given half their lives to become knights. If their efforts fade away because they didn¡¯t receive a single opportunity, wouldn¡¯t it be a shame?¡±. ¡°You are begging me for mercy.¡±, ¡°Yes, please have mercy.¡± As my turn approached, the number of knights decreased. The rest of the knights¡¯ faces were all dark. Savior. To save someone meant responsibility. It is more so when you save a man who is not a roadside beast. ¡°I¡¯m going to hire that knight.¡± The man I pointed to opened his eyes wide. I was handed a sword by my servant. It was a decorative sword, but it was quite heavy. The man, who came up to the urge, slowly knelt down. ¡°Will you pledge loyalty and obedience to me, Lady Eris Mis¨¦rian, in the presence of God?¡± ¡°Even if the path is a continuation of hardship and adversity, I¡¯m willing to follow ¡®it. No temptation will subdue me.¡± The hazel-colored pupil broke open in the light. I slowly patted his head and shoulders with a sword. I don¡¯t think I saved him with this. Even if I hadn¡¯t chosen now, he would have been willing to wait for another chance for a few years. But I owe him a debt of kindness. Even though his messy shoes were dumped as soon as I arrived at the mansion, I was able to return to the mansion without a single scar on my feet. A very trivial, perhaps negligible favor¡­ This is to pay off that debt. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed, but I don¡¯t have a name.¡± ¡°Your brother must have called you.¡± The knights wouldn¡¯t have called him by his name, but at least his sibling would have called him by his name. When || looked at the crown of his head, he answered calmly. ¡°I was called ¡®brother¡¯ or ¡®elder brother because none of the kids in the alley were older than me.¡± How awesome. I don¡¯t even know a name that is popular in this country, but I was at a loss as to what to name him. Maybe can make this person have the same name as the main character of this novel. I was not particularly good at naming. I glared at his soft-looking brown hair for a long time and put my hand on the top of his head. ¡°Then Anakin, I¡¯ll call you Anakin.¡± When he stood up, he turned his back on the sun and it was dyed in shadow. I remembered the passage in the novel that Thad forgotten while watching it. Eris, who was hated by everyone, had only one dark knight who loved her to the end. Now that I¡¯ve finished my work, I feel like leaving. There were some aristocrats who gathered and were trying to strengthen their power by promoting friendship, but I just wanted to go home quickly. I don¡¯t even know anyway, but it¡¯s better than being caught and making a mistake. The Royal Family gathered, so for now, I, the prince¡¯s fiancee, could not leave without saying hello, so I went slowly through the crowd. ¡°It¡¯s a dazzling afternoon. Your Majesty, and Ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°You¡¯re gorgeous again today. The purple color of the Imperial Palace looks great on you.¡± ¡°Our faces are full of virtue because the Imperial Palace has sent such beautiful clothes to us¡­ I¡¯m sorry for being late in saying thank you.¡± ¡°How humble¡­ I heard that you said you wouldn¡¯t want a knight, is there a reason to have changed your mind at the end?¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s trying to convince me, so do I have to go against the current?¡± The Emperor smiled cheerfully at my answer. Standing next to him, the Empress and the Crown Prince both looked like they¡¯re trembling. I guess I¡¯m sorry for the two who like Helena. Yes, let¡¯s break our marriage. I gave the Crown Prince a slight wink. It was a sign that he should say something. But the Crown Prince was hesitating even though he knew what I was asking. Oh, I knew what would happen next. In fact, the important event in the novel was not the ordination ceremony. Helena was a commoner, so she couldn¡¯t have a knight. Therefore, the ordination ceremony was described as ¡®the ordination ceremony was held¡¯, and was rather treated as important after the ceremony was over. This was because there was a scene where the warrior Jason came to the ceremony and pledged to become Helena¡¯s knight. ¡°Jason, you can only take a knight pledge once! Why would you do that to me?¡± ¡°I only want to do it once Helena, to you.¡± Chapter 12 Episode 12 Die For Me Helena¡¯s embarrassed voice was followed, by a sweet answer from Jason. It was a pledge that he could only do once. This is because ordinary knights are lined up with portraits when the master commits a crime, even if there is no guilt. Even if the knight betrayed for profit, it was difficult to reach a good end. A man who betrayed once can¡¯t betray twice? No one would write about the knights branded as traitors. Thanks to this, knights rarely change even if their owners shifted the blame onto them. And they win in a spiritual sense by calling it honor. No, let¡¯s not focus on other people¡¯s romance. I was hiding because we will both be embarrassed if I got caught, and I would have gone out for nothing. Jason knelt on one knee. Pulled out the sword from his waist, and whispered to Helena ¡°¡­I, Jason Kazar, swear allegiance and obedience to Helena Antebellum in front of God. Even if the path is a series of hardships and adversity, I will gladly follow it, and no temptation will subdue me.¡± ¡°Jason¡­..¡± ¡°Helena, even if I can¡¯t walk the same path as you, I want to be next to you to the end. Please allow me to do that.¡± She seemed to be in tears. A more submissive expression also played a part. Perhaps it worked. Helena¡¯s shaky hand slowly rose above Jason¡¯s head. And far away, the Crown Prince was watching the scene. The prince¡¯s face was distorted as if he had seen an incredible sight. I guess so. The friend you think you¡¯re closest to is confessing his love to the woman you love under the guise of being a knight, and she¡¯s accepting it without knowing it. Helena was so~nice, she didn¡¯t know the world and didn¡¯t even realize it. Seriously, what noble friend would swear once and for all with a pure heart to protect her for the rest of his life? It¡¯s almost like a wedding pledge if you change a few words and turn the sword into a ring. I deliberately made footsteps to bring them back to reality, stopping the Crown Prince, who was almost ready to fly out. My feet hurt too much to wait and listen further. The man and woman who were closely attached woke up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Did I interrupt, Lord Kazar?¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± I¡¯ve been waiting for you to do everything, and of course you should say that, Mr. Oblivious. You know, this isn¡¯t your property, it¡¯s a public place. I was going to give him a reason. I looked back at Helena, who was embarrassed as evident by her blushing face, and added. ¡°It looks like the Queen is looking for you, Lady Antebellum. Shouldn¡¯t you go?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s time already! Thank you for letting me know, Lady Mis¨¦rian! Err¡­ Bye Jason¡­¡± Helena disappeared in a hurry. Perhaps the Crown Prince would follow after Helena, and I didn¡¯t want to see that event. I¡¯ve already seen this event on the way out¡­ I was leaving, but I stopped and looked back at Jason. ¡°Jason, you¡¯d better take a closer look around.¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­¡± Jason looked dumb, as if he didn¡¯t know. No, wait, come to think of it, Jason was the Sword Master. ¡°You¡­ you knew that.¡± Jason¡¯s face was still calm. It indicated that he did it even though he knew that the Crown Prince and I were here from the beginning. When I faced the dark inside (Jason¡¯s thoughts), I felt bad. What the hell? Jason looked at my crumpled face and touched my hair, pulling it gently. Why is he touching? When I slapped his hand out of displeasure, he spoke in an infinitely gentle voice. ¡°You look like you don¡¯t know, Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± ¡°Last time, I told you not to blame yourself. Come to think of it, Lady Mis¨¦rian might have misunderstood this.¡± Jason looked straight at me. He had a frightfully stern face. ¡°That was a warning, Lady Mis¨¦ran, let me be clear this time.¡± ¡°Warning¡­¡± I don¡¯t know why all the male characters in this novel are so wary of Eris on their own. Frankly speaking, Eris in the novel constantly bothered Helena. Moreover, she frequently committed very bad crimes that were difficult to glorify with the phrase ¡°power bullying¡¯. Jason believed he deserved to hate Eris. Then shouldn¡¯t we, in the first place, just nip it in the bud? ¡®It is said that preventing diseases is important, so why do these morons let Eris plan the accidents and succeed? At first, I wondered who would save Helena first, but I left it alone to confront. Not only the psychosis, but sometimes the physical evidence will come out. You¡¯ve got power, and if you¡¯ve killed (Eris) earlier, you¡¯ll all be happy, why drag it on to tiredness¡­ ¡°Then stab me now.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re holding a sword. You can stab me with that.¡± As I took a step closer, Jason faltered. Of course, I had a point to believe. To be exact, there is nothing to lose. ¡®If I die, it¡¯s beneficial for achieving my purpose, and if I don¡¯t die, the world will correct me for reasons I can understand. As I almost jumped forward, Jason dropped the sword and held my hands together to defend. This shouldn¡¯t be the case to kill me. Jason must have realized it, his mouth gradually opening. I pressed my face close to him with a blank look on my face. ¡°¡­¡­When you confront an opponent and give him a warning, be prepared to stab him or her right away.¡± ¡°Who¡­ who are you?¡± Maybe he was surprised by my actions, but I didn¡¯t care. As Jason barely knew Eris. Personality changes as one grows, and he had not seen the process of growth because he was trying to catch the dragon. No, even if he had seen the growth process, he would not have distinguished her. Because he ¡°Sir Kazar, you didn¡¯t care about me. That¡¯s a new question.¡± The clatter filled the silence. Neither I nor Anakin were particularly talkative, so we just stared out the window. In fact, there was one more reason I couldn¡¯t talk to him, even if Anakin was a real black knight, I didn¡¯t know him. In the novel, the black knight of Eris didn¡¯t even have a name. His face was never even described because of his description of ¡°standing in the shadows.¡± Not only his face, but there was no past or personal history revealed. He just did all the hard and bad things for Eris. The black knight, so to speak, was the only helper for Eris and the key to making her get through the difficulties. But that¡¯s what happened when it was Eris¡¯ black knight, and I wasn¡¯t Eris. Among the characters in the novel, Anakin was the only one who met me without meeting Eris first. Of course, strictly speaking, there was also Hubris. Hubris now thinks he met Eris for the first time, but in fact, Eris had met Hubris as a child. It¡¯s like¡­ there¡¯s a wonderful backstory in the novel about Hubris and Eris being actually half-siblings¡­. Gosh, all I have to do is to die quickly before it would be revealed and things become more troublesome. If a black knight doesn¡¯t fall in love because I¡¯m not ¡°Eris,¡± it¡¯s a twist in its own way. I couldn¡¯t ignore the possibility that my knight would be left alone. I don¡¯t have the will to live anyway, but that doesn¡¯t mean that a knight close to me can betray me because he has a crush on Helena more than anyone else. While I was thinking about it, Anakin spoke slowly. ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°You must have had someone else in your mind?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t choose.¡± Anakin looked straight at me. There was not even a single attempt to explore my true intentions. Just like the day we first met, that tired face, I can¡¯t imagine this man loving Eris at all. You don¡¯t seem to have any interest or lingering feelings in the world, but what on earth were you obsessed with? ¡°But you can choose. I don¡¯t think you, the Marquis¡¯s daughter and even the prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, would have chosen me with pure intent over all the knights.¡± ¡°Right. I don¡¯t know what kind of nonsense the outside knight was making while I was away, but let¡¯s forget it all.¡± I¡¯m sure he (the previous knight who begged Eris to choose a knight) must have said something nice or something like salvation. But it¡¯s not for that good reason that I chose him. ¨C He whom you can send to places you can¡¯t go, he whom you can make to do things you can¡¯t tell anyone, and he whom won¡¯t reveal it to anyone¡­¡­ if he finds anything nonsense, bring him to die for you. Because I know Anakin¡¯s weakness, and he can¡¯t resist me even though he knows ¡°Dying for me.¡± So I chose you. I¡¯m confident I won¡¯t let go of one of your leashes. It was a long day. I was going to wash up and lie down on my bed, but something flashed under my pillow. I thought he planted a bomb without me knowing, so I just reached out my hand and discovered it was a mirror. As soon as I tried to put it back in, I could see that it wasn¡¯t my face in the mirror. ¡°Ack!¡± I was so surprised I threw the mirror onto the bed. When she heard my scream, the ¡®maid ran and opened the door. ¡°Miss! What¡¯s going on?¡± Beyond the mirror, the witch makes a hissing gesture. I flipped the mirror over so that she wouldn¡¯t be noticed by my maid. I took a breath and pretended not to know. I looked out the window. ¡°Maybe a bug came in. I have to close the window.¡± ¡°Yes, young lady. Can I bring you a glass of water?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can just close the window and go back.¡± As soon as she closed the door and went back, I turned the mirror upside down and shouted. ¡°What a surprise! What the hell¡­¡± ¡°You must have been busy?¡± The witch had a slightly sulky voice. I was busy. She told me to always leave a mirror by my side, but I forgot about it. Come to think of it, I also had to tell you about my conversation with Hubris. If || can¡¯t get out alive, I¡¯ll find a way out even if I die. ¡°Did you find anything?¡± ¡°Sister said that the human body cannot break causality.¡± ¡°The human body?¡± Chapter 13 Episode 13 Crazy ¡°That¡¯s right. You need that kind of price to break the causality, and humans are too cheap in life for that. At least the heart of the dragon, the mother of nature, will be required as payment.¡± ¡®It was like the story that Jason told me. But where on earth do you get a dragon¡¯s heart? Apparently, it was possible because of the dragon¡¯s help that Jason was able to kill the dragon¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Did you go to the temple and ask how you could survive?¡± ¡°The procedure was complicated, so I asked the high priest myself. The law says it¡¯s possible only if the soul in my body of the other world dies. It¡¯s practically impossible because it¡¯s an empty shell.¡± ¡°Oh, my¡­¡± When I thought about it, I became depressed again. I cannot go out, and my life is too small to break the causality. That¡¯s why I hated living here. Every time I looked in the mirror, I was less surprised. The way I talked was the same (as Eris). I couldn¡¯t even remember how || used to talk. Even if I don¡¯t want it, my body is gradually adjusting to this place. ¡®It is terrible. This is not where I want to be¡­¡­ This is not my world¡­¡­ Medea whispered, as if to appease me, who is depressed. ¡°Even if you do not break the causality, you can go out.¡± ¡®¡°What if I don¡¯t break?¡± ¡°Cause and effect is a law designed to fulfill the mission that the world has given to life. It¡¯s the same to have a hero during turbulent times. Someone is born, acted, and died to save the world, and someone is born, and acted to motivate them to save the world.¡± How terrible it is that my life is sacrificed to be somebody¡¯s motivation. I began to get confused whether it was because it was the world in the novel, or whether the world I used to be in had the same law. Is there cause and effect in the world where I was? ¡°The world is like a very sophisticated machine, and if something goes wrong, it¡¯s a series of broken things. There¡¯s causality to stop it, and it takes a heavy price to break it.¡± ¡°What happens when the causality (rate) is over?¡± ¡°Usually, they die. That¡¯s when you¡¯re allowed to die. As far as I know, if Eris is bound by causality, her mission was one thing. Killing Helena. No, at least, trying to kill. There¡¯s no one in this country to hate her that much except for Eris. The witch laughed when I hesitated, not being able to speak out. ¡°You know that, don¡¯t you? What you have to do.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t help me break causality, how can you help me?¡± I thought she was helping me ¡®die as one who can¡¯t die¡¯. But she wasn¡¯t? ¡°When the soul of this land dies, it creates the reason to reincarnate on this land.¡± ¡°¡­What is this sound? Are you saying that I can be reincarnated on this land again?¡±. ¡°Well, that¡¯s what the law says. But the witch is the one who twists and breaks the law. With a few sacrifices, you can lead the way back to your body when you finish your spiritual mission.¡± I sighed in relief when she said I could go back anyway. I¡¯d try to save it if it wasn¡¯t asking for the life of the mountain¡­¡­ The preconceived notion of being a witch scared me a little. ¡°What are the sacrifices you need?¡± ¡°It¡­ has not been found yet.¡±, Ho-ho, the witch¡¯s smile has lost all her strength. Someone will die in a hurry. Is this making fun of someone? The witch whispered in a voice that is infinitely sweet. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so angry. My sisters and I are both looking hard. There are few strangers who have already entered this land, but there aren¡¯t many strangers who want to return?¡± That¡¯s how it is. There was certainly no stranger in this empire, according to Hubris, that had ever left alive¡­¡­¡­¡­ No matter how witches were, they would still have to search the continent with the feeling of heading towards bare ground. ¡­.Wait, isn¡¯t the pay I gave her too little? ¡°Shh, I¡¯ll get paid later.¡± ¡°Later?¡± ¡°Eh, haven¡¯t you already signed a contract?¡± What? Contract? As soon as I thought about it, I remembered an unknown liquid that I had drank at the store. ¡°You cheated me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rule that you shouldn¡¯t drink anything ¡®that others give you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know the details of the contract, that¡¯s unfair!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not unfair.¡± Somewhere, a wind blew and brushed my cheek. It felt like being touched by a person¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m holding your life, you¡¯re holding my life, right? It¡¯s a very fair contract.¡± ¡°If I find anything else, I¡¯ll get back to you. This time, do bring a mirror.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Oh yeah. If something dangerous ¡°happens, look for a big mirror¡­ okay?¡± The witch disappeared, leaving very meaningful words. Then only Eris¡¯s face was reflected in the mirror. I received a lot of information at once and she was quick. Come to think of it, after | entered the mansion, I didn¡¯t see Anakin. Are you doing well? ¡°Anakin.¡± ¡°Did you call me.¡± ¡°Ah! Surprise!¡± Thad just whispered his name slightly, but Anakin opened the door, and my heart burst. How did you hear me? No, wait, if you had heard this voice, then you would have heard my conversation with the witch. Thad to pretend to be calm, but when I thought about it, my gaze kept shaking. Anakin looked at me and he said in a low voice. ¡°Would you please allow me to come in?¡± ¡°Oh? Ah¡­¡¯ Unintentionally giving permission, Anakin closed the door and slowly walked over to me. He knelt down on one knee and said to me as I was sitting on the bed. ¡°One of the greatest virtues of a knight is to not divulge the secrets of the owner.¡± That was all. It was a sincere answer to know whether this was called comfort or peace of mind. But strangely, I was relieved. As I calmed down a little, the question of how he could hear my voice arose again. Unless you are a psychic, there can only be one answer. ¡°You¡­ are you a sword master?¡± ¡°It¡¯s similar.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s right, it¡¯s right, or it¡¯s not, why is it similar?¡± Unless you are a magical engineer, the only thing that can hear such a small voice is a sword master, who can read other people¡¯s spirits. As far as I know, there were only two sword masters in this country, the sword teacher of the warrior Jason, now a retired high-ranking general, and Jason himself. The sword master, who can split the sea and the mountain, was truly a treasure for the country. So, if Anakin was a real sword master, he shouldn¡¯t be under me, instead, it would be more beneficial for him to inform the Empire right now. However, Anakin murmured, as he clenched his fist with a rather sullen expression. ¡°I can read the original form, but because the sword expression is incomplete. That is¡­ not a sword master.¡± The reason that the sword master can split the sea and mountain is due to the manifestation of swordsmanship, and even if that is incomplete, it would still be worth But if you don¡¯t say it¡¯s incomplete or impossible, it means you¡¯ll become a swore master within the next 10 years. In fact, that will be a tremendous achievement. He won¡¯t be able to become the youngest sword master like Jason, but since Jason is one of the original male protagonists, it can¡¯t be helped. ¡°Yes, well¡­ half master. You must have heard all of me.¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± It was a winning move. Did you hear me, right? If you did, how would you behave? If he intended to accuse me of communicating with a witch, I had to think about whether to kill Anakin as it is or accuse him of talking bullshit. Anakin looked me in the eye and asked. ¡°The lady isn¡¯t from this place?¡± It was an outrageous question, but it was actually a question that got to the point. He ¡®must have heard everything. Tpondered for a moment. Whether to answer with the truth, or to deceive him by pretending not to know¡­¡­¡­.. He was never supposed to be my black knight. But it is also a story that he would know when he is working with me anyway. ¡°Yes. To be precise, it¡¯s not ¡®Eris¡¯. I am not the person here.¡± ¡°Does the owner want to go back to where she was?¡± ¡°¡­.. Yes.¡± ¡°Can I help with that?¡± I started to become confused. Why doesn¡¯t it bother him? Anakin¡¯s expression was too calm. Isn¡¯t a stranger rare? Aren¡¯t you surprised that I¡¯m from another world? You even had contact with a witch, one of the most taboo things in the Empire? Doesn¡¯t he actually have a secret about his birth that I don¡¯t know? Turns out he¡¯s a descendant of a dragon ¡­¡­ and now Anakin smiled a little as I began to look suspiciously. ¡°You doubt me.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m crazy even when I¡¯m talking crazy. You don¡¯t doubt it.¡± ¡°¡­.It often happens when you live in back alleys where you point fingers at the world, for being crazy, and you can¡¯t tell what¡¯s crazy or not when you¡¯re born there. If a person who¡¯s not crazy goes in there, you become crazy like everyone else.¡± There is no change in expression even though he expressed haunting words. Apart from his appearance, there was little change in the muscles of his face, as if he was just like a mannequin. I wanted to see if the person I was talking to was there, so I put my hand on his face slightly. Warm. There was also a way to avoid it, but he was still, enduring my hand without any motion. ¡°Who the lady is doesn¡¯t really matter to me, because my work doesn¡¯t change.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your job?¡± ¡°Your command, I obey.¡± Anakin¡¯s eyes were filled with a quiet madness. The strong will to not give heart to anyone. Anakin¡¯s eyes were filled with a quiet madness. The strong will to not give heart to anyone. Thad a certain conviction that this man would never miss work because of love. Even if Anakin falls in love with Helena out of providence, his loyalty will be with me. ¡°Are you disappointed when I say that the knight you had chosen has lost his mind?¡± No way. ¡°No, I love it.¡± Chapter 14 Episode 14 Lauten Today, I opened my eyes in this world. After washing up, refusing to be dressed up, and eating, I thought about Eris¡¯ birthday, which is just around the corner. In this country, I will have a grand adult ceremony, and it was obvious how exciting it will be since the Imperial Family offered to host it. ¡®It is impossible to turn over the issue now after the Emperor has nailed it, so I have to endure, believing that it will pass. Adult ceremonies were tolerable, but the problem was this. If an adult ceremony is held by the Imperial Family, Eris Mis¨¦ran is basically announcing that she is a member of the Imperial Family, making it virtually impossible to break this marriage. I¡¯m afraid he didn¡¯t marry Eris in the novel, instead she was dismissed. There seemed to be no mention of it. Did the break-off fall within the causal range? I think the only thing that Eris did as a fianc¨¦e was to bully Helena, but one can do this even after you break up. ¡®It was very annoying to treat me as fuel, to make another¡¯s love burn more. The matter of the Prince and Helena is even more urgent, and I have to make an effort to get out of that situation. ¡®Is this a case where there¡¯s a guy who¡¯s giving you strength and a guy who¡¯s crapping on you? Did I ask you to marry me? It had already been decided by the families! Suddenly, annoyed, I started yelling and kicking the bed, causing someone to knock on the door. It was embarrassing. ¡°Hmm, hmm¡­ Who is it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..It is me.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°My younger brother¡­ wants to see you.¡± What have you got? My body rose up naturally. It is good news in this world, where there are only annoying things. By the way, I was worried about where to meet the scruffy kid. There are many eyes seeing, and my appearance stands out unusually when I go to the house. There is a saying that if you want to hide a tree, hide it in the forest. A crowded place. Where it¡¯s not weird for me and him to be together¡­.. Ah¡­! ¡°Tell your brother to come to the biggest dessert shop in the country.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Lauten was by far the largest dessert shop in the country. A five-story building. The building itself was more of an artifact, with a bright coral-colored exterior reminiscent of the Budapest Hotel and a white molding. The first floor was a bakery and a counter for take-out, and the official place for bread, and snacks was from the second floor. Bread was displayed on the second floor, snacks were on the third floor, and the cookie plates were laid out and numbered one by one. It was a structure where you select the numbered plates in advance, it gets picked up and calculated, then, it was either packaged on the first floor or prepared for it to be eaten upstairs. On the fourth floor, rich commoners sat, and on the fifth floor, it was prepared for aristocrats to sit down and eat. The fourth and fifth floors differ in its interior. The fourth floor has an open concept, with only tables and chairs, while the fifth floor has each room made with care. Even so, most nobles had servants to bring them (the pastries) home to eat. The fifth floor could be used, but other nobles may catch Eris entering a private room. So I decided to just use the fourth floor because it has the perfect setting. The people there must be busy talking among themselves to notice her. Still, if I go like this, I¡¯ll be noticed, so I need to choose a modest outfit and hide my hair with a big hat. Decorations also need to be changed to something modest and much cheaper. Since I didn¡¯t wear makeup or a corset, wouldn¡¯t this be enough to fool even me? It was nice to go around the second and third floors and choose something that looked delicious, sit on the fourth floor, and look around. After a while, the servant who came back with what I ordered displayed them one by one on the table. The aristocrats were given a five-tiered dessert stand, but the commoners seemed to have been limited to the level of three. Scones with clotted cream, jam and pastries, cakes, and crumpets with pickled fruits were beautifully contained. When the teacup and teapot were being set up, Anakin and his brother approached me from afar. Just in time. The younger brother looked busy watching. ¡°Please, sit down.¡± ¡°Yes? yes¡­.¡± As the child scurried down, Anakin naturally stood behind him. It was better than standing behind me, but I wonder if he should do this in a place where there are many people. Besides, I¡¯m currently posing as a rich commoner. ¡°You sit down, too.¡± ¡°¡­ You mean me as well?¡± ¡°Then you can keep standing in the way, of course. It¡¯s just annoying to me.¡± He pulled out a chair and sat next to the boy. To be honest, the size was made for women, so it was slightly small for him to sit on. Though that wasn¡¯t any of my business. ¡°You said you wanted to see me?¡± ¡°Yes, the priest you mentioned before, we found the place where he now lives.¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± The child looked around for a while and then stuck out a note hidden in his hand. Bonito, it was a strange province. I¡¯ll go back and look through the map later. I was going to nod my head and take the note, but the child took the note, pushed it into his mouth, and swallowed it. I was so surprised that I looked at him with a bewildered face, but the child laughed with a casual look. ¡°I heard that confidentiality is the most important thing. I don¡¯t even know what was written anyway.¡± ¡°What if you get sick?¡± ¡°I grew up eating food thrown on the streets, so a small piece of paper isn¡¯t going to hurt me.¡± Humph, the snorting child looked so cute as he pushed away the teacup. If you work hard, you should be rewarded. ¡°Come on, eat as much as you want. We can pack it if you have any leftovers.¡± ¡°Are you sure¡­? Do you mind if I eat everything?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I ordered it.¡± The child didn¡¯t know what to do, but then he started pushing food into his mouth. I was worried about indigestion, but I didn¡¯t bother to bring it up. Anakin stared at me as I said. ¡°You can eat too if you want.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s just?¡± ¡°What do you intend to do? That place is quite far from here. It¡¯ll take a good 15 days.¡± ¡°15 days¡­..¡± ¡®It was going to be my adult ceremony in 15 days. Should I go after the coming-of-age ceremony? I was thinking about it, but the child secretly raised his hand while eating. ¡°I can make it.¡± ¡°¡­No, I want to talk to the priest myself.¡±, Although he had retired, it¡¯s said he was also a high priest, so if he looks at me, he will recognize that I am a stranger at a glance. Then the story will be easier. First, I beckoned to Anakin. Anakin handed the child a small pouch of gold coins. ¡°That¡¯s the amount I promised.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of your share separately, so give every penny of it to him.¡± At my words, the child couldn¡¯t hide his disappointed expression. You really tried to steal it. ¡°Did you sell those earrings?¡± ¡°No¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because it would be a waste. It was the first time I worked to earn something and it wasn¡¯t taken away¡­¡± Taken away? When I stared at Anakin, Anakin blinked and said. ¡°It is the boy¡¯s father. He got into alcohol and gambling, begging, and taking money.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you two living together?¡± ¡°He was drunk and got into a fight. He died.¡± The child spat on the floor as if it was a ¡®habit. He scraped it off with his foot. ¡°I¡¯m not a relative, so I¡¯ve been protecting him in the name of rent.¡± ¡°And now?¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m protecting myself.¡± ¡°But you still have a long way to go to adulthood.¡± The child sucked his jam-stained finger and spoke as if it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°They¡¯re going to be acting as adults anyway. Far from thinking about being protected, we¡¯re all probably thinking about eating. At this point, all the kids in the slums are living on their own, so it¡¯s okay.¡± He said he was like that, so I nodded because I didn¡¯t want to speak any further. Suddenly there was a murmur around, and I looked up, and Helena and Hubris were walking from afar. Oops, I quickly lowered my head and pressed my hat down to cover my face. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t think they saw me. ¡°Sir, are you not a priest? I¡¯ll show you upstairs!¡± An employee who recognized Hubris tried to guide him to the fifth floor. Maybe Hubris cared about people¡¯s eyes since he went up to eat. Then Helena poked Hubris in the ribs and shook her head. ¡°Oh, no! Hey, I¡¯m going to eat here. Right?¡± ¡°¡­Please prepare it here.¡± Helena whispered as the waiter disappeared. I also stabbed Anakin by his sides and asked. ¡°What did she just say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a noble person, so I¡¯ll get in trouble if I go to the fifth floor.¡± ¡°Crazy, really¡­¡± Come to think of it, Helena in the novel didn¡¯t know that he was the High Priest until the middle part. No, how do you not know? Because the clothes were different for the priest and the high priest, I could not not know. Did the employee know at a glance? No, and the employee guided him, so why did he step out and stop it? It was such a great mystery. After a while, a five-tier dessert stand was placed in front of Helena and Hubris. This was possible because the high priest was treated similarly to the nobility, regardless of his origin. Helena seemed unable to tell the difference between a five-tier stand, and a three-tier stand. Anyway, when the stand was placed, the atmosphere around them changed. The people in conversations started peeking at Hubris and Helena. Hubris was the youngest high priest of all time, so he was famous among the priests, No, apart from all that, it¡¯s weird not to look at the way they looked. Bright silver hair and purple eyes. Helena, with a lovely smile that would melt everyone¡¯s heart, always shone without a single light. Hubris, who sat in front of her, also had a formidable face. He had straight black hair on top of chestnut, skin color of the finest melted chocolate, strong features, and looked more like a royal from a foreign country than the current one. Furthermore, the garb of a high priest, who was dressed in a perfect fit, was clearly meant to be ascetic, but it¡¯s effects backfired as it created a sexy look, that calls for it to be peeled off. Helena and Hubris started a conversation. Anakin glanced at me asking if I wanted to hear their conversation, so I nodded my head. It was obvious even if he didn¡¯t say ¡°I guess everyone is looking at you because you¡¯re handsome.¡¯ ¡°If you like it, you can eat it.¡¯ ¡®Sweet things make people feel good.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t pay attention to other people¡¯s eyes.¡¯ Chapter 15 Episode 15 Theology And Magic And what else was it ¨C it was a sweet, angelic thing to say anyway. Such a pretty girl only says nice things, I think I would have fallen in love too. Furthermore, Hubris can see the color of her soul. If ordinary people¡¯s souls were just yellow, Helena¡¯s soul was colored with gold, and more beautiful than anyone else. Come to think of it, I should have asked. What color was my soul? Oh, he¡¯s laughing. Hubris laughed. Interestingly, even though Hubris is a human being, I didn¡¯t expect him to laugh so softly. Did Alex, who always frowned, and Jason, who always smiled, smile like that too whenever they saw Helena? It was a very strange feeling. The sharp difference between disliking me and actually liking everyone but me. Even when I tried not to care, the helplessness that was forced to come was a little hard. There¡¯s no one in the world who can help me but Helena. Then I looked up. No, there was someone. As soon as I sent the child out on route, ran to the witch¡¯s shop. I knew Anakin was running after me, but I couldn¡¯t stop. I felt dizzy. I managed to get to the door of the store, but the store was closed. I pulled the doorknob because I couldn¡¯t believe it. The rattling doorknob that refuses to open announced that this place was empty. ¡°Open the door.¡± ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Open the door!¡± I started knocking hard on the door. If there was a suitable blunt instrument, I wanted to break the window. Passers-by glanced at me, but soon went away. They must have thought I was a mad woman. Anakin grabbed my hand and wrapped it with a handkerchief as I began to get a scar on my hand. I felt suffocated, strangled. I lightly scraped down the wooden door with the tip of my fingernail. Please¡­ ¡°You said you¡¯d help me if it was dangerous¡­¡± This was such a day. I thought I didn¡¯t really want it, but it became something I want to have because every child other than me has it. I don¡¯t even like vikings, but the mini viking in front of the elementary school sports day made me want to hold cotton candy that I didn¡¯t want to eat, and I don¡¯t care about the maker, but all the classmates have it, so I ask them to buy it. Now I know. Actually, I wanted to get confirmation. No matter how useless it is, I wanted to be sure that my parents would be happy to listen to me for my happiness. I say I hate them, but then I miss my parents, even if I say something really bad. ¡°Please¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t breathe. It was so hard mentally that I wanted to bite my tongue and die. I needed someone in this world who knew me. Someone who knows me and will like me. I wish I had at least one person on my side. So I ran to the only helper I knew, and the door was locked. I thought it was raining because my feet were wet. Looking up at the sky, I realized it was my tears. Anakin quietly watched me. I wanted to retort ¡®what are you looking at?¡¯. Instead he hugged me and comforted me, asking me quietly, without even consoling me. (T/N: in manhwa they Skipped this hugging scene lol) ¡°Do you want me to open the door?¡± I nodded blankly. Anakin asked me to step aside for a moment. As soon as I took a few steps back, he picked up his sword and cut the door straight down. The wooden door, which was quite huge and sturdy, cracked. Before I could open my mouth in surprise, he kicked the cracked door, strode in, and looked around. ¡°It¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°Uh, why did you destroy the door?¡± ¡°¡­? Because the door was locked.¡± Anakin said with a very casual expression. There seemed to be no guilt felt for destroying the door. He even asked me again. ¡°Whoever you¡¯re waiting for, I think we¡¯d better sit down and wait. Did I misjudge what you wanted?¡± He spoke calmly and led me to a suitable chair. Yeah, if the door isn¡¯t open, one would need to break it. If you don¡¯t have bread, you eat cake, right? When I saw his ridiculous expression, everything that I had suffered suddenly felt empty. I was dumbfounded and laughed as I sat on the sofa in the store that he led me to. How long have we been waiting? Suddenly the witch who was coming in stood at the entrance and screamed. ¡°No, I gave you a mirror to contact me but instead you decided to break an innocent door?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t break it. He did it.¡± ¡°The door was locked, so I broke it.¡± The witch pointed to Anakin in astonishment, and Anakin shamelessly admitted his guilt. A comical situation ensues. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about now¡­..!¡± The witch hit Anakin on the back without hesitation with her long, beautifully trimmed nails, and Anakin paid the price silently without a single retaliation. I felt a little better because the scene was funny. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for the door, so stop.¡± ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in a bad mood. Say something. So that I can feel better.¡± ¡°You¡¯re arbitrary.¡± ¡°So are you going to kick me out?¡± The witch smiled slightly at my words and fixed the door with a single gesture. The door became intact, as if it had never been broken. ¡°Is it okay for you to show your skills to outsiders?¡± ¡°Oh, if I thought he was an outsider, I¡¯d have him leave at all costs. Like the first day you came.¡± ¡®It was a deft smile. It was like that apart from the interfaith relationship, Anakin was not a man who would go to the temple and accuse the witch. I¡¯d rather forget so that I don¡¯t have to be bothered. Leaving that behind, she brought us downstairs. While I was still confused with bubbling pots and medicinal herbs. She made the teacup float, and with a single gesture, placed it in my hand. I was suspicious of what was inside this tea, so I took a sip, but only after making Anakin taste it first. It was a fragrant herbal tea. ¡°What would you like to talk about¡­ right, do you know the difference between magic engineering and magic?¡± ¡°Is there a difference?¡± ¡°Magic engineering is fundamentally close to theology. No, not close to theology, but from theology.¡± The witch thought for a moment, then began to explain, hiding behind a cloth, as if showing a shadow play. People often say that theology is the study of life and magic is the study of death, but it is actually a false metaphor. Both life and death are governed by theology. Theology is connected with the truth that makes up this world beyond simply believing in good and evil, and in creation. For example, a life dies when it is too seriously hurt¡­ the absolute and natural truth. Magical engineering is thoroughly exercised under that truth. To create new laws based on the truth of theology. That is magical engineering. Haha, don¡¯t you know? When a lightning bolt falls from the sky and hits a tree, it catches fire. This is a natural phenomenon, or truth. Mankind, who was taking this for granted, one day thinks of this. ¡®If you artificially create a thunderbolt, wouldn¡¯t it be easy to ignite it anywhere, anytime? The first magic engineer was close to an inventor. That¡¯s why they¡¯re called engineers. They found that formulating a formula yields a corresponding ¡®power¡¯. Once they set up the formula, they ran without blockage. The water vapor in the air gathers to make it rain, refracted light is used to create illusions, or changes in the temperature of the atmosphere is used to induce wind. At first glance, it seemed to be about ¡±creation¡¯ but it was not, and this was impossible because it was a violation of the truth. Countless magicians tried tirelessly to get closer to God, but all of them failed, and most of them were cursed and faced a terrible end. So, gradually, rules were created and breaking the truth became taboo. ¡®If theology is the truth that makes up the world, and magical engineering is to set rules under that truth, then magic is a very different nature. Magic breaks, twists, or ignores all of those truths and rules. The reason I can let you go is the same. By twisting the rules of life that make it a must to be reborn here, you can connect with your original world. Of course, we pay the price. Although it¡¯s kind that humans cannot understand at all. I was listening to her and suddenly thought of it and asked. ¡°Can¡¯t a man use the power of a witch? Well¡­ something like a wizard.¡± ¡°A wizard? That¡¯s an interesting idea.¡± The witch laughed for a while and said. ¡°I have to make you laugh, but you make me happy. Last time you asked if we would leave any offspring. Magic is not an inherited trait. What should I say¡­ It has nothing to do with innate ¡®talent¡¯ like magic engineering or theology.¡± The witch paused for a moment, then lit a fire from her hand. Beyond the flickering flame, Medea was looking terrifying. The sharp flesh that makes a person¡¯s heart eerie just by looking at it. ¡°Witches are a race that ¡®evolves¡¯ when they feel desperate. However, their consciousness must be strong enough to destroy all the truths that bind them. When they evolve, they are no longer a creation of God, but a completely separate race. Being a living thing allows us to be free from all causal rules and laws regulated by this world.¡± The witch gazes at Anakin, the only man in the room with cold eyes. ¡°Men are too fragile to believe in such a principle. They are emotional, easily understood, and have a hard time giving up quickly. No, let¡¯s go ahead and say¡­ Shall I say that they have never suffered enough to have impulsiveness? In most civilizations, men are usually ¡®rules makers¡¯.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re so great, why don¡¯t people know of witches?¡± ¡°There are many people who will be in trouble when others begin to notice the existence of witches. These are mainly powerful people. Since witches don¡¯t come from a high rank, these people¡¯s justification and their belief that the basis of their precious status and power are given to them by heaven would be shaken.¡± The witch playfully drew a cross. She seemed somehow used to it. Before she became a witch, would Medea have been a priestess? Chapter 16 Episode 16 Helena Antebellum ¡°Because they have to trust witches and be afraid of them, they covered up thoroughly from the beginning. It¡¯s erasing the existence of history altogether. The addition of ¡®Magic¡¯ to Magical Engineering is one of its initiatives. There was no such thing as magic in the first place. Everything I thought was magical was magic pottery.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were the only one who was persecuted when we first met?¡± ¡°Well, each individual may have different standards of persecution. What do you think¡­. Infested with worms and rats, threatening that if you don¡¯t give up your house quickly, they¡¯ll be more active¡­ It¡¯s a definite persecution from our point of view.¡± Medea pretended to cry abominably. It was all crocodile tears. By the way, she is out of her causality. If so, it was convincing that the existence of a witch did not appear in the novel. It is a character that the author, who is the God of the novel, has not set. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, though. Oh, even with great power, a witch cannot destroy the world.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Even if a witch with such a heart appears, the sisters keep each other in check. In severe cases, we can vote to kill them. Well, usually, most of the witches who are tired of living apply for a vote that they want to die¡­¡± Having said that, Medea somehow looked a little subdued. Then she looks at me and smiles. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, the stranger has what it takes to be our sister. If you wanted to stay, I could help you.¡± ¡°I also think being a witch would be happier than being a fianc¨¦e.¡± ¡°Yes. Having the human man on this side as a familiar¡­¡­.¡± We talked for a long time after that. Some futures that will never come true, but make you smile just by using your imagination. * * * (T/N: The POV shifts to Helena Antebellum) If you¡¯re low in status but beautiful, you¡¯ll have a lot of luck. When I was a child, my mother sometimes hung around in front of me with a knife. Grabbing my cheek and holding a knife again and again. She would let go¡­ and then she¡¯d drop her knife and cry. Knowing her thinking, I wouldn¡¯t blame my mother for cutting my face. If our family hadn¡¯t been framed and destroyed, she wouldn¡¯t be like this. Sometimes on the days she couldn¡¯t hold back, my mother drank and cried until she became hoarse, missing her dead family. I soothed the mother until she fell asleep. Mother, don¡¯t cry. Everything will be fine. I was really fine, but my mother, in her heart, always felt like she owed me a debt. I don¡¯t even know that the debt comes heavier to me. Be nice. I can no longer protect you. Mother said it like a habit. To laugh no matter how hard things are, to pretend you don¡¯t know without saying anything. Like an idiot without a screw, I lived that way. I was as good as a protruding edge from the palace. Everyone felt sorry for me. Now a commoner and a low-ranking maid, but before that she was a noble family member and even had ties to the royal family. Since my mother was the Crown Prince¡¯s nanny, Alec was practically my baby brother, and Her Majesty, who had no daughter, adored me. When I tried to do the laundry or clean up according to my junior maid¡¯s routine, Alex or the madame called me. ¨C Antebellum, Her Majesty is calling. Go ahead. ¨C But, but I haven¡¯t finished my part today? ¨C How dare you keep her waiting? While doing the laundry, the maid¡¯s scolding came. When I hesitated again and again because I felt sorry for the maid, she jabbed me in the side. ¨C Let¡¯s go. Before you get in trouble again. ¨C I¡¯m so sorry. If there are snacks, I¡¯ll get them and give them to you. I¡¯m so sorry. When I was a child, I was ignorant and stubborn. I did not leave until I¡¯m done. I thought it was right, and I believed it should be. When I came back from work, I was whipped to the point of bleeding by my mother for coming home on time, but I was rather proud. My burning legs seemed to prove my legitimacy. One day, I found a maid who was verbally abused by Alex for not bringing me in. She accepted my apology with a tired face and said, ¨C You are in a position to serve them. Don¡¯t turn down the order. Only then did I know. No matter how sensitive they are to me or how much they love me, they and I are divided by a clear difference in status. I didn¡¯t have the right to refuse in the first place. ¡®If I don¡¯t go, someone else will be disadvantaged. What an unfair contradiction. Even if I go or not, someone loses. I felt like I was drifting sometimes. I don¡¯t belong anywhere, and they don¡¯t accept me even if they try to adapt. They tell me to go over there. After being abandoned by everyone, I had to come back to my mother and soothe her crying. That made me a little bit sad. When I think about it, she hated me from the day I first met her. It was common for her to secretly kick my shin from under the table or trample my feet with high heels. Even at a young age, she frequently ripped into me, lied to get me into trouble and enjoyed it. Because I¡¯m a commoner, the intensity grew worse when I realized I couldn¡¯t hurt her. There was a tea party with Jason, Eris, and Alec, who insisted I was his childhood friend and I deserved it. Jason said that it doesn¡¯t matter, but Eris didn¡¯t like the fact that she was sitting at the same table as a commoner. She lured me into saying something so that she could put me into a corner closet. ¨C Eris! Please let me out! ¨C Don¡¯t call me Eris! I don¡¯t know how many people are there¡­¡­¡­ Do you really think you¡¯ve become a noble because Her Majesty treats you kindly? Or do you dare want to raise your status as a subject of the traitor¡¯s household? ¨C But how do I do what Her Majesty¡¯s orders¡­ When she shouted in resentment, Eris snapped sharply with her eyes drawn between the cracks. ¨C Why should I care about your circumstances? Whether you¡¯re pretending to die or breaking your leg, take care of it yourself¡­¡­. If you act presumptuously once more, you will be sold to the brothel so that you can raise your status as you wish. And Eris turned around and disappeared. I was left crumpled in a narrow, dark closet that wouldn¡¯t open. I might have been locked up for a few more days if the maid in the same room hadn¡¯t told him I didn¡¯t come back. Alec and Her Majesty went out in a fit of rage to find the culprit, but both I and Eris kept silent. The next day, they met again. Eris, as she hugged me, cried out loud. ¨C Helena, you don¡¯t know how worried I was. ¨C Lady¡­. ¨C Oh, just call me Eris. It was in front of everyone. And she whispered in my ear, ¡°Remember what I said.¡± Eris grabbed my trembling hand and laughed dazzlingly at me. Yes, I think I hated her a little at that time, Since that day, if I was confined in a dark and narrow place, I have developed a condition where I cannot even breathe well. Eris was a child who always worked hard. ¡®If she was like others, she doubled her effort, and if she was less than others, she worked three times harder than others. She said she had to always be the best. I didn¡¯t know what drove her that way. She whipped herself like she couldn¡¯t tolerate mistakes. She¡¯ll always have another chance, but why would she think that being behind once is so humiliating? Alecto always had a bad word with Eris. The reason was that the Marquis had a snake-like sneaky side, and so did Eris. Alecto called me out, so I stopped working and came to him in the back garden. Then I saw Eris crying, out of breath, in the corner of the back garden. She was crying with her hands tightly covered over her mouth, just in case the cry could leak. She looked so small and young, curled up. I hid myself because thought I saw something I shouldn¡¯t have seen. Far away, Alecto was walking around to find me. And then¡­.. As soon as she heard his voice, she wiped away her tears. In that short time, she wiped away her sorrow, armed herself with a thick mask, and smiled like a flower at Alex. ¡®It felt strange to see such a young child moving toward such a difficult future with such heavy clothes and makeup. ¡®If I were a noble, would I be stepping towards the same future as her? I couldn¡¯t seem to hold out. No matter how despised you are, one can¡¯t live like that. We will never understand each other. But on that sunny day in early summer, I decided I¡¯d forgive her no matter what she did to me. Regardless of my commitment, my mother ¡®hated Eris. No, it wasn¡¯t just hate, it was almost wrathful. The Mis¨¦rian family framed them, and was blamed for the collapse of the Antebellum family. ¡°We¡¯ll arrange the next appointment¡¯s venue.¡± ¡°That would be better.¡± Lilia, who agreed with Tession¡¯s words, turned her head and asked Karhan. ¡°By the way, did you bring anything with you?¡± At the last meeting, Lilia told him to bring the most useless thing he had recently bought. The reason was unknown, but Karhan followed it faithfully. ¡®He carefully pulled out the object. It was a small box that the package had not even been opened . ¡°When did you buy it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­. it¡¯s been about a week.¡± ¡°Okay, it¡¯s just the right time.¡± Karhan looked curious about what she was going to do with it. Lilia stared at him quietly instead of explaining. She saw eyes that trusted her as she fiercely raised her own eyes. After confirming it, Lilia smiled lightly. In fact, at first, she was only thinking about listening to his worries and getting rid of Richard. But now, she sincerely wanted to help Karhan. He was not confident, and he would not even look at other people¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t know how to express his opinions, and so he neglected himself because he put others first but he wanted to change that. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Karhan. The world was just too ugly to survive with good character. The moment you seem easy, everything you have will be taken away and chewed off. So, he needed to fix his personality before he gets caught. ¡°From what I¡¯ve been watching so far, you lack a lot of confidence.¡± Despite Lilia¡¯s frank remarks, Karhan remained silent. He seemed to be feeling it a lot. Chapter 17 Episode 17 What We Want I poured the tea carefully with trembling, hands from the teapot to the teacup. Eris¡¯s screams filled the drawing room. ¨C You did it on purpose, didn¡¯t you? ¨C Th-that can¡¯t be true. ¨C You know I¡¯m meeting you, and you do it on purpose, right? How dare you¡­ to me! Eris slapped me in the face at once. My cheeks swelled up in an instant at the harsh touch. But it didn¡¯t hurt at all. Oh, I¡¯m a coward, a coward. What a miserable, stupid life this is. The act for Eris now was, in fact, cowardly self-satisfaction. Tears poured out when I thought about it. ¨C What¡­.what the hell are you crying about? You always look like that. Eris looked at me, who was crying, and twisted her face and grinded her teeth in bewilderment. ¨C You think you can be forgiven for crying or laughing with that pretty face. What¡¯s the difference between a pet animal in the royal family and you? Do you ever do anything that requires thinking? ¨C I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­. I did it wrong¡­¡­. Her contempt came to me like a tidal wave. I thought so, as I accepted the waves. You know, Eris, this is my first time in life, because I¡¯m low-class and I¡¯m brainless¡­ that I¡¯ve only learned how to laugh. So let me know if you learn more than I do. Do we have a different future? Will we ever have a day like that when I¡¯m not pretty and you¡¯re not hated? No matter how hard I try, I can¡¯t escape from the future of the snake as long as I¡¯m allowed. If I smile, I look pretty, and if I don¡¯t smile, they¡¯ll come to me and ask me to smile. (P/N: Snakes symbolise a prosperous future.) Actually, this wasn¡¯t what I really wanted. I have no choice but to fall in love. (T/N: Helena¡¯s POV ends here) Since the imperial family said it was the coming-of-age ceremony soon, I was also preparing for the region of Bonitaeo where the new priest in question lives. The Bonitaeo region is quite far from the capital, and it was a mountainous area that required a 15 days by round trip. When people are in difficult times, they go to the countryside and the priest there helps them with their needs. It doesn¡¯t matter the time it takes to go after the coming-of-age ceremony anyway. Priest Prometheus was the high priest who became famous for the prophecies related to Jason, and unfortunately, he has no contact with Eris. Besides, Bonitaeo was really ¡®Kangchon¡¯ in slang. Why would I go on a trip to a place like that? It does seem like I¡¯m going to see Priest Prometheus. Moreover, in the Bonitao region, there was no villa for the Mis¨¦rian Marquisate. I can¡¯t lie about going to a place where there¡¯s no villa, and¡­ After I was troubled while looking at the map for a long time, the maid looked at the map and she said, ¡°It¡¯s summer soon, so would you like to go on a trip?¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡± ¡°Then, it turns out that the Magico Train will open soon. It is quite fast and it can ride a lot of people.¡± Magico train? My maid drew with her fingers from one end to the other end of her map. Her fingers crossed Bonitaeo. ¡°It¡¯s a train powered by magic engineering. They have been building the railroad tracks for a while, and the cost was so negligible, and there was a lot of talk about it. They said that the trial operation has ended and it will officially open at the end of this month.¡± ¡°How fast is it? Listening to the story, it seems to be slower than a carriage.¡± ¡°Oh, but it¡¯s faster than a carriage. Don¡¯t carriages rely on horses? Magico trains don¡¯t have to and are at least three times faster than carriages.¡± This is it. I wanted to cheer, but I held back. Instead, I called Anakin after my maid had left. I have a job his younger brother can do. Anakin listened to me and nodded his head. To avoid suspicion, this plan requires one more person. Soon after, the voice of the maid rang over the door. ¡°Miss, the royal family sent you the dress for the coming-of-age ceremony.¡± ¡°Tell them to come in.¡± The Crown Prince didn¡¯t declare the breakup with me in the end. That¡¯s fair enough, considering the events ahead. The question is how to deal with the situation¡­¡­.. Teven thought of destroying the event entirely, but if I thought about the causality, it seemed that I couldn¡¯t get out of it anyway. Most of all, it was annoying. It¡¯s not even worth caring about, but I had to do it anyway. I was just going to give them a round of applause and ask them to play Janggu. (T/N: The janggu (or janggo; also spelled, changgo) or sometimes called seyogo (slim waist drum) is the most representative drum in traditional Korean music. It is available in most kinds, and consists of an hourglass-shaped body with two heads made from animal skin.), ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian, I¡¯m going to make you the most beautiful lady in the world. Come on, breathe in.¡± ¡°Ha-eup!¡± I¡¯d rather beg Madame for time to put my mind to it¡­..Ugh, I don¡¯t like corsets. I¡¯d rather die than get sick. Finally, the day before the coming-of-age ceremony came. Adult ceremonies in this country have the custom where one cannot sleep at all for a day. Something about God¡¯s protection being released for a while on coming-of-age day, and when you fall asleep, evil spirits occupy your body? In the past, it started at 12 midnight and lasted 24 hours, but these days, I just go to the temple early in the morning to pray and receive blessings from the priest and stay up from the banquet until the next sunrise. Since my coming-of-age ceremony is organized by the royal family, it was said that sleeping in the Imperial Palace the day before would be good in the interest of saving time. Since the prince and the marquis only have to attend the night party anyway, I was ordered to enter the palace with only Duet, my maid, and Anakin, my knight. ¡®It was fortunate that I was allowed to enter the palace after dinner at the Marquis¡¯ mansion. If I ate with the imperial family during dinner, I would have an upset stomach. As I rode in the carriage, I stared out the window blankly and suddenly asked Anakin, who was sitting opposite me. ¡°What was your coming-of-age like? No.. Did you have an adult ceremony?¡± ¡°The shrine regularly does relief work, which includes giving divine blessings to children in the slums.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Anyway, the slum children become adults earlier. Because they have to make a living. Most of the children attend to receive food and clothes at the end of the ceremony.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in other slum children. I want to hear your story.¡± Anakin looked at me silently, then sighed and said. ¡°They woke us up early in the morning¡­. gave us an unusual thing to eat, made us pray, put some holy water on our heads and harassed us by hitting the floor with a hanging pole so that we couldn¡¯t sleep. There wasn¡¯t a banquet or anything.¡± ¡°No matter how poor it was, you lived in the capital, so there must have been a lot of support?¡± Anakin lived in the neighborhood last time. ¡®If it is, it means that a coming-of-age ceremony was held at a temple in the capital. The temple in the capital would be the largest and richest in the empire¡­ Someone must have been embezzling it. ¡°I don¡¯t know that. The important thing is that I received clothes and food at the end.¡± ¡°If they perform it with money, they¡¯re afraid it would be stolen.¡± ¡°Even if they gave us an item, there were many people who would take it from us and sell it.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I sold it before it was taken.¡± We made eye contact and smirked at the same time. I know how you feel. The hurry to get his hands on it before it¡¯s taken away. It¡¯s happiness that you can taste even though you know it¡¯s going to disappear soon. The New Year¡¯s money | received as a child was just like that. The money was all in my savings account, but how unfair it was that it was taken away by my mom when I was young and only one 10,000 won bill was left in my hand. When my friends bought what they wanted to buy, saying they received New Year¡¯s money, I couldn¡¯t even spend it because I would be wasting the 10,000 won in my pocket. ¡°Was there anything you wanted enough to sell off clothes and food?¡± ¡°I wanted a sword. It wasn¡¯t made by roughly cutting out branches, but a sword with a blade and weight¡­¡± Tasked when we almost arrived at the imperial palace because his face was so cute. ¡°If you want a sword, can I buy you a good one?¡± Anakin looked a little surprised and then shook his head. ¡°Thank you for your kindness, but a familiar sword is more comfortable when it comes to protecting someone.¡± He said so and followed me silently. He always walks about three steps behind me. He is not close enough to feel uncomfortable, but he can be there at once if someone tries to hurt me¡­¡­. Such a distance. I liked the distance. Even if you don¡¯t look back, you can check it with shadows. *** Chapter 18 Episode 18 The Coming-og-Age Ceremony Thank you Ryi for sponsoring this chapter! As soon as the sun rose, I was woken up. I struggled to wake up this morning because I have low blood pressure and it was hell last night, I couldn¡¯t sleep and ended up needing to change my bed. Now, was so sleepy that I slept in the middle of bathing. It must have been hard for Anakin with me halfasleep, to ask for my permission in order to carry me. Though the temple was close by, it was not walking distance, so we had to take a carriage. Anakin pushed me into the carriage, and when we arrived, he pulled me out, but again, I wasn¡¯t fully awake. It wasn¡¯t until we arrived that Anakin, who literally brought me to the front of the Grand Hall, woke me up with regret. ¡°My lady, we¡¯re here. Please wake up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Give me five minutes, for real.¡± Five minutes to gather energy to wake up and demonstrate my skills. Someone pressed my crumpled forehead with their finger to straighten it out. Then, strangely enough, the urge to fall asleep disappeared. When I opened my eyes, Hubris was watching me with a fine face. Oh, right. He was the high priest. wondered if it was better than a completely unknown face. When I waved my hand, another priest put a veil on me. In the empire, women wore a veil twice and men wore a veil once. It means that both men and women wear a veil at adult ceremonies. There was also a religious reason. All the sins contained in the body were kept in a veil to prevent them from escaping, and holy water was poured onto it to cleanse it. After that, the High Priest put a hand-made veil anointed with perfumed oil on both eyes and mouth to bless them to not be stained with sins in the future, Hubris slowly poured out the holy water in the brass bowl. Cool water poured for my cleansing. It was cool, but the wet veil and clothes stuck to me, so I didn¡¯t feel so pleasant. No wonder they dressed me lightly¡­ With my tongue in my mouth, I closed my eyes and waited for the next turn. Hubris¡¯s hand passed the veil¡­ ¡­.? What? Why are you holding it still? When I opened my eyes due to the strangeness, Hubris looked at my face for a long time then hurriedly swept my eyes. His fingers were dry and soft. ¡°Holy Father, rejoice.¡± ¡°Ah¡± As I pointed out, Hubris again poured perfume on my fingers with a trembling hand. As I closed my eyes again and he touched both of my eyelids, he hesitated, this time on my lips. Seriously. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s done it once or twice, but him dragging his feet, really! I got annoyed and just stuck out my head and pressed my lips against Hubris¡¯s thumb and stood up. ¡°All right?¡± ¡°¡­..Yeah.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯m busy.¡± When Hubris failed to answer, I pulled the wet veil off and threw it down. My legs throbbed when I was on my knees. How frustrating. I went back to the imperial family, had a late breakfast and lunch, and took a short walk to digest before started dressing up in earnest. The meals of the highranking people were always unnecessarily large and heavy, so I felt bloated. Then, in the distance, Helena was seen running, as usual. She seemed to have no idea what she was going to be in the future. I thought I¡¯d catch her and give her a word, but I left it alone because I thought it would be better for her to experience the results for herself. There¡¯s nothing I can do even if I look into it. When I returned to the room after watching Helena, the fully prepared women welcomed me with expressions that one would have just before the competition. Yeah¡­ let¡¯s just worry about myself. I don¡¯t know if | can make it to the banquet alive today¡­¡­ and as soon as I sighed, four women gathered together and changed my clothes. I wore stockings made of silk, and I didn¡¯t wear a corset because I insisted I didn¡¯t want to die, but instead they hung a cotton pouch that looked rich on the hips. One more skirt on top of that! Put on a light top, and then do it again with another skirt. When I freaked out about how many layers of clothes I was wearing, women comforted me by saying that it was summer and it¡¯s trendy, so my back was slightly open and that I had no panels on my chest. As I finished getting dressed, they divided their time to get my hair and face decorated. One was busy combing my hair and another was applying powder. They braided my hair, pinned it, and applied multiple makeup layers¡­¡­.. At the moment when I was exhausted and wanted to faint, they put on necklaces, bracelets, rings, and put my shoes on. The attendant was mesmerized by the sight of my face as she carefully moved the mirror. She put a fulllength mirror in front of me only after the court lady announced in a loud voice that was almost like a scream. ¡°You¡¯re so¡­.. beautiful.¡± Certainly I was a little unrealistically beautiful in the mirror. No, I was more like a craft than a human being. The dark green dress tailored to the color of my eyes was more of an art than clothes with the island¡¯s gold, thread embroidery, and the diamonds on my hands, ears and neck simply shone. Not only that, but the braided hair also had a star, shaped pin made of diamonds and gold. I couldn¡¯t believe I had a face that doesn¡¯t get pushed back even though I was wearing something that glitters like this. ¡®It was even a little scary. What¡¯s the point of working so hard like this. The person I can actually see has a heart in the bean field. ¡°Let¡¯s go when you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°What? His Highness hasn¡¯t come yet.¡± ¡°He won¡¯t come.¡± He must have gone to escort Helena now. The attendant looked bewildered as I stepped out the door. It means that he already knows everything when he sees my action yet he can¡¯t say anything but wait. ¡®If you go to the venue and look at people¡¯s faces, you¡¯ll find out who¡¯s involved in this. As I strode along, there was a heavy silence. If you look at the atmosphere, it¡¯s not a coming-of-age ceremony, but a general going to war. I¡¯ve reached the entrance of the banquet hall, the people are stunned. Everyone was looking at me with ¡®No, why are you here already? Alone?¡¯ stuck on their foreheads. This was because it was customary to get escorted by your fianc¨¦ if you have a fianc¨¦. I scanned the area, and I saw Jason in a corner. ¡°Sir Kazar, would you hold my hand?¡± ¡°¡­. What?¡± Jason looked at me with a face asking if I was insane. He would be like that, because while this is a comingof-age ceremony, part of it was about the engagement between the prince and Eris. If Eris had been alone so far even after the fact that she had been verbally announced as his fianc¨¦e between families, then from now on, as his fianc¨¦e, she would be treated at the expense of the Crown Prince. In addition to the expanded interpretation, someone else escorting me was like a declaration of propaganda against the imperial family. There¡¯s no way any noble here will do that. I chose Jason because he was on the same level as Eris in many ways. The eldest son of a duke family and a warrior who saved the empire. Even a childhood, friend of the prince, it was good to use that fact as a shield. Besides there was no knight in the empire that would refuse the request of a lady¡­ Jason approached me with a grim look and held my hand. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦ran, the eldest daughter of the Marquis and fianc¨¦e of the Crown Prince, is entering.¡± When the servant, who had been wary, announced my position, Jason took my hand and slowly led me to the center of the ceremony. The eyes of all the nobles were drawn. All expressed very confused faces, but I decided to take it easy just because Eris was pretty. I was starting to become hungry, so I was looking around to put something in my mouth, but Jason grabbed me and asked. ¡°What happened? What about him?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see? I¡¯m sure he went to pick up Lord Kazar¡¯s partner.¡± ¡°What?¡± Jason asked back with a stupid face. I replied to the face as if it were something new. ¡°You know she¡¯s not cold-hearted enough to stand you up.¡± ¡°That¡­ that can¡¯t be true. It¡¯s a coming-of-age ceremony for the love of God.¡± ¡°No way¡­. It¡¯s the young lady¡¯s coming-of-age¡­.. How come.¡± ¡°They say that falling in love blinds you.¡± Apart from that, it was a very sneaky thing. How someone tries to steal a woman to bring her to her coming-of-age. There was no such thing as a thief¡¯s symbol or such a thief¡¯s mind. ¡°How did you know Helena was with him?¡± Jason¡¯s troublesome question was ignored. Well, I guess it¡¯s a big deal that I¡¯m here early. The servant¡¯s face turned blue. ¡°Here comes the lord of Eastern Kendall, protector of the Caylen River, and Marquis Mis¨¦ran, Lord of Rimbaud.¡± ¡°My daughter.¡± The Marquis, who was coming in with a bright smile, suddenly stopped walking. Of course, the Crown Prince deserved it because he was going somewhere and with another person. As soon as the frowning Marquis tried to bring it up, the servant heralded a tumultuous disturbance. ¡°Give an example! The heart of the empire, the protector of the faith, the master of the land, Emperor Kratos I and the Empress enter.¡± Everyone in the hall bowed deeply towards the entrance. The Emperor and Empress were greeted skillfully and they walked straight to me. ¡°Beautiful, beautiful. You are so beautiful that it¡¯s poisonous to the eyes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a dazzling afternoon, Your Majesty, and Empress. Since you provided a place for us in person, we will regard it as an honor to the family, and in the future, we will continue to care for the inner rather than the exterior and we will be more loyal than vain.¡± ¡°From knowing you, it is evidence that you already possess a mature inside¡­¡­. By the way, the side of you is empty. Where did Alex go?¡± At his question I just laughed. Sometimes laughter explains a lot of things. But without that, the snow of today¡¯s storm quickly entered, ¡°His Majesty, Prince Alex, the lord of the Maranello region and the knight of the royal family, is entering with Helena Antebellum.¡± When the door opened, there was a crushing silence. Even a morgue couldn¡¯t be so creepily quiet. Some even rubbed their eyes as if they couldn¡¯t believe it. Oh, it was worth it. Helena is wearing the same dress as me right now. Helena was truly astonishingly beautiful, as the woman in the novel recognized as the most beautiful person in the world. Still, it would be dazzling because the prince brought an originally pretty girl and polished it. When I looked in the mirror, Eris wasn¡¯t really real either, but Helena added something else. Chapter 19 Episode 19 Apology The aura is different. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a human being¡­.. As far as I¡¯m concerned, whether Helena was a fairy, a pure human being, or whatever, I had a strong feeling that God worked hard on her. To exaggerate a little, it was a beauty that was close to a final weapon created by mankind. When I was admiring Helena¡¯s face, she looked at me, or to be exact, at my clothes, and turned pale. Shivering like a tree, she refused with her feet pressed when the crown prince tried to take her into the ceremony despite being embarrassed by the unexpected situation. ¡°I¡¯m going to¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I want to change. Let me change!¡± The end was almost like a scream. Poor Helena, it¡¯s getting tough because you¡¯re beautiful. I looked straight at her and allowed her. ¡°You may go change, Lady Antebellum.¡± ¡°Helena!¡± When permission was given, Helena turned and escaped, and the Crown Prince called her name anxiously. ¡°Your Majesty, I know you have a lot to say, but I want to talk to him first. Will you allow me to do this?¡± I turned to appease the emperor before the already red-faced emperor burst into anger. The emperor gave his face a good smoothing over and nodded to allow it. What I want to be is not a tragic heroine. Gathering sympathy was enough for those days when there was no money nor power. I smiled and reached out to the Crown Prince. ¡°Come here, Your Highness.¡± Come when I say nice words. I¡¯m holding it in because I want to kill him. Well, this is how the story should go originally. Helena should not be able to attend if she was originally in her position, but the story was different when Jason, a great nobleman, said he would bring her as a partner. Perhaps Jason sent a dress to Helena to match his clothes. With a gorgeous dress coming, of course, it would get in and out from the mouths of the maids, and naturally, the fact that Helena was attending with Jason would have entered the prince¡¯s ears. I don¡¯t care how jealous the crown prince must have been. Anyway, the crown prince made a plan to tell Jason that Helena is his woman, to screw me over, and to take care of everything. He dared to steal the clothes that Jason gave her, and even deceived Helena, who would have just put on the same dress. And I would have put it on too, and be outrightly compared. My dress was original too. This was natural. In order to make and sell the product again, designers usually leave an extra suit in case my clothes had an accident. The question is how did you convince Madame to give the duplicate dress¡­. It was impossible for the crown prince alone. This is because Madame¡¯s main clientele, which is said to be the Princess of Amman, was not part of the royal family, but an aristocratic socialite. There couldn¡¯t be a way to give a commoner a dress that was ordered by a noble as it would degrade trust, and at the same time, the value of the clothes. They were determined to get Eris offended. And there was only one person who would want to make her feel that way. Empress. I usually thought she liked Helena, but at this point, she is hating Eris instead of favoring Helena. In the book, Eris waits until the Crown Prince arrives, and she will not leave unless he does. After a defeat, the servant dragged her out. I read that Helena, who wears the same dress as her and laughs with people with a more aristocratic appearance, while Eris ran away like Helena just did¡­.. but I didn¡¯t want to do so, hence I came out first and it changed a little. Originally, the Crown Prince, Helena, the Marquis, and then the Emperor and Empress, and finally, Eris, came out. But when the message that I entered first came, the Marquis and the Emperor, of course, thought that the Crown Prince also arrived first, and departed earlier than expected. In the original, Eris¡¯s game was very different. It was also the anger that Eris, who was desperate, showed off her unfamiliar behavior for the first time. Thanks to that, Helena and the prince¡¯s companionship had been buried a little, but¡­¡­ Well, it wasn¡¯t something I wanted to worry about. What am I supposed to do? We were out in the hallway for a moment. The moon¡¯s light shone on us. The Crown Prince tried to open his mouth first, but I raised my hand to stop him. Where can a sinner open his mouth first? Every time he opens his mouth, he lies with excuses. ¡°Your Majesty¡­ Do you hate me?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± I wasn¡¯t asking for an answer. If he didn¡¯t hate me, would he have done something like this? No matter how much harassment is scheduled, having the first-hand experience was annoying. In particular, the Crown Prince¡¯s perverted taste was very annoying, I approached the Crown Prince with strides. He took a step back, and I put my feet on the wall next to him so that he couldn¡¯t run away at all. ¡°You hate me, Your Majesty? You somehow want me to be sick and lonely, right? So when you came into the hall, you looked at my face before His Majesty¡¯s to see if I¡¯m hurt.¡± ¡°You¡­.. ¡°But I, Your Majesty¡­ I wish I was dead.¡± I was prepared to break it, but the small wounds will not hurt. I didn¡¯t want to see the crown prince¡¯s face, so I covered it with my palm and said, crushing it in his ear. ¡°So don¡¯t try to hurt me. It¡¯s the same.¡± Leaving the confused prince alone, I turned around and walked out to the end of the corridor. As I opened the door, Jason was looking down at me with a complicated expression. You¡¯ll have to change your habit of being a rat. He should be chasing Helena, not me, I don¡¯t know why he is here. I gathered all the patience I had and laughed at Jason. ¡°Oh¡­ Are you leaving Lady Antebellum alone? The lady was stolen by His Majesty. But, didn¡¯t Lord Kazar invite her? You have to take responsibility for her till the end.¡± After that, I didn¡¯t make a sound and just moved my mouth. Move. As if he had read the shape of my mouth, he turned away with a confused expression. After passing through one more door, it is again the act of a splendid actress. When I enter, everyone looks at my face. No, it¡¯s not me. The person standing in front of their eyes is Eris Mis¨¦rian. Those faces as spectacles that wish you will mourn, the cruel anticipation that you will make your downfall. So I had to laugh. Eris, you¡¯d rather be angry, but you didn¡¯t cry. If there is a side story in this novel, I wish it was your story, not the love story between Helena and the Crown Prince. So that I can understand what you were thinking and with what kind of heart you were jealous of Helena and loved the prince. But I don¡¯t know you even when I¡¯m in your body. No one in your world knows you. Poor Eris, the terrible world wasn¡¯t interested in you. First of all, it was a coming-of-age ceremony, so I walked to the place where the emperor and the marquis were. It was quite crowded, but the people, parted away to make it a path like a miracle of Moses. (T/N: Moses parted the red seas with a little help from God, of course.) The two laughed well expressionlessly, even though the series of events that took place was embarrassing I don¡¯t know how good a politician I can be at this moment¡­. ¡°Baby bird, you¡¯re here. Did you have a good, conversation?¡± Damn it, I¡¯ve lost my advantage. If the emperor makes such a conclusion, it becomes difficult for me to bring up my marriage. I looked at the marquis for help, but he smiled without realizing that he was looking at me. Oh, only then did I realize that the marquis may be on Eris¡¯s side, but not mine. He won¡¯t do anything to hurt Eris¡¯s reputation. Come to think of it, an internal combative relationship was not much of a scandal for aristocrats, whose fickleness was the norm. Not to mention, polygamy is officially allowed in the imperial family. To the extent, this marriage was a political marriage. I guess I expected too much from a contract that is in each other¡¯s political interests. Even if Eris is infertile, the prince is right, which means he will not break up with Eris even if he brings Helena. When I think about that, the Crown Prince is only annoyed with me¡­ Oh¡­ I thought he was very sincere to Helena. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m shilly-shallying on that part, even if I¡¯m trying my best. ¡°Honey, do you remember what I said?¡± Are you talking about the 1980s when I wanted to wash my ears? I forced myself to open my mouth to the gaze that was pouring onto me. ¡°¡­.I¡¯m not jealous.¡± ¡°Yes, right¡­ You¡¯ve raised a wise daughter, Marquis.¡± ¡°That¡¯s flattering.¡± They giggled among themselves and went crazy. Haha, hoho, just laugh, and didn¡¯t care to please me, so I just nodded and got out of the room. They won¡¯t break off the engagement even though the engagement is a mess¡­.. I need to cause trouble again. By the way, it¡¯s a blur. In fact, Eris should run out instead of Helena, which was all the more so because the situation was reversed. I thought it would be better if I enjoyed the cool air, so I even took a step toward the back garden. A new year passed and the stars embroidered the sky beautifully. The wind was so nice that I briefly regretted that it would have been nice to have a drink while I was enjoying it. T¡¯ll go get some drinks later. Before that, I looked around to find a suitable seat and heard a cry somewhere. This time, I was looking forward to seeing if it was a real ghost, and unfortunately, it was a person again. It wasn¡¯t a bunch of green¡­ It was Helena. Helena was in tears, and then stood up in surprise at the sight of me. When she confirmed that it was me, her expression changed even more hopelessly. I thought a ghost would look better than that. When she wiped her tears with her hands in a hurry, she struggled to deny it in a trembling voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I, I really didn¡¯t know. This dress, mean¡­¡± Helena closes her eyes tightly after giving a gibberish excuse. It was the prince who made her wear those clothes, but she couldn¡¯t get the prince¡¯s name out of her mouth in front of his fianc¨¦e. Not only can it be regarded as a slander, but it is impossible for the commoners to accuse the royal family in the first place. She hesitated for a long time to see if she had that much sense. In the end, what Helena managed to spit out was neither an excuse nor a clause. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± It¡¯s you again. You apologize again. Neither the man who brought you nor the one who dressed you in my clothes apologized to me, but it¡¯s always you because you¡¯re the least powerful. Chapter 20 Episode 20 Understanding Like a broken clock, she repeated the same words over and over again before bursting into tears. Helena frantically wiped her tears that were falling down with her hands. But the more she tried to stop, the more her tears kept falling. Helena smacked her head again and again. Like a child punishing herself. ¡°I cry too often. I shouldn¡¯t have done this¡­ sorry. I¡¯m sorry.¡± What are you crying about? As a child, I wasn¡¯t allowed to be so sad when my mother scolded me. I didn¡¯t handle it well. I know that. I also know that in unreasonable circumstances tears are usually used for avoidance purposes. However, I hated my mother who tried to control even my tears that poured out without me realizing it. Tears don¡¯t need to be justified. I still don¡¯t like Helena Antebellum. I think she¡¯s too tactless, weak and stupid. But as I see you struggling to hold back your tears in front of me, I realize I was misunderstanding you. You don¡¯t have any pain, you¡¯ll be as happy as you are, even if your hands are unscathed, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no wound in your heart. But I can¡¯t bear to hug you even after I got to know you. To get out of this world, I¡¯ll have to put a knife in you someday. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay¡­.. to cry.¡± But I can at least tell you this one word. Right? That¡¯s right¡­¡­.. I came out for a walk to feel better, but seeing Helena crying made me feel worse. In times like this, one has to use the power of alcohol. Sitting on a nearby bench, I called for someone to bring me a drink. ¡°Anakin, bring some alcohol.¡± It hasn¡¯t been long since I called him. I couldn¡¯t pinpoint the time exactly because I didn¡¯t have a watch, but it would have been less than five minutes. He has already walked over to me with a wine glass in one hand and a small cloth in the other. It was sparkling wine. I took the glass and asked with a gesture of my head. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Oh, this is¡­¡± A small canap¨¦ came out when the cloth was untied, Looking at the slightly distorted shape made me smile, (T/N: canap¨¦- a small piece of bread or pastry with a savoury topping, served with drinks at receptions or formal parties.) ¡°Did you bring it here to eat? You should have been eating something more delicious. I saw a lot earlier.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you ate anything.¡± It was both funny and admirable to see that I was not allowed to drink on an empty stomach. I felt like I was watching the ¡®social life¡¯ that I had experienced only in Korea. Say hello, thank you for the food and then put the food in my mouth. I suddenly experienced a hunger that I haven¡¯t felt before. Since I was savoring the canap¨¦s for a while, Anakin asked me if I¡¯d like more. I shook my hand in embarrassment. ¡°No, it¡¯s done. I have no appetite anyway, I¡¯ll just get indigestion if I eat more. Didn¡¯t you bring your share of drinks?¡± ¡°I cannot drink while working.¡± ¡°Even if I allow it?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s an order, I¡¯ll drink it, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s important enough for you to order it.¡± Seeing his straight expression, I suddenly wanted to play with him. I lifted his chin with a finger and smiled purposefully. ¡°What¡¯s important and what¡¯s not¡­ I will judge.¡± ¡°I will keep it in mind.¡± I couldn¡¯t stand the matter-of-fact answer and burst into laughter. Anakin is the kind of person who doesn¡¯t tell jokes. I still tilted my head because I didn¡¯t know why I was crying. But I liked the fact that he understood it right away without saying anything. I would make him do a lot of things that he didn¡¯t know in the future, but it would be difficult if he was to wonder or ask every time. ¡°I¡¯m kidding. I won¡¯t force you if you don¡¯t want me to.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡± It¡¯s silent again, it¡¯s hard for people who prefer not to talk much. This is why I wanted to drink alcohol, but I couldn¡¯t force myself to feed him what he didn¡¯t like, I sipped my drink with the sounds of insects buzzing by, and when I got tipsy enough, I started to talk again. ¡°Tell me your story.¡± ¡°¡­You mean my story?¡± ¡°Yes, any story is fine.¡± Anakin had a rare look of bewilderment. Perhaps because of the alcohol, I started slurring at the end of my sentences. ¡°Because I¡¯m¡­¡­ curious about you.¡± I was really curious about Anakin. Anyway¡­ We were in the same boat. Just¡­ just what did he do, how did he become a knight, what did he really want to do¡­ The stories we were talking about now are the perfect side stories that won¡¯t be recorded in the world of the novel. Anakin gave a dry start. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter if my parents abandoned me or not¡­. Because I don¡¯t remember them, and I don¡¯t miss them.¡± Anakin was just looking at me. Now, rather than him telling his story, it was more like an answer to a question. Even on the subject of family, which makes people most emotional, it comes out dryly from him. Perhaps even when Anakin is dying, he would simply say ¡®I¡¯m dying¡¯. ¡°You don¡¯t always have to have parents to be happy. Some families are unhappy because of their parents. I grew up as an orphan and left before adulthood because I was old enough to earn more than begging, and I met the child you met.¡± ¡°Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t hear his name. What¡¯s his name?¡± Anakin shook his head at my question. ¡°He said he didn¡¯t like his name. He said he was going to create a new one, so ask him the next time you see him.¡± ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll ask you something else. Is there anything else you wanted to be besides a knight? Why did you choose knighthood?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t use my brain because I didn¡¯t learn anything. I barely learned how to write. I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m not a very good mercenary¡­..and if it wasn¡¯t for you, I might have become a mercenary one day.¡± His words made me laugh again. Knights only have to serve one master, but mercenaries had to socialize with most people in the guild. If you don¡¯t build friendship, no matter how good you are, you will be kicked out of the political fight. Anakin just stared at me, not understanding my thoughts. ¡°I think you¡¯d look good as a wanderer, you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I do?¡± A wandering knight who wanders alone and gets paid to help anyone who needs help. Sometimes the price is food, sometimes lodging, sometimes gold coins. After work, everyone wants to catch the wanderer, but the wanderer leaves again and walks on his own path without dwelling in the world. If this novel was a male-oriented novel, he might have been the main character. I finished drinking and left my glass. Without hesitation, I looked up to the stars, and noticed that the stars that embroidered the sky were different from the Korean constellations. I once again realized, that I was in a different world. I quietly asked Anakin, ¡°The stars are beautiful. Do you know any constellations?¡± ¡°Constellation?¡­..hmmm. The Red Dragon and the Divine, oh, that¡¯s the Woodcutter.¡± Anakin raised his hand and pointed to the stars one by one. Then he gently connected the stars and showed me the constellations. The constellations are infinitely unfamiliar, but he was so familiar with the way he draws constellations that I wanted to cry a little. Wrong. It no longer feels like he is made of letters in a book. Someday if I die, Anakin will surely be penalized. Maybe he will blame me. It¡¯s not just Anakin. Helena¡­.. the maids of the mansion¡­. How many innocent people do I need to sacrifice to leave here? What will happen to these people when I leave? Are they going to die? If that¡¯s the case, I just wish the world would be ruined with a flood of stars, so that if I die, those who suffer, and those who caused them to suffer will die. We stood around under the stars for a long time. It was too long to wait for the sun. The coming-of-age ceremony, which had a lot of talk and a lot of trouble, was over, and I prepared for the trip in earnest. I pleaded to the marquis that the coming-of-age ceremony incident at the palace was so shocking, that I had to leave to clear my mind. The marquis, who knew that I¡¯m not his daughter, suggested that I go to the nearby villa because I¡¯d be more protected, but I said I wanted to take the train. I couldn¡¯t say that I would go to the Bonitao region, so I decided to go to the Randol region, where the nearby lake is beautiful. In fact, I chose the Randol region because there was no marquis¡¯s villa near the lake, as there was another reason for not staying at the marquis¡¯s villa. This is because if I stayed in a villa belonging to the Marquis of Mis¨¦rian, there is a possibility that the people at the villa will monitor my movements. I wasn¡¯t curious about the sincerity of the marquis, whether it¡¯s the persistent denial of wanting to hold onto a moving shell even though it¡¯s a different person, or as one who can¡¯t give up a political marriage due to political ambition. Either way, it doesn¡¯t matter what the reason was. The problem is, you¡¯re trying to sabotage me. Anyway, I decided to think about it when the plan was revealed. I didn¡¯t know what would happen, but I¡¯ll have a headache if I worry about it in advance. I packed my trunk to the brim, and a maid adjusted my clothes. Before I knew it, Anakin, who came in, left first with my luggage. The maid took a long time to fix the ribbon and saw me off, speaking subtly, but with a big smile. ¡°Have a nice trip, miss.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°You will surely come back?¡± The maid said so and looked at my mouth, as if she wanted an answer. It was as if she was speaking to someone who was leaving to die, not to travel. There were varying complex subtle feelings in her gaze. I don¡¯t know how she came up with that idea. Maybe was caught. But I never cried or made a mistake in front of her. I think I did my best to play Eris. Well, whatever my efforts were, fake can never replace the real thing. Since I was young, I wanted the sky to be clear at the moment I died. I thought it would be less sad if the day was fine. And it was cloudy today. ¡°It¡¯s okay. The days will go by.¡± ¡°My lady¡­¡± ¡°By the time I get back, it¡¯ll be clear again. Right, Emma?¡± ***** T/rant: Eris finally acknowledged Helena as an innocent person¡­.I am so happy But the real angst is on the way :¡±D Chapter 21 Episode 21 Journey The maid looked at me with surprised eyes. No matter how insensitive I seem, I can always remember the names of people around me. Nevertheless, deliberately turned a blind eye to it, trying not to let it show. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s leaving anyway. I couldn¡¯t get attached. If I was to return back to Korea, I would keep thinking about it. ¡°Yes, of course, of course.¡± She smiles brightly and nods her head. I think I¡¯m getting a little teary. Whenever I was shaken, I would reflect on myself again and again. Let¡¯s not be mistaken. That smile is not mine. What Emma loves is not me. It¡¯s Eris, everything that favors me is all hers, not mine. The people who love me are not here, but beyond, in ¡®my world¡¯. There was a corner of the train station made of baked bricks that somehow reminded me of a novel where a certain wizard grew up. (PR/N: Hogwarts train.) This place was very similar to King¡¯s Cross Station, but in fact, it had to be so. From what I heard from a friend, the author openly stated that he was referring to King¡¯s Cross Station while describing the role. Knowing that, I secretly touched the pillars as I moved around. With the expectation that this writer might have set up a 9th and 3/4 stop. (QC/N: Something like a secret passageway? I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t read Harry Potter¡­) Hmmmm. The station was filled with not only customers who came to board the train, but also people watching the train running for the first time. The train had twelve compartments, excluding the engine room and the driver¡¯s room. It was rather small compared to modern trains. Among them, there were only seven rooms, the other five of those rooms were filled with amenities, so it was a luxurious train suitable for aristocrats to ride. After sitting on a chair at the station and waiting for a while, Anakin bought a ticket. ¡°Did you buy what I said?¡± ¡°Yeah, as you said, I bought all the tickets at every station where the train stops.¡± ¡°Well done. If I buy them all, even if there¡¯s someone tracking me down and listening to me, they won¡¯t know exactly where I went.¡± Beep beep. Then, with the horn of the train, the crew began to ring the bell. The crew rang their hand bells and shouted, ¡°Hurry up and get on the train.¡± ¡°The train is about to depart. Move your luggage and put it in your room.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I looked around my surroundings for a bit. Acting like prey, drawn by the smoke incense, they arrived amid the buzzing crowd. I grinned. The prey had yet to learn of the hunter, and they hurried onto the train before darting away. (QC/N: People are tailing her.) Convenience facilities were located near each room. There were two facilities, then two rooms next to it, and then another convenience¡­ and so on. And at the end, there was one room with each convenience facility followed by another room. Among the compartments, the most expensive was the first-class cabin that¡¯s in front of the last facility cabin as it was far from the engine room. Hence there¡¯ll be less noise, and with facilities located in it¡¯s rear and front. Unlike other compartments, which set walls in one compartment and divided several rooms, the first class cabin was single compartment and was also a room. Of course, the first class cabin was for Eris. But while she was the only daughter of the marquis, there was a far greater issue of protecting the prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e. And¡­ It cost an astronomical amount of money just to, develop the magic train and track it. To recover the money, the support of nobles and wealthy commoners were required above all else. However, the aristocrats and commoners were not convinced of the stability of the magic train. They felt somewhat insecure in the magic technique itself. It was hard for them to fathom, from their point of view, how a huge chunk of scrap metal they had never seen before can be offered as a substitute for a carriage. So, when I decided to use the magic train, the state took advantage of it and promoted it extensively. That ¡®even the delicate young lady of Marquis Mis¨¦rian can use the train¡¯ is nothing more than a guarantee that the train is safe. Thus, they will risk their lives and deaths to get me to my destination safely. Of course I plan to disappear halfway through. In fact, I was going to screw three people at the same time with this plan. The marquis, the imperial family, and¡­ A string quartet was played by stylishly dressed musicians for the dining guests. It was rare to find such an excellent interior decor in the capital, the baroque gilt frame was dazzling. It¡¯s not just the decorations. Judging by the taste of the food, the skill of the cook on this train was comparable to that of the chef in the marquis¡¯s estate, But for some reason, Anakin, who was on her other side, was just looking at the food in front of him. ¡°Isn¡¯t it to your taste?¡± ¡°¡­You didn¡¯t have to order my share.¡± ¡°What is this sound? Is my escort knight saying he¡¯s going to starve now?¡± When I heard a remark that I would never accept as a Korean, my eyes went up. Anakin looked me in the eye and said. ¡°Even if I pay with my full salary, I won¡¯t be able to pay for the little food on this plate. It¡¯s too much for me.¡± ¡°I pay you, I pay for this food, and I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so worried. I¡¯m not poor yet for you to worry about my pockets.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I am saying that the food left by the master will suffice. I am used to starving for a few days. I could easily imagine how strangely distorted my expression was without looking in the mirror. At this unprecedented remark, I put down my fork and knife and took a long time to choose my words. But in the end, all I could spill out was this. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t even feed my dog leftovers. I will get you a new meal.¡± Frankly, I thought I made a poor choice in vocabulary, but surprisingly this answer convinced Anakin. He began to sloppily shove food into his mouth. My eyes widened. It must be delicious for him to eat that fast, He said the best things to eat are expensive things. I ate as much delicious food as I could since I came here, as I had never eaten it in Korea because of the cost. What if my tongue gets accustomed to this expensive taste when I go back to Korea? Anyway, it was good to see Anakin eating well. Anakin was honestly a bit skinny. If you touch him, his muscles are harder than stones clustered together, but skinny is still skinny. Frankly, he was a bit slender for my tastes, but that¡¯s what I say to a lover. Anakin is not a lover, but my escort, and to use him for his original purpose, it is necessary to build up his stamina by feeding him well. (T/N: for my tastes hmmm¡­.someone pls purify my dirty mind) As I ate my share of vanilla ice cream, I ordered extra food and pushed it in front of Anakin. Eat a lot¡­¡­ Anakin saw my insidious smile and became a little squeamish. Did I look like the witch from Hansel and Gretel? I turned my eyes out of the window when I became sensitive. Ha The scenery is nice Hmmm On the third day, I slowly started dressing up alone, according to my plan to escape the train. I wore a hat with a mesh on my head, let my hair down, and put on a burning, fiery dress. This dress was a bustier cut and boldly open at the front of the skirt. Red lipstick as bright as the dress, enough blusher on both cheeks to look like a drunk person. Finally, I drew dots with an ink pen under my mouth, and eyes. I didn¡¯t even care. I added a little bit more. The more noticeable the better. After dressing up, Anakin was called. Coming into the room at my command, Anakin even rubbed his eyes hard to believe the sight in front of him. ¡°Look and tell me I looked like I lived in the back alley Did I imitate them well?¡± Well, that was surprising. I¡¯m a typical courtesan of this era now. Anakin saw me like that and asked me. ¡°It¡¯s hard to understand from my short insight. Do you have to do this?¡± ¡°This is why people will fall for it. Have you ever imagined that Lady Mis¨¦rian would pose as a courtesan?¡± You have to convince others that this isn¡¯t Eris at all. In that sense, covering the face or wearing shabby clothes looked suspicious enough. I was too big to dress up as a boy, and I wasn¡¯t good enough to dress up as an old woman, so I had no other choice. I put my index finger in front of my lips, signaling him to stop speaking. ¡°Does it matter what I look like or how I talk? I¡¯m your master, Eris Mis¨¦rian doesn¡¯t change. Let them be deceived, misunderstood, deluded. People only see and believe what they want anyway.¡± I asked Anakin closely. Look at me. ¡°Who am I in front of you?¡± Anakin immediately knelt down. ¡°The person who gave me my name, my sword and my life, Eris Mis¨¦rian.¡± ¡°Yes¡­. Now rise. Let¡¯s move¨Cthe prey will be trapped and waiting for me.¡± I told you, I meant to screw three people at the same time with this plan. The marquis, the imperial family, and High Priest Hubris. Hubris was staying in the first compartment, which was the second-class compartment. That meant I had to cross a distance of almost eight spaces. And I¡¯m sure the guy the marquis planted to keep an eye on me is also there. Unlike Bonitao, we still had a few more hours to go to reach Randol, so he probably felt it¡¯s safe. I¡¯m going to pretend I¡¯m the whore who followed Hubris and put my arms on him to get pushed away. It was a plan that I came up with after hearing that it was unexpectedly common for the priests here to play with women. Fortunately, after lunch time, the restaurant and bar adjacent to my room were empty. Thanks to this, was able to safely enter the first-class cabin. This was actually great luck. The special class I originally used was a private room, so if I came out of there wearing this outfit, no matter how much disguised myself, I would have raised their suspicions But if I¡¯m found coming out of this compartment, it was easy to mistake that I would have come with a first-class ¡®guest¡¯. Anakin was now following me on the roof. No matter how hard his impression was, I was wearing a disguise and he thought we would stand out if we crossed the hall together, so he said he can walk on the roof. I knew it was dangerous, but is it okay because the train is slow? I couldn¡¯t dissuade him from going up to the roof even though he said it was okay. Chapter 22 Episode 22 Hypocrite When I crossed the first-class room and opened the door to the convenience room, all eyes were on me, Some looked at me outright, some kicked their tongue, and some whistled. It was funny that when I was Eris, the glances that had never received before were now pouring out. Just because I changed my clothes and makeup a little. I moved forward, trying not to be intimidated. Even in the next compartment, the gazes toward me remained. There were people who tried to touch me outright, but that was cleverly avoided and passed. One of them looked at me and whispered to the man next to him. The man listening to the whisper nodded went past me, and headed to the back. Instinctively, I realized that the marquis had planted a henchman among those men. As I, in a hurry, walked a little faster, the man who was whispering stood up and slowly began to follow me. My palms are sweaty I muttered in a very small voice, trying to put on a nonchalant look. ¡°Anakin, the henchman must be at the door of the first class. Tell him I¡¯m washing up. It¡¯s gonna be a long time¡­.and get in the second-class compartment quickly.¡± Anakin can hear me, but I can¡¯t hear Anakin, so I wasn¡¯t sure if he heard me properly. I didn¡¯t stop walking for now, as I believed he had heard. The man was still chasing me when I opened the door to the second-class compartment. I was in a hurry, not turning around, because I was afraid he would catch me. Is Anakin coming? If he was coming, where would he come from? The footsteps of the two rang in the cabin. The sound of the man¡¯s footsteps was getting closer to me. My head is spinning. I looked at the shadow on the floor and the man was reaching out to me. I can¡¯t. I opened the door of any room in a hurry. It was reckless, but I couldn¡¯t help it. Whoever¡¯s inside is better than being caught by the marquis¡¯s henchman. And when I opened the door, it was surprisingly Anakin who made eye contact with me. He must have been running, as his breathing was a little hard. Fortunately, the owner of this room seems to be somewhere else at the moment. It was empty. Without fail, I whispered to him. ¡°Kiss me now.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Pretend you¡¯re doing it. Come on.¡± As soon as I finished speaking, I pulled Anakin¡¯s neck with both arms. I slightly tiptoed, and Anakin propped me up by wrapping his arms around my waist. I twisted my head slightly and opened my mouth. He didn¡¯t kiss me, so I moved my own tongue and made a rough, wet sound, pretending to kiss. Frankly, I¡¯m embarrassed, I couldn¡¯t force myself to kiss him. Instead of our lips touching, we made eye contact. At a close distance, our sweet breaths mixed. Anakin raised the other arm that didn¡¯t hold my waist and carefully began to pry through the back of my head. I stepped into the cabin one step at a time, and Anakin stepped back to suit me. Until now, I had vaguely thought he had brown eyes, but up close, Anakin¡¯s eyes were brighter than that. It was a mysterious color that changed depending on the light. This time Anakin started making awkward squirming, noises as I fell into the colour of his eyes and stopped making noises with my mouth. Cute, I bit my lips to hold back my laughter. I heard the henchman kicking his tongue behind him. Anakin slowly closed the room door. When the door closed, fell off him. ¡°Has that guy completely gone back?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. Now I can hear him sitting in a chair.¡± ¡°Haa, it¡¯s over. I¡¯m sorry I asked you to kiss me all of a sudden. Did you feel bad?¡± ¡°No, I did not.¡± That innocent face made me bitter. I¡¯m crazy. No matter how urgent, there are things to do and things not to do. I said to him as I opened the room door. ¡°No, you have to feel bad. It has nothing to do with protecting me.¡± To be honest, it would be a little annoying, but I could have told Anakin to overpower the henchman and throw him out of the window because we would get off soon anyway. And the reason I wrapped my arm around Anakin¡¯s neck was because¡­ I just wanted to get a little confirmation. My people are different from the people who used to look over me, they¡¯ll respect me. ¡­.Anakin didn¡¯t touch me. I was disgusted by myself for being reassured by the fact that I had initially attracted him out of sheer self-interest. You¡¯re so ugly. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m trying to judge and test him myself. I shouldn¡¯t let others do anything offensive when I was attacked, but people were selfish. (QC/N: ¡®you¡¯re so ugly¡¯ refers to herself, her thinking/behavior.) ¡°From now on, if I¡¯m going to do something personal¡­ just say no. If I make you feel bad¡­ don¡¯t forgive me.¡± It may not be as selfish as it was just now, but in the future, I could have made him do more than this. He can¡¯t refuse me, but at the very least, I hope he doesn¡¯t make any effort to understand me. I will only do bad things in the future, and he will have to get his hands dirty because of me. Anakin nodded his head silently, and I sighed, a little gloomy, and headed out into the hallway. In front of the cabin door where Hubris was, I lightly patted both cheeks to prepare myself. I didn¡¯t want to show any weakness. I lightly knocked on the door and went inside before he could give an answer. Hubris stood up and looked at me stupidly. Surprise. I smiled mischievously and closed the door. I had a lot to say to him before we got off the train together. ¡°That¡­¡­ the outfit¡­¡­. what the hell¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Is this outfit more important than the reason I came to you? It was then that he felt something was strange, so Hubris shut his mouth and began to look at me, I sat opposite the seat he was standing at and crossed my legs. ¡°I have to get off soon anyway, but my feet hurt so I won¡¯t stop. Are you okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.are you getting off?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see the Reverend Metheus. Take me with you.¡± ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian, won¡¯t you be going to Randol?¡± No, how the hell does Hubris know this? Eris doesn¡¯t have any privacy? To be honest, I was surprised, but I tried to act calm. ¡°On the outside, it is. It¡¯s going to be troublesome if it¡¯s known that I¡¯m meeting Priest Metheus. So, aren¡¯t I asking the priest to help and take me there now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re wearing a disguise. To evade the chase.¡± ¡°It is the priest who will complete this disguise.¡± A long horn sounded. Soon, the station attendant rang the bell and walked down the hallway. It was a signal that they had arrived in Bonitao province. I naturally put my arms around Hubris¡¯s arms and said. ¡°Please be an unscrupulous priest who illuminates the dark side for me.¡± Before Hubris could say anything, I sprinted out the door. A few nobles who recognized him looked at Hubris, then at me, and looked back at him with contempt. Hubris panicked and tried to pull my arm out, but I held it tightly to his side. We got off the train safely, got out of the station, and caught the carriage. The coachman looked at us as if he was looking at the most unscrupulous people in the world, but he wouldn¡¯t believe me if I explained that I wasn¡¯t a prostitute anyway. Even as Anakin approached to ride the carriage, the coachman looked at me with a pitiful look and gave me a carrot. Then he came up to me and told me to shake the carrot if I wanted to run away. (TL/N: I AM WHEEZING) I don¡¯t know what the coachman is imagining. Bonitao really only has fields and forests, so it felt rather strange that a magic train station was built here. I sat in the carriage and chewed a carrot while looking at the endless wheat field, and then asked Hubris, who was staring at me. ¡°What are you looking so intently at?¡± ¡°No that¡­ These days, I don¡¯t think you are doing self-harm.¡± This time I was surprised by the question and looked at him. Then he smirked and asked. ¡°You see that? It¡¯s fun¡­..¡± ¡°Because the ends of the soul are split and torn.¡± ¡°How long has it been torn? Is it dangling?¡± (T/N: omg she is so savage) ¡°When we first met, it was halfway through¡­ Now it¡¯s back together.¡± ¡°Oh, I shouldn¡¯t¡­ tear it apart again?¡± Hubris held my hand in amazement at the words muttered. At the same time, Anakin drew a knife that¡¯s half the size of a sword and held it against Hubris¡¯s neck. I didn¡¯t tell Anakin to take the sword. ¡°Why? Because it¡¯s God-given life?¡± ¡°No, no, no. Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­¡± ¡°That existence itself is precious¡­? What is so precious about my existence?¡± When Hubris was interrupted and I asked again, Hubris hesitated. Of course he can¡¯t tell me. Because he is not interested in me. Hubris told me not to die wasn¡¯t because he liked me. ¡°You just don¡¯t want to hear that someone you know is dead. Right?¡± ¡°Are you even afraid that I will resent you? If I had held onto you just once, I might want to come back to life¡­ What is it?¡± Looking at Hubris I must have hit the nail on the head. He is starting to stare at me. Somehow it was refreshing. A hypocrite pretending to be nice. In fact, he pretends not to be interested, but is afraid of being criticized. Then, when the opponent crossed the line while craving affection, he drew the line with a straight face. You¡¯re too brazen to ask me to cross the line. That¡¯s how the original Eris collapsed. After learning of her brother¡¯s existence, Eris quickly became dependent on Hubris. Because she had no place to turn to. How nice it must have been to have a blood sibling. But the brother whom Eris relied on declared right before her eyes that he had fallen for the woman she hated the most, and he would cut off ties with her if she hurt her. (QC/N: the woman = Helena.) If you ask me if I¡¯m defending the original Eris, I don¡¯t know what to say, but if I were to be cold-hearted like that, I could have cut Eris off before she turned to Hubris. But Hubris didn¡¯t do that. Even though he knew Eris hated Helena, he was silent. To get Helena out of the way by eavesdropping on the plans from Eris. It was an obvious betrayal. ¡°You¡¯re confident you won¡¯t regret it, Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± Chapter 23 Episode 23 I¡¯m Afraid TW: Description of suicide. ¡°Regret? What do you mean?¡± (Eris) She pressed her nails against her neat palms and asked, ¡°Are you talking about regrets over my death? Or are you talking about remorse for turning you into an enemy, the most promising high priest in the capital and the most promising one to be the next pope?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the lingering attachment and fear that any human being has, not the fear of eternity.¡± (Hubris) ¡°Then I guess I¡¯m not human.¡± (Eris) ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± (Hubris) ¡°You know what? A person, no matter how much they want to die, you can¡¯t cheer them up when they are so depressed.¡± (Eris) In fact, it was still like that. I barely squeaked by like a doll whose battery was almost dead. A doll that activates when you press the power button, but stops without doing anything except for the moment. I am so mentally exhausted that I didn¡¯t want to do anything, but the sense of purpose to go back forced me to move. ¡°It¡¯s so hard and overwhelming just to breathe¡­¡­ can¡¯t even attempt to die. Isn¡¯t it funny? Trying to die can also be encouraging. Even if you try to hang yourself, you need the strength to tie the cloth to the ceiling and put your head through the string, and to fall off, you need the strength to climb high up.¡± (Eris) When I first came to this world, I only slept. I want to wake up, because when I wake up, it¡¯ll feel like I¡¯m back at my house. I can¡¯t believe that I¡¯m in a strange place, in an unfamiliar body. As I forced myself to repeatedly sleep and wake up, the body soon drooped and sagged. After that, I cried. ¡°Then you¡¯ll just lie down and procrastinate like a fool. You say I must die tomorrow, and the next day you do that again. If you procrastinate like that, one day you suddenly feel strong.¡± (Eris) The day I first attempted suicide. It was a very sunny day. Even when I woke up, my head didn¡¯t hurt, and the food that didn¡¯t suit my taste went well. My gait was as light as a feather. ¡°If you gain strength like that, you never know when you will become lethargic again, so I feel like I should die sooner when I have the strength. Do you know how it feels to fail when you barely gain strength?¡± (Eris) ¡°¡­¡­.¡± (Hubris) ¡°Since God has helped me, shall I pledge to live hard? Wrong. I¡¯m a fool, because I can¡¯t die properly and I keep failing. So on and on¡­ over and over again. If repeat it, both lingering feelings and fear will wear out. No, no¡­¡­ I feel like I¡¯m just fading away, little by little.¡± (Eris) The rattling carriage stopped. Hubris did not say anything. Silence is always better than clumsy consolation. ¡°Why do you look like that? Are you scared? You¡¯re afraid I¡¯ll die right away.¡± (Eris) ¡°¡­..Yes, I¡¯m afraid.¡± (Hubris) Anakin opened the door first and reached out to me. I pulled my hand out of Hubris and stood up. ¡°I still have a long way to go before I die, so don¡¯t worry too much. Don¡¯t people say ¡®each one has his own end¡¯?¡± (Eris) I smiled gently to reassure him. In this novel, Eris¡¯s miserable death is the dazzling climax of the story that readers had hoped for and expected more than Helena¡¯s marriage. When I saw Hubris¡¯ back heading to the house of Priest Metheus, I suddenly thought like that. If this was a musical, not a novel, what kind of music would be played during Eris¡¯s death? If the world were a big play, what song would ring at the end? ¡°Who are you?¡± It was a very small log cabin that seemed a little cramped for two people to live in. As Hubris knocked on the door, a heavy old voice resounded from beyond the door. ¡°It¡¯s me, my lord. Hubris.¡± ¡°No, why did you come all the way here when you are supposed to be in the capital.¡± ¡°I heard that the priest is very sick¡­¡± But Metheus, who came out of the door, looked very sturdy. It was understandable. Hubris would have hurried to get here when he heard that Metheus was almost dying. I slipped out of Hubris and greeted Metheus. ¡°Nice to meet you, Father Metheus. I have a question for you, so I came to you suddenly without sending a message in advance.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You can call me Lady Mis¨¦rian, or you can call me Stranger.¡± (TL/N: ¡®stranger¡¯ as in soul from a different world, the title given to Eris by Medea in an earlier chp.) Anyway, this person could see my soul, so I didn¡¯t have to hide it. Metheus nodded his head as if he had sensed something, then he turned his body and opened his door wide. ¡°¡­Come in. It¡¯s going to be a long story.¡± It was a small and cozy cottage. There was no need for housekeeping as there were only the essentials, so no matter how retired he was, it felt humble for a highranking official¡¯s house. Hubris stared at me while Metheus went to get some tea. ¡°Did you send that child too?¡± ¡°Did you only just realize? I thought you noticed from the train.¡± ¡°How can you be so nonchalant when you have lured a man on false pretense! Aren¡¯t you sorry for me?¡± I don¡¯t know why he is blaming me when he didn¡¯t even check. It wasn¡¯t even that much of an effort to deceive him. I just told the boy from the slums to go to Hubris and drop a word. The child faithfully told a lie that he had sent a message saying, Please come, Priest Metheus is in critical condition¡¯. Hubris did not verify who the child was as he hurriedly packed his bags and boarded the train. ¡°No matter how young he looks, you shouldn¡¯t believe what others say so easily. I cheated to use you as a guide, but what would you do if a trap was dug to harm you?¡± ¡°God will guide me.¡± Hubris stubbornly kept his mouth shut. It wasn¡¯t a matter of bragging about his self-esteem, but it was ridiculous. In fact, Metheus was just like the adoptive father of Hubris, so saying that was enough for him to get on the train with his eyes closed. I was also aiming for that, and he was really possessed by the words that Metheus was in a critical state. Although the illegitimate son of the Marquis Mis¨¦rian, Hubris¡¯s mother did not inform the marquis that she was pregnant with Hubris. She was a foreign dancer, and it was clear that she would lose her child if she reported it. Instead, she went to the temple and asked for help. Hubris¡¯s mother met High Priest Metheus at the temple, and with his help, she safely gave birth to Hubris and raised him. Hubris, fortunately, resembled his mother more closely than the marquis. As he grew up in a temple, Hubris naturally dreamed of becoming a high priest like Priest Metheus, and because of his innate talent, that wish was soon realized. It was too late when the marquis later discovered that he had an illegitimate son named Hubris. Hubris had already become the youngest high priest, and he had become too famous to draw him into the family. Even if Hubris had not become high priest, the marquis would not have been able to bring him. Aside from his mother, Hubris respected and loved Priest Metheus the most. Any comfortable and luxurious life would be meaningless without them. High Priest Metheus finally brought out the crude teacups and refreshments. All of them were tasty and healthy. Most of the teas and refreshments handled at Marquis¡¯s and Laute were sweet. In fact, as a person who doesn¡¯t like sweets very much, Metheus¡¯s tea and refreshments were my favorite. ¡®Stranger, I don¡¯t know why you took a precious step to meet me in such a shabby place. I¡¯m afraid that a poor old man will disappoint you.¡± ¡°This is a question that only Priest Metheus can answer.¡± I heard from Hubris that I couldn¡¯t go out alive anyway, and the witch taught me that I needed a dragon¡¯s heart to break the law of causality. I was curious about the revelation that the dragon made known to Metheus. And the fact that Jason was a hero is something that originally appeared in the novel, but what the hell has changed and what kind of content is it originally? ¡°Lord Kazar said that the dragon violated the law of causality and manipulated you to twist its destiny. When you heard the prophecy, did you not feel any difference from the gods?¡± ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t know. It¡¯s a little bit like a dream. I didn¡¯t feel strange at the time, but I woke up later and as time passed, I realized something was different.¡± ¡°Do you remember exactly what the prophecy was about?¡± At my question, Matthews looked into the air and blinked for a moment. He answered in a calm voice. ¡°Of course I remember. It¡¯s still good.¡± ¨C A child born on the night of the third moon¡¯s waning will have to stab the mad dragon with a sword. Only that child can harm the light dragon, and during the day when the light dragon stops breathing, everything will return as it should be. (TL/N: ¡°Moon¡¯s Waning¡±- The moon is called a waning moon when it is in the phase in which its visible surface area is getting smaller. A waning moon occurs between a full moon (when the visible surface is fully round and lit up) and a new moon (when the surface that faces Earth is completely covered in shadow).] ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what the rationale is. It¡¯s because I¡¯m too small and foolish for the truth.¡± Well, a groan came out of my mouth. I came here because I wanted to know because if you did know, then you don¡¯t have to take risks and come all the way here. I wanted to grab some other straw, so I asked another question. ¡°Were there any other prophecies in this land¡­?¡± ¡°Another prophecy¡­. There was nothing else that could be called a prophecy.¡± I tried to think of the novel as that might be of some help, but nothing came to mind. Seeing my expression, Metheus said with a very apologetic face. ¡°In the beginning, God didn¡¯t give prophecies, or oracles. There¡¯s never been a precedent, and probably no priests will receive oracles after that. I should have confessed frankly after that.¡± The benevolent old man soon covered his face with both hands and began to sob in pain. ¡°What I received was not an oracle, but the fact that the supreme existence of nature is ¡®predicated¡¯ made me shocked out of my mind. But I was afraid. I am a mere mortal. Yet after receiving it, I became a high priest, and because of that, I gained high honor.¡± ¡°But, my lord, you also knew later that you had been manipulated.¡± (Hubris) Chapter 24 Episode 24 Your Soul ¡°No, Hubris. Don¡¯t defend me. Although I can¡¯t undo ruining a man¡¯s life, I am able to reveal the truth even if it¡¯s late! I could have corrected myself that I didn¡¯t hear God! But I couldn¡¯t do that¡­¡­. I didn¡¯t want to¡­¡­. I didn¡¯t want to put myself in the mud with the glory that was given to me¡­¡­. I cowardly remained silent until the end and fled here with my back against God with the excuse that it¡¯s my retirement¡­..¡± Seeing the old man cry like that, like a child, made my heart ache. The compassion is spontaneous, but the consolation is not mine. Fortunately, Hubris was hugging Metheus and helping him drink tea to calm him down. Come on, let¡¯s think. The fact that Jason will be a warrior is a pre-built story by the writer who is like the god of this world. Is that why the dragon said ¡®reason? ¡­¡­..What did the dragon change? No, did you change it? What if the dragon didn¡¯t tell Jason the truth? No, no¡­¡­ In other words, what if he didn¡¯t have to tell the truth? What if Jason had killed ¡®Another Dragon¡¯? Goosebumps ran down my spine. The setting of the dragon that Jason killed was not mentioned anywhere in the novel. All that was said was that Jason killed the dragon. The setting of the light dragon was actually something I heard for the first time from Metheus. The reason why the supreme being, the dragon, cumbersomely manipulated the priest to make a prophecy, made Jason kill him. And I instinctively knew the answer. It¡¯s useless, like me. Gnashing my teeth, I tried not to tremble, but my voice and my hands trembled badly. I asked in a hoarse voice. ¡°Can¡¯t dragons¡­¡­ take their own lives?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking a bizarre question. Dragons are the greatest creatures that God has ever created. Nature¡¯s mother, nature itself. Have you ever seen nature take its own life? Nature only thrives with time. Only other living things can harm them, but¡­ even if a little rabbit eats a little grass, it can¡¯t be said that the animals are dying because of it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t dragons have a lifespan? You mean they don¡¯t die naturally? ¡°Someday, the dragon will die. But would a mere human dare to guess the years? Just as an ephemera, cannot predict the lifespan of a human being.¡± (T/N: ¡°ephemera¡±/ ¡°ephemeral¡± = lasting for a very short time. It is a beautified version for existence like insects, animals etc who have very short lifespans, they cannot predict the lifespan of humans. So he is saying how can a small (short life spanned, human) creature guess a lifespan of a great existence like a dragon.) My head was spinning and I was nauseous. I raised my hand to stop the conversation for a moment and then ran outside. In the grass next to the house, I emptied my stomach When I turned it inside out, my head, which was still ringing, felt like it was going to break. Anakin came over to me with a handkerchief and water. After rinsing my mouth with the water he brought, I asked Anakin. ¡°Mirror¡­. Did you bring it?¡± ¡°Yes, can I show you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask the witch. Let¡¯s go to the forest.¡± He took the lamp he had obtained from somewhere and went out into the woods behind the hut. I followed him slowly, watching his steps, until I reached the center of the forest, where a small pond shone. The moonlight brightly lit the pond. I reflected my face in the mirror Anakin had given me and called the witch. ¡°Medea, I have a question for you. Show yourself.¡± ¡°¡­What are you doing? I¡¯ve been thinking about using a mirror.¡± The witch spoke in a shrill voice, but now I wasn¡¯t in the mood to accept the absurdity. As I walked, straight-forwardly asked about the hypotheses I had put together, but I was more or less sure. ¡°Is it Another Dragon¡¯ that Jason killed?¡± ¡°¡­Oh my. How did you know that? You always have a talent for surprising me.¡± ¡°In order to commit suicide, the crazy dragon made up a false prophecy and made Jason kill him? Because Jason has to kill a ¡®dragon¡¯ anyway.¡± Medea gave a slightly subtle smile and rubbed her hair with her fingertips. Then she willingly told her the truth. ¡°That¡¯s right. The Dragon was a person just like you. It was a ¡®stranger¡¯. She, no¡­ Should I call it her? As long as you are possessed by a dragon, your gender has no meaning.¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with it, so let¡¯s continue talking.¡± ¡°Okay, don¡¯t whine.¡± And she began to speak slowly. Note: Medea is narrating the story, it¡¯s from the first dragon¡¯s pov, who we believe to be female. We¡¯ll have to specify the gender to use 3rd person POV. Yet, we are not confident if we¡¯re correct so we¡¯re going with 1st person POV, and after the manhwa releases the chapter, it will be edited to 3rd person POV. A stranger possessed the body of a female dragon¡­¡­ I was very satisfied with my new life at first. Since became the strongest creature, I could do anything! wanted. I lived my life to the fullest. I fell in love with another dragon that suits my heart and loved it passionately, and I raised my eggs¡­¡­ helping humans build a kingdom, watching it flourish. I thought I would be happy forever, but as time went by, I¡­¡­ I became exhausted. I¡¯m starting to feel bored like hell. I tried hard to shake off my boredom, but nothing could undo this crumbling soul. My soul, as a human being, was too small and fragile a vessel to hold the dragon¡¯s years. I wanted to die, but I couldn¡¯t. Dragons are one of the strongest creatures, enough to be called God¡¯s agents. I gradually went crazy. Even the same dragon couldn¡¯t save me. The dragons themselves could hurt each other, but they couldn¡¯t kill each other. The crazy dragon went to find the last witch I would associate with. But the witches refused, saying they did not want to kill the dragon themselves. It¡¯s not impossible to kill, but for witches, it¡¯s a very cumbersome and difficult task¡­¡­ This is because a match between the witch and the dragon is completely extreme. And given their power, it was clear that there was bound to be a commotion around, them. Instead, Kirke, the second oldest of the witches, gave me a way to die for a price. There is a child in this world who will be born with a fate to kill a male dragon, and I wanted to take that fate away. Kirke taught me that it doesn¡¯t matter what kind of dragon it is, since God only ordained the child¡¯s ¡®fate to kill the dragon¡¯. As soon as the child was born, the crazy dragon controlled the priest and declared itself as the fated dragon. And I waited eagerly for the child to grow up. The day the child finally killed the dragon, the whole world was seen. The setting sun bled instead. The other dragon, who lost his beloved crazy dragon in one day, was in despair. (TL/N: the first (female/crazy) dragon died, now her companion is left, which is the male. It was because he was the original dragon of fate and that he should have died in the first place. If the crazy dragon hadn¡¯t plotted like such. The other dragon, who was deprived of his fate, wondered how he could die, he thought and thought again and again. And finally, the dragon realized a blind spot in this world. To break the causality, you need to pay as much as the heart of a dragon. Yes, the dragon tried to kill himself by sacrificing his heart. But the world was generous to dragons, so even that was not an easy thing to do. It wasn¡¯t judged to have violated causality. Meanwhile, the other dragon heard the desperate wishes of the two women. The woman (Emma) was praying that the wish of the girl she was holding would come true, and she (original Eris) wanted to disappear from the world. The dragon recognized that the girl was able to fulfill her wish. Because the causality of the world, the strings of fate, were woven into her¡­¡­. The dragon made her wish come true. The girl¡¯s soul disappeared with the dragon¡¯s heart, and the causality to maintain the world, found the most suitable soul in the other world. To get into an empty girl¡¯s body and move it instead¡­¡­ your soul. I knew it, but I lost strength from all over my body. It was not fair, not a grain of my will was mixed. A hoarse voice came out of my throat with a cry. It was as hot as a boiler. ¡°Why¡­.. is it me? ¡°Answer me! Why me! Why! Why must it be me! Some people must have dreamed of something like this! But why must it be me! Why! Why the hell!¡± At my cry, the witch said nothing. She just stared contemplatively. The callous gaze was too much to look at so I threw the mirror into the pond. I know it¡¯s not her fault. But I couldn¡¯t stand the reality that came before me. Splash. The mirror sank. My mind sank to the ground. My head was pounding again and I was in pain. If I had a headache pill, I wanted to chew it with my teeth. I heard rustling footsteps and turned my head reflexively, and saw Anakin putting a knife to Hubris¡¯s neck. He knelt down in front of me and asked, ¡°This guy was eavesdropping on the conversation What should we do? Do you want me to silence him by killing him?¡± ¡°Have you been¡­¡­ communicating with the witch? Do you know how serious that is?¡± Why is he talking nonsense when it¡¯s already hard and annoying¡­¡­. Hubris wobbled back and forth with shock. At least Anakin overpowered him with one hand. I looked down at him with a cold face and answered him back. ¡°This act would be a felony for the people of your country. I¡¯m not from this country because I¡¯m a stranger in the first place. ¡°If you¡¯re inside Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s body, it¡¯s a crime!¡± ¡°So?¡± It was ridiculous and I laughed. Seeing my smile, Hubris¡¯s expression was distorted. ¡°So what?¡± ¡°Are you going to file a complaint with the Vatican? All right, that¡¯s what I was hoping for. My body wouldn¡¯t die even if I stabbed myself but you wouldn¡¯t know if was burned at the stake. Go ahead and accuse me.¡± ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian!¡± At my sarcasm, Hubris raised his voice and became angry. Anakin¡¯s blade clenched close to his neck. ¡°Anakin, release High Priest Hubris. Only then will he be able to accuse me.¡± Anakin sheathed his sword with a hint of disapproval and shook him off. When Anakin put the sword back in, I strode up to Anakin and pulled out his sword once more. I threw it in front of Hubris, and his head slowly went up. I looked down at him and whispered. ¡°Oh, there was no need for that? Come to think of it, a High Priest has the authority to make a quick decision, right?¡± The High Priest had the right to judge a woman suspected of being a witch. No evidence was needed Most of the high priests could see the soul. Chapter 25 Episode 25 Forlorn That¡¯s right, in the novel, even though Hubris knew that Eris was not a witch, Eris still felt threatened by the mention of it. That day Hubris said to crying Eris. He didn¡¯t cut Eris because he didn¡¯t want her dirty blood on his hands. Eris cried and shouted at Hubris in a chilling tone. Do you like that low-blood bitch so much? How can you put her before your blood sister? Never once did I think of you as a sister, Hubris affirmed. Then he left to grab Helena with his clean hands¡¯. ¡°Kill me with that knife. The woman who¡¯s in contact with a witch is a witch, right? Why don¡¯t you cut me when you¡¯re so angry? Is my blood dirty?¡± The reason was simple. Eris in the novel was a bitch who bullied Helena, but I didn¡¯t, yet. You don¡¯t have to be a bitch. Such a bitch deserves to be guilty. What a ridiculous and shallow way of thinking. I thought it was justice on a subject that bothers people. I laughed like a madman in front of Hubris, who couldn¡¯t do anything, and soon squatted down and said, eye-to-eye with him. ¡°Priest, it¡¯s not a difficult request. Just keep pretending you don¡¯t know me like you do now. The fact that I¡¯m a stranger¡­ The fact that I¡¯m communicating with a witch¡­¡± ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­.¡± ¡°Anyway, I will die soon. But I promise. I will not die in front of you, and even if I become a ghost, I will not appear in front of you. Hubris was now shedding tears. He said he couldn¡¯t understand. (T/N: / want to see this scene in manhwa) ¡°Why, why are you talking like that? I didn¡¯t say it out of fear. Your sorrow is painful. It¡¯s too heavy.¡± He held head in agony. To be honest I never understood why he was responding like that. I¡¯m only doing bad things to him¡­¡­. Is he a pervert too? ¡°¡­..No, it¡¯s not. What should I do? I want to ask for forgiveness for your anger¡­¡­. So, please¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want me to die?¡± He raised his head at my question. His wet eyes shining like obsidian under the moonlight were beautiful. (T/N: ¡®obsidian¡¯: a hard, dark, glasslike volcanic rock formed by the rapid solidification of lava without crystallization.) Aha. I know that look. I grew up watching that so much that my teeth trembled. That hateful face that says that only you can be their savior. I reached out and grabbed Hubris¡¯s face. I gently wiped away his tears with both thumbs, as he did for me at my coming of age ceremony. ¡°Don¡¯t pity me. It annoys me.¡± Hubris¡¯s face is dyed with despair. It is really nice to see. As I blinked, Anakin, who had been standing aside waiting for my order, came and knocked the back of his neck with the back of a knife. Hubris fell powerlessly into my arms. I threw him at Anakin and nodded. ¡°Leave this in front of the hut again. We¡¯ll stop by Rundol for a while and then return to the capital.¡± ¡°Are you done with your business here?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard everything I needed to hear, so I¡¯ll leave before they get more suspicious.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get the carriage. Would you like to wait here?¡± It was a black night with the loud cries of birds. nodded, thinking that a mountain beast would be better than a woman alone on a rural road. Anakin slung the Hubris over his shoulders, muffled his footsteps and disappeared. I dipped my feet quietly in the pond. I had dipped my feet to calm myself down, but as the cold water dug between my toes, I felt drowsier. As I lay down on the lawn as it was, I saw the constellation that Anakin had drawn over the round sky. Let¡¯s think. What happened to Eris after the coming of age ceremony. Thinking¡­. Remembering¡­¡­. I needed to prepare¡­¡­ It was annoying. Why should I prepare? I didn¡¯t come into this world because I wanted to. No matter what I do, people will hate me, and nothing will get better. Can¡¯t I just let him hate me and when the time comes, I can pretend to kill Helena and be put to death? I was terribly tired. It was like the plot of a B-grade horror movie, that I was dragged into because of something someone did to die, and this time I have to try to die. I¡¯d rather have an accident and enter¡­.. or, if the door of the dimensional gate had been opened and I had been chosen because the world needs me, it would not have been so futile. Instead, I was kidnapped into this world to make up for someone¡¯s mistake. To be someone¡¯s replacement¡­¡­ I¡¯m not complaining because I¡¯m not the main character. Even in Korea, I was more of a supporting, role than a leading role. As an ordinary extra, studied, worked, and endured day by day like everyone else. But, at least in those days, something changed when I tried. There were many people who liked me, and there were those who would comfort me without doubting anything if I told them my honest feelings. Unlike here¡­¡­ Yes, unlike here! My eyes were blurry. Tears fell before I could even try to hold them back. I can¡¯t change anything here. I will persevere in order to make others shine as planned, and eventually I will be executed according to the fixed ending. Neither an earlier death nor a later death will be permitted. I clenched my teeth and swore. I won¡¯t do anything in the future. Never¡­.. Nothing¡­¡­ Anakin looked down at me as if he had just returned from work. ¡°You¡¯re really fast.¡± ¡°I was worried.¡± ¡°Worried about me? Why?¡± ¡°I was worried that you might have left me somewhere.¡± ¡°You think I might have died?¡± He looked at me without saying anything. No. He shook his head. He opened and closed his mouth again and again, as if trying to find a suitable expression, choosing his words. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m curious about the owner.¡± ¡°What?¡± The words he finally spit out resembled me. ¡°Like I said I was curious¡­ I wonder what kind of life you have lived and what kind of life you want to live¡­ Yes, I dared to wonder.¡± ¡°So I was scared. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t get to know you.¡± I was dumbfounded by his answer. I wish I could read Anakin like the other male characters. Then I could understand why he looked at me like that. No, as a matter of fact, I knew. Anakin falls in love with Eris Mis¨¦rian. Unlike Hubris, however, Anakin¡¯s face did not contain any emotion. What are you thinking? I was scared to ask. I decided to postpone the question which I¡¯ll ask one day, just a little bit. ¡°Come here, carry me. I don¡¯t want to walk.¡± Instead, I extended my arm to him. He grabbed my shoulder blade carefully. Placing his wrists on my hips, he began to wander through the dark blue forest without saying a word. I put my head on his firm chest and stopped thinking. When I stopped thinking about making noise, I heard a different sound. The sound of birds, the cry of bugs, the sound of footsteps rustling. And Anakin¡¯s slow heartbeat. His pulse doesn¡¯t speak of love yet. That somehow reassured me. It was burdensome if your favor originated from love. There was nothing like love that couldn¡¯t be reciprocated that puts a person in trouble. (T/N: ¡®His pulse doesn¡¯t speak of love yet: it means his heart isn¡¯t racing while he is carrying her so this means he hasn¡¯t fallen in love with her and this made her assured.) The slow but regular sound was very pleasing to the ear, and I thought he would like to walk as long as possible. The carriage rattled. We were on our way to the Rundol region to reduce as much suspicion as possible. What can the Marquis say if Eris makes excuses for getting it wrong by mistake? By the way, it seems that the driver who dropped us off at Priest Metheus¡¯s house was the only driver in the Bonitao region. I could hear the driver¡¯s yawn as I was sleeping. The driver may hear it, but he won¡¯t understand me because he doesn¡¯t know me anyway. I couldn¡¯t sleep and I got tired of looking outside, so I slowly opened my mouth. ¡°The place where I lived¡­ was far more advanced than the empire. There was no such thing as a God of high priesthood, but there were religions similar to those. Of course, that religion was not the state religion. It was a country with freedom of religion. There was such a thing as advanced ¡®science Science¡­ Well, it¡¯s a little difficult for me to explain. think it¡¯s a science that clearly reveals certain truths that make up the world.¡± Anakin was silently listening to me. I pondered for a moment about what to say. ¡°There was no class system there. There was no king or nobility. No, there are countries, but at least where I lived, a person called ¡®president¡¯ ruled the country, not a king. They were hand-picked by people once every few years.¡± ¡°What do you share in your degradation when you lose your identity? Don¡¯t you share the distinction?¡± ¡°Similar to this country, money was used to scrutinize the world. Those who accumulated wealth lived with power. And, unlike Eris, I was poor and ordinary in that world.¡± He closed his eyes and asked me. ¡°Did you have any family?¡± ¡°There was. Mother, father, younger brother. It was like this in my family. I hated it because it was all messy¡­ Now that I think about it, I think they were quite harmonious and friendly.¡± ¡°Do you mind if I ask you why you didn¡¯t like them?¡± ¡°At that time, I thought I was being discriminated against. My parents tried to give my brother something better than me.¡± Then I suddenly stopped talking and corrected myself. ¡°No, I thought I was discriminated against. Even if it wasn¡¯t my parents, my parents¡¯ close friends or relatives¡­ Ah, I didn¡¯t stop them, so maybe my parents thought the same thing.¡± They gave praise to my brother when he cooked pancakes or did housework, but if I didn¡¯t, I was considered ¡®spoiled¡¯. Of course, I didn¡¯t like the tone that an older sister should do it. So I deliberately passed on my age to my younger brother. They used to tease me about what I would do with the housework when I got married, but I thought it was something to think about then. That¡¯s why I ran away. TL/rant: this is my most favourite chapter. I always wanted a plot where the MC shares about the earth and about the people of earth to the male lead. I have read a similar plot (scene) in these novels/manhwa. 1. Pharaoh¡¯s Concubine 2. KTV Chapter 26 Episode 26 Family Ties ¡°I was in denial at first¡­ Then denial turned into selfblame. I believed I was being discriminated against because I was a bad child.¡± My parents always told me about our difficult circumstances. They probably didn¡¯t mean to tell me that on purpose expecting me to solve or deal with them, but at the same time, I believed I had no choice but to take them on. Because I was poor, I grew up earlier than others. Maybe I didn¡¯t even know at the time if I was looking to be praised or not. Because the more mature I became, the more proud my parents were of me. So, even when my parents were more generous to my younger brother, I endured it because I thought it would have been easier for my younger brother to do what I asked him to do because of our family circumstances. Yet finally, I couldn¡¯t stand it any longer with the belief that discrimination was normal because my younger brother was ¡®kinder¡¯ to my parents. Then what is the standard for ¡®being kind¡¯? ¡°There is no child in this world who deserves to be discriminated against. I won¡¯t forgive my parents¡­.. but you know what? Even if you don¡¯t want to forgive, even if you hate it and resent it, I think you can miss it.¡± There is one thing I am certain of after repeatedly attempting suicide over and over again. I still love my family. To the extent that the memories of the good things they did to me come to mind first. ¡°I¡¯m going to meet them again and ask them. Why did you do that?¡± Somehow, I felt at ease. After I let go of my troubled and shaking heart, my mind suddenly became clear. looked straight into Anakin¡¯s eyes and smiled as if he was part of my family. ¡°I¡¯m going back to ask.¡± Anakin looked at me and then nodded as if he understood. He became thoughtful, not asking any further questions. We fell into silence again. It didn¡¯t feel awkward anymore. By the time we arrived in Rundol, the bright morning sun had already risen. We checked in at the cleanest and nicest accommodation close by. Because we were dressed in relatively modest attire, and also because no one in the countryside knew Eris¡¯s face, the innkeeper mistook us for the newlyweds. The innkeeper barely stopped trying to push us into a single room. Since I had been riding a carriage all night, my body was sore. I told Anakin to relax, and then asked the innkeeper to deliver water because I wanted a bath. Not long after, I heard a knock on the door. When opened the door to let him in, a child half my height came, moaning and carrying a wooden bucket of warm water. Seeing him sweat profusely, I felt sorry for him. Even in the city where Eris¡¯s mansion was located, water supply facilities were developed, and not only nobles but also wealthy commoners lived with facilities similar to modern bathrooms. Whether it is in Korea or here, it seems that it¡¯s the same to develop mainly in the capital. I gave the child two silver coins for trouble and asked, ¡°It¡¯s my first time in Rundol, do you know any attractions?¡± (T/N: tourist sites) ¡°Oh, yes, of course! I¡¯ve lived here since I was born, and I know them very well! You know that Rundol is famous for its lake, right? Some people come to see the lake because it¡¯s deeper and more beautiful than the ocean! If you ask the front desk, they¡¯ll lend you a boat!¡± Excited, the child continued and explained there¡¯s a night market as well as other interesting sites in the village. I handed another coin to the child, who then left quickly, and locked the door. The hot water had cooled down moderately, so warm water wrapped around me pleasantly. It¡¯s been a long time since I could bathe by myself. When I was in the mansion, the maids made a fuss and gave me a bath even though I said I¡¯d wanted to bathe alone. To be honest, it was comfortable. They washed my hair, dried it¡­¡­ I wanted to live like this in Korea if I had money. My mind was filled with simple thoughts, making me laugh. I bubbled up to wash my body. Wash clean, get dressed, dry my hair, pull the string back and send the child out with the wooden barrel. I fell asleep lying on the bed snuggling into the blanket. By the time I opened my eyes again, the sun had set. I could see a sliver of light shining through the window. It must be the night market that the child told me earlier. Hmm¡­¡­¡­ I quietly called Anakin. Then I counted to the number three in my mind, One, two, three. ¡°Did you call me?¡± Yes, I was pleased and smiled as I spoke to Anakin beyond the door. ¡°I¡¯m going to see the night market. Get ready.¡± Since birth, Hubris had been living his life with the need to always hold onto something. The first was his mother¡¯s umbilical cord, then the hem of the priests¡¯ robes, and by the time he realized logic, he had grasped the truth created by God. The reason why he had no choice but to live holding on to something was because his life was always on the edge of a precipice. A life that can always be saved right before the crash. Hubris¡¯s life was worse than that precipice. Since his father was never in his life, it was natural for him to believe that there was no such thing as a father. One day, when he realized that all families have a ¡®father¡¯, Hubris asked his mother who his ¡®father¡¯ is. His mother slapped him as soon as she heard the question. It was the first time she laid hands on him. His mother seemed more surprised than Hubris that she hit him. But she didn¡¯t apologize. Instead, she just reminded him over and over to never ask about his father again. So the first taboo was born. Hubris occasionally looked in the mirror, trying to find traces of his father, but it was in vain. Hubris closely resembled his mother, who was an exotic dancer. Dark skin, even darker hair than Eris¡¯s, and lips that were a little thicker than others¡¯. When they walked out on the street, everyone would recognize Hubris. It came back to haunt him from time to time. No, actually, very often. Slowly, little by little, his mother started to lose her mind. She was very young when she gave birth to Hubris. Giving up a promising career and life as a dancer after his birth. While pregnant, she feared that if she was discovered by the marquis, she would lose her child. So she ran away. Running way was not easy. Her original troupe and employer sent a man to pursue her relentlessly. To avoid capture, she earned her travel expenses by begging on the bare floor, and finally managed to reach the country temple in full bloom. She prayed that she could live as a temple servant for the rest of her life after giving birth to the child. Originally, it was not allowed. Because Hubris¡¯s mother was a pagan. But it was the merciful Divine Matteus who knelt at her feet. He put a veil on her and sprinkled holy water to wash away all her sins. So the mother was able to live as a temple servant. By giving up a promising future as a dancer, she had to start all over from the beginning again. A person who had learned only singing and dancing. She was clumsy at first when she started to learn how to clean and do laundry. Delicate hands used to being soft and adored with sparkling accessories gradually became rough and callous. Her youthful and smooth face started to form wrinkles. The brightness of her youth became marred in fatigue and irritability that later shifted to her son, Hubris. There didn¡¯t need to be a justification for her later actions. Because the only person in the temple who was weaker than her, was Hubris. She begged Hubris to die. She blamed Hubris as to why her life became like this. Sometimes she didn¡¯t just say she wanted to die, but she actually tried to kill herself. At first, Hubris was so shocked that he cried his eyes out. He started to have nightmares about his mother¡¯s death, so he stayed up all night to protect her, afraid she would try to take her life again. At some point, Hubris realized that his mother could control her depression to the extent that was not suicidal. What she needed was constant attention and affection. Thirsty for affection, she would constantly throw herself off a cliff for attention. Hubris could not blame his mother for her behavior. However, he thought that his mother should not have given birth to him. Why she didn¡¯t give up on him even though she knew this would happen, Hubris still doesn¡¯t know why. Maybe it was because of the timing of entering the temple, maybe she loved his father, or maybe she needed to be loved so much. But there were many things in the world that affection alone could not solve. Hubris gradually became dulled by his mother¡¯s body and mind withering away. Hubris begged at the foot of the High Priest Metheus, who was about to leave for the capital, to relieve him of his mother¡¯s burden. ¡®Let me leave with you, I want to be a priest. Hubris had divine power and a talent as a priest. No, it was because he was at the breaking point, that Metheus willingly allowed Hubris to accompany him. Hubris told his mother that he would be leaving the room and temple where he had lived since he was born. Thinking about it now, maybe it was because he wanted to run away from his mother. He was tired, Hubris spent their last night together sleeping by his mother¡¯s side. Hubris¡¯s mother patted the hand of her grown-up son for a while. When Hubris opened his eyes, he discovered his mother¡¯s cold body. After the funeral, Hubris sat alone at the end of the dance. He regretted, wishing he had grabbed her just one more time. On the day he was sent out into the world, the whole universe expanded out Hubris discovered that he liked sweet things that didn¡¯t go well with his appearance. To him, sweets were the only pleasure allowed among the many restrictions of the priesthood. However, because of the gaze of others¡¯ expectations of him, he would always ask for his sweets to be packaged from the bakery and eat at it separately alone. That day was also such a day. It was a time of waiting in line at a busy bakery and waiting for the joy to come. As it was a famous bakery, there were many people there that day. Even though the capital is large, due to the crowd, he would be jostled here and there by people rushing to retrieve their wrapped up sweets, Someone pushed a person in front. When the staggering lady fell into his arms and she looked up at him, Hubris could not help but doubt his eyes. At first he thought she was just an illusion. Because it was unbelievable. A vivid purple with the fluttering yellow souls. She was so foreign that he grabbed her and asked. ¡°Who are you?¡± Chapter 27 Episode 27 The Lady With Purple Soul At first, she seemed embarrassed, then her face stiffened. She raised her chin in an expression of defiance and arrogance. ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange for the High Priest to focus on an unmarried noble woman?¡± ¡°¡­..What I¡¯m focused on isn¡¯t your status.¡± ¡°Not my status?¡± Hubris became silent. The color of her soul was still purple, but how can he prove it? People see her as a lady of high stature and social standing in current aristocratic circles. Whether she knew he was hesitating or not, she was trying to push Hubris away. When he came to his senses, she had already disappeared. He couldn¡¯t sleep all night because he was bothered by the purple spirit that seemed to be torn. In his dream, his mother appeared, crying, saying it was his fault. When they first met, he didn¡¯t even know her identity It wasn¡¯t until later when he gave her description to an apprentice priest that he discovered who she was, Eris Mis¨¦rian. The marquis¡¯s sole daughter and crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e. The apprentice priest said Lady Mis¨¦rian has a scary personality and added that he was fortunate that he was not slapped on the face for defamation. ¡°Ack!¡± He thought they might meet one day while going back and forth from the palace, but he didn¡¯t expect it to come so soon. Her soul¡¯s color was still purple even when her feet collapsed beneath and tears were falling down her face. At the time, he couldn¡¯t even question her about what he saw, so he tried to leave after treating her ankle, yet Lady Mis¨¦rian grabbed him. ¡°Who do I look like?¡± The shimmering purple spirit was no illusion. Inside Lady Mis¨¦ran was a stranger who had only been written in ancient books. She asked Hubris, with a hopeful voice, if there was some way for her to go back. As soon as he heard it, several books he had read thus far went through his head, but unfortunately he recalled that no stranger had left alive. H¨¹bris hesitated even though he could have answered, her right away. For some reason, he didn¡¯t want to give the stranger a false hope. The truth eventually spewed out at her urging. Lady Mis¨¦rian laughed and denied it. ¡°If there was no way out of this life, how would I ever have come into this world alive, right? There must be a way, but you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°My lady¡­..¡± Shaking pupils, rapid breathing, a broken soul. Hubris saw a vision of his mother overlaid with hers. His mother¡¯s soul was always red, bruised and torn. ¡°Please find it. Since you are the High Priest, if you go back to the temple, you can find the material, right? So -.¡± ¡°My lady! Listen to me.¡± Scared of her collapsing at any moment, Hubris grabbed her arms. He started to explain the law of life, so that she could understand it bit by bit. He tried to convince her. ¡°Accept fate and live her life instead.¡± Hubris wasn¡¯t sure what kind of expression he was making. He didn¡¯t know how desperate she was. Hubris slowly lifted her up from her collapsed position. Then he held onto her as if she was going to collapse again, and she somehow glanced up at Hubris with a determined look. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°If that is how the law of life works, then I¡¯ll leave even if I must die.¡± Hubris could not understand this. Why are they so willing to give up their God-given life? Is it because they couldn¡¯t stand the brief uncertainty and pain of the moment, so they went on a path that they would regret. As if all the painful scenes were just an act, she said in a firm and confident manner. ¡°My life was given to me by my parents, not by God. If you weren¡¯t conceived by the Holy Spirit, so would you.¡± Her words somehow stabbed Hubris in the chest. The next place they met was at the temple. Her body that could not escape exhaustion was thin when she came with her escort. Hubris rubbed her wrinkled brow and gave her divinity. As if she had woken up a bit, she looked at him with a slightly sullen expression. His hand gesture was covered with a veil. According to the procedure, the holy water in the brass bowl should be slowly poured. When he turned over the wet veil, a pale, thin face appeared. Now it was time to apply the perfume. But Hubris¡¯s hand stopped. It was only then that he saw her face for the first time, as he had only seen a purple soul until now. Beautiful. Oh, she opened her eyes. These are the eyes that shortened the time of early summer. The morning sun glimmered in her bluish green eyes. At those fluttering eyes, Hubris stopped breathing. It was only when she looked at him with a puzzled expression that he realized he was openly staring at Lady Mis¨¦rian. Frantically, he wiped Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s eyes as she pointed it out to him. ¡°Sir, High Priest.¡± Ah. Hubris felt his earlobes burning with shame. He poured the perfume quickly on his hand and touched both eyes again with trembling fingers. Protect. So that both eyes don¡¯t contain evil. Now it was the lip¡¯s turn to receive a blessing. Yet when it was the lips turn¡­¡­ ¡°Why am I hesitating?¡¯ Hubris wanted to cry. Lady Mis¨¦rian, who was unable to see, stamped her lips on his finger, pressing them. Even after everything was over and she left, Hubris still stood there stunned. Trying to find the reasons for his hesitation. If you had to pick the person who is most precious to Hubris, he would definitely say that it was his mother, However, if he had to decide between his mother and Priest Metheus¡¯s lives, well, he might pick Priest Metheus. Because Metheus is a person who practices the universal good of mankind. Due to the mercy of Priest Metheus, he was able to be born, and furthermore, Hubris realized that he had a future other than begging. It was also Metheus who supported Hubris, after he was shocked by his mother¡¯s death. He manually showed him how to do things one by one, all for Hubris, who doesn¡¯t know anything. It was common thought to return his mother¡¯s body to her original hometown, but with Priest Metheus¡¯s consideration, they held his mother¡¯s funeral there. In other words, Metheus was the person who filled all the voids in Hubris. He was a father, a teacher, and a close friend. So, when he heard that Metheus was seriously ill, his eyes widened in shock. Was it not Metheus who has been guiding Hubris and correcting him not too long ago? Yet why was Metheus in a critical condition now. As soon as Hubris heard the story, he immediately prepared to leave for the Boniteo region. He couldn¡¯t make up his mind. Hubris suddenly lost his mother, so Metheus was his last remaining family member. He was not yet ready to let another person he loved go away. He packed a suitcase and with his coat in one hand, he went out. The new official, who heard the news, gave him some advice. ¡°If you have to go quickly, take the magic train. It will arrive faster than the carriage.¡± ¡°A magic train?¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you know? It became famous because Lady Mis¨¦rian rode it to the Rundol region¡­ It¡¯s like a long carriage that moves with magic engineering as fuel. It doesn¡¯t use horses, so there¡¯s no need to stop. I heard there are accommodations and restaurants inside.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I see. Thank you for your advice. Please take care of the temple.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the temple. Bless you, as you go on your way.¡± When Hubris entered the noisy station and stood anxiously at the ticket office, the staff made a troubled face. ¡°Um, High Priest. Originally, we would provide you with first class seats, but this train is strictly by reservation system¡­. Unfortunately, it¡¯s already fully booked, so there¡¯s only one second class seat left, will you be okay with this?¡± ¡°The seat doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°I see. Then you can present the second class train ticket to Boniteo to the flight attendant.¡± After the staff stamped and issued the tickets, he hurriedly picked up his luggage and boarded the train. After all, since he was the Hubris who usually leads a frugal life, the second class was quite luxurious. After some time had passed and by the time he was ready to leave, he heard a knock on the door. Before he could even answer the knock, the door unlocked and she shot into his life once again. With a playful smile on her lips, Lady Mis¨¦rian closed the door and entered the compartment. He knew that she had a gorgeous appearance, but when she was determined and radiated that splendor, she overwhelmed his eyes. Even when dressed like a peasant from the streets her attire was nothing short of a masterpiece of loveliness. ¡°The¡­.. looks like¡­¡­ what the¡­?¡± ¡°Is this outfit more important than the reason I visited you?¡± He closed his mouth in shame. The guilt over having imagined such a thing even for a moment, was an added bonus. He looked silently to find out her intentions as she sat across his seat and lightly crossed her legs. ¡°I have to get off soon anyway, but my feet hurt, so I¡¯ll sit down. All right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­What do you mean you¡¯re getting off?¡± ¡°I want to meet Priest Metheus. Take me with you.¡± She always speaks arrogantly. As if she had no choice but to say that Hubris won¡¯t listen to her request. When Lady Mis¨¦rian naturally folded her arms, Hubris thought his heart was going to explode. Every time he struggled, her grip on him grew stronger. Sweat was dripping from his hands, and his throat was dry. ¡°I want to ask you something.¡± ¡°Well, yes, if you let go of this¡­¡± ¡°What color is my soul?¡± ¡°The color of the lady¡¯s soul?¡± Lady Mis¨¦rian didn¡¯t give him a single glance after leaving the compartment. Despite all the unpleasant glances at her, she just looked straight in front of her. ¡°Purple. The color of the lady¡¯s soul is purple.¡± ¡°Is it purple?¡± Oh, and then he made eye contact with her. The corners of her mouth gently drew a line, but her eyes were infinitely soft. ¡°That¡¯s great. Of all the colors, I hate purple the most.¡± His heart felt tortured. How does it feel to truly curse, life? Since then, Hubris has been sitting on thorns. He kept looking at her. Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s wounded soul kept overlapping with his mother¡¯s. When he asked her why she was looking at him because he felt the gaze, her half-hearted insinuation became rather poisonous. You want me to tear it apart again? He couldn¡¯t understand how she could easily discuss tearing her soul so casually. Chapter 28 Episode 28 Don¡¯t Pity Me The escort¡¯s blade was held to his neck as Hubris started to hold out his hand. He didn¡¯t care. Her mocking voice came quickly. ¡°Why, because it¡¯s a God-given life?¡± ¡°No, no, no. My lady¡¯s¡­.¡± ¡°What? The very existence itself is precious¡­¡­? What is so precious about my existence?¡± Hubris hesitated to answer. Because to him, life was all ¡°equal¡±, regardless of one¡¯s standing. He couldn¡¯t tell the lady in front of him that it was just as precious as the wild grass on the side of the road. Because it was logic that ordinary people wouldn¡¯t understand. But what she took for his silence Lady Mis¨¦rian stabbed him pointedly. Lady Mis¨¦rian took his silence differently and jabbed him pointedly. ¡°You just don¡¯t want to hear that someone you know is dead. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°Are you afraid that I would blame you? I might want to live if you held me once¡­¡­ like this kind of thing?¡± With those words, the memory of his dead mother¡¯s body who took poison made him tremble. He suddenly hated the woman in front of him who spoke harshly without knowing anything. As High Priest, he saved the lives of thousands of people. Those who attempted suicide said over and over again that they must have made the wrong choice when they came back to life in his hands, and thanked him for saving their life. Since then, Hubris has thought about it every night. He thought if only he had found his mother sooner, he could have saved her, and that she might be regretting her own choice. In an uncomfortably venomous tone, Hubris replied that he was confident she would not regret it. His neat nails dug into his palms. And his despair swelled quietly. ¡°You know what? A person, no matter how much they want to die, you can¡¯t cheer them up when they are so depressed.¡± The casual confession imbued the scent of blood. She was feeling suffocated. Lady Mis¨¦rian was about to break, so he couldn¡¯t let go of her hand even though blood was flowing from his palm. A terrifying feeling of foreboding gripped him. ¡°Should I live my life well now because God has helped me? You¡¯re wrong. I¡¯m such a fool that I can¡¯t even die properly and fail. Every time¡­¡­ If I repeat it, both regret and fear fade away. No, no¡­¡­ I feel like I¡¯m just whittling away little by little.¡± Maybe he can¡¯t save her. ¡°Why do you have that look on your face? Are you afraid? You think I¡¯m gonna die right now?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Like in the case of his mother, Hubris would be helpless to save another woman. Unlike him who was grief-stricken, Lady Mis¨¦rian was smiling gently. Like a person waiting for the day. When Lady Mis¨¦rian discovered him seeing her talking to the mirror with the witch, his first reaction was to hide. It was clear that she would be burned at the stake if others found out. Then there was anger over why an evil witch was involved. It was obvious that Lady Mis¨¦rian didn¡¯t know how dangerous the witch was. Maybe the conniving witch reached out to her who didn¡¯t know what to do. He thought he should tell her right away and stop it, but before he knew it, the cold black blade of a knife touched his neck. A low, warning echoed in his ears as he closed his mouth to stifle his scream. ¡°Be quiet. Master is having an important conversation.¡± Hubris twisted his body back and forth to resist, but the difference in physical strength between a priest and a knight was huge. Unable to move, as her escort knight, who was always walking behind her, held him firmly. Then a scream was heard from the lake shore. ¡°Answer me! Why me! Why! Why must it be me! Some people must have dreamed of something like this! But why must it be me! Why! Why the hell!¡± Lady Mis¨¦rian is screaming. She should be comforted right now, but the knight did not release his strength from the hand that held onto Hubris¡¯s shoulder. ¡®It was only when Lady Mis¨¦rian finally threw the mirror into the lake that the knight dragged him before her like a beast, without removing the sword, from his neck. ¡°You¡­ were you in communion with a witch? Hubris wanted her to deny it. Saying she didn¡¯t know, that she was deceived herself, that she won¡¯t see her again, or words asking for forgiveness¡­ But she only smiled coldly. ¡°Are you going to file a complaint with the Vatican? It¡¯s all right. That¡¯s what I was hoping for. I can¡¯t die if I was stabbed, but if I was burned at the stake¡­.. Go ahead and accuse me.¡± No, that¡¯s not what he was hoping for. Lady Mis¨¦rian, who doesn¡¯t know his good intentions, was heartless, and Hubris snapped. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian!¡± ¡°Anakin, release High Priest Hubris. Only then will he be able to accuse me.¡± As soon as her escort knight threw him in front of her, she approached him, drew a sword, and threw it in front of him. ¡°Kill me with that sword. The woman who has a connection with the witch is also a witch? Why don¡¯t you kill me off after being so cruel? Is my blood dirty?¡± Hubris thought he was quite disciplined to hear harsh words. He thought he could listen as well as he did when he first heard it from his mother. But her sadness ended up burning up Hubris¡¯s throat. He never expected to be recognized by everyone. Nor did he want everyone to like him. If any, it would have been a small expectation. Yet he couldn¡¯t believe the only two women he ever wanted to be liked by, were rejecting him. She smiled at him like someone caught up green and beautiful eyes. ¡°High Priest, it¡¯s not a difficult request. Just keep pretending that you don¡¯t know me like you do now. The fact that I¡¯m a stranger¡­ The fact that I¡¯m in communication with a witch¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t pretend not to know. He didn¡¯t want to repeat the same tragedy that night. ¡°I¡¯m about to die anyway. But I promise. I won¡¯t die in front of you, and I won¡¯t show up in front of you when I¡¯m a ghost.¡± ¡°Why, why do you talk like that? Your sadness is painful. It¡¯s too much.¡± Hubris¡¯s mind was in agony. Every time he blinked, the vision of his dead mother and Lady Mis¨¦rian overlapped. He felt the nausea begin to bile up in his throat. ¡°¡­¡­No, no. What can I do? I want to ask forgiveness for your anger¡­¡­. So, so please¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t die?¡± Live. There are days when he regrets not being able to say that word to his mother. Live¡­¡­. In the end, tears that could not be contained flowed down both cheeks. He wanted her to need him. He said that if she did anything wrong, he would forgive her for anything she did, so please don¡¯t give up on her life. Hubris looked up at her with his hopes. Her white, beautiful hand wiped away his tears. A soft smile under the moonlight. During the day, the woman in her prostitute¡¯s clothes changed her form in an instant to the Holy Mother. Hubris has always been holding onto something since he was born. First it was the mother¡¯s umbilical cord, then it was the hem of the priest¡¯s robe, and when he realized the reason, he held the truth created by God in his hand. He prayed to God. This time he asked God to let him hold this woman¡¯s hand. He begged in his heart for a chance to save her from her death. ¡°Don¡¯t pity me. It¡¯s annoying.¡± That was the end. The world flickered. I originally liked the night market. The night is calm, but I like the unusual atmosphere made up of people¡¯s noises and lights. So when I heard that the night market was opening, I had to go there. The problem was the clothes. When I got off the train, I threw away all my luggage, and all I had left was the black dress I was wearing, with the exception of the red dress I brought to disguise as a prostitute, Black clothes were usually worn at funerals, so there was a risk that they would be visible if they were worn on a regular basis. Even though I have a striking appearance, if even the clothes stand out, it¡¯s like informing the neighborhood that I¡¯m an aristocratic lady with a story. So I paid the girl I saw at the inn during the day and asked her to buy clothes that would suit the common people. The inn girl measured my body with an anxious face wondering if she couldn¡¯t even touch my body and then bought some clean, non-sparkling cotton clothes, Contrary to my worries, the clothes fit me perfectly I¡¯ll have to go buy some sweets at the night market later and give it to her to compliment her skills, Walking out the door in a white and beige tunic dress, I saw Anakin was waiting at the door like a loyal dog, causing me to sigh. ¡°¡­Anakin, change your clothes and come.¡± If he wears armor, no matter how I wear casual clothes like a commoner, I¡¯ll look like a lady. Although it is not a countryside with only fields and forests like Bonito, the Randol region was no different from the capital city. I wondered, is it close to a resort city where people come to enjoy the lake and nature? Therefore, the night market was more simple and clunky than fanciful. You have to hold something in your mouth to see a night market! I first turned to the area that sells food. As expected, there were many kinds that were simply grilled over charcoal. At first, I didn¡¯t want to eat chicken because it was common, and was afraid that eating frog would get me a stomachache, so I decided to eat the most normal sausage. But they all look similar on the surface. I stood in front of the store to ask the owner in a friendly way. ¡°Hello. How much is a sausage?¡± ¡°Madam! A sausage this big is only three echromi a piece! You won¡¯t regret it.¡± 3 echrom is 3 fairy tales. If I had to compare it to Korea, it was about 1,500 won? But for that price, the sausage was really thick and shiny. I swallowed my saliva and asked. ¡°Does it all taste the same?¡± ¡°No! They have a variety of flavors from raw meat to cheese and spices. They¡¯re all the same price.¡± Do I want to eat meat with spices or just meat? After thinking about it, I asked if I could buy one for Anakin, who was standing in the back looking confused. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Oh ho! What a nice lady! Are you two married? Since you¡¯re both feeling awkward, you must be newlyweds.¡± Chapter 29 Episode 29 Satire Play Grinning, I answered, pinching the sides of Anakin, who was trying to refute it. ¡°Yes, actually, it¡¯s our honeymoon. He is not that awkward, but I guess he is a little shy in front of people he doesn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Ah hah! A groom! I¡¯ve met a lot of couples who travel here, but I¡¯ve never seen a wife as pretty as this lady! You must have saved a country in your past life! Since I feel like it! If you buy two, I¡¯ll give you a discount of 5 echromes!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯d like ones with meat and spices, please.¡± As the owner quickly picked out the best cooked sausages to jab skewers into, he checked to see if they were hot and ready. When I tried to pay, the owner shook his head and winked. ¡°A beautiful lady is the best. I also see that you are kind.¡± Unable to say anything, I scrunch my nose. Walking along the streets that followed, I took a bite of the meat flavor with excitement. Wow, it¡¯s delicious, it¡¯s good! It was such a wonderful taste that my body trembled automatically. The taste of handmade sausages is different from the cheap frank sausages we used to eat in Korea¡­.! It was the best because you could smell the spices. It would have been even more perfect with mustard sauce. At first, I was curious about the taste of the spices so I quickly put the meat stick in Anakin¡¯s mouth. Spices¡­ It tasted like a variety of them but what was the flavor? Actually, I liked Indian curry spices as well as coriander, which most Koreans¡¯ dislike. Yet as soon as I took a bite of the meat in anticipation, I immediately noticed that my eyes were glistening. This is¡­ chili pepper! I almost cried at the taste of ddangcho I hadn¡¯t tasted for such a long time. I couldn¡¯t believe that I could smell my hometown in unexpected places. Suddenly while eating, I began to crave beer. While looking around, I saw there was a place that sold something that looked similar to alcohol and rushed over there. ¡°Is that alcohol?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a grain wine made from local grains! It¡¯s savory and delicious. Would you like one?¡± ¡°Two, please.¡± The owner filled the rough wooden mugs with alcohol. I turned around and winked at Anakin. He came, slightly running, held the sausage in his hand in his mouth, and held a wooden mug in both hands. There was a loud noise coming from far away. They must be performing a play. I¡¯ve only heard of this outdoor play, so I really wanted to see it. Leading an awkward Anakin, I found a space to sit halfway through. Soon a clown came out and introduced a rough plot in an exaggerated voice about the play. A clown entered the stage and introduced, in an exaggerated voice, the rough plot of the play. ¡°Today our story is about a family tragedy. It¡¯s a silly story where a father falls for evil tricks which makes him doubt his son, doubt his wife, and ends up killing his son with his own hands. A wicked witch who could turn back time, who will be decapitated for treason¡­..¡± I understood the gist of it. It¡¯s a satire on the imperial family. Originally, satirical dramas contain more facts. With anticipation, I ate the sausage and drank heavily Looking at his sword in the middle of the temple, the young man has a sad expression on his face. He grazes the sword¡¯s handle with his fingertips, as the prince cannot easily pull out the sword. He circled his hand around the sword and time seemed to slow down just a little. ¡°I am indifferent. Although I have been faithfully living as a servant of God and of the nation, they easily forsake me. Even though the body is tainted with shame by the slanders on earth, God knows the truth. He knows my soul is noble. I know this better than anyone, so I am not afraid of death, except that I am afraid that the wicked will flood this land. My mother was crying. Don¡¯t shed any tears! Ah, my unnamed brother in the womb, now you must defend this country.¡± After the long monologue, the prince pulled out his sword with a determined expression. ¡°One day, the truth will be revealed that I never coveted your throne. No matter how reckless I shout, a unique crowd will cover their eyes and ears, and they cannot hear the truth! But I am not going to be amicable. Father if you want me to kill myself¡­¡± At this time, you can hear the queen crying behind the curtain. ¡°My dear child, this mother knows better than anyone that you are innocent. Run away. Put down that sword and run away! Though we may never meet in this life again, we will be closer than the crossing of the river in the underworld. We will be under the same moon no matter where you are. Don¡¯t you want to be with your mother? Stop! Are you going to hurt your mother too!¡± But the prince had already stabbed the sword into his heart and collapsed. The queen, who came in late, hugged the prince, shedding tears as she screamed at him. Then she shouted. ¡°Revenge!¡± As if time went back after the first act, the prince is somehow alive and appears again. He is kneeling on his knees at the foot of the king. The king gives a scolding. ¡°I have raised and cherished you more than anything in the world and yet you strike cruelly at the hand that feeds you. I thought you were a precious child but in fact, you are a snake playing along. Looking for the chance to cut my throat. God is heartless!¡± The prince, kneeling down, appealed pitifully ¡°Merciful, wise and righteous king of this land. As my father, king, and judge who has breathed life to me on this earth, I have never had such a mind. Who dares say such venomous words in father¡¯s ear?¡± Then the prince suddenly raises his head and stares at the count standing next to the king. Outraged, he charged at him. ¡°It¡¯s you, you murderer, you villain, you filthy little pig thief!¡± ¡°Oof¡± ¡°Villain! Have you lost your mind! How dare a sinner try to harm my servant? Are you not the one who wears my son¡¯s robe? The sins of betrayal cannot be washed away by the fires of hell.¡± While the prince was held by knights, the count took a package out of his arms and offered it to the king. ¡°This is proof that the Queen and the Prince were in communication and conspired against you.¡± There are documents with the names of the prince and queen written on them, contracts to purchase soldiers, and so on. The prince widens his eyes and looks at them. Suddenly, his neck was strained as he struggled and shouted. ¡°You fiend! That is all lies. All are I blatant lies! Let go! He is the one who dares insult me and my mother! He must be decapitated and there will be no shame in front of God. Can¡¯t you let go!¡± ¡°Go and bring her!¡± At the command of the count, a knight brings a person dressed in shabby clothes. The person looks around frantically as he is dragged cowering in front of the king. ¡°Ohhh! The humble dare to see the most honorable king on earth.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t tell the truth, your peculiar tongue will be cut off.¡± ¡°Oh King, the benevolent father of this land! It is a waste of my life to die, though it has been said since ancient times, more cruel than death is the pestilence of poverty. I will not make any excuses because I have entered the path of sin on my own two feet. Please behead me.¡± The prince raises his voice even more at the man¡¯s testimony. ¡°Tell me the truth! Aren¡¯t you afraid of God for perjury!¡± ¡°Evidence and witnesses of conspiring treason have come out! If you are so innocent, what kind of testimony do you have!¡± ¡°I have absolutely no intention of betraying my father! Don¡¯t fall for the trick! If these words are false, then God will strike a thunderbolt over my head immediately.¡± At this time, ¡®Flash!¡¯ Along with the lights that rumble, the sound of thunder echoing the earth is heard. The prince¡¯s face turns pale. The king¡¯s face hardened. The knights take the prince away. ¡°Keep the prince in the spire and do not give him even a sip of water.¡± ¡°Father, father!¡± ¡°The queen¡­ she still has a royal descendant in her belly. I recommend you hold your judgement for a while.¡± The heartless king leaves and soon the third act begins. The queen and prince are distributing food to beggars. When both leave, she looks at the dreary surroundings and says with a lamentable face, ¡°How horrible! So many people are suffering from cold and hunger¡­¡­ They may hold out for some time with the food we have now given away, but this will not last long. Heaven is indifferent too. What the hell should I do?¡± ¡°Mother, isn¡¯t it the duty of a royal to rescue those who have been abandoned by heaven? Adults can earn a living right now, but I¡¯m more worried about the children. If they learn, they will be able to escape from the same poverty of their parents, but their parents only make them beg.¡± The queen and the prince sigh, and from far away, a, reversed count walks. He greets the queen and the prince, looks around, and whispers. ¡°I was going to build an orphanage and a school around here as part of a guest project, but it didn¡¯t happen because I didn¡¯t have enough donations. Why don¡¯t you pay me a little bit of your royal money? We¡¯re almost ready to start construction, so we can build it as soon as we buy the workers with that money.¡± Both the queen and the prince clapped their hands in joy at the count¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Good idea! Come to my palace and I¡¯ll give you a draft immediately, we will be generous. What¡¯s the use of taking it from the people and giving it back to the people? The Count seems to be more knowledgeable about the country than we are, so please take care of it. Tell us whatever you need.¡± ¡°Is there any doubt.¡± ¡°It is heartbreaking that the illiteracy rate of the general public was so high. A man who can read will have a lot of resentment from being blackmailed. How long does it take to teach children so that they can grow up and teach others!¡± The prince, who spoke vigorously, supports the queen, who stumbles a little. The queen smiles and reassures the prince. ¡°I was feeling saddened because I¡¯ve given out a little food. Now that we¡¯ve solved our worries, let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Yes, mother.¡± The queen and the prince disappear and a masked man appears in the back alley. The count instructs the man with an insidious face. ¡°You will need to lie. Even though you will die, I will protect your family.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°And¡­ let me buy a poor mage engineer. It might be necessary.¡± The masked man nods his head and disappears into the darkness again. Act 3 ends with the count walking away with a cunning smile. Chapter 30 Episode 30 Play Within Play At the beginning of Act 4, several aristocrats sat around a table, talking with drinks in their hands. ¡°It is a matter of great concern that the prince is ascetic, unduly upright, and shows such a strong will to strengthen his royal authority.¡± ¡°Now that he is still a prince, we hold on to the line, but the thought of him as king will make our future darker than the dark clouds in the night sky!¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°If we can¡¯t get him on our side, we have to kill him.¡± Everyone was shocked when the count spoke with a bleak expression. ¡°Kill him! Send an assassin!?¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, so dull. If we use our hands, it will be considered treason! It is the king himself who has to destroy his son so that there will be no consequences to us.¡± ¡°Everyone, please be quiet. It seems that our Count has a secret plan.¡± When the commotion subsided and everyone¡¯s eyes turned to him, the count shrugged and continued. ¡°They are usually interested in saving the poor, so they are offering money and buying people to help reach the poor, saying they need them to save the people. We switch the funds to hiring a secret military personnel for overthrowing the king and they will be charged for treason!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°The King is a heartless man, and no matter how much he loves the Prince, if he¡¯s after his life, the prince will be cut into pieces.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of all the loyalists we don¡¯t want to see!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± The laughter of the nobles and the clinking of the glasses made a loud noise. Act 5 begins. Unlike the previous setting, the new atmosphere is peaceful and soft. The king, queen, and prince are gathered in one place. ¡°It is a bright and sunny day.¡± ¡°It has been awhile since we have seen a day so grand. It seems to bless our harmonious meal.¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s a good day here, we can¡¯t leave out the good news.¡± ¡°What on earth is it that makes you so happy?¡± ¡°Would you like to guess? Son, give your answer as well.¡± The king and the prince contemplate for a long time. ¡°Forgive me for being at a loss, my Queen.¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± How can one lead a country so well if one doesn¡¯t have patience for things like this? Things don¡¯t get solved at once, you have to wait and see how things go¡­. The king and prince, smile bashfully. While looking at the shape of the queen, she smiles shyly and touches her belly. ¡°The prince¡¯s brother is in it?¡± ¡°Oh, come here. My love, my rain! Underneath your thick clothes, there was something prettier than the moon in the sky! Let me hug the child and see. Can hear the child¡¯s heartbeat if I put my ear to it? Don¡¯t you have a cloud on your feet! Even though you are pregnant, the doctors fooled me like crazy!¡± ¡°It was because I wanted to tell you in person, so I asked him to keep it a secret. I can¡¯t tell you how much my mouth was itching to say it right away. Son, come to me too. Shouldn¡¯t you put your hand on your mother¡¯s belly and say hello to your new sibling!¡± The king and the prince put their ears on the queen¡¯s belly side by side. Both are smiling happily. ¡°When this child is born, he can hold the Prince¡¯s hand, who was always alone and lonely, it¡¯s only now that they¡¯re a match. There are many people who live, their whole lives without a child, but now that I have two, it¡¯s truly an unprecedented blessing. To the sun in the sky, you are sending us a warm light as if to bless us! Let¡¯s all swear by the sun that we will not let go of our hand holding each other like this and we will live together trusting each other. It¡¯s a beautiful day. Oh, what a dazzling day!¡± The king, queen, and prince all hug each other and smile while looking at the sky. Curtains fall. It was a really tragic story. As the story unfolds in an unusually reversed order, the three family members end up embracing each other and smiling without even knowing the future. It was a tragedy that only us outside the play knew all the truth. Iglanced at Anakin next to me, but he didn¡¯t seem to care because he didn¡¯t have a family. So I asked him something I was curious about. ¡°If the world you live in was one big play, how would you feel?¡± ¡°You mean a play?¡± ¡°Yeah. Everything is fixed, and you have to act according to your role. You may not be the main character. It may be a supporting role, or maybe it¡¯s a passer-by role close to the background.¡± Iglanced at him softly. Usually most people don¡¯t want to believe that their world is not true. It¡¯s because you¡¯re being denied the life you¡¯ve lived for the rest of your life. If I had heard such a thing in Korea, I would have denied it, thinking it was a new type of pseudonym. Aside from that, everyone often despairs at the fact that they are not important. But Anakin, as always, gracefully defies my expectations. He answered in his usual calm tone, ¡°I can¡¯t help it.¡± ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you mad?¡± ¡°Well. I¡¯m living my life to the best of my ability right now. That¡¯s enough¡­ I think.¡± ¡°Even if you¡¯re not the main character? Even if you¡¯re deprived of your rightful attention or likes for just one reason?¡± ¡°A knight is not someone who gets anyone¡¯s attention anyway. If I wanted that, I would have chosen another profession.¡± No wonder it seemed so sour. I pouted out of disgust at Anakin, who would never give me the answer wanted. ¡°You really have no ambition, no goal.¡± ¡°Does it look that way? I thought I was trying to live my life. Everyone is making the same effort, so I don¡¯t think it needs to stand out.¡± That made me a little bit regretful of my remarks. One shouldn¡¯t judge others¡¯ efforts recklessly¡­¡­ In fact, how ridiculous would my efforts to die be seen by others. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯re right. Because everyone here is living. Just as the shadows get darker when the light approaches I guess those kinds of efforts can only be seen when death is near.¡± At the same time, a band in charge of the play¡¯s music came out to the square and started playing. It was an upbeat song made for dancing. At first the people were only clapping to the rhythm once they noticed, they started dancing in pairs around the band one by one. As I was looking at him, in the cheerful atmosphere, Anakin quietly added. ¡°Actually, not everyone needs to know that I¡¯m trying.¡± ¡°Only you, my master, should know. Isn¡¯t it so?¡± Eyes staring straight back at each other, a heartbeat thudding, crashing. I wanted to think of what to say but my mind is blank with embarrassment. I should have answered. ¡®You¡¯re wonderful¡¯, ¡®I¡¯m thankful¡¯, or something like that¡­ But I was always clumsy with people who were good to me rather than people who hated me. From lovers, friends¡­ even to family. Maybe it¡¯s because I am suspicious and eccentric by nature. If it was a favor, I first thought about why. If you came to me because you wanted something, you would hand it over as if you were making a deal. I was suddenly afraid for no reason. Why are you so good to me? I had nothing to give to such a person, so I had no choice but to pour him affection. I was scared. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll pour out more affection than thought I could. Melted objects cannot be picked up and restored again. Maybe it was because I was afraid that the person who showed me a favor would come to hate me. If have this person in my heart and suddenly he goes out on his own or leaves me. I wouldn¡¯t be able to stand, the emptiness. Because I am such a selfish person. So I pushed them away one more time. Those feelings that can¡¯t be undone once you spit them out. I decided to sit down at a noisy restaurant that was preparing breakfast and opened the newspaper. Fortunately, the languages of this world have many similarities to English. To be precise, it must be said that English, French, Spanish, and Latin are mixed. It seems that the author could not create a new language due to the limitations of knowledge, The innkeeper who was putting the food down looks at my face. ¡°Goodness, lady. Don¡¯t you resemble Lady Mis¨¦rian, the talk of the town?¡± I opened the newspaper and responded slyly. ¡°I hear that a lot. A country bumpkin has moved up.¡± At my dismissive tone, the innkeeper, saying it was a compliment, soon disappeared, still suspicious. I skimmed through the newspaper, and on page 2 was the article I wanted to read. Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s disappearance! Magic train, is it really safe? Wow, nice article title! There was no picture, but Eris was a face everyone in the capital knew anyway. I stumbled through reading the article. The conventional means of transportation was based on horses as the driving force. However, since horses are living creatures, they have the disadvantage of needing to give them a rest if they run over a certain distance. In addition, no matter how luxurious it was, the limitation of the carriage was that they were narrow and inconvenient. The ¡®Magic Train¡¯ is a masterpiece created by the mage engineers belonging to the state saying they have greatly improved the means of transportation. Although it is slower than the maximum speed of a horse, the ¡®Magic Train¡¯s great technological advancement was in that it does not need to rest. However, no matter how safe the magic engineers claimed the ¡®Magic Train¡¯ to be, the magic technology itself was unstable, and the speed of the train was slow compared to the astronomical initial cost to create the technology. So there were concerns that street robbers could access the train at any time. In order to dispel such concerns, the Marquis Mis¨¦rian, one of the biggest investors in the Magic Train, has come up with a trump card. He tried to prove the train¡¯s safety by sending his daughter on a magic train, it backfired as she went missing on the train. Not only that, the fact that the number of passengers on the train can hold is smaller than expected which is a big problem to match one¡¯s concept of a luxury train. No matter how expensive the train ticket is, considering the investment cost and maintenance cost, it is not worth the money. ¡­..With many questions entangled in her disappearance, will the magic train make its way back safely? The article was very good. As I watched the big picture of the royal family and the marquis looking ruined, my taste buds began to crave sustenance. In an instant, ate the food on the plate and finished my drink. What am I going to do now¡­.. Even if I go to the capital, there are only rotten things, so I want to stretch my time out here as much as possible. Shall we take a boat ride as recommended by the kid at the inn? Chapter 31 Episode 31 I Won¡¯t Love You ¡°Anakin, tell the inn boy to get the boat ready. I want to see the famous lake.¡± ¡°Very well¡­¡­. Is there anything else you need?¡± ¡°Should I ask him to go there and pack me some food?¡± ¡°That would be good, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like something light and not too oily.¡± Back in the room, I changed clothes and came out. The forsythia-colored two-piece was comfortable and looked good on me. The best thing since coming to Rundol province was that there are no maids to advise you on how you should wear makeup or loose clothes. It¡¯s just that want to look good to others from their perspective, but I¡¯m too lazy to wear makeup. I just combed my hair and wore comfortable shoes without heels. At the front door, the inn child turned around and suddenly put a flower in my ear. How sweet. I gave the child who knew how to do pretty things some pocket money. It¡¯s a good day because the wind is cool. The boat was tied up in a cabin near the lake. Since the lake was quite far from the inn in the city center, I rode a carriage and entered the forest. The lake was so deep and beautiful. It almost Tooked like I was looking at the sea rather than a small lake After carrying a basket of food into the boat, Anakin sat down and began to row. Without any difficulty, the boat started to move towards the center of the lake. The scenery is beautiful, but as expected Mt. Kumgang is a place where food comes first. When I opened the basket with anticipation, I saw it contained delicious sandwiches, bottled milk, jam, pie and even fruits. I thought the basket looked a little heavy¡­. The innkeeper must have liked us very much. Anyway, it¡¯s always better to have some leftover food than not enough food. With one ham sandwich in my mouth, put the other one in Anakin¡¯s. I realized when I was eating breakfast this morning that the inn had really good food. As long as the beds were clean and the breakfast delicious, the accommodations were the perfect place for me. I had been debating whether to reveal it or not but I believed it was the right thing to say. It was a fact needed him to know anyway since Anakin would be the best person to get me out of this world. I will reveal a shocking fact to Anakin, who had become somewhat more docile by eating something delicious. ¡°You are a character in the book I read, Anakin.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve also read about this world in the same book.¡± The arms that were rowing suddenly stopped. He blinked and looked at me with a puzzled expression. Not giving him a chance to ask me questions, continued. ¡°You had a supporting role in the story of ¡®Eris.¡¯ You loved her.¡± As I dipped my hand into the lake, the clear, cold, water rushed through my fingers. The surface of the lake, at first, reflected a terrifyingly strange and beautiful woman looking up at me. Then the image was shaken by the ripples from my hand. No, the scariest thing about this face was that it no longer felt unfamiliar. What if I go back to Korea and look in the mirror and see this stranger¡¯s face? ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I took the place of the woman you¡¯d fall in love with.¡± How would it feel to lose someone you will love for the rest of your life without knowing it? I couldn¡¯t even imagine it. In fact, nothing in the world was mine. They all belong to Eris Mis¨¦rian, the second most gorgeous beauty in the world, including him, who will blindly be loyal to me. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t understand. Are you saying I¡¯m¡­ fake? ¡°Maybe¡­¡­. Like a character in a play.¡± Anakin had a confused face. I deserved it because really sounded crazy insisting that the person he was serving was different. He paused for a moment and asked me again. ¡°Why are you sure I loved her?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how the book was written. I¡¯ve read it all.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t act the way I¡¯m written?¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t go as the book says, it¡¯s modified by causality. For example, if I get cut off by your sword now, I won¡¯t die. Since the book didn¡¯t say I¡¯m going to die yet.¡± Anakin blinked slowly. He asked quietly. ¡°You mean¡­¡­ I¡¯ll fall in love with you someday?¡± ¡­¡­.Huh? I¡¯ve never thought of it that way.¡¯ In fact, in the original story, the Black Knight never actually said he loved Eris. Everyone just assumed that the Black Knight loved Eris because he devoted, himself to all sorts of things for her. The book was from Helena¡¯s point of view, and it was only the description that she threw in the story, as if he had really loved Eris. So I naturally thought Anakin might not fall in love with me unless I was Eris. When I didn¡¯t answer, Anakin asked me again. ¡°Are you falling in love with me, too?¡± ¡°No.¡± I quickly denied it, but it was right. I shouldn¡¯t get attached to anyone in this book. My death was scheduled anyway. Even if I can survive here as ¡®Eris¡¯, must die. So that I can go back. ¡°I won¡¯t love you. So don¡¯t love me, either.¡± I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll fall in love with you. I turned my head away for fear that the words would pop out of my mouth. I think I¡¯m going crazy because I¡¯m having a difficult time. No matter how hard it is, it was rude to fall in love and depend on someone. As I shook my head to calm myself down, I noticed that there was a fairly high cliff near the lake. It is shaped like a diving board. In the past, I¡¯ve seen a movie about dreams. In that movie, the dream felt like reality, so he couldn¡¯t wake up for a while. There were only two ways to return to reality. Dying, or falling into the water. I¡¯ve thought of dying, but I¡¯ve never thought of drowning. I murmured, distracted. ¡°I have to go up there.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the cliff?¡± ¡°Yeah. To fall.¡± The lake looked pretty deep, so even if one fell from the top of the cliff, they wouldn¡¯t necessarily die, If you¡¯re not lucky, you might break something because of the surface tension¡­.. The boat suddenly stopped moving, causing me to turn to Anakin. He had a really shocked expression. Somehow Anakin asked in a sullen voice. ¡°Is it because of me?¡± ¡°What nonsense is that? It¡¯s not like that, so hurry up and row.¡± Phew. He¡¯s so arrogant to think he created a bad mood for a little bit. Anakin with a serious face was ridiculous and cute, so I fed him a piece of pie. He must have been embarrassed, so he kept his mouth shut, attempting to rebel. I raised my eyebrows and poked the pie a few times into his lips. In the end, Anakin lost. Open your mouth and eat well. Some of the jam that came out of the pie got on my hands. As I was about to bring it to my mouth, he quickly blocked it, took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped it off. It was the same as when I brought a mirror from Bonito, glad that Anakin was more prepared and delicate than me. The height off the cliff is considerable. I have never been afraid of heights since I was young. From amusement parks with challenges like the viking ride, roller coasters, gyro drops to even bungee jumping, always took them without hesitation. But this was distinctly different from activities that had safety devices. I hesitated several times and closed my eyes tightly. What¡¯s the point of hesitating with a body that doesn¡¯t die? At any rate, Anakin will take it out on his own. I stepped back slightly and threw myself off. A tingling sensation of my stomach dropping. Before knew I was going to die, I was sucked into the water. White bubbles filled my surroundings and left. The surface of the water was beautiful. I laid down comfortably and breathed out. I felt like I was sinking, It¡¯s not bad if I can die like this. It was a moment to close my eyes. Someone snatched my body roughly. A solid body pulled me up to the water in an instant. Being forced up caused all the water to pass through my nose. Thanks to that person, I couldn¡¯t open my eyes for a long time and coughed. ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡­¡­Hey, cough, Ana, kin! Untill give you orders, cough, stay still¡­ Cough, I told you so.¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind or something!¡± This voice was not Anakin¡¯s. My eyes opened wide. Drenched, Jason was holding me and looking furious. Wait! Why are you here? I shuddered in bewilderment, shaking and realizing that he was holding me. No, no, no¡­. Let¡¯s not overthink this and let me go. Where the hell was Anakin while Jason did this? I lifted up my face, away from Jason¡¯s body and looked around to see if he would let it go. Then my body was pulled back from behind. Against my back, I felt a familiar and hard chest. It¡¯s Anakin. ¡°How dare you touch my lady¡¯s body.¡± ¡°What? The knight who failed to protect the lady has something to say?¡± A spark broke out between the two. I know it¡¯s a comical, novel-like situation but seriously¡­¡­ Guys, we¡¯re all still in a lake here. ¡°The water is cold. I¡¯m going to take my lady out.¡± Since I was wearing a thin two-piece, even though the midsummer warmth was approaching, it was cold, staying in the water for a long time. The small boat we were riding earlier was parked near the cliff. If I knew this would happen, I should have told Anakin to stay on board. The three of us swam out awkwardly. As soon as he exited the water, Anakin grabbed his coat that was hung in the sun and put it on me. He then got down on one knee and asked me. ¡°Should I light a fire?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still bright out. Won¡¯t my clothing dry if we leave it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite a distance to the accommodation. I¡¯d rather¡­¡± Jason, who came out of the water, swept his hair back with one hand and laughed. With an expression like he¡¯s about to cut off someone¡¯s service, he added, intentionally looking only at me. ¡°I have a teapot. I¡¯ll heat up the milk.¡± Without allowing me to say no, he pushed Anakin away and started a fire. When he announced that he would make a fire, I was so tempted to pull Anakin¡¯s hand and run away. ¡°How did you know about this, Lord Kazar?¡± ¡°You seriously believe there wouldn¡¯t be people looking for you after turning the palace and marquisate upside down?¡± ¡°It¡¯s later than I expected. I didn¡¯t know that Lord hazar would personally come, but¡­¡± ¡°I volunteered. To find you.¡± Chapter 32 Episode 32 Perverse Man Why? My forehead wrinkled in confusion. Although it was said that he was a leisurely man, Jason was not such a laid-back person. Since it had been awhile since returned to his hometown, it would be normal for him to make rounds, visiting relatives. In fact, in the Kazar family, parties are held every day. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be the busiest person in the capital, having to greet all the elders in your family?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t like having to talk to old people for a long time.¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t like talking to you either.¡± ¡°Then can I mix things other than words?¡± Has he become really crazy? Jason was setting up the teapot and milk he was carrying, and at the same time, sexually harassing me. Though he could have avoided it, Jason seemed to be hit in the face with something. Without even wiping his wet face, he spoke quietly, with his eyes open. ¡°¡­What you¡¯re going through.¡± ¡°If you start speaking roughly, don¡¯t be surprised if I respond roughly as well.¡± Jason wiped the water off his face with his palm. Losing my appetite, I placed my glass down on the ground. Jason continued. ¡°¡­l care about you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you doing something that bothers you?¡± ¡°Are you blaming me now?¡± I stared at him, at the ridiculous transfer of responsibility, but he didn¡¯t budge, his face was determined. ¡°Yes, so Lady Mis¨¦rian, please let me know. How can I do that?¡± ¡°Why are you asking me that? You never cared about me.¡± Jason burst out laughing. The flames were warm, and he held his hand gently. I thought that I could rest for a long time, but now, couldn¡¯t. Whether Jason came by royal command or sent by the marquis, I was in a position to be captured and returned. I shook my hands to get a sense of how much I would be questioned. ¡°How¡¯s the capital?¡± ¡°Tell me how you¡¯ve been and I¡¯ll tell you.¡± ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s pretend it didn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Cause I don¡¯t want to tell you.¡± Jason stared at me with a puzzled expression on his face. I didn¡¯t care if he looked at me in that way. How could I look fine when he was the one that warned me about Helena in the first place. I might have been nicer if they had sent a stranger instead of Jason, Jason looked at my cold face and raised both hands. ¡°All right, all right. This ugly affair has everyone fully engaged. The capital city is in a state of chaos because of Lady Mis¨¦rian. I¡¯m telling this to you as the person who suddenly disappeared. Because the train is faulty it has stopped at its last stop.¡± The train was stopped? That¡¯s not what I did. ¡°More importantly, finding you became a top priority, You didn¡¯t ascend to the throne, but since you¡¯ve had your coming-of-age ceremony, you¡¯re a half imperial family member, Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­¡­. Well, from your attitude, you seem to have run away on purpose.¡± ¡°Are you going to take me right away?¡± He tilted his head with a sly smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It depends on how many different excuses Lady Mis¨¦rian will provide me.¡± Indeed, handsome men in this world seem to have a knack for being annoying. Even more irritating because unlike the other two men, Jason seemed to be very good at using his looks. Should I say ¡®I was messing around¡¯ though it¡¯s slang? I sighed and ordered Anakin. ¡°Anakin, I have to go back, so pack up as soon as you get to the inn.¡± ¡°You are indeed buried. How can you not lose a word?¡± (T/N: Jason is teasing Eris saying she¡¯s under water/buried/submerged. He wonders how she could so easily give up, not arguing further.) Speechless for a moment, I almost laughed. I asked Jason without concealing my irritation. ¡°Why should I lose to you? Tell me, Lord Kazar. Give me a good reason and I¡¯ll let you win.¡± ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s important to keep up with your opponent, Lady Mis¨¦rian. It¡¯s not just about losing and winning. If you act like that, you will only have unnecessary enemies in the future.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Having friends doesn¡¯t mean it would be good for me. When I looked at Helena, I could see that. What could you do against three handsome and powerful men? Even Eris, who has no friends, can¡¯t stop her. ¡°I already have many enemies. What does it matter if there are one or two more or even fewer of them?¡± ¡°Is that right? What if I am the enemy?¡± ¡°Have you not been my enemy so far? I thought you¡¯d already declared war against me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯ve got a weakness for me.¡± Weakness? Did you meet Hubris or Mattheus? My head spun quickly. Although Bonito is definitely near Rundol, it is too early to think so. Since the train hadn¡¯t returned from the last stop, he would have had no choice but to come by horse, and it was said that the distance to Bonito would have taken five days at the very least. Bonito, which was closer than Rundol, takes the same amount of time, so it was clear that he had left as soon as he got the news that I had arrived at Rundol at this time. Are you going to say you ran away with a knight under the pretext of love?¡± For a moment, I was worried but Jason quickly pointed out the futility of it. ¡°The Imperial Family, do you know how they will act if this is known to the Marquis? Your knight will be decapitated for seducing you, and you will immediately be trapped in the palace to live for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°Is the escape of love too romantic for your age, Lord Kazar. Would you think of that if you saw me jump off a cliff?¡± Perhaps because he was a hero, the idea was fresh considering he was still young in aristocratic society Or rather, he may have heard too much about the love stories of a minstrel while travelling. Only one lover jumps off a cliff, and the other watches it, or they both jump. ¡°I came to Rundol to die.¡± This was a lie, but it didn¡¯t matter. Going to Bonito was one of the efforts for death. Even though I had no income, at least I knew why I came here. Jason laughed in disbelief. ¡°Lies. Be honest, Lady Mis¨¦rian. I know that. When someone falls in love, everyone becomes disorganized.¡± ¡°If you want to believe it¡¯s a lie, believe it.¡± Slowly, very slowly, the smile disappeared from Jason¡¯s face. And like how ink smudges in the water, a vivid wonder emerged on his face. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Do you really need a reason?¡± ¡°What am I missing?¡± I picked myself up as I rummaged through the extinguished embers. I looked down at him and replied quietly. ¡°I¡¯m not sad that I am going to die.¡± However further explain, Jason wouldn¡¯t understand. He was a man who wanted to live a little longer, even though he was named a mercenary and his death was certain. He wanted to live, because he wanted to go back and meet¡­¡­ because of Helena¡¯s love. ¡°I don¡¯t regret a single thing even if my body collapses right now.¡± It was a huge difference that could not be filled with mild sympathy. While Anakin went to the inn to organize our luggage, I was still thinking that I should buy souvenirs since came on a trip. The Rundol region was famous for its lakes and sausages, but the sausages were a little¡­ If I were in Korea, I would have bought it with a drink, but I felt guilty consuming alcohol in the body of a young lady, a noblewoman. Would there be something appropriate if I look around the shopping district? It would be better to choose by looking at it myself. As I got ready to go out again, Jason asked. ¡°Where are you going now?¡± ¡°I have something I want to buy.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go together.¡± Despite my face crumpling with signs of displeasure, Jason didn¡¯t respond as if he was surrounded by an iron wall. Not everyone can be a cold-hearted hero. It was admirable. Though he had the nerve to answer back. ¡°Do you think Lady Mis¨¦rian will only run away once? You probably want to sneak away again this time so should I thank you?¡± It was really dirty and cheap, but I held it in because I had nothing to say. There were quite a few people on the streets even during the day in Rundol. I kept looking around to see if there were any interesting shops while Jason kept coughing in vain to draw my attention. Annoyed, coughed back to indicate that I was safe. ¡°Since you are coughing, you must not be feeling well. Why not go back to rest and stop following me?¡± ¡°I think Lady Mis¨¦rian needs help.¡± I stood to the side with a crooked look on my face, expressing, ¡®If you say nonsense, I will kill you.¡¯ Still I wanted to hear it. In the book, Jason captured Helena¡¯s heart with interesting stories. Since Helena had lived inside the palace all her life, whenever Jason talked, she would dream about the world he shared. Jason saw her, fell in love with her and promised that he would take her out someday, ¡®Let¡¯s go on an adventure together, to the sea¡­¡­ Let¡¯s go¡­¡¯ It was because of the crown prince that she stayed in the palace for a while. Even though Hubris was a high priest, he mainly wandered the city slums to provide relief, so he was not fit for any trips or adventure. ¡°The Rundol region is not only famous for its lakes and meat. Another thing it is famous for are the raw stones from the bottom of the lake. There is a legend that if you wear jewelry made from the lake¡¯s stones, you can live a long life without disease.¡± Though the explanation was very much like a package tour guide, it was interesting. Gemstones would not be too fancy or shiny, so servants could easily carry them around. Plus, a healthy and long life, it was perfect. It was better to live a long and healthy life than to make a fortune. Seeing my expression, Jason asked triumphantly. ¡°Shall I guide you?¡± I nodded, but somehow I felt like I had just lost, and thus felt a little anger. As soon as we entered the store, the handsome owner greeted us. ¡°Welcome! Our shop is called the Rolling Stones, a gemstone shop selling Vivian¡¯s tears.¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± Laughter almost erupted at the familiar name, but I held it in by biting my molars tightly. The inside of the store was packed full of what seemed to be ordinary stones. Even though the store claims it is a raw stone, not a gem, it was a bit disconcerting as they seemed no more than a pebble. Are you really not a scammer? As if my thoughts were evident from my expression, the owner hurriedly approached me and rubbed his hand. ¡°Oh, madam. Would you like a present?¡± ¡°Madam?¡± ¡°Woah, isn¡¯t the person next to you, your husband?¡± Next to me, Jason grinned and was about to put his hand on my shoulder. I brushed his hand away, and responded with a sting of anger. ¡°Not my husband. We are not like that. I want to give a present to my servants, now bring me a suitable item.¡± ¡°Oh, excuse me!¡± The store owner bowed apologetically several times, then hurriedly disappeared behind me. ¡°I¡¯m hurt, you cut that with a single knife.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Whether you get hurt or not, why do I care? It¡¯s funnier when he tries to pretend to be her husband, knowing she has a fianc¨¦. The owner returned with the box in his arms. Then, one by one, he displayed them to me. ¡°There is a reason why the gemstone in Lake Fairy is called Vivian¡¯s tears. Although it looks ordinary on the outside, it¡¯s inside¡­¡± The gemstone was then cut in half, and I saw inside, there was a mysterious and transparent blue color mixed with green and blue. It was just like the color of the lake. Though it¡¯s not a jewel, it emitted a soft and beautiful light. ¡°Isn¡¯t it beautiful? It falls in a circular shape under the lake, and even its color resembles a lake, so it became famous as a fairy¡¯s tears. It is a specialty that only comes from this lake, so everyone in the Rundol region buys one.¡± ¡°¡­A pendant or bracelet, which one is better?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to give it to your servants, they¡¯d probably like a pendant or¡­ a necklace, as it shouldn¡¯t be an issue when they are working.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll purchase it as a necklace. Just pack me five or six.¡± As I finished the calculation, Jason was carefully selecting gemstones next to me. It looked like he was going to give it to Helena. But why was he looking at raw stones when he could just buy one that¡¯s already made? ¡°Are you going to give it to Lady Antebellum?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I want to make it myself.¡± ¡°Why waste your time when you can just buy what¡¯s made. What would you do if you fail?¡± Jason gives me a subtle smile. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I want her to carry something that¡¯s stained by my hands¡± You perverted man. I had to manage my expression, but my face crinkled at the needlessly honest answer. Even if the words contained the same meaning, the feeling evoked would be different depending on the expression. It¡¯s not like there was no sincerity in it, but didn¡¯t he sound like a pervert wandering around looking for the stockings she was wearing? Chapter 33 Episode 33 Of Knights and Bandits Jason¡¯s face turned red as soon as he saw my expression. I thought Hubris was the one with a dark side, but it seemed Jason also had a dark side. Why is it only around me that these men honestly show their true colors¡­.. Once again, I felt sympathy for Helena. I decided to no longer pay any attention to Jason, and I looked around the gemstone a little more. A particularly dark stone stood out among the sparkling blue stones. ¡°Ah, sometimes non-blue stones come out of the lake, They are purple stones. However, compared to blue stones, the color is turbid, soft and prone to scratches.¡± I remembered what Hubris told me, that the color of my soul was purple. I don¡¯t even like purple, but suddenly I roll the stone in my hand. The color was cloudy, the softness wasn¡¯t pleasant, and it was not sold because it did not shine¡­ It reminded me of myself. ¡°Owner, make a necklace with this gemstone. In a shape like this.¡± ¡°Really? It must be uncomfortable¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s none of your business.¡± When I returned to the inn, Anakin was quietly waiting for me, even though we had little luggage. Good boy. As I was stroking his hair, Jason spoke without notice. ¡°Are you coming with me?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s a long trip, and if I look at your face, I might vomit.¡± ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian! You¡¯re too harsh!¡± ¡°Oh, and what you said to me wasn¡¯t bad enough. Mix, what? Is that what one says to their friend¡¯s fianc¨¦e?¡± Jason bit his lips and made an excuse in a small voice, ¡°That was a slip of the tongue. Still.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying it. If you¡¯re afraid that I¡¯ll run away, then follow me. Aren¡¯t you an expert in following others?¡± Anyway, I had something for Anakin, so I turned around again. He was standing still, gently blinking his eyes. ¡°Anakin, get on your knees.¡± As he knelt obediently, I took out the necklace I had bought earlier from my pocket. The well-cut purple gemstone dangled in the center. It was fortunate that Anakin¡¯s neck was thin. The short black strap looked very good on him. Anakin shifted awkwardly, as if he was not familiar with a necklace in the form of a choker. He must be frustrated. Well, actually, it was like a dog collar to the people here. I said, holding his hand as he clasped his neck. ¡°Are you uncomfortable?¡± Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re honest. I made it inconvenient.¡± Whenever he feels uncomfortable with his neck, he¡¯ll remember me giving it to him. The words I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say settle down. I don¡¯t know why my eves followed his face. Confused eyes that did not understand gazed back at me, causing me to quickly turn away. I¡¯ve just indicated to Jason that I had a dark side as well, so I kept silent. Impatient because my feet were starting to get numb, Thollered out. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t we going?¡± ¡°Well, Master. Since it¡¯s a long distance, I¡¯m worried if I¡¯m the only escort. The fact that the master has been announced missing has already spread widely, so if you meet a bandit in the middle of the trip, it might be dangerous. Wouldn¡¯t it be safer for all of us to go together?¡± Iglared at Jason after Anakin¡¯s explanation. Jason in turn smiled at me softly. Fuming as I didn¡¯t want to respond, I turned my head away. I had heard about thieves who like to set up camp on every street corner and I wondered if Anakin¡¯s concern was about that. Thieves tried to stop every passing carriage to see if Lady Mis¨¦rian was riding in it or not. No matter how close Anakin was to the level of a Sword Master, he still had not yet achieved it. Though Sword Masters can¡¯t be beaten by an ordinary person¡¯s tactics, it was because he would have to fight and protect me at the same time, that I reluctantly allowed this. We bought a seemingly simple-looking carriage and disguised Anakin as a coachman. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that it was the most uncomfortable carriage that I had ever ridden in. Instead of being simple, Anakin and Jason decided on a horse that was fast and strong. Jason and I didn¡¯t say a word in the carriage. To be precise, Jason looked like he wanted to talk to me, but I ignored him. No matter how many times he called my name, the sound of horseshoes was so loud that I pretended not to hear it. But Jason really was a man with a greater persistence than I thought. ¡°Why does Lady Mis¨¦rian hate Helena so much? Are you jealous?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± I was surprised at Jason¡¯s lack of imagination and forethought. Quite frankly, Eris had a very good reason to hate Helena. Who, in their right mind, would enjoy seeing another beautiful woman hanging on to their fianc¨¦? Especially when Eris had her heart set for the crown prince! ¡°Sir Kazar, are you asking me because you truly don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Is it because Helena has the crown prince¡¯s attention?¡± ¡°You seem to be mistaken, also if I were to hate you, would have hated you even more than Helena. I don¡¯t ¡®hate¡¯ Lady Antebellum that much. I don¡¯t even bother anymore.¡± ¡°Then why did you bully her when she was such a young girl?¡± ¡°Because I was young then.¡± Eris was younger than fifteen when she decided to ¡®outrageously¡¯ bully Helena. Of course being young didn¡¯t mean she had to be self-centered. At a young age, it was easier to be hurt by others. ¡°Are all sins forgiven because you were young? Do, you still look down on your friend, Lady Antebellum?¡± It seemed unfair to hear or receive advice from a person who was actively harassing ¡®Eris¡¯ in the past. ¡°Be careful of your words, Sir Kazar. As you said earlier, after the coming-of-age ceremony, I am officially a member of the royal family!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not cold to her, in fact I am more open to her. I am just giving her the same courtesy I would to anyone of her position. Friend? Does she now say I¡¯m a friend?¡± I decided to just abuse the power in the yard that didn¡¯t even break the marriage. This was from the guy who¡¯s using this authority to give me orders when I can¡¯t even break off the marriage? How dare he say such things to a royal family member! Hearing those words from Jason¡¯s mouth, who doesn¡¯t treat me as if I was Helena¡¯s friend, made him feel like a hypocrite. Even if his mouth was crooked, he should try to speak honestly. Trying to be my friend when you really don¡¯t want to be my friend due to some lowly conscience?! ¡°Does Sir Kazar view Lady Antebellum as a close friend? You dare tell me that she is my close friend under the false pretense that you are being ¡®my friend¡¯?¡± At that moment, Jason¡¯s mouth shut tight as if he regretted his words. ¡°Should I not forgive you forever as well?¡± Suddenly a shout was heard outside the carriage. The carriage stopped and I unintentionally tried to look outside. Jason pulled out his sword and went out first. ¡°If you leave now, I will spare your life.¡± ¡± Hahaha! What nonsense are you talking about? We saw you take the lady into the carriage, so you need to leave so that I can have the lady.¡± Before I left the inn, I was a little terrified to hear there were bandits targeting me but to see them actually appear before my eyes was surprising. Hearing other shouts, I realized that the bandit was not alone. ¡°I¡¯ll probably regret this, who knows.¡± However, Jason replied calmly and brought his head back into the carriage. He reached out his hand to me and whispered, inaudible to those outside. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian, please get on your horse and leave with your knight right now.¡± ¡°What? You?¡± Can¡¯t we just fight together and go back? When came out led by his hand, the number of bandits was a little more than I imagined¡­¡­ Actually, there was quite a lot. ¡°If that¡¯s all the bandits we¡¯ll meet, we¡¯ll get rid of them and leave together, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case.¡± He scrunched his nose in embarrassment, smiled, and added with a bitter expression. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s accusations and punishments will be sweetened again by returning to the capital, so don¡¯t be too angry. Take Lady Mis¨¦rian there.¡± ¡°Hey, Sir Kazar!¡± To be honest, I knew in my head that the path Jason suggested was the best option. But my heart was not willing to obey him. Before I could protest, I was lifted by Anakin who placed me on the horse and seated himself behind me. He was smiling. You¡¯re doing this on purpose to avoid it! Seriously?!! ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. Please sit down.¡± ¡°Let go of me¨C, for real?!¡± I should have learned magic from a witch. I should¡¯ve struck him with a bolt of fire on the top of his head and turned him bald. How annoying! By the way, riding on horseback was very painful when the seat was hard. Even if it was uncomfortable, I was in a situation where I had to run away, so I was patient, but Anakin spoke quietly. ¡°It will be more comfortable if you relax and lean your back against my chest.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Fine.¡± It¡¯s a little better to lean on Anakin almost like a hug, but that was the only thing ¡­my butt still hurts. Ugh¡­¡­ I feel like there will be bruises there. ¡°Anakin, how far is the capital?¡± ¡°I drove the carriage for two days, so there¡¯s about one more day to go.¡± ¡°A day on horseback? By the time I get there, my butt will be black and blue.¡± Sighing, I asked Anakin with a troubled face. ¡°Shall we go to the village and buy some cushions?¡± ¡°Okay. When are we going to find time to find and tie up a cushion? If I had known this would happen, would have worn a thick skirt.¡± By the way, I was already in a bad mood at the thought of going back to the capital. Anakin hesitated and talked to me first, perhaps because he knew me. ¡°Can I tell you something?¡± ¡°You?¡± This was a great development, seeing that Anakin spoke up first. On the other hand, I wonder if it was because I was so grumpy. I really can¡¯t kick Anakin who can easily roll away. ¡°Okay. What kind of story are you going to tell me? Is it your story?¡± ¡°My story won¡¯t be interesting. I¡¯ve lived a smooth life.¡± ¡°Not every life has to be dramatic.¡± ¡°¡­If I have to tell a story, I want to tell about the present. I¡¯m not the type to focus on the past.¡± At first glance, I wondered if it was some endless romantic tale, but then I had a habit of thinking negatively about anything said. Even if I become the past, will he move forward so, casually? Somehow, I felt a sense of ambivalence. I hoped so. Because I know the sorrows of those left behind. Memories are sometimes torture. Then I thought I was too arrogant, and I laughed. I may not be as important to him as I think. Chapter 34 Episode 34 Loving You, Hating You I believe he is loyal to me because I am his master. I¡¯m sure if he was chosen by someone else, he would show the same loyalty as he does now. I then realized that I would be sad if this were true. Even more so, if he tells me that I wasn¡¯t as important to him as he was to me¡­ The human heart is not a formula, so I know that I shouldn¡¯t expect to get paid for the effort I put in. Yet still¡­ I want this person I have a crush on to love me as much as I did. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me to look back.¡± Anakin said in a low voice. At his words, I looked up at him. He was looking ahead, instead of me. ¡°Don¡¯t even ask me what I¡¯m going to do in the future, I can only do one thing at a time because I have a simple mind and can only take on one thing at a time.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°For now¡­ I¡¯m helping the master to go back.¡± ¡­Yes. For this reason, I like him. I couldn¡¯t blame him for my sharpness. Anakin watches over me, who is capricious. I think I will remember him for quite a long time even when I return to Korea. So I want him to remember me as much as I remember him, even though I know it¡¯s selfish. When I go back, I must plant a lily-of-the-valley. And until the flower fades¡­¡­ * * * As soon as I arrived at the mansion, the maids and attendants violently rushed at me with half screams As I entered the mansion, I could hear their voices that contained both reassurance and anger. Also, it was the marquis who was the first person to confront me. Still on the stairwell, he looked down at me coldly. ¡°Come into my room¡­ and no one will enter until ! call.¡± I gave a worried Emma the gemstone I had purchased from Rundol and followed the marquis to his room. When I entered, he turned away from me. ¡°Did you need me for something?¡± ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± When I pretended to be innocent, the marquis quickly turned around and thundered. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can avoid my eyes! Why didn¡¯t you go straight to the Rundol region!?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.It wasn¡¯t that important. Do I have to tell you?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve ruined everything! What are you going to do with this loss? Don¡¯t you really see why I asked you to take a knight? To avoid the eyes of others and deal with dirty and nasty things on your behalf!¡± Pacing around, he didn¡¯t seem to be able to find out what caused me to derail or where the derailment was. He sighed inside and deliberately switched to a completely odd point. ¡°You¡¯re saying strange things. It wasn¡¯t you who chose Anakin, it was me.¡± ¡°You?¡± I crossed my arms and tilted my head, pondering. It was the first thing I noticed. There was really nothing to be done to undo the damage. The marquis won¡¯t be able to accuse me. And it was even better if the marquis got angry and forgot why! escaped to a place other than the Rundol region. ¡°Yeah, well. I¡¯m not your daughter anyway. You knew that, didn¡¯t you? Since you know, you don¡¯t have to keep up with the facade anymore.¡± ¡°How dare you¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, if you don¡¯t want me to die, you¡¯d better not say the same old saying. Because I¡¯m crazy about dying.¡± ¡°Ha! There¡¯s something nasty and vulgar about my daughter.¡± While looking at my nails, I was speechless and snorted. ¡°You didn¡¯t really love your daughter anyway.¡± If you really love a child, you can¡¯t hit or scold him or her. You¡¯ll raise him or her unconditionally. However, the marquis did whatever Eris wanted. More precisely, the marquis made Eris want things that benefit him. ¡°If you loved her, you should have broken up her marriage. Instead, you were pretending not to know because of the power you would gain, you didn¡¯t really know that a woman with a good eye was festering because of the crown prince?¡± ¡°Shut up! What do you know! I loved her! I wanted her to be at the top!¡± ¡°The best position doesn¡¯t mean happiness.¡± I approached the marquis, who made a ridiculous excuse, and looked up at him. ¡°Look at the so-called ¡®best¡¯ people around you. Look at the faces of the ones in the palace. Did she really look happy?¡± The marquis shut his mouth. Indeed, even if one¡¯s mouth is torn, one won¡¯t say that he is happy with the political arena that¡¯s full of slander. ¡°¡­What are you going to do?¡± ¡°If I tell you, will you help me?¡± ¡°It depends.¡± ¡°Forget it. I already have a better helper than you.¡± ¡®If he hears of my plan to die, the marquis will try to block my plan, which will never be good. The marquis is burning now. Because he doesn¡¯t know me¡¯. He was scared because he couldn¡¯t get over it. Neither fear nor conciliation works. It¡¯s a waste to throw away, but it¡¯s dangerous to hold. As soon as the marquis tried to open his mouth, a knock was heard on the door. ¡°What? I told you not to disturb me.¡± ¡°Marquis, a servant, has come from the Imperial Palace. ¡°He came here under the orders of the Empress, so I will go in now.¡± It was customary to not be able to refuse an imperial servant, so whatever the marquis was doing now, he had to stop, while I needed to greet the servant who came to deliver the empress¡¯ message. The marquis withdrew, still trembling with angry expression as the distinguished royal servant entered in an expressionless face. ¡°Your Majesty has something to tell you, so she has ordered Lady Mis¨¦rian to come along.¡± ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Yes, the carriage is ready. Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s clothes¡­¡± The servant looked up and down at me. I didn¡¯t look good because it came directly from Rundol province. Even clothes were rustic and comfortable two-piece dresses that ordinary people would wear. Having just come directly from the Rundol province, my attire was lacking. The clothing was rustic and designed as a comfortable two-piece dress worn only by ordinary people. The servant stopped for a moment, thinking this was not the case, but soon gave up and continued. ¡°It¡¯s a great shame, but I¡¯m sure the Empress will forgive you, too.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t dare to keep her waiting.¡± I bowed slightly to the marquis with a sneaky smile. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be back, Father.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± I could feel the marquis¡¯ stinging gaze, but I didn¡¯t care. I currently have the upper hand anyways. As I entered the palace and walked along the courthouse, everyone around me stared at me. Upon moving further in, many stopped and whispered to each other. The lady who dominated the social world came back as a beggar, so she deserved it. Regardless of their gossip, I knew I would not be allowed to rest the moment I arrived so I didn¡¯t have the heart to pay them any heed. I knew the empress, who didn¡¯t even like me, had called me to say something but my focus was to reply promptly and return home quickly to rest. ¡°Your Majesty, Lady Mis¨¦rian, the eldest daughter of the Marquis Mis¨¦rian and the fianc¨¦e of the Crown Prince, is waiting for an audience. ¡°Come in.¡± When the door opened, I was greeted by the empress who stood there looking flawless. She smiled with a friendly expression and greeted me as if she was apologetic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for calling you so quickly that you can¡¯t even take a break.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a glorious afternoon, Your Majesty. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re calling me about the rumors.¡± ¡°I have something to tell you, you guys stay out for a while.¡± All the maids in the room escaped at the order of the empress. When I tilted my head slightly in wonder, the empress calmly extended her hand and offered a teacup¡­¡­¡­. This country enjoys drinking black tea, but somehow the color of this black tea was really dark. ¡°It¡¯s tea from West Station. I heard it¡¯s good for it¡¯s scent and rejuvenation properties.¡± When I picked up the cup and smelled it, it smelled similar yet different to coffee. The empress was not foolish enough to recommend poisoned teas. In the first place, drinking poisoned tea was not enough to kill me. If that was possible, I would have escaped from this world already. ¡°Are you worried that you might be poisoned?¡± ¡°How could that be? I¡¯m hesitant because I can¡¯t drink hot items very well, so I needed the tea to cool down a little.¡± I laughed it off, but it¡¯s getting uncomfortable. The timing was a bit off. There was no reason for the empress to call me. Was the Magic Train a project run by the empress? No, it wasn¡¯t. I breathed in the scent of exotic tea, not having any idea how to describe it. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t come out of the room. Aren¡¯t you that kind of child? Rebelling so you get enough attention.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a silly girl so I can¡¯t even begin to guess what Your Majesty is telling me. If you don¡¯t mind, can you help me understand?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve become quite clever. Since the coming-of-age ceremony, or¡­¡­ Has that mind of yours changed?¡± At the coming-of-age ceremony, I knew the empress had done it to humiliate me, but I didn¡¯t expect her to tell me this directly. The empress folded her eyes and laughed at my silence. ¡°You knew I had given that child the same dress as yours. Right?¡± Now, what are we going to do at this confession? The empress came out openly so it was no good for me to lie. If you lie and get caught, you¡¯ll only get in trouble. replied with the most harmless smile possible. ¡°I really didn¡¯t know until I met Lady Antebellum. But.¡±, ¡°But?¡± ¡°I knew Madame always had an extra set just in case, Lady Antebellum, who was a commoner, who had no chance to meet the Madame, would not be able to get those clothes without the consideration of the Empress Dowager. It¡¯s just this silly girl¡¯s guess.¡± The empress clapped her hands and laughed. She said, nodding admirably and gently. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian may be more qualified as a detective than as the crown princess. Your reasoning is correct. told Madame to give me the extra set. I ordered a maid to steal the clothes Lord Kazar had sent to her, and thus she had to wear the same dress as you.¡± She confessed the truth of that day in a calm tone, Her expression and tone were so nonchalant that I didn¡¯t even get angry. Honestly, I¡¯m not even curious about the reason, but at this point, I think it¡¯s only polite to ask. ¡°Why did you do that to the girl?¡± At my question, she drank tea quietly before answering with an unusual expression. ¡°Because, I hate you.¡± Chapter 35 Episode 35 Tacit Permission ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too strong and indifferent to be a princess. What if you become the Empress? If the Marquis, the backbone of the aristocracy, becomes a single-handed Marquis, what will the campaign be like?¡± I don¡¯t care if I can¡¯t be a princess, but honestly, the empress¡¯s logic was a little bizarre. ¡°So you chose Lady Antebellum, from a family of traitors and a commoner? She has been a maid all her life and knows nothing about the position of the Empress.¡± ¡°It is like an orphan in need of love, her personality will be obedient and kind, she will obey the imperial family, and she has captured the heart of the prince because of her beauty, so there is no need to worry about future generations. Even if we can¡¯t teach her the duties of the empress position until she ascends the throne, it will be fine.¡± She meant to make Helena a puppet. I couldn¡¯t afford to look into anyone¡¯s future, but wondered if Helena already had a future she wasn¡¯t aware of. ¡°Did Lady Antebellum say she would? She was really scared and ran away the last time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you scared her.¡± ¡°Like I strongly love him?¡± ¡°You will fall in love. What can you do when a child as good as Alecto whispers love?¡± Her self-confidence was reasonable. It¡¯s one of my personal resentments, but the crown prince, the male protagonist of the novel, has the same terrifying and destructive beauty as Helena. Blond hair, which melted gold on white and beautiful rosy skin, scattered neatly just by turning its head slightly. The color of the sky blue eyes was sometimes mixed with golden brown to give off a subtle glow. The tall, straight nose and deep eyelids seemed to contain a story, and the lips thinner than Hubris or Jason were rather nerve-wracking. I thought Leonardo DiCaprio was the most handsome man in the world when he filmed (Total Eclipse) or Catch Me If You Can). But after seeing Alecto, realized that there could be someone more handsome than him. Appearance is not the number one requirement for falling in love but it is inevitable that attraction starts first with a person¡¯s appearance before you begin to figure out what¡¯s inside. If he hadn¡¯t been such a ruffian to me, I might have had some feelings for him. How much worse if they chase after you saying they like you¡­.I don¡¯t know why Helena still doesn¡¯t like the crown prince. Is it because the prettiest girl in the world is facing the mirror? ¡°No, let¡¯s be honest with each other.¡± The empress suddenly waved her hands and spoke intently. Possessing a gracious face, yet everything that was said out of her mouth was poison. ¡°Do you hate or resent me for making such a scene in the place where you deserve to shine the most? But no matter what you think of me, I will hate you more than you hate me.¡± The empress put down the teacup and stared straight at me. If her eyes were a physical weapon, I would have been stabbed to death by her at this moment, ¡°I want to kill you. I don¡¯t want you to just die. I want you to die in great pain. I know it wasn¡¯t you who killed my son. No offense to you, but you are the most precious thing the Marquis has, so there is nothing we can do about it.¡± I remembered a play that I saw in Rundol. The actress who played the empress was screaming. Did the empress who lost the crown prince scream like that? ¡°It is natural for human beings to become angry when a dog is stoned to death. How does it feel to be framed by the Marquis and lose my son and close friends?¡± The empress gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Her fists trembled on her lap. She seemed to be struggling to contain her emotions. ¡°Since that day, I¡¯ve been vomiting blood every night. Even in my dreams, I hear my son crying. My life is already hell, so what if I killed one more innocent person? So what if I fall into hell? The Marquis killed my innocent son. What does it matter? She continued calmly, choosing to breathe for a while. ¡°If I really wanted to take my revenge on you, I could have put you in the palace as the Crown Princess and slowly kill you day by day. But that wasn¡¯t enough for the two men who killed my son, as they wanted to make you the Crown Princess.¡± The two men meant the emperor and the marquis. In the eyes of the empress, unlike the emperor, the empress seemed to have lost her love for the emperor a long time ago. The emperor was completely deceived by others and killed his own child, which, in modern times, could be a reason for divorce. ¡°Your Majesty, would you mind if this girl said something?¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°The girl doesn¡¯t want to marry His Highness.¡± At that, the empress changed her expression as if it was unexpected. ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you love the child for a long time?¡± ¡°What else in the world is as easily degenerated as love? Your Majesty knows that¡­..I once thought it was worth all that. But now, I do not. I¡¯d like to cut ties with the palace if you will allow me.¡± ¡°Does your father know how you feel?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what my father feels, Your Majesty, It¡¯s more important that you understand my heart.¡± The empress narrowed her eyes. I needed to put on an expression that showed I meant it. I gave such a pretty smile to the empress. I thought I¡¯d never be able to break up my marriage, but now there might be a way. ¡°I¡¯ll teach her, ma¡¯am. Your Majesty doesn¡¯t have time to educate the child who¡¯s been overworked, does she? Furthermore, if you teach her yourself, she may draw a lot of attention and say something hideous.¡± I touched the end of the teacup. Teaching Helena will naturally lead to more opportunities for her to be left alone. I had to kill Helena once to get to the end of this novel anyway. That¡¯s how I¡¯m going get the death penalty. The one thing that stood out was the difference between now and the original novel. In the original, Eris never taught Helena in order to break up with someone. Rejected due to causality, I had to ponder how to poison Helena. Watching my expression, the empress smiled at me. ¡°As expected, you¡¯re not a good match for my son. He needs a little more of an obedient child.¡± She didn¡¯t say it exactly, but I noticed it was a tacit permission. All right, we¡¯re over the hump. I bowed my knees to her and left the room. The empress only took another sip of cold tea without saying a word. I was trying to catch any maid because I thought it would be better to leave the palace before I say something to Helena. The mirror across the street caught my eye. Unconsciously, I walked in front of the mirror, and the witch appeared in the mirror and talked to me, ¡°Are you back safely?¡± ¡°You can manipulate people from nowhere you can¡¯t see?¡± ¡°What do you mean controlling? I¡¯m giving you an indication.¡± ¡°Just tell me your business. We can¡¯t talk for a long time because we¡¯re inside the palace.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve found a way. Come straight to the store.¡± It was good news to hear. Since the palace was a place where I could visit if I wanted, I decided to find Helena next time and caught the carriage. Whatever the sacrifice was to allow me to return, wanted to do it. I just hope it wasn¡¯t asking for a human sacrifice. It would be nice to be executed as a witch, but no matter how much this place was in the world of fiction, my morals wouldn¡¯t let me catch and kill innocent people. The carriage soon stopped near the witch¡¯s shop. When I opened the door, the witch welcomed me as if she had been waiting. I went down to her shop and asked. ¡°So what¡¯s the offering?¡± ¡°Would you like a cup of tea?¡± The witch was smiling as if she wouldn¡¯t answer if I didn¡¯t drink tea. I couldn¡¯t help but concede roughly. ¡°¡­Ha. With milk.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring it to you soon.¡± When I drank the sweet and warm milk tea that the witch brought, my body melted, relaxed. I began to feel sleepy. Unlike when I left, when I came back, I moved almost nonstop except when we had to let the horse rest. I dozed off leaning on Anakin as a chair, but I felt stiff. As I pressed my forehead so that I wouldn¡¯t doze off, the witch reached out her hand and brought out something wrapped in cloth. ¡°Let¡¯s solve it.¡± When I untied the string, which was firmly fastened to prevent it from unraveling, a silver dagger with a garnet stuck in the handle emerged. The dagger weighed quite a bit, maybe because it was made of pure silver. What¡¯s strange is that it¡¯s a dagger without a blade. The tip of the knife was blunt, so it was close to decoration. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think I can open a letter with this dagger.¡± ¡°Because the dagger will be a sword that changes according to the will of the person.¡± The witch sipped her share of the drink and raised her hand. The sword that was tied back to the cloth disappeared. ¡°Stab with that sword.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Who else? The one the owner of the body is to kill.¡± The words put strength into the sword¡¯s hand. ¡°¡­Stab Helena with this?¡± ¡°Dampen it with blood.¡± ¡°How can I do that? It¡¯s a blunt weapon.¡± ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? It depends on your will.¡± She smiled at me with creepy eyes. ¡°You have to have a heart that you really want to kill her.¡± Perhaps I was relieved. Poison was actually an indirect way. Killing someone indirectly versus stabbing them with your own hands was different as much as heaven and earth. If someone asks what is the difference between the same murder, you can say that the determination to commit the murder is different from the guilt that comes after it. Maybe that¡¯s why people encourage others to kill rather than kill someone themselves. Of course, the biggest thing is that you can create an alibi so you don¡¯t seem suspicious. At the same time, Helena¡¯s crying face flashed through my mind. When I was in a poor situation, I thought hated sympathy the most, but now I couldn¡¯t help feeling sorry for her situation. The last crying face I saw is clear. The child was shaking. She¡­. was afraid of me Chapter 36 Episode 36 The Way to Salvation I may have a dirty temper, but I¡¯m not the kind of person who takes pleasure in seeing someone¡¯s fear, Even when watching the movie, upon a cruel scene, was the one who would close my eyes and wait for it to pass. When the witch informed me that I have to kill Helena, I lost my confidence in an instant. ¡°Is this really necessary? There must be another way? I shouldn¡¯t have to kill her.¡± ¡°Why are you suddenly so weak? You asked for any way to return to your original world¡­¡­ Did you think that crossing worlds would be easy?¡± ¡°This is ridiculous.¡± Am I worried about her? Well of course I might be worried. Actually, more precisely, I was more concerned about my thin nerves that would surely break if I killed someone. Am I really okay to sacrifice an innocent person for my salvation? A question I¡¯ve never thought about now came to me. In order to prevent the destruction of the world, the sacrifice of a noble person is necessary, and that we have to bear it ¨C it¡¯s the conclusion based on what had seen in the media so far. But is that really fair? Wouldn¡¯t I be resentful and unfair if I was in the position of being the victim? Helena will want to live. The girl with an optimistic nature and like a flower garden is a girl who firmly believes in each day¡¯s happiness¡¯, even if life is a little difficult right now. And she was the kid who deserved to be treated like that. Still¡­ ¡°I value myself more.¡± Without another word, I put the knife in my arms My chest got heavier. Seeing this, the witch smiled as if she was supremely happy. She lifted her hand and floated her little glass sapper and sent it to me. ¡°The other offering is tears.¡± ¡°What tears?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t tell you that.¡± ¡°What?¡± I looked at Medea in bewilderment as she suddenly stepped out and grabbed both my hands. ¡°You¡¯re smart. Find out for yourself what tears they are. It¡¯s not fun for me to solve everything, is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for fun.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that but I do it for fun.¡± The witch got up and pulled my hand. She slowly guided me to the door and arranged my messy hair. She opened the door and added. ¡°I¡¯m not helping you in good faith either. It¡¯s because of the situation you¡¯re in, and your actions are making it interesting¡­¡­. it keeps me entertained. I¡¯ll be your strongest partner until then.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look betrayed. I¡¯m a witch. Well, that¡¯s cute, too. Bye, then.¡± When I stepped out the door, Anakin was waiting for me. I didn¡¯t understand how she knew, so I just blinked, and the witch laughed and poked me in the cheek. ¡°I called him. We can¡¯t send Lady Mis¨¦rian alone. You should have a knight to shield when you¡¯re kidnapped.¡± ¡°Thank you very much for that. Let¡¯s go, Anakin.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget, it takes that determination I told you to cross the world.¡± As I was taking Anakin out of the alley, I suddenly looked back. The lights were off in her shop before we knew it. I woke up in my soft bed after a long time and felt refreshed. Maybe it was because the maids washed me yesterday and gave me a massage. I changed into my outdoor clothes, smoothed my hair, and called Anakin. ¡°Did you call?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t give it to you yesterday because I was in a hurry. Take this.¡± Anakin, who received money and a necklace of gemstone, made a face that showed he did not understand. ¡°Bring it to your brother. It¡¯s okay to take a break at home while you deliver it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s not worth this much.¡± ¡°Never mind if it¡¯s not your money. I¡¯ll be locked up at home for a while anyway. Don¡¯t talk, just go.¡± Damn, why can¡¯t I wear my pajamas when I¡¯m at home? I don¡¯t know if the aristocrats are aware of the pretentiousness of it. As I handed Anakin a purse and the necklace and went back to bed to lie down, Anakin¡¯s empty hand grabbed my finger. ¡°Oh.¡± Astonished, I turned around, and was even more startled when Anakin lifted my hand. He mumbled for a bit, I couldn¡¯t tell if he was grumbling or moaning, then his quiet voice asked quietly. ¡°Would you like to¡­ go with me?¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°Are there any more things for you to do?¡± ¡°No.¡± Anakin then subtly rolled his eyes. It¡¯s not noticeable, but it looks like it¡¯s restless. A man who isn¡¯t usually like that makes him look even more suspicious. I sighed and roughly pushed my hair back. ¡°If there¡¯s something you want to say, just say it. Don¡¯t beat around the bush.¡± ¡°¡­I wish my master would go with me.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave you alone.¡± ¡°¡­Why would I be alone? I¡¯m with the maids.¡± At that, Anakin looked at me quietly. Really? Those pale eyes asked me. I tried to respond confidently, but somehow my jaw and throat were clogged. I was planning to put my face in my pillow and cry alone once he left me. Without Anakin, no one will hear me cry in this mansion. A sigh came out instinctively. Why would this man, who doesn¡¯t usually ask for anything, suddenly behave like this¡­¡­ I touched my messy hair again and spit it out. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go, then.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Get ready before I change my mind. If there¡¯s a lot of stairs, you can carry me and go.¡± ¡°Gladly.¡± Anakin readily carried me all the way to his shabby house. It was breathtaking to observe his strength and stamina. Anakin knocked on the door and spoke quietly. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± The door didn¡¯t open and the child¡¯s sly voice returned. Anakin glanced at me and urged quietly. ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me. Since we have a guest.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have any customers. You don¡¯t bring any street farmers¡­..¡± The child, who was grumbling as he opened the door looked at me, covered his mouth with his hands, and screamed. Then he slapped Anakin on the back and hurried back into the house. ¡°Oh no! I haven¡¯t cleaned the house at all!¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go in.¡± When I entered the still shabby house, the child was hurriedly arranging, sweeping, and wiping things. The child shyly tipped his trash under the bed and clasped his hands together and asked. ¡°Tea, would you like some tea?¡± ¡°Yeah. Use this.¡± Knowing this, I brought tea from home. I raised my hand to stop the child from entering the kitchen and then raised my head to face Anakin. ¡°You make tea. I have something to tell him.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes?!¡± Anakin¡¯s answer and the child¡¯s scream rang at the same time. The child trembled and sent a rescue signal to Anakin with his eyes, but anyway, Anakin was my knight, so he walked past the child heartlessly, Abandoned by Anakin, the child was suddenly intimidated and looked down at his knees. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Pertil¡­¡­.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the name you made?¡± Surprised, the child who had first blushed in shame, glanced at me and then gave his name clearly, ¡°Kynthia, it¡¯s Kynthia.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pretty name¡­¡­. I¡¯m here to give you your hard work. I even put in the price of enticing Hubris, And of course, the price of silence is included.¡± At the sound of a heavy bag, Kynthia carefully checked the money in the bag and blinked his eyes. Kynthia¡¯s hands shook as he confirmed the amount. ¡°A-all of this?¡± ¡°If you think about it, the price of silence is the price of your life, so it¡¯s not that much money.¡± ¡°Thank you, miss! Thank you!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll need to buy some sweets for the children in the neighborhood. It¡¯s not easy to have children to do what you want.¡± Just in time, Anakin brought the tea, I sipped it and hung the gemstone necklace on Kynthia. Kynthia looked like he was about to cry. Oh, and I thought of one more person when I was obtaining the necklace. ¡°I need to ask you for one more favor.¡± ¡°Ask me anything!¡± ¡°We need to save someone. This is also the most important thing to keep secret.¡± ¡°Sure, leave it to me. What kind of person should I save?¡± ¡°A man who is well versed in royal court etiquette. He is currently not associated with the imperial family at this time. It¡¯s better if he hates the imperial family, if possible.¡± I was born and lived in a republic, not a constitutional monarchy. I followed the etiquette from the book, but I had to be perfect first to teach someone. It would have been great if I could hand over my fianc¨¦e to Helena, but I didn¡¯t want anything like that. All I want is a chance to use the dagger to stab her in class. If I¡¯m teaching a maid, they won¡¯t be too strict on surveillance, so I could leave the room whenever wanted. However, I need a witness who will see me stab Helena, so I¡¯ll have to call him back¡­.. ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take?¡± ¡°A week is enough. I¡¯ll send you a message through my brother.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Kynthia took some coins out of his pocket and threw them at Anakin. Anakin skillfully grabbed it. Kynthia, who turned around, calmly ordered Anakin. Seeing that he¡¯s good at giving orders, it seems like Anakin¡¯s been pampering her on a regular basis. ¡°Buy some snacks and bread with it. Give it to the children as you wish.¡± ¡°¡­ Will it be okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll allow it.¡± With a quick bow, Anakin opened the door and left. Kynthia, who was measuring his footsteps, asked me a long time later ¡°Have you been laughing lately?¡± ¡°No, not really.¡± ¡°You look happy.¡± Kynthia had a relieved expression ¡°I was scared of you sometimes. You were like a doll controlled by a witch. You seemed like you were just breathing, I couldn¡¯t tell if you were alive or not¡­..¡± Kynthia asked while tapping his fingertips. ¡°Does he have a name, too?¡± ¡°I created one for him. I call him ¡®Anakin¡¯.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a nice name.¡± ¡°Your naming was great, too. Why didn¡¯t you give him a name?¡± At my question, Kynthia shook his head. (N: The name ¡°Kynthia¡¯ or ¡®Cynthia¡¯ is feminine, but it is a male child. He probably chose the name because it sounds pretty.) Note: meaning of Kynthia/Cynthia in Greek baby names is Moon Chapter 37 Episode 37 Melpomene and Kratos ¡°He said he didn¡¯t need it. Believed that no one would call him. I said that having a name doesn¡¯t mean anything. But you know, there¡¯s no such thing as something meaningless in this world. My brother¡­ he didn¡¯t want to put meaning into a name. It becomes just another loss if you get attached to it somewhere in the back alley.¡± Kynthia paused for a moment when he heard a sound, from outside. Anakin¡¯s feet were very fast. He did, everything quickly and came back. ¡°¡­ Thank you for making it meaningful to him.¡± Kynthia smiled thinly. Although the two were not blood brothers, somehow his appearance resembled Anakin. There were times when she whispered love. And the days when she believed in the end of a fairytale where she would be happy forever. Melpomene sometimes thinks about what it would have been like if she had a different future. And when the idea came into shape, Kratos appeared. A man who was destined to marry her even before she was born and the man who will be buried with her even if she died right now. ¡°Come here, Melpomene.¡± Melpomene refused his orders today. As she stubbornly fixed her gaze out of her window, Kratos strode up to her and pulled her close by the waist. He buried his face in Melpomene¡¯s neck and whispered softly. ¡°Don¡¯t make me scared. You¡¯ve made my hair white, too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s scared.¡± Melpomene looked straight at Kratos. A terrible man. Melpomene didn¡¯t want this man to die. Instead she wanted him to feel so much pain that he wanted to die. However, she didn¡¯t want Kratos to actually die. This is because she knew the sadness of losing him would be more powerful than anything else. How did this happen? Melpomene started recalling the past. The first time they met. It was early winter. It was a cold day where you could see white puffs as you exhaled. The cheeky young Melpomene was walking away from the imperial palace, from the bonds of adulthood. Although there were no flowers because it was winter, the snow-covered garden had its own charm and was beautiful. Melpomene, who was walking alone in the large garden, suddenly thought. Are you going to run away like this? After today, if she enters the imperial palace, and marries a man she does not know, she will never come out again. Melpomene had a lot of things that she had not done yet. She wouldn¡¯t be able to see her mother and father often anymore. When she realized this, her heart sank. She would have to beg and plead her case. Once she gets out of this place and goes back to her home, she¡¯d have to beg and pray that she doesn¡¯t have to come back. With that in mind, Melpomene grabbed her thick skirt and was about to depart. Someone grabbed Melpomene¡¯s wrist. Her staggering body suddenly twisted into the arms of the person holding her. ¨C Don¡¯t go. A beautiful boy with blond hair and blue eyes said so, She had met him for the first time that day. With a sad face, he held Melpomene and whispered gently, ¨C Stay here. Please Melpomene recognized the boy who held her. Dressed in regal clothing, only few in the palace could come close or even touch his body. He was her age and he was her fianc¨¦, the crown prince. ¨C I can¡¯t stand this place. His desperate voice penetrated Melpomene. She understood. No one stays here because they¡¯re happy. Melpomene realized. Even those born and raised as princes hate this desolate place, but can¡¯t get out of it. That¡¯s what duties and responsibilities are like. Pity is often a feeling that can be confused with love. But Melpomene definitely fell in love with that wretched face while in his warm arms, unlike his cold hands. She was so happy when she had their first child, Laetatio, and when she was pregnant with her second child, Alecto, she had nothing more to wish for. During the day, when she confessed before Alecto had been born to the two people she loved the most in the world, even the sky cleared up like a blessing to them. Her best friend, who was introduced by Melpomene and married Count Antebellum, heard the news and sent her hand-knitted children socks. Count Antebellum also sent a congratulatory letter. The two became her treasures. If her life was a book, she thought it would end with sentences like ¡®And they lived happily ever after¡¯. Though it wasn¡¯t an exciting story filled with ups and downs, the soft and happy ending would still make anyone smile. But then everything changed so drastically. He allowed Laetatio to die in vain. When she held onto her dying son¡¯s body she couldn¡¯t even cry as her stomach contracted painfully as if it was tearing apart. Her amniotic water burst early, signaling a premature birth. ¡°No, my baby¡­. She couldn¡¯t lose both children in a day. In order not to lose consciousness, she grabbed the blade that Letatio used to stab himself. The servants screamed and carried Melpomene in their arms. The memory behind it flickered. But when she opened her eyes again, she could breathe a sign of relief when she saw her little child lying next to her. There was one more person in the room besides her. It was a white-haired kratos. ¨C Why did you come in here? ¨C You gave birth to a son. That¡¯s a great job. ¨C You killed my son, and you dare come face to face with me?! Even in her fury when Melphomene threw random objects around, Kratos did not avoid it. Kratos stared at the child next to Melpomene with numb eyes. Rather than looking at his child, it was more like he was looking at non-living things like stones. ¨C Now that you have this child, you don¡¯t have to worry about the successor. -¡­¡­ You knew that, right? You knew it! I knew he wasn¡¯t at fault, but you killed him without doing a proper investigation! Kratos approached Melpomene, who was still screaming. He knelt down and hugged her. As she struggled and rebelled, he had to lock her into his arms before answering grimly. ¨C Empress, I wasn¡¯t interested in children from the beginning. You gave birth to him because you needed him, and I was glad that you were happy. ¨C What? Now¡­¡­ Now that is¡­¡­. -I don¡¯t care if this child, just born to the Empress, dies. If I need descendants, wouldn¡¯t it be enough to sow the seeds of other concubines and then harvest them? The boy I remembered, who had been tormented by saying that he could not stand this place, had grown up quickly. Melpomene was terrified of his unfamiliarity. Kratos muttered as he kissed the corner of her eyes. ¨C I only need the Empress to stay with me. All I need is the power to seize the Empress. To that end, I will even join hands with someone worse than the Marquis. Melponeme thought she should have protested then that day that she didn¡¯t like the Imperial Palace. ¨C Don¡¯t even think about dying. Or I¡¯ll cut off the life of the girl you saved and begged for. Oh, she did. She still had three lives to save. Alecto, her close friend Clotho, and the Antebellum family¡¯s child in Clotho¡¯s body. Melpomene had to put up with it in order to fulfill the desire to stab this man in front of her with a sharp knife. Melpomene did her best to love Alecto, her only child left. Because there are only a few things left for her to love in this ugly palace. But as Alecto grew up day by day, it became even more difficult. Alecto looked so much like Kratos. Even though she was obsessed with him, when she saw Alecto, she naturally remembered Kratos and her heart was shaken. The more Alecto grew to resemble Kratos, the longer she kept away from him. Her empty heart was drawn to Helena, the daughter of Clotho, who is now Alecto¡¯s maid. The child was kind and innocent. Looking at the child¡¯s pure image, she felt like she was getting what she had lost back. That young self who knew nothing but love¡­ So Melpomene used to call Helena and talk. Listening to her story, Melpomene tried to forget everything, even Alecto. Melpomene knows she¡¯s a bad mother. But she couldn¡¯t stand it. She loved Letatio so much. She missed the days when she was with her eldest child and didn¡¯t know anything. Melpomene still dreamed of Letatio, who died. Then ¡®that child¡¯ entered the palace to become the partner of Alecto. With her father who took Melpomene¡¯s happiness¡­¡­. Melpomene looked at Eris, who greeted her shyly, with a cold look. It was unacceptable that the child of the man who killed her son dreamed of marrying his daughter to her other son. The harder Eris tried to become the crown princess, the more Melpomene did not like Eris. Clotho told her gossip whenever they met, saying that Eris was toxic. Coming from her, Eris seemed cunning and vicious, and a woman who was blinded by power, trying to entice the crown prince. Helena, who is kind-hearted, used to defend Eris, saying she was not such a child, but Melpomene thought that Helena only looked at the world so beautifully. Melpomene knew a child like Eris well. A vulgar person who doesn¡¯t know the subject and craves the power of men or by-products that fall in love with their own self-worth Even though Eris now treats her with a smile on her face, she must have inherited the shady side of the Marquis of Mis¨¦rian, who always looks for the chance to betray her. Melpomene constantly tested Eris. She intentionally rebuked her, asked for impossible favors, and insulted her by comparing her to Helena, who did not have the same status. This was one of those days. Pretending to be a benevolent mother-in-law, Alecto lied to Melpomene, saying that he had no interest in Eris and wanted to marry Helena. Telling Eris, If she keeps going like this, she may lose her position, so Melpomene wanted to advise Eris to dress up like a prostitute on the street and seduce Alecto. If Eris were to become pregnant, wouldn¡¯t Alecto look at her? Melpomene lashed out at Eris with her sharp tongue. Melpomene wanted Eris to cry But she didn¡¯t cry. Eris just nodded gently and said she would listen to Melfomene¡¯s advice wholeheartedly. She may have been offended, but she did not lose control, like a woman who has already become accustomed to the Imperial Palace. Melpomene found it disgusting. She held onto her smile until she told Eris to leave. Kynthia: A boy who lives with Anakin Meaning of the name ¡°Kynthia¡± : In Greek Baby Names the meaning of the name is Moon. Melpomene: the current empress and mother of alecto, hates the Mis¨¦rian family and the emperor because they killed her first child. Melpomene¡¯s name was derived from the Greek verb melp? or melpomai meaning ¡°to celebrate with dance and song. Melpomene, in Greek religion, one of the nine Muses, patron of tragedy and lyre playing. In Greek art her attributes were the tragic mask and the club of Heracles. According to some traditions, the half-bird, half-woman Sirens were born from the union of Melpomene with the river god Achelous. Krytos: The current Emperor, the father of alecto, has extreme obsession with the empress to the point he will kill his son by joining hands with the marquis. In Greek mythology, Kratos (or Cratos)(a) is the divine personification of strength. He is the son of Pallas and Styx. Kratos is characterized as brutal and merciless, repeatedly mocking both Hephaestus and Prometheus and advocating for the use of unnecessary violence. He defends Zeus¡¯ oppressive rule and predicts that Prometheus will never escape his bonds. Clotho Antebellum: Mother of Helena, hates Eris and her family because they killed her husband and destroved her family. She is the nanny of the crown prince and best friend of the empress. Clotho was one of the Three Fates or Moirai in Greek mythology, her sisters being Lachesis and Atropos. She was the one who spun the thread of the lives of all mortals, as well as the one to decide when a person would be born or killed, along with other similarly important decisions. Laetatio: First child of the royal couple, was killed by his father intentionally) under the scheme of Marquis of Mis¨¦rian for the power struggle. Meaning of the name ¡°Laetatio¡±: rejoicing: joy, exultation Source: latin-dictionary.org Chapter 38 Episode 38 An Ugly Monster It was disgusting, even Eris who pretended not to know, and Melpomene herself who pushed Eris. If there was a fault, it would be the marquis, but Melpomene was frustrated at herself for venting on Eris, who knew nothing. Melpomene had her servant take a look at Eris. She loved Alecto and thought it would be a good reward. Eris would have to go through the back garden to go out anyway, so she hasn¡¯t gone far yet. Maybe she will burst into tears when she sees Alecto. Women¡¯s tears always have an amazing effect. Pretending to be pitiful, maybe she¡¯ll ingratiate herself with Alecto. When Alecto, who had met Eris, returned to the scene, Melpomene asked Alecto. ¨C Did she cry when she saw you? ¨C She¡¯s the daughter of a snake, and even if she gets angry, she can¡¯t cry. I have never seen Lady Mis¨¦rian cry before. Alecto laughed. ¨C ¡­¡­ Aha, ahaha! Melpomene burst into laughter. Having been unable to stop laughing for a long time, she gestured Alecto, out. She laughed so hard that tears were running down her eyes. As Alecto left the room, Melpomene stopped laughing and dropped her head, reciting grimly. ¨C Poor thing, poor thing. You are living a very sad life where you are shunned by your loved one without knowing anything because of your father¡¯s sins. But / can¡¯t help it because I feel sorry for myself the most. No matter how unfair and miserable you are, you will never be the one who has been betrayed by someone you hold dear and lost a child you love? Melpomene didn¡¯t cry either. The woman who was tricked into murdering her child didn¡¯t even deserve to cry. ¨C Love alone is not a place to stand. Love is more ephemeral than a season of flowers¡­.. Melpomene sometimes wondered about what it would have been like if she had a different future On that winter day, would she have been happy forever if Kratos had taken her by the hand, running away together instead of staying in the palace¡­.? Sigh. Then, when Melpomene looked up in the mirror, what reflected was an old, ugly monster. Full of a sweet smell, Anakin returned with an armful of bread and cookies in his hands. He placed them in one corner of the room and came straight up to both of us. Anakin seemed to want to ask what the two of us had talked about, but he quietly stopped himself because Kynthia had his eyes wide open. Anyway, I¡¯ve achieved all the objectives. I got up to go back to the mansion. Anakin tried to follow, so I gestured to stop it. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you¡¯ve both met, so shouldn¡¯t siblings at least resolve it? You can come back to the mansion tomorrow.¡± It was my own consideration, but even before Anakin opened his mouth, Kynthia jumped. ¡°What are you talking about, miss? How can you go a long way alone? There are so many hideous people in this neighborhood that even those born and raised in back alleys like me don¡¯t go out of the house by themselves. Don¡¯t say anything else and just take my brother.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Master. It¡¯s dangerous.¡± As the both of them insisted so stubbornly, all I could do was nod embarrassingly. It was such a dangerous neighborhood, but I was suddenly worried about Kynthia, who lives here alone. ¡°Will you come into my house as a housekeeper?¡± Kynthia opened his eyes wide at the unexpected suggestion and shook his head with a smile. ¡°No, my lady. Even though it¡¯s a gutter compared to where you live, this is my hometown. This place is quite affordable to live in. It might be more interesting than your mansion. And¡­ you have enough loyal and good servants, don¡¯t you? It would be better if you let a rat go outside to bite the back of the horse.¡± I suggested this because I thought that if he learned to write and grow up in a better environment, he would become a more distinguished child in many ways, but I did not expect such an answer. With the thought that it would be a waste, Kynthia¡¯s future suddenly became even more interesting to me. I thought maybe at least he would be the king of this alley. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for your call, Kynthia. Anakin, open the door.¡± I¡¯ll introduce Kynthia to Medea before I leave here. was convinced that she would be very fond of Kynthia, On the way back from the carriage, I looked out the window and asked Anakin. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say no?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°When I gave you your name. You refused when your brother tried to name you.¡± When I turned to Anakin, he came straight out and looked at me, as always. Instead of answering, he asked me back. ¡°Then why did you name me?¡± ¡°I thought if someone would name me, then I¡¯d like someone who would call me by my name a lot. It won¡¯t be able to come out of my own mouth many times in my life¡­¡­. Other people usually have their parents who take on that role of giving a name, but I am an orphan.¡± Anakin added with a faint smile. ¡°Truthfully, Master didn¡¯t have to give me a name. I¡¯m just telling you that I¡¯m used to my surroundings, which have always been, to ¡®use¡¯ me as if you were handling a convenient tool.¡± Anakin reached close to my hand and hesitated, pausing, unable to even touch it. I was willing to give him my hand. He held my hand with both of his hands as if he was getting baptized, and held it against his forehead for a moment. Then he looked at me again and said, ¡°But my master gave me the name ¡®purposefully¡¯. That¡¯s why I had a hunch that the master would call me by my name a lot in the future. My master always calls me by my name whenever she goes somewhere or does something. I think I¡¯m lucky to have you here.¡± It was such an undeserved confession. This is what Kynthia meant. Is it okay for me to give something so heavy and important? I can¡¯t call your name for the rest of my life. Someday have to give up the master¡¯s position and go back. The time we could be together was too short. ¡°If I were to¡­¡­ What if I go back? What are you going to do with that name?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to become the wandering knight who the master said suits me well. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to shake off the name you gave me.¡± In the end, I¡¯m obstructing even your future. No, don¡¯t do that. I was suffocating. I felt like I was going crazy seeing his direct and honest eyes. Did the original Eris give you a name? What was your original name that she would have given you? What happened to you after Eris died? Will you survive if die? Will I be able to save you? I wish I had read more about you. I wanted to know your future. If your future was unhappy, I would do my best to prevent it. You, who obey my orders, paradoxically, are the only ones in this world who don¡¯t know the future, because you¡¯re the supporting actor for ¡®Eris¡¯. An invitation arrived from Kazar. It was written in a lengthy and casual style that he wanted to receive ¡°advice¡¯ regarding a young lady¡¯s debutante ball. Kazar¡¯s young lady, is that Jason¡¯s sister? I couldn¡¯t remember at all because I wasn¡¯t interested at the time. I was just going to say no, but since it was something that I knew wouldn¡¯t happen again in my life, I thought it would be fun to go out once. ¡°Tell him I¡¯ll be there.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t you write back?¡± ¡­..I just smiled and emphasized that I would be humiliated if I got the grammar wrong. ¡°What¡¯s the point of writing? It¡¯s more important that I attend.¡± As I spoke with all my pride, the servant seemed convinced and quickly disappeared. It was good that Eris¡¯ personality was so dirty that she could pass anything roughly. When the servant disappeared, the maids came in and asked, ¡°We will get you ready right away, correct?¡± I had an ominous feeling. I felt as if I had chosen the wrong option while playing a relationship simulation game. I had a hunch that my choice would be very, very annoying. ¡°¡­ Right away?¡± ¡°Time¡¯s tight to fit a new dress. You have to take care of your hair and skin.¡± ¡°¡­Even if I don¡¯t do that, well, wouldn¡¯t I be the prettiest?¡± As I replied calmly, the maid looked straight at me and smiled. ¡°Of course, you are the most beautiful. But we can¡¯t be satisfied just with your beauty. We want your beauty to dampen the spirits of other young nobles.¡± Ugh. The frank and terrifying answer discouraged me, rather than the others. The maids looked at me with their eyes already ready for battle. If Eris says no, they¡¯re going to force her to take it. I ended up nodding silently, and my arms were taken by the ladies and guided to the bathroom. My obstinate refusal has revived the ¡®excessive polish course, which I haven¡¯t done for a while. A bunch of maids rushed in, washed my hair, rubbed my body put on a face mask, rinsed¡­¡­ It was no big deal. Even while I was being taken care of, everything from hair to toenails, I was asked by the head maid to pick my clothes. In the midst of craziness, I chose a modern dress-like dress that is roughly loose and can be worn at once. The main game hasn¡¯t even started yet, but I was already exhausted like a butterfly flying across the sea. On the day of the showdown, I woke up at dawn even though it was an afternoon tea party. The maid told, me that I needed to be highly decorated, as if it was not already planned. She also said that it is more difficult and time consuming to decorate like that than to decorate with a purpose. Either way, they woke me up, and the maids made me sparkle. My white skin was very lively today, and the pale color of the lips looked milder and brighter. Eris was usually made up to look older than her age in order to not be looked down upon by others, but today the maids made Eris look at least 2 years younger than she is. I got off the carriage wearing a very light green dress with a bunch of ivory pear flower decorations stuck in my hair. Already, flowery young children and wives were talking in the garden when they saw me. They all stood up and greeted me when I came. The women of the Duke of Kazar were no exception. No matter how much the empress and crown prince hate me, I am still the closest to the crown prince. Chapter 39 Episode 39 The Miscalculated Unrequited Love ¡°You look younger than usual, Lady Mis¨¦rian. Even though you had an adult ceremony a while ago, you look about the same age as my daughter, who is about to make her social debut. If she stands next to Your Highness, you two will look like sisters.¡± Did Eris have a bad relationship with the duchess? Looking at the faces around, I don¡¯t know who they are, but they don¡¯t seem to like Eris very much. I looked almost like an uninvited guest as she showed her reluctance to greet me. That¡¯s why the maids decorated Eris up. ¡°Lady Kazar has matured a lot. Don¡¯t the women of Kazar always grow up fast?¡± ¡°Unlike the Mis¨¦rian family who hold gold, Kazar is destined to hold a sword, so women must grow up quickly and be serious.¡± Bzzt bzzt. Lightning flashed from the eyes of both the duchess and I. We had been arguing the whole time, but there was no need to back down so soon. I looked around, closed my eyes and smiled. ¡°Everyone, please sit down. Come to think of it, there are a few people who are old here, so I think I spoke too long without noticing.¡± The women¡¯s expressions crumpled at my words. There¡¯s nothing as cheap as using age for an attack. However, it was necessary to be a little cheap for this situation. I was being subtly ignored. No one included Eris in their conversations. No matter how I tried talking to them, smiled, or responded to a question, they would not continue the conversation. I wasn¡¯t hurt because I didn¡¯t know them before, but I wondered if the original Eris in the novel was treated like this. I don¡¯t know if Eris had been hiding it because of her pride, or because of the crown prince, or that all of a sudden, these people looked down on her¡­.. I thought the original Eris was a pitiful kid who was easily judged by others due to her bluntness. Or had Eris always been weak against these socialites? Working like a servant only to be easily ignored and later betrayed. Whether it was the former or the latter, it was all up to Eris to be treated like this. In this jungle called society, Eris has two weapons. One is her position as the Crown Prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, and the other is the Mis¨¦rian family name. I know that one of my weapons is rusty due to the mess I¡¯m currently in, also I was seriously thinking about taking this opportunity to get revenge. ¡®If I were to become the crown princess, I would get even more retribution. I was struggling to not be discouraged myself here as I¡¯m the one being bullied, but somehow they seem more desperate. I decided to close my mouth for a bit, and wait and see. As I was sipping tea and listening to the others, a girl who seemed to be of Eris¡¯s age spoke to me as if she was sorry. ¡°If I had known Lady Mis¨¦rian would be so bored, wouldn¡¯t have called her. Social debuts usually follow the mother¡¯s tradition¡­¡­¡± ¡°Lady Morgan, Lady Mis¨¦rian made a great debut even though her mother left too early for her to learn from¡­ It was very luxurious.¡± Another lady was quick to respond to the woman¡¯s soft jest. I tilted the teacup I was holding a little to measure the amount left over, and made eye contact with the girl and smiled. ¡°Lady Morgan, do I look bored? I can enjoy as much as I want with just one gesture.¡± ¡°What?¡± As I blinked, the girl¡¯s face was blue when she noticed the still steaming teacup in my hand. ¡°No, you¡¯re joking too much.¡± ¡°Does it sound like a joke?¡± Everyone stood up in fright. The woman called Lady Morgan was almost about to faint. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian! Are you intimidating Lady Morgan?¡± ¡°What kind of fear do you mean?¡± Well, I laughed and waved because I thought I¡¯d frightened her enough. ¡°Of course it¡¯s a joke. It¡¯s because you seemed so scared¡­..¡± Lady Morgan¡¯s face turned red as she listened to me. Another young lady near Lady Morgan spoke up for her. ¡°It¡¯s because you have such a venomous and cruel personality, which is why you¡¯re abandoned by His Highness!¡± She seemed surprised to say the remark herself, but she didn¡¯t want to rescind what she just said. Rather, the people around her laughed and drove themselves into a mood of secretly sympathizing. I was going to think about whether to say that I was dumped or not by the crown prince, but someone put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for interrupting an important conversation but would you mind if I took Lady Mis¨¦rian with me for a moment?¡± ¡°Oh, my Lord Kazar!¡± I turned my head, and right behind me, Jason was looking down at me, grinning. With a sly face and a boyish voice, he asked the women of this group. ¡°It¡¯ll be just a minute. I have something to tell her.¡± When Jason laughed, the cold hearts of the women melted very quickly. They kept a straight face and said he could take me. He should have asked for my permission, rather than permission from these women, but Jason grabbed my wrist before I could respond and we left the garden. Then words came out from him. ¡°A ¡®Thank you¡¯ should suffice.¡± ¡°What should I thank you for?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I save you from a difficult situation?¡± I think having such an illusion is enough to be a disease. ¡°To put it bluntly, you didn¡¯t save me, you saved the young girl. If it had been a little longer, I was going to pour hot tea over her face.¡± He smiled at my correction even as I was in a terrible, mood. Hot tea should have been poured on his face, not the young lady, as he shouldn¡¯t have brought me out. I was wrong ¡°Are you tired? I can lend you my shoulder.¡± ¡°No need.¡± I turned away because I didn¡¯t want to deal with him. It was hard. This was because I didn¡¯t usually walk away from fights, but at the same time, I didn¡¯t like fighting either. But even if I, Eris, died, I didn¡¯t want to lean on him. I pressed my eyes while looking far away, and he talked to me again. ¡°Don¡¯t we have unfinished business? I¡¯ve come here for the first time in a while to be scolded by Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m one who just forgets if I can¡¯t point it out on the spot. So let¡¯s forget my business, Lord Kazar.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t do that.¡± Here we go again. I don¡¯t understand why he¡¯s acting so sympathetic all of a sudden, and I don¡¯t really want to understand. I was just trying to ignore it and move on, but a word, from Jason caught my step. ¡°Do you mind if I tell His Highness about your mental illness?¡± ¡°Are you really out of your mind?¡± There¡¯s no way he could spit that out without sounding crazy. I was so overwhelmed and speechless that I even felt numb. ¡°No matter how great the Marquis is, the imperial family will not tolerate it. They don¡¯t want the blood of the imperial family to be mixed with madness.¡± How can he say something like this when he looks at me in a funny way? I wanted to flip my hair, but today my hair was fixed beautifully, so instead I¡¯ve been smoothing my forehead over and over again. Then she shook her head. I smiled and looked at Jason. Let¡¯s see. I didn¡¯t mean to lose that much to Jason. ¡°Tell them if you dare. Let¡¯s see who¡¯s being treated like a madman.¡± ¡°Also, you seem to be mistaken, because I don¡¯t have any lingering attachment to the Crown Prince anymore.¡± At these words, Jason blinked slowly, surprised. This was a new reaction. So you thought Eris would love the crown prince even after all that humiliation? I wasn¡¯t saying this because I was the soul in this body, It should have been said that the love was over from the moment Eris wished to be gone from this world¡¯. If Eris loved Alecto, she would remain in this world. No matter how painful it is, she would want to see him. ¡°Why do you look like that?¡± ¡°It was so¡­ unexpected.¡± ¡°Did you think I¡¯d love him for the rest of my life?¡± Isn¡¯t that considered selfish greed? Expecting a woman to still love him even when he won¡¯t even look back. Everyone dreams of someone who will love themselves unconditionally at least once. Unrequited love and unconditional love clearly differ. Unrequited love can end alone, but unconditional love sometimes can¡¯t. If I met a bad person, I could have been tortured with hope. And it drives people crazy Humans don¡¯t want to love, but they want to be loved, and when they get used to the unconditional love they receive, they would use it recklessly. What if you know the other person is using you and you can¡¯t say no? Worst of all, why do this to yourself when there is someone in the future who will love you. No one should have the right to carelessly do what they like. ¡°¡­ Lady Mis¨¦rian has always been kind to His Highness.¡± ¡°I realized that kindness cannot be called love.¡± This was something I wanted to say to Jason, too. If you really love Helena, and if you want to win Helena¡¯s heart, you shouldn¡¯t just be friendly. If he showed his feelings more earnestly, he would have a chance of winning. At this point, Helena won¡¯t love Alecto yet. However, this does not mean that Jason should show the darkness inside of him. It means to express his feelings with words, but¡­¡­ To give Eris an excuse, she didn¡¯t try to express herself in a subtle way like Jason. She always expressed her affection directly to Alecto. Eris did her best in everything. Although I¡¯ve never been loved, I didn¡¯t know¡­¡­ even though it seemed to be stubbornness rather than love. Eric believed that time would solve everything. One day the crown prince will give up. ¡°Once upon a time, I thought that if I continued to love him, His Majesty would turn to me. That¡¯s why I offered myself to be in the position of the Crown Princess. When I looked back at myself, I needed a position where I could be seen. A place where I can wait for him with confidence.¡± But what Eris couldn¡¯t calculate was that Alecto was as blind as Eris. He had long been blinded by Helena¡¯s sun, so even if Helena is happy with another man, he will perhaps not turn to Eris. Chapter 40 Episode 40 Halfway There ¡­¡­grew up. Now that I¡¯ve realized, in my life, that he doesn¡¯t love me, shouldn¡¯t I break it up?¡± ¡°¡­Is that why you¡¯re going to die?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it before, but Lord Kazar has heard too many stories from the minstrel.¡± He gave her a hard time, so if Eris disappeared from this world after suffering from love and hatred for the crown prince, I thought it would be all right. ¡°My lifelong goal was to be loved as a crown princess. It may be a funny goal in others¡¯ minds, but it was as important to me as Lord Kazar¡¯s prophecy. What¡¯s the point of giving up on something like that?¡± ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­¡­.¡± I said this, but¡­¡­. Well, maybe 1, too, misunderstood Eris. Eris could have simply been blinded by a desire for power. I wished it was the case. Wouldn¡¯t that be a better story, instead of this sad story of a child who is less than 20 years old who died after having a crush on someone for 10 years without being able to overcome that heart? Jason shook his hand and stuck out his tongue before making another serious face. ¡°I¡¯m joking. The truth is, Lord Kazar, think whatever you want. You won¡¯t believe me anyway.¡± ¡°I believe you. I believe you, so tell me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust you. How can I believe you, Lord Kazar, who tries to blackmail me whenever he can? Threatening a lady with disgrace¡­¡­ isn¡¯t it too ugly as a knight?¡± ¡°¡­Is that so? Why? I don¡¯t know why I get ugly when I¡¯m in front of you.¡± Jason muttered with a bitter-looking face and tone. I didn¡¯t want to care about that, so I replied roughly, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m more disgusted with the way you want to look good to me.¡± ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m telling you¡­ I¡¯m ugly, but Lady Mis¨¦rian is mean to me, too.¡± ¡°I treat everyone equally, unlike anyone else. By the way, do you actually have time to care about me?¡± ¡°When I step down, the next candidate for the Crown Princess will be Lady Antebellum.¡± When he heard that, Jason had a strange face. Even though it was a very natural thought, he looked at me as if he had never thought of it. As if Helena was completely forgotten¡­¡­ and he saw me. I thought a lot about where I should get my etiquette education from The place where Kynthia and Anakin lived was too conspicuous to visit often, and I was worried that words would leak if I were to be discovered in other places. Inevitably, it had to be done at the Mis¨¦rian mansion, which required the permission of the marquis, ¡°I found a teacher for etiquette. I¡¯m thinking about being taught in the mansion so that words don¡¯t leak out.¡± ¡°Etiquette teacher? If you needed something like that, I would have taken care of it.¡± ¡°Do you want to spread rumors in your estate? If the teacher had been obtained through the Marquis, the rumor would have spread within half a day.¡± The marquis was watching me, and I wondered what to do with the truth. So, I needed to be well aware of my surroundings. The marquis had many enemies. Even his current allies were people who would bite the marquis whenever they saw an opening. ¡°I¡¯ll bring them in, learn from them, take care of them, and send them out on my own, so just take care of the housekeeping inside the mansion. You¡¯re the one who loses if there¡¯s talk.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­.¡± I scrunch my nose before I went out and laughed as meanly as I could. ¡°Since the coming-of-age ceremony, I¡¯ve been like a member of the royal family. It¡¯s a bit slanderous? What if someone hears about it? Isn¡¯t it a ¡®practice¡¯ to be polite even if I¡¯m a daughter? I haven¡¯t learned etiquette yet, so¡­¡± After teasing him as much as I could, I closed the door and left. I could hear the sound of something being smashed on the other side. Hey, that¡¯s fun. If someone asks why I hate the marquis so much, well, it¡¯s close to those with homophobia. Ironically, the marquis and I had a lot of similarities. We were both very dirty-tempered, stubborn, ruthless, and venomous. The carriage finally arrived. I was really looking forward to who Kynthia would send me. Anakin guided someone to the door, who was thoroughly hidden with a black parasol. As the parasol folds, an old lady appears. ¡°I heard you¡¯re looking for this old person.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense even though you know who am.¡± ¡°The older you get, the less you have to be afraid of. My knees are already starting to ache. If you don¡¯t have anything to say, let¡¯s go inside first. I have a lot to teach you so keep up.¡± The old lady snorted and staggered inside, using her cane. My handmaiden caught her hastily and led her into my room. Who is she? I glanced at Anakin. Anakin gently lowered his head and whispered in my ear. ¡°The nanny of the dead prince.¡± Kynthia chose the right person. The former crown prince¡¯s nanny was knocking on her knees in my room. She looked like a good person at first sight due to her plump cheeks, but somehow, felt dignity in her slightly bent hooked nose and stubbornly shut mouth. ¡°If it¡¯s Lady Mis¨¦rian, I already know it¡¯s been a long, time since you finished your education when you were young.¡± ¡°There are several reasons. I felt that the manners when being taught and the manners in the position of having to teach someone were different.¡± (TL/N: Eris has to teach Helena) The maid poured tea into my teacup, followed by the nanny¡¯s. The nanny savored the scent first and sipped the tea, then stopped at what I said. ¡°Teach?¡± ¡°I have to educate a certain girl on the orders of the Empress. Do I have to tell you who she is?¡± ¡°If she is important to her, I have to figure out where to start with her education.¡± ¡°Lady Antebellum. She is the daughter of His Highness Alecto¡¯s nanny, and now¡­ a low ranking maid¡± ¡°Heh, what¡¯s a ¡®lady¡¯ in the traitor¡¯s family?¡± She snorted and drank her tea. Putting down the teacup, she lightly tapped her lap with her fingers and spoke bluntly, as if it was annoying. ¡°If you have to teach a villager who has never been educated, you must start all over again¡­ As you know, before I became the nanny of His Highness Letatio, was part of the education center for the crown princess. Because I was the Empress¡¯s teacher, survived the ¡®Great Purge¡¯ when His Highness died¡­¡± It was the first thing I found out, but I pretended to not know. The nanny, who watched me, suddenly sprayed tea on my face as soon as she finished talking. The maid screamed as the hot tea poured down, dripping down my face. The maid hugged me and yelled at the nanny. ¡°How dare an old lady who managed to survive by the grace of a time do that to my lady!¡± ¡°There is only one reason why I set foot in the hateful Mis¨¦rian mansion. I came to see how the daughter of the man, who I want to be struck by lightning for killing another¡¯s child, was raised.¡± The nanny said bitterly. From my point of view, the marquis seemed like he would live a very long and prosperous life rather than being struck down by lightning. A thunderbolt is also dirty, so I decided to avoid it. ¡°Stop.¡± At this rate, I thought that there would be a story that no one else should hear, so I raised my hand to stop the maid and sent her away. She kept looking at me with a worried expression as she went out. ¡°Why did you send your servant away?¡± ¡°Because I have to say something that shouldn¡¯t be heard by other ears.¡± I crossed my legs lightly and asked the nanny. ¡°Why do you think I have summoned you?¡± ¡°It must have been a shame that you forgot imperial etiquette. You wouldn¡¯t be able to ask anyone in the imperial family.¡± ¡°Wrong. Then there¡¯s no need to have my associate find you. Who did I say I was teaching? Why does she have to learn imperial etiquette?¡± At that moment, the nauseous nanny¡¯s expression became serious. I gently twisted my wet hair and whispered softly. ¡°His Majesty and the Marquis do not know this fact. Only the Empress, I, and now, you, know this. I think what the three of us have in common is that we hate them. Am I correct?¡± ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t heard of Lady Mis¨¦rian hating her father.¡± ¡°What good would it be to let others know about a family quarrel? It¡¯ll be like spitting on my own face.¡± As I responded calmly, I could clearly see the nanny¡¯s heart fluttering. If I push a little more, I think she will be convinced¡­ I tried to look dignified. Like someone who believes in something. ¡°¡­If I give up the position, it won¡¯t hurt the Marquis much.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take that person down on my own. So what is your answer?¡± Please come. I anxiously waited for her answer. If the nanny would teach me, I could wish for nothing more. It¡¯s not as easy to find someone with her qualifications and who won¡¯t betray me. The nanny, who had been thinking about something, took a deep breath and spoke slowly. ¡°¡­Okay. Let this old woman teach Lady Mis¨¦rian. Since we have to teach beginners, Lady Mis¨¦rian also has to learn from the basics again. Don¡¯t think learning what you¡¯re learning is boring.¡± With the image of a strict teacher, she adjusted her glasses that were draped over the back of her nose. ¡°Teachers and students should respect each other, so in the future, we will address each other properly. Do you have any disagreements?¡± ¡°There is none.¡± ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll start teaching today. I¡¯m a pretty harsh teacher, so you¡¯d better be prepared.¡± Chapter 41 Episode 41 The Ways of Nobility Her words that it¡¯ll be harsh were no exaggeration. She taught me six hours a day, and she made a distinction between what to remember and what to forget for Eris, who would be accustomed to the social world of noble ladies. ¡°There have been some implicit rules in society so far. The placement around the eyes means I¡¯m interested in you¡¯ and the placement on the upper lip means ¡® want to kiss you¡¯. These cute spots, tapped by fans, formed a ¡®silent social language¡¯. But¡­¡­.¡± She folded her fan and shrugged it off. ¡°Forget those vulgar language, for the ladies of the imperial court are more concerned with dignity than arrogance.¡± There were many very trivial and petty rules. ¡°Furthermore, when you walk with His Highness, you must walk two steps back. You can¡¯t be behind him or ahead of him. When you drink tea, don¡¯t drink it too fast, and time it with the pace of the conversation.¡± The biggest problem I faced above all else when it came to teaching Helena was dancing, but to prevent words from leaking out, I had to even act as a dance teacher. Come to think of it, even though I should have danced as the main character at Eris¡¯s coming-of-age ceremony, Helena¡¯s aftermath was so great that no one said anything even if I didn¡¯t dance. In fact, the crown prince and Helena had saved me. ¡°The ballroom starts with Polonaise. Minute is a form from the old ages. Second, waltz, Quadrille seems to be in vogue among aristocrats, but not in the Imperial Palace.¡± Polonaise? Minute? Quadrille? Unknown names flew past me. At the very least, I barely understood the waltz. What if she asks me to dance? Realistic fear preoccupied the stomach. The teacher did not know my thoughts and continued to explain. ¡°When the atmosphere of the ballroom is ripe, we dance to Mazurka. When Mazurka is over, Cotillon begins to wrap up the ball¡­¡­. It¡¯s not just dance that Lady Mis¨¦rian has to teach Lady Antebellum. You have to teach her the atmosphere that changes every time the dance changes and the conversation that goes with it.¡± I didn¡¯t even know how to dance. I¡¯m sweating profusely, but the teacher doesn¡¯t seem to be worried about that. It¡¯s Lady Mis¨¦rian, who is known for her social skills, so she must have thought that she would be taught well even without saying anything out of the ordinary She wouldn¡¯t even be able to guess in her dreams that Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s inner core is someone else¡¯s. ¡°First, let¡¯s start with the female choreography again to familiarize the senses. After the female choreography is finished, you should also learn the male choreography.¡± ¡°Men¡¯s choreography?!¡± ¡°Of course, you should also learn the male choreography. That way, won¡¯t you keep pace with Lady Antebellum? You, there, come here.¡± The nanny, who snorted as if asking her the right thing, called Anakin, who was standing at the corner of my room like one of my ornaments. ¡°You keep up with me for now. Do you know how to dance?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve seen it many times.¡± ¡°Okay then. Lady Mis¨¦rian will lead anyway.¡± Lead? Me?! The teacher¡¯s eyes filled with anticipation reached me. Damn, what kind of lead is a dance lead? I¡¯ve been too busy trying to take care of my situation. In my heart, I prayed to God, no, to Eris, who had passed away. Please, when the song comes out, I hope this body will remember it for me. Isn¡¯t it said that if you dance a lot, your body will move on its own, even if you are unconscious? I roughly solved the language problem with that, sol hoped that Eris¡¯s body would do this for me too. Anakin put his left hand behind me, and his right hand, clasped mine. As the gramophone turned, upbeat music in three beats came out. And like a miracle, my body moved. I moved forward with one knee slightly bent and straightened to the beat, then stopped in the middle and circled around Anakin¡¯s still body. Then, following the instructions of his master, he circled the room once and held out his left and right feet alternately as if kicking lightly. After moving one foot to the right, unknowingly put my left foot back and sat down with my legs slightly bent. In the original dance of the past, the right and left symmetry must be correct. Polonaise is a dance that opens a ball, so fortunately, it was on the very easy side. It was a series of pulling and spinning. It was originally a dance where your partner changes throughout, but since there was no other person to change with, I continued to dance holding hands with Anakin, pretending to change partners. This became more enjoyable as my tension started to ease away. When the music that lasted for four minutes ended and I sat down with my knees slightly bent, the teacher applauded. ¡°As expected of Lady Mis¨¦rian. Now, let¡¯s switch positions and dance.¡± ¡°¡­..Am I also doing female choreographing?¡± ¡°Of course you dance. So you¡¯re gonna ask an old lady who doesn¡¯t even have a good knee to dance? You¡¯re so ugly. Just dance as you¡¯re a girl and it won¡¯t fall between your legs!¡± (N: yes, that between the legs.) ¡°Keuk.¡± Hearing this nanny¡¯s poignant words, I clamped down on my molars as I wanted to burst into laughter at Anakin. I felt my nostrils twitching slightly so I turned my head away. The most ridiculous of dances was the Mazurka. It¡¯s somewhat similar to Polonaise, but very different. Not only did I have to hop and hop with my arms outstretched, as if hoofing, but I also had to clap in the middle. Every time Anakin, who had never had a chance to dance Mazurka as a commoner from the slums, fumbled clumsily, the teacher shouted in disappointment. Watching him from the side, I almost died from struggling to hold back my laughter because Anakin was so cute. After the teacher left and I finished eating, I couldn¡¯t sleep even though I was tired enough to die. Because Thad to go back to the library, pull out a book, read it, and copy it. After reading and writing about ten or twenty books, got a rough idea of the grammar system. Still, it was fortunate that the letters, alphabets and the language were like a mixture of European languages. Like Tolkien, it must have been reinvented¡­¡­. I didn¡¯t even dare to learn. I squeezed my puffy eyelids. From tomorrow onwards, I had to go into the Imperial Palace and teach Helena. All I thought was that I hoped Helena wasn¡¯t stupid. Of course Helena is going to be stupid, but¡­ I wish she was at least less stupid. No, is stupid better? So stupid, that if she makes me repeat the same thing countlessly, I might feel frustrated enough to want to kill her. The blunt knife Medea gave seemed to have become sharp for a moment. In one way or another, because I was so busy being taught by the teacher, it took a long time before would enter the palace. Although the imperial etiquette lessons were not over, I had to send Helena out to society as soon as possible, so I decided to start with the very basics that I could teach. I liked the feeling of the dark green silk fabric gently wrapping around my body. Today, I looked more like a tutor than a noble girl. As I am only meeting Helena to teach her, wearing an elaborate dress and putting on a bunch of accessories in my hair would be too cumbersome. So I tied my hair together with the same fabric as my dress, put on velvet shoes, and walked to find Helena. I noticed that the people who passed by me without recognizing who I was, suddenly paused only by looking at my outfit. With eyes wide open, they began to whisper. I wish light clothes would become fashionable. Though the clothes in this world are pretty, they¡¯re still close to the Victorian style. I thought I¡¯d die from having to deal with wearing multiple layers of fabric. The handmaiden, who had been ordered by the empress, led me to a suitable room. She brought tea and refreshments, and asked me to wait for a moment for Helena. Although the refreshments are too sweet, the Imperial Palace sweets are the best. When I ate it with fragrant tea, I felt better. I¡¯m usually not a big fan of sweets, but considering what will happen in the future, I thought it would be beneficial to consume the sugar for energy, as I know full well what is coming. At that moment, I heard a knock on the door. When I heard Helena¡¯s tender voice from beyond the door, picked up the teacup, rinsed my mouth lightly, and answered. ¡°You called me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome to come in.¡± When Helena entered the door and confirmed that it was me who had called her, her eyes became alert and she trembled like a rabbit. No, someone might think I¡¯m here to eat her. I haven¡¯t done anything yet and I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s at this point. It is questionable how such a small child lived in the Imperial Palace in the original novel. Seriously, everyone in this palace seemed to like Helena, so I wonder what she was worried about. Even if I send her poison, the servants will throw it away, and if the enemies attack, the crown prince will, take revenge in her stead. There was no reason for this girl to get her hands dirty, for if she cried a little, the person who made her cry will be driven into a bad person and will never be seen again. ¡°L, Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­ me, why me¡­.¡± ¡°Her Majesty has chosen me as the right person to educate you. We have a long way to go, so come and sit here.¡± ¡°Education?¡± Helena still stood there in embarrassment, looking away, but finally, she staggered and sat on the sofa opposite me. I silently pressured her to sit with my head tilted as I observed her. I asked Helena, purposely not making eye contact with her. ¡°Lady Antebellum, how much basic knowledge do you have? Can you read and write? How about ballroom dancing?¡± ¡°W, writing? I did, but I did learn letters. I know how to read. I don¡¯t know what it means¡­¡± ¡°Dancing? Do you know how to perform at least one of the dances like the polonaise, waltz, mazurka, or cotillon?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°¡­Well, I didn¡¯t expect it. Let¡¯s start with writing before learning etiquette.¡± Chapter 42 Episode 42 To Make a Crown Princess Anyway, even in the original story, Helena does not begin to receive formal education until after becoming empress. It was only natural for her to know nothing now. Since she is a commoner, she wouldn¡¯t have been educated like the royal family. I asked a maid to bring Helena a wad of paper and ink pen and she nodded. Grammar books and children¡¯s books that children of this world usually use when they first learn to read were placed side by side. ¡°Take these home.¡± ¡°Wait, the reason¡­! I want to hear the reason! Why does Her Majesty the Empress want to educate me?¡± ¡°Ask that after training. Lady Antebellum is taking my time. Any more questions?¡± When I responded by looking at the clock bluntly on purpose, Helena was unable to push any more and withdrew her body. From what I see, she needs to fix that first. Her posture was very poor for a lady who grew up only hearing that she was pretty. I hit the desk and yelled. ¡°Straighten your back! Straighten your shoulders!¡± ¡°Eek, yes, yes!¡± ¡°One of the most important things in a person¡¯s first impression is their posture. An upright posture rather than a bent posture is not only good externally, but also beneficial to one¡¯s health. And the gaze!¡± I held out my index finger in front of her. Helena¡¯s eyes reflexively focused on it. I leaned forward and directly met Helene¡¯s eyes. I stopped her from trying to look down at her hands and then added. ¡°From now on, don¡¯t look away from their eyes. Look directly at anyone. Even when you are looking at His Highness or Her Majesty.¡± ¡°How dare ¡­¡± ¡°In the Imperial Palace, the servants are more like furniture. You have to pretend you didn¡¯t hear it, you have to pretend they didn¡¯t see it. Up until now, it was okay for Lady Antebellum to stay away from the nobles because they didn¡¯t have to talk to you, because no one¡¯s trying to talk to the furniture.¡± In other words, if you want to be treated like a person in the imperial family and aristocratic society, you shouldn¡¯t cower like that. Humans possess the bad habit of intimidating or pressuring down those they deem weaker or smaller than them. No matter how much the crown prince protects her, wanted her to know at least this one thing. ¡°If you want to be treated as a human being, impress upon the other person that you are both equal. To do that, the first thing you need to fix is your gaze and posture.¡± At that, Helena blinked her eyes a little, then slowly came out and met my gaze. Seeing Helena with her waist and shoulders straight, I could see her cuteness flowing. Her walking posture wasn¡¯t too bad, so for now this was enough. ¡°Very well, let¡¯s start the class.¡± Thankfully Helena was smarter than I thought. I wasn¡¯t an experienced teacher so I had to start her with the basics, but honestly, she seemed to be learning quicker than me. At first it seemed this female lead¡¯s head was all stuck. The girl who could barely read children¡¯s books was now able to read even the most difficult collections of classical poems without interruption. The same was true of manners. There were so many trivial etiquettes that she had to memorize. Which fork and knife should be used for what food, guests should always arrive about fifteen minutes late and have to learn new personnel priorities. In my case, it was easy for me to adapt because came from a world where everyone believes that all people are equal, whereas she was born and raised in a society where the class system was taken for granted. I came into a position where I often received people¡¯s attention, and I was almost in a worldchanging shock. As I educated Helena, most of her words she spit out consisted of ¡®how can I¡¯, Tdare, and ¡®however¡¯. I even had to cultivate Helena¡¯s world view. Because this is a world that I had never seen before so I had a bad perception that everything would be good if it was unconditionally flashy and shiny. Eris was even taught which of her jewels are expensive, which color combinations to match, and how to choose her outfits according to weather or location. She didn¡¯t know that she wouldn¡¯t even have ten pieces of clothes in her closet. Damn, I think I should teach Helena how to ride horses, but I¡¯ve only gone horseback riding a few times on Jeju Island. I believed that the crown prince or Jason would later invite her for horse-back riding as a love event, sol decided to teach ballroom dancing first. To this, I threw off the cumbersome skirt and put on pants for the first time since I came to this world. Ugh, it¡¯s been so long, I couldn¡¯t get used to it. After I tied my hair up, I proceeded to greet her in her manly manner and extended my hand towards her, and Helena carefully raised her hand over mine. I taught her exactly what I was taught, but I changed the order a bit. The difficulty is there anyway and if she learns the difficult things first, she will learn the rest more easily and quickly. I taught Mazurka, Cotillon, Polonaise, and Waltz in that order, and Helena, who was almost struggling at first, showed a dramatic improvement. To be honest, in the case of Cotillon, it was a sort of dance that changes partners, so it didn¡¯t matter what happened when it¡¯s just the two of us dancing. When the waltz came, I and Helena were both nervous. Helena¡¯s close proximity to me seemed very burdensome as I estimated her weight to lift her. If I can¡¯t lift her, I¡¯ll just pretend to roughly hold her. It was clear that the crown prince or Jason who would lift Helena in the actual scene could fly her again and again without any difficulty. I put my hand on Helena¡¯s back, and she was touching my shoulder. Unfortunately, Helena distanced her hips to avoid contacting me as much as possible, It bothered me so I put strength in my arms and pulled her closer to me. Helena, who was close to me, gasped, and the sound of swallowing her breath resounded in my ears. ¡°Relax. The harder you resist, the harder it is to dance to the rhythm.¡± ¡°It is clo-close!¡± ¡°The waltz is such a dance. Come on, one and two and¡­.¡± As I counted, Helena froze. Perhaps it was thanks to that, for the long-awaited lifting part, I trembled a bit with a little difficulty, but I was able to lift her safely. It was fortunate that Helena was as light as a feather, Helena gazed down at me and her silver hair fell like a waterfall. Her surprised purple eyes were beautiful. She always had a pretty face. She¡¯s so pretty even when she¡¯s dazed like this. With this face, if she falls in love, how pretty will she be then? It is said that beauty can make fish sink, flying birds drop, obscure the moon, and make flowers bloom. Looking at Helena, the definition was almost understandable. Again, I twirled, leading her feet to the ground. Helena soon dropped her head on my shoulder and whispered softly. ¡°¡­I¡¯m dizzy.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s take a break.¡± My feet hurt from dancing in my high heels. Helena asked as she sat in her chair and drank her tea, wiping her sweat with a handkerchief. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­ Do you intend to make me the Crown Princess?¡± I was quite surprised that Helena realized my intentions. Indeed, since I am teaching her to be a noblewoman, no matter how dull she is, I thought Helena deserved to know. To be precise, the part that surprised me was not that she ¡®noticed¡¯ it, it was that she overcame the wall of pressure to get it out of her mouth. ¡°¡­.To put it bluntly, the Empress wants it. Well, agreed.¡± ¡°Why? You loved His Highness.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you would ask why. Haven¡¯t you realized that His Highness is behaving the way he does because he hates me and loves you?¡± Helena responded with a breathless expression, and voice that looked like she was about to cry. ¡°To me ¡­¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t asked me. Do I love His Highness¡­¡­¡± I started to laugh. Helena, who was whimpering silently, raised her head and stared at me with a shocked expression. She was brave enough to say those words but it seemed she felt ignored because I laughed. She blushed, biting her lips, unable to say anything. Maybe she was holding back her tears as usual. I gently reached out and brushed her eyes with my index finger, replying softly. ¡°Because I don¡¯t need his feelings.¡± I didn¡¯t want to tell a lie. Because I¡¯m not good enough to tell a white lie, and she¡¯s not young enough to need to hear a white lie. Now, Helena too needed to get out of her damn protected shell and hear the truth. ¡°This is a political battle between me and the Marquis, Her Majesty and His Majesty, and you are nothing but a chess piece. Do you think I became his fianc¨¦e because I loved him?¡± ¡°¡­No, really?¡± ¡°So naive. Life isn¡¯t a fairy tale book. Because the Crown Prince was the best fit for me. Even if I had loved someone other than His Highness, I would still have been engaged to His Highness. Curious, I asked Helena. ¡°Does Lady Antebellum dislike His Highness?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t dislike it, it¡¯s just different from what I wanted in a marriage! Marriage¡­ I want to be with someone that I like.¡± Theld back my laughter at Helena¡¯s pure twinkling eyes. If I laughed, Helena might really be angry with me this time. So she wanted to be with someone she likes. Does Helena like someone other than Alecto? ¡°Is there anyone else whom you like?¡± ¡°Oh no, not yet¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s try to like His Highness. No matter who you like anyway, it will be difficult to survive unless it¡¯s His Highness¡­¡± ¡®If it was the crown prince, he would eliminate the enemy without anyone knowing. I think it¡¯s a reasonable conclusion, but Helena refuted it. ¡°You mean Alecto would kill someone? Alecto isn¡¯t cruel and brutal enough to do that!¡± ¡°Oh, well, you may think that way.¡± If she regretted it later, it wasn¡¯t any of my business. In the first place, what reason could there be for why the male candidates for Helena were all so prominent? I think it¡¯s because the crown prince needs to be in a position where he can¡¯t execute people recklessly, so that he can survive and show that he likes Helena¡­ Helena looked at me for a moment and then asked. ¡°Why do you want me and His Highness to get married?¡± Chapter 43 Episode 43 ¡®Mine¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s simple. Because I hate his Highness. I¡¯m tired of it.¡± Helena¡¯s face twisted as I answered bluntly. She got up clenching her little hands and glared at me. Yeah, Helena¡¯s definitely going to be mad since she¡¯s human. Eris Mis¨¦rian has been tormenting Helena for the crown prince. I would be angry too. She looked like she wanted to say something, but her tightly bitten mouth didn¡¯t open and she turned red. ¡°Are you upset? Are you angry?¡± ¡°How¡­ in such a moment¡­ just for that reason¡­.¡± ¡°You can change your mind. I have the right and the power to do that.¡± Now I rinsed my mouth with the cold tea and looked up at Helena with a smile on my face. I¡¯m not sure, but it looked very arrogant. It was also intentional. I think Helena¡¯s desire to become the crown princess instead of me will go up in flames if she acts as a villain. ¡°If you feel wronged, you learn. I¡¯ll help you gain strength by raising your status.¡± I got up and pushed Helena back onto the couch, then went behind Helena and tucked her hair behind her ears. The two of us were reflected in the opposite mirror. placed my hand on the shoulder of a confused Helena and whispered in her ear. ¡°Keep in mind that once you have power, you can carry out your will, whether you want to take revenge on me or renounce your situation.¡± I patted Helena¡¯s shoulder a couple of times, staring in the mirror, and then I reached out to her to teach her how to dance again. Even if I¡¯m mean, we still have business to do, right? ¡°If you understand, let¡¯s resume class. I¡¯m not going to hear you cry anymore.¡± * * * Teaching someone was quite tiring. It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t know it properly myself and I had to be careful not to make a mistake in what I taught. It was getting dark outside the window and I was about to finish class today, when someone knocked on the door. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian. Her Majesty is calling.¡± ¡°Anyway, I was just about to call it a day. Lady Antebellum, class isn¡¯t over, please review what you¡¯ve learned today.¡± Leaving Helena alone, I followed the servant chief. As he was walking through the spacious corridors of the empress¡¯s palace, he knocked on the biggest and most gorgeous door. ¡°Your Majesty, as you have ordered, I have brought Lady Mis¨¦rian, the eldest daughter of the Marquis Mis¨¦rian and the fianc¨¦e of the Crown Prince.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± The empress had a tearfully noble face again today. She¡¯s noble and elegant because she¡¯s left all the hard and troublesome work to me. I folded my twisted heart and laughed. Imagine you have a boss. Be patient. Be patient. ¡°What did you teach her?¡± ¡°I taught her basic greetings, dining etiquette, how to have a conversation according to the dances and the dance tunes of a ball, also an eye for choosing clothes and accessories.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s a long way from becoming a crown princess, but you¡¯ve managed to teach the most basic things.¡± The empress glanced at the maid next to her to pour tea. I didn¡¯t want to drink a lot of it because I got sick of drinking tea while teaching Helena. When I refused, the empress sent the maid out and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to introduce Helena at Kazar¡¯s debutante ball, what do you think?¡± ¡°¡­I think it¡¯s the right time.¡± It was good to send her out as soon as possible, to a party with as many nobles as possible in order to make sure everyone had a good look. There were few families that could host a party of that size, and my coming-of-age ceremony was over, so if you missed Young Lady Kazar¡¯s debutante ball, you might have to wait a long time. There was a reason for the rush. Anyway, it had nothing to do with me. Because the empress was highly likely to entrust me with her education after that. It was also for a similar reason that I did not kill Helena yet, although I¡¯m with her. I have to say that there are still parts of the original novel left. Helena¡¯s beautifully decorated first appearance and being admired by people were the prelude to her love affair and marriage with the crown prince. It¡¯s been a long time coming, but now I remember. In the novel, Eris was not broken up with. It was only Helena who, with the permission of the emperor, became the crown princess. Eris could not even break her engagement, and she had to watch Helena marry her prince in her stead. So Eris in the original story went crazy and hid in Helena¡¯s room. Eris, who reassured Helena by saying that she was leaving to a foreign country, lured Helena by saying that she wanted to apologize for her misdeeds before going. Eris presented Helena with a poisoned teacup, and Helena was served tea with that teacup and drank it with Eris. Eris, who prompted Helena to pick the poisoned teacup, laughed frantically when Helena drank the poison and collapsed. How great it would be if the far-distant end could be moved a bit forward with this. I secretly sighed and spoke to the empress. ¡°If you have nothing more to say, I¡¯ll be leaving.¡± ¡°Call Madame and choose Helena¡¯s clothes yourself.¡± ¡°¡­¡­All right.¡± No matter how much Eris said she gave up, the empress was also cruel for making her choose clothes for her ¡®rival¡¯. Well, if Helena chose a childish dress, was in trouble, so I ended up saying yes. If I had seen my horoscope, my luck today would have been the 12th. I made eye contact with the crown prince on the way back. It was tiring to yell and get annoyed, so I tried to ignore him. Alecto held my wrist and turned me around. ¡°You¡¯re determined to ignore people now, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­I guess I¡¯m tired and my vision has narrowed, Forgive my rudeness.¡± As I bowed my head gently, I could see the crown prince panicking. He paused for a moment to see if there was anything to pick on. Either way, I haven¡¯t eaten properly all day and I¡¯m tired from teaching Helena. No matter how young Eris was, her nerves were tattered and she wasn¡¯t particularly healthy. In a moment, I was dizzy and staggered, and my body went out of balance. I could see Alecto reaching out towards me, but it was quicker for someone to grab me from behind. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ah, this voice again. Why do you keep showing up? I angrily slapped Jason¡¯s hand off my shoulder. Alecto wrinkled his eyebrows and looked at the two of us. ¡°What kind of trick is this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that and lean on me, Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± Alecto and Jason spoke at the same time. We looked at each other¡¯s faces as if we were surprised by the contradiction, but to be honest, I was just annoyed at both of them. Even if the two draw swords and fight a duel right now due to a difference of opinion, it¡¯s not my business, so I¡¯d like you to let me go. ¡°Anakin, come here.¡± After a while, Anakin appeared around the dark corner as if rising from a shadow. Come to think of it, Anakin has seen both of them before. He must have seen Alecto at the inauguration ceremony and Jason in the Rundol region, but the former looked at Anakin as if he was wary of strangers. He was almost like a beast that had invaded his territory. Well anyway, I¡¯m going home. ¡°Did you call?¡± ¡°Hold me, Anakin. Your Highness, you don¡¯t want to see me so I¡¯ll go back first.¡± The crown prince tried to say something, but I didn¡¯t want to listen so I started first. Originally, winning first is an eternal truth. Anakin gently hugged me as usual and turned around, nodding silently to the two men who looked somehow dissatisfied. Leaning on Anakin¡¯s chest as we left the Imperial Palace, the gazes of the servants poured in. Change happens very quickly and naturally. At first, they showed a look of bewilderment, but after a while they displayed clear hostility on their faces. Even if you think she¡¯s not good enough to be with the crown prince, it seems you don¡¯t like Eris being in the presence of another man. I really don¡¯t know which rhythm to keep up with, but I decided to withdraw from the marriage with the crown prince. ¡°If you think you¡¯re going to hate me, say it as soon as you feel that way. Try to understand at least.¡± Being hated is not a very pleasant feeling. Still, wanted to show off in front of Anakin. I didn¡¯t want to show him a weak side. Anakin just walked forward without looking at my face. He replied quietly when a carriage was seen in the distance. ¡°Have you forgotten? I have already sworn allegiance and obedience to you. I said that no temptation or hardship would yield me.¡± He put me in the carriage¡¯s seat and knelt down. Just like when he first took the oath of knighthood. A purple necklace shone from his neck. ¡°If you wish, I will add one more oath now. Even if the day comes when I hate you¡­ I will not let go of you.¡± I¡¯ve never had a single ¡®mine¡¯. It was the same with things and people. There wasn¡¯t anything I could do with ease. Because I didn¡¯t have anything handed to me, so I had to save and save. Now I know. Others might point their fingers at this thought, but¡­ I needed someone to treat me carelessly. A person who doesn¡¯t have to worry about discovering this twisted me. Chapter 44 Episode 44 Feel Special I know that the reason a person falls in love is not very special. I fell in love with my first love just because he saw me standing by the window on the playground and waved his hand, and my second love came by walking down the cherry blossom road together. When I came to my senses, I was soaked in love for the third time, and because we went through hard, times together, I held the hand of the fourth love. I believed that falling in love with someone dramatically was possible only in movies and TV shows. But now I find myself shining in Anakin¡¯s light brown eyes. The moment I confirm that he is completely mine, the gravity of the world rises upside down. I couldn¡¯t believe it, but I thought my hair would stand up straight. Because I am rich now. A tingling sensation climbed up from my toes and warmed my neck. I was afraid to hear my own pounding heart. But I thought I¡¯d like to hear it. Because the person in front of me is so adorable that I¡¯m going crazy. In the midst of my confusion, I somehow tried to smile. I can¡¯t check it because I don¡¯t have a mirror, but it seems to have worked. Because Anakin smiled at my face. It was hard to pick the words and spit them out. ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind, aren¡¯t you?¡± How could that be? Why are you so blind? ¡°Are you disappointed?¡± I¡¯ve always believed that falling in love wasn¡¯t as big of a deal as one would think. That¡¯s how I¡¯ve been living. ¡°No¡­ very¡­ I like it very much.¡± You shoot at me. Just like the meteors who made the earth a long time ago. Like that¡­¡­ makes me feel special. Helena was restless throughout the class. Now that it was the beginning of autumn, I said she¡¯d make her debut at the Young Lady Kazar¡¯s debutante ball just before Thanksgiving, so it was worth it. Considering the period, there are less than two weeks left. This small wall seemed to come as a great burden to her. ¡°I¡¯m fine today.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Since she can¡¯t concentrate at all, she seemed to be happy even though she was in tears. Anyway, looking at the watch, it¡¯s almost time for Madame to come. She greeted me, grabbed me as I was trying to rush out, and sat me down again. ¡°Why, why are you acting strange?¡± ¡°Because there¡¯s still work to be done.¡± ¡°Do you have any other things to do besides class¡­?¡± As soon as Helena¡¯s question finished, Madame came in. Madame walked straight over to me, not caring about Helena, and kissed my cheek to say hello. ¡°It¡¯s a dazzling afternoon, Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s. Seeing the young lady¡¯s beautiful face gives me inspiration today, I just made a piece of everyday wear that suits the young lady¡­¡± ¡°Send it to the mansion. My outfit is one thing, but today I called you to match this child¡¯s outfit.¡± At those words, Madame looked down at Helena. She smiled with a friendly face, but refused with a cold voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, young lady, but my clothes are for the nobility. No matter how beautiful this lady is, it can¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you allow my clothes to be stolen and placed on this child during the coming-of-age ceremony?¡± ¡°The situation was special back then. How could a clothing merchant refuse a royal?¡± ¡°Then all the more so, you have to make her clothes. She¡¯s due to make her debut as an Imperial member soon.¡± While Madame was squinting her eyes and judging whether my words were true, Helena, who had been listening with her mouth shut next to me, was startled and waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t fit my clothes! Leave, the price will be expensive.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the imperial court won¡¯t ask Lady Antebellum to pay for her clothes.¡± ¡°Or I¡¯d rather go downtown and buy it¡­¡± ¡°Lady Antebellum.¡± I grabbed the gibberish-sprouting Helena¡¯s chin and turned it towards me. She never grew up affluent, so she knows better than anyone the embarrassment and pressure of receiving an unexpectedly expensive gift. However, politely refusing because they thought it was too much was different from being rude. ¡°The partner who will stand by your side that day will, be Prince Alecto, a noble person who will lead the country in the future. You will stand next to such a person wearing clothes sold in the market. Is it true that you are wearing cheap clothes? Do you think the nobles of the city will praise you for your frugality?¡± It¡¯s not even New Year¡¯s Day, but it¡¯s either when you get too much allowance from your parents or friends you don¡¯t know, so you say it¡¯s too much. Even though she offered to prepare formal clothes when they were not available, refusing them because of pride or pressure was clearly a bit of a pity. ¡°Not at all. The nobles will curse the imperial family. How much tax did you collect, but you didn¡¯t give a set of clothes to your commoner partner to put on? Then who will be in the imperial family?¡± Helena looked me in the eyes as she clasped her hands like a child being scolded. It is said that if she lives in the imperial palace, she will be able to develop her intelligence, which she did not have because she was afraid for her life¡­. I didn¡¯t want to make her understand it in this way, but I can¡¯t help it because this is the most direct way. Wear a lot of frugal clothes later when you¡¯re the crown princess or when you¡¯re out inspecting the streets. ¡°Measure her. I don¡¯t need mine. Because I didn¡¯t gain any weight or lose any weight.¡± ¡°Okay. What about the color?¡± ¡°In purple.¡± At that, Madame stopped. She asked me, as if she was trying to make sure she heard me correctly. ¡°¡­Purple you mean?¡± ¡°Yeah, purple. It goes well with that kid¡¯s eye color, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Purple is the color of the Imperial family. It was considered a crime of treason for a person outside of the royal family to dress in purple. There was no way a lady who made clothes could not have known about it. Madame blinked her eyes a few times before showing a painted smile. And she said in a soft voice as if to match my rhythm. ¡°It is indeed Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s perspective. Now, Lady Antebellum. Would you like to come over here, please?¡± As expected, Madame was good at living in the world. She was very polite to Helena, abandoning her attitude of neglect. Helena looked at me pitifully as she was dragged by Madame, but I roughly said goodbye to her with my hands. It¡¯s okay to make my clothes slowly, so I ordered Madame to make Helena¡¯s clothes as soon as possible. It was because she had to practice dancing while wearing a dress to prevent mistakes as much as possible, Madame smiled saying she would try, and she really kept her promise. Soon, the Madame, who had a haggard complexion covered with make-up, greeted her. Then, Madame¡¯s personal attendant followed carefully with a dressed mannequin. Helena was being washed on the ¡®minus time¡¯ course which was now in full swing. I know how painful the course is, but I had to match everything from makeup to accessories today, so I had no choice but to do this. ¡°We still need to tweak the details a little bit, but don¡¯t think there¡¯s going to be a big difference in this outfit.¡± The collarbone and the upper part of the chest were brightly exposed in a rectangular shape, but the ends of the shoulders were tightly wrapped around it. The sleeves had seven layers, but it didn¡¯t matter since she¡¯ll be wearing gloves anyway. Along with the narrow waistline, the lower part of the skirt dropped in a rich and elegant curve. Above all, the beauty of her clothes was that they matched the color of Helena¡¯s eyes perfectly, as if she dyed her clothes in the light of the night sky just before sunrise. It was embroidered with silver thread one stitch at a time. The silver threads intertwined with the colorful embroidery and jewels like stars that shone with a mysterious color started light and darkened as it went on. It was a choice considering her silver hair. At the same time, Helena, who was exhausted, managed to come in supported by the ladies. Her hair was dry so I ordered right away. ¡°Try it on.¡± At my words, Helena, who had thought she might be able to rest a little, was dragged away helplessly again. I sat down on the spacious sofa with my legs slightly crossed. Shall we change the genre a bit? The same situation I saw in Pretty Woman). A cute woman was unfolding right before my eyes. No, in this case, is it (The Princess Diary)? ¡°Change her hair. She looks too old.¡± ¡°All right.¡± ¡°Now go to Her Majesty and ask her to give you the accessories to wear with this dress. Be sure to add that she picks white ones as much as possible.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go right away.¡± ¡°No, take off all those hair ornaments. Let¡¯s put on a tiara instead.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get it.¡± The servants were constantly moving at my command, and Helena was constantly suffering. A group of attendants rushed in with boxes of gloves, shoes and accessories. Helena looked at the crowd and her face became pale and blue. Helen¡¯s complexion wasn¡¯t noticed as the attendants poured out questions to me. ¡°What kind of shoes would you like?¡± ¡°Second from the left. Because of the height difference, it would be better to have some heels.¡± ¡°Where should I put the gloves?¡± ¡°Look here. No silk in this color?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look for it.¡± The empress sent a bunch of ornaments, mostly diamonds and amethysts. She picked out a necklace and earrings set, a tiara and a couple of headdresses, a ring, a bracelet and even a fan. Not too small, but not too big either. Because it is a place where the person, rather than jewelry, should receive attention. ¡°Well, Lady Mis¨¦rian. She doesn¡¯t have a hole in her earlobe. What should I do?¡± The servant, who was in the middle of putting on accessories, approached me with a troubled face. Because it was a felony to injure the body of the royal family. Well, Helena wasn¡¯t ¡®yet¡¯ of the royal family. Even though she should have known that, she hesitated, because the servants of the empress¡¯s palace were very small. ¡°You¡¯re asking an obvious question. Pierce.¡± ¡°Kya!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring you some ice in a little while.¡± Helena, who suddenly had her flesh pierced, screamed at her. Her attendant comforted Helena with a sorry face, but tears welled up in her eyes already. However, her tears couldn¡¯t flow and she wiped them straight away. Because she still had makeup left. Her skin didn¡¯t look like she needed make-up, so her eyebrows were trimmed and new ones were drawn, and colors were added on her eyes, cheeks, and lips. Oh my god. The first thing I knew when I saw Helena¡¯s face was that her white eyelashes could look great if they were long and full. When she finally finished her makeover, Helena was literally poison to the eyes. All of the attendants had forgotten their duty and looked at her with rapture, Her makeup was darkened a little, and she had a certain dignity on her gentle face. Chapter 45 Episode 45 Beautiful Fool I sent all the servants out and said to Helena. ¡°Walk to me.¡± Helena walked towards me slowly, but with her back straight as she had been taught. The long dress might be cumbersome, but she didn¡¯t shake or falter. As she approached me, I held out my palm to her Helena bowed her knees slightly to greet me and lightly placed her hand on it. It was the last dance practice. Helena, who had become an expert at stepping in time with the beat, whispered to me. ¡°There was a time when I was envious of girls in gorgeous and beautiful clothes. Not only me, but all the children who were with me. It was my dream to dress up like that and dance like that at least once in my life.¡± But as she spun around to my lead, she added with a somewhat bitter face. ¡°But now that I¡¯ve experienced it, being beautiful is much more difficult and uncomfortable than I thought¡­¡­ this sounds like a blessing, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Pulling her back towards me, I retorted. ¡°It has nothing to do with beauty.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Decorating is laborious and inconvenient. People can be beautiful enough without decorating.¡± Helena looked at me for a moment at those words, and then she fell silent in thought. We were dancing the same dance with different thoughts. Who first created the expression beautiful? What did that person see and say was beautiful? Was it a person or a landscape? Or¡­¡­ what kind of thing was it? How much more should we be swept away by the standards of beauty that change with the flow of time? The ball was just around the corner, so rather than teaching something new, I was reviewing what she had learned so far so as to not make a mistake. It was because the amount taught was so vast that it was easily forgotten or confused. As the debutante ball approached, the nerves of Helena became sharper. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared refreshments. May I come in for a moment?¡± ¡°Come in.¡± The reason why we were not exploding was because there was a snack time that came out every now and then. If you take a rest while eating sweet snacks, you think about it again just before you are about to say harsh things. It was for that reason that I shoved a horribly sweet Imperial Palace snack into my mouth, regardless of my taste. It was a sugar high. The attendants were busy carrying tea and refreshments and displaying them on the table. Usually, to save face, I put them in my mouth until the servants stopped displaying it and left, but today, perhaps because I was particularly tired, I unknowingly laid my hands on the sweets. I picked up a mille feuille and took a bite, but it was like chewing, sand. At first, I thought it was just the texture of the pastry, but the more I rolled my tongue, the clearer it was that it did not melt. I lifted my eyes slightly and looked at Helena and saw that she was eating it deliciously without any change in expression. Who was the culprit? Firstly, I casually took another bite of the sandy mille feuille. As I walked out the door, there was a child who slightly glanced at me. She was the one who put the sweets in front of me. I slowly lifted my finger. ¡°There you are, come here.¡± ¡°Yes? Me, me?¡± ¡°Yeah, you.¡± I stood up slowly, waiting for the child I pointed at to come closer. Looking down closely, I remembered who it was. She was the kid who pushed me to the crown prince. The child pretended to be calm, but kept staring at Helena from the corner of her eye. You have faith in something, don¡¯t you? As the child stood in front of me, I raised my arm high and slapped her in the face without mercy. At the same time as the ear-piercing sound, the skinny child fell to the floor without even screaming. The servants turned their heads in acknowledgment. ¡°Stand up.¡± ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian!¡± At my command, the servants grabbed the child¡¯s arms and made her stand up. Surprised, Helena stood up and approached me. With the child¡¯s wrist held, she tried to resist stopping, and I said. ¡°Watch carefully. For when you become the Crown Princess. I will teach you how to deal with those who disrespect and mess with you.¡± ¡°Miss Helena!¡± As the servant stared at Helena, 1 slapped her opposite cheek immediately. I hit it so hard that my hands were tingling. The servants brought up the child who stumbled and fell. I grabbed the child¡¯s chin, whose cheeks were swollen red, and said, ¡°I don¡¯t blame children. What do children know? Children learn and grow from their mistakes. When a child makes a mistake, it is the responsibility of the adult who taught them wrong.¡± As I leaned down to meet her eyes, the child trembled and looked straight at me without averting her gaze. Either way, I gently stroked the child¡¯s cheeks and continued. ¡°Why do you look down on me and chase Lady Antebellum? Because she¡¯s nice to you? Or because you¡¯re more scared of me? No, no¡­ you¡¯re looking behind Lady Antebellum. You¡¯re being so arrogant to me because Her Majesty has her back.¡± In my school days, I hated the so-called ¡®Type of Person Who Sticks Next to a Good Girl and Shouts Loudly¡¯. This is because there is no sense of loyalty between followers who seek to gain something from you. They used to pretend to be close to those that were better than them, but when it reduced, they would change their attitudes and betray them. Such was this child. Had Helena not been loved by Alecto, would this child have done such a big thing like this? No way. This child wasn¡¯t really following Helena from her heart. Just like the crown prince believed in her words and slapped me on the cheek, she was just enjoying the ¡®supreme power¡¯ that came from the by-product of someone¡¯s love and hatred. (QC/N: cross reference to chapter 2.) How fun would that be? With one simple word from you, your naughty boss gets screwed. ¡°You know, I forgive children for everything, but knowing the advantage of power and weighing it¡­ That¡¯s not the way a child should think.¡± Helena grabbed my wrist and stopped me as I raised my hand to hit her cheek again. As she looked at me without a word, she spoke stern words, trembling. ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t, Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± ¡°¡­..Let me tell you, it¡¯s your responsibility that this kid is so arrogant.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my responsibility, so stop hitting her.¡± Being nice is a disease at this point. Is it an angel complex or what? There is a stark difference between being nice and being a good person, but when there is such a person, it is the people around them who are upset rather than the person involved. It¡¯s not like can develop her eye for people¡­. ¡°Haa, Lady Antebellum. Judge the people around you. Make sure you know if they are on your side because they really like you, or if they¡¯re on your side because they want to rip you off.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay to nibble on it. It¡¯s okay to eat it. So¡­¡± The trembling stopped. Even the fear that often remained on her face was erased. Just as a person who had made up their mind usually does, there was only clear determination on her dazzling face. ¡°Don¡¯t recklessly use violence against anyone. If you don¡¯t feel good, you¡¯re welcome to slap me on the cheek today. But promise me you¡¯ll never raise your hand again after today.¡± ¡°¡­ Do you dare to advise me?¡± ¡°On that day, the day Lady Mis¨¦rian foolishly left what was right for His Highness, I swore to God that I would never make the same mistake again. No reason can justify violence.¡± Helena whispered in a suppressed voice. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian told me.¡± I narrowed my eyes and looked at Helena. Maybe Helena is attacking me because she has ¡®power¡¯, or maybe it¡¯s because I don¡¯t have as much power as her prince. Then I laughed at myself. This damn sense of inferiority was like a seizure every now and then. I knew better than anyone that Helena could not be such a great person. Because I am the only person in the world who had looked into her brain. Helena bit her lip and looked down at the child. ¡°There should be a more reasonable punishment rather than violence.¡± ¡°For example?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll tell the maid to let this child go.¡± ¡°Miss Helena! No! I made a mistake. If I am punished, I¡¯d stand it. I¡¯d rather be beaten! But please don¡¯t kick me out!¡± The child crawled and clung to Helena¡¯s feet, but Helena was waiting for my permission without looking down until the end. How can the difference be from one to ten? I was a little surprised. I have rarely endured it because I have a bad personality. Talking back was normal, and if I was hit by someone, I had to double it with my own hands to relieve my anger. I didn¡¯t mind being blamed for being immoral. From my experience, morality usually does not solve injustice. When I was hit by the crown prince, I honestly tried to hit him the same. He tried to run away quickly, which was why he stopped talking. ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± If you¡¯re more afraid of being kicked out than being hit, you should. The child screamed and was caught by the attendants and dragged away. Watching this, I prepared to go back. I felt dirty and didn¡¯t want to stay here any longer. ¡°¡­.Should I eat it all?¡± You¡¯re the only one who¡¯s good. You¡¯re the only one who¡¯s elegant, and you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s clean. Did I tell you? This is ridiculous. It¡¯s just by nature. You¡¯re a fool by nature, and I¡¯m mean and give you a different answer. Anyone can tell it¡¯s childish. I am angry because I am ashamed of myself for rationalizing that I am not a child because I am clever. ¡°Those who love you will be sad to hear that statement, Helena Antebellum.¡± I¡¯m sick of your self-sacrifice. Even more so knowing your sincerity. Chapter 46 Episode 46 Words I Couldn¡¯t Say ¡°Bring me some of the finest ingredients.¡± ¡°Yes? Ingredients?¡± As soon as I arrived at the mansion, I ordered the attendant who greeted me. The servant asked me as if he was embarrassed by my sudden words. ¡°Yes, anything is good, so bring out whatever you want.¡± ¡°The amount¡­. How much do you need?¡± ¡°Well. About 4 servings.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll put it in a box so you can take it out.¡± The servant quickly disappeared. I pressed on my temple, which was starting to throb, and called Anakin out, then told him to pick up the box that the servant gave me. Even when I rode a carriage into a familiar alley, Anakin never asked why I was suddenly going to Kynthia¡¯s house. So I was thankful. We knocked on Kynthia¡¯s door without saying a word. Kynthia angrily came out and screamed again asking about what else was going on. It was somehow a familiar sight. Ignoring whether Kynthia cleared the house or not, we went inside and put our luggage down. ¡°Hey, at this hour, what¡­ for what reason. Do you have any urgent business?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the mirror?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a mirror, go to the bathroom¡­ No, what¡¯s with all this luggage?¡± ¡°It¡¯s cooking ingredients.¡± ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know that? I have eyes too?¡± I could hear Kynthia and Anakin talking to each other from the bathroom. Will the sound reach the witch? I looked in the mirror and called the now familiar name ¡°Medea.¡± How long has it been? Her figure was clearly reflected in the mirror. Medea, whose red hair was dripping down like a waterfall, laughed with a teddy bear in her hand. ¡°¡­Anything happened?¡± ¡°You know where I am, right? Come here. I¡¯ll entertain you.¡± ¡°Oh, my God, you¡¯re so confident. What if I don¡¯t come?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be here. There¡¯s a kid I want to introduce to you.¡± I left the bathroom and entered the kitchen. I asked him to light a fire in the oven and take out the ingredients. At this point, it seemed that there were only a few ingredients needed. In fact, they were such fresh and high-quality ingredients so I was glad that they would be delicious just by roasting and boiling. ¡°Do you want me to cook? How can you do such a humble thing with your own hands¡­¡± ¡°Kitchen work is not a low job. It¡¯s not that lowly people do kitchen work. All humans die if they don¡¯t eat, so how can labor to feed someone be lowly? Everywhere you go, traders don¡¯t starve.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, stranger.¡± ¡°Stranger?¡± The witch hit the door open by herself and came in She alternated her gaze between me and Kynthia, who looked at the witch with his mouth wide open and then covered his mouth slightly. ¡°Oh my god, was this still a secret?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll just have to be honest. Kynthia, this is the witch helping me. Medea, this is Anakin¡¯s younger brother, Kynthia.¡± ¡°A witch?!¡± ¡°Anyway, she has a bad personality¡­ but I prefer that more.¡± ¡°W, witch¡­¡± ¡°Are you trying to show me this kid?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, isn¡¯t he fun? I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll get bored after I cross over.¡± ¡°Be kind.¡± Kynthia hid behind Anakin without realizing. He gently slipped out like a cat with a lot of fur and stared at the both of us without saying a word. Anakin glanced at me. The witch tilted her head and looked at us, more precisely, at Kynthia who was wary of Medea, then she laughed. ¡°Hey, do you think I¡¯m going to eat you?¡± ¡°The book says you do eat.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of eating a child without flesh?¡± ¡°The meat is tender.¡± At that, Medea laughed with her head up. She thinks it¡¯s because he¡¯s cute, but Kynthia was terrified by the ¡®witch¡¯s laughter and hid behind Anakin¡¯s back. ¡°Do you eat chicks because the meat is tender? It¡¯s better to fatten up, raise a chicken then eat it.¡± At this rate, I stopped Medea because I thought the child would cry. ¡°Don¡¯t lie. You don¡¯t eat people.¡± ¡°Oh, my God, you got me.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯t believe it anyway.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying. You were scared.¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s scary. They don¡¯t even eat it, but they kill it.¡± Kynthia mumbled in a small voice. Medea straightened her hair by twisting it slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t kill anymore. I¡¯ve already killed enough to get tired of it.¡± ¡°Medea.¡± ¡°Okay. Is this the kid you like? Okay. So, kid, what do you believe in? God?¡± Kynthia answered by stepping away from Anakin¡¯s back and looking straight at Medea. ¡°No, myself.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. He¡¯s really bright and funny.¡± ¡°Take care of yourself.¡± After hearing his answer, the witch turned to me and she answered with a smile. I raised my eyebrows slightly. Medea watched me prepare the dish, shrugged her shoulders and added. ¡°After I possessed this body, I didn¡¯t really need to eat anything, so I forgot how to cook. Well, do you want me to taste it for you?¡± Then she said, ah, and opened her mouth. Ugh, I hate her less if she doesn¡¯t say anything. I tried to play a trick by putting my finger in her mouth and holding it in. I want to eat home-cooked meals, but there¡¯s nothing I can make. To make kimchi stew or soybean paste stew, there is no kimchi and soybean paste, and to make stir-fry spicy pork, there is no red pepper paste¡­.. Kynthia and Anakin, who noticed, sneakily stuck to my side. They kept wanting to do something so I asked them to cut potatoes first. While looking through popular ingredients, I thought ! could make sujebi with potatoes, so I added water on it, put the anchovy-like things in and boiled the broth. I handed Anakin, who had cut the potatoes, a measurement to make dough and knead it, then put the potatoes in the broth and cut carrots, zucchini, green onions and onions. As I roughly took a handful of Anakin¡¯s dough, thought about it: there is no soy sauce among the seasonings. Garlic is fine if you roughly mince it, but I don¡¯t know if it will taste better if you season it with salt instead of soy sauce. Phew, it¡¯s hard enough to do in other countries, but it was a nonsensical dream to come to a different world and cook Korean food. If you want to cook a dish that does not require much seasoning, you need to boil beef bone soup, which is enough with just bones, but if I do that, you won¡¯t be able to eat dinner tonight. ¡®If it doesn¡¯t taste good, I¡¯ll eat it all by myself. While boiling sujebi, Anakin was asked to grill meat as a backup. If sujebi fails, we¡¯ll fill our stomachs with meat. After seasoning it with salt and boiling it, I thought it smelled good, so I put the pot on the table. Everyone looked at the unfamiliar food inside the pot. I think I¡¯m a little more disappointed with the simple visual than I thought. I put roughly one ladle in a bowl at a time. ¡°It¡¯s food from a different world, so¡­¡­ Just taste it, let¡¯s say it¡¯s an interesting experience.¡± I ate it first, hmm¡­. I was happy because it tasted like homemade soup. It just tasted like the sujebi I made at home. I was worried because the color of the soup was a bit too milky-white, maybe it¡¯s because there was no soy sauce. Other people¡¯s reactions were just mediocre. I am a little reluctant to say that the texture of sujebi was strange, but I think it¡¯s a kind of soup that warms the body. It wasn¡¯t wrong. I cooked it because I wanted to eat something hot. There was no conversation, but no one at this table felt uncomfortable. So it was good. In this world where there are only people who hate me, I also wanted to be surrounded by people who liked me at least once. A time when I don¡¯t have to worry about what this person is thinking inside, whether they are holding hostility towards me¡­.. I wanted to¡­ Actually, I just wanted to say thank you. I wanted to say that I am glad that I met you and that you were on my side. But when I put the words together, I was embarrassed and my mouth wouldn¡¯t open. Instead, I cooked. Because sharing a meal with someone should not be forced, it should be based on very basic goodwill. I folded all the words I wanted to say, chewed the juicy meat and swallowed it with warm broth. I wanted them to feel these stifling feelings in my stomach. Whether they knew my wish or not, everyone emptied the bowls. ¡°I really enjoyed the meal.¡± For the first time since I came to this world, I didn¡¯t feel bloated while eating a meal. Young Lady Kazar¡¯s social debut was just around the corner. There had been no correspondence from the Imperial Palace yet. Don¡¯t tell me I have to send a letter directly to the crown prince and stab him in the ribs by telling him to use Helena as his partner? Please, I have no choice but to believe that the empress would have spoken to the fullest of her knowledge. I haven¡¯t taught Helena for the past few days in order to minimise talking to her as much as possible. Now! had to get an outfit ready to wear to the debutante. I was already exhausted mentally and physically due to how nerve wracking it was going to be this time. ¡°Lady, Madame has sent you clothes.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± The servant came in carrying a large box. Madame usually comes to check if the size was correct, but seeing that this is the only attendant, she seemed to be busy with Helena¡¯s clothes. If it was Eris, she would have run wild saying that she was ignored, but from the modern point of view, it was rather pitiful for Madame to have to stay up all night while making clothes by hand. ¡°Madame has sent you a letter apologizing for not being able to visit in person.¡± Even sending a letter? After doing something, I read it and found a short letter written in a very elegant and beautiful cursive. Chapter 47 Episode 47 Jane To Lady Mis¨¦rian. The cold season has arrived. Are you wearing the coat / sent you last time? I¡¯m just apologising for not being able to meet you in person because I¡¯m having a busy day due to the debutante ball. Please relieve your anger. I promised myself that I would make the lady¡¯s first and last clothes with my own hands./ have always remembered that my biggest customer and muse is only Lady Mis¨¦rian. Please wear this dress and shine as usual at the debutante ball. Your faithful Twal Rose. When I untied the silk laces and opened the box, found a beautiful dress like a dream. A rich off-shoulder dress, naturally ruffled with countless layers of pale pink tulle, was draped with hundreds of silk flowers as it went down. Delicate lace adorned the layers, and patterns were embroidered between the flowers with silver and precious stones. It was a waste to simply attach the rhetoric of ¡®pretty¡¯. When I see a work of art in real life, I feel intimidated, and this dress was just that. The maids barely let out the breath they were holding. While smothering the clothes, I listened to them as they made a fuss and praised Madame. Just by looking at it, I could feel that more effort was put in this dress than in Helena¡¯s clothes. If it was pretty, I liked it. Now, or when, won¡¯t you like to try on a pretty dress you can only see at a Paris collection show? However, from the Madame¡¯s point of view, Eris was like a kite that had already fallen off the string, yet she put so much effort into it. I wanted to know if there was something behind the scenes, but I couldn¡¯t figure it out. In the original work, Madame was only treated as one of the tools to express Eris¡¯ influence in the social circle, because later, even Madame was passed on to Helena. Oh, come to think of it, I had to get a men¡¯s suit. Because I decided to take Anakin as my partner instead of the prince. But Madame seemed to specialize in women¡¯s wear, so I was thinking about whether to take Anakin to a men¡¯s clothing store. ¡°I¡¯m coming in.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to come in. I¡¯m going out again.¡± Speaking of which, Anakin knocked on the door so! told the ladies to keep the dress safe and opened the door. While standing in front of me, I roughly assessed Anakin¡¯s clothes and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should wear a nice suit to the debutante ball?¡± ¡°¡­If you¡¯re talking about my clothes, you don¡¯t have to buy them. Because there are uniforms.¡± ¡°A uniform¡­¡­?¡± Was there anything like that? Anakin calmly addressed the story for the first time. ¡°I was wearing it at the ceremony as well.¡± ¡°Is that¡­ huh?¡± I can¡¯t remember anything during that time because wasn¡¯t particularly interested in Anakin. Hmmmm. I was embarrassed so I coughed meaninglessly and retorted. ¡°I was going to buy you expensive clothes that you can¡¯t ever buy with your salary, so why don¡¯t you pretend you didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°A uniform is enough. No matter how expensive it is, it will be less honorable than a uniform that will prove, I¡¯m my master¡¯s knight.¡± How can every word you say be so pretty? Excited, I was patting Anakin¡¯s cheek lightly, but the servant came running from afar so I paused. The servant, who was sweating profusely, looked at me and Anakin in turn without saying a word. ¡°I, there¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Lord K-Kazar wants to meet you¡­¡± At this point, it was creepy. Seeing the disapproval on my face, the servant¡¯s expression crumbled and he stuttered a little. ¡°Gee, I¡¯m in trouble right now, shall I refuse?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not going to refuse.¡± Even if the servant told him to leave, Jason would not be convinced and would continue to shove his way into this mansion. I didn¡¯t even give you room to do so, so I don¡¯t know why you keep messing around. It¡¯s not the gum stuck on the sole of some shoe¡­¡­. At this point, I headed to the drawing room with the intention of putting a nail on it altogether. As I entered the drawing room, Jason, who was sitting on the sofa, looked at me, smiled and waved his hand. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± ¡°I¡¯m offended if you keep coming here even though you don¡¯t have any business, Sir Kazar. Please leave.¡± ¡°I heard that Alecto is taking Helena to this debutante ball, I¡¯m thinking of us partnering up as the people who lost their partner.¡± ¡°Sorry, Sir Kazar, I¡¯m going to take my knight as my partner.¡± Jason raised his eyebrows in surprise, then glanced at Anakin. He replied in a soft voice. ¡°He must not be in the same class as you. Wasn¡¯t that why you chose me at the coming-of-age ceremony?¡± It was true. At that time, I didn¡¯t want to be looked down upon, so I ran my calculations here and there to get the best number of moves. As if he knew everything, Jason added. ¡°If you walk in with that knight, won¡¯t everyone at the debutante ball laugh at you for being abandoned? Can you handle those glances? Oh, Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­¡­. I¡¯m here to help you.¡± This was also true. No matter how beautiful and glamorous I appear, everyone in the social world will focus more on who the man next to me is. Then they will try to judge me by my man¡¯s ¡®class¡¯. I was fed up with Jason, who came to me triumphantly after calculating all that. ¡°But I¡¯m not going with you.¡± I told him one more time in case he didn¡¯t understand ¡°I¡¯m not going with you.¡± Jane¡¯s life was no different from any other woman¡¯s. She was born as a poor aristocrat, then she married another aristocrat who was similarly poor, then she led a simple but undisturbed household. Her husband, who served as a court attendant, would always buy her a flower when he returned home despite his tight income. Then she put the flower in a bottle, and when it withered a little, she¡¯d make it into jam. It was a sudden money plague that staggered her happy life. Her ill husband was forced to stop working and when the earnings disappeared, she had to send out even her maid, who was the only other person in her house. Even if she tried to get her parents or in-laws to lend a hand, it did not help as both of them were from poor families. Her chores and her husband¡¯s care are now hers. The sewing that she had done with her handmaiden became her way of making wages for a living, as she had to work all day long to earn her husband¡¯s medicine. She would be lying if she said she didn¡¯t blame her husband. She couldn¡¯t even answer the question whether she still loved her husband, asked to her by her neighbour who saw her suffering. Because she didn¡¯t love him in the first place. But Jane didn¡¯t want her husband to die. Like things that could not be thrown away easily even if they were broken and buried for a long time, she was attached to her husband and couldn¡¯t even run away, ¨C Sorry. Her husband used to say sorry more often than thanks. Although it is rather Jane, who is sorry for him, not being able to repay him for his love for her. Contrary to her wishes, her husband died early from illness. He said he was sorry until the end. She wished he could have said something else if it was really the last time. Jane became this type of widow. The calluses on her hands grew. Her wages and sewing skills increased alongside her calluses, and places calling for Jane began to appear one by one, it was enough to make a living. It was when she happened to get a job for a Marquis, When she was about to return home after finishing her work, a servant caught Jane. Did she do something wrong? But she couldn¡¯t remember no matter how much she thought, so she entered the room, terrified. In the room, the Marquis¡¯ only daughter, Eris Mis¨¦rian, sat elegantly sipping her tea. When she saw Jane, she threw a pair of clothes that were set aside at her feet and asked. ¨C Did you make these clothes? ¨C Yes, miss. The maid who entrusted her with work complained that she did not have a proper outfit for going out, so it was made by tweaking the old clothes she had. Lady Mis¨¦rian looked at her for a moment and then threw another pair of her clothes. It was a beautiful turquoise dress. ¨C Make it similar to this dress, but much prettier. Can you do it? ¨C I¡¯ll do it. ¨C I heard you¡¯re a widow? Stay here until the dress is finished. The fact that you are making these dresses should never spread¡­¡­. Do you understand what mean? ¨C I¡¯ll keep that in mind. ¨C Okay, let¡¯s go. If you need anything, ask my maid. Don¡¯t let me down. Jane picked up the dress and went into the room the maid had led her into. She had heard rumours that Marquis Mis¨¦rian was the richest man in the capital, but was surprised to find out that this wasn¡¯t his original mansion, and that the small room in this townhouse was about the size of the house she had lived in. Jane sat alone on the bed in the room, organizing her thoughts. This level of authority was a secret. Killing a couple of people wouldn¡¯t be a problem, so if she¡¯s unlucky, she might not be able to survive here. She had to do her best. Jane was awake for almost three days and nights. Because the time given to her was shorter than she thought. The clothes were mended to fit her size and additional lace and decorations were made and sewn It was a semi-forced job, but as time went by tiredness disappeared and the joy increased. Was making clothes always this enjoyable? No, could it have been more enjoyable than that? The euphoria she felt when she finally put the finished clothes on her master and looked at it¡­¡­! It couldn¡¯t be compared to anything else. Chapter 48 Episode 48 Twal Rose Of course, Lady Mis¨¦rian wore makeup that went well with the dress, she even put on accessories with great care. Jane, who saw her ¡®work¡¯ being completed, asked quietly. ¨C Why did you ask me to make this dress? ¨C One of the girls I hung out with didn¡¯t dare invite me to the party. I know she wants to stand out the most at the party, but she shouldn¡¯t have thought about it like that and put it into practice. Lady Mis¨¦rian finished her makeup and looked back at Jane, smiling innocently. ¨C That¡¯s why I stole the clothes for her debutante ball and told you to mend them. Soon her partner will show up at the mansion to pick me up. What would her expression be like if she lost all the attention she wanted to receive on the most important day of her life? Aren¡¯t you curious? Just for that reason? The debutante ball was one of the most important days of Jane¡¯s life. It was every girl¡¯s dream, and it was also a place to make friends as well as meet someone to marry in the future. With the thought that Lady Mis¨¦rian was as vicious as the rumors said, a person suddenly came to mind. ¨C But isn¡¯t Lady Mis¨¦rian engaged to the Crown Prince? Even if you take another man as your partner¡­ Is it okay? Oops, I stepped on a landmine. Lady Mis¨¦rian erased her laughter and glared at Jane fiercely. Then she turned her gaze to the mirror and murmured, ¨C After all, he doesn¡¯t go to such a party. Even if he attends, he probably won¡¯t be interested in me There was loneliness in her whispered voice as she polished her beautiful appearance in the mirror. As Jane took a step forward to say something, Lady Mis¨¦rian just turned her head and smiled. ¨C So, if it reaches His Highness¡¯ ears that I have entered with another man, and he became jealous of him, wouldn¡¯t that be a benefit too? No one can ignore me, said Lady Mis¨¦rian. That day, Jane was allowed to follow Lady Mis¨¦rian to Lady Morgan¡¯s debutante ball and watch from a distance. For the guilt of ignoring her, Lady Morgan was forced to enter the hall alone without her partner, and everyone at her debutante ball murmured, comparing Lady Morgan to Lady Mis¨¦rian. Lady Morgan finally burst into tears, but no one was willing to stand in front of her because they were all looking at Lady Mis¨¦rian. It was literally a jungle, it was the harsh law of nature. ¨C I liked your talent. Will you continue to make my clothes like today? After the banquet, Lady Mis¨¦rian made a proposal to Jane on the return carriage. As Jane hesitated at the sudden invitation, she added another sentence, ¨C Instead, you must throw away all of your life so far. Living as a completely different person. ¨C Yes? What do you mean¡­. ¨C What¡¯s so surprising? Did you think this Eris Mis¨¦rian could wear the clothes made by a poor villager? ¨C ¡­¡­Are you ashamed? As Jane responded in a small tone, Lady Mis¨¦rian leaned over and whispered to her, as if to appease her. (TL/N: if Eris did that to me, I would f*cking feel gay.) ¨C No matter how beautiful the clothes you make are, if the maker¡¯s status is low, it will be a lowly garment. Even if it¡¯s sad, I can¡¯t help it because this is what class is all about. Since ancient times, there has been a great wall between nobles and commoners. And now that the times have advanced, another wall of ¡®wealth¡¯ has been created. Poor aristocrats were sometimes inferior to commoners. She had to keep her dignity, but she didn¡¯t have the money for that. In order to earn money, such ones had to give up their dignity, so even if they were poor, there were aristocrats who died like a nobleman¡¯, Jane was a poor aristocrat. ¨C I will be your patron. I will give you a new identity and I will spare no effort to support you so that you can succeed. Because I feel good today. Lady Mis¨¦rian smirked, as if doing a great favor. A look of embarrassment swept over Jane. She thought she wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much if she had been born into a good family. If she was lucky and was born as the daughter of a powerful family, would it have been okay to look down on people like this? She was upset. She was upset, but¡­. ¨C I will. Jane was fed up with poverty. She wanted to end her days of barely satisfying her hunger with porridge boiled with only potatoes and flour because she had nothing else to eat. She didn¡¯t like the situation of losing all the money she had saved up in an instant if she caught a cold even if she worked hard. She had nothing more to lose. If she missed this opportunity now because of her pride, she may be unable to sleep because of hunger pangs in her stomach. Lady Mis¨¦rian smiled, satisfied with the change in Jane¡¯s eyes. ¨C Great. You will be my distant relative from now on. You will say you lived in the Kendall region and came up here a while ago. What would be a good name¡­.. Lady Miserian stroked Jane¡¯s brown hair and shook her hands as if to shake off the dirt. ¨C Twal Rose. Let¡¯s go with Twal Rose. Madame Twal Rose. Dye your hair pink to match the name. The more unconventional the first impression is the better. Having destroyed everything related to Jane, she had lived as Twal Rose from that day forward. Name, appearance, behavior, tone of voice, taste, past¡­¡­ She changed everything she could. When she was finally ready, she carved the name Jane¡¯ on a tombstone next to her husband¡¯s tombstone. She no longer looked back when she heard the name Jane. Twal Rose¡¯s salon quickly took over the social world. She made a small selection of beautiful dresses that fit the ladies perfectly, one couldn¡¯t even dream of getting her dresses unless they bought it faster than everyone else. In addition, when the picky Lady Mis¨¦rian was rumored to sponsor and care about her, the ladies worked hard to get Twal Rose¡¯s dresses to impress Lady Mis¨¦rian. The noble¡¯s servants walked in and out of Twal Rose¡¯s salon door and handed out invitations to her. If she ever showed up at an invited place, they would flirt with her and fret to get a dress. Among them, there was a household where she had once been their paid seamstress. It was funny. She had changed everything from her appearance, habits and manner of speech, but the only thing that remained the same as before were her sewing skills. But no one recognized any traces of Jane. So even though Twal Rose had all the wealth and fame in her hands, she sometimes felt empty. She looked in the mirror and saw a strange woman standing there. There was nothing left to prove her past self, that is, her true self. All for ¡®Twal Rose¡¯, not ¡®Jane¡¯. A life full of lies was choking her neck. Even though she would never get caught, she sometimes dreamed of falling down after being discovered that she was Jane. She sometimes dreamed of her husband. Each time her husband¡¯s face faded, she felt sorry for him, but she had no way of remembering him. Even if she digs his grave right now, only a skeleton would be waiting for her. The emptiness stung her. But she had no one else to consult with. There was only one person left in this current world who knew she was ¡®Jane¡¯. And that one, Lady Mis¨¦rian, laughed at Twal Rose¡¯s concerns as soon as she heard them. ¨C You¡¯ve been thinking a lot. Do you think there is anyone in this world who only tells the truth? Do you believe that there is a person who is completely clean? Lady Mis¨¦rian exclaimed fiercely. ¨C Good or evil, everyone lies! They only try to show what they want to show¡­..! Don¡¯t most people call that ¡®courtesy¡¯? ¨C But Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­¡­ ¨C Stop. Lady Mis¨¦rian stood up and looked down at Twal Rose coldly. At that overbearing gaze, Twal Rose¡¯s body shuddered. In an instant, she returned to Jane. Then with a spark in her eyes, Lady Mis¨¦rian whispered to Jane. ¨C How much of the ¡®real me¡¯ do you think you know? How much do you think you know me? Will there ever come a day in your life when you will know the ¡®real me¡¯? At the eerie remark, Twal Rose¡¯s heart sank. She thought she had Lady Mis¨¦rian figured out. If you knew Lady Mis¨¦rian, you would have guessed that she wasn¡¯t that much different from the other young girls. She had just realized that she had misjudged. Lady Mis¨¦rian changed her expression and smiled. She looked creepy. ¨C I¡¯m kidding. Why do you think the faked figure isn¡¯t the real you? Who decides that? If you truly believe that you are who you are, then that is also you. She turned her back to Twal Rose and looked out the window. A storm was coming, but she didn¡¯t mind and opened the window. Lady_Mis¨¦rian¡¯s hair fluttered in the wind. She was really beautiful. ¨C Don¡¯t let others judge you. You judge yourself. As she watched her black storm-like hair fluttering in the wind, all her worries seemed insignificant. Beautiful things sometimes make you forget all your thoughts. That¡¯s why mankind has longed for beauty for so long. Lady Mis¨¦rian asked quietly, looking at Twal Rose. -¡­¡­ Who are you? ¡­¡­..Madame Twal Rose. I am your Twal Rose. He honestly didn¡¯t think I¡¯d say no. He was staring at me with his mouth wide open. He also seemed confused. He chose his words for a while and managed to open his mouth. ¡°This is not the time to build self-esteem, young lady.¡± ¡°If I was going to build self-esteem, I would have accepted your offer.¡± ¡°Then why the hell!¡± ¡°I hate you.¡± Jason raised his voice, but I cut him off. As I pulled out the stone stuck in my fingernail, I added, speaking softly. ¡°No matter what people say, going out with you as a partner is even more annoying.¡± ¡°Why do you hate me so much? I apologized¡­¡± ¡°Did I accept that apology? Not from my memory.¡± I¡¯m not obligated to forgive you just because you are apologizing. An apple is just an apple after all. Even if I forgave him, what would that mean? He¡¯d constantly be rambling on and repeating his empty apologies. How easy has it been that he lived a life that is so comfortable that he doesn¡¯t even think about other people¡¯s feelings and only insists on his own opinion and stubbornness? Now, I even marveled at Jason. Envy him. Because he is a person who is tolerable no matter how many times he makes a mistake. He seems to have lived with people who understood him even when he said that, but not me. ¡°You mean you don¡¯t want to see me for the rest of your life? It¡¯s because I¡­ was hostile to you in the first place? Only for that reason?¡± ¡°How can it be considered ¡®only¡¯? Isn¡¯t it as if the trust has really been broken? How can I believe that someone who once hated me won¡¯t betray me again?¡± ¡°If I prove it, will you believe me then?¡± Meaning of ¡°lane¡±: The name Jane is of English origin and means God is gracious. Chapter 49 Episode 49 Another kind of ¡®Stranger¡¯ The more I said no, the more stubborn Jason seemed to be. Like with a true customer, you have to agree eagerly and soothe them with pretty words to end it early. The unfortunate thing was that I couldn¡¯t do that at all. If I said that I disliked it, I would be too obvious, but if I didn¡¯t, it would be like having a knife at my throat. It might have been a little easier if I could please Jason. He might lose interest sooner and not bother me, ¡°How are you going to prove it?¡± ¡°By doing anything you ask.¡± But I didn¡¯t want to. These days, I was out of breath even when trying to calm myself down. I pressed the middle of my forehead when my head began to ache again. ¡°I don¡¯t know why Lord Kazar is so persistent with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who wants to know why Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­ refuses favors. When you are having a hard time¡­ is it that hard to say that you are having a hard time?¡± Rather, I would have understood if he liked me. But Jason doesn¡¯t like me. If he liked me, he wouldn¡¯t have said such nonsense. Just by looking at the difference in attitude he had toward Helena and me right now, it was not love. It¡¯s not love, it¡¯s not sympathy, at the very least it¡¯s not even the clich¨¦ of ¡®You¡¯re the first woman who pushed me away¡¯ like the male protagonist in a drama. Then why the hell? ¡°To be honest¡­ Lady Mis¨¦rian was only weak against His Highness. You always acted like that. Acting like you don¡¯t need anyone other than His Highness, pretending to be strong and putting up thorns.¡± He strode over to me with bloodshot eyes and grabbed both of my wrists. I twisted my body to get away, but his grip was so strong that I couldn¡¯t move, Jason restrained others as he pleased, but he was acting as if he had been the one imprisoned when he squeezed his sad eyes as he spoke. ¡°That¡¯s how you increase your number of enemies.. You say you¡¯ve grown up. Didn¡¯t you say that you realized that His Highness wouldn¡¯t love you? You said, you wanted to take a break¡­. Why¡­¡­ are you whipping yourself?¡± (PR/N: ¡®Whipping in this case meant ¡®punishing ???? Eris¡¯s image was clearly reflected in his eyes, but somehow it was out of focus. As if looking at someone else. Oh, now I understand. He was projecting himself onto me. ¨C I trained to slay a dragon until I bled. I held a sword as soon as I could walk and didn¡¯t rest even for a day. ¨C I wanted to live, I wanted to run away and I thought it was all unreasonable. The young Jason who could not do anything despite being forced to do something unreasonable, and Jason Kazar who had to die to meet someone¡¯s expectations! He is trying to save me and comfort his former self. I was so angry that my ears became hot. It felt like my head was spinning from the lack of oxygen. Why are you trying to use other people to treat your own trauma? How ridiculous do you think people are¡­¡­! When a person is angry, superpower springs up. I shook off Jason¡¯s hand and slapped his cheek. ¡°What the hell do you know about me¡­! Don¡¯t treat me like a weak woman you have to protect! You really don¡¯t have a clue? I¡¯m not miserable at all! It¡¯s you who wants me to be miserable! That¡¯s how I can dig myself into a hole!¡± The words I have been holding back from Jason so far, I vented out all the anger that was boiling up in my abdomen. I couldn¡¯t breathe well. He looked shocked, but I couldn¡¯t stop my already opened mouth. ¡°Do I hate you? What if I hate you, and what if I don¡¯t? Are you so afraid of being hated? Did you think you would only be loved by everyone in the world?¡± It was an idea that even a young child would not have. After all, you are trying to entrust your ego to someone you don¡¯t know. My stomach twisted, snorted and asked Jason with a cold face. ¡°What do I think of you¡­ do you really want to hear that?¡± Jason tried to blankly nod his head, but suddenly, out of fear, he hurriedly shook it. But however Jason answered, I was going to be honest. I¡¯d laugh, casually, but tell a story he would never want to hear, ¡°You know¡­ I¡¯m not interested in Lord Kazar. I don¡¯t hate you either. Hating is only possible if one¡¯s interested.¡± One step forward. I approached Jason. Then Jason took a step back from me as if he was afraid of something. Without stopping, I took another step¡­.. Jason¡¯s eyes became moist. When Jason finally bumped into the wall and looked down at me in horror, I quietly said to him, ¡°I¡¯m not curious at all. How you have lived and what you think.¡± Jason eventually shed tears. Even that had nothing to do with me. I didn¡¯t feel any excitement. He was at a loss and eventually tried to reach out to me. I shrugged off the hand in anger. It was annoying. ¡°What makes you happy and sad¡­¡­ I don¡¯t want to know, and I want to forget even if I know. I won¡¯t cry even if you go somewhere and die tomorrow. Because you¡¯re ¡®a stranger¡¯ to me.¡± ¡°You¡­.. don¡¯t need me?¡± ¡°If you understand, don¡¯t talk to me in the future. I¡¯m tired.¡± I said that and turned around. For how long did I walk down the hallway to get back to my room? ¡°Wait, wait, please, young lady!¡± I heard Jason chasing me from behind. As I ignored him and walked on firmly, the sound of his footsteps approached me. I thought he was going to grab my wrist soon. Tack. A friction sound. But somehow I didn¡¯t feel anything on my wrist. ¡°You¡­¡­.¡± Anakin was holding Jason¡¯s wrist. Anakin released his hand when Jason used his strength. Because of that, Jason, who was shaken by the retaliation, stared furiously at Anakin. ¡°How dare you touch the body of a noble¡­ Do you want to die?¡± ¡°My master is not Sir Kazar, and¡­ whoever touches my master, if she doesn¡¯t want it, it is my duty to stop him.¡± Anakin responded coldly to Jason¡¯s threat, knelt down on one of his knees and looked up at me. ¡°What should I do?¡± He looked like a loyal dog waiting for an order, and so I sighed and laughed. After all, I said that I wouldn¡¯t see him as a human dog. As I was about to stroke Anakin¡¯s head, my hand stopped and I looked at Jason. Flinch. Jason studied my face. I poured everything out earlier and now I was no longer angry. ¡°Jason Kazar, don¡¯t bother me and leave.¡± ¡°If you want to throw away your feelings or memories like trash, I¡¯ll lend you a mirror. Take care of it by yourself. Don¡¯t look for other people.¡± I¡¯m talking about Helena. I added clearly to him by mouthing it silently. Helena. The stupid kid was sure to accept Jason¡¯s visit. I won¡¯t be able to see that again. Jason stood devastated. When the maid, who was cleaning the room, saw us standing, she covered her mouth in shock. She saw my expression and quickly approached Jason. I told her. ¡°Emma, it seems that the guest is lost. See him off to the exit.¡± ¡°Yes, miss. Lord Kazar, please come this way.¡± After finally sending Jason away, I was exhausted both physically and mentally. I almost dragged myself and managed to open my door. I waved my hand to stop Anakin, who was trying to follow me in. ¡°Anakin, you go to the kitchen and get some medicine. My head hurts.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As Anakin left, I locked the door and buried my head in the pillow. I also got really upset. Locking the door so he can¡¯t come in while he brings the medicine I told him to. (TL/N: haha she is being grumpy here) I just wanted to get confirmation. I don¡¯t want Anakin to give up on me easily, no matter how grumpy I was. For me, I wish he would try. The pillow got wet. I wasn¡¯t even sad, but tears came out. Everything was annoying. My insides were aching because of the stomach cramps caused by stress. I couldn¡¯t even groan and just chewed my mouth. Praying that the pain will pass quickly. My face was wet with cold sweat and tears. Creak. I could hear the doorknob turning, but the door wouldn¡¯t open because I locked it. I felt really sick and I wanted to pass out rather than die. Then, suddenly, there was the sound of the door opening. From a blurry vision, I saw that Anakin opened the door and entered. He quietly placed the brought items on the bedside table and waved lightly in front of my eyes. ¡°Master, are you awake? I brought you some medicine.¡± ¡°¡­How did you open the door?¡± ¡°I was worried¡­ so I asked the servant for the key, Can you get up?¡± I actually thought he would come in using a revolutionary way. Breaking the door or coming through the window¡­.. A little more like a scene from a novel. My way of thinking is also changing as it is a fictional world. Anakin held me firmly as I fumbled to get up. I felt dizzy. I rested my back on Anakin¡¯s chest, breathing, and Anakin brought the vial to my mouth. ¡°Keep drinking it.¡± He said in a low voice. I drank all the medicine he gave me, and even drank the water he gave me to cool my mouth. Whether it was a placebo effect or not as the medicine might not have activated yet, but the pain reduced. Even after I finished taking the medicine, he didn¡¯t leave and he wiped my face with a cold towel. I liked the touch, so I felt pathetic, yet I wanted to ask. ¡°Do you like me?¡± Chapter 50 Episode 50 To Make Or Break Us Tell me you like me. I didn¡¯t even ask if you love me Anakin¡¯s mouth slowly opened. The moment he tried to answer something. I suddenly came to my senses. What did I just say? What if he likes me? I was going to leave anyway. Nothing could be returned to Anakin. I shouted urgently. ¡°Don¡¯t say it.¡± ¡°¡­But.¡± ¡°I told you not to!¡± I quickly closed Anakin¡¯s mouth by covering it with my palm. Until just now, I had reprimanded Jason not to be trash and use other people¡¯s emotions, but now I almost used Anakin like that. I¡¯m his master. He can¡¯t refuse me, so I shouldn¡¯t have gone this far. Funny. People are so deceitful. Other people¡¯s flaws looked bigger than anyone else¡¯s, so we struggled to fix them. Even if they could be our fault, we would search for excuses first. I¡¯m disillusioned with myself. When I stopped him, he pulled the palm that covered his mouth to his cheek and just looked at me silently. That was a good look. I liked that he waited for me. Amid all the commotion pouring towards me, he alone was quiet, so that was good. I wanted to show only a cool and strong image to you who liked that. I didn¡¯t want to be a burden even if could get help from you. I¡¯d rather die than look weak to you. I thought, stroking his cheek. If Anakin likes me¡­¡­. Was that really ¡®me¡¯? Could it not be that the causality of this novel made him fall in love with ¡®Eris¡±? With suspicion, fear grew. What if I don¡¯t want to go back? I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll love you too much. ¡®If you make me ¡®Eris Mis¨¦rian¡¯, if I stay here because of you and lose you, I will have to live the rest of my life without dying. No, come to think of it, it wasn¡¯t a life that I was really afraid of. Even if I loved you and stayed here, I could never be happy. In the end, it will be filled with regrets and I will resent myself and you who made me remain. I am afraid that I might become the type of person I despise the most. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can go out. About¡­ thank you.¡± I got out of his arms and laid quietly on the bed. He wrapped the blanket up to the end of my neck and turned his head away. Anakin didn¡¯t leave for a moment, then looked at me. But in the end, I heard the sound of walking away. Don¡¯t go. As the door closed, I suddenly became caught in that thought and hurriedly turned my head, And I made eye contact with Anakin who was still looking at me. My face was burning up. What if I was being impatient? Several excuses passed through my mind. But Anakin only asked me quietly. ¡°Are you in so much pain that you can¡¯t sleep¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can I stay by your side?¡± ¡°¡­..Yes.¡± Anakin quietly knelt next to me. I looked at Anakin like that and closed my eyes. Then he carefully grabbed my fingertips on the blanket. To confirm his existence even if I couldn¡¯t see him in front of me. Finally, let¡¯s make one more excuse today. I¡¯m sick. All humans will get sick so that doesn¡¯t mean I look weak. Tomorrow is the debutante ball, and I am now entering the palace as if I am revising everything at the last minute. Helena was a sincere student, so she had thoroughly reviewed even without me. At this rate, if she studied a little more after the debutante ball, she could become a crown princess without difficulty. In the first place, there was not much to teach except for court manners. Political sensibility and state administration were tasks that required some sense, and it was not something I could teach. Still, I gave Helena a brief word of praise for her obedience to my instructions. Now, for tomorrow¡¯s sake, I was going to go there, but suddenly, there was a commotion outside. Before his attendant could even say his name, the crown prince suddenly opened the door and entered As soon as he saw us both, he scrunched up his face, grabbed Helena¡¯s wrist and hid her behind him. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Your Highness. It¡¯s a dazzling afternoon. Is there any reason for you to come in a hurry, even breaking the etiquette?¡± ¡°Why are you with Helena?¡± It doesn¡¯t matter if I tell you the truth because the training is already over, but somehow I was reluctant. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m nervous because I¡¯m not. Come to think of it, breaking up with me and Helena becoming the crown princess are all good things for the crown prince, so I didn¡¯t want to nicely tell him that. Helena, who was alternating her gaze between the two of us, slipped in between. ¡°1, 1, I caught Lady Miserian for a cup of tea, right, Lady Miserian?¡± ¡°You¡­ have no fear! What would you do if that harmed you?¡± The crown prince, who referred to a person using a direct pronoun and not a personal pronoun, carefully checked to see if Helena was injured. As I watched, asked in annoyance. ¡°Am I a monster?¡± ¡°You¡¯re more poisonous than a monster. If I had been with a monster, I wouldn¡¯t have been so concerned.¡± ¡°Your Highness¡­¡­.¡± When Helena stopped him, he stopped staring at me and looked down at Helena. Those were the eyes that saw the most adorable thing in the world. The prince whispered as he carefully tucked her hair behind her ear, as if he was afraid of breaking Helena. ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°Yes? What do you have to say¡­¡­¡± ¡°Would you like to come to Young Lady Kazar¡¯s debutante ball with me? As my partner. Don¡¯t you know the lady too?¡± Helena looked at me for a moment. I nodded my head slightly as a sign of permission. I was going to talk to the crown prince first about this today anyway. This way was more plausible than the crown prince being rejected by his fianc¨¦e who had been pinning after his love. ¡°Did you plan to come too?¡± ¡°Of course I have to go, Your Majesty. It¡¯s the Young Lady¡¯s debutante ball, how can I miss it?¡± ¡°Alone, without a partner?¡± The nobleman, who should have been my partner, was laughing at me after he requested for someone else to be his partner right in front of me. I knew from our first meeting that the crown prince was shameless, but I just smiled and accepted it. In the first place, it¡¯s more annoying if you treat these things casually. ¡°Why don¡¯t I have a partner? Isn¡¯t there Anakin?¡± ¡°Anakin?¡± ¡°You probably saw him last time. My escort knight, Your Highness.¡± The prince¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°Isn¡¯t he¡­ a commoner?¡± ¡°Your Highness, with all due respect¡­¡­ Lady Antebellum is still a commoner.¡± You¡¯re taking a commoner partner too, is this something I can¡¯t do? If both of us take a commoner partner, it will be worth seeing people¡¯s faces. I didn¡¯t bother to say that. He asked with a cold face. ¡°Does your father know this?¡± ¡°If my father doesn¡¯t know, are you going to be my partner then? You¡¯re not going to do that¡­..¡± ¡°Are you going to pretend to lose the imperial family?¡± Even though I was struggling, the crown prince hit the nail on the head with a serious face. So I answered seriously with a thin expression. ¡°Yes, Your Highness. I¡¯d like to break ties with the imperial family this time.¡± ¡°The Marquis¡­¡­¡± ¡°My father may be able to re-establish the connection, but it will never be through me.¡± Why is your face so shocked? You didn¡¯t think that ¡°Your Eris¡¯ would ever say something like this for the rest of her life? No matter what you said, did you think she wouldn¡¯t let you go? Yes, Eris Mis¨¦rian wouldn¡¯t have. Even if it was closer to regret than love, she would have never let go of the prince¡¯s hand. But standing here, I only put on Eris Mis¨¦rian¡¯s outer shell and I am a completely different person from her. Now I¡¯m going to do what she said she had to, but never did. ¡°I will have to go through a number of formalities.. but I will tell you personally first. We will break up our marriage in the near future, Your Highness. If we break up, we will become strangers so we won¡¯t have to face each other anymore.¡± ¡°The affairs of the imperial family are not at your disposal. Didn¡¯t you say at first that it was the marriage between the imperial family and the marquis?¡± The crown prince must really know nothing. All of this broken engagement, broken marriage, just knew how to sing in line, but what did I do with my own hands¡­¡­ (PR/N: she¡¯s likely referring to herself as a puppet.) ¡°It was approved by Her Majesty the Empress. Is that an answer?¡± ¡°Oh, my mother?¡± I bowed my knees slightly to greet the prince and just before leaving the room, I opened my eyes wide and as if wondering, I added to the crown prince who was still looking at me. ¡°Your Highness, didn¡¯t you want it as much?¡±¡± Finally, the day of the showdown has come. Somehow since it was the day of the showdown, I looked determined. In fact, it¡¯s an adult ceremony at someone else¡¯s house. Still, it was like an implicit declaration of the breakup so I had to work hard to decorate. The dress that Madame sent me was so pretty that there was a possibility that my face would be pushed back. After this pretty dress arrived, I decided to match all the jewellery to the dress. I also matched my makeup using a soft coral tonel didn¡¯t normally wear and untied my hair which I had always kept neat in a half ponytail. Instead of a gorgeous jewel necklace, a ribbon was tied with black silk, and the earrings were instead crafted with large emeralds. The fluffy and soft dress looked just like cotton candy. I wore lace gloves of the same colour as my dress and had a crafted pink diamond flower on my hair. Hmm, I don¡¯t look like a villain who came to harm someone. However, even if I dressed up like this, I might want to f*ck with someone again when I go to the debutante ball. Because people never know how to act. And there¡¯s nothing that can be done. I have no choice but to instill a lesson to not judge people by their appearance. (QC/N: the author literally used f*ck¡±, in this case, meaning ¡®to mess with or annoy.) Chapter 51 Episode 51 Absolute Honor The marquis and emperor did not come to the debutante ball. Unless the relationship was that of a father or a betrothed, it was an implicit practice for older men not to attend the debutante ball. They will probably notice later than anyone else that my partner is not the crown prince, but Anakin. purposely aimed for that. When I opened the door and left, Anakin was waiting for me as usual. What was different was that this time, he didn¡¯t stand behind me, he held my hand and stood by my side. He was wearing a uniform with dark navy and gold, thread, and as expected, the word ¡®men¡¯s uniform was not for nothing. (PR/N: She¡¯s probably referring to men in uniforms, like police/marine/etc.) All his light brown hair was pulled back, so I touched only one side and ruffled it. Hmm, it¡¯s much better. Slicked-back hair looked too old fashioned. I smiled at Anakin, who was blinking his eyes, saying ¡®It¡¯s a trend these days.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t wrong. It just wasn¡¯t a trend in this world. Duchess Kazar¡¯s townhouse was older than that of any nobleman in the capital. However, as it was constantly undergoing renovation, it was considered to be more of an antique and stylish mansion than an oldfashioned one. Above all, the garden was much wider than the mansion. This was because due to the nature of the Kazar family who produced knights, they needed a place to train. Since it was a place for training, it was closer to an empty lot than a garden. It was also to prevent the assassins from hiding as much as possible in case of any event. Instead, the Duke of Kazar¡¯s mansion was exceptionally small for a nobleman¡¯s mansion. When holding a banquet, because of its size, it was impossible to bring in all the guests. So when I read, the novel, there was a description that the banquets of Duke Kazar were always held in the garden Last time, there weren¡¯t many people at the tea party, I couldn¡¯t imagine having a meeting on the terrace of a small mansion, it was a little embarrassing to call it a flower garden. A banquet in a place like a lawn playground? However, when I arrived, I thought they were definitely one of the greatest nobles in the country. The garden, which was brightly lit with 1,000 lights, was decorated with 10,000 flowers. Not only was it full of antique tables and chairs, but there was also a road paved with blue satin towards the fountain, which I don¡¯t know where it came from. There were, even people dressed splendidly there, so it was a landscape closer to a famous painting than reality. Originally, important people appeared later during banquets. When we got off the carriage, the servant tried to announce our status loudly. However, the young servant looked at Anakin with a slightly embarrassed face and bowed his head again and again and asked. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s partner is not written on the list. Excuse me, but I¡¯d like to ask how to introduce you.¡± ¡°He¡¯s my knight.¡± ¡°Oh, then like Sir Kazar¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you understand? It¡¯s ¡®my knight¡¯, not the country¡¯s.¡± When I shook my head and showed signs of discomfort to the servant who asked if he had been given a title, Anakin quietly spoke to him. ¡°Just Lady Mis¨¦rian and her knight is enough.¡± ¡°Yes, yes! Excuse me! Lady Mis¨¦rian and the lady¡¯s knight are entering!¡± As the servant shouted loudly, the eyes of the people who were talking to each other turned to this side, They looked surprised for a moment and quickly removed it from their faces. Indeed, without a single error in my estimations, they were busy gossiping about the fact that Anakin was next to me. Either way, I slowly made my way to the center of the garden. With every step I took, the ample skirt¡¯s hem fluttered. In the pouring attention, I found Lady Kazar, today¡¯s main character. Lady Kazar curled her red hair, which was like her brother¡¯s, and the combination of the light sky blue dress and white lace was very beautiful. When she found me, she greeted me in a rather modest way with her pearls accessories dangling. ¡°Thank you for coming, Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more than grateful to you for inviting me here, Lady Kazar. Please take care of me in the future.¡± While we were exchanging formal greetings, the voice of the servant rang out once again. ¡°Prince Alecto is entering with Lady Antebellum¡­..!¡± Hmm. The introduction is a little shorter. Is it because it¡¯s not the royal palace? As soon as the names of the two were shouted, there was a slight disturbance. People looked at my expression blatantly without showing signs of concealing. I was actually thinking something out of line. Just look at me. Did I make any expression other than a sour one? Numbly looking at the entrance, the two most beautiful people in the world appeared. Helena was exactly how I decorated her. Purple, which was the color of the imperial family, was wrapped around her body and her long hair, which was neatly braided to one side, shined like the Milky Way during the evening. After contemplating on the tiara until the end, I eventually decided to put a violet ornament made of amethyst between the braids, and it was a wise choice. The crown prince also looked more like the sun god Apollo than a human being. Seeing that Helena¡¯s beauty, which I have polished, is not a joke and does not fade, I also wondered if the crown prince had put a lot of effort into decorating today. The crown prince and Helena looked at us and walked slowly. ¡°It¡¯s my absolute honor that you¡¯re here, Your Highness.¡± ¡°It¡¯s natural because you¡¯re the younger sister of Jason. Since the debutante ball was held, you will soon become an adult.¡± ¡°Girls always grow up fast¡­. What about the lady over here?¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Lady Kazar. I¡¯ve heard a lot from Lord Kazar. It¡¯s our first time seeing each other like this, right?¡± Come to think of it, Helena was always in the Imperial Palace, and Jason was in a position to visit the Imperial Palace to see Helena and the crown prince, so even a childhood friend must not have been close to the siblings. Somehow, I wondered why Kazar¡¯s young lady looked so subtle. ¡°I also heard a lot from my brother. I didn¡¯t expect to see you¡­¡± ¡°T¡¯ll see you often in the future, right, Lady Antebellum?¡± I looked at Helena silently. Now Helena had to do what Eris had been doing. Attend parties held by people who are not even close to each other, smile and respond to people even if she doesn¡¯t want to see them, and remember only the necessary information to use skilfully later. Helena looked at me for a while, blinked and nodded slowly. Lady Kazar was confused by my remark and looked back at the two of us alternately. You probably can¡¯t do it. You can¡¯t imagine that Lady Miserian will break up with the crown prince. Then I heard people gossiping in my ears. ¡°What is this¡­. Among the swans, there are no ducks, but crows.¡± ¡°By the way. I heard it earlier, so he didn¡¯t get a title, it was said that he was a personal escort knight? ¡°Don¡¯t be too harsh, ladies. Couldn¡¯t that guy flirt with Lady Mis¨¦rian, who had been abandoned by His Highness?¡± ¡°Oh my god, the Count is so¡­.! Lady Mis¨¦rian has just become an adult so it¡¯s natural that she doesn¡¯t know the world yet.¡± Oh my, I only looked at what I saw with my eyes. I think you guys are having an affair. When I looked back, men and women quickly avoided my eyes and coughed in vain. Certainly, all the faces shone at this meeting. With all the most handsome and beautiful women in the world, gathered, Anakin¡¯s existence, which was only a supporting role, deserved to be completely erased. What¡¯s the point if only the outside is flashy? There is no essence inside. I snorted inwardly. Anakin was even more unfortunate if you swapped him with the crown prince. When I looked at Anakin, Anakin followed me and faced me. He tilted his head slightly to the side as if asking if I had something to say. Even if you¡¯re handsome for a season, if someone looks cute, it¡¯s over. I smiled and tried to push Anakin¡¯s fluffy hair back, but an ugly face appeared. It would be rather strange not to show up on his only sister¡¯s birthday. Dressed up more than ever, Jason was calmly walking this way with a bouquet of flowers in one hand, his ponytail tied with a ribbon that seemed a little longer Because Jason was so big, there was an optical illusion that the garden looked like a runway. He smelled the scent of the flowers once and handed the bouquet of flowers to his sister. ¡°Congratulations on your debut, Paena. Long time no see, Your Highness. Helena, you too.¡± ¡°Even if I told you not to come, you came and went to the imperial palace, but these days, it¡¯s been a while¡± ¡°There are a lot of people who want to see me come back alive. I was a bit busy. Right, Paena?¡± ¡°My brother was a little busy running away.¡± In the midst of a friendly conversation, Jason stared at me. I didn¡¯t stop looking even though I didn¡¯t glance on purpose. The crown prince asked without noticing, ¡°But why didn¡¯t you bring anyone as a partner? It¡¯s not like you.¡± ¡°I applied, but I was rejected.¡± Even while saying that, he was staring at me. If you¡¯re going to do this, why don¡¯t you spread the word that you¡¯ve been rejected by me? Even the crown prince noticed something and began to take turns looking at Jason. I was going to look back at Jason and say a word, but Helena smiled and said, ¡°Whoa, she is such a bold lady to refuse Jason.¡± At this time, Helena¡¯s lack of sense felt cute and lovely. When Jason, who couldn¡¯t let go of his lingering feelings, was about to add more words, the band began to play dance songs, perhaps judging that all the main characters had appeared. Although it was a little uncomfortable to dance on the lawn, I thought it was romantic, they were all memorable faces. (QC/N: I believed our FL thought it was memorable as most of the main characters were gathered in such a nice place.) I reached out to Anakin. ¡°Will you dance to a song?¡± Anakin put his hand on his chest and nodded lightly ¡°It¡¯s an honor.¡± Chapter 52 Episode 52 Kiss Anakin danced much more skillfully than when he was taught by the nanny to dance Polonez. Back then, had to lead him halfway, but now he¡¯s quite in sync with me. I didn¡¯t know if reading the notes helped me dance, or if I¡¯m good at roughly everything I did with my body, We continued to dance without stopping even though Polonez ended and led into Waltz. With each turn, my dress bloomed like a single flower. After dancing the Waltz, I was a little tired. After telling him to rest, I picked up a drink nearby From afar, I watched Helena conversing with others as she had been educated by me. Today, Helena is another star of the party, and has as much attention as Lady Kazar. She should have actually gotten this kind of attention when she was at Eris¡¯s coming-of-age ceremony. That¡¯s because the social debut of the original Helena took place at that time. But at that time, there was no one to teach Helena. She was beautiful and kind, but her manners were messed up and she was ridiculed behind her back. It didn¡¯t stop there, and she was also bullied by Eris and her followers. Now that there is no reason for that, it¡¯s enough if you only receive love and endure the last ordeal I give you, An ordeal. Is it okay to describe it as an ordeal? The thought of the dagger in the house made my throat dry. What will happen to Helena if Hubris fails to save her? My mind was dizzy with thoughts, but Anakin covered me with a shawl. I didn¡¯t know where he brought it from. I looked at the indifferent but sweet face and asked what I was curious about. ¡°Did you practice?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Anakin hesitated, and then added. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to embarrass you.¡± When he said that, he lowered his eyes slightly as if he was shy. I tried to restrain myself, but the corners of my lips kept rising. I was glad that no one knew him. Anakin, it was terribly good that I was the only one in the world to know that you were lovable. I thought that for the rest of my life there would be ng relationship with monopoly, possessiveness and such feelings, but thanks to you, I was discovering a new side of myself that I did not know. (TL/N: she is obsessed with him!!! Haha obsessive female lead!!) It was a great party. Countless lanterns shone like stars, and although autumn was over, the weather was not so cold for some reason. The melodies that lingered in my ears were infinitely soft, and people¡¯s laughter continued endlessly. I knew that everyone¡¯s attention was on us. This impulsive choice could be my weakness, and maybe would regret it later. But it was a very pleasant day. As much as I want to be a little reckless. Most of all, Anakin in front of me was pretty. I lifted my head slightly and whispered to Anakin. ¡°Give me a kiss.¡± Anakin looked surprised at those words. ¨C Kiss me now ¨C Yes? ¨C Pretend to. Hurry. Oh, come to think of it, something similar happened, on the train. When I pulled his neck, he hesitated to kiss me, so I had to make sounds clumsily with my mouth. If Anakin had pulled me in and kissed me before my request, I would have understood. It¡¯s a common scene in innocent manhwa and dramas. Kissing in order to get out of a difficult situation. Moreover, Eris was so beautiful that no one would, refuse to kiss Eris. But even though Anakin supported my back, he didn¡¯t cross the line. It was good. I feel like he respects me. So I thought maybe he might refuse this time too. It would be a little embarrassing, but I think it¡¯s okay. A lot has changed since then. If I ordered Anakin to kiss me right now, he wouldn¡¯t refuse me. But I didn¡¯t want to. Because I like him. I wanted to get permission. Instead of kissing you to get out of trouble, Anakin, want you to kiss me because you want to. Our gazes collided again, as on the train. And unlike then, Anakin¡¯s pale eyes slowly closed. Without any refusal or dislike, he closed his eyes and bowed his head to me. Then he grabbed my cheeks and kissed me. Joy warmed my heart. I just wanted to scream. A rough sensation, people talking, and a feeling of exhilaration. At this moment, at this moment! The protagonist in the novel¡­¡­ I feel like it¡¯s just me. When the kiss was over, there was silence everywhere. People were amazed at the recklessness of ¡®Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯ and seemed terrified. Some of them were brave enough to look at the prince¡¯s expression Of course I didn¡¯t look back. In this situation, if I looked at the prince¡¯s face, I looked like a foolish person. I didn¡¯t kiss him to get him jealous. I bowed slightly to Lady Kazar, who was alone with her partner, and then took Anakin¡¯s hand and stepped out of the room, stepping onto the blue cloth. I¡¯ve done enough to socialize, and I saw Helena doing well, so there was no reason to stay any longer. I¡¯m going to wash my feet quickly and go to bed. I was tired from preparing in the morning. In the carriage, I closed my eyes tightly for a minute, then opened them slowly. The 12th time today, this was my mood. He was good, but I was afraid of him because he was too good, and I was sad because there was a scheduled future, and then it all melted away with one small action. Maybe my head hurts often and I get motion sickness because my mind shakes like a roller coaster Anakin, on the opposite side, did not bother to ask even though he might have something to ask. He might ask me why I kissed him, but he always understood me unconditionally. So, instead, I wanted to ask. What are you thinking now? What do you think when you see me? I am curious about you¡­¡­ aren¡¯t you curious about me? I kissed you because I liked you. What about you? What if you feel bad? Do you like me too? If not¡­¡­ Just because you don¡¯t want to be in trouble? swallowed the questions that had been swirling in my mouth without spitting them out. He always waits for me, so I wanted to wait for Anakin at least once. We still have time. Let me know before my wick burns out. (TL/N: wick-a strip of porous material up which liquid fuel is drawn by capillary action to the flame in a candle, lamp, or lighter.) Only after Eris left did people exhale. As if they had been under silencing magic so far. In the midst of everyone¡¯s confusion, Paena looked back at her brother and asked him with all her might. ¡°I bet, is the rumor that that knight is Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s lover true?¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t talk.¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t you bring it up first? Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s escort knight always wants to pretend to be her lover!¡± Paena was not the only one who opened her mouth. ¡°How could your fianc¨¦e do that in front of Your Highness?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that she¡¯s trying to at least make him jealous. Isn¡¯t her nature like that of her father, isn¡¯t she cunning?¡± ¡°How meticulously she has been decorated, though not being Your Highness¡¯ partner, you would think it was Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s debutante ball.¡± Once the idea was formed, it came pouring out without stopping. They exclaimed excitedly as there, was no need to lower their voices because the party involved was not present. Even so, their tone and expressions became more ridiculous as if they were trying to get rid of their dignity. In the midst of the commotion, Helena asked innocently, fluttering her silver eyelashes as if she knew nothing. ¡°But I heard that Lady Mis¨¦rian broke up. Right, Alec?¡± At the words spoken by the only person who was allowed to call Crown Prince Alecto by his nickname, the people again stiffened. Alecto missed the timing to respond to those innocent eyes. If he answers with ¡®no¡¯, then Helena becomes a mistress at that moment. The timely reply was an unspoken affirmation. People noticed that Helena was wearing her purple clothes, This was because people who were not members of the royal family cannot use purple arbitrarily. No matter how close she was to the crown prince, she looked too expensive and splendid to be called his nanny¡¯s daughter, and above all else, the manners of her body were close to that of the royal family. ¡®If someone had been intentionally taught imperial etiquette, it was obvious why. It was to make her a future member of the imperial family, and now the only unmarried person in the imperial family was the crown prince. ¡°Then the Crown Princess will become Lady Antebellum?¡± She said she was engaged, but the engagement was just an engagement. This was because, technically, Eris was not yet married to the prince. The marriage of the crown prince, who would become the future emperor, was treated as an important national event, and it was a loophole that occurred because it was made in accordance with domestic and foreign circumstances. There were cases where the marriage was broken, like when the fianc¨¦ finds a major flaw, but it was a rare case even if you looked at the history of the empire because the fianc¨¦e became the de facto crown princess. ¡°I mean, wasn¡¯t Lady Mis¨¦rian a bit vicious? Sometimes, she intimidated and daunted people¡­. She was very selfish with her father and the imperial family behind her!¡± ¡°It was her hobby to tease and chase people who couldn¡¯t please her¡­. To become the mother of the Empire, she has to be respectful and kind like Lady Antebellum.¡± ¡°His Highness also favors Lady Antebellum more, isn¡¯t it rather good?¡± People were excited and joked around with their mouths. Jason¡¯s face, hearing all the gossip, became more and more complicated. Helena blinked her eyes in embarrassment at the unexpected reaction, but she soon gave up on refuting once more. Because that¡¯s what she had always gone through. People who already have stereotypes won¡¯t listen to Helena no matter how much she tells the truth Instead, it just places one more stereotype on Helena, With the words, ¡®It¡¯s because you¡¯re kind¡¯. (QC/N: think of ¡®stereotype¡¯ as ¡®assumptions¡¯ or ¡®impressions¡¯ in this case.) Chapter 53 Episode 53 Tears of the Moon TW: Mentions of r*pe ¡°His Majesty is calling.¡± As soon as Helena and Alecto arrived at the Imperial Palace, the head servant bowed his head to Alecto, and said so. As if he knew the reason, Alecto clicked his tongue once and followed the head servant silently. Helena looked at Alecto with concern, not forgetting to reassure him with hand gestures. The door opened with the maid¡¯s announcement that Alecto was coming in. A white-haired Kratos stood near the window. With his back towards Alecto, he asked in a quiet voice. ¡°I heard that you took your nanny¡¯s daughter to the debutante ball. Are you crazy?¡± In fact, it was more of a scream than a question. Kratos shook his head and said to Alecto. To capture Eris Mis¨¦rian again. ¡°Whatever you do, make a wish or beg, tie her back next to you!¡± Alecto responded gloomily at Kratos, who was angry but never looked back. ¡°I heard that my mother allowed me to break up with Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± ¡°¡­Melpomene?¡± ¡°Yes, the child recklessly insisted on breaking up the marriage first. Do you know how troubling it was because of everything she¡¯s been doing? And yet the Marquis and His Majesty cover it, and as the day goes on, her arrogance is getting worse¡­¡± Alecto sighed loudly as if he had a headache and spoke as if criticizing Kratos. His, at first, calm voice grew louder and louder, and in the end, he got angry at Kratos. ¡°The Marquis of Mis¨¦rian is clever, you told me that I should be wary. But then why do you keep the Marquis close to you! Even now, the Marquis and his child are so complacent, what if she marries me and becomes lonely?¡± Kratos finally looked back at Alecto. He had a younger face than his peers, but it was also difficult to guess his age because of the tiredness around his eyes and the white hair. He suddenly changed his voice and soothed Alecto. ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t understand your heart? Never trust the Marquis, but keep him by your side. The same goes for that child.¡± Kratos made up an infinitely friendly voice, but the eyes were indifferent. He treated Alecto as if he was treating his servant, not looking at his son. That¡¯s why Alecto had never looked straight at Kratos. No, it was closer to not being able to look. Because he was always afraid of Kratos. ¡°Eris Mis¨¦rian is a hostage, shield and faithful servant.¡± Kratos was a man who was skilled at holding and shaking other people¡¯s hearts better than anyone else, He tied his beloved woman to his side with that talent, dropped the vast empire into his grasp, and gripped the enemies who tried to break him down. ¡°Your mother was born and raised as an empress, so she was able to endure, but Helena Antebellum is different. Do you think that a fragile and good child will be able to hold out in this scary imperial palace where even your strong mother could not endure?¡± It wasn¡¯t that difficult for Kratos to make one of his sons act according to his will. Above all, Alecto was always scared when he stood in front of Kratos. Kratos patted his son on the shoulder. ¡°Helena Antebellum is perfect if you let her in as a concubine and love her. There is no need to put the child as a Crown Princess and make things dangerous.¡± ¡°However.¡± ¡°What if the Marquis tries to assassinate her because of resentment right now? As you said, he is a clever marquis. Can you guarantee that you will completely block all those attempts?¡± Alecto¡¯s mouth shut up at the words. It was more of resignation than conviction. Above all, however, Alecto was not confident in himself. Will he be able to go against his father and marquis and protect the woman he loves? Alecto quietly asked Kratos. ¡°Then what should I do? Not only does everyone think that Eris and I have broken up, but they will also avoid me.¡± Perhaps Eris also appeared with another partner at the debutante ball aiming for this. The emperor thought for a moment and said calmly. ¡°I will bring Eris Mis¨¦rian to the palace in my honor, r*pe that child then.¡± Alecto¡¯s eyes opened wide at the shocking remark. Even though he clenched his hands until they turned white, Kratos continued to speak softly. ¡°If we sow the seeds of the imperial family, she will never be able to break the marriage.¡± ¡°But!¡± ¡°Quiet. I¡¯m not saying this as a father, this is an imperial order.¡± Is he going to refuse an imperial order? Alecto kept his mouth shut and resisted. It was because Alecto had the least amount of morality left. However, resisting in silence was always limited. He had to nod reluctantly at the cold gaze. As he left the room, Alecto saw the nail marks left on his palm. At that time, Alecto first thought that he should increase his strength. And he realized why his father was so obsessed with power. Not only for the loved ones but also for those who you don¡¯t love, you must have power to protect them. That strength was sometimes needed, not in order to sin, but in order not to sin. In the room where Alecto had left, Kratos reflected on what Alecto said. It was said that his wife, Melpomene, allowed Eris Mis¨¦rian to break up the marriage. Is it Eris Miserian¡¯s bluff? However, for impersonating the imperial family, she could have been punished for contempt of the imperial family. Eris Mis¨¦rian could not take that risk. Melpomene didn¡¯t discuss it with him. Why? The debutante ball must have ended. While resting for a while, I tried to figure out the identity of ¡®tears¡¯ the last clue that the witch had told me. At first, thought it had a metaphorical meaning. But for that, this crystal bottle in my hand looked too much like a bottle that holds liquid. Even the size looked like a cosmetic sample container, so it was not for a lot of liquid, it had just enough capacity for tears. Firstly, because I am the only one who must escape from this world, I stabbed myself in the eye. I carefully put the tears that flowed due to the physiological reactions in the bottle, but nothing happened. I wondered if the quantity was insufficient, so by using additional measures such as yawning, I filled it up, but it was the same. I thought it was because of my tears, so I poked Anakin¡¯s eyes next. I was a little sorry for Anakin, but couldn¡¯t help it. Because I could confidently say that in this place, the person closest to me emotionally was Anakin. Well, it was a romance fantasy novel, so I wondered if it required the tears of a loved one. However, contrary to my expectations, nothing happened even if I filled it with Anakin¡¯s tears. Was it because it was forced tears? I¡¯m not an actor and I didn¡¯t want to cry, and I couldn¡¯t cry thinking about sad things. I should build up some knowledge first. I thought it would be helpful if I searched through books, so started looking for them by going in and out of the bookstores on the street, after searching the mansion¡¯s. Well, the most popular thing was definitely the tears of a mermaid. Come to think of it, the name of the gemstone in the Rundol region was also the tears of a fairy. But both were solid, so I thought it wouldn¡¯t be the tears I was looking for. She wouldn¡¯t have told me to powder the solid and put it in a bottle. There were many legends and tales related to tears, but there was no time to trace every legend and tale. asked the maid and she said that the tears of the moon, the tears of god and the tears of the dragon were so famous that everyone knew. The story of the tears of the moon that I read in the book is roughly as follows. There was a boy a long time ago. The boy sought all the best medicines to cure his father¡¯s illness, but none of them worked for the boy¡¯s father. With the feeling of grabbing straws, the boy headed to the temple. As the boy prayed earnestly every day, a priest who was proud of such a boy gave him a hint. It was said that if he feeds his father the tears of the moon, he may get better. The boy tried to save the moon¡¯s tears with all his might, but in the first place, he could not reach the moon in the sky, and it was not crying. The boy, who moved his body nonstop, fell down onto the grass in despair. When the boy couldn¡¯t get up, he fell asleep and when he woke up, it was wet everywhere. The boy suddenly collected dew from the leaves. Then he ran straight to the house and moistened his father¡¯s lips. Soon after, the boy¡¯s father slowly opened his eyes, and the two hugged emotionally. It was a very conventional story that the tears of the moon were actually dew. But I didn¡¯t think the witch would ask me to bring the dew that was so common around me. Then next were the tears of god. If the moon¡¯s tears were dew, I wondered if god¡¯s tears were rain, but I guess not. No, in the first place, I was a little puzzled as I knew that the god of this world was the writer. Is it the writer¡¯s tears? Or does another god exist? Anyway, the legend related to god¡¯s tears began like this. There was a girl. The girl, who had no family, always lived her own way, She wasn¡¯t arrogant, but she was fearless and had nothing to lose because she didn¡¯t have anything. The world made the girl a god. The girl who became a god was no different. She still lived her own way, but unlike before, the world was greatly influenced by each of her actions. At every word she brought up, people trembled, and at each thought, heaven and earth fluctuated. The girl didn¡¯t think it mattered, but the humans did. They brought everything for the girl. Expensive treasures, spices, silk, fresh honey and fruits, as well as the world¡¯s most beautiful men and women were selected to serve the girl. It was intended so that the girl would be drunk on happiness and not have any thoughts. The girl who had a lot in an instant was really happy. When the girl was happy, the world became peaceful and the powerful people of the country constantly paid tribute to the girl so that she would continue to be happy and learn joyfully. One day, however, the tragedy began when the girl became aware of love, Chapter 54 Episode 54 Legendary Fruit, Dragon¡¯s Tears The girl who fell in love for the first time was blind. She wanted to give her lover everything he wanted, and she tried to make all his wishes come true. When those in power knew that God had fallen in love, they went to her lover and tried to ask him for a favor by offering all kinds of precious things, but her lover refused them all. No matter how precious it might be, not only did the girl have it, but he was also truly a good person by nature. The two lived happily, but there was a limit to the lifespan of a person. The girl tried her best to prolong the life of her lover, but her lover refused it. Her lover said that he was happy. He thanked her too. He even said that he would love her even if he was reborn. And then her lover quietly closed his eyes. The girl could not believe the death of her lover. It was hard for her to accept that she had lost him. The girl who was a god began to cry. No one could comfort her. The girl stopped crying only after a thousand years and a thousand months. The girl who only planted one tree in the world, sprinkled all the tears she had ever shed on that tree The tree, which drank the girl¡¯s tears, grew big, and the girl, who watched the fruit grow on the tree, finally melted and disappeared. The shape of the fruit looked exactly like a teardrop, and people began to call it the tears of god. I needed to find the fruit called tears of god. It was close to a legendary fruit, so no one knew what it was It¡¯s not really a fruit, but rather, an idiom used in this world. When lovers swear to each other that their love is true, they would say, ¡®I will swear on the Tears of God¡¯. Finally, the dragon¡¯s tears were the tears of a real dragon. According to one theory, those who drink the dragon¡¯s tears will have their wishes come true. No, regardless of its authenticity, I was at a loss at having to meet the dragon. In the case of Jason, I think he was able to meet it because he was influenced by the dragon to come to him. Did the witch really want the dragon¡¯s tears? But ! thought it might be the case since she was a witch. She was always cooking something in the basement and she might need some magic ingredients. It was said that the tears of a dragon could make wishes come true, so it might have the power to transcend the world. Anyway, in order to meet the dragon, I had to go to the witch. Because I thought one had to be a witch to know where the dragon was. She¡¯ll take me to the dragon¡¯s place, or at least show me the place. I was getting ready to go out after a long time. I didn¡¯t know because the heating in the house was always plenty, but now I felt that it was very chilly at the beginning of winter. Anakin went to Kynthia¡¯s house to stock up firewood, so I went out alone for the first time in a long time. I was worried if I had dressed properly. I put on a thick scarf and got out of my carriage. As was walking for a bit down the alley I always went to, made eye contact with Hubris. It was the first time since we parted ways in Boniteo I deliberately avoided it, but even in the novel, Eris and Hubris had a hard time meeting each other by chance. One is a lady of a noble family with a fianc¨¦e, and the other is a high priest. His face was somewhat emaciated, but instead of looking sunken, his unique sexiness only deepened. I thought it would be embarrassing to say hello to each other, so I tried to pass by. However, Hubris promptly grabbed my wrist. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Wait a minute¡­ Please give me some time.¡± ¡°No. Let go.¡± Ah, why are you all taking turns behaving badly?! didn¡¯t feel like he was worth dealing with, so I tried to shake it off, but my wrist was held tightly by that skinny body which was very strong. If I had known this would happen, I would have just gone to Kynthia¡¯s house with Anakin and came back. I said I was going on a market day, but I was unlucky. He tilted his head, crookedly, and began to stare at me like a venomous snake, but after hesitating with an uneasy expression on his face, Hubris finally spat out words. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­ I keep thinking about you.¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°Can I keep thinking of you?¡± ¡°No. If you have heard the answer, move away.¡± I shook his arm off and went the way I was going, but this time, he hugged me as he pleased. He is really making me tired. It¡¯s a deserted alley, but I don¡¯t know what others are going to do if they see this. I lifted my foot slightly to kick the delicate part with my knee, but my shoulder was wet. Is he crying? ¡°To me¡­.don¡¯t be so harsh.¡± At least he didn¡¯t talk like Jason, in comparison to him, I was obviously looking at Hubris. In the first place, don¡¯t know why we¡¯re filming a melodrama by ourselves, even though we aren¡¯t in a relationship which allows it to slide. Besides, is it okay for a high priest who has to keep his chastity to be like this? ¡°Sir.¡± ¡°Call me Hubris.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it. High Priest, you reach out to the world, as a person that worships God. I¡¯ll pretend that nothing happened today so go home now.¡± As I looked up at Hubris, tears fell from his face and flowed down my cheeks. He was looking at me sadly, perhaps not even paying attention to my cold attitude. He pleaded with me almost in a hoarse voice. ¡°I¡¯m not even allowed to look¡­?¡± Even if I¡¯m misunderstood as having an ax disease by saying this, I¡¯ll have to ask. (PR/N: ¡®ax disease¡¯ is a figurative disease where the person believes everybody has a crush on him/her, it¡¯s a play on the word ¡®//¡¯ which means ¡®to swing an ax ( ly¡¯ and also a slang for to have a crush on someone.) ¡°Sir, do you like me?¡± He opened his eyes wide at my words and whispered, softly with a face as if he was almost dying. ¡°¡­Yes, I dare to¡­¡± Before he could say anything more, I stabbed Hubris with my words. ¡°Do you know that Eris Mis¨¦rian is your half-sister?¡± Hubris was startled by my words and shook his head violently. He ripped off his hair in disbelief, looked at me and shouted. ¡°No, that can¡¯t be!¡± ¡°I think I am right. Do you really want to go to the Marquis and check it out? Shall we go now?¡± Hubris, who had repeatedly muttered ¡®sister¡¯ with a pale complexion, said to me, squeezing his face as if he was out of his mind. ¡°But¡­ you¡¯re not Eris Mis¨¦rian, are you?¡± ¡°So? My soul is not Eris Mis¨¦rian, but will you commit incest?¡± Ha, I laughed at myself. Hubris was noticeably intimidated by that sight. I was dumbfounded and retorted. ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, you of all people shouldn¡¯t be the one to do that. You¡¯re the high priest. You swore to God to be celibate.¡± He looked really hurt. He staggered as if he was about to fall like a stabbed man, but I did not support him. If you¡¯re going to die, then die. His idea was disgusting. Is it okay because it¡¯s a different soul? Knowing that it¡¯s your sister¡¯s body? How come you only think of yourself until the end? Passing by Hubris who was blankly standing on the side of the road, I finally knocked on the door to the witch¡¯s shop. There were no signs of movement inside, but just in case, I pushed the door and it opened slowly. But there wasn¡¯t any presence. There was no witch in the basement I used to go to, so I went up again and looked around the store slowly. I originally liked to browse around stores. I especially liked stores with a lot of little items, but I haven¡¯t had the chance to look around the witch¡¯s store properly until now because I was either busy or because the witch had guided me. From a gigantic music box in which dozens of dolls danced as a group, to an antique brass celestial sphere that projects stars when turned, and a snow globe that shoots Tinkerbell¡¯s golden powder like firecrackers when shaken. Chapter 55 Episode 55 Fortune Telling ¡°You mean the legends about tears?¡± If you think about it, I was asking because the existence of witches was also quite close to a fairy tale. But in fact, like a witch whom everyone believes to be fake is real, how many of the stories I¡¯ve read are genuine and how many are false? Medea opened her mouth after thinking for a while, ¡°Strictly speaking, it¡¯s all true.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The tears of the moon were a little exaggerated, but to be precise, he was able to survive by being fed the pollen-stained dew of medicinal herbs, and dragon tears have the effect of making a wish come true. If it¡¯s a wish that fits the laws of nature. Well¡­ at least it¡¯s definitely going to be effective for rain rituals.¡± ¡°What about the tears of god?¡± Medea stopped talking for a while and then said. ¡°The tree is in the witch¡¯s realm.¡± ¡°What? Really? There was a god?¡± ¡°Ah, because she was a witch, not a god. She matured when there were only a few witches, so there was no witch to let her know that she was a witch.¡± A witch?! Just by listening to her words, a witch was like a being who could do anything¡­. it was not strange to mistake her for a god. ¡°Her name was Lilith, the other witches who belatedly discovered Lilith respected her desire to be reborn and killed her, causing her to be reborn again. But being born is not in the witches¡¯ domain, so they had to get some help from the dragons.¡± (QC/N: domain¡¯ as in ¡®ability¡¯ or ¡®what they can touch/manipulate¡¯.) ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a bad relationship with the dragons?¡± ¡°They promised to hand over half of the fruit that Lilith grew to the dragons. If you eat that fruit, your fertility will be very high¡­. Anyway, the trees are well protected by dragons and witches. So that it¡¯s not seen by humans.¡± I asked sharply as I felt something steaming. ¡°So, what¡¯s up with the tears?¡± ¡°It has a metaphorical meaning or existence. Just as everything does.¡± ¡°Are you a sphinx? You¡¯re not going to play riddles with me now, are you?¡± ¡°Hu-hoo, don¡¯t get too nervous because you¡¯ll find out on your own when the time comes.¡± How can I not be nervous! What if I can¡¯t find it until I die? The moment I got annoyed at Medea¡¯s reckless reply that it wasn¡¯t her business and when I was about to say something, she opened the cards in her hand as if to appease me. It¡¯s not even a magic show, but where did you get those cards? ¡°Right, do you want to have a look?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe in superstitions.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t do that you¡¯re supposed to watch all of these for fun, right?¡± ¡°Is it okay for a witch to say that?¡± Even though I was grumbling, I sat on the opposite side of the small table where she sat. Medea flew the cards in the air and mixed them up. The cards that naturally shuffled as if dancing looked like a performance. ¡°What would you like to see?¡± ¡°It¡¯s up to you, please just look moderately. Well¡­ it would be nice if it was about the future.¡± ¡°Hmm, good. Please pick a card.¡± I caught one of the flying cards. When I turned it upside down, it looked terrifying. There was something like a sheep¡¯s horn and¡­¡­. ¡°Death in the front¡­¡± When she saw my card, the witch¡¯s face became serious. She grabbed one of the cards that were flying and turned it upside down. It was a card with a big moon. She swept her hair back and told me seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t go around alone, okay?¡± ¡°What the hell do you mean? Why didn¡¯t you tell me that before we started?¡± ¡°There are a lot of variables like this. It¡¯s no use, hearing it won¡¯t make a difference. What¡¯s certain is that you shouldn¡¯t be alone. Your knight¡­.. Put him next to you under any circumstances.¡± Medea scared me a lot, but I just laughed it off. Maybe she just wanted to tease me, and because Anakin was always by my side anyway, there is no way I¡¯ll be alone. I shrugged and said okay. Then I suddenly thought of my love fortune. Hmm, I don¡¯t usually believe in this, but it¡¯s not bad to try it once for fun. I did something slightly different and hinted at the witch. ¡°I want to see my love fortune¡­ too.¡± ¡°With the knight?¡± ¡°Who said it¡¯s with Anakin?!¡± ¡°Why are you screaming?¡± I was a bit intimidated because I felt guilty. I¡¯m doomed. As I looked into the witch¡¯s eyes, she smiled brightly. While fiddling with the cards, she just placed her hand on my hand across from her. ¡°I know it¡¯s more than a love affair.¡± ¡°¡­What is it? Is it some kind of spell?¡± ¡°Well, if it¡¯s magic, it could be a spell.¡± As I was pricking up my ears, the witch smiled and shook her hand lightly to burst the flame. There was a small sound of fireworks popping. ¡°There will be a fireworks display tonight to celebrate the graduation of the National Academy students. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to see a great view rather than a love fortune that only tells you obvious things?¡± ¡°Fireworks¡­¡± I was a little tempted. It¡¯s because I¡¯ve been busy while living in Korea, so I¡¯ve never seen fireworks before. So what if fireworks exploded in Yeouido every year, I had no time. However, I was worried that there would be a lot of people. No matter how good the view was, I hate getting caught in between people and suddenly being knocked around here and there. The witch hinted that she knew about my worries, ¡°If you don¡¯t like people, you can go directly to the academy and watch it.¡± ¡°The academy would be off limits to outsiders.¡± ¡°Well, half of Lady Mis¨¦rian isn¡¯t an outsider, right?¡± Medea added, wrinkling her nose at me, who was puzzled. ¡°The Marquis of Mis¨¦rian is one of the biggest sponsors of the academy, so won¡¯t they let you in?¡± A man who was no help during her lifetime was useful in strange places. Putting on my dark golden coat, Anakin and I got off the wagon where people from the academy were waiting. They told us to come this way, quietly leading the way. The students passing by glanced at the two of us, but it didn¡¯t bother me much because in middle and high school, everyone does this when an outsider enters. It was like an outdoor balcony overlooking the whole view of the school. I don¡¯t know if it was thermal insulation magic or some kind of magic engineering, but it wasn¡¯t too cold even though it was outside. Sitting side by side in a chair, we put the prepared refreshments in our mouths. Soon, a group of people wearing thick capes came out and lifted something like a cane embedded with jewels. Then a flame was fired from the end of the jewel. Bang, bang¡­ The sparks that glowed brilliantly with the sound drew attention by themselves. When I saw it in pictures or videos, I thought it was tacky and not very pretty, but it felt different in person. The colorful lights and the falling sparks were dazzlingly beautiful. Anakin was also watching the fireworks frantically, as it was the first time he saw fireworks. Unconsciously I grabbed Anakin¡¯s hand on his lap. When Anakin looked at me, I clenched my fist and opened it. My hands were sweaty. Even though I had hesitated for quite a long time, Anakin waited without rushing me. I love you like that. ¡°Hey, Anakin¡­ do you know?¡± I know I shouldn¡¯t say it. But I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have a chance unless it was now. ¡°I want you¡­¡± Boom boom! At that moment, a roar rang and the ground shook. Anakin quickly held me in his arms and protected me from the explosion. People¡¯s screams rang out. When I couldn¡¯t get myself together due to the shock, Anakin lifted me up, hugging me. It was then. ¡°It¡¯s a monster! A monster has appeared!¡± A hole opened in the sky and winged creatures came pouring out. There seemed to be hundreds of them. When one of them rushed to us, Anakin kicked his tongue, pulled out a sword with one hand and cut it down. Sticky green blood poured out. ¡°Close the gate!¡± Belatedly, the magic engineers closed the hole through which the monsters came out of, but there were already too many. Was this the witch¡¯s fortune telling? In the midst of my confusion, pulling away from Anakin with my staggering legs, I said. ¡°I can walk alone. Anakin, escort me. A carriage¡­ No can a carriage come now? Let¡¯s get out of here first.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Students poured out of the building in order to see if they had been called. They quickly evacuated people near the exit and locked the door firmly, perhaps they had received preparatory training in this regard. ¡°Is the magic field far away?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fully charged! 5 seconds left! 4 seconds left! 3 seconds left! 2 seconds left! 1 second left!¡± There was the sound of the heavy chains being loosened, and light bursting out from the top of the spire in the center. The light exploded like a fountain and soon created a huge tent to block the entire, academy as if wrapping it. When I stopped walking because of the sight, Anakin slashed the attacking monster and grabbed my hand to lead me. Anyway, how do we get out of this confinement? Anakin looked back at me and spoke, perhaps knowing that I was anxious. ¡°You¡¯ll get out safely. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Yeah, Anakin was still incomplete, but he was a sword master. There will be a way out of here somehow. At that time, the monsters that were being destroyed, by the students one by one began to mumble and merge into one. Then, they came together into a huge shape and melted the surrounding area as quickly as possible. ¡°Get away!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Save me!¡± ¡°Get out of my way!¡± People¡¯s screams burst from place to place, adding to the confusion. Usually, people who would have avoided Lady Mis¨¦rian were busy running away, whether they bumped into her or not. Chapter 56 Episode 56 Suspicious Acts The sight of terrified people kept drawing my attention. Should I help them? As I was hesitating once more due to pity, Anakin said quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll go if Master orders it. I¡¯ll probably be able to defeat it¡­.. but my master¡¯s safety is my top priority.¡± ¡°¡­Can the academy defeat that?¡± ¡°Magic Engineers are not just people who do research. They are also trained for war in case of emergencies. Right now, they are just bewildered by the sudden situation, but they will find a solution soon.¡± That¡¯s right, it¡¯s the two of us that matter. They¡¯ll catch the monster on their own. There is no need for me and my Anakin to go out. ¡°¡­Yeah. Then¡­ let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I accidentally found something that looked like a pistol rolling around on the floor. Someone must have dropped it because they were confused. I picked it up without thinking about it and hid it in my arms. It might be useful if I picked it up. We quickly descended the stairs and headed for the back door of the academy. The door was open, but the magic field was a problem. After touching the round magic field that surrounded us for a moment, Anakin grabbed his sword and caught his breath. A delicate blackness fluttered over Anakin¡¯s sword. He concentrated and slashed the magic field with a single move. Anakin, who made the hole, sent me out first and then followed. As soon as Anakin came out, the hole in the magic field was filled again. While we were looking at it, our eyes met someone that was watching us from over the magic field. In the meantime, the person ran away into the academy. Who was it? My heart was freaking out. Even when I tried to think that he would just be a student at the academy, a corner of my heart kept on worrying. ¡°Did you leave something behind? Shall I go back?¡± ¡°No¡­ no. Let¡¯s go, Anakin. As soon as possible.¡± Bad premonitions were not always wrong, but wanted it to be this time. I grabbed Anakin¡¯s hand and ran down the back road. There was a lot of commotion outside the academy because of the few monsters that had escaped before the magic field was cast. Because of the people running out to the carriages, it seemed difficult even for a horse to run. Anakin pondered for a moment, then knelt down on his knees and positioned his back towards me. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you on my back.¡± ¡°What? I can run!¡± ¡°I know. But you have to run non-stop to the mansion For many reasons, it will be better for me to carry you on my back.¡± Of all things, I was wearing shoes with some heels, not flat shoes. If I have to run to the mansion, not walk, will never be able to endure it and will collapse. I chose it because I thought I would ride a carriage when I went back, but it was useless to blame myself from the past. I didn¡¯t know if the monster might appear right away, but I couldn¡¯t waste time here, so I let Anakin carry me without hesitation. Anakin put his wrists on my thighs and got up. ¡°If I run, it will shake a lot and it will be very uncomfortable. Please be patient.¡± And he started running at a fairly fast pace, but unlike me, who was gasping even after a little run, he didn¡¯t slow down. It was when I could see the outer gate leading into the mansion. Suddenly, I heard a strange cry, so I grabbed Anakin¡¯s shoulder and turned my head. A monster was flying towards us at high speed. Anakin couldn¡¯t raise his sword because he was carrying me. unconsciously pulled out the gun from my arms. And shouted to Anakin. ¡°Anakin! Turn around!¡± Anakin immediately turned to my command, and with my legs tightly wrapped around his waist, I pointed the gun at the monster. I pressed the hammer that stuck out, gripped the pistol firmly with both hands and pulled the trigger. Bang! At the sound, a magic sphere went out instead, of a bullet, but it was wrongly aimed. Without a moment of regret, I pulled the trigger again. Bang! This time I also missed. I¡¯ve never shot a gun in my life, it was only natural, so I gritted my teeth. Please, please, please! If I don¡¯t get it right this time, it¡¯s over. I pulled the trigger one last time when it was almost in front of me. Bang! The monster¡¯s head exploded in front of my eyes. Thank God. I¡¯m really happy. My hands were shaking and I dropped the gun, but neither of us cared and ran again. When we managed to reach the mansion, Anakin bent his tired legs, and I headed to the bathroom with my trembling legs while supported by the maids. After a brief bath, I came out and suddenly there was a commotion downstairs. I looked down with my wet hair, wondering what was going on, and it was the Imperial Palace Knights. ¡°Marquis Mis¨¦rian is urgently arrested on charges of opening the gate without permission and unlocking demonic monsters at the Academy Graduation Ceremony! Marquis, hurry up and get dressed!¡± ¡°There seems to be some misunderstanding, and I need to see His Majesty right now. I¡¯ll explain it to His Majesty directly.¡± ¡°Carnival Mis¨¦rian! The culprit who opened the gate with your fortune has already been arrested! How dare you want an audience with His Majesty when the gold coins you gave him in the yard were also obtained as proof!¡± (QC/N: I think that¡¯s his name. If I¡¯m not mistaken + based on later sentences.) The marquis gritted his teeth in response to the knights¡¯ statements. He seemed to barely hold back what he wanted to shout. However, knowing that any further fuss was meaningless, he changed his clothes and quietly followed the knights out the door. The attendants were whispering and stomping their feet. Something was suspicious. The marquis was one of the academy¡¯s biggest patrons. Of course, his support of the academy was not in the public interest. That was because, in addition to opening up connections with people who are the talents of the country and could become powerful people in the future, he could also implicitly pressure them. If he did so, he could permanently lose the sponsorship of the academy, the goose that lays golden eggs, so would he open the gate and raid the imperial palace? The marquis was not such a reckless person, and there was no return benefit for the marquis. The real culprit was different and he wanted to cover it up with the marquis. Since monster terrorism was not productive, the purpose may have been to eliminate the marquis. The marquis had too many political enemies. Who would have thought of that, even if I tried to think about it, there were more than one or two. I kept getting worried about the one that came out of the academy today and found Anakin and I. It was as if my intuition was telling me that he was the culprit. I thought about it until my hair was dry, but I couldn¡¯t come up with an answer. Since he¡¯s the Marquis of Mis¨¦rian with great resourcefulness, he¡¯ll get out of it somehow. As I was trying to relax and lie down, I suddenly heard a knock on the door again. When the maid opened the door, the attendant, who had been carrying an Imperial Order, was guided by the head maid and came to me, ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian. There is testimony that you were in the academy at the time of today¡¯s incident, is that true?¡± ¡°¡­I went there with a personal escort to watch the fireworks.¡± ¡°His Majesty has ordered you to attend the palace because he has some questions regarding the charges against Marquis Carnival Mis¨¦rian. Please get dressed quickly.¡± To be honest, I was scared, but at times like these shouldn¡¯t make it obvious. I politely nodded my head, stood up from my seat and said to my maid. ¡°Tell Anakin to get ready for the palace.¡± ¡°¡­Are you going to enter the palace with a personal escort? The Imperial Palace Knights will escort you.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they the ¡®Imperial Palace Knights¡¯? I feel comfortable with my escort.¡± I asked the servant, who seemed somehow troubled, with a smile on my face. ¡°Am I not allowed to take my escort? I¡¯m not a suspect anyway.¡± ¡°¡­No. The lord¡¯s daughter can do what is comfortable for her.¡± Anakin got ready and came out at the maid¡¯s call. I got into the carriage and looked around the road leading to the Imperial Palace, but it was quiet as if everything had already been organized. As if they knew this was going to happen. Did the imperial palace not notice something that even I could easily deduce? I suddenly thought of that People who want to get rid of the marquis, people who will not be harmed even if they open the gate, and summon monsters, people who know all of this and can get things sorted out quickly¡­. The real culprit is one of the royal family members. The emperor, the empress, the crown prince. Which one of the three is it? The empress and the crown prince originally had a deep resentment towards the marquis. However, it¡¯s impossible to exclude the emperor from the list of suspects, one of the emperor¡¯s biggest political opponents was the Marquis of Mis¨¦rian. It¡¯s been a while since they called a truce and held hands. Why did he want to investigate when the marquis had already been determined to be the culprit? Why did he call for me? There were more than a couple of doubts that arose. But now I couldn¡¯t get off the carriage. Even if I fell, I couldn¡¯t escape. I clenched my fists and hid my trembling hands. ¡°Get off, Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± I got off the carriage and went into the room led by the attendant. When Anakin tried to follow in, the servant stopped him. ¡°His Majesty will be arriving soon. This is not a place for an escort to join.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian, His Majesty will not be accompanied by a knight either. Please understand.¡± I couldn¡¯t be stubborn in saying that. Above all, now that the marquis was taken into the palace, I, the daughter of the marquis, would not benefit from refusing an imperial order. Anyway, if anything happened, Anakin would run to me if I whispered even a little, so it was fine. Alone in the room, I sat on the sofa, drank tea and waited. Looking around, it was closer to a bedroom than a drawing room, because there was a bed behind After a while, the door opened. ¡°I see Your Majesty.¡± When I finished speaking and looked up, the man at the door was not the emperor, but Alecto. Chapter 57 Episode 57 Dance of Death TW: Attempted r*pe, blood, murder Why is the crown prince here? After Young Lady Kazar¡¯s debutante ball, I thought there would be nothing to see now. I didn¡¯t say anything officially, but it was practically a broken engagement notice. This is because ¡®a fiance¡¯s lover¡¯ was not just a flaw. The empire was stricter than expected because the pope was not the first power, but anyway, it was a state with diplomatic relations. Having a lover secretly after marriage was acceptable, but not before marriage. That¡¯s why the crown prince tried to break up the engagement with me. Even if he had a lover before marriage, he had to bury her under the water, by denying that they are ¡®friends in front of people. An affair before marriage was treated as a strict reason for disqualification, and in severe cases, he could be questioned about his faithfulness and even be forced into a religious trial. The Mis¨¦rian family is the backbone of the aristocratic family, and the imperial family doesn¡¯t want things to get bigger because of Helena¡¯s presence, so they probably won¡¯t send me to the religious trials¡­¡­.. Still, I didn¡¯t know. This gate incident alone was the same. From the imperial side, a plan can be used to take down the Miserian family altogether. I barely raised the corners of my lips to the crown prince, hiding my thoughts. ¡°Your Highness, what are you doing here? If you have something to say, I will visit the palace again next time¡­¡± ¡°His Majesty is not coming.¡± The crown prince declared. Somehow, in the midst of my doubts, there was a chill up my spine. It felt like! had to hurry home, like the anxiety I felt when I looked up at the dark sky from time to time. ¡°Then it¡¯s late, so if you don¡¯t have anything else to say, I¡¯ll leave.¡± However, despite my greetings, the crown prince walked towards me expressionlessly, so I stood up to avoid him and stepped back. With every step I took, my heart was pounding and was sweating profusely. ¡°Before, you said that I was not engaged to you, but to the Marquis of Mis¨¦rian. You too, are not marrying me, you are marrying the imperial family.¡± The crown prince paused for a moment and then returned. He looked kind of in pain. I had a bad hunch, a very bad hunch. I moistened my dry lips and looked into his eyes. The distance to the door was too far. ¡°You¡¯ll get married even if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Why are you saying this? Cold sweat dripped from my hands. My wet, wet hands gripped my skirt. As I was stepping backwards, my heel slammed into a wall, and I realized it was the wall. I instinctively glanced at the window next to me. I was out of breath, so I grabbed the window frame to open the window, but the latch did not turn due to my lack of strength. Even at that moment, the prince was approaching me. ¡°Now I must return those words. You did not marry me, but this imperial family.¡± ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t come near me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that we¡¯re getting married, but that our names are married.¡± ¡°I told you not to come closer.¡± Two stories high. I was going to jump if I had to. know it¡¯s a crazy idea, but it feels like I have to do it. Even if I break my legs, it¡¯ll be okay if Anakin hugs me. At last, the latch turned and the window opened, and only then did I catch my breath. I was terrified when I saw the height I would fall from if I were to jump off. The crown prince grabbed my waist like that. As if dancing, my body drew close to him. We stared at each other for a long time. A terrible silence surrounded us. I warned him clearly. ¡°Don¡¯t touch my body¡­¡± Attempts to get rid of him were again blocked. The prince held me like that and moved slowly. It was in the direction of the bed. ¡°Your Highness?¡± ¡°What are you doing now?¡± If I had a siren in my head, my ears would have been ripped apart by now. Never go alone okay? The witch¡¯s words flashed in my mind. Your knight.. Keep him by your side in any situation. I tried to give strength to my toes somehow. Soft carpets did not allow this. I stretched my arms to grab anything around me and hang onto it. The silk curtain I barely grabbed escaped my hand like a grain of sand. ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Your Highness! Let go, let go!¡± ¡°Eris Mis¨¦rian.¡± All my efforts were lightly ruined by the crown prince holding my back and knees, hugging me. He carefully laid me down on the bed and then looked down quietly. I tried to get up, but my arms kept losing strength, and the crown prince pushed me down again. By that time, I was so scared that tears flowed down my cheeks. ¡°Your Highness, what¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s wrong with you? You¡¯re trying to scare me, right? I¡¯m being arrogant. That¡¯s why, right? That¡¯s enough for me now¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Today you will have my child. And that will be your shackle.¡± A clear death sentence was given to the ear that was trying to avoid it. I convulsively tried to get out of the bed, but the crown prince immediately grabbed me by the waist. Shrinking with fear, my throat could not even scream and barely spoke in a rattling voice. ¡°Eris Mis¨¦rian, you can resent me for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Your Highness. Save me, please save me. Your Highness, Your Highness, please¡­!¡± Without a word, he grabbed the laces on my clothes and started pulling them out. No, don¡¯t do it. Somehow, my struggle was blocked, my body firmly caught under the prince¡¯s body. I didn¡¯t know the difference in power would be this big. No gap was seen. It was hard to breathe, and it was hard to breathe because my head was dizzy. I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m scared, Anakin. I tried to call out Anakin¡¯s name, but all that came out of my throat was a wheezing, rough breath. My heart was beating too fast. It felt like it was going to explode. No, no, no! As soon as the prince¡¯s hand came under my skirt, my eyes turned bright red. In times like these, it would be nice if you showed up like the prince in the novel. But you are not a prince, and I am not a heroine. It was so unfair. I struggled like a madman, as if I was having a seizure, Kicking, pinching, punching the crown prince¡­¡­. Despite being beaten by me, the crown prince was silently continuing his work. I screamed out her name as if squeezing it out. ¡°Helena!¡± ¡°H, Helena, think of her. Won¡¯t she be ashamed of you?¡± At that moment, the crown prince lifted his head and clasped my shoulders tightly and looked at me. The eyes that I finally met were dotted with sadness and shame. It was frustrating, and it made me angry. Why are you making that face? It¡¯s like you¡¯re the victim. The prince opened his mouth a few times as if to say something, and then lowered his head. He didn¡¯t tell me any reason. Whatever the reason, there would be no justification for doing this now. Instead of making any excuses, he bowed his head and tried to kiss me. I twisted my head to avoid it, but his lips followed. A groan came out as he tried to push into my lips and bit them tightly with his molars. When my mouth opened due to the physiological nausea, he did not miss the gap. Something unpleasant slipped into my mouth. As I tried to bite, Alecto¡¯s hand gripped my chin tightly. I raised my nails and tried to shake him off, but to no avail. The squealing sound was appalling. Suddenly my body shuddered. He didn¡¯t even bother to take off my clothes anymore. After all, the ultimate purpose of this act was different. I couldn¡¯t even earn a single minute of time. Despair engulfed me like a tidal wave. I was collapsing like a shipwreck engulfed in a wave of helplessness. I wanted to bite my tongue and die, but even more so, knowing that I am not going to die. really can¡¯t do anything like this, like this¡­¡­ like this¡­.. No, I couldn¡¯t end it like this. I couldn¡¯t even call this the end. I had to survive. I had to do anything, Gasp, I took a deep breath and grabbed something in my outstretched right hand. It seemed to be a vase that was usually left on the tabletop. It would have been fine if it wasn¡¯t a vase. Whatever it was, it didn¡¯t matter. If only I could stop this situation now. I held it firmly in my hand so that it did not slip from my trembling hands. Then I swung it at the side of his head at once. With a cracking sound, the crown prince¡¯s hand stopped. I didn¡¯t stop. I told you not to Please, please don¡¯t. I didn¡¯t like it, I even cried at you, What happened after that, well, I don¡¯t know. The memory was clear, but somehow there was no sense of reality. When the vase was broken, the broken pieces left in my hand were stuck in the crown prince¡¯s neck. The feeling of being immersed in the soft, smooth flesh was terrifying. I didn¡¯t have any strength in my body until now, and I didn¡¯t know where I got that strength. It is said that crazy people are strong, but maybe they really went crazy. The crown prince staggered while grabbing his neck, then tried to resist while grabbing my wrist. I bit his wrist with my teeth. We fought over and over again in the same place. I struggled not to lose the piece in my hand. And swung it as much as I could and stabbed the crown prince. In fact, the expression ¡®pushed it in by force¡¯ may be more accurate. The blood that burst like a fountain was scattered across my face. I crazily cut him. Anger and resentment were not the only things that surrounded me. It was closer to a more fundamental fear. I definitely have to finish it now. If the crown prince comes back to life, I don¡¯t know what he¡¯ll do to me. More terrifying things could happen. The primal and desperate self-defense controlled me. Over and over again¡­¡­ Until the sound of our breaths subsided and finally the crown prince did not move. Chapter 58 Episode 58 Kill, or be killed I was sinking under the sea, I was out of breath like a person who had just risen to the surface. Ding- I closed my eyes and gasped, then slowly opened my eyes to the sound of a distant bell. I was the only one living and breathing on the bloodied bed. I threw up the vomit I had been holding in next to the bed. My guts were all turned upside down. Since didn¡¯t eat anything, only a part of the tea I drank earlier flowed back. Still, my mind seemed to be clearer. I gently wiped the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand and caught my breath. Ding Even with this mess, people didn¡¯t come in. It must have been because the place where the crown prince was stabbed was the neck, so he couldn¡¯t scream, but it¡¯s probably because they know what¡¯s going to happen in this room. Get pregnant? Just to prevent the breakup? You want me to have a baby even though you don¡¯t love me? I felt dumbfounded, I felt empty, I burst out laughing like a fool because I was so exhausted. My whole body was itchy, so I scratched it. If possible, I want to cut out all the rough skin. Ding ¨C The sound of the bells of the first lunar month got louder and louder, Oh, I killed a person. To be more precise, the protagonist of this world. I killed Alecto. Jason was definitely a child born out of love. His parents were a rare case of a successful marriage in an aristocratic family, and their eldest son, Jason, was the fruit of the blessing that came shortly after they got married. But the High Priest¡¯s prophecy turned everything into a mess. The fate of the dragon slayer, the prophecy that he was born with the fate of a hero that will save the world, was closer to a curse than a prophecy to Young Master Kazar. Jason could no longer grow up to be Jason. Everyone treated him like a hero. Jason couldn¡¯t do anything childish once and had to harden himself. He couldn¡¯t give his heart to anyone. Because his life was one that may soon die. At night his parents fought. It was because of him. ¨C It¡¯s not a prophecy! How can humans go against the fate of God! ¨C Baby, our baby is dying! But what matters is the prophecy that has never been passed down since the founding of the empire¡­¡­! ¨C Shh! Blasphemy. What are you going to do when someone hears you? ¨C Listen to it if you want! If I am going to die anyway, I will die with my child. Say that to His Majesty. I¡¯m not afraid of the extinction of the family, so don¡¯t threaten my child under the pretext of it! If he doesn¡¯t try, everyone in his family will die. Not only the family, but maybe everyone in the empire will die. Thousands, tens of thousands of lives were laid on the little boy¡¯s shoulders. Unfortunately, Jason could not give up on them. That¡¯s because he was ¡®raised¡¯ like that. Since he could stand on both feet, he had never neglected his training or rested for a single day. Even if his whole body ached and he had a fever, Jason held up his sword. Jason was talented with the sword, and his father, who was his mentor, was one of the best swordsmen in the empire, so Jason reached the top of the sword, faster than anyone else. But the more Jason learned, the more he realized it was impossible to actually kill a dragon. Dragons were not what humans thought of as huge and powerful lizards. The dragon race was closer to nature itself. Even if vou divide the sea and destroy the mountains, it doesn¡¯t kill the sea and the mountains, does it? Jason felt like he was blindly sacrificing himself Breathing was suffocating as every minute seemed to lead him to death. He washed his face with his small, dry hands that have been broken hundreds of times. His rough fingertips were sharp. But even though helplessness and despair engulfed him, Jason could not let go of his sword. As he was laughing at himself, Jason burst into tears. Hi. It was just a word and a laugh. To Jason, who had lived a life by drawing a line in his heart with chalk as white as snow, Helena easily broke in. Was it because she herself was as white as the first snow? He couldn¡¯t figure it out. Even though he tried to keep his distance, Helena kept approaching him with an innocent face. ¨C Killing a dragon? Awesome! ¨C ¡­¡­I might not be able to kill it. It¡¯s a dragon. The best product of God. ¨C No. You can definitely kill it. While knowing anything, she spat it out easily. Maybe it was easy to say because she didn¡¯t know anything. He will die. Even if he can¡¯t kill the dragon, or even if he is going to kill the dragon, that place will become his tomb. At Helena¡¯s irresponsible words, Jason nervously smacked her hand away. ¨C You don¡¯t know! What do you believe in to be so sure? Even I can¡¯t be sure, you don¡¯t know anything¡­. She opened her eyes wide at Jason¡¯s rebuttal and gently touched her smacked hand. In return, Jason regretted that her white hands were red, but he did not dare bring any words out of his mouth. At that time, Jason had never been with people, so he was clumsy in dealing with people. Helena blinked her eyes for a moment at Jason¡¯s question, then tilted her head slightly and smiled Holding Jason¡¯s scarred hand, she affirmed. ¨C Trust your efforts. You worked harder than anyone else. So it¡¯s clearly possible. Her hands were warm. Jason stared blankly into her eyes. Helena seemed to truly believe that he could. It was not compassion. That¡¯s¡­¡­ It was the first time. Everyone who met Jason used to look at him with sympathetic eyes. He still had time, but they acted as if he was going to die at any moment. He was working so hard. He never rested and devoted his entire life to dying, but they didn¡¯t believe it no matter how hard he tried. Everyone thought he couldn¡¯t make it. Even his parents, who would have watched Jason more closely than anyone else, were the same. One day, when they handed over the address of a hideout for him to run away, Jason¡¯s world collapsed. Although everyone needed him, they didn¡¯t. They didn¡¯t believe it, but they didn¡¯t want the boy to stop. It was a truly tragic contradiction. Jason¡¯s tears fell silently. Seeing the tears, Helena did not know what to do and she wiped his eyes with her sleeve. He may have been lonely. He drew a line and pushed people away, but the truth was that he needed someone who wouldn¡¯t be pushed out. Jason finally understood. ¨C Really, really¡­¡­? Can / kill the dragon¡­.. Is it? Can / come back alive? Helena nodded at his stuttering words. Just with that little nod, Jason felt like he was saved. ¨C Why would your parents have taught you so hard? Because they wanted you to come back alive. He had never thought of it that way. He had never heard a word of kindness and was resentful at them for not reaching out their hand kindly. Even as he whined that he wanted to rest, they were stern. He just thought that the daily routine where only training was repeated was boring and painful. When he fell, they taught him to get up on his own without lifting him. When there was a wound, they did not heal it, but taught him the efficacy of herbs and how to make medicine. What are edible and what are poisonous and should be avoided¡­. Taught him geography and culture so that he can adapt wherever he goes. The family loved him and raised him strongly. They wanted him to kill the dragon and come back ¡®alive¡¯ so that he wouldn¡¯t really die. Is it okay if I dare to love someone? Jason asked himself for the first time. Jason still didn¡¯t believe he could kill a dragon However, since Helena was the only one who believed that he could live, Jason decided to live for Helena for the rest of his life if he survived. He occasionally saw the shadow of a great dragon. It felt like it¡¯s the dragon¡¯s secret warning that he would destroy his homeland if he didn¡¯t leave soon. However, since he did not know the dragon¡¯s location, Jason had no choice but to take a vague step forward. He actually wanted to run away half way through. He was afraid of death. Yes, he still wanted to live. There were people he wanted to meet in his life. Even if he ran away like that, if he put his mind to it, no one would find him. ¡°Brother¡­¡­Can you help me?¡¯ It was then. A boy spoke to him. Jason looked back at the child as if he had seen a ghost. The child recklessly grabbed Jason¡¯s clothes and led him. When the child¡¯s request was granted, a clue was given about the dragon. Whenever Jason wanted to escape, such people constantly appeared to help Jason, and Jason helped them. It was as if fate was guiding him, that he had to kill the dragon. As he was rushing through life like that, his fears were gradually forgotten and new memories were created. Maybe he could come back alive. Hope gradually bloomed in Jason. So, when Jason saw the truth, he couldn¡¯t help but despair even more. The dragon he was finally faced with was bigger than anything Jason had ever encountered. He could never win. He couldn¡¯t win. Today he will die. However, although Jason resented those who drove him to this place, he did not back down. Because today, he might die if he runs away. As Jason gripped his sword, the dragon¡¯s voice broke through his mind. ¨C Even though it must have been a fleeting time for me, the time I waited for you was too long. ¨C Did you know I was coming? ¨C I¡­¡­ lived too long. Even though my soul was worn out and could no longer contain anything, this supreme body kept me living a life that was inferior to a corpse. The dragon quietly told the truth. ¨C It was I, not God, who made the prophecy. / controlled the priest. Because dragons are a race that cannot commit suicide¡­¡­ I brought you here so that could die. Chapter 59 Episode 59 Taking Roots ¨C Everyone I met on the street¡­¡­ Did the dragon send them? ¨C Things that were not originally permitted due to causality, they were possible because I paid a sufficient price. ¨C Was it expensive? At the indifferent tone, Jason was shocked and angry, so tears came out. What about his life? How many years did he lose? Who will make it up to him? He had endured to save the world. He endured it because he believed he had to save everyone. But only after preparing for his death did he realize that he was nothing more than a puppet. He was only used as an expendable item to help the dragon commit suicide. All that time, all the pain¡­¡­. ¨C What about me? How are you going to compensate me? ¨C You will be the strongest man in the world. ¨C I didn¡¯t want to be one! Jason screamed. He ruffled his hair, then lifted his head and stared at the dragon. Tears ran down his chin like rain. ¨C I didn¡¯t want to be¡­¡­ Rather, ask for forgiveness from me. Say sorry, even if it¡¯s empty words¡­¡­ Say something empty. What the hell am I for¡­¡­ Like this¡­.. Like this¡­..! ¨C Nothing changed. If it wasn¡¯t for me, you would have killed a dragon someday. Because that¡¯s your destiny. Your ¡®necessity¡¯ in this world was just that. Many moments that he had to give up to get here passed by. He was angry because it was all in vain. However, even to Jason¡¯s scream, the dragon only responded heartlessly without any apology. ¨C Finish your work. The dragon shut its mouth one last time. What he saw was not the body of a living dragon. It was close to the dragon¡¯s body, an illusion created by the fear of the dragon, so it had already disappeared without a trace when he came to his senses. Jason bent his back for a moment and laughed, then screamed. When he finally pierced the dragon¡¯s heart, the axis shook. He got a life. But was that the life he wanted? Jason ripped his heart out in vain. He was born to kill dragons? That¡¯s all this world, needs from him? So after killing the dragon, how was he supposed to live now? The boy, who had been raised as a tool to kill dragong all his life, has not grown a single inch emotionally So Jason¡¯s thinking went to the extreme, ending (suicide in that no one would need him now that he had killed the dragon. The world survived on his sacrifice, and Jason was slowly falling apart. Day after day, when he couldn¡¯t find a reason to live and crouched in the field and blinked his eyes blankly, Jason remembered Helena. When even he didn¡¯t believe in himself, she was the only person who held his hand. ¨C Trust your efforts. You worked harder than anyone. So it should be clear. He had to live. He thought he had to come back alive. It reminded him of the promise he had made to himself that he would live for her if he returned alive, That raised Jason¡¯s body up. Helena will need him. By Helena¡¯s side, who needs him, he will finally be able to put down roots. (PR/N: ¡®put down roots¡¯ as in ¡®settling down.) The way back was not difficult. On the road he ran into the people he had helped, but everyone was hesitant and passed by Jason. Seeing this, Jason confirmed once again that the dragon had intervened. He has been away from home for three years. It was not much time for rivers and mountains to change, but there was time for young children to grow up. How did everyone change? Are his parents okay? Little Faena, Helena, Alecto¡­¡­ Even if he tried to recall them, it was overflowing with blurry faces. If he were to do that, he would feel a little less lonely. As soon as Jason returned, he headed to the Imperial Palace. He also had to report to His Majesty the Emperor, but it was because Helena was there, After completing the formal report, he grabbed the attendants around him and asked where Helena was. He was informed that she was in the tea room near the garden. As soon as he opened the door, he saw two people, who had grown up, but were not so different from what he had imagined. A strange feeling swelled up in his chest. It was a relief that they didn¡¯t change. If the two were unfamiliar, Jason would not have been able to bear it. Jason jumped up and hugged the two of them. ¡°Are you drinking alone without me?¡± ¡°Jason! Are you back already?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to stay in the capital for a while. Isn¡¯t it a dazzling afternoon, Your Highness?¡± While greeting each other, Jason suddenly noticed an unfamiliar woman sitting in front of him. Her ebony hair and fresh eyes were beautiful. Only after blinking his eyes a few times did Jason realize that the woman was Eris Mis¨¦rian, Alecto¡¯s fianc¨¦e. ¡°Oh my. I was disrespectful, Lady Mis¨¦rian. You¡¯re still beautiful.¡± He acted more sly because he didn¡¯t want to be found out that he didn¡¯t recognize her, but Eris didn¡¯t seem to care. No, more precisely, she seemed uninterested in everything. She looked at Jason for a second with her dead eyes as if saying that it was endlessly boring. ¡°It¡¯s a dazzling afternoon, Lord Kazar.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t contributed to the Duke of Kazar, so that title is too much for me. I always say Jason is enough, but be formal.¡± ¡°As the prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, how dare 1.¡± It was a small voice, but it was full of poison. Something was strange. Was Lady Mis¨¦rian originally like this? Jason glanced at Alecto, but Alecto just wrinkled his face as usual. Eris said calmly. ¡°There are many eyes looking, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to consider other people¡¯s eyes.¡± ¡°There is only one person under the sky who can do that¡­. and he also cares about the comfort of silence.¡± ¡°Eris!¡± Helena called out her name in surprise. Alecto clenched his fists, trying to contain his anger. Even though Alecto¡¯s fists were clenched, Eris did not blink an eye, and then slowly got up from her seat. She said, to Helena with a subtle smile. ¡°Thank you for the tea, Lady Antebellum. But in crowded places, you shouldn¡¯t speak informally to His Majesty and I. There are things like status and one¡¯s gaze.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± Helena hugged Alecto, who was almost ready to run to Lady Mis¨¦rian, and stopped him. Helena lowered her head in a timid manner and nodded. At Helena¡¯s expression, Jason suddenly showed hostility towards Eris, but he held it in. If he took Helena¡¯s side without justification, he risked making it even more difficult for Helena. Eris smiled as if she was satisfied with his answer and left without any regrets. Her appearance was very unfamiliar. The Eris Mis¨¦rian that he knew, was a child who could not be prideful in front of Alecto. But now, Eris turned her back to Alecto before anyone else. A person who he¡¯d never thought would change, has changed. No wonder her back drew Jason¡¯s attention. Why did she change? What¡­¡­ made Eris Mis¨¦rian have such dark eyes? He became curious. When he saw Mis¨¦rian¡¯s carriage, Jason impulsively got on the carriage, and became obsessed with the idea of talking to Eris. As he waited for her in her carriage, the corners of his mouth went up in response to the reaction she would have. Will she hate it like she did when she was a child? He didn¡¯t think so, but she might be happy to see him. Last time he couldn¡¯t say hello properly¡­ However, what Jason was faced with was the appearance of her small cheeks swollen and red. Jason¡¯s face hardened. There were only a few people in this imperial palace who would slap this child. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. Lord Kazar has nothing to do with it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do as you say, Lady.¡± As Eris shrugged, Jason pretended to step back. Killing the dragon and coming back was a bit imprudent and shameless, and it was also a way to get someone¡¯s favor. He was constantly smiling and talking. Eris avoided his gaze with her tired face. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going on your next adventure?¡± ¡°I doubt it, even if I wanted to, since I killed the dragon, the mother of nature, I¡¯m thinking of spending some time in the capital city for a while, There are dragons who hate me.¡± Occasionally I have nightmares of dragons coming. They killed his people and turned the world into a sea of fire, it was a dream where people blamed themselves. After that dream, he would instinctively check out the window. He wondered if people really didn¡¯t die last night, or maybe he couldn¡¯t stop them because he couldn¡¯t wake up. ¡°I have some time before I get to the Marquis, so tell me a little bit more about that story.¡± Eris made eye contact for the first time. Jason was a little startled and looked into her blue eyes. Pretty, but¡­¡­. It wasn¡¯t as lively as before. Originally, he was more mature than his peers, but now she felt more mature. Hearing his story, he glanced at Eris who was thinking hard and asked. ¡°I guess¡­ you don¡¯t speak informally.¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re not that close. It¡¯s not something you can ask for.¡± ¨C Why do I have to treat you with respect? There are only three people under the sky whom I will respect. The lady, who proudly raised her head and spoke, no longer existed. Only the lady¡¯, who acts thoroughly based on calculation, remains. She¡¯s changed. Jason bitterly clicked his tongue inside and spoke to Eris as if he was making excuses instead, ¡°Don¡¯t blame those children too much. Since they¡¯ve only been in the Imperial Palace, they haven¡¯t met with anyone else of their age, so they¡¯re a bit clumsy.¡± ¡°They are past the age of receiving forgiveness for being clumsy.¡± ¨C Even if you¡¯re the Duke of Kazar, it¡¯s the same, Jason. One day, the comfort of ¡®Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯, who greeted him with courtesy passed. While meeting the Marquis of Mis¨¦rian and delivering his words, he kept thinking of Eris. It felt as if he were looking at himself. That aspect of pushing others away without taking root. Chapter 60 Episode 60 Defense Mechanism He tried not to think of Eris. That¡¯s why he went to see Helena often on purpose. He was relieved to face that fair smile. Helena nodded, listening to his story without any signs of displeasure. As expected, Helena was good. With Helena, he didn¡¯t think he would have nightmares anymore. Soon, there was a ceremony to appoint a knight. Jason decided to keep the promise he made to himself that day. He will make an oath that he can only do once for her. ¡°I want to make a knightly oath to you.¡± On the day of the inauguration ceremony, despite knowing that Eris was listening in the garden, he purposely did not stop. Even when she was young, Eris used to secretly bully Helena. He had condoned it in the past, but now that he has decided to protect Helena, he couldn¡¯t give her any more slack. ¡°Jason, you can only take the knight¡¯s oath once! Why would you do that for me¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s only once, so I want to do it for you, Helena.¡± Maybe it would be okay to get married. Life in the imperial palace was hard. It would be much less difficult to live as a duchess than to live as a maid. While thinking of children resembling Helena running in the garden, a smile was drawn on the side of his mouth. Helena needed him. Jason knelt on one knee. He pulled out the sword from his waist and handed it to Helena and whispered. ¡°¡­., Jason Kazar, pledge allegiance and obedience to Helena Antebellum in front of God. Even if the path is a series of hardships and adversity, I am willing to follow it, and no temptation will subside me.¡± ¡°Jason¡­¡± ¡°Helena, even if I can¡¯t walk the same path as you, I want to protect you to the end. Please allow me to do that.¡± Her thin hands were hesitant. They slowly came up to his head. The number of spectators increased by one more, but he didn¡¯t care. Alecto was always one step behind because he had a lot of fears. He will run away as always. Everything went just as Jason expected. Except for one person. ¡°Then stab me now.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you holding a sword? You can stab me with that.¡± Eris Mis¨¦rian looked straight at Jason. Jason was overwhelmed by those eyes. Hesitating, Jason retreated. Eris did not stop and jumped towards Jason¡¯s arms. No. Jason instinctively dropped the sword and held Eris¡¯ wrists to defend himself. It wasn¡¯t the attitude of a fearful person. Eris pushed her face closer to Jason¡¯s with a fierce look. ¡°¡­.When warning someone in front of you. Be prepared to stab the opponent to death right away.¡± ¡°You¡­ Who are you?¡± Eris Mis¨¦rian was not a girl like this. It could not have been Eris Mis¨¦rian who thought and acted like this. However, Eris turned around laughing at the suspicious Jason. ¡°Sir Kazar, you weren¡¯t interested in me. That¡¯s an interesting question.¡± He couldn¡¯t deny it. Jason almost forgot about Eris. They played together when they were young, but they only said hello and never even talked properly. For him, Eris Mis¨¦rian was close to the background. The background when meeting Alecto and Helena all the time. Inside him, a girl named Eris broke into pieces. Jason tried to redefine the figure, but it was somehow impossible. He didn¡¯t know Eris Mis¨¦rian. Even if he tried to imagine it, it kept being blurred. A blurred existence, above all else, it had to do with Jason¡¯s fear. Jason resented the world for turning perfectly even in his absence. Somehow sad and distressed, Jason clenched his empty fist for a long time even after Eris left. It was from that time that he chased Eris Mis¨¦rian. The world was harsh on Eris Mis¨¦rian. Swordmaster Jason was able to hear the gossip about Eris more than anyone else. Even the smallest things that Jason had never thought about were criticized. Only then could Jason understand why the Eris from his childhood was so hung up on perfection. There were many who said she was at fault even when it wasn¡¯t her fault. Nevertheless, Eris did not complain. No, actually, she had never complained before. She always raised her head upright and expressed contempt rather than sadness. Now he knew that being mean to someone was her defense mechanism, And that even the last defense mechanism was an exception to Alecto. Even if it made her sick, Eris valued her ¡°exception.¡± Finally, when Eris fell off the cliff, Jason realized that his curiosity should not end with ¡°curiosity.¡± The thin body fell helplessly. Jason fell along with Eris without time to think. However, let alone being grateful even though he saved her, Eris was busy pushing him away somehow. Eris who had never cared about herself, Eris who said it didn¡¯t matter if there were many enemies, and Eris who said it was okay to die because she didn¡¯t feel sorry for her life. What happened to her while he wasn¡¯t there? Even if she hurt others, a girl who didn¡¯t destroy herself doesn¡¯t have any regrets about anything anymore. She speaks precariously, acts precariously, and lives as if to die. Jason couldn¡¯t understand Eris because he had always longed for life. He didn¡¯t even know how to deal with it because he couldn¡¯t understand it. His mistakes have come to an irreversible point. It seemed to get worse the more he tried to deal with it, so Jason ran away from someone for the first time, ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s criticism and punishment will be sweetened again by returning to the capital, so don¡¯t be too angry. Take Lady Mis¨¦rian there.¡± After letting an angry Eris go, Jason turned to something easier. Something that did not need to be treated preciously or require a single conversation. If you kill, that¡¯s all¡­. Among the corpses, Jason stood alone and finally decided to try. He was always confident in his efforts and perseverance. Let¡¯s keep knocking on Eris. If he nudged her, she might think it would be a pity to die someday. There was a time when he dared to think like that. Jason Kazar was kind to Eris Mis¨¦rian. Everyone will say that that statement was true. However, human relationships are different from any equation or machine, kindness doesn¡¯t produce unconditional favors. Furthermore, some relationships are never restored by individual efforts alone. Jason, unfortunately, realised this too late. Eris, who came to the mansion for his sister¡¯s debutante ball, was dressed differently from usual. She looked exactly her age. Only after seeing that did, Jason realise that Eris was younger than him. The Eris he remembered was always more mature, than his age or him. She was cold-hearted, quickwitted, vicious¡­.. he assumed it was true because everyone said so. Usually facts are made that way. Perhaps what everyone was looking at was the colorful shell of Eris Mis¨¦rian. Inside, a delicate girl was struggling. Now, in front of his eyes, the hard shell of Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯ was peeling off. Jason didn¡¯t make her that way. Because she was talking about Alecto, the only person who could break her down. ¡°I realized that kindness cannot be called love..¡± Jason tried to be kind. ¡°Once upon a time, I thought that if I continued to love him, His Highness would look at me. That was the reason why I was so hung up on the Crown Princess seat. I needed a position from where I could be seen when His Highness looked back at me. It was a place where I could be rest assured and wait for His Highness with confidence.¡± Jason needed a place to rest. ¡°¡­I have grown up. Since I realized that His Highness will never love me in my life, wouldn¡¯t it be okay to rest a little now?¡± Jason did not grow up. ¡°It was my lifelong goal to become the Crown Princess and to be loved. It may sound funny to others, but it was as important to me as Lord Kazar¡¯s prophecy, After giving up on things like that, what regrets would I have?¡± Eris had acted as if loving someone was the value of her existence. She loved Alecto and would have liked to marry him and she believed that becoming the empress was the only ending to her life. Why did she like Alecto so much? Jason wanted to ask. It was only after Jason watched Eris that he was able to look back on himself from the past, who believed that killing the dragon was all he had to do. The way he had been living so far was not living. It was only a certain amount of time when he reluctantly held his breath because of responsibility, Did Eris not know how to do that? If she knew how, she would think she didn¡¯t want to die. Both Eris and him were drifting apart because they couldn¡¯t find their purpose. If each makes up for the other¡¯s shortcomings¡­.. Maybe we need each other. The idea was almost confirmed when Alecto said he was taking Helena as a partner to his sister¡¯s debutante prom. ¡°¡­So, I¡¯m going to take Helena to your sister¡¯s debutante ball.¡± After saying those words, Alecto seemed to pay attention to Jason for a moment. But Jason was obsessed with other thoughts. There was no way Eris would give up in the Kazar family¡¯s debutante ball. If she couldn¡¯t become a princess, her next best choice would be him. Even at her coming-of-age ceremony, she held out her hand, to him. Are you okay? Jason did not realize why Alecto had asked him such a question. Chapter 61 Episode 61 Ghosts of Failure Jason Kazar was so sure. Eris Mis¨¦rian would hold his hand. The idea of being rejected did not exist from the beginning. ¡°Sorry Lord Kazar, I¡¯m going to take my knight as my partner.¡± So when Eris refused, Jason had no choice but to be surprised. At first he thought she was going to say no once because of her dignity. But he paused at the part where she said, ¡®I¡¯m going to take the knight as my partner¡¯. Jason glanced at Anakin and spoke in a soft voice. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s on the same level as you. Wasn¡¯t that why you chose me at the coming-of-age ceremony? If you walk in with that knight, wouldn¡¯t everyone at the debutante ball laugh at you saying you¡¯ve been abandoned? Can you handle those gazes? Oh, Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­.. I¡¯m here to help you.¡± Alecto had abandoned her, so now Eris had no one but him. All she had to do was bend her ego a little bit. If you get the first button wrong, you just undo it all and start over. ¡°But I¡¯m not going with you.¡± Why was she so stubborn? He told her he wouldn¡¯t love her anymore. ¡°I¡¯m not going with you.¡± It was confusing. Jason chose his words for a long time and managed to open his mouth. This was not the time to build up pride, lord¡¯s daughter. Perhaps it was Jason himself who wanted to build his pride. When Jason raised his voice, Eris cut him off. ¡°I hate you. No matter what people say, going anywhere with you as a partner is even more annoying.¡± It was cruel and cold. A sharp word followed and stabbed him in the lungs. Is this what it feels like to lose your heart? Jason clenched his fists so as to not stumble. He couldn¡¯t understand. The words he said were not so bad compared to Alecto¡¯s. He also apologized, unlike Alecto. He never knew that he would be hated for the rest of his life, for he had only shown hostility once. If only he could prove it, he wanted to prove it. It was a momentary mistake, so he tried to beg for a chance to make up for it. Eris sighed as if she was tired, and pressed the corners of her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know why Lord Kazar is so persistent with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who wants to know why Lady Mis¨¦rian., refuses favors. When it¡¯s hard¡­ is it that hard to say it¡¯s hard?¡± I wanted you to rely on me. I always thought, How nice it would be if a blind person like her looked at me. But Jason was a ¡®stranger¡¯ who did his duty by killing the dragon and was no longer needed. He was lonely, Jason was just lonely. ¡°To be honest¡­ Lady Mis¨¦rian was only weak against His Highness. You have always been like that. Acting as if you didn¡¯t need anyone other than His Highness, and trying to pretend to be strong.¡± Jason strode over to Eris with bloodshot eyes and grabbed both of her wrists. Eris twisted for a moment, but that was all. Jason continued to speak as if pressured. He might cry violently if he stopped talking even for a moment. ¡°Now, even though you said that you want to rest a little¡­ why¡­ so¡­ why are you beating yourself up?¡± In fact, it was what he wanted to hear. You don¡¯t have to push yourself anymore. It¡¯s okay if you stop. Surely someone will know. I¡¯m with you. As a young man who could not do anything despite being forced to do something unreasonable, Jason, who had to try to die to meet people¡¯s expectations, desperately needed clich¨¦d support, even if it was empty words. She would have done the same. He was sure she wanted someone to know. She would have needed someone to understand and support her. He was confident now. He just needed to know her and protect her. Then both could be happy. However, Eris rejected Jason. She slapped him on the cheek and he stared blankly at Eris. ¡°What the hell do you know about me¡­! Don¡¯t treat me like a weak woman you have to protect! You really don¡¯t know? I¡¯m not miserable at all! It¡¯s you who wants me to be miserable! That¡¯s how you can dig into that gap.¡± He was sure she was saying bad things because she was caught. No matter how ferocious she was, she would surely cry inside. ¡°You know¡­ I¡¯m not interested in Lord Kazar. Tdon¡¯t hate you either. Hating is possible only when you are interested.¡± That can¡¯t be true. He and Eris were of the same kind. Somehow, however, Jason faltered and backed down as Eris approached. When he looked down at Eris with a frightened face as if he were facing something he was afraid of, she quietly wedged. ¡°I¡¯m not curious at all. How you have lived and what you think.¡± Even though he was crying, Eris did not show any sympathy. Jason eventually reached out, but Eris angrily struck out the hand. ¡°What makes you happy and sad¡­¡­ I don¡¯t want to know, and I want to forget even if I know. I won¡¯t cry even if you go somewhere and die tomorrow. Because you¡¯re a ¡®stranger¡¯ to me.¡± ¡°¡­You don¡¯t need me?¡± ¡°If you understand, don¡¯t talk to me from now on. I¡¯m tired.¡± Jason could not let Eris go like this. Somehow, if he sent her now, it seemed like it would forever end like this. Hang on. Please. Lord¡¯s daughter! Jason desperately called her, but Eris ignored him and walked firmly. As soon as he tried to grab her wrist, a fair hand, suddenly stopped him. A blurred face. It was the knight of Eris. After shaking his wrist off with strength, he let go of his hand. As a result, Jason, who was shaken by the rebound, stared fiercely at Anakin. ¡°How dare you touch a noble¡¯s body?¡­. Do you want to die?¡± ¡°Not only is my master not Lord Kazar¡­¡­ It¡¯s my duty to stop whoever touches my master if she doesn¡¯t want to.¡± Anakin, who responded rudely to Jason¡¯s threat, knelt down on one knee and looked up at Eris. Even looking down was rude. Like a believer. When Anakin asked for Jason¡¯s disposal, Eris sighed. Then, she laughed. That appearance was embedded clearly. It was a smile that she had never given him. He didn¡¯t know she could laugh at anyone other than Alecto. If he hadn¡¯t threatened Eris at first, would she have smiled like that if he had recognised Eris from the beginning? ¡°Jason Kazar, don¡¯t bother me and leave.¡± ¡°If you want to throw away your emotions or memories like trash, I¡¯ll lend you a mirror. Take care of it by yourself. Don¡¯t look for someone else.¡± It was a useless assumption. Although Eris was concerned about Helena, she didn¡¯t even give him the slightest bit of compassion. Jason, who had been hurt by Eris and tattered, moved slowly guided by her maidservant. His mind went blank. ¡°If I had known this, it would have been better if I had killed the dragon and died.¡± No, he would have been happier if he hadn¡¯t killed the dragon and it burned everything. Jason suddenly looked at his feet and swallowed a scream. His own shadow took the form of a dragon He tried to run away from the shadow, but the dragon¡¯s shadow clung to him and chased him without failure. My hands were shaking and I was terrified, but somehow I didn¡¯t regret it. Think. Let¡¯s think about it. I can¡¯t just be out of it since I did something. It had to be solved before this bell was over. What Medea said when Anakin and I went to her house one day came to mind. ¨C Witches are a species that ¡®evolve¡¯ when they feel desperate. However, the grudge must be strong enough to break through all the truths that bind you. We talked a lot that day. Medea talked like Scheherazade [1] in ¡®One Thousand and One Nights¡¯, then looked at me silently and said, There¡¯s no way the bell will ring someday, but if you hear the bell, you must call out with confidence, ¨C Why? ¨C It¡¯s a precursor to the transition. We call it the sound of the bells of transcendence. When the bell rings, you evolve into a witch. And once you become a witch, you can¡¯t go back. Medea looked in the air for a while and added to me, ¨C When you become a witch, you cannot cross the worlds and you¡¯ll be stuck in that world. This is because if a person with powers like a witch goes to another world, the existence of that world is in danger. You don¡¯t want to live in this world ¡®forever¡¯, do you? ¨C ¡­¡­ What should I do if I hear the bell? ¨C Call the other witches to stop the bell. At least three people are required. It will be possible because you will be an existence that has not yet become a ¡®witch¡¯. Witches may know a little more about their field of interest, but there is basically no difference in power That¡¯s why when we kill another witch, we outnumber her. Ding. The fourth bell rang already. I was in a hurry. I called the name of the person needed the most right now. The name that I wanted to call so much. ¡°Anakin, I need you. Right now.¡± However, the sixth bell rang and until then Anakin did not appear. Why? He can¡¯t have gone back. Because he can¡¯t leave his owner behind. Why isn¡¯t he showing up? I went around and around in the room and bit my finger. What if Anakin got caught up in something? felt like my head was going to explode with anxiety. Then, there was a rattling sound from far away Anakin was pulling himself up through the window had opened earlier. Just like how I imagined when I was sick in the mansion one day. As soon as he crossed the window, he ran to me and knelt down. [1] Major female character and the storyteller in the frame narrative of the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the One Thousand and One Nights. Visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheherazade to more information. Chapter 62 Episode 62 The Three Witches ¡°I¡¯m sorry. The knight led me to a distant place and I was waiting there. I came out because I was nervous and the door was locked, so I was late coming back.¡± After he had finished speaking, he looked at my hands, wrapped them in his own hands, and pulled out a fragment of the vase from my hand. Blood was dripping from the wound caused by the sharp piece of the vase which had been pressed against my hand. I didn¡¯t realise, but I think I was still holding it. He pulled out his handkerchief and wrapped it tightly around my hand to stop the bleeding. I watched silently and opened my mouth. Ding. The seventh bell rang. ¡°Near the Empress¡¯s Palace¡­ there is a big mirror, need you to bring it, is there anyone out there?¡± ¡°There is not.¡± ¡°Then bring the mirror without being noticed by anyone. If it seems impossible to move the mirror, any other mirror is fine. Bring it as soon as possible.¡± ¡°All right.¡± By the time the ninth bell rang, Anakin returned with a large mirror. I stood in front of the mirror that he firmly held. ¡°Medea, the bell is ringing. Help me.¡± ¡°Ah, in the end.¡± Give me your hand. Medea said so and reached out to me. I stretched out my hand as if possessed, and caught her hand through the mirror. I grabbed the witch¡¯s hand tightly and pulled her out of her mirror. She slipped out of the mirror and adjusted her dress. ¡°I don¡¯t have time, so I¡¯ll skip the greeting.¡± Medea, who glanced down at the dead crown prince on the bed, drew two circles on the floor with her fingernails. And when she tapped the floor inside the circle, the circle burned with light. Two women appeared in the blazing light. Both had lustrous black hair, the woman with smooth dark brown skin had bright and vivid eyes, a high nose and plump lips. The other woman had ivory-colored skin with long, fierce eyes and a slightly raised slim chin. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Medea?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.A stranger?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain later. I think there are only a few Bells of Transcendence left. How many times has it rung so far?¡± ¡°I just heard the eleventh bell.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only two left.¡± Medea shrugged her eyebrows once and took a bell out of her arms. It was the bronze bell that I was going to touch at the store. She squeezed it to me and pushed me between them. The other three witches held each other¡¯s hands and circled around me. ¡°I¡¯ll say the spell, so make sure to ring the bell.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± They started chanting a spell, it was a kind of language that I couldn¡¯t understand. But as I was getting closer to becoming a witch, I unconsciously noticed that it was the ¡®witch¡¯s language¡¯. The bronze bell did not make any sound even when it was shaken, but strangely, as time passed, a bell began to sound. It was not the sound of a distant bell, but as if this bronze bell was making a sound. And my body heated up like it was burning. It seemed to be engulfed in flames. Medea winked at me not to stop ringing the bell. I felt like I was getting burned, but I held it in and constantly shook the bell. When they finally let go of their hands, I dropped the bell on the floor. While I blew on my hands, Medea smiled and picked up the bronze bell again. The sound of the bell stopped before I knew it. ¡°You¡¯re the stranger Medea has been helping these days.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Nice to meet you¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Hello. These are my sisters, Isis and Mirang¡­ I didn¡¯t know Mirang would come.¡± While greeting Isis awkwardly, a woman called Mirang blinked and said. ¡°Circe is busy playing with her concubine, so if you were to call her, she would ask me to go instead.¡± ¡°Did her lover change again? Ha, that¡¯s too bad.¡± Medea wrinkled her nose and pointed with her chin at the crown prince in the back. ¡°I needed Circe and Isis to deal with that.¡± ¡°Reviving is my area of expertise¡­¡­. It¡¯s not so much that it makes him move, but rather, it¡¯s close to that.¡± ¡°It can move and speak, but it¡¯s actually still a corpse, Isis.¡± ¡°Humans can move and speak.¡± Isis grumbled, but Mirang talked casually. ¡°If you don¡¯t like that method, why not just turn back time?¡± ¡°Is it possible¡­¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s too much to turn the whole day around, half of it should be enough for the three of us.¡± ¡°Even if we turn back the time for two people?¡± ¡°Then half of that.¡± Isis said, shrugging her shoulders. At her words, Medea sighed and muttered as she facepalmed, ¡°Ah, I should have brought Circe¡­¡± ¡°You asked Circe to find the sword, and she had a hard time, so please cut her some slack today.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve come here to help you, but are you ignoring Mirang¡¯s specialty right now because it isn¡¯t magic?¡± Isis lightly pinched Medea¡¯s cheek. Mirang also ruffled Medea¡¯s hair with her smug face. Rather than being angry, it was like a teasing act on a little sister. I was going to hold it in because they were busy, but I couldn¡¯t. I raised my hand slightly and asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but what is one¡¯s specialty?¡± ¡°Ah, a specialty¡­how should I say this? It¡¯s an area that a witch is interested in and understands more deeply than other witches.¡± Isis added to Medea¡¯s explanation. ¡°It¡¯s useless to argue with a witch about who is stronger. We¡¯ve all reached one extreme point, so there¡¯s nothing more to develop. We can¡¯t go up, so we decided to go down..¡± After Isis beckoned a few times, a picture was dimly drawn on her hand with smoke. Several witches played on her hand. ¡°Some witches love death, so they began to study how to make it easier, more comfortable and less painful to die. Some witches studied the passage of time and explored how to twist it, and some witches put all their energy into digging into the mind.¡± Medea intervened at Isis¡¯ explanation and said. ¡°Isis loves time, Mirang loves power.¡± My guess was right. If Isis, Circe and Mirang have their respective specialties¡¯, then Mirang is probably talking about the ¡®nonexistence of power¡¯. (T/N: ¡°nonexistence of power¡± means the power that shouldn¡¯t ¡°exist¡±, forbidden power) ¡°Then what about you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ What could it be? I¡¯ll let you know when I have time later. I don¡¯t want to waste my strength doing things that can¡¯t be helped, so stop coming in here now, both of you.¡± Medea fixed her hair and avoided my answer again. She¡¯s always like this. When Medea called Anakin and me, Mirang looked at us with a cold gaze and asked. ¡°How can you devote yourself to helping strangers who are nothing special?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Mirang. I found it thanks to them.¡± At Medea¡¯s words, Mirang opened her eyes wide and opened her mouth slightly. The same was true of Isis. ¡°Did you find it?¡± ¡°I found it.¡± ¡°¡­ Then you¡¯re our savior.¡± Isis looked at me for a while and bowed her knees slightly to greet me. Mirang also bowed her head with both hands together. What did you find? I looked at Medea because I was embarrassed, but Medea was just smiling. ¡°That¡¯s it for the greeting¡­¡­. If you turn back time, you will be the only two who will not be affected by that time. All the other people¡¯ won¡¯t remember. Since it wasn¡¯t there in the first place.¡± This time, the three witches crossed their hands in an X-shape and grabbed us. It was a little cramped for Anakin and I to enter between the circles. Tick-tock. I heard the clock¡¯s second hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will really benefit you or not.¡± I held Anakin¡¯s hand tightly. One side of my mind was anxious. ¡°I hope you make a satisfactory choice this time.¡± When I woke up and opened my eyes, I was in the witch¡¯s shop. Obviously, I was clenching his hand, but Anakin was gone. Instead, Medea was the only one who smiled brightly. I blinked a little because it was not realistic. Did I succeed? I wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°You are back to the time when I looked at your fortune.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Anakin?¡± ¡°I called him. He¡¯ll be here soon.¡± Medea gave me tea. Because my hands were still shaking. She asked me quietly. ¡°What are you going to do? I can¡¯t turn back time twice.¡± ¡°First of all¡­ I have to go to the academy with Anakin. There¡¯s a person who witnessed us there, and I think it¡¯s related to the person who suspects the Marquis as a criminal.¡± ¡°The Emperor will call you again. It¡¯s only the time of you both that went back, so the rest will try to repeat the same behavior.¡± ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m thinking of going to someone the Emperor can¡¯t move.¡± The Empress. As long as I am with the Empress, the Emperor will not be able to bring me out. I didn¡¯t mean to protect the Marquis. If the Marquis had his head cut off for treason, it was more beneficial for me. But my head, the traitor¡¯s daughter, would be cut by his side. However, depending on whether it was the Emperor, the Empress or the Crown Prince who wanted to kill the Marquis, there was a possibility that he could not die without luck. ¨C Now I have to give it back. You did not marry me, but this Imperial family. ¡­.I remember what the Crown Prince said before he tried to touch me. Judging from the prince¡¯s expression and attitude, it seemed that the prince did not want to prevent the breakup of the marriage. The Empress decided that he could break up with me, so what was left was the Emperor. The Emperor trying to stop the breakup drove the Marquis to treason? There was no reason for that to happen. Then, either the empress or the crown prince charged the marquis with treason¡­¡­. If the empress was the culprit, it didn¡¯t matter that she betrayed me, but if it was the Crown Prince, I wouldn¡¯t die. The Emperor will save me. Because I¡¯m the Crown Princess from a noble family without a single maternal relative, there is no better woman to hold and shake. Chapter 63 Episode 63 Reliving the Night The odds are half and half, but it was better to know for sure than to make a big mistake later. And if it has to happen, I would like for it to be the empress (PR/N: she¡¯d prefer to avoid the emperor and crown prince.) It was because if she betrayed me, I wanted to make a deal with her so I could have at least one weakness on her. Above all, I needed an excuse not to meet the crown prince tonight. I heard a knock on the door. Astonished, I watched the witch open the door. It was Anakin. That familiar face seemed somehow unfamiliar to me, so I stood blankly and looked at Anakin¡¯s face. Medea got up from her seat and looked at me worriedly, she said with only a blink of her eyes. ¡°Would you like to go take a little break?¡± Medea, who looked at me worriedly, tried to smile, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I¡¯d be lying if I said it wasn¡¯t hard. Over and over in my head, the previous situation was replayed over and over again. I had nothing to vomit, but I wanted to vomit. My empty stomach throbbed and my legs trembled. I had to pretend I was okay even if I wasn¡¯t okay Because there was still work to be done. It¡¯s never too late to cry after everything is over. I hid it by squeezing my trembling hands tightly. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Anakin.¡± Everything was repeated once again. But this time didn¡¯t dress up in a bright yellow colored coat. Last time, it was a date with Anakin, so I stopped by my house to change my clothes, and after the butler contacted the academy, I went off leisurely with Anakin. Now I didn¡¯t have time to relax like that. I have to start right away to catch the criminal one step ahead. When I got off the carriage, there were no people, from the academy this time. I came without saying a word, so it was understandable. I looked at the tightly closed iron door and ordered Anakin. ¡°Cut it.¡± It was a crazy order, but Anakin never refused or complained. He pulled out his sword, looked at the door for a while, measured something, and soon cut down the thick iron door with a single stroke. The iron door fell back with a loud sound. People at the academy raised their heads one by one at the thundering sound. Soon after, two people ran this way. They ran to us with a weapon, checked my face and lowered the weapon slightly. ¡°What the heck is this! How can you open the door to the sacred academy¡­¡­!¡± Seeing those who did not hide their wary eyes, I raised my chin as arrogantly as possible and said annoyedly. ¡°Claim it to the Mis¨¦rian family.¡± ¡°Mi, Mis¨¦rian family¡­¡­.?¡± They looked through me for a moment and exchanged glances with each other. I gained momentum and retorted like a very rude person. ¡°I definitely sent someone to inform you that I was going to watch fireworks here¡­¡­ Why didn¡¯t he come out to greet me?¡± ¡°Excuse me, Lady Mis¨¦rian, we haven¡¯t been told anything.¡± ¡°It sounds like I¡¯m lying. Will you be able to handle it?¡± The student turned blue and shut his mouth. No matter how promising he was at the academy, he was just a commoner. If it was known that he had insulted the daughter of a great nobleman, he was more likely to be punished. Even if there was a supporter behind the brilliant child, even entering the academy would have become difficult. In fact, it was like abusing power, but I was in no situation to look after anyone now. I was sorry, but it was enough to charge the price of the iron door to the Mis¨¦rian house anyway. It didn¡¯t matter because wasn¡¯t the one who would pay. They whispered to each other for a moment to see if anyone knew it, and soon bowed their heads and said, ¡°There must have been a mistake.¡± They quietly led the way, telling us to come this way. The students who were looking outside at the disturbance glanced at the two of us, but I didn¡¯t care, It was fortunate that Eris¡¯ personality was so overbearing and reckless. Even if I act so recklessly, may not be suspected. We arrived at an outdoor balcony overlooking the school¡¯s panoramic view. We sat side by side in a chair, but I didn¡¯t touch anything this time because I didn¡¯t have an appetite. Soon after, a group of people wearing thick capes came out and lifted something like a cane embedded with jewels. Then a flame was fired from the end of the jewel. Boom boom¡­ Flames that shone brilliantly with the sound. But there was no more excitement. At this moment, remembered what I wanted to say to Anakin. Those sparkly emotions and beautiful times were all ruined. I felt like I was going to cry because it was unfair. Nothing has changed, but so much has changed. We were no longer impressed. I was just counting, trying to remember the time. The most perfect time to get out of here and catch the criminal¡¯s breath. Before the roar, Anakin held me in his arms to protect me from the explosion. People¡¯s screams resounded. This time, we both got up almost at the same time. I stepped out of the balcony and Anakin drew his sword and guarded my back. ¡°It¡¯s a monster! A monster has appeared!¡± A hole opened in the sky and winged monsters poured out. Close the gate! The gates closed and students rushed out of the building in unison. It was the same until the sound of the release of the heavy chains rang, and light burst out from the top of the spire in the center, blocking the academy. We had to figure out the location of the culprit who was watching us at the time. The person who stopped and stared at us as we ran when everyone was running away. Because I had a gut feeling that he might be the culprit. I looked outside, trying to figure out where we were that day. The monsters that had been destroyed by the students one by one began to merge into one. Then, they came together in a huge shape and melted the surrounding area quickly. ¡°Escape!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Help me!¡± ¡°Move!¡± People¡¯s screams broke out and confusion increased. The crowd was too large for Anakin to find him. remember it was near the stairs, but the academy structure was all similar, so I had no idea what kind of stairs they were. Let¡¯s think calmly, we have to think. I chewed on the bottom of my fingernails, closed my eyes and tried to concentrate. Anakin protected me from the crowds pushing me. And finally, I remembered that there was a flowering winter tree near the road we had escaped from ¡°The red flower¡­ Anakin, you need to find a place near the stairs where you can see the red flower tree. The culprit was standing there.¡± We ran through the chaos, trying to find the tree, Finally, next to the flower tree, we found the place where we were standing. We held our breath and waited for the culprit to arrive here. Finally, an ordinary man wrapped in robes walked towards the stairs. Anakin grabbed the man¡¯s neck in an instant. I slowly walked out in front of the struggling man. The man who saw me widened his eyes. I looked straight at the man and spoke with as much confidence as I could. ¡°Guide me to your master.¡± I didn¡¯t even say who it was. If I chose the wrong one, it would be a failure. The struggling man squeezed his eyes shut. Anakin quickly pressed the man¡¯s jaw and opened his mouth to check. Anakin clicked his tongue once and put his finger inside and scraped something. ¡°It is a poison for suicide.¡± ¡°As long as you accompany me there, I will be silent about everything¡­¡­. You did this because you hated the Marquis, right? Relax. The plan will go as scheduled.¡± When we returned to the mansion, the culprit had already confessed. No matter how much he did as he was told, the empire could not have saved a felon who opened the pouring gate himself. ¡®If you hate the marquis enough to die for his death appeasement will work better than intimidation The man took a few rough breaths. After a while he lowered his head as if he had resigned. As Anakin released the man¡¯s neck, he spoke to us with red bloodshot eyes. ¡°Follow me.¡± The man led us down to the basement of the academy. As we went around the winding road several times, there was a huge magic circle. So¡­¡­a ¡°magic¡¯ force. ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t magic engineering.¡± ¡°Magic engineering cannot go against the rules. This is the magic circle left by a witch in the early days of the empire. It is connected to the underground of the Imperial Palace.¡± The man grabbed Anakin¡¯s sword with his bare hands and bled. As the blood soaked the floor, light poured from the magic circle. It felt like my body was leaning, and when I opened my eyes, I was sent to a completely different place. A sword was pointed at us in the dark, was there any other knight protecting the magic circle? ¡°Who are you!¡± ¡°You¡¯d better lower the knife.¡± The light shone towards my face. The knights who confirmed my face drew their swords with surprised faces. ¡°How come¡­ You¡¯re here¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to know that. You, keep guiding me. And Anakin¡­¡­.¡± It would be difficult if the emperor caught us coming here now. Anakin pulled out his sword without me saying anything. As I left the room where the magic circle was, I heard the screams of the knights behind me. As we climbed the stairs along the underground corridor, where we arrived was not the Empress¡¯s Palace. It was a little remote from the Imperial Palace and was not very large. There were no people, but everything was in order as if it was regularly maintained. It was rather fortunate. If this place looked like the Imperial Palace reception room, I would not have been able to endure it because I would have felt sick. I checked the location of Anakin standing near me over and over again. How long have I been waiting? Fortunately, the empress, not the crown prince, opened the door and came in. Chapter 64 Episode 64 To Sell Your Soul I raised the corners of my mouth out of courtesy at the empress staring at me silently. ¡°It¡¯s a dazzling afternoon, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You¡­..¡± ¡°You can ask questions first, Your Majesty.¡± This smile was enough. I lowered the corners of my mouth and spoke grimly to her. ¡°However, when Your Majesty¡¯s questions are over, you will have to answer me.¡± The empress sat across from me. She knocked on the table for a moment and asked me. ¡°How did you find out about this place?¡± ¡°A reliable guide took me there.¡± ¡°I mean how did you meet the guide?¡± She spat it out in a low voice. I tilted my head slightly and recalled the face of a man who had already left to confess. ¡°I went to see the fireworks today and witnessed the gate opening in person. I was lucky and ran into the culprit who opened the door.¡± ¡°Lies.¡± ¡°If I had known at the time that the gate would open in the yard and I could die because of the monsters, of course I wouldn¡¯t have gone to the academy. I can see the fireworks from my house.¡± The empress shut up at my answer. She no longer made any excuses, didn¡¯t even try to back out.. She looked out the window silently and spoke quietly without even giving me a glance, ¡°So, what are you going to do next? Did you intend to file a complaint against me for betraying you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± (PR/N: Eris being sarcastic.) I slowly leaned on the sofa. The empress¡¯s gaze turned to me. I closed my eyes slightly and opened them again at her. As is often the case when soothing cats, ¡°I can¡¯t throw away a card like Your Majesty very easily. First of all, you have to interrogate me today.¡± ¡°An interrogation?¡± Wondering, the empress asked back. I scrunch my nose playfully. Perhaps everyone in the academy knew that I was at the scene. Maybe everyone who came out as witnesses mentioned it once. ¡°I went in a bit loudly. Since the daughter was in the place where her father opened the gate, why not check if she¡¯s an accomplice?¡± Last time, only a few people knew that I was at the academy because I told them in advance and went in quietly. There may be a few people who passed by and saw me, but that was enough to cover up that they¡¯ve seen it wrong. And maybe he was thinking of meeting me separately and conciliating with threats. I have to make it impossible to steal myself. So that there is no situation where it¡¯s just the crown prince and I are present. ¡°Your Majesty doesn¡¯t have to interrogate me directly. But please monitor if the interrogation really takes place.¡± ¡°What do you gain from doing that? I don¡¯t understand you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to understand me. It¡¯s enough if our interests match.¡± Although we were not enemies, there was no need to hold hands with the empress. As long as we achieved our one goal of overthrowing the emperor and the marquis, we didn¡¯t need any other emotional elements. The empress was also convinced and nodded her head softly. ¡°If you¡¯re done with the questions, it¡¯s my turn. Why did you do this? If you get caught, you won¡¯t be safe.¡± The scale of the empress¡¯s decorations was larger than expected. In the past, there had been a war of magic with the demon king, so one of the countries that was fed up with demons was the empire. The reason why the empire was a sacred state that followed the Pope with diplomatic relations came from the magic war. This was because, as well as defeating demons, the divine power made a great contribution to healing the land and people from being tainted by demons. Those who controlled demons were punished with death, and even if they came into contact with them, they were severely questioned. She even offered a bounty to encourage the extermination of demons at a national level. In this situation, If it was discovered that she had opened a portal where monsters poured into the capital, no matter how big the empress was, there was a high possibility that she would be dethroned as well as being held accountable and sentenced to death. It was reckless to exchange for the life of a single marquis. The empress snorted at my question. She raised her head and said casually. ¡°I hate the Marquis.¡± One day, when I told her that I hated her, the empress got mad at me. She honestly expressed her feelings in front of me, saying she wanted to kill me. But now the empress did not even do that. Even a single word of emotion only spoke a certain ¡®fact¡¯ in a subdued voice as if it were a luxury. ¡°And¡­ I hate the Emperor who drew him in as much as I hate the Marquis.¡± After the empress had finished saying that, she laughed for a moment. There was more madness than usual. ¡°I know better than anyone else how to make the emperor suffer. I¡¯ll kill myself.¡± ¡°If you know how, why don¡¯t you do it?¡± The empress folded her eyes and laughed as if she was looking at an innocent child. At the moment, she looked my age. Youth, which was just happy without any worries, was briefly overlaid on her face and melted away. And the empress calmly described the infinitely terrifying past. ¡°I tried. I hung my neck. I lost my mind for a day and when I woke up, it smelled strongly of blood¡­¡­ Hundreds of people¡¯s heads were cut off for failing to manage me. Even the children who have been helping me since I was a Crown Princess, all the children who just joined as apprentices were also beheaded.¡± The empress swallowed her saliva for a while with a painful expression. She stopped talking for a long time and barely opened her mouth. She looked calm again. ¡°lowe my life to a hundred people, so I had to live even if I didn¡¯t want to. If I can¡¯t die or kill the Emperor, I will live to get revenge, I vowed.¡± The empress closed her eyes slowly and put her hands together to interlock her fingers. ¡°After that, I scratched up information and interfered with what the Marquis was doing. Starting with small things, I also destroyed the magic train he worked hard on. The Marquis will someday run that scrap metal again, but he won¡¯t be able to make money for a while anyway.¡± It was the empress who broke the magic train I rode. Thanks to her, I was basically a fish in troubled water because it further delayed Jason¡¯s pursuit of me. The Empress then said. (PR/N: 1 2/2/2/ is a fish in troubled water which comes from the idiom that a fisherman passing by in a fight between a long bill and a clam could hunt both in the middle of the fight. Basically, one person has an advantage due to two people fighting, you play a person off against another and you just benefit from it, in this cose Eris was struggling and the empress was benefiting.) ¡°It¡¯s still not enough to open the gate and blame it on the Marquis. This is not enough to kill him.¡± ¡°Is it not enough?¡± Finally, the empress opened her eyes. All of a sudden, there was blood in her eyes. She may have been closer to a witch than me. But she could not transcend. If the empress became a witch, would her life be better? ¡°Since it¡¯s the Marquis that colluded with the Emperor, he may end up with his property confiscated, and driven out under the pretext of working for the country. That¡¯s not what I want. I have to see the Marquis vomit blood and die.¡± If it was the emperor, it was possible enough. No, the marquis did not really commit it in the first place, so it was enough to release him due to insufficient evidence. A definite sin was needed. The marquis actually committed¡­¡­ a definite sin. I listened to the empress and said. ¡°Is it enough to commit treason?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If the daughter makes her father commit a rebellion, will he be able to pay for it with death?¡± She looked at me like someone who saw a ghost. I looked back at Anakin standing behind me for a moment. Anakin shook his head silently. It meant that there were really only the three of us there. I spoke to the empress with confidence. ¡°However, I¡¯m not the only one who pays the price. Your Majesty must pay the same price as my father.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯re going to take our lives at the same time?¡± ¡°Four, me too. I know how serious it is to open the gate. If Your Majesty saves my father again this time, it is only in the name of killing the royal family.¡± I blinked and hoped she would get caught. This was more like helping the empress, but it was not a bad situation for me either. The more crimes, the better. That way, I¡¯ll definitely be executed. The empress blinked for a moment when I said I would die and asked. ¡°Why do you want to die?¡± ¡°It¡¯s also a matter that Your Majesty doesn¡¯t need to understand. What¡¯s important now is whether or not Your Majesty will hold my hand.¡± I shut up for a moment and added. ¡°If you kill His Majesty and even kill my father for killing His Majesty, isn¡¯t that equivalent to killing two rabbits at once?¡± (T/N: 4+1 people-Eris, Empress, Emperor and Marquis + Heleno) She seemed to be thinking about something with her mouth closed for a moment. The empress asked. ¡°How are you going to kill me?¡± In the original story, Eris killed Helena with a poisoned teacup. Perhaps the cup was brought to her by the marquis. I had to stab Helena with the dagger the witch gave me anyway, so I thought that giving the teacup to the empress wasn¡¯t a bad idea. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask my father to get a poisoned tea cup.¡± ¡°¡­.. To drink tea with the emperor in that?¡± ¡°You have to drink it together. That way, you can get out from the list of suspects. If it¡¯s found out that you are an accomplice, His Highness might have problems with legitimacy when he ascends.¡± ¡°The throne is¡± ¡°Of course, His Highness will be there. There are only four people who die.¡± I shrugged to the empress and added. ¡°¡­¡­Anyway, His Highness is still alive. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to minimize the possibility just in case?¡± Killing the emperor and empress would be an adventure for me as well. It was unlikely, but it would have been difficult for the crown prince to become emperor even if there was a coup. ¡­.Anyway, because I want to make Helena the empress. The child deserves a happy ending. The empress who was listening to me suddenly burst into laughter. But when I looked up, tears were pouring out of her eyes. It looked strangely beautiful. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sell my soul because no witch appeared to buy it.¡± She got up from her seat as it possessed and knelt at my feet. She smiled while touching my face with both hands. With eyes as if facing holy things. ¡°Now that I see you, I think I was here to meet you. You came to buy my soul.¡± The empress, who had been speaking sorrowfully, growled, clenching her fists on my lap. ¡°¡­Give me that cup. If the Emperor doesn¡¯t drink, I¡¯ll, pour everything into his throat. Finally, after such a long time¡­¡­ I will avenge my son.¡± Chapter 65 Episode 65 The Interrogation It¡¯s ironic. That I, who persuaded her to die, would rather be her savior. She¡¯s different from me. I¡¯m trying to die to live, but the empress is not afraid of death even though this is real life, she is not afraid of death even though she only has one life. What made her do that? The empress resembled ¡®Eris¡¯ in many ways. This was the case with having power since birth, beauty and heartlessness. However, for both the loved woman and the unloved woman, the ending was concluded as misfortune. Now I realize one common thing in the stories I¡¯ve been reading for fun. That a woman branded as bad in the world of stories cannot survive. Because she is not the main character, the stigma can never be erased because this world is not their story. But the main character can¡¯t be the only one in the story. She should have the right to live even if she is not the main character. I woke up once every two hours. It had nothing to do with my will. Perhaps the shock of the incident with the crown prince was so great, it was just¡­¡­ my body couldn¡¯t fall asleep. I would jump up and check the surroundings even if ! couldn¡¯t hear anything because I was nervous all over. I was tired and nervous because I couldn¡¯t sleep. It was already the third time I woke up. Eventually, I gave up sleeping and sat up. After the empress left, I was locked up in a tower-like place. Anyway, I guess I couldn¡¯t be imprisoned in a cellar because my status was still that of a semi-royal. Except that it was small, the bed was actually quite large and soft, and it was not particularly dirty, so it felt more like an inn than a prison. I looked out the window for a moment. Um, it¡¯s high. Even if it was Anakin, I don¡¯t think he could climb up here. I have a hand mirror that Anakin secretly handed me, so if I want, I can call the witch.. I heard a rattling sound, and the maid brought me a meal. Even if I ate poison, I wouldn¡¯t die, but I had no appetite. I put only a few spoons of soup in my mouth and put the bowl down on the floor. It was great luck to have a clock in the room. Thanks to it, I didn¡¯t have to feel anxious about waiting for someone while not knowing how much time had passed.. It was not until evening that the servant came back into my room. He tied a cloth to my eyes to cover them, then carefully held my hand and led me somewhere. I didn¡¯t intend to run away, but the servant held me firmly with a strong grip. How far did I walk? I was guided to one room and placed in a chair. I could hear the door locking, and there was a strict-looking old man sitting on the other side of the table. I was thinking of saying hello first, but I just shut up because the person with the lower status usually says hello first. When I glanced sideways, I saw that standing next to me was a face that I had seen in the empress¡¯ palace, It was fortunate that the empress did what I said. There was no Anakin, so it was dangerous to be dragged around at will. The old man looked at the documents for a moment and then greeted me, ¡°It¡¯s a dazzling afternoon, Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired. If there¡¯s anything you want to ask, let¡¯s hurry up and ask it.¡± ¡°Okay. You visited the academy yesterday.¡± It gives a hint of doubt, but not reassurance. I don¡¯t know what will happen if I keep being imprisoned in the Imperial Palace. Lies and truth usually sound more plausible when mixed. I answered with a calm face. ¡°Because I wanted to see the fireworks.¡± ¡°Why in the academy? You¡¯ll be able to see them from the outside.¡± ¡°I wanted to see them from a place where I could see them best. Why should I be listening to this silly question?¡± When I got annoyed on purpose, the old man coughed several times. I turned my eyes away. ¡°Did you see the gate opening?¡± ¡°I saw it. Is it a problem?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s the Marquis of Mis¨¦rian who opened the gate, it¡¯s a problem.¡± He smiled and tilted his head in an awkward way. After cleaning under my nails for a while, thought I should know what they were trying to fit in, so I asked. (QC/N: as in, the story they want.) ¡°Do you mean that I helped my father open the gate? On what grounds?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t open it yourself, but by knowing the Marquis¡¯ plans, you may have assisted him¡­¡± Aha, that¡¯s how you¡¯re going to take me out of it, right? Certainly, aiding and abetting crime was not as punishable as treason. Especially when I said I didn¡¯t know. If I pretended not to know here, it was clear that they would pretend to investigate a little more, and soon remove me from prison and show condolences. ¡­..Or they might threaten me to behave if I don¡¯t want to be detained again. It¡¯s a dilemma. By being tied up as an accomplice with the marquis, there is still work to be done, and the crown prince will be caught when the charge is denied. If so, there is only one way I can do this. ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It means I¡¯m going to exercise my right to remain silent.¡± The old man¡¯s face gradually turned red at my shameless words. He yelled at me, hitting the desk hard. ¡°Young lady! Opening the magic gate is a crime of treason! Don¡¯t you know how serious this incident is?¡± ¡°I know. So tell His Majesty that. Lady Mis¨¦rian didn¡¯t say a word, saying she was using her right to remain silent¡­. and¡­¡± It was like a naive robber¡¯s remarks, but it was calculated so that if I used the right to remain silent, the emperor would not be able to do anything else about me. You won¡¯t be able to torture me. Since I already had a connection with the Empress, thought I could give her a little hint if he was locking me up for too long. Anyway, one of the reasons I have to go out is to help her. The old man was trying to say something and noticed the servant behind me. ¡°If there is nothing left to say, I want to go back now.¡± ¡°¡­ The interrogation will continue.¡± The interrogation was concluded with a line like a third-rate villain¡¯s. The servant covered my eyes again and led me to the room. When I came back, I laid down on the bed as if collapsing. As I was left alone, endless helplessness surrounded me. How much longer do I have to endure? How far have I come in this novel? I rolled out my blanket and breathed silently. Breathing was also horribly overwhelming. I didn¡¯t want to do anything. After that, the interrogator called me over and over again, but I remained silent. At this rate, he threatened the death penalty and begged that he would release me immediately if I denied it, but it was all useless. I still woke up once every two hours, and I had no appetite, but I ate a little bit of rice. However, couldn¡¯t help being tired because I couldn¡¯t sleep. I was leaning against the corner of the room, just blinking my eyes, and suddenly a person came through the door. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± When she pulled up the hood, it was Helena, and her white hair poured out. I was so surprised that I stared at her. She shouldn¡¯t have been here. If she gets involved, she could be kicked out, let alone become the crown princess. I¡¯m still being treated as a semi-royal because of the emperor, but it would be over for Helena, a low-ranking maid, who was hated by the emperor. ¡°Where do you think you are coming!¡± ¡°I was so worried about Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­¡­.¡± When I screamed, Helena shrank and took something out of her arms. It was meat, bread and cold fruits that remained vaguely warm. I was speechless when I saw the food she handed me. I¡¯m in prison, but I still had a luxurious meal. No, at least they will be more expensive than Helena¡¯s. But these foods that she brought for fear of me starving¡­¡­ I couldn¡¯t throw them away. As if to check, she watched as I finished eating. When I finally finished eating, I spoke quietly to her. ¡°¡­I enjoyed the meal. But don¡¯t come here again, Because it¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°However¡­¡± The moment Helena tried to say something more, heard footsteps. I gestured to Helena and sent her away. She looked back at me again and again and soon disappeared down the hallway. The servant appeared from the hallway on the other side just as Helena barely disappeared. The servant covered my eyes as always, and I followed him as I walked. But something was strange. No matter how blind they were, people had senses, so they had to roughly notice which direction they were going. It was a different place from the usual room. When I tried to pull out my arm, the servant held me firmly. I twisted my body and told the servant. ¡°Where are you taking me? The direction is different than usual.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to kidnap you, so please be relieved. However, you can¡¯t go to that room because of circumstances.¡± You have to be able to believe that. But while I was struggling, I was pushed into a room. The servant released my eye patch. It was definitely a different room than usual. The table and the chair made it more luxurious. It was like a room designed to answer to someone rather than interrogate them. The interrogator, who was waiting in the room first, poured the tea. He smiled kindly and told me. ¡°Sit down, Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± ¡°Did you give up on the interrogation?¡± ¡°Because I can¡¯t make Lady Mis¨¦rian open her mouth.¡± He shrugged once, quenched his mouth with tea, and looked towards the door. Somehow, my spine was cool. The fact that this room was so nice also played a part. Chapter 66 Episode 66 Maintaining the Status Quo This room was not prepared for me as a sinner. It was a place to treat people higher than me. ¡°I thought I wasn¡¯t good enough, so I brought someone to persuade Lady Mis¨¦rian instead of me.¡± The door opened. I really didn¡¯t want to look back. felt like I shouldn¡¯t look back. However, the interrogator smiled and bowed his head, and greeted the person behind me. ¡°It¡¯s a dazzling afternoon, Your Highness. Thank you for coming.¡± I was suffocating. Don¡¯t come. Don¡¯t come close to me. There was no Anakin here. Fragments of last night flew like sparks. I felt nauseous. However, contrary to my wishes, Alecto slowly approached me. Our eyes finally met. Repeating what happened that night¡­¡­ I never had such a nightmare. I had never slept that deeply before. Reality was always worse than nightmares. I was frozen to the core. I forgot how to breathe, I felt suffocated to death, so I had to breathe like I was bursting out. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian, are you okay?¡± The interrogator felt something strange and tried to come up to me to check my complexion, but I hit his hand roughly. The sound of teeth gritting was clearly audible. Was it my voice that was seething, or was it anger? Probably both. I still remembered clearly. The sense of being dragged, the fear, and the touch of the vase in my hand. The sour taste that poured out when I was nauseous, terrible helplessness, and the sound of my heart that seemed to explode when I was nauseating¡­¡­. I¡¯m going crazy, but I¡¯m barely holding it in! ¡°You¡­.. How can you be so shameless?¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian?¡± ¡°Get out.¡± My pale hand was clenched on my lap. Maybe that¡¯s how tired my face was. I shouted as if I was squeezing my throat. It was almost a scream. ¡°Can¡¯t you hear me telling you to leave? Get out! Get out! Get out!¡± ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian, calm down.¡± ¡°Get out before I kill you!¡± Why do you look surprised? I already succeeded once You don¡¯t think I¡¯ll succeed twice? ¡°How dare you be rude to me?¡± The crown prince¡¯s surprised expression did not last long. He soon hardened his face as usual. While frowning in the middle of his forehead, he tried to catch me with an angry voice. I screamed. I shook my body recklessly and tried to shake him off. Something seemed to have been scratched to the point where my throat was hoarse, I had a headache and shortness of breath. I couldn¡¯t control it and twisted my trembling body. While lying on the floor, my eyelids shook, and I breathed in vain and coughed. My vision was blurred¡­.. I could remotely hear voices of people looking for a doctor. When I came to my senses, I was on the bed. Seeing that it was not a bed in the prison tower, it seemed to be an ordinary imperial room. My head was pounding. I didn¡¯t even have the strength to get up, so I just closed my eyes, and soon after, someone came into the room. They seemed to be maids. They wiped off the cold sweat off my face for a while and soon lowered their voices and began to talk, ¡°She still isn¡¯t up? They said she didn¡¯t get hurt anywhere.¡± ¡°Shh, you need to be extremely quiet.¡± At the scolding of another maid, the maid closed her mouth for a while, and soon lowered her voice and asked. ¡°Is that true? I heard Lady Mis¨¦rian went crazy and ran around¡±. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian used to be a little crazy. That¡¯s not a flaw in the Imperial Palace, sweetheart.¡± The other maid added frustratingly at the maid¡¯s gentle tone. ¡°No matter how crazy Lady Mis¨¦rian was, she only trembled at His Highness. This time, she pinched him, scratched him and made a fuss.¡± ¡°Oh, my. Really?¡± The maid, who had been surprised for a while, soon sighed once and spoke pitifully. ¡°That¡¯s understandable. Because of her great pride, she was always despised by His Highness, and she was completely abandoned.¡± ¡°Did she become completely abandoned?¡± ¡°Forget it. I shouldn¡¯t have said that about a sick person¡­¡± When the maid stopped talking, I heard another maid busily chasing her. The maid with a slightly higher voice spoke to another maid as if she was whining. ¡°How can you stop talking? Making people curious¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t you know that the more you stay in the Imperial Palace, the more you have to spare your words?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll spare them. I¡¯ll totally spare them. So, huh? Let me know. Curiosity killed the cat.¡± The curious maid must have tickled the silent maid. I heard a laugh. The tickled maid sighed as if she couldn¡¯t win and brought it up. ¡°Sigh¡­ Do I have to keep it to myself? My cousin works for Duke Kazar. You may know that His Highness took Helena to Lady Kazar¡¯s debutante ball.¡± ¡°Of course! For a while, all the maids in the palace were going crazy over that, right?¡± ¡°But she said Helena was wearing purple¡±. After finishing her words, the maid continued to speak with a very low voice. ¡°Wearing clothes in a color that only the royal family can wear means that she¡¯ll soon become the royal family.¡± ¡°What? But Helena is not a noble.¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s rotten, it¡¯s still a herring, the bloodline is still noble. Lady Mis¨¦rian is also pitiful. The Marquis was also charged with treason, and now even he¡¯s going crazy¡­ (PR/N: ¡®Even if it¡¯s rotten, it¡¯s still a herring¡¯ is a Korean folk saying that means that anything that¡¯s naturally good will never wear out or change. In this case, the maids are saying even if Eris is crazy, she¡¯s still a noble so all is still good.) It was not until the maids escaped and the door closed that I opened my eyes. First of all, the marquis was still captured. It didn¡¯t matter if the marquis died here, but he shouldn¡¯t die yet. Because I don¡¯t know where to get the cup the marquis had brought. If I ask the witch, I¡¯m not sure if she would do me a favor, and I don¡¯t know what she would ask for in return. No, maybe I wouldn¡¯t be able to go back even if I kill Helena as the witch told me to. What if the witch deceived me? Come to think of it, she was weird. Does she need to help me just because it¡¯s fun? She said she found something important, but I didn¡¯t find anything for her. Why did she lie like that to the other witches? Paranoia kept lingering in my mind. I was pulling my hair out and suddenly found the mirror Anakin gave me in my pocket. I touched the mirror, looked around, and took it out. ¡°Medea¡± ¡°I want to ask you something.¡± She looked at me silently. Even if she lied to me again, or if I didn¡¯t believe her, at least I should ask. At least later, I could make excuses to myself, like¡¯ was honest. It¡¯s just that she wasn¡¯t honest.¡¯ ¡°What did I find for you? Why did the witches greet me then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your story, stranger. You¡¯re going to leave, right?¡± ¡°No, I need to know. Because I don¡¯t understand why you are helping me this much.¡± Medea laughed, but she was staring coldly at me for the first time. The gaze hardened me. ¡°You¡¯re very suspicious. You always think, calculate and think about whether your opponent is trying to hurt you. Poor thing. Aren¡¯t you tired of living like that?¡± ¡°¡­Just answer the questions | ask.¡± ¡°¡­You, you¡¯ve read this world before, right?¡± I got goosebumps. I accidentally lost the mirror from my hand. The witch continued without caring about me. ¡°When the story is over¡­¡­ What do you think the world will be like?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°When God¡¯s story is over¡­¡­. The world begins to collapse.¡± I picked up the mirror again. Medea from the mirror closed her eyes with a hardened face. She took a breath and soon continued to talk ¡°The end isn¡¯t coming right away¡­¡­ but it gradually loses power and starts to wear down. Chaotic beings that are neither life nor death begin to appear, and they begin to consume both life and death.¡± ¡°Then what happens?¡± ¡°Life is no longer born. Death disappears.¡± ¡°Then¡­ Isn¡¯t it done? It¡¯s maintaining the status quo.¡± The witch said with a smiling face. ¡°Let¡¯s say one person was stabbed. That person remains stabbed with a knife for the rest of his life¡­¡­. Blood keeps coming out, and he feels pain, but he can¡¯t die.¡± ¡°It must be¡­¡± It¡¯s like a zombie. But I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not a zombie, Medea rubbed her fingertips lightly. ¡°It¡¯s just that it¡¯s maintaining its condition. All beings who are neither dead nor alive have their own selves¡­¡­. Being stuffed without doing anything.¡± (PR/N:like comparing to stuffed animals.) Medea somehow had a sad face. ¡°You know, witches can move. We¡¯re not creatures of God. That¡¯s why it¡¯s more painful. We¡¯re the only things that can move, but can¡¯t give rest to the world. Because we are not gods.¡± ¡°So? Is that the solution I found?¡± ¡°Well, you can say that. We will create a new god in this world.¡± Making a god? This was an idea that struck my head like lightning for a moment.. ¡°You!¡± ¡°Shh. I said it wasn¡¯t about you, right?¡± Medea had a scary expression. It was a more eerie face than any other face I¡¯ve ever seen in my life. My heart shrunk as if I was a prey in front of a beast. Medea soon raised the corners of her mouth and warned me. ¡°Isn¡¯t your wish to escape this place and return to your world? Please don¡¯t let me have any hostility towards you. Okay?¡± ¡°¡­..I will keep that in mind.¡± When I swallowed my saliva and answered Medea, my face was reflected in the mirror again. My face? What was I thinking just now? My body trembled. No, this is not my face. But somehow, I couldn¡¯t remember what I originally looked like. No. There¡¯s no way. Chapter 67 Episode 67 I¡¯m Not Eris ¡°No!¡± The hand mirror was thrown into the wall and shattered. Hearing the scream, the maids ran into my room. They grabbed me and tied me to the bed, and soon pressed a syringe onto my arm. My consciousness became blurred. I think tears came out little by little. It was not me¡­.. Everyone calls me Eris Mis¨¦rian. Even though I¡¯m not Eris Mis¨¦rian¡­¡­. I didn¡¯t want to get up. I didn¡¯t even close the curtains, but it was dark. I guess it was night. I rubbed my eyes helplessly, and then rubbed my cheek against the Mis¨¦rian¡¯s blanket, which I¡¯m used to now. The bedding of the Mis¨¦rian family always had a subtle floral smell. My house always smelled like well-dried blankets. The pillow was wet. Was I crying? Was I crying again? There was no sense of reality to anything. If I¡¯m going to keep crying like this, I¡¯d rather cry and melt away. If I was made of salt, I would easily dissolve from the tears, but why did the gods make bones and flesh? A giggle came out. It¡¯s like looking for a God only in difficult situations, even when you don¡¯t believe in God. Is that why? I suddenly raised my head. If I believe in God even now, will God save me? Blessed are the ones who believe in it. ¡°Aha, ahaha¡­¡­ hahaha!¡± I turned my head and laughed. There was no God. If there is a God, you can¡¯t do this to me. You can¡¯t betray me like this, who worked so hard in a poor family. If you wanted to save me, you should have saved me earlier. I¡¯m the only one who can save me¡­¡­ I know better than anyone else. I darted out of bed like an arrow. I fell and rolled a few times because of my legs, but I didn¡¯t care. I grabbed the mirror in the corner of the room and carefully examined the reflection in it. Fumbling, I touched my face. The woman in the mirror followed and touched her face with her hands. ¡°This can¡¯t be? Me, it¡¯s not me?¡± The woman laughed. I screamed as if I had seen a ghost. The mirror that left my hand broke and shards splattered here and there. I screamed and scratched my head. ¡°Give me my face, give me back my face!¡± A hoarse sound squeezed out of my throat. This voice, was not mine either. This house was not mine either Even the people running now are not for me. The maid held me together. I resisted by waving my arms and legs. I felt resentful and sad. I was upset and sad. ¡°Give me my face back! No! No!¡± Just then, Anakin ran in. I could see it very slowly and clearly. That¡¯s right. You, whom I love, weren¡¯t really mine either. You, too, were Eris Mis¨¦rian¡¯s knight. It felt so unfair that I was going to die. I can¡¯t believe had to leave you, whom I love, in this world. You are the only lovely thing in this world, but I can¡¯t even have that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± If I die in this world, I forever can¡¯t see you or even hold your traces in my hands. This was our last time. It was as absurd as it was cruel. So I once again denied God. It felt like my soul would be shattered if I didn¡¯t do this. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian is crazy.¡¯ The whole capital talked about it. Some people said they saw me walking around at night. When I heard that, I checked my feet every time! woke up, but my feet were clean even though there was always a wound that someone wiped off. Whether it was to compensate for the sleepless nights, I habitually tried to sleep. Because when I opened my eyes, there were so many tiring things. I didn¡¯t even know I wanted to escape. The maids and Anakin diligently woke me up. They forced me to take a walk in the garden. Leaning on Anakin, I was half out of my mind and walked around like a ghost. The Marquis had yet to return. The imperial family sent someone to call me to the palace, but I continued to refuse under the pretext of being sick. It actually hurt. It was a psychological problem rather than physical. Normally, they would have tried to take me by force under the pretext of an imperial order, but the chief servant looked at my face and quietly returned with a sad expression. The doctor also came and went, but he couldn¡¯t particularly fix me. He just prescribed a stronger sedative. Even if I took sedatives, my heart kept beating. If couldn¡¯t sleep, I looked at the ceiling. I breathed lightly while looking at the invisible ceiling pattern. They said Helena came once. The maid said I was sleeping, so she didn¡¯t wake me up, but she just stayed with me. I knew she was nosy, but she was a very strange kid. You should study more with the time you come to meet me. Or go out and play. If she becomes the crown princess soon, she wouldn¡¯t even be able to do that. Even the marquis contacted me. He called me to attend the Imperial Palace to testify. Of course! ignored it. It wasn¡¯t just that there was the crown prince Just¡­.. I didn¡¯t want to do anything. Is burnout syndrome like this? I woke up, ate and fell asleep again. Another week has passed since then. The empress sent someone to send me a letter. The message was that the marquis would be released soon, so be prepared. I put the letter in the fireplace and stared blankly as it burned. It¡¯s just¡­ Overall, I was out of order. And didn¡¯t feel motivated to fix it. It was so comfortable because I didn¡¯t do anything. Come to think of it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever rested like this in Korea. Because I¡¯ve always been busy. I ran around during vacation to write even one more line on my resume After getting a job like that, I lived a busy life without spending my monthly leave properly. I used to live so hard. By the way, when the marquis is released, I won¡¯t be able to rest anymore. Oh, what should I do? I haven¡¯t been using my brain too much, so even if I tried to think a little, I heard a loud noise. Right now¡­¡­ when the marquis is released, I have to whisper to him to get a poisonous cup. Then I¡¯ll give it to the empress¡­¡­ I, I, I have to kill Helena¡­¡­ executed¡­¡­. Wait. Before that, I have to turn her into a crown Princess, but what should I do to do that? How much more do I have left? I felt nauseous. How much more do I have to squeeze out of myself? I pressed hard around my dark eyes. Let¡¯s hang in there a little longer. There¡¯s very little left. As expected, I should go to the imperial family now. I should show my appearance to the emperor and nail Helena to the position of the crown princess. If it¡¯s not now, there won¡¯t be any time. When I woke up after lying down for a long time, my head was pounding. Anakin caught me staggering. I leaned against Anakin, I called the maid in and prepared to go out. She only brushed my hair without saying a word. I didn¡¯t wear any makeup anymore. I really liked it. The doll play was over, and ¡®Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯ was freed from all the bustle after going crazy. Crazy women are forgiven even if they no longer show ¡®courtesy¡¯. It was so funny. I can¡¯t believe I can be freed only when I¡¯m crazy. Dozens of eyes followed me. The servant chief guided me to the emperor¡¯s office without a word. There was no special greeting. This was because the marquis may have lost the marquis¡¯ title, and I came here to give up the status of being the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e. The emperor watched me silently. He didn¡¯t even tell me to sit down. He knocked on the desk a few times and quietly brought it up. ¡°You¡¯re being quite clever. Are you doing this to break Alecto?¡± ¡°If I had wanted that, I wouldn¡¯t have come here.¡± ¡°What you are doing right now¡± ¡°-Yes, I know. Of course I know.¡± I cut off the Emperor¡¯s words. I was too tired to have a trivial power fight. The emperor stared at me. But when he saw my expression, he soon sighed. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I want to break up my engagement. It¡¯s okay to get rid of the crime, but people¡¯s doubts cannot be prevented. If you push ahead with this marriage, it will certainly be said to be a privilege among the nobles, Perhaps even the position of the imperial family will be shaken.¡± ¡°Do you see the imperial family being shaken by such a thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to make it shake. Almost all the commoners already know that the Marquis opened it. In the meantime, you¡¯re holding hands with the Marquis. People will think it¡¯s weird, right?¡± I tilted my head and glanced at the emperor with my side eyes. I made up a suspicious tone with an innocent voice. Like a person in a play. ¡°Why does the imperial family, who hate demons so much, embrace the Marquis? Did you shed tears for the witch?¡± At that, the emperor snorted at me. ¡°The witch?¡± ¡°The witch even opened the gate to ruin the empire. But the imperial family, deceived by the witch, tries to protect her¡­.. Wouldn¡¯t it spread widely because it is interesting?¡± ¡°It¡¯s enough to call the high priest and prove it. It¡¯s a scheme that is not even good for a third-rate writer.¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not a witch, there¡¯s no more reason to defend, is that right?¡± I slowly moved onto the emperor. I didn¡¯t necessarily erase the smile. I said it to be cheeky. ¡°If you weren¡¯t misled by me, people would think this, Who¡¯s the culprit if it¡¯s not the Marquis? Who are you to keep interrogating the Marquis without making an announcement? If it¡¯s not the Marquis, and if it¡¯s not another nobleman¡­¡­ Isn¡¯t it the imperial family?¡± The emperor¡¯s face hardened frighteningly. Looking at his face, I noticed that the emperor already knew. The emperor was also stalling. To find a way to not lose his beloved wife. Chapter 68 Episode 68 Each One¡¯s Resentment ¡°How dare you¡­¡± With one gesture, the emperor sent all the people around him out. We both knew that even if the story behind this was made known, it would be nothing good for each of us. My weapon will be gone, and he will lose the empress. When everyone went out, I quietly asked the emperor. ¡°Break the marriage. Or I¡¯ll let everyone know that Her Majesty is the real culprit. Are you going to execute her according to the national law?¡± ¡°There is no evidence. The culprit who opened the gate is dead.¡± The emperor grinded his teeth. I covered my mouth slightly with my hands and folded my eyes to laugh. ¡°Do you really think there¡¯s no evidence?¡± The empress must have left at least one evidence on purpose. And she would have hidden it in a place only he knew. If he didn¡¯t kill the marquis, she might have been willing to reveal everything and threaten to kill herself. She said he would die from the poison I sent, but there was nowhere he could hide the evidence I had. The emperor looked at my expression and gradually hardened his face. The weight was tilting. It was a battle that could never be won by those who had valuable things. ¡°It¡¯s enough to kill you and ask about it.¡± ¡°Who do you think I heard this from? And I¡¯m neither foolish nor naive enough to die alone.¡± This was a half lie. In order to go back, Helena had to be killed, so I could not die at the hands of the emperor. There is a stabilizing device called causality, but I wasn¡¯t sure. Still, if the emperor wanted to kill me, even if it was unfair, I would release Kynthia and spread it to the people before I died. ¡°¡­Is it okay if the engagement is broken?¡± In the end, it was the emperor who lowered his tail. smiled widely. ¡°Yes, please identify the Marquis as the culprit. That way there will be less talk afterwards.¡± ¡°Then your father dies.¡± ¡°I wonder if Your Majesty will spare his life as a token of appreciation for his achievements.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a viper-like girl. You really resemble your father.¡± It was funny to hear that the marquis and I are alike even though we don¡¯t have any relationship. After laughing for a while, I bowed my legs slightly and greeted him with sarcasm. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡± I was about to go out, but suddenly turned my head and told the emperor. Oh, I can¡¯t forget this. ¡°And make Helena Antebellum the Crown Princess.¡± ¡°Antebellum? Isn¡¯t that child a low-born?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. The moment she becomes the Crown Princess, she will be the most precious blood, Since the Her Majesty the Empress loved her as much as her daughter, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be more pleased than with any other ladies¡± The emperor burst into laughter. ¡°That¡¯s what you did too. Teaching and decorating her and sending her to the Crown Prince¡­¡­.¡± ¡°How could I have recklessly dressed her up in the color of the royal family? It was possible because Her Majesty approved it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity. More than Antebellum, who can not do anything other than cry, the imperial family is the place where you, who are spirited, are more likely to survive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy to survive¡­. everything.¡± As soon as I opened the door, I was amazed by what heard. I sighed and corrected the emperor¡¯s misunderstanding. No matter how tough Helena becomes, she will not survive in the imperial family, ¡°How can you say that there¡¯s no one alive in this imperial family?¡± I went out without looking back. I really hoped this would be the last meeting with the emperor. As I was about to go back, the crown prince walked by from afar. My feet stopped as if they were frozen. My heart was tightening. The crown prince also looked surprised to see me for a while. But what surprised me was that for a moment, he passed by as if nothing had happened. There was no feeling of guilt in the eyes that looked at me. It was just full of embarrassment. I was dumbfounded and the corners of my mouth went up. How¡¯s that possible? How can you be so okay? I¡¯m having a hard time. I¡¯m going crazy. Why are you okay? I wanted to hold onto him. I wanted to slap him on the cheek like he did to me that day and swear that he was as bad as a beast. If you have a conscience, kneel down and beg me. Like that¡­¡­ I was going to tell him. But suddenly, I remembered what the witch said. ¨C All the other people¡¯ don¡¯t remember. It wasn¡¯t there in the first place. I don¡¯t know if it will really benefit you or not. Oh, it didn¡¯t happen. My mouth slowly opened. All the memories and words from that night, being forced to commit a crime, became illusions. I remembered it clearly¡­¡­ It was still this clear. But I can¡¯t ask him anymore because the sin never happened. There was a victim, but the perpetrator disappeared. How can you do this? My jaw trembled when I clenched it. Who should I blame? I leaned against the wall because I didn¡¯t want to sit down even though my legs were weak. I closed my eyes. As time went by, it would have been nice if my memory disappeared as well. If I hadn¡¯t known anything¡­¡­. When I opened the door to the carriage, Anakin was waiting for me. It was not until I met his face that! burst into tears. I had no choice but to pour despair into his arms. The carriage ran fast. The sound of horseshoes concealed my crying. ¡°He¡¯s the one who made a mistake. Why should I suffer? Why am I the only one suffering?¡± ¡°Argh! Argh! Argh!¡± Anakin hugged me tightly. I know it¡¯s not my fault. But now I have no one left to resent. The marquis was back. He was hollow and thin. From his physical condition, it seemed that there was no physical torture, but sometimes mental torture worked better than physical. He became ten years older in that short time. As soon as he saw me meet him, he grinded his teeth, but he didn¡¯t say anything because he cared about the eyes of his servants. I chased after him without saying a word. When! followed the marquis into his office, he pushed me to the door, he brought his face closer and asked. ¡°Why did you go to the academy that day?¡± ¡°I wanted to see the fireworks. Are you suspecting me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not four years old, if so who are you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s sad when someone who committed a lot of crimes says that¡­¡­¡± When I laughed, the marquis punched the wall next to me. I crookedly looked up at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try hitting your daughter, who is rumored to be crazy, now? Then you¡¯re done.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already done, you stupid thing¡­..!¡± The marquis moved away from my body. He was thinking about something, hovering around the same spot. I lifted my body, leaning against the door, and asked faintly. ¡°Can you guess the culprit?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to know¡­¡­. If you hadn¡¯t broken up with the imperial family¡­¡­¡± ¡°Why? If I hadn¡¯t broken up, do you think you¡¯d be acquitted?¡± To put it bluntly, the marquis had been ¡®nearly acquitted as he thought. It was because I hit the player first before him and made a deal with the emperor, so it was canceled. There was no need to tell the truth. In order to urge the Marquis, it is necessary to create a virtual enemy. (PR/N: she struck first, and so she won.) ¡°Then think about it this way. Who will benefit from my breakup¡­¡± As I whispered, the marquis¡¯s expression hardened. Do you see any faces that come to mind? This might make the story easier. The marquis¡¯ mouth twitched and spat out a single last name. Seeing the shape of his mouth, my head turned quickly. I had read it in the book. He was one of the imperial nobles who would later help Helena. ¡°The emperor tried to bring you down. The emperor knew you didn¡¯t open the gate, but he condoned it to keep his strength in check.¡± ¡°His Majesty¡­ No way.¡± ¡°Are you really sure? Has the Emperor never once betrayed you?¡± I said it in a provocative way on purpose. The marquis¡¯ mouth was firmly closed by my words. Once the doubt was planted, it would sprout and grow in him. He will pull out all the memories of the past, contrast them and find questions. And he will create his own absurdity. It would soon become a plausible fiction that will replace reality. Because the marquis needs an excuse. ¡°Was it the noble family of the Emperor faction that pushed my breakup? They knew that the Crown Prince loved Helena¡­ so they must have secretly taught Helena. They were weaving the board under the water.¡± (Q/N: meaning, the ones who pulled the strings.) The marquis¡¯ pupils grew. I raised my voice to heighten my excitement. Because I had to make him my puppet and move him as I wanted. ¡°To make her the Crown Princess. If you make her a puppet, you¡¯ll be able to regain power and take revenge!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Why are you saying this to me? What do you want from me?¡± The marquis scoured through my expression as if searching for my intentions. It was understandable to be suspicious. Because I¡¯ve been hostile to him so far. It was weirder for a suspicious human like the marquis to suddenly believe in me. ¡°Isn¡¯t it too sad to lose everything like this? It¡¯s not too late.¡± I whispered more tenderly on purpose. Like, your enemy is not me. ¡°If Helena dies, won¡¯t he have no choice but to use me as the Crown Princess again?¡± The marquis trembled at the whisper. He crumpled his face a little and said. ¡°What does that mean? How can you become a Crown Princess again just because Antebellum dies?¡± ¡°Think about it. There¡¯s no sense of compassion in society. Then should the Crown Prince be made into an old bachelor? I didn¡¯t go to many social gatherings, but I got a rough idea after going out twice to Young Lady Kazar¡¯s party, None of the aristocratic women of my age had a fianc¨¦. We couldn¡¯t wait for the girls who didn¡¯t even go through the debutante ball yet because they were too young. Young Lady Kazar has not yet been engaged, But when the Duke of Kazar was awarded the title of duke as a contributor to the founding of the country, he swore that he would not become an outcast of the imperial family. Can the crown prince marry a princess from another country? It was impossible for him too. This was because, in the empire, there was no princess of marriageable age. This ridiculous disaster occured when the author tried to give the probability of Helena, a lower maid, somehow marrying the crown prince. In the original work, Helena was not reinstated as a nobleman for no reason. The marquis¡¯ expression while listening to me shook for a moment. He asked in a locked voice. ¡°So what?¡± Chapter 69 Episode 69 To Get Myself Back ¡°Get me a poisonous cup secretly. That stupid child is weak-hearted and won¡¯t be able to refuse my request for a cup of tea.¡± When I spoke confidently, the marquis, who had been contemplating, finally nodded. The marquis had nothing to lose anyway. I sang with joy inside, but didn¡¯t bother to show it. When I tried to go out, the marquis grabbed me. ¡°But¡­ Why are you suddenly seeking the position of Crown Princess? Wasn¡¯t it that you didn¡¯t like him?¡± Sometimes in life, there are moments when not only white lies but also disgusting lies should be told. Words that you have to say even though it feels like sores are going to grow on your tongue if you say them. I don¡¯t know if it was misfortune or luck, but the only thing that came out here was a lie. ¡°This is what we usually call pushing and pulling¡­¡± I wanted to push him to death, I wanted to pull him and stab him with a knife. ¡°Come to think of it, it may not be bad to marry a young and powerful person and live a comfortable life. More than anything¡­ he¡¯s handsome, right?¡± Only then did the marquis look relieved. Keep your guard off like that. I really want you to think I¡¯m immature. That way, I¡¯ll be able to take your breath away. (QC/N: in the sense of make you stop breathing.) The marquis got a cup a few days later. It was a beautiful cup, one with a white body and delicate golden work. The circumference of the soft curve resembled the flowers in full bloom, and the arabesque pattern was densely engraved. When I lifted the cup and smelled it slightly, there was no scent. The marquis looked at me as I was examining the cup and said, ¡°It looks the same on the outside, but if you look closely, there is a slight difference on the side of the handle.¡± Listening to the marquis, one cup had four petals on the handle side. ¡°A teacup with four petals is poisonous. Grab the unpoisoned teacup first and drink tea to avoid suspicion.¡± According to my original plan, both the empress and the emperor had to be poisoned and die. Well, I thought the empress would take care of it. It didn¡¯t matter if the empress survived. The empress would kill me if I wanted to. She was a woman who understood the desire to die better than anyone else. I picked up the cup and said, ¡°Thank you. But this cup¡­ Where did you get it?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to know.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I know? I don¡¯t want the cup to be tracked down, and then accused of poisoning her.¡± The marquis sighed and looked at me with a pathetic face. ¡°That won¡¯t happen. A craftsman told me to melt the poison in water and apply it with a brush, it can kill even if you consume a very small amount of it. When hot water is poured, the poison will melt naturally and disappear.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s such a deadly poison, you could die before you finish drinking your tea. What if poison is detected in the remaining tea water?¡± ¡°Touch the glass pretending to be surprised and spill the contents, or do as you please. Do I have to teach you everything?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true too. Okay. I¡¯ll take care of it. Anyway, he must be a skilled craftsman. It¡¯s so pretty that I don¡¯t want to waste it.¡± Considering that it was made in a hurry, it was not wasted even if it was used in the imperial palace. spinned the cup and looked at it, then asked as I was ¡®spilling¡¯ the contents of the cup. ¡°I¡¯d like to ask this craftsman for another teacup, but who is it?¡± ¡°Killed. I can¡¯t leave a sprout of danger behind.¡± The marquis spoke at once. As expected, he was not a man who would leave any regrets behind. I nodded harshly. This time, the marquis asked me. ¡°When are you going to use that cup?¡± ¡°There¡¯s always a right time for everything. I¡¯ll use it when I want, so don¡¯t rush me. If you don¡¯t like it, you can poison Helena with this cup.¡± ¡°You are such a boorish girl.¡± ¡°You know what? His Majesty said you and I are alike.¡± I wrinkled my nose and threw the final blow to scratch his insides. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else to do, so why don¡¯t you go back to the estate and enjoy hunting? Or go to any villa and enjoy forest bathing. Oh, or have you perhaps lost all your villas?¡± (PR/N:like sunbathing, but in the forest, for peace and tranquility!) The marquis only maintained his marquis status and was deprived of all other real rights. All of them were seized by the Imperial Palace except for the ones in the eastern Kendal region, where he was born. As I stabbed at the sore spot, the marquis¡¯ expression hardened terribly. I should hurry up and get out of here before he starts going insane. When I was about to lie down on the bed, the maid, led me to Anakin for a walk. When the doctor told me that walking and sunlight would help me feel better, the maid seemed to think that if I didn¡¯t follow the instructions, she would die. So I sat still in the garden and waited for Anakin. I had a dream for the first time in a long time, yesterday. It was a dream about killing the crown prince. As soon as I woke up from my dream, I threw up on the washbasin. I killed a person. Still, no regrets. But even if it was a fictional person, even if he tried to harm me, to kill a person was to kill him. Even though the time has been deleted, the moment was still so vivid to me¡­.. I felt guilty When I thought about whether there were other options, the answer was no. However, the murder couldn¡¯t be overlooked just because it was unavoidable. Would it have been a little different if I ran out without stopping to breathe and called a doctor? No, they were all useless assumptions. The crown prince, who died by my hands, lives and breathes intact without remembering, and I¡¯m going crazy alone in pain. Even when I first met Hubris, Hubris said that my soul was in tatters. How about now? Is it festering like mold? Or is it crushed to the point where you can¡¯t find its form? This was how overwhelming accidentally killing the crown prince was, but Helena. How dare I kill that child? That innocent girl¡­¡­ How dare I¡­ How¡­¡­. Anakin was seen in the distance. He found me and started running a little faster. I wanted to die, but it was still cloudy. ¡°Have you been waiting for a long time?¡± It was still cloudy. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t wait that long. I want to hold hands.¡± The weather¡­¡­It was still cloudy. So I didn¡¯t cry, and we could walk together for a long time. Anakin, but I wanted to ask you something. Will you be sad when I die? Can I still kill her? Anakin and I have been at peace for a while. The doctor recommended that I rest for a while in a cottage with good air because I absolutely need stability. Considering what will happen in the future, I could not leave the capital, so I instead decorated a small cottage attached to the mansion and lived alone. There, we could see each other anywhere when we turned our heads. We acted like newlyweds. No, I don¡¯t know what Anakin thought, but I felt that way. At night, Anakin closed his eyes on the floor and closed my eyes on the bed. When I opened my eyes from a seizure during sleep, I saw Anakin right under my feet. Then I was suddenly relieved and could close my eyes again. Anakin sometimes picked up an ax and chopped firewood. Thanks to it, the fireplace in the house never went out. In addition to heating this small cottage, the fireplace also served various functions, such as heating tea or milk, and baking potatoes as snacks. Still, I couldn¡¯t cook properly, so the food was brought to the door by the maids every morning. When we were full, we took a nap under the sunny sun. It was our daily routine to wake up, eat lunch brought from the mansion, play chess games while taking a nap, talk, eat dinner brought by our servants, and fall asleep. Anakin had never played chess, but as soon as I gave him the rough rules, he quickly learned them and became a good opponent. I learned knitting from him, probably because the stitches stretched out so badly, Anakin had to untangle the doubled stitches again. If this was a dream, I would fall asleep again and want to continue to dream. Living like this would have been enough to weaken my heart that it was not bad to live here. It was just that I liked him, but I had no way of knowing what he was thinking when adjusting to my rhythm. Anakin was reticent, and he was always in a position to listen rather than speak up first. But if I brought it up for no reason, I was terrified of hearing the response that he was simply being nice to me because I was his master. Rather than breaking my hand into a broken dream, it¡¯s just¡­¡­ I kept wanting to be mistaken. In the meantime, the breakup of Eris Mis¨¦rian was officially announced. It should have been published in the newspaper, but it was probably blocked by the imperial side. Well, there was no need to make a fuss. After all, an article about the new engagement of the crown prince was better than an article about the broken engagement anyway. When the empress sent me a person, our house play was over. I had to dress up again and go to the Imperial Palace. secretly took the cup the marquis gave me, then got in the carriage and looked at Anakin. Somehow Anakin looked worried. I soothed him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have you.¡± Maybe that was something he wanted to say to me. Anakin nodded silently at my words. He hesitated and spoke quietly. ¡°If you can¡¯t stand it¡­.. Run away to the witch. In the meantime, I¡¯ll buy time.¡± I bowed my head because I laughed at the faithful word. Hearing those words, my mind sobered up. It was crazy to think about burying my bones in this unfamiliar world. I shouldn¡¯t have said that. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of loved ones. Here, I had to think and talk like Lady Mis¨¦rian, so I was gradually forgetting what I was originally like. I couldn¡¯t do that. ¡°I won¡¯t run away, Anakin.¡± Thad to move on to get myself back. To get my face, my voice and my thoughts back. Chapter 70 Episode 70 The Significance of Eris¡¯ Existence The empress looked at my face and was silent for a long time. ¡°You lost weight.¡± However, the empress who said such a thing also looked much thinner than before. The imperial palace was the place where all the seafood and delicacies could be found, but how skinny she was. No matter how good you live and eat, everything is useless if you are not happy. When I said that Her Majesty was also skinny, the empress laughed. I didn¡¯t come to the imperial palace to talk about such trivial things. I took out the teacup that had been hidden well in my arms and handed it over to the empress. The empress looked at the teacup, but did not bother picking it up. ¡°There is poison on the teacup with four petals near the handle.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that we¡¯ll die together?¡± ¡°¡­..Isn¡¯t it enough for the Empress to drink tea again after feeding the Emperor?¡± At that, the Empress laughed, and then she picked up the teacup and began to examine it. ¡°It would be an implicit rule to make a teacup like this one to be used only once so as to not leave traces¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know. Then do whatever you want. Do I have to tell you how to do it?¡± When I deliberately imitated the marquis and spoke, the empress tilted her head slowly and made eye contact. I gave her the teacup, and if I stayed here longer, I felt like I would only be robbed of my feelings by the sly empress, so I hurriedly stood up. (PR/N: as in, like she would confess everything to the empress.) ¡°Then, bye.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.If you are caught for murder, you will be locked up in the room where you were detained last time.¡± I turned my head and looked at the empress. She fixed her gaze on the empty window and continued to talk. ¡°There is a secret passage under the bed in the room. If you go down the stairs of the passage, it leads to the underground passage you¡¯ve been to last time. It is a secret escape route that has been handed down only to the royal family from generation to generation in case of a rebellion.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to be in the royal family anymore, so I¡¯ll just pretend I didn¡¯t hear it.¡± Why are you suddenly trying to save me when you hate the marquis and want to kill me? Is this her own version of repaying a favor? In that case, it was in vain. My goal was to get revenge, not to survive after. I smiled and spoke with a cold face. ¡°Your Majesty is not the only one who wants death.¡± The empress stared at me blankly with her eyes open. Finally, she laughed as if crying. Her red eyes were wet, but they did not shed tears, her voice did not tremble. Some people would call that broken appearance ¡®the example of the imperial family. She whispered quietly. ¡°How¡­ How come all the people I tried to save don¡¯t listen to me?¡± Hearing those words, I remembered the theater stage. Was Alecto¡¯s older brother detained there? Did the empress beg him, but he died there without escaping through the passage under the bed? ¡­¡­ How many more stories are there left in this world that I haven¡¯t read? When I opened the door and came out, the crown prince was waiting. I was frightened, but when I remembered the eyes of that time, I thought it was an overreaction. It¡¯s something he doesn¡¯t even remember anyway. It was only my loss to hold on to and swear at what was now gone. I killed him, so that was it, and I was determined to pass by, but the crown prince suddenly grabbed me by the wrist. My heart dropped. My legs were weak and I was dragged helplessly While my mind went blank, there was only one thing! came up with. I had to call Anakin. I think he was near here. The moment I barely spoke, the crown prince strongly shook my hand. I hit the wall while recoiling and managed not to collapse. My back was throbbing, Leaning against the wall, I stared at the crown prince. He was also glaring at me. ¡°What are you up to?¡± ¡°Did you not learn even the minimum etiquette towards a lady?¡± ¡°¡­.Is it true that you wanted to break our engagement?¡± I was wondering what you were talking about, but was it just that? I was dumbfounded, so I raised my head and laughed. When I laughed, the crown prince approached, grabbed my shoulder with both hands, and screamed. ¡°I¡¯m asking if it¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Yeah! You wanted it too. This broken engagement. Am I the only one who wanted it? How dare you yell at me instead of being thankful?¡± The crown prince had a rather embarrassed face as I was angry. Almost there. Now, there was no need to imprison me just because ¡®Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯ was crazy. Disliking the marquis, unless you¡¯re the prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, that¡¯s all it takes to kill him. I shook off his hand on my shoulder and responded. ¡°Speaking of which, correct your yelling habit. Are you deaf? If you shout frequently, you¡¯ll go crazy.¡± ¡°How dare you¡­¡­¡± ¡°How dare you! What are you going to do?¡± He flinched when I stomped on his feet. It was a corridor in the imperial palace in broad daylight, so there were many eyes and ears. You can hit me, but you won¡¯t do what I¡¯m worried about. I tilted my head slightly and acted cheeky. ¡°If you¡¯re so angry and upset, you should at least cut my throat for insulting the royal family, Your Highness. It will last a long time for future generations to come As the crown prince who killed his ex-fianc¨¦e with his own hands.¡± The crown prince made a strange and complex expression. Somehow, the relationship between Eris and the crown prince seemed to have an invisible formula established. Eris was blind and the crown prince refused. The crown prince got angry, and Eris put up with it. When the formula collapsed, the prince was at a loss. ¡°You¡¯ve¡­. changed¡± ¡°Did I change? Me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± That¡¯s the only word he finally spat out. I imitated Eris. Except for the marquis, no one noticed that I was not Eris. I don¡¯t think I impersonated her well. It¡¯s just¡­..that you weren¡¯t interested. If you cut your hair, you should know that your hair was long. That¡¯s why makeup, tone of voice, attitude¡­ If someone notices when small things change, it proves that that person was paying attention to you that much. It was probably for the same reason that you constantly ask your loved ones about it. He said I changed, but he can¡¯t even recognize the reason I changed. One side of my chest cooled down. The more I quarreled, the more I felt like my intelligence was dropping, so I turned around. I was going to turn around. If only the crown prince¡¯s words hadn¡¯t set fire to it. ¡°You love me.¡± How dare you¡­. ¡°Can you say such a thing?¡± My teeth trembled. Love? How dare you put that in your mouth? I¡¯m not Eris Mis¨¦rian, so I can never imitate her perfectly. Many things were different between her and I. The way she talked, habits, personality¡­..Among the many differences, what he recognized was the very insignificant reason, ¡®Eris does not love the Crown Prince. It¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t know how variable emotions were, but he couldn¡¯t believe that Eris no longer loved the crown prince. He began to suspect her only because she didn¡¯t love the crown prince. Is loving the crown prince the significance of Eris¡¯ existence? I couldn¡¯t stand it. I couldn¡¯t even define exactly what this seething emotion was. Ah, madness. Yes, I was caught in madness, laughed and quietly said to the crown prince. ¡°Do you want me to tell you a funny story?¡± I approached and grabbed the crown prince¡¯s cheeks. I put my body close to his frozen body and said, whatever that came to mind. ¡°There was a girl. A girl who believed that she would be the Crown Princess. I don¡¯t know why she dreamed of being a Crown Princess. From the time she could think she grew up hearing that she¡¯ll become the Crown Princess, or perhaps was it a small desire to fall in love with the Crown Prince like a fool and marry him¡­.?¡± ¡°Eris Mis¨¦rian-¡°. ¡°Listen! Just shut up and listen. By the way¡­ The girl, who had been trying to grow up as a Crown Princess all her life, suddenly thought that her efforts might be useless. She couldn¡¯t dream of love, but she won¡¯t even get any reward even if she tried this hard.¡± I wanted to tear this face apart. Why did I come all the way here? Why did I fall into an unfamiliar world and suffer? I was embarrassed and squeezed out the laughter. My eyes gleamed. ¡°That¡¯s why the girl made a wish. She wanted to disappear from this world. It was supposed to end with just the wind, but my goodness¡­¡­ What should I do? Well, whether it was luck or misfortune, the dragon that was passing by made the wish come true in exchange for her heart.¡± ¡°You¡­..!¡± ¡°You know¡­. Then, guess who I am?¡± A trivial question caused a ripple. Soon, it became a huge disaster and swallowed the man in front of me. The man looked at me with a frightened face I had never seen before. As if he had finally seen a stranger. Alecto was born as a crown prince and raised as a crown prince. That means that as soon as he learned how to walk, he had to learn self-defense, and as soon as he started speaking, he learnt Caesareanism. (PRN: Caesareanism refers to special education for successors of royal families, it is not a discipline with a clear definition and does not correspond to the education of the general.) Alecto had to get up on his own even if he fell. It was natural for the crown prince of the empire, but it was harsh for an underdeveloped child. He had the name Alecto, but no one called him that, For everyone, Alecto was only the ¡®Crown Prince¡¯ or ¡°His Highness¡¯. His father, the emperor, was not interested in him from the beginning, and his mother, the empress, treated Alecto coldly as he grew up. The nanny was also friendly to Alecto on the outside, but it was only an act conscious of people¡¯s eyes. When others didn¡¯t see it, she just treated Alecto obligatorily. There was no affectionate touch or even a common compliment. If you were to ask him whether the nanny scolded him, she did not, but in the vast imperial palace, Alecto had no place to turn to. And indifference was sometimes crueler than violence. At first, he tried. He just had to do better. Then he did well, and he believed that they would praise and love him. However, hope was worn out by the constant contempt. Alecto became a cold boy worthy of the imperial palace. Chapter 71 Episode 71 To Be Seen As ¡®Alecto¡¯ ¡°Are you lost?¡± A girl approached Alecto, who had grown up suffering from emotional deficiency. At first, Alecto thought she was an angel because she was fair and pretty. The fact that she was clumsy and ignorant also played a part in the suspicion. For angels living in the sky, the ground must be a strange place. However, when he looked closely, she was wearing a lower maid¡¯s uniform and had no wings behind her. Above all, the temperature of the hand holding his hand and leading him was warm. Perhaps she thought he was a noble child who came to visit the Imperial Palace to play, and she offered a gentle guide. If she was an angel, he would ask her to take him to heaven as it was. Heaven was warm and cozy, so it was said that you will be happy to live there. However, Alecto held her hand silently because he also liked her leading him to the exit from the imperial garden. Alecto pretended to be a noble child and kept hanging out with her. For the first time, he skipped class and went around the imperial palace. Her name was Helena. The child called him Alec. She was the nanny¡¯s daughter. She was certainly far from being polite, but that was better. Helena was the only one who saw Alecto as Alecto, Alecto deceived her that he wasn¡¯t the crown prince, but that was a secondary problem. Either way, to a low-ranking maid, he was a high-ranking person who, whether as a prince or a child of a noble family, could not be approached the same. Gradually, Alecto began to rely emotionally on Helena, He always thought of Helena. He liked the child. The way she smiled was pretty, bright, innocent and lovely. Even if she was clumsy, she always tried. He always wanted to be with her because he was comfortable with her. Alecto didn¡¯t know the name of the emotion yet. ¨C Yo, Your Highness, Prince¡­¡­. I¡¯ve been rude. Fo, forgive me. However, one day, when he saw Helena, who hesitated to speak to ¡®His Highness the Crown Prince¡¯, and looked at him as if she had been scolded, he thought he didn¡¯t want to be distant. He didn¡¯t want to meet her as the crown prince and a maid. ¨C Don¡¯t call me¡­.. like that. There were so many people who called him that way in this Imperial Palace, so he hoped that only a single person, the girl in front of him, would not. He just wanted to treat them as Helena and Alec. Alecto was terrified of losing his first warmth. ¨C Don¡¯t call me like that¡­ please Alecto begged for the first time in his life. He didn¡¯t even know how to kneel, so he just put his head on Helena¡¯s shoulder and prayed in a small voice. As soon as she lowered her gaze, he could see Helena clenching and spreading her fist as if embarrassed. She could have blamed him for being an immature baby. It was okay to criticize him for not being like a crown prince. If he could just hold onto this child¡­¡­. Helena slowly lifted Alecto¡¯s head with warm hands She said affectionately, wiping away tears that he didn¡¯t even know were flowing. ¨C Then we¡­ Are we friends? Friend. He remembered the son of the Duke of Kazar whom he met not too long ago. When he wanted to be close to his peers, he thought he called them similarly. If it could keep them together. Alecto nodded. From that day on, Alecto and Helena became friends. Alecto didn¡¯t like Eris Mis¨¦rian from the beginning. The child was so different from Helena. Expensive clothes, made-up laughter, mature tone¡­¡­ When their eyes met, he hated the attitude of trying hard to get a good impression. They said she was the child chosen as his fianc¨¦, He was already tired of having to marry a small and young-looking child. If he had to get married, it would have been nice if the other person was Helena. Alecto clicked his tongue. When Eris and the marquis reluctantly left the palace and returned, the nanny fidgeted as usual. When asked why, she poured out words as if she had waited. He could even see madness in her eyes. The fact that the nanny was originally Madam Antebellum, and the former crown prince and the Antebellum family, who were trapped by the marquis scheme, were executed for treason. Even the fact that the nanny, who had Helena in her stomach, was barely able to survive at the earnest request of his mother, who was the nanny¡¯s biological friend. ¨C It¡¯s the world¡¯s most evil family, Your Highness! When he learned the truth, he felt dizzy. The cold treatment of his mother and nanny, the neglect of his father, and the imperial palace people who were found to have a hard time¡­.. Only then could he notice all the reasons. However, knowing and understanding were different issues. Alecto was not convinced. ¨C Father¡­ No, Your Majesty why¡­¡­ The nanny couldn¡¯t say anything and began to cry. Alecto rubbed his face with his hands. Suddenly, he thought of that. If it weren¡¯t for the marquis, maybe it would have been Helena who entered the palace to become his fiance. They might have been able to walk side by side for the rest of their life without lying to her from the beginning, perhaps not as a friend. A corner of his heart cooled down. Hate sprouted like that. Eris Mis¨¦rian was luxurious. She spent hundreds of gold coins on what she wore and ate. Her personality was so hateful that she caught even the smallest things and acted like a bully. She was ¡®His Highness¡¯ fiance¡¯ and so she exerted all kinds of prestige. Rumors, rumors, rumors. Alecto was sick of the constantly heard gossip. He heard that she appeared at Lady Morgan¡¯s debutante ball with the same dress as hers because she ignored her. Furthermore, when he heard that she took away her partner and made him her partner, he was dumbfounded. Alecto knew that it was one of the tricks she did to attract his attention. That¡¯s because she shamelessly talked about it in person at the meeting after the debutante ball. ¨C What does that have to do with me? He didn¡¯t want to make Eris happy by being angry and jealous. Alecto deliberately pretended not to know more. He thought that even the face hiding disappointment was abominable. Above all, what he couldn¡¯t stand was the fact that Eris had secretly harassed his own person, Helena Helena was suffering alone without telling anyone because she was soft and good by nature, and he only noticed it after seeing the nail marks left on her body by chance. Leaving Helena behind, he raised his voice as soon as Eris entered the palace. At first, Eris pretended to be innocent, but later went there and became nervous about whether he was angry. ¨C She is a lowly person who cleans the palace, Your Highness! How can you do this to me? ¨C How dare you call the crown prince¡¯s little sibling lowly? What are you! (QC/N: babies that grew up by being fed with the same adult¡¯s milk, but were born from different mothers ¨C not real siblings, but ¡®bosom¡¯/¡¯milk¡¯ siblings.) ¨C Are you putting me on the same level as that? ¨C What do you mean? It¡¯s not even fair. (T/N: he is saying Eris isn¡¯t even worth to be put in the same place as in Helena) When a hint of hope came across Eris¡¯ face, anger flickered across. She was so young, but she was evil like her father, and there was no such thing as affection. ¨C People like you can¡¯t keep up with Helena¡¯s toes. Finally, her contorted little face was refreshing. He always wanted to see that expression. The dark, ugly bare face with the mask of smiling innocently removed. The more Eris tried, the more Alecto cared about Helena. Helena had always made him comfortable. Family, friends, lovers¡­¡­. Helena was a being who filled everything he lacked. There was nothing more he could wish for with Helena¡­. he thought so. On an early summer day when the sun was good, he thought it would be nice to sit in the back garden and enjoy refreshments with Helena, he had an attendant and called her. The chief servant visited and talked to him, saying he should go to the empress. His body stiffened. It had been a long time since his mother called for him. He wiped off the sweat on his hands and entered the room. However, even though he entered the room, she did not give a single glance. It was just that Lady Mis¨¦rian left the palace and told him to go to the back garden to see her off. Since he can¡¯t hate your mother, sadness and anger are endlessly focused on ¡®objects you can hate.¡¯ He could see Eris curled up in a corner far away. Even though she tried not to make a sound because she was the child of a snake, she quickly raised her body and looked that way. The face of the child who recognized him gradually brightened. The tears were removed, but the red nose and eyes were not hidden. However, Alecto pretended they weren¡¯t necessarily real. Because it had nothing to do with him. ¨C Are you here to see me off? ¨C Hurry up and get out of the palace. ¨C I¡¯ll see you again as soon as possible. Someday, Your Highness will get attached to me. When he heard that, he unintentionally spit out his sincerity. Some truth was colder and sharper than any other insult. That¡¯s what he said that day. ¨C I wish you hadn¡¯t been born. The girl¡¯s pupils got bigger. As if she had heard something she shouldn¡¯t have heard, she blinked cluelessly. Alecto knew he made a mistake, but he didn¡¯t know how to apologize. No, he didn¡¯t want to apologize. Finally, tears fell out of the girl¡¯s eyes again, ¨C I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I should get going now¡­.. Eris hurriedly left the place. Alecto went back to the empress silently and reported the progress, and lied for the first time when she asked if Eris had cried. Somehow he felt like he had to Eris soon returned to having a smiling face. Alecto thought he was tired of it, but on the other hand, he was relieved. From that afternoon, Alecto became increasingly insensitive to the mistreatment of Eris. But he thought it was okay. Until one day when he was informed that she was unable to enter the Imperial Palace due to an accident. Chapter 72 Episode 72 Dichotomous Thinking At first, he thought it was a trick to attract attention. However, only after hearing the news that she had been stabbed by an unidentified man did this kind of suspicion go away a little. He couldn¡¯t see her in front of him, so he seemed to have forgotten for a while. When he finally heard that Eris Mis¨¦rian had entered the palace again, Alecto felt happy initially. After the greetings with the emperor were over, she would probably come over here for tea time. It didn¡¯t matter how much attention he paid to her, she didn¡¯t forget to go to him every single time. ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re later than usual.¡± ¡°¡­..disrespectful. It¡¯s a dazzling afternoon, Your Highness and Helena.¡± She looked a little thin but it was said she was sick. No wonder the atmosphere was so calm. I thought she grew up after being sick, but when she ordered Helena as if she was dealing with an attendant, he clicked his tongue, saying that people didn¡¯t change easily. But technically, Helena was not a noble, so Alecto just stared at Eris silently. This was because whenever he glared at her, Eris used to become a little selfconscious and pretended to be sweet to Helena, However, Eris did not give in to his gaze and snapped. ¡°As Your Highness said, we¡¯re close friends¡­¡­ Is it against the law to ask your friend for a cup of tea?¡± Helena stopped Alecto before he got angry at her cheeky response. Helena mediated between the two, imitating the mischievous words. Alecto was dissatisfied with her being treated like that, but his anger melted away like snow because of Helena, who lightly patted her lips and laughed. When Jason, who returned from a long journey, approached, the atmosphere became more friendly Although it was initially a mandatory meeting between the imperial family and aristocratic children, as time passed, Alecto realized that his time with Jason was quite enjoyable. Because Jason was a good-natured person, he was kind to Alecto, who was on the tough side, and he did not show any reluctance because Helena was a commoner. By comparison, Eris was always like a corner that stuck out. Every time they met, she reluctantly ¡®put up with Jason, the son of the duke, and pretended to be friendly with Helena, who didn¡¯t have to endure it, yet she subtly treated her as the attendant of the group. Naturally, when they gathered together, she had no choice but to be alienated. No, he intentionally alienated her. Because he didn¡¯t like her. She was hurting his pride as usual, so he hoped for her to leave, but she rubbed it in today of all days. He couldn¡¯t stand the amount of advice she gave to Helena, so when she got up, Helena hugged and stopped him. When Eris left, Jason shook his head and laughed. ¡°Still, Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± ¡°She¡¯s always arrogant.¡± ¡°You must have been tired. There has been a lot of work lately.¡± As soon as he heard Helena¡¯s voice, his mind became clearer. She was as kind as an angel. He always blamed himself for not being able to tell others when he hated something. How could one hate a child like this so much? He believed that if the witch was alive, she would be like Eris. Alecto always had a tendency to think in a dichotomous way, and for him, Eris was always classified as ¡®bad¡¯ or ¡®hate¡¯. The same was true when Eris entered the Imperial Palace again shortly after. When the escort knight stopped the child, who had been close to Helena, from breathlessly running to him, the child fell flat on her face and begged the crown prince. ¡°Your Highness! Lady Mis¨¦rian is bothering Helena again! Please help me!¡± ¡°¡­..Where is she?¡± When he went in a hurry as the child led him, he could see Eris scolding Helena. He held his throbbing head and turned Eris¡¯ body around. Looking down silently, she didn¡¯t back down and met his eyes. Unfortunately, there was no sign of remorse in her eyes. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian, you didn¡¯t change at all. No, you are getting more and more shameless.¡± ¡°It is a dazzling afternoon, Your Highness. For those of high standing, that is a virtue.¡± Alecto¡¯s head was heated up by her sarcastic voice. It was ridiculous for Eris to say that the higher the status, the more generous one should be to the lower, and that it was a virtue while she persecuted the lower. In front of himself, one of the highest ranked people in the country. ¡°How dare you discuss your status in front of me now?¡± ¡°Your Highness, because it is me, I can discuss my status in front of Your Highness. Your Highness is engaged to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only an engagement! Do you think the imperial family will tolerate you being arrogant as if you were already the Crown Princess when the marriage is not yet certain?¡± Eris Mis¨¦rian always acted as if she was from the royal family. If it weren¡¯t for the marquis, she wouldn¡¯t be able to sit there. It occurred to him that Helena had lost her place to Eris. Then he got even more angry. When he saw the wound on Helena¡¯s palm, his anger reached its peak, Eris¡¯ head turned with a frictional sound. At the same time, Eris and Helena looked at him in disbelief. He said he disliked it, but it was the first time he touched someone. He thought he made a mistake, but it was already spilled water. Alecto deliberately spoke more coldly. ¡°You scratched what was mine first, so I¡¯ll have to make at least a scratch on you to be fair. Don¡¯t you think so? It was a lame excuse. Alecto himself knew it and tried to leave out of embarrassment. To Alecto, Eris quietly said that it was a marriage between families, so he¡¯ll get married even if he didn¡¯t want to. Eris, who brought it up, somehow looked tired. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you love me and got engaged not too long ago? Is this what you really think?¡± I love you. You know. That was what Eris said sometime ago during the day. She didn¡¯t cry, but her eyes were wet. Her cheeks were red as she spoke, but maybe it was makeup. Since Eris was good at lying, Alecto doubted everything about her. ¡°I loved you. Not now.¡± That¡¯s why Alecto panicked now that the ¡®truth came out of Eris¡¯ mouth. That wasn¡¯t the answer Alecto expected. She still loved him, he thought she would scream out that she did that because she still loved him. He dared to think¡­.. that, it was the wrong answer. He wanted to break up his engagement to Eris. However, when the opportunity came, his mouth did not open. When he saw Eris¡¯ eyes, who were pressuring him at the knight¡¯s appointment ceremony, his mind became complicated. Alecto concluded that the reason was ¡®because he was not sure. He was not sure that he could break up the engagement, but if he brought it up, it would be a loss. Kratos, his father, was a scary man with no mercy, even if he was his own blood. Alecto thought of his unknown brother, who he heard died by his hands. Even the face of his father, who held no warmth since he saw him when he was young, There was no need to rush. Even if he broke up with Eris, if his next fianc¨¦ was a woman like Eris, it would be in vain. In order to marry Helena, and no one else, he had to make Helena stand out. That way, his father would not protest later. Thinking of Helena, he remembered Jason confessing to her after the appointment ceremony. He never imagined he would like Helena either. However, Alecto did easily understand. Because anyone would have fallen in love. Everyone liked a child without a single crease. However, when he heard that Jason had decided to take Helena as a partner during Eris¡¯ coming of age ceremony, Alecto also became impatient. Perhaps she read Alecto¡¯s mind, as his mother, Melpomene, called him in. ¡°The first son of the Duke of Kazar and Helena are paired and will appear at the Coming-of-Age ceremony of the Mis¨¦rian child, right?¡± ¡°¡­.. Did you hear that from Helena?¡± ¡°How can I not know anything about your favorite child while sitting here? It will be a good match.¡± Rather, when Alecto couldn¡¯t answer Melpomene¡¯s words, his eyes became cold. Melpomene whispered to Alecto in a low voice. ¡°Didn¡¯t this mother teach you to tell me without hiding what you want and to have what you deserve? How can you look so sad?¡± ¡°However.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no such thing.¡± When Melpomene stated it out directly, Alecto¡¯s body became stiff. Since he grew up unloved, Alecto always struggled with his parents. As Alecto bowed his head, Melpomene spoke to Alecto in a rare friendly voice. ¡°Your mother will take care of it, so escort Helena on the Coming-of-Age Day. It takes time for women to dress up, so I won¡¯t care if you send Duke Kazar to the venue first.¡± ¡°Actually, the fianc¨¦ has to be the escort at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony¡­¡­.¡± Alecto was bothered by Eris. That¡¯s because it was obvious how Eris would be treated if he didn¡¯t show up. Melpomene laughed when Alecto hesitated. ¡°Oh, son. Are you worried about her? She had already done such a thing once. She should now know that she may suffer the same thing. Isn¡¯t that a lesson?¡± (TL/N: she is referring to the incident with Lady Morgan.) Hearing that, he was determined again. Alecto quietly bowed his head to Melpomene and left the room. He tried to think of it as a causal retribution. She hurt someone else¡¯s heart, so she had to go through the same thing. Finally, on the day of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, the Helena in front of him bloomed more beautifully than any other woman he had met in his life. She smiled shyly when she saw him because she was unfamiliar with the thick makeup and the dress that would be worn by an aristocrat. Beautiful. When Alecto said his honest appreciation, she stabbed him in his side, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t lie.¡± Was she still waiting for him in the room? Walking side by side with Helena, Alecto suddenly recalled Eris and soon erased it. It was rude to think of a woman other than Helena when he stole Jason¡¯s partner. And when the door opened with the introduction of the servant, he made eye contact with Eris, who was expressionless, as if she had come in advance. There was no sadness or anger anywhere on that white face. It was just a sign that all of this was boring and exhausting. Chapter 73 Episode 73 Stranger Appreciation Alecto was embarrassed by the unexpected situation, but he could not stop there. When he grabbed her wrist, Helena put strength in her feet and refused. Without time to appease her screams to change her clothes Eris allowed her, who appeared to have ¡®stolen¡¯ her clothes and fianc¨¦, to run away. He called Helena as she escaped his grasp, but she ran away without looking back. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on him. Eris smiled with her lips and reached out to Alecto. The dark green eyes were not smiling at all. Silence heavily wrapped around the two. Unable to withstand the pressure, Alecto tried to walk off first, but Eris raised her hand to block him. When asked if he hated her, Alecto approached her without realizing it. When a surprised Alecto stepped back, she even hit her foot against the wall. She looked like a scoundrel on the street. ¡°You hate me, don¡¯t you? You want me to be sick and suffer somehow, right? So even when you came into the hall, you looked at my expression before His Majesty¡¯s. To see if I¡¯m hurt.¡± It was true. He found Eris before anyone else. It wasn¡¯t a coincidence. This was because he unconsciously wandered in search of Eris in the crowd. Maybe he wanted her to be hurt as she said. Was she still influencing him¡­ he wanted to confirm. ¡°But as for me, Your Highness¡­¡­. I wish I was dead.¡± Alecto found himself hurt by the words. ¡°So don¡¯t try to hurt me, you know. Because it¡¯s the same.¡± Eris was moving away. It was not his first time seeing her back, but why did he feel anxious? He believed it would be forgotten if he didn¡¯t see her all the time. However, in the corner of his heart, he kept thinking of that expression of Eris. That indifferent and cold face. There was faint contempt, but it was close to thorough indifference. It was the face that Melpomene used to make when she saw him. The vague anxiety soon became a reality. When he looked for Helena, the attendant hesitated, replying that she was with Eris. Now, whenever Eris entered the palace, she no longer sought him. Alecto hurriedly ran into the room where Helena and Eris were together. There was no welcoming sign anywhere on the face that casually greeted him. Alecto¡¯s teeth were sharpened. Helena, who was looking at the two of them alternately, sneaked in between them. ¡°I, I, I asked Lady Mis¨¦rian to have a cup of tea. Right, Lady Mis¨¦rian?¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡­ Without fear! What if that hurt you?¡± He looked around to see if Helena was hurt, but she really seemed to have only drank tea. There were no injuries or wet corners in her eyes. He deliberately responded roughly to Eris, who asked if he thought she was a monster as if she was tired of it. At the same time, Alecto carefully pushed Helena¡¯s hair back, who was cautiously looking up at him. She was a precious person. Helena was definitely the only one precious to him. ¡°I¡¯ve got something to tell you.¡± ¡°What? What are you talking about¡­.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to Lady Kazar¡¯s debutante ball together. As my partner. Don¡¯t you know the child, too?¡± So Alecto repeated to himself that he kept looking at Eris because he was annoyed. Eris didn¡¯t feel bad even when she saw their affectionate appearance. Rather, she said she would also attend. ¡°Alone without a partner?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I have a partner? Isn¡¯t there Anakin?¡±, ¡°Anakin?¡± ¡°You probably saw him last time. My escort knight, Your Highness.¡± Rather, Alecto¡¯s face hardened. He (Anakin) didn¡¯t catch his eye the first time he saw him. Eris, who refused to appoint a knight, reversed her will and picked him herself; he also heard that she was going around with him everywhere. When he looked into that person, they said that he was from an orphanage and was not a particularly skilled person even before he became a knight. It was widely known that Eris thoroughly selected people based on ability, so rumors had circulated that he was Eris¡¯ lover. Did she fall in love? Was that why she has changed like this? Perhaps leaving for the Rundol region for a while was also a love escape with the knight, Alecto guessed. His mouth was bitter. Alecto asked quietly ¡°Does your father know this?¡± ¡°If my father doesn¡¯t know, will you be my partner then? You¡¯re not even going to do that¡­..¡± ¡°Are you going to put up an act with the imperial family?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness. I¡¯d like to break ties with the imperial family this time.¡± The fact that Eris would leave him first¡­¡­ he had never thought about it. He had to be happy. Because there was no obstacle. But why was the wind blowing in the corner of his heart? ¡°If you break your engagement, you¡¯ll become a stranger, so we will not be able to face each other anymore.¡± ¡°Imperial affairs are not something that you can control as you please. Didn¡¯t you say first that it was a marriage between the imperial family and the marquis?¡± ¡°It was approved by Her Majesty. Is that an answer?¡± He didn¡¯t know. He had met Melpomene several times since then, but she only talked about trivial things, and he had never heard of any of those issues. In the end, both the engagement and breakup, began and ended regardless of his will. Even though his long relationship was cut off, Eris did not even change her expression. Rather, she seemed to think it was strange when she saw his expression Were endings with someone usually so vain? The confusion was further amplified by the fact that Alecto did not even have a few ended relationships. ¡°Your Highness, didn¡¯t you want this a lot?¡± Something was really weird. It was what he wanted so much, but he was not happy at all. ¡°What do you think?¡± Standing in front of Alecto, the woman was dazzlingly beautiful. Amethyst violets blooming on silver hair like stars, dresses that cut down the sky by the time the dusk set, and above all, her eyes shining brighter than any other purple color. He felt like one word of admiration was a waste. However, no lengthy description would be enough for Helena¡¯s beauty. Alecto reached out to Helena, and Helena gently placed her hand on his. Eris¡¯ hand was a little bigger than hers. ¡°Crown Prince Alecto is entering with Lady Antebellum¡±. As the attendant loudly announced his position, the most gorgeous and beautiful flower in the garden, lit up with a thousand lanterns and embroidered with ten thousand flowers, looked back at him. She wrapped her whole body in bright pink, which she usually did not wear, and her eyes containing the chill of early spring briefly stared at him and fell. Alecto suddenly became unfamiliar with everything. He felt like he was alone in a strange world. These were images that he didn¡¯t even know, such as Eris, who saw him insensitively, Helena, who kept her Lady manners and greeted people, and Jason¡¯s eyes that kept following Eris. He felt like he had to stand by Eris even now. However, when the dance song began, Eris naturally held the knight¡¯s hand and left. Looking back at Helena, she looked busy talking to others. Even Helena, who didn¡¯t care about him, was unfamiliar, Perhaps all of this was a dream, he thought. Finally, a familiar figure appeared to him. Eris¡¯ eyes were sparkling with love. Not long ago, he couldn¡¯t believe that Eris¡¯ eyes, who fell in love, would face someone other than him. But now he had to admit it. Eris Mis¨¦rian no longer loved him. Alecto was trembling so much because he could not regard this simple proposition as true. He dared to be overconfident that the child would love him forever. No, it might have been selfish, but it was what he might have hoped for. Someone who would blindly love him even if it would never get reciprocated. Eris looked happy kissing someone other than him. Alecto saw a face he had never seen. Alecto always saw ¡®the face that Eris wanted to show. Maybe that was why he always hurt her. He wanted to see over the mask. He wanted to face Eris¡¯ true feelings because it was okay to laugh, cry or get angry. What should he call that feeling? He was sure it was not love. If this twisted thing was called love, the twisted feelings his parents held on to would also be true. He started having nightmares. It was a dream of being stabbed in the neck by Eris. Alecto, having an eerie feeling, involuntarily touched the area of his neck. Whether the guilt was manifested unconsciously, it was a dream that he¡¯s been having since he was told by his father to hold Eris. Alecto grabbed his throbbing head and raised himself. He asked the royal attendant while the servants helped with his clothes. ¡°Is Lady Mis¨¦rian still in ¡®The Tower¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes, she still says nothing.¡± ¡°Stupid.¡± It has already been several days since the marquis was brought in with charges of opening the Magic Gate and questioned. To be honest, she would be released soon, Eris refused to testify about her father. She seemed naive to believe that she could save her father if she took such a long time. ¡°The interrogator has asked you to persuade Lady Mis¨¦rian yourself. Lady Mis¨¦rian is weak against His Highness.¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t help it if the interrogator has asked me to do so.¡± Unlike before, there was no confidence. This was because Eris confirmed that she no longer loved him. However, the lingering attachment led to Alecto. Maybe like in the past¡­¡­ perhaps it was one of her tricks to meet him¡­. Chapter 74 Episode 74 What We Want (1) When he finally made eye contact with Eris, Alecto noticed that it was all a nonsensical illusion. What was in her eyes was not excitement or relief, but clear despair and fear. She screamed as if she was facing a monster she should not have seen. She hated him, but never feared him. ¡°Get out before I kill you!¡± Alecto was perplexed but tried to convince her. His mind quickly went back to calculating. The meeting between Alecto and Eris was always thoroughly calculated. There was an intention implied in every word and action. Obviously, it was to scare him and get a head start. Alecto interpreted Eris¡¯ yelling like that. If it was ¡®Eris¡¯ from the past, the interpretation might not have been wrong. However, when Alecto crumpled his forehead and grabbed Eris¡¯ arm to calm her down, Eris shook wildly to escape his arms. Ah, when he missed her in the meantime, her thin body twisted helplessly to the floor. Her eyelids trembled as she coughed, as if she was about to run out of breath. No, she might die. Die? This child was going to die? Alecto asked blankly. He didn¡¯t even think about that future. ¡°Why, why are you doing this¡­.¡± ¡°Doctor! Call the royal doctor right now!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her¡­¡± Even though the interrogator called out to the royal court at the top of his voice, Alecto could not escape the shock. He barely convinced himself to leave. However, Alecto had never imagined that Eris would die so fleetingly, even if she would leave. Was this also an extension of the nightmare? When the breakup was confirmed, he ran out to the empress¡¯ palace after hearing from the royal attendant that she had entered the palace after a long time. This was because in the corner of his mind he was convinced that he would no longer be able to see that face unless it was now. Again, Alecto was born and raised as a crown prince. That meant that as soon as he learned to walk, he had to learn self-defense techniques, learned cesarean as soon as he spoke for the first time, and always had to rationally doubt the intentions of the other person when dealing with someone. ¡°You¡­. have changed.¡± It was an impulsive choice to spit this out. ¡°You love me.¡± I love you. That voice still stood out. Then Eris, who was laughing like a crazy person, finally grabbed him and started an unbelievable story. A nonsensical story that a girl who had dreamed of becoming his crown princess was not rewarded for her efforts, so she made a wish to make herself disappear from this world, it was a vain story created by using this. ¡°You know¡­ Then who am I?¡± Her eyes had changed one day. Was it because her love changed or because the person changed? It was only after hearing that question that Alecto could finally understand. All those mysterious reasons were solved by drawing a single trajectory. ¡°You¡¯re a different person? Lies. You¡¯re lying. You really went crazy.¡± Alecto¡¯s hand trembled. He was confident that he knew Eris Mis¨¦rian better than anyone else. But when he looked back, he didn¡¯t know anything about her. How did Eris laugh? He didn¡¯t remember a single thing about how she spoke or what habits she had. He couldn¡¯t even picture the performance of Eris Mis¨¦rian¡¯. So he couldn¡¯t even tell if the woman was lying. ¨C I wish you hadn¡¯t been born. All he remembered were the harsh words he said to her. Alecto held her hand again when the woman in front of him stood up and tried to leave. Eris, or the woman who was not Eris, shook her hand. ¡°If you¡¯re not Eris, where is the child?¡± ¡°She¡¯s dead. No, she¡¯s gone forever rather than dead. You¡¯ll never see her again.¡± The woman forcefully said so. And Alecto instinctively knew that what the woman said was true. He lost strength in his hands. Oh, he had lost something terribly lovely forever. He couldn¡¯t believe that someone who loved him the most in the world had disappeared, so it hurt every time he breathed in as if his lungs were stabbed. Although he didn¡¯t have anything from the beginning, he had no immunity because it was the first time he had lost something he had. ¡°I can¡¯t see her again?¡± Alecto began to cry. No one comforted him this time. It snowed for several days. My white breath was cold. The servants diligently heated the air in the house, but I opened the window like a tree frog and smelled the winter scent. (PR/N: ¡®tree frog¡¯; a person who behaves erratically.) I had been trying everything to see what were the tears¡¯ the witch spoke about, but they were all in vain. It was neither my tears nor Anakin¡¯s tears. wonder if it was Helena¡¯s tears, but it was unlikely that one person would fulfill two conditions. ¡°Young lady¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Ignore it. If they come tomorrow, at least pour some water on them.¡± Jason and Hubris kept knocking on the door of the mansion. They came to see me, asking me to meet them, but I sent them all back because it would be tiring just to meet them. As I wrinkled my brow in tiredness, the maid looked at me. She took a deep breath and added. ¡°At least if they catch a cold, they won¡¯t come while they¡¯re recovering.¡± ¡°Should I send all the invitations back?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah. I don¡¯t plan on staying here for a while.¡± Jason and Hubris were not the only ones who came to see me. Everyone wanted to meet me. To be exact, they want to see Eris fall, but¡­ That¡¯s why I was intentionally stuck inside the house. If I die, I would be dead, would you like to see such a spectacle? I still slept brokenly and woke up. I thought everything was okay now, but it was still the same. As I couldn¡¯t sleep properly, I lost my appetite and became sensitive. Suddenly, I couldn¡¯t control my anger and nervousness, so I had a few people around me. It was unfair. What did I do so wrong? Would it have been less painful if I called someone else without killing the crown prince? If I hadn¡¯t gone to the imperial palace in the first place¡­¡­. The question of if constantly bothered me. What if I called someone else? Alecto was the crown prince of this country. It was also unclear whether the crown prince could be questioned for a crime just because he touched his fiancee. ¡­¡­Was it fair for me to kill him? If individual retaliation could replace punishment, there would have been no need for laws to be made in the first place. Funny. Alecto, who actually sinned against me, wouldn¡¯t even have these worries. No, it was not. Let¡¯s not think about this. I had definitely sinned too. Even if the person didn¡¯t remember, it was true that I had blood on my hands even if time went by and it didn¡¯t happen. ¡®If I denied it, it would be contradictory for me to resent Alecto. pressed down on my twitching forehead. Let¡¯s not think about it. It was already in the past, and it was irreversible. Although the pain remained like a scar and bothered me, time would solve it all. Time, because all I had left was time. Thinking so, I tried to forget the fact that I had to kill Helena myself. ¡­ The imperial family announced yesterday that it would reinstate the status of the Antebellum family, which was executed for treason during the ¡°Great Pursuit.¡± According to the results of the re-investigation, which ended not long ago, it was found that the Antebellum family rather dissuaded former Crown Prince Letatio at the time of the ¡®Great Pursuit.¡¯ However, now that the Marquis Mis¨¦rian broke the engagement of Lady Mis¨¦rian on charges of treason, speculation was coming out that the imperial family¡¯s unusual reinstatement is to promote Helena Antebellum, who was the crown prince¡¯s favourite, as the new crown princess. Reading the newspaper brought by the chief servant briefly contained the news that Helena¡¯s status was reinstated. As suspected in the article, the crown prince couldn¡¯t be married to a commoner, so it must be prepared in advance. It was true that they were falsely accused, so there was no problem with being reinstated. The marquis had been locked up in the room for the past few days and drank alcohol. Sometimes he went out and met people then came back. I didn¡¯t know if it was going well, but he always came back with a stiff face. I might be able to play with the marquis that had fallen down, but he must not want my help. No, maybe he wanted his money. It was honor and power that Marquis Mis¨¦rian was deprived of, not money. Of course, half of the family¡¯s assets were seized, but the Mis¨¦rian family had so much wealth that it was comparable to the imperial family. Perhaps even if the marquis played and ate for the rest of his life from now on, he would have enough property left to pass on to Eris. Come to think of it, he was a man of extraordinary business skills. If he was born a merchant who was not interested in power, he would have been happier. It must have been more miserable because it was usually human nature to cover what one does not have. Now that Helena had become a noble again, it was a long way to get married. According to the scheduled narrative, I had to hide in Helena¡¯s honeymoon room on the day of her wedding, so time was flying. While thinking about what to do, I thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to look for an ¡®unread world¡¯. Come to think of it, while reading the novel, Eris¡¯ mother never appeared. There was no way that the Marquis of Mis¨¦rian gave birth to Eris, so she definitely existed. Of course, I was busy dating, but I couldn¡¯t even unravel the story of the villain¡¯s family relationship, so I suddenly became curious. What kind of person was Eris¡¯ mother? Was she arrogant or sweet? Would she look like Eris? Or wouldn¡¯t she look like her? Until what age did she stay with Eris? Maybe she died immediately after giving birth to her? I found a maid who was always by my side to solve that curiosity. When asked what kind of person her mother was, she swallowed her breath for a moment She hesitated for a long time, looked around for a moment, and soon whispered with her mouth in my ear. ¡°Behind the master¡¯s study, there¡¯s another room.¡± It was an unexpected answer. As far as I knew, the library of the Mis¨¦rian family was located at the end of the mansion, so there would be no more rooms¡­.. She blinked, grabbed my hand and spoke eagerly. ¡°You can¡¯t get caught.¡± ¡­.To that extent? I had an ominous feeling. Chapter 75 Episode 75 Quies Mis¨¦ran Important note: when Emma starts to tell the story of Eris Mis¨¦rian¡¯s mother, she says it from the perspective of her mother (Emma¡¯s mother). Emma addressed Eris¡¯ father as ¡®Master, and Eris¡¯ mother as Owner. In the next chapter the perspective changes from Emma¡¯s mother to Emma because at that time, Emma¡¯s grown-up when Eris was born. After dinner, I looked around and stepped into the study. The room, located at the end of the aisle on the first floor, was completely different from the family¡¯s study I went to when studying writing. Just in time, the marquis was away today as well, When I turned the door knob of the study, there was a rattling sound, but it did not move. Looking at the tightly locked doorknob, 1 pondered for a moment Should I ask to have it opened? However, it bothered me that the maid whispered that I should not be caught. Most of the attendants of this mansion were not mine, but the marquis¡¯. If caught, there was a high possibility that they would stop me or confess it to him. Even if I heard a sound later, I should go in and find out what he was hiding. I called Anakin a little. ¡°Anakin, I have to go over there. Don¡¯t cut the whole thing. It¡¯ll make a sound.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He cut down the doorknob and opened the door according to my command. I called Anakin as entered the room. ¡°Keep watch here. When a servant comes, send him away.¡± ¡°What should I do if someone who is not a servant comes?¡± ¡°¡­¡­. There is nothing we can do if the original owner of this room comes. Let him in. You don¡¯t have to scratch it and make crumbs.¡± (PR/N: an idiom for making things worse/bigger by doing something that shouldn¡¯t be done.) Leaving Anakin, who bowed his head, behind, I took a step into the study. At first glance, it was an ordinary study¡­¡­ It was definitely a little small. It felt like a wall was built in one room to divide it into two. I approached the bookshelf, Tooked around and swept across. The family tree of the Mis¨¦rian family was placed among them, so I picked it up. I read it while flipping through. I didn¡¯t know the name of the marquis or the name of Eris mother, so I had to hope that Eris would be written on the family tree. And almost at the end of the page, Eris¡¯ name came out. ¡°Huh?¡± The names of the two were written above Eris¡¯ names. Carnival Axel, Quies Mis¨¦rian. It was unlikely that the woman¡¯s name would be ¡®Carnival Axel¡¯. Then it means that Eris¡¯ mother was ¡®Quies Mis¨¦rian¡­ Did that mean the Marquis of Mis¨¦rian was a live-in son in-law? When I turned the book over to the end, a letter was stuck in it. I opened the letter and hesitantly looked through the contents. ¡­¡­She¡¯s not interested in the family business, so I¡¯m going to find a man who can continue the family business instead of her. I can find a partner from another powerful family, but he can¡¯t ignore her just because she doesn¡¯t do anything. It would be nice if could choose him as an ambitious and meticulous man from a fallen noble family¡­.. When I finished reading the letter, I noticed a book with exceptionally lesser dust. When I pulled the book slightly, the bookshelf opened with a click. Something white was shining beyond another cleverly hidden room. I went inside as if possessed and looked. It was¡­ a coffin. Like a scene from Snow White, a woman with black hair was asleep in the coffin. Without having to read her name engraved on the side of the coffin, I could recognize who she was at a glance. Because she resembled Eris that much. When I took my eyes off the coffin containing the body and looked around the room, it was full of things that looked like Quies Mis¨¦rian¡¯s items. It felt as if he had moved everything related to her into this place. Then I heard someone¡¯s urgent footsteps. My body was roughly turned. I teased the marquis a lot, but I¡¯ve never seen his face so angry. The marquis whose face was red and trembling, soon raised his hand and grabbed me by the wrist. ¡°You¡­ disgusting. You know that, right?¡± Catching my trembling arms, he pushed me out of the room. As the marquis tried to catch me again, Anakin, who approached, put the sword at the marquis¡¯ neck. ¡°Let go. She is not one to be treated recklessly.¡± ¡°How dare you¡­¡­ You don¡¯t know your place and you shouldn¡¯t talk to me!¡± Anakin silently brought the sword closer to the marquis neck. Blood began to fall from the marquis¡¯ neck. Only then did the marquis let go of my shoulders without saying a word as if he had calculated that he could not win. I shook off my shoulders as if something dirty was on me and faced the marquis next to Anakin. Anakin still lifted up the sword. I spoke quietly to the marquis. ¡°If you answer my question, I¡¯ll shut up and forget about it.¡± ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m threatening you right now. I don¡¯t think killing you here would make any difference.¡± Blood began to pool under the marquis¡¯ feet. ¡°Why did you have the body of Quies Mis¨¦rian stuffed?¡± ¡°What do you mean stuffed? Watch your mouth¡­¡­.! just did what she wanted.¡± ¡°She wanted it?¡± ¡°Yeah. She¡­.. wanted to die beautifully.¡± The marquis swallowed a painful groan once and added the words. ¡°I called it postpartum depression. But¡­.. She originally had no lingering feelings about this world. Same for me, our daughter also wasn¡¯t good enough to catch her interest.¡± After saying those words, the marquis closed his mouth and looked at us. His eyes were telling me if I wanted to kill him, to kill him. However, despair was deeply cast on his determination. Somehow, my enthusiasm died down and I asked Anakin to pull down the sword. We turned our backs to each other without saying a word. I was in Eris¡¯ room, and he was¡­¡­ he headed to the room where Quies Mis¨¦rian was lying. When I returned to the room, the maid was waiting for me inside, restless. She looked at my face and immediately collapsed as if her legs had no strength. ¡°Do you know how nervous I was when the Marquis came?¡± ¡°Sorry. I made you worry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. You don¡¯t have to apologize to me, lady.¡± I sat on the bed and looked down at the maid and asked. ¡°You said my mother died shortly after I was born, right?¡± ¡°The madam died by the time you were being breastfed.¡± ¡°¡­Did she get sick?¡± The maid stuttered for a moment and said, ¡°Probably, yes. She was originally weak, but I heard she got worse after giving birth.¡± Then why did the marquis say that? The marquis described Quies Mis¨¦rian as if she had killed herself. The maid blinked slowly and added quietly. ¡°But even if you brought the master¡¯s best physician, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to cure an incurable disease. She didn¡¯t have the will to get better.¡± ¡°My father said my mother had postpartum depression.¡± ¡°Postpartum depression? Well¡­ My mother, who had been watching the owner since she was young, said, she was consistent until the day she died.¡± ¡°That story¡­ Can it be more detailed?¡± She was obviously hesitant, but then bit her lip. As is always the case with those who hesitate, the story started with ¡®I don¡¯t know the details.¡¯ (Note: From this point on, Emma is telling the story from her mother¡¯s perspective.) The owner had been a docile and clumsy child since childhood. Children usually express their opinions through crying and laughter, right? But the owner neither cried nor laughed. That¡¯s why the lady¡¯s grandmother and grandfather were worried a lot. (PR/N: lady¡¯ as in Eris.) Was the child not smart enough¡­? That was. That was why they appointed a tutor a little earlier than others, but contrary to their worries, they were told that she was rather clever. If she was taught, she understood everything, so even if it was a daughter, they had no other successors, so it was enough to educate her as the head of the family. But the owner wasn¡¯t interested. So they were frustrated and asked the owner herself. What in the world do you want to be? We¡¯ll support you no matter what you say. Do you know what the owner answered? ¨C Father, I don¡¯t want to be anything. I¡¯m not interested in anything, and I¡¯m just tired of living. Do / have to do anything? Does a girl have to do anything? My mother was across from the lady¡¯s grandfather, so she clearly saw the expression at that time. She said, she never saw such a sad expression in her life. I would have done the same. What parents wouldn¡¯t be sad when their finely raised daughter acts like a person who was going to die right away? The lady¡¯s grandfather and grandmother said that anything would be fine, so they struggled to arouse the interest of the owner. They taught her instruments, raised animals and plants, and even taught her gambling by attaching a handsome and eloquent man. But nothing caught the owner¡¯s attention. Getting married was the last choice. The reason was that if you have a family, give birth to children and raise them, you will have some fun in your life, Someone said that the owner was not interested in animals and plants, but they firmly believed that raising a child was a different thing. Except for the imperial family, this family was the richest in the capital, so naturally hawks came and went until their feet were worn out. However, the grandfather wanted to bring in a live-in son-in-law, saying that a child who did nothing could be bullied if she went to someone else¡¯s house. He also had to take over the Mis¨¦rian family. (T/N: hawks is used as a metaphor with the noble men trying to get married to Quies Mis¨¦rian so that they can feed on their wealth) That¡¯s how the marquis was chosen. He said he liked him because he was a man who was sincere and ambitious, but could not fulfill his desire due to his poor and powerless family. The owner¡¯s parents said, they wouldn¡¯t get involved in anything as long as he let the owner do nothing as she did until now. The unfortunate thing was¡­ the marquis fell in love with the owner. The marquis would have done anything for the owner, his wife, but the owner was not happy with anything. Even though she didn¡¯t refuse when he held the owner in his arms¡­¡­ that didn¡¯t mean permission. The master didn¡¯t even feel the need to refuse. The despair of the marquis who knew that¡­¡­. was incredible. The marquis began to go outside. Drinking and gambling, of course, he even called a prostitute to his house. He was going to show it to the owner. The owner didn¡¯t change her expression even though she knew that the prostitute had taken over the bedroom. She just slept in the rest of the rooms. Because there were a lot of rooms. T/rant: my guess is that Quies might be stranger? Anyways, a detailed information on the new character name!: Quies Mis¨¦rian: mother of Eris Mis¨¦rian and the owner of Mis¨¦rian, she in particular from birth didn¡¯t have interest in anything, no matter what her parents or the husband did for her. Not even the birth of Eris made her change and eventually died after giving birth to her. Meaning of ¡°Quies¡±: the word Quies is the root word of ¡°Quiescent¡± which means ¡°rest or quiet.¡± Carnival Axel: Father of Eris Mis¨¦rian, originally from a weak noble family, he fell in love with Quies Mis¨¦rian, but sadly his love wasn¡¯t reciprocated, he fell into depression and started to sleep with prostitutes and his obsession with making Eris sit on the highest seat is because, that is the only thing he couldn¡¯t give to Quies, to get her interest in him. Meaning of the name ¡°Carnival¡±: There isn¡¯t a special ¡°meaning¡± to it as such but anyways this is what I gotan instance of merrymaking, feasting, or masquerading. Meaning of ¡°Axel¡±: Axel is a Scandinavian form of the Hebrew name Absalom. He has the incredible meaning of ¡°my father is peace,¡± Chapter 76 Episode 76: Mother Meanwhile, the owner got pregnant, and the marquis¡¯ wandering was over. The marquis¡­ Maybe he was looking forward to it. If she had a child, the owner would change. The marquis faithfully cared for the owner. Even Her Majesty would not have enjoyed such luxury. The owner had some morning sickness, and didn¡¯t eat raw vegetables.¡­. The chef had a hard time because she barely touched the meat and put only a little fish and fruit in her mouth. I went to the market every morning and tried to buy all the fresh fish. Fish was also precious because the capital was inland. The young lady (Eris) who came out after the last month of pregnancy was safely completed¡­¡­ She was really pretty. I had never seen such a pretty baby again in my life. But the owner was expressionless even after seeing the lady. It was like she was checking what she had been carrying for 10 months. She breastfed, but she did it just because her breasts were pumping, and she didn¡¯t feel like ¡®feeding her child¡¯ at all. The owner¡­¡­The owner said that she had fulfilled her duty because she had a child. At the time, I was a little over half my height now, but I still remember the owner¡¯s expression and way of speaking vividly. Everyone around her tried, but nothing caught her interest. (Note: Emma¡¯s grown up now, perspective shifts from her mother to her.) When she heard that, my mother cried like a child. The marquis also made a wish. He prayed, he got angry, he cried, he went crazy. The marquis tried hard, but¡­¡­ love didn¡¯t come in return. The owner¡¯s last will was to preserve herself permanently. No one knew why the owner left such a will.¡­ The marquis was very distressed. However, soon after, according to the owner¡¯s will, magic engineers were called in to preserve the body and store it in a coffin. And he drove all the things that reminded him of the owner behind his study. He locked everything in there. Now I understand why the marquis said. ¡®You will be happy if you sit in the best seat.¡¯ I wondered where that belief came from, he might have become obsessed because it was the only thing he couldn¡¯t do for Quies Mis¨¦rian. The same was true for believing that it was postpartum depression. From beginning to end, he didn¡¯t want to believe that she wasn¡¯t interested in him at all. Anyway, why did she ask to preserve herself permanently? Was there a secret hidden in that body? It was a night full of thoughts. * * * It was the beginning of spring. In the Imperial Palace, the marriage of the crown prince and Helena was officially announced. The reason for the marriage, not engagement, was that they were not young, and this time, they showed their desire to thoroughly prevent an unexpected ¡®accident¡¯. Of course, it was not that there was no backlash. In particular, the nobles, who had still remained, stood up on the grounds that Helena had learned nothing to become empress. But the rumors that I was crazy were almost certain, and there was no substitute for me so it was dismissed. The imperial family seemed to be introducing Helena by inviting the nobles every day to break through such suspicions. I taught her for a while, and now the backlash gradually subsided because a professional teacher was really sticking to her and educating her. The marquis began to stir me up as soon as the marriage was announced, but I was ignoring it because there was a proper time for everything. The marquis couldn¡¯t even enter the palace, so he would have no choice but to wait for me whether he liked it or not. There was also a request from the empress to help with the wedding. Of course, that may not be the real purpose, but I was dumbfounded and just ignored it. She had no shame. Why would you want me to help you with that? If the slang for hair growing on your conscience was true, her conscience would have been full. (PR/N: ¡®??? ???¡¯ means ¡®what you¡¯re doing is very shameless¡¯ as in iIf you don¡¯t have a conscience, you can¡¯t feel shame¡¯.) However, I thought I wanted to see Helena get married. It must be beautiful. That¡¯s how it was described in the novel. I had certainly believed Helena would love Alecto. But now that their marriage was getting closer, I kept thinking about what Helena told me. If I had asked her back then if she loved Alecto, and if she were frustrated and said she didn¡¯t like that question, would something have changed? ¡­¡­It wouldn¡¯t have changed. I would have said she still had to get married though. That was the planned narrative. Only then¡­ I could go back. I took out the hidden knife and smoothed it. I had to stab her. But¡­ could I really stab her? It was so painful even after killing the crown prince. Kill her, and I¡­¡­. could I live as if nothing had happened even if I went back to my world? No! I pulled my hair out. No. That would be running away. Knowing that Helena would be revived by Hubris, I dared to weigh that once I died, it would be the price for her life. I had decided to die anyway, but it was abominable. I think I wouldn¡¯t be able to endure it. It was clear that killing the innocent would really drive me crazy. I was going to have nightmares about her and cry for the rest of my life.¡­. The sin would never be washed away. Let¡¯s run away. One morning, I suddenly thought of that. Helena shouldn¡¯t die. Even though she had no reason to die, I couldn¡¯t use her as a tool only for my death. I only thought it wouldn¡¯t matter if she died when I didn¡¯t know Helena. Because she was just the main character from the book to me. However, after I met Helena and talked to her, I couldn¡¯t get rid of the idea that she wasn¡¯t that type of person. ¨C Learning is really fun, right? I never learned it, so I didn¡¯t know. ¨C It would have been nice if I knew this earlier.¡­. Unlike the options in the game, the child gave different answers to the same question. It changed moment by moment and grew day by day. The more I met her, the more lovely Helena felt. In the end, I became attached to her. And¡­¡­ in fact, it was more terrifying than anything else. I was afraid to die. Until now, I had no problem with dying thanks to the blind belief that this would be a ¡®dream¡¯. I thought that if I died without any reason, I would be able to return to ¡®me¡¯. Death here was never death¡­¡­. Because in all the stories I had read, that was usually the case. However, as I spent more time here, my anxiety grew. What if that was not it? What if the witch lied to me? I killed Helena and was executed¡­¡­ What if I couldn¡¯t wake up again? I couldn¡¯t breathe. I had no regrets about dying because I knew I would wake up again. The swamp of self-contradiction dragged me down from time to time. I knew it was cowardly. I also knew that I was reversing the commitment to Anakin, no, to myself, saying not to escape. But I couldn¡¯t stand it. My family passed by in front of my eyes. Everything I left in my world was asking me. Are you sure you don¡¯t have to come back? Can you live someone else¡¯s life with someone else¡¯s face? Are you confident that you won¡¯t regret it if you don¡¯t see it again? Ah, I remembered my mom¡¯s face. I also heard my mother¡¯s voice being disappointed, asking how I never contacted her. I wanted to scream. No, I didn¡¯t know if maybe I had buried my face in a pillow and screamed. Because I was half out of my mind and rolling on the bed tearing my hair off. Mom, look at me. Mom, your daughter is trying like this. I am so tired. I miss my mom¡­¡­ I really miss you! It was too far to go home¡­¡­. I couldn¡¯t go any further because it was so far away. I gasped for a long time. My curled body gradually stretched out. Anakin. When I called his name, he came up to me. I didn¡¯t say anything, but he covered my eyes without saying anything. I could cry for a moment under his hard hands. When I finally stopped crying, I quietly ordered him. ¡°Pack up, Anakin.¡± Anakin silently packed my luggage at my words without even asking the common question of where he was going. He shoved any clothes into my luggage and collected gold at random. Anakin jumped out of the window first and then caught me falling. The magic train was stopped after being suspected of stability, so I had to ride a horse or carriage. Anakin secretly bought a horseman through Cynthia. ¡°Are you Anakin?¡± I¡¯ve been waiting.¡± The horseman guided us straight behind the carriage without asking anything. There were so many large boxes, among them, I hid myself in an empty box. It was reasonable for me to enter. I was smaller in size, but more noticeable in appearance than Anakin. ¡°Please bear with me even if it¡¯s a little uncomfortable. I¡¯ll open it for you when I pass the watergate.¡± ¡°What are the rest of the boxes? It smells bad.¡± ¡°It¡¯s trash.¡­¡­ The capital is so dense that there is no landfill. That¡¯s why we regularly send trash and dirt to areas outside the capital.¡± Everywhere, the water supply was expensive. I went into the box without saying a word. Although the inside of the box was uncomfortable and smelled bad, humans were adaptable creatures, so their noses were paralyzed and bearable. The rattling wagon stopped for a moment as if it stood at a gate. The guard asked formal questions to the horseman as usual. ¡°What¡¯s inside?¡± Chapter 77 Episode 77: The Chased, Chaser and Other Roles in Between ¡°It¡¯s trash to be landfilled nearby.¡± ¡°Hmm, open it.¡± I swallowed my breath at the unexpected situation. However, the horseman did not hesitate to get off his seat, go to the back and open the box. The odour trapped in the box spread. ¡°Do I have to open another one? It must smell bad.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s done.¡± I held back my pounding heart until the horseman closed the box and drove the wagon again. I couldn¡¯t even tell how much time had passed because I couldn¡¯t see outside and I didn¡¯t even have a wristwatch. The wagon gradually slowed down and soon stopped completely. After the coachman pulled me out, he hurriedly unlocked the link between the wagon and the horse. ¡°That¡¯s as far as I¡¯ve been told. I¡¯ll give you a horse, so you two have to go on your own from here.¡± We moved our luggage onto the horse and ran nonstop to another nearby village. Under the flurry of light, two running shadows fluttered. As soon as we left the capital, chasers immediately caught up. Maybe the marquis sent them. Anakin measured the number and asked if he should kill them, saying that there were about two. ¡°No, not yet. Since it is near the capital now, if we kill them, the Marquis, who will find it strange that no contact has been made, will send new chasers.¡± If we were going to kill them, we had to kill them as far away as possible. So he would misunderstand that the delay in contact was because of the far distance. Anyway, it would be all useless if we got caught before that so we had to disguise ourselves. And in order to confuse them as much as possible, we tried to change our appearance by changing clothes every time we visited a village. Sometimes we were siblings, sometimes newlyweds, and sometimes Anakin dressed as a woman and I dressed as a man. Anakin looked pretty good dressing up as a woman. It wasn¡¯t because he looked particularly pretty, but because he was tall, his original features were faint, so there was no incompatibility in whatever he wore. Anakin accepted however I decorated him, so it was very fun because it seemed like playing with a large doll. But we couldn¡¯t ignore the height difference between the two of us, so to overcome it as much as possible, I pretended to be Anakin¡¯s younger brother instead of wearing a clumsy mustache. The big woman and the small man sometimes caught the attention of others, but the chasers did not even suspect and thought we would hide ourselves so thoroughly. I deliberately wandered around the cheap inns. This was because the chasers judged that the picky marquis¡¯s young lady would be in a good accommodation, so they searched thoroughly in the best accommodation. The bed creaked, and the curtains smelled of dust. In addition, compared to what I ate at the marquis, the meal was terrible. But it was still good. I didn¡¯t have to imitate Eris. Now, Eris no longer had to think about what to say, what facial expressions to have and how to act. Rather, I had to try not to imitate Eris as much as possible, so gradually I was getting my way of speaking and thinking back. I felt like I was doing rehabilitation training. We discussed again and again about what to do next in our spare time. At first, I taught writing, and then Anakin asked to become a hunter and make money. The writing might be different from the empire, but¡­¡­ I felt groundless confidence that I would learn soon. Just in case I couldn¡¯t learn to write and Anakin wasn¡¯t good at hunting, there was also a plan that if Anakin knitted, I would sell it. No, I thought it would not be bad to work in the field or help with the inn for a while. Anakin was more physical and versatile than me, and I also had no part-time job when I was in Korea. That way, when seed money was collected, I could buy an instrument and get paid after I went out on the street and played it. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to achieve my dreams here that I couldn¡¯t achieve in Korea. I would watch the stars at night. Anakin said he could tell me all the constellations that appear in all four seasons. During the day, I wanted to learn this world anew under the sun. Since I decided to stay, everything looked different. It would definitely be fun. Maybe it would be a life with nothing more to ask for. We headed north without hesitation. What existed in the north was the so-called ¡®land of barbarians¡¯, and it was said that it was still a country that strongly believed in witches and magic. It was also a country that signed a nonaggression treaty after a long war with the empire, so if we crossed the border, it would have been impossible for the marquis to chase us, no matter how much he tried. Since it was a country that believed in witches, I thought I should sell Medea¡¯s name if I could. The contract to send me back had been broken, so I couldn¡¯t ask her for help anymore.¡­. She was not going to kill me for selling her name. I was not afraid at all if a witch would harm me, but I was afraid that Anakin would be disappointed in me. What on earth do you think about running away with me? I couldn¡¯t promise you anything now, but there would be no more ¡®mainstream¡¯ in our future. Why did you agree and accept it casually? Watching Anakin¡¯s profile as he disposed of the chaser¡¯s body, I hoped Anakin would convince me of why he was so blind. Yeah, I hoped it was a very common and clich¨¦ reason. You eventually fell in love with me. You wanted to hold my hand, and you wanted to run away forever, it was not just me¡­¡­ I dared to ask you to say so. I wonder, how far have I strayed from the story? So far, I know the ending and development of this story, so I tried not to deviate too much from it. Yes, that was why I killed the crown prince and turned back time. Knowing the future had more advantages than I thought, and I now had to give up all of them. This was because I had never read about what happened to ¡®Eris Mis¨¦rian,¡¯ which was out of the story. Little by little the further away from the capital city I got, the more the law of causality was pulling me. The wheel of the wagon suddenly broke, or the horse untied the rope and ran away. Even in disguise, there was a time when we caught a person who tried to report us. After burning the correspondence while thinking about killing him, we threatened to kill all of his family and released him. I knew that there would be no future troubles only if we killed him, but I didn¡¯t want to see blood. The village near the border, which we arrived at after many twists and turns, was as quiet as all rural villages. Since it was like an alpine area, it was not suitable to do agriculture, so the entire village seemed to make money by offering people across the border a place to sleep and feeding them. Perhaps because it was winter, the border door was closed by a short margin. I tried to convince him with a bribe, but it quickly got dark, and because the next village was a little far away, it was said that there were many cases where people often died after not being able to withstand the drop in temperatures and the wild animals while crossing the hill at night. I didn¡¯t want to be suspected if I kept insisting to the person shaking his head, saying that he hated removing corpses during this winter. As soon as the sun rose tomorrow, we decided to cross the border and get accommodation. We killed the chaser and had to wake up early in the morning, but I didn¡¯t want to spend the last day at a cheap inn. In order to make a move early tomorrow, I hoped it was a place where the bed didn¡¯t smell like dust and there were less creaking sounds. In the end, the price was much higher than the usual accommodation, but I took a room at a moderately neat and well-equipped inn and unpacked. I looked around the quiet village and entered a nearby store. It was embarrassingly shabby and old compared to the capital¡¯s dessert store, Launte, but it was also a perfect place for travelers who had to hurry to cross the border to relax their feet for a while. When I ordered drinks and refreshments to eat briefly and watched people outside the window, I remembered when I went to see Metheus. There were twists and turns, but I had a lot of fun until Jason intervened. We watched a play together with a lot of food in our hands.¡­. Come to think of it, Anakin said he was curious about me. In response, I brought up first ¡®my story¡¯ and then lastly, ¡®my family story¡¯, to be exact. Oh, and I think I told him once more about my past when we lived together in a separate house. It wasn¡¯t a big deal. When people had nothing to talk about, they would usually bring up their school days. In fact, Anakin never went to school, so he wouldn¡¯t have understood half of my story. In fact, that was why I didn¡¯t really want to talk to Anakin about what kind of life I had lived. This was because it was not a pleasant life for others to hear, and there were many things that were difficult for Anakin to imagine because the world in which he lived was literally different. Rather than a meaningless past, I wanted to talk about the present we were in together and the future where we wanted to be together. If I was to tell him about myself, I wanted to show myself who changed because of him rather than the me in Korea he didn¡¯t know. After I said that, I bit my lip. It was the same as trying to wrap it up somehow. Let¡¯s be honest. I was afraid that Anakin would be disappointed in me. My normal face, not the beautiful Eris. I pretended to be strong, but in reality, my personality was full of inferiority. I was afraid that Anakin, who had been my support so far, would no longer want me to be his master, because I was afraid that the past times that I had been miserable rather than wealthy like Eris would be revealed. Chapter 78 Episode 78: We Would Be Happy ¡°Anakin, do you have anything you want to do other than being a wandering knight?¡± If you had no regrets in this world, could you follow me? The selfish wind suddenly lifted its head. No, let¡¯s stop thinking about this. I decided to stay here. I bit my lip, and Anakin, who was staring at the drink in front of me, lifted his head and shook it slowly. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t have any other choice. However, even if I had a choice, nothing would have changed.¡± Anakin took a sip of the drink in front of him and swallowed it. ¡°I don¡¯t feel the need to even have a name that everyone has. I could have named myself like Kynthia if I wanted to.¡± Do¡­. not feel the need. (TL/N: she purposely paused in between, that word is sinking in her mind.) Somehow Anakin looked a lot like Eris¡¯ mother, Quies Mis¨¦rian. Wanting nothing, not interested in anything. Maybe that was why the two people in the story got closer. It was said that Eris was suffering from her mother¡¯s absence and felt lonely. He was so blank because he was a supporting role for Eris? If he was in Helena¡¯s supporting roles, would the writer have set him in more detail than he was now? When I kept my mouth shut with one thought or another, Anakin soon put his glass down and smiled a little. Light eyes stared straight at me. I wanted to kiss the corner of his faintly rising mouth. Even if we were not in the ballroom, would you accept me? ¡°¡­I think it was a good thing I didn¡¯t name myself. I like the name my master gave me.¡± If we hadn¡¯t met here¡­¡­ Just like any other love, I was introduced to you in Korea, at school, and in a very ordinary way¡­¡­ If we met like that, would we still fall in love? The answer came out easier than I thought. You were still wearing the necklace I gave you. No matter how much life was a series of regrets, we all lived in pain by holding onto the assumption of what-ifs, but it seemed to have gotten particularly serious when I entered this novel. I guess not returning to the dorm right after leaving the store was the source of all troubles. Would it have been different if I hadn¡¯t asked to walk for a while because the streets at night were so pretty? No, when I think about it now, the damn causality must have worked. Otherwise, I couldn¡¯t have known that I would suddenly hear about Helena from a flower shop where I jokingly stopped by, asking Anakin to buy me a flower. No, no. It was all an excuse. Actually, I just wanted to go back. When the sun rose and the gates opened, it was ridiculous to say that I had changed my mind at the very threshold of crossing the line. But I couldn¡¯t help it. I was taught to push myself. Because there was no one to replace me. I even said with my own mouth that I didn¡¯t need her feelings. Honestly, I felt complacent because it was a good position to be in. (PR/N: ¡®her¡¯ as in Helena.) It was a position called crown princess, who would become the Empress later. Marrying a childhood friend, a handsome prince in a fairy tale, was not a bad opportunity in her life as a maid. It came true in the novel I read anyway. I concluded at my disposal that I was only helping her. So I never really asked her. Was it okay for her to marry the prince? No, it wasn¡¯t good enough. Did she want to marry him? It kept bothering me that I haven¡¯t heard the answer. No, maybe that crying face caught my heart. No, no¡­. I had already seen her cry. At Eris¡¯s Coming of Age ceremony, I even told Helena, who was squeezing her head with a wet face over something that was not her fault, that it was okay to cry. Come to think of it, she was still young. I was just about to attend college. If I had heard that a person of that age was getting married in Korea, I would have probably fainted. I knew this was crazy. It was also absurd to apply Korean standards to this world. If someone saw me, they might think that I was being noisy belatedly. However, if I went back to Helena and asked her intention, and if she said no¡­¡­. ¡­¡­I would have to break her marriage. I couldn¡¯t make her unhappy even if it was for me. I slowly lowered my hand while smelling the scent of wrapped flowers. I put the back of my hand that wasn¡¯t holding a flower to my forehead, laughed and asked Anakin in vain while picking up a stalk. ¡°I¡¯m sure we could have lived happily ever after. Right?¡± Despite my sudden question, Anakin did not ask back why. He just looked down at me and nodded coolly. A faint smile caught his mouth. Oh, it was at that time. It was my favorite appearance. In fact, there was nothing I didn¡¯t like. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure we would have been happy.¡± Futures that could have been achieved, but have not been achieved, passed by my eyes. I would become a teacher and he would become a hunter, getting by day by day. Making money by knitting and working at an inn¡­¡­. The timeline where I would play musical instruments, study constellations, sell Medea¡¯s name, and pretend to be a witch.¡­¡­. Someday, there might be a day when I would regret making this decision. But somehow I was convinced that there would be a happier future than the ones I just lost. ¡°We¡¯ll be happy.¡± Even if we didn¡¯t run away, we would be happy. *** Since there was no need to use my brain by running away, the way back to the capital was naturally faster than when I ran out. Still, it was two days before the wedding because the distance was so far away. The whole capital was noisy preparing for the wedding. Of course, flowers and white cloths were waving on every street, and it was very crowded with each party celebrating the crown prince¡¯s wedding. Yes, the wedding of Helena and the Crown Prince was a major event described by increasing the number of chapters, so it was understandable. The problem was that I couldn¡¯t enter the imperial palace. Since my status as the fiance has disappeared, I was in a position where I could not enter unless the imperial family called me. When it came to sneaking in, the security was tighter than ever. I even thought about using the underground passage, but now that the Marquis had been dismissed from his post, it was in vain. In the original, I didn¡¯t know how Eris entered the palace. Or since it was the wedding day, did she enter in the middle of a hectic time? Anyway, it would be late on the day. No matter how much I thought about it, I was not confident in breaking into the wedding hall and shouting, ¡®This marriage is invalid.¡¯ I had no choice but to think of a person¡¯s face while biting my fingernails. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to run away?¡± ¡°Well, that happened somehow.¡± When I knocked on the familiar wooden door, Medea looked down at me sternly. To be honest, I avoided looking at her because I was the one who was stabbed. Medea, who was looking at me, sighed and soon stepped aside. ¡°Let¡¯s sit down and talk. Come on in.¡± As I sat on her couch, savouring the willfully tasteless tea that Medea had brewed, I hesitated and opened my mouth. I explained the situation first. The story of how I escaped, went to the border, and then returned. ¡­¡­I also talked about why I had no choice but to run away. Because I had to persuade Medea. ¡°So what?¡± ¡°I want to talk to Helena.¡± ¡°You must think of me as a peddler or troubleshooter?¡± Ugh, she was angry. Well, whenever I did something, I was looking for Medea, it couldn¡¯t have looked good from her point of view. Anyway, it was me who was disappointed, so I rolled my eyes and spoke in a voice like an ant¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you want.¡± ¡°What can you do?¡± ¡°Whatever you ask for.¡± ¡°You should be brave. What do you think I¡¯m going to ask you for?¡± No, why do you keep talking in circles? I¡¯m running out of time! Honestly, I knew it was my fault and she was upset, but I suddenly got annoyed. I jumped up, looked down at her, and grinded my teeth. ¡°I¡¯m going to handle it. Why are you so talkative?¡± ¡°Even if I tell you to stay in this world?¡± ¡°Ha!¡± The absurd question made me laugh automatically. ¡°You have to ask for a price that fits my condition. Why else would I come to you? I¡¯ll just run into the Imperial Palace pretending to be crazy. And if I stay in this world, do you think I¡¯ll be fine?¡± Kynthia still liked me better. If he had to choose between the two of us, who would he choose? ¡°I¡¯ll definitely mess up your next plan, so take care of it.¡± ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± ¡°Still¡­.. I¡¯m asking for a favour.¡± Medea looked up at me for a moment and smiled brightly. She reached out and grabbed my neck once. As if to gauge whether it could be broken. But soon she got up and headed to the full-body mirror in the corner. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s meet.¡± She asked me to look straight in the mirror and keep imagining the face I wanted to see. I had to feel like I was making eye contact with her. That was easy to say, honestly, it was very difficult for me who was unfamiliar with magic. However, as a result of closing my eyes and trying to concentrate, Helena¡¯s appearance was clearly shining in the mirror when I opened my eyes. Whether she was preparing for marriage or not, she was not dressed as a maid. To Helena, who was embarrassed, I brought up the main topic without talking about this or that. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian! Where in the world have you been¡­¡­.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, say no.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you want to run away, tell me you want to run away.¡± I looked her in the eye and said just that. I didn¡¯t bring up anything more than that. Anyway, she would know what I was talking about even without stating the subject. ¡°Then I¡¯ll let you run away no matter what I do.¡± Chapter 79 Episode 79: May Your Daydreams of Twilight Be Ever So Radiant Then, her face gradually began to be colored with a subtle smile. She pursed her lips, made eye contact with me and said, ¡°You know what, Lady Mis¨¦rian was right. The more I learn, the more I know what I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Now that I know it, I have something I want to do for the first time. And¡­ I can do it if I sit here.¡± Helena straightened her back. The fact that it was me who wanted to run away, not Helena¡­¡­ I realized it again. Did I want to run away from her and feel vicarious satisfaction? A bitter smile lingered around my mouth. Helena looked different again. I had hated Helena since I first read the novel. Because it wasn¡¯t my favourite personality. She was indecisive, dull, overly optimistic, nosy and incompetent. There was a truth that I learned only after entering this world and after constantly bumping into her. A person¡¯s personality was the same as two sides, so the pros and cons could be different depending on how someone interpreted it. Helena was not indecisive, but cautious. She was dull, but she sympathised with the joy or sadness of others faster than anyone else. Being overly optimistic meant that one always tried to move forward positively without giving up easily even in difficult situations, and being nosy meant that one was good and interested in their surroundings. And incompetence. Come to think of it, what did ability mean? Being able to read and write? Knowing the etiquette of the imperial palace? Having fashion sense? Or political sense? All of these were abilities that Helena, who was born and lived as a maid, did not need to have. She didn¡¯t learn because she didn¡¯t need to. Even if she tried to take a certification test, learning must precede, or if I disparaged her as incompetent just because she didn¡¯t know, that would have been unfair. Helena Antebellum was¡­¡­ She just didn¡¯t have a chance, and now she got it back. The opportunity I had barely earned was in vain, I didn¡¯t deserve to have it. ¡°Will you come to my wedding?¡± Helena smiled shyly. When I saw that smile, I was rather ashamed of myself running away to the end of the earth. We each had our own work to do. She took the first step, but I couldn¡¯t back down. My shaken mind hardened fast. Even if I didn¡¯t kill her, Helena would become the crown princess. She was a lovable person and she would live in peace in her surroundings, just as she had always been. Alecto would take care of her on his own, even if political opponents might frame her or rebel against what she did. But if I killed Helena, and if Hubris saved her again, people would think that the new crown princess, or the empress, had been blessed by God. And they would believe that those who want to harm the ¡®God-blessed Empress¡¯ were absolute evils. Religion would have a great influence on this country, and miracles would instill strong awareness in people. Then whatever Helena did, it would become difficult to rebel against her politically. If I was going to give her strength, I had better make sure. It was the original story, so it was much safer. The calculator, which had been tapping quickly in my head, stopped. I laughed at myself. Perhaps this was why Helena felt sorry. People usually craved what they didn¡¯t have. ¡°I¡¯ll go. Instead¡­ I want to meet you alone. People might think it¡¯s strange.¡± Will you let me in? At my question, Helena smiled brightly and nodded. The day after tomorrow, her wedding will be held. I had to kill her that day for a happy ending that everyone wanted. * * * It was a morning that matched the expression of being truly blessed, with white clouds blooming beautifully in the clean and blue sky. I breathed in the clear and cold air to the fullest. Perhaps Helena and Alecto were going to the temple and being blessed. I chose the right casual clothes and wore a black veil. Anyways, it was my ex-fianc¨¦¡¯s wedding, so there was nothing good about standing out. When I was ready to go out, the maid looked at me with worried eyes. ¡°Lady¡­¡± If I went out now, I could never come back. Perhaps that was why the usual greeting of going didn¡¯t come out of my mouth easily. It was just a formality anyway, so it was okay if I spat out lies or anything.¡­. That was probably because she didn¡¯t treat me formally. Emma had always been faithful to me, so I could last a little longer in this strange world. ¡°Thank you always.¡± So I decided not to lie too. Anakin followed me when I hurried out of the room for fear of lingering feelings. I stopped him with a gesture. In case of an emergency, I thought it would be better to keep Anakin hidden as the secret weapon. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something else you have to do for me. I¡¯ll let you know when the time comes.¡± ¡°Then take a mirror with you.¡± I took the mirror and looked at my face for a while. I was sorry to Eris, but now it was time to say goodbye to her as well. Of course, the wedding was not something that could be seen just because one wanted to see it because only the aristocrats, especially the high-ranking aristocrats and the imperial family, could enter and watch it. Therefore, it was a principle to have a street parade on the street for the common people when the crown prince or emperor got married. This was also what the imperial family worked the most on at the wedding. Since there were so many people and it progressed slowly because of people, there were more threats of assassination than ever. According to records, some people must have really died. Nevertheless, the reason why it did not stop was because it was good for recovering public sentiment, and there was no other way to revitalize the stagnant social atmosphere or economy. There were even rumors that the weather would change for the street parade, so that said everything. Perhaps the crown prince or Helena were wearing artifacts just in case. In addition, the knights and magic engineers would be standing guard in each area. Perhaps I stood in the right alley and measured where the guards might be hiding. Each person was excited and had flowers in their hands. It was clear that they would probably throw them as hard as they could when the procession passed. It was said that the magic engineers who were at the forefront of the procession were constantly shooting sparkles through magic tools, so it was a sight that would be eye-catching even if you didn¡¯t see it. I heard cheers from far away. The sound was getting louder and louder, and it seemed like a tsunami was coming. My hands were a little sweaty, so I wiped them off my skirt and caught my breath. Everyone was shouting congratulations. They said that they wanted to live happily ever after, and that they loved each other. Finally, Helena appeared, waving at people and smiling among the pouring light and flowers. Her dazzling silver hair was decorated with polished orange branches, and a sheer veil was hanging at the end. The white empire dress which was delicately embroidered with gold thread, looked very good on her. May your daydreams of twilight be ever so radiant. But why did I keep..¡­ I didn¡¯t know if I could imagine Eris¡¯ wedding. Eris¡¯ wedding must have been beautiful. Was she blessed like this? With very few exceptions, Eris, who left after being hated by the world¡­¡­ Did she only show her sincere smile that day? At that moment, would she have thought that life was really dazzling and that she was lucky to be born? * * * I think I knew why the original Eris chose this day. The imperial palace was simply a mess. When hiding in the back garden of the imperial palace, no one noticed me, unlike usual. No, maybe the causality was helping me. Eris said she hid in a ¡®new room¡¯. Where was the new room in this imperial palace? It wouldn¡¯t be the crown prince¡¯s existing bedroom. He wouldn¡¯t have been given a new room separate from the palace. It must have been inside the Imperial Palace, but the building called the Imperial Palace was also quite large. I couldn¡¯t ask anyone, so I had to guess it well with my gut. If I could, I thought about just opening the door in each room and checking it. Since all the people in the palace were transferred and busy preparing for the wedding and reception that followed, only the minimum number of people remained. The room with a small door was out of the list. The crown prince and his wife slept well in the bedroom, but of course it would be a large bedroom. Also out of the list if it was near the stairs too. It was a newlywed bedroom, but was it in a place where people came and went? In the same sense, the first floor was also out. After erasing it roughly, there were actually few bedrooms to check. I thought they would not have sprinkled roses on the bed, but even though there were no roses, the flowers and branches of the linden tree were beautifully decorated on the bed. There was nowhere else to sit, so I sat on the bed and waited for Helena. At this rate, it was clear that it would be a setback if the crown prince came in first, but for now, I decided not to believe in the novel and hide. The knife hidden in my arms felt heavy. When Helena comes in¡­¡­ I¡¯ll have to kill Helena with that knife. What if she resisted? Would I be able to win by a difference in power? What if she screamed and ran away as soon as she saw the knife? It might be faster for the people who came running after hearing her scream to catch me than for me to catch her. Chapter 80 Episode 80: Helenas¡¯s World It was me who had never practised dissecting fish or frogs, let alone people. I couldn¡¯t even tell how hard I had to stab. As time went by, my stomach hurt because of the tension. Could it be that I found the wrong room? I was thinking about whether I should get up now and go to another room. The door opened, and Helena in a white gown entered the room and met my eyes. Without a sign of surprise, she said something to the attendant behind her door, and she took the teapot and teacup herself. When the door closed, she asked me in a small voice. ¡°Do you want a cup of tea?¡± When I looked at the door, Helena smiled and reassured me. ¡°It¡¯s okay. No one will come for a while.¡± She was so calm, I felt uncomfortable because she was so calm. Something was out of the ordinary. Come to think of it, why wasn¡¯t Helena surprised when she saw my reflection in the mirror? ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us.¡± Helena¡¯s purple eyes¡­¡­ stood out. * * * Helena Antebellum was a child who could not doubt anyone. Although she was slow-tempered, she always tended to ignore her intuition, saying it was just a feeling. Helena believed that all humans were good inside, and thought it was bad to doubt others carelessly. One might wander around, but if she showed consistent trust and affection, they would eventually return to their good nature. So she didn¡¯t notice that Eris Mis¨¦rian had changed somehow. Growth was always like that. So when she found out that ¡®Eris¡¯ wasn¡¯t herself, she was quite indifferent to her.¡­ No, she was actually very disillusioned. Because of the call, she was on her way to the empress. She saw Eris and Alecto talking from afar. She was worried about whether they were fighting, so she walked faster. Eris grabbed Alecto¡¯s two cheeks and brought his face close. Helena hid herself behind the pillar without realizing it. This was because there was no way to avoid the embarrassment if they made eye contact. But she couldn¡¯t hear a kiss. Doubtfully, Helena slightly raised her head again. Eris quietly began to talk. When her voice rose, she almost ran out to stop them, but somehow she had a very strong feeling that she shouldn¡¯t be caught. Some gravity was holding her ankle and holding her right behind the pillar. So that she couldn¡¯t move a single step. So Helena had no choice but to listen. ¡°Hey, guess who I am.¡± Helena, who hid herself behind the pillar, stopped breathing. She could have suspected it was a lie, but somehow the bell in her head rang loudly and shouted that it was true. Her heart sank and she felt dizzy. She couldn¡¯t believe that the one she had met so far wasn¡¯t Eris. Helena dared to think she knew her well. Now she realized that it was terrible arrogance. ¡°If you¡¯re not Eris, where is the child?¡± ¡°She is dead. No, she¡¯s gone forever.¡± ¨C I hate you. I wish people like you would die. One day, the sight of her crying and staring at her penetrated Helena¡¯s heart. ¨C Without you, I wouldn¡¯t have been so hated. Even after the woman in the form of Eris disappeared, Helena could not move her feet for a long time. Why didn¡¯t she notice? Where did she change from? She was going through her memory, nailed to the spot. Helena had a lot of affection. Some even expressed that it was too much. She used to give her heart easily in such a short time, so the day would come when she would get hurt. But contrary to what they thought, she was not hurt. Rather, it was the people around her who were hurt. Helena was just warm-hearted, but they used to misunderstand it. To this dazzling person, they were so flattered that she was a special being and that she was different from others. Furthermore, no matter what the beginning was, in the end, everyone wanted Helena to receive as much love as they had given her. Funny, even though she had never asked for love. It didn¡¯t take long for the illusion to break. Because she could tell just by looking at the way others talked and looked at her. She thought it was special. When the full illusion was broken, people accused Helena of holding and shaking their hearts. She was ashamed. They turned their arrows to Helena because they wanted to hide their shame. It was a bad thing for her to make them misunderstand. She shouldn¡¯t have given them a chance. In fact, Helena was not resentful or upset even though it was an argument that was tantamount to nothing. She didn¡¯t even regret that she cared for them. She was just sorry that they didn¡¯t feel the same way. Looking at Helena, those who criticised Helena used to feel ashamed. It had always been like that. For her, Alecto and Jason were special beings as ¡®friends¡¯. At least they didn¡¯t blame her. Helena wanted to keep this relationship as long as possible. And there was only one person who didn¡¯t like it. ¨C His Highness is so kind to you. Do you think you¡¯re a noble? Or do you dare to raise your status as the subject of a traitor¡¯s family? People could hate someone this much. Since Helena¡¯s nature was far from hatred, Helena realized that hatred could make people more sick than expected only after seeing Eris. But somehow Helena didn¡¯t hate Eris. Rather, she thought that consistent Eris was better than people who always changed their minds. She even had a strange trust that even if everyone betrayed her, they wouldn¡¯t do as much as Eris. Standing in front of Eris, at least Helena didn¡¯t have to worry about whether she had created an ¡®illusion¡¯. She wouldn¡¯t change as much as she did. She would always¡­.. She never thought Alecto liked her. First of all, they had a huge difference in status and they had been with each other since childhood. (TL/N: she is implying that their relationship was more like ¡®siblings¡¯.) Others thought that Alecto treated Helena in a special way, but they only thought it was special treatment as a ¡®close friend¡¯ because he had only a few people to share his heart with. On the night Alecto confessed to her, the moon was bigger than ever, and the back garden shone as white as the day. She remembered Alecto¡¯s trembling voice. The face, which was carefully and politely asking for her intention, was slightly red with tension and excitement. Only then did Helena realize that Alecto really liked her. Because it was a familiar face. When Eris saw Alecto, she always used to look like that. Helena liked Alecto too. However, when asked if she was confident in liking him as a lover, she could not answer. Having been together for so long, Alecto had been a part of Helena¡¯s life. She couldn¡¯t imagine that they wouldn¡¯t be able to meet even if the day came when she got married and left the palace someday. A being who believed that they would be together until the end of their lives. Could she have had that kind of trust because she loved Alecto? Helena was¡­. she was confused. Eris asked her to try liking Alecto if she had no other favourite person. While she liked Alecto more than anyone else. After having trampled on his childhood, saying they were dating, Eris calmly declared that she was tired of Alecto. She even actively helped put her next to Alecto, perhaps it was not enough to declare it. She held Helena¡¯s hand, taught her, and carefully cared for her. Everyone who knew Lady Mis¨¦rian would not believe it. ¡°You can change your mind. You have the right and power to do that.¡± Helena Antebellum always lived compliant and resigned. Because she had no other way. No matter how rough things were, she laughed, did not tell anything, and pretended not to know even if she knew. The girl who made her feel that more deeply than anyone else was now trying to show her a new path. ¡°If you¡¯re sad, learn. I¡¯ll help you gain strength by raising your status.¡± As Eris said, if you learn and gain strength¡­¡­ What would be different? ¡°Keep in mind that once you have power, you can carry out your will whether you take revenge on me or deny your situation.¡± Could she finally hate or like without getting permission from someone? Learning something was very exhausting, but it was fun. It was interesting when she learned letters, manners and dance from Eris, but when the ¡®teacher¡¯ taught her history, society and politics, she felt like she was opening her eyes completely. So far, Helena¡¯s world had been all about the imperial palace. Sometimes, she would listen to the situation in the capital from Hubris, a new official she was close to, or about adventures from Jason. However, it was just a fragmentary event, so she couldn¡¯t understand why such an event occurred at all. Since she was black eyed and didn¡¯t know how to write, she couldn¡¯t read books or newspapers even if they came into her hands for the first time in a long time. In short, there was no background knowledge. (PR/N: ¡®black eyed¡¯ means an ignorant person who can¡¯t read.) She heard from Hubris that there were many orphans in the capital, but she didn¡¯t know why there were many orphans. She heard that Jason had experience in the guild as a mercenary, but she didn¡¯t know why the mercenary industry was particularly developed in the empire. Due to the Magic War before she was born, the state encouraged mercenary businesses to fight off evil. This mercenary business grew rapidly based on the orphans created by the Magic War, as orphans who did not have a family business could easily do it. However, the mercenary industry was both a light and shadow for orphans, as the survival rate of mercenaries was only 60 percent. Chapter 81 Episode 81: Not Okay Due to the nature of the industry of mercenaries, they were mainly in charge of dangerous tasks that others were reluctant to do, and the lower class of society became mercenaries because they had nothing else to do, and when they ended up crippled, they became beggars. Helena, who thought mercenaries were romantic professions after hearing only Jason¡¯s story¡­¡­was greatly shocked by that fact. Wasn¡¯t that the same as exploiting people who didn¡¯t have something to lose? Some might call it social providence, just as natural as water flowing from the top to the bottom. (PR/N: social providence; principles and laws governing the natural world.) However, Helena thought that those who were left out should also be given a choice. Just as she was given a path other than a maid, they must have a path other than mercenaries. In order for such a path to exist, the approval of a ¡®higher person¡¯ with wealth and power was essential. If she became the crown princess, and even the empress, it could have been enough to achieve it. Helena woke up from her thoughts. Maybe she wasn¡¯t Eris from the time she called her Lady Antebellum without hesitation. She used to use that name reluctantly. It was only misjudgment and arrogance that she thought they could finally be friends. Eventually, Eris hated her until the end. They didn¡¯t have any other future from the beginning. When she realised that, why were tears and laughter coming at the same time? As Helena Antebellum wished, Eris Mis¨¦rian remained unchanged. She just seemed to have changed because she was a different person. No, it was rather Helena who had changed. Helena looked at herself in the mirror in front of the Empress¡¯ Palace. Her glossy hair was now always neatly arranged. Her facial expressions, tone, and even posture have changed beyond recognition. What she was wearing was not a maid¡¯s uniform, but a neat dress made of high-quality fabric. Spring rain poured down. Strangely enough, it was not outside, but only under the roof, it was pooled under her feet. Would it, perhaps, be for the best? She would never meet her again, and the woman in her body.¡­. Helena thought, thought and thought, and finally remembered her oath from an early summer day. Even if there was no future for Eris, even if all of this was only a little sympathy for her. Helena Antebellum decided not to run away anymore. * * * One side of my chest sank coldly. Did Helena notice something? I held my breath and looked outside. However, perhaps because it was the honeymoon room, nothing was heard because it was soundproof. I didn¡¯t know if the sound of footsteps or words was not heard at all because there were really no people around or because of the soundproofing. I swallowed my saliva once. I couldn¡¯t show it, so I looked at the teacup silently with no expression. If I made eye contact, I felt like I would get caught. Helena looked at my gaze and followed it to the tea. It was still a warm steamy herbal tea. I wanted to cool down my dry throat, but I was scared that the glass would shake. I blinked for a moment and asked Helena. ¡°What about Alecto?¡± ¡°It¡¯s originally a tradition for the groom to see off the guests until the end. He told me to go to bed first because he won¡¯t be here until dawn.¡± Then, as she said, there was really time to spare. Only then did I pick up the teacup. I still wet my lips slowly with the warm tea. Helena waited for me silently. What should I say? As long as I entered this palace anyway, I had no intention of escaping alive. Should I say a conventional greeting to congratulate their marriage? But even that was not enough. Because I didn¡¯t really want to bless their marriage. When I couldn¡¯t easily rush the first words, Helena spoke up first. ¡°I heard you went to a far¡­. away place. Did you enjoy your trip?¡± ¡°Travelling? It¡¯s okay to say a night escape. It was a night escape.¡± Even with my sharp tone, Helena only smiled softly. I clicked my tongue when I saw that. People shouldn¡¯t just be soft like that. When I thought of the tenacity that Helena showed when she slapped the maid, I didn¡¯t think she would be swayed by others, but sometimes generosity caused anger. She suddenly turned her head at a bird¡¯s cry, fixed her gaze out the window, and said, ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve never been out of this capital in my life. Sometimes I went out with permission, but all I could do was always hover around the Imperial Palace.¡± She looked back at me and took a sip of tea. ¡°So I thought I would like to travel if I quit my maid¡¯s job someday. Going far away¡­¡­ I wanted to see and experience a completely different world from this capital.¡± ¡°Travel is not as romantic as you think.¡± The empire was on the very good side of security. Even in such an empire, the risk increased right away as it got closer to the border. Therefore, there were many cases where people were robbed or kidnapped and sold for human trafficking if they were not accompanied by an escort with considerable skills. Moreover, if there was a woman with a noticeable appearance like Helena¡¯s¡­¡­. There was also a strong possibility of a ¡®human hunter¡¯ being attached, who specialised in human trafficking. She smiled bitterly when she heard me. ¡°I know. It¡¯s a false dream for me.¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°But, I wanted to see the sea too.¡± Boom. Somehow, my heart sank at the words. The humble words of missing the sea filled my lungs. The sea¡­ I was wondering. I couldn¡¯t breathe. Because I knew that her wish couldn¡¯t be fulfilled. The sea was so far from the empire which never got along with the Genyuin Kingdom, where the sea was. Alecto took Helena to a lake as large as the Dead Sea, but it was only a lake, since it was not the sea, it would not have given the same impression. She couldn¡¯t see the sea until she died. It was not like there were no people in the world who died without seeing the sea once, but why did that sentence make a person sentimental? That was probably because I had seen the sea. The sea under the bright sun, the sea with golden waves, the serene and beautiful night sea¡­¡­. Those who had heard the sound of the sea breathing once had no choice but to fall in love with the sea. Because the sea was the origin of human beings, or all living things on Earth, I¡­¡­ was it okay to be deprived of the opportunity? For me, did I deserve it? ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian?¡± The sound of Helena¡¯s call suddenly awoke me from thoughts. I thought I was quite firm, but why was I going back and forth these days? I already knew the reason. I¡­ I was going crazy. The wounds left in the soul, whether self-contained or unintentional, festered and left me with a laceration. I couldn¡¯t get weak now. It was already the limit. If I failed again this time, if I woke up in this world again, I might beg the witch to kill me so I didn¡¯t wake up again because it was okay if I couldn¡¯t go back to my world. I repeated to myself. Helena was nothing. She was just a character in a novel. Hubris would save her again. This was all a planned narrative, and it couldn¡¯t be helped¡­¡­ I couldn¡¯t help it¡­¡­. ¡ª You really couldn¡¯t help it? A voice rang in my head. It was the voice of Eris. She sat close to my ear and said in a mocking voice. ¡ª Hypocrite. You didn¡¯t even think about looking for another future. It was noisy. I tried to shake off the voice. My stomach started to ache. I had done enough. I gave her a chance. If she wanted to run away, she could have run away. Helena said she would stay. ¡ª You were relieved when she said she¡¯d stay. What were you going to do if she really wanted to run away and there was no solution? Were you going to get married instead of her? ¡°I¡¯ll bring the doctor.¡± ¡°No!¡± Helena on the opposite side looked at my face and grabbed me with trembling hands as I tried to stand up. If my arms were searched in an examination, I would get caught with a knife. Then everything would be over. She saw the shaking of my hand and put her hand on it. Even her hands were warm. It was always like that. ¡ª See? You¡¯re just like other people. You only think about using her kindness. Only a ringing sound could be heard clearly even if I covered my ears with both hands. Shut up. What was bad about it? What was bad about doing as much as I could? Are you saying that I should save Helena? ¡ª You¡¯re not going to do anything so why do you feel guilty when you¡¯re justifying everything by saying she¡¯s just a fictional character? You¡¯re such a great person who cares about others, are you going to comfort her? ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± ¡°¡­..I¡¯m fine.¡± It was a lie. None of it was fine. I had a splitting headache and a stomachache. When I couldn¡¯t stand up easily because my legs weren¡¯t tense, Helena helped me. She laid me on the bed and measured the fever with the back of her hand. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian, I think you have a fever.¡± ¡ª Just be honest with me. The reason why you were able to pledge to kill Helena Antebellum so easily was that you could return to your world without paying for your sins. No. With my death¡­¡­. ¡ª You don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough to pay for the crime because you¡¯re being executed, do you? You tried to kill yourself over and over again, saying it didn¡¯t matter if you died. Eris¡¯ low, gloomy voice caught my breath. No, this was not the spirit of Eris Mis¨¦rian. It was just a dirty and disgusting shadow of myself. ¡ª More than the life line which became lighter because you thought carelessly, every breath of Helena Antebellum, who had always done her best, was a hundred times more precious. ¡°Lady Miserian¡­¡­ Are you crying now¡­..?¡± Chapter 82 Episode 82: Kill The Heroine Helena¡¯s surprised face shook. She hurriedly wiped away my tears with both hands, but the tear glands that began to burst once did not know how to subside. I moved my lips with great difficulty. The trembling voice was so breathy and terribly small that Helena had to put her ears close to my lips to listen to me. ¡°¡­Say it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t hear you. Please say it one more time.¡± ¡°I want to live¡­¡­ Tell me you want to live.¡± Helena stood up silently and looked down at me. I grabbed her chest with trembling hands. She didn¡¯t resist. ¡°Say you want to live¡­¡­ Please.¡± But I knew I couldn¡¯t save her. I had already come too far, so I also knew that what I was saying now was just for my liking. (QC/N: like, saying for the sake of saying it, for her own conscience.) The sin of killing her, who wanted to live, would be condemned even if I spent the rest of my life hating and resenting myself. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian. Do you know what?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°I like the season between late spring and early summer, when the whole world turns green. It¡¯s warm¡­ The sun sets late.¡± Helena closed her eyes and shook for a moment as if imagining the sight that she liked. ¡°At that time when the wind isn¡¯t too hot¡­ no matter where I turn my eyes, it¡¯s just dazzling.¡± After finishing the unknown words, she looked back at me. She stroked my hair as if she were seeing her younger sister after a long time. And then she said, ¡°You may not remember¡­¡­ One summer day I already forgave you. And I vowed that day that I would be happy to understand whatever you do to me in the future.¡± I thought Helena Antebellum was frustrating and stupid. I felt that it was because of her weakness that she did nothing wrong while being bullied by her Eris over and over again. Because she was ignorant and weak, she was afraid of retaliation and could not think of counterattacking. It was a very arrogant and presumptuous idea. ¡°It¡¯s okay. ¡®Yes¡¯ you told me this one day.¡± If it was me, if I was Helena, I would be pleasantly avenged. I would have shamed her and completely trampled on her in front of everyone so that she could never treat me carelessly again. Oh, I thought if I apologized, I would lose. I believed that revenge was ¡®stronger¡¯ because forgiveness would result in losses. ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn to return it. It¡¯s okay, Eris. Everything will be fine.¡± ¡°Ah, ah¡­.! Ah!¡± ¡°So do what you want to do.¡± Now I know. Helena was not holding back because she was weak. Rather, she was able to understand and embrace the pain and fear of weak people because she was stronger than anyone else. A weak wicked person could not survive without being parasitic on her kindness. ¡°Ah, ah¡­. AHHHH! AHHHHHHHH!¡± Oh, Helena. You are so dazzling that you save even low-quality humans like me. I cried and screamed. I couldn¡¯t stand the whole situation without screaming. The dagger in my arms cut through Helena, and a beam of light poured out. ¨C Murderer. said Eris. I laid Helena on the bed as she was wet with blood. The knife given by the witch made Helena lose her breath without having to stab her several times. No matter how soundproof this place was, even so, someone must have heard it because I screamed like that. ¡°Anything, ah-¡° The young maid opened the door and screamed when she saw me. The footsteps of people running gradually grew louder. I agonised for a moment over a dagger in my hand. Should I hide this dagger to hand it over to the witch? But somehow the witch seemed to be able to retrieve this dagger wherever it was. ¡°What¡¯s going on! Heuk¡­..¡± If that was the case, I would rather hold it to show that I killed her. The knight pushed in the child who collapsed and stopped breathing when he saw me. I looked at the knight quietly and opened my mouth. ¡°Say it to His Highness. I¡¯m back.¡± * * * I was locked up in a solitary room where I had already come once before, being held by a knight. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t search separately, perhaps because I was holding the knife that killed Helena in my hand. I still needed the mirror in my pocket. How long had I been waiting, the urgent footsteps rang. In the blink of an eye, the crown prince took the key from the servant and opened the door roughly. ¡°You dare¡­ you dare¡­!¡± ¡°If Your Highness had come earlier, she might have been able to live¡­¡­. Aren¡¯t you such an irresponsible new groom?¡± He raised his hand to slap me on the cheek, clenched his fist and trembled. The crown prince told me in a firm voice barely enduring the urge to kill. ¡°Why did you kill her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to say it. Just kill me now.¡± ¡°Why did you kill her?¡± In the eyes of the crown prince who said such a thing, there was some expectation. Expectations? You still don¡¯t admit that I¡¯m not Eris? I shook my head and laughed in vain. ¡°I told you, Eris will never come back. It wasn¡¯t Eris who killed Helena.¡± Expectations quickly turned into despair. No, his beloved woman died in the first place, but I didn¡¯t know why he reacted like that. Wasn¡¯t it right to be sad or not be able to hold back more anger? He rubbed his face with a miserable look and looked at me for a long time. It seemed as if he believed that there would be a trace of Eris in me. Funny. I would have been the one in this world who most wanted her soul to remain in Eris¡¯ body. Then everything would have been easier. The crown prince was sad about Eris¡¯ absence, but it was not because he loved her. It was just¡­ It was close to the remnants of regret and disappointment when the object that was always next to him disappeared. Many people used to mistake possessive desire for love and become unhappy. It didn¡¯t matter that Alecto became unhappy because it was his karma, but it would be a different story if I was also involved in that unhappiness. I told him who never believed. ¡°If you can¡¯t believe it, you can call the High Priest. The High Priests can see the soul of everyone, right? Even during that old witch hunt, he looked at the soul and distinguished it, so he can distinguish whether I¡¯m lying or not.¡± Since Hubris noticed at once that I was a stranger, perhaps the same went for other High Priests. No, Hubris would come from the start. He blessed me during the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and anyway, he was one of the main characters in this novel. To be honest, since I had a record of being disgraceful and mean to Hubris, I wanted him to accuse me of being a witch. The interrogator, who interrogated me last time, stood close to the crown prince staring at me with a fierce face. ¡°What should I do? If you allow a little torture, I can make her confess the crime within a day.¡± ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s nonsense.¡± The crown prince turned his eyes and stared fiercely at the interrogator and said. ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice that I gave her this room? No matter how much of a criminal she is, if you put a fingertip on her body, who was once a half imperial family, your life will be over.¡± ¡°G, God, Your Highness, I didn¡¯t think much because I couldn¡¯t wait for the judgement, goodness. Please forgive me.¡± The interrogator who chased the crown prince leaving the room stared at me once, but I was not scared at all. Anyway, it was good that there was no torture. I was not confident in enduring the pain. I couldn¡¯t even die after biting my tongue, but there was nothing good about just being sick. Was Anakin doing well? After taking a breath, Anakin naturally came to mind. I missed him, but it was Medea not Anakin who I could communicate with through the mirror in the pocket. If that didn¡¯t happen, I would be able to see Anakin at the execution table and in the crowd as scheduled. Well, it was not ¡®Where¡¯s Wally¡¯ [1] and I had never been talented in finding hidden pictures, so I was going to ask Medea to meet him before I die. But what should I say to that face that will never be seen again? The room was cold¡­ The problem wasn¡¯t exactly with the room. I huddled up and prayed for the morning sun to rise quickly. I thought I could see Hubris as soon as the day came, but the time was delayed a little because he had to go on a mission to a nearby area. In this novel, it was not for no reason that the only High Priest that appeared was Hubris. This was because the author initially set the setting so that Helena could only meet with Hubris. There were three high priests in the capital, except for the pope, but one of them went on a mission to another country and had not returned for a while, and the last one was elderly and was lying in bed. Since the pope, who was in critical condition, was also refusing to be treated by divine power, everyone said in unison that Hubris would become the next pope as soon as possible. Come to think of it, it seemed that it was possible for Hubris to commit a taboo to save Helena at the end of the novel because he became the pope unofficially. Because the pope was given immunity. It was because he was not in the capital city, so I hadn¡¯t heard from him yet, but if he came to know Helena was dead, he would probably run over without stopping. When Helena was taught by me, she seemed quite close to Hubris when she sometimes talked about him. Hubris came with the crown prince the next afternoon. It had been a while since I saw him, and he lost a little more weight. His decadent charm was overflowing so it was a little scary. *** [1] Where¡¯s Wally? is a British series of children¡¯s puzzle books created by English illustrator Martin Handford. The books consist of a series of detailed double-page spread illustrations depicting dozens or more people doing a variety of amusing things at a given location. Chapter 83 Episode 83: Delusional Myth He seemed to choke up when he saw me, his face became distorted, but he soon managed his facial expression again. I ignored all the visits over and over again because I knew we would never meet again. We didn¡¯t know what people were doing, and we became frustrated with each other. Still, I intentionally fixed my eyes on Alecto so as to not show it. Alecto asked Hubris. ¡°All the High Priests can see the soul of a person. Do you see it the same way?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± The crown prince looked at me and spoke quietly. ¡°My ex-fianc¨¦e claims that she is not Eris Mis¨¦rian. Is what she said true? Or did she eventually go crazy?¡± Hubris looked at me when he said that. For the high priest, he didn¡¯t have to pause at all because the color of my soul was ¡®seen,¡¯ but he looked at me for a long time and smiled. The more time he took, the more anxious I became. No way. No way. I hoped my hunch would be wrong. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to hear that¡­¡­.¡± After finally opening his mouth, Hubris¡¯ voice was completely submerged. The deep shadow on his face made him look like a stranger. He spoke in a low, gloomy voice. ¡°The person in front of me is Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± ¡°You crazy bastard! Don¡¯t lie!¡± I didn¡¯t know it would come out like this because he said he would catch people. No matter how much you had been saying that you were going to save ¡®me¡¯, I didn¡¯t know you would drive me crazy. I, who was on the side of the bed, jumped out and grabbed Hubris by the neck. The crown prince grabbed my waist and pulled me away from Hubris. I tried to get away from the crown prince, but there was a wide gap in power. The crown prince closed my mouth which spat swear words at Hubris with his palm and asked. I put my teeth against his palm, but he didn¡¯t even budge to see if he received many calluses. ¡°Can you swear to God that there is no lie in that word?¡± ¡°Yes, I can swear.¡± Oh, yes. I completely forgot that Hubris had said he loved me. You call this revenge, right? When I glared fiercely at Hubris, he simply lowered his eyes, as if he was treating a young girl from an aristocratic family. My body trembled with betrayal. It couldn¡¯t be like this. It wasn¡¯t like this. ¡°It may be presumptuous, but for a mad person, treatment should take precedence over punishment. Please have mercy.¡± ¡°Thank you, High Priest. I¡¯ll take your opinion into account.¡± On the subject of lying without his mouth salivating, Hubris took another step and gave an opinion to the crown prince. Treatment, that was terrible. If I was unlucky, I would go to the worst situation I have ever thought of. I had cold sweat on my back. The crown prince and Hubris went out, and the door was locked tightly again. I was gritting my teeth in anger, but I heard human footsteps again in the hallway. I thought it was Anakin, so I approached the door without realizing it, but it was not the face I wanted to see. ¡°Why did you come back? You want to watch me go crazy and mad? Why did you lie even though you knew everything? Are you going to retaliate like this for refusing your heart?¡± ¡°At that time, didn¡¯t you answer it yourself, ¡®Lady Mis¨¦rian? Since I remembered the answer back then, I just answered the same thing.¡± The eyes of Hubris who finally met mine were black and dead, and my words stopped spontaneously at the horror. Hubris whispered to me darkly. ¡°From the day the lady rejected me, I searched all the materials in the Great Shrine. As I told the lady before, there was no way to get out of this world alive.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve seen literature that says that if a stranger ¡®naturally dies¡¯, then he or she will be reborn as a member of this world.¡± As I stepped back terrified, Hubris smiled brightly. I got goosebumps and became distracted. ¡°Did you say that it can¡¯t be accomplished because you¡¯re trapped in my sister¡¯s body in this life? Then I will gladly wait for the next life.¡± ¡°Are you going to look for me when I reincarnate? How are you going to recognize me?¡± It didn¡¯t make sense. If I was born again, even I wouldn¡¯t remember myself, but how could he wait? When I snorted, Hubris whispered quietly. ¡°¡­The divine power is usually closely related to the previous life. This is because the divine power is not a physical realm, but the realm of the soul entirely. It is close to the water in a vessel called a human soul. The reason why the divine power is finite unlike magical power, is because, if the limit is exceeded, the vessel of the soul will be completely broken.¡± ¡°Broken?¡± ¡°If it breaks, you can¡¯t be reborn again. It¡¯s a complete death¡­. The same goes for witches. They¡¯re more like monsters than humans. They completely deviate from the orbit of life, so they can¡¯t grow old, die or be reborn.¡± Hubris closed his mouth for a moment and said as if he was organizing. ¡°Even if the owner of the vessel changes soul, the purpose may change, but the form does not change. In other words¡­ I just want to say that I can see the color of the lady¡¯s soul in the next life.¡± ¡°It¡¯s crazy! Again¡­ if I¡¯m reborn, I¡¯m no longer a stranger.¡± ¡°The color of the soul doesn¡¯t change that easily. It¡¯s deeper than the memory. There¡¯s probably a little bit of purple left.¡± Was it because I learned too much that I didn¡¯t know at once? Or was it because I didn¡¯t want to believe it? I was very confused. I didn¡¯t want to hear anymore, but Hubris didn¡¯t stop talking. ¡°Once upon a time, there was a princess. This princess had to save the world, and she knew the way, but unfortunately it was never possible in this life of the princess. How the princess, who had no idea when she was going to be reincarnated, would have left it. Is it the same? Neither paper nor stone can wear out or be destroyed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Get lost.¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of making a myth. With you and me coming out. Then it will be delivered to people. Find a lover with a purple soul¡­¡­. I can leave that information. So that the reincarnated me can recognize it. There may be a little distortion, but isn¡¯t every story different from the truth?¡± He was completely out of his mind. I couldn¡¯t think of any other words to express. I thought he was shit, but he was crazy. I was really tired, so I shook my head and whispered ¡°You¡¯re crazy¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who drove me crazy.¡± ¡°How dare you! Don¡¯t try to put it on me. Your disgusting feelings are my fault? You just needed someone to sympathize with and save.¡± When I looked with evil eyes, Hubris stared at me silently with bloodshot eyes. But soon he turned away from me without saying much and disappeared. It was not until I confirmed that he had left completely that I could sit on the floor. What should I do? I tried to bluff, but if this continued, I might not be executed and die of old age. Even when I tried to use my brain, I couldn¡¯t think of anything. My teeth just clattered with fear. I kept wandering around the room and tried to come up with countermeasures. Originally, since Hubris returned, he had to save Helena to get it right. But seeing Hubris obsessed with me in a weird way now, I thought Helena might not be able to revive. The weather wasn¡¯t hot yet, but Helena¡¯s body might rot at this rate. When my thoughts went crazy, my breathing became short. No. I couldn¡¯t. How did this happen? Where did I go wrong? Time, time. I had to drag this on. I needed something big to drag this on¡­¡­. I suddenly remembered the empress. Come to think of it, the emperor and the empress were scheduled to die from the teacup the marquis had gotten. My hands were sweaty. No matter how crazy you were, you would not be able to save the traitor¡¯s daughter. In order to do that, I have to meet the empress, but I was trapped in this small room, so there was no way to meet the empress. If Anakin was next to me at times like this, I would have conveyed my words through him. Should I ask Medea for a favor? But I felt like she was going to refuse. Indeed, I¡¯ve been playing around with an universal key. When I turned my head after a rattling sound, I noticed a young attendant. (TL/N: I don¡¯t know if the young attendant is a boy or girl, the author wrote it too vaguely.) Maybe he came to put my meal down. It was a time when I traced my memory to a familiar face. Where, where did I see him? ¡°Stop there!¡± ¡°Yes, yes?¡± I grabbed the child who was about to turn around. That child¡­ he was a child who worked in the Empress¡¯s Palace. There was no reason for the Empress Palace¡¯s child to come to this remote tower. It was clear that the empress sent him to me. The child looked around for a moment and came back to me with a pause. ¡°D, do you have anything to say?¡± ¡°Did your owner send you here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡­.¡± But the child hung close to the door and reached out to me. As I handed him my hand, he slowly wrote on the palm of my hand. The child said in a terrified voice. ¡°Let me go!¡± There are ears that are listening. From now on, write on the palm, so the lady can answer with her hands. ¡°Come on, can¡¯t you say the right thing?!¡± Okay. I can¡¯t take too long, so I¡¯ll get to the point. Tell Her Majesty to use what I handed over. ¡°Please forgive me, Lady Mis¨¦rian!¡± Yes, I will say that. At the end, the child was pushed out of the door as if shoved by me and rolled on the floor. And he ran away as if he couldn¡¯t bear it because he was scared. I could breathe, I turned it around with this. When will the empress carry out the plan? It was not even estimated, but now I had no choice but to believe it. The marquis ¡®couldn¡¯t¡¯ or ¡®wouldn¡¯t¡¯ come to me? I even brought the empress in to catch the marquis, but it would have been very difficult if he noticed a hint and fled abroad. I thought the empress would be monitoring on her own even if I didn¡¯t give her any notice. I was terribly tired, physically, mentally, but somehow I couldn¡¯t fall asleep. But even if I wasn¡¯t sleepy, I had to force myself to sleep. This was because time went by too slowly if I didn¡¯t sleep. Chapter 84 Episode 84: Be It Happiness Or Hell *** Melpomene sent someone to dump Eris Miserian after hearing the news that the marquis exchanged a promissory note for gold. When she told the maid to ban it, she didn¡¯t know whether it would be effective. That was because the child, who had always sent it to the tower, came back and whispered a word to use ¡®that¡¯. ¡°Vicious¡­¡­¡± Helena was dead. To be exact, she was barely breathing, but she was unconscious the whole time. Even though she didn¡¯t have a place to put her heart in the imperial palace, she loved the child, it was heartbreaking to see her lying down. She must have become more affectionate than she thought. However, Melpomene knew better than anyone else how useless personal affection was. Melpomene stood at the cusp of life and counted them one by one. Many days were a tragedy, and the joy of a moment was only a device to make sadness more dramatic. There were so many regrets in her life that she would never regret from now on. ¡°Go and tell His Majesty¡­ I want to see him, so come here.¡± The maid disappeared, and Melpomene got up and took out the teacup herself from the cupboard. After raising the cup and looking at the moon pattern on the bottom of the teacup for a long time, she soon placed a teacup with four petals in front of her. Choosing the tea leaves took longer than that. That was because it had been quite a long time since she chose the tea leaves herself. What she chose after much consideration was the tea with a strong scent and taste. Even if the taste changed due to the poison, she won¡¯t notice it. It was a tea that she won¡¯t drink until the end anyway, but the reason she was struggling was because she thought this was really the last time. She suspected whether it was really poisonous, so she secretly scratched the inside of the teacup and fed it to a mouse, and the effect was clear. Even from a slight scratch, the mouse turned its belly upside down and died. Sitting still on the sofa waiting for Kratos, Melpomene suddenly realised that, between the two of them, the one waiting was always Kratos. Kratos did not eat food or sleep until Melpomene came. While waiting for her, what was Kratos thinking about? She had never asked before. So Melpomene finally tried to ask what he had in mind when Kratos arrived. However, when she saw Kratos¡¯ face, she wondered what was the use. They had already come to an irreversible place. Even if she knew the reason, she didn¡¯t have the confidence to understand or forgive. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you asked me to drink tea first.¡­. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll have to check if heaven and earth have changed.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense.¡± Melpomene poured tea into Kratos¡¯ cup without saying a word, and then into her cup. However, even though Melpomene poured the tea, Kratos did not touch the cup and looked at Melpomene endlessly. Like a person who was anxious that he would forget if he didn¡¯t capture it in his eyes for a moment. ¡°The tea is getting cold.¡± ¡°I prefer cold tea.¡± ¡°Lies.¡± Melpomene took a sip of the tea from her cup and stood up. Then she approached Kratos and kissed him. Neither of the two closed their eyes. For that reason, Melpomene was convinced that Kratos had noticed. She said quietly after they finished kissing. ¡°Do you want to hear a lie?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I wanted to kiss you for the last time.¡± Melpomene lost her words because of his words and looked down at Kratos. She was suddenly angry at the man in front of her who ruined everything. They could have been happy. Rather than this ending, they could have had a boring but warm future. Melpomene grinded her teeth. ¡°I¡¯m going to fall into hell.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t come and be born again.¡± Blood tears were deeply ingrained in every word. Kratos looked up at Melpomene and wiped the blood flowing around her mouth silently. He looked like the boy who held her when she was young. ¡°Until the soul wears out, I am born and die as a life that is not as good as a stone on the side of the road, let alone a dog or pig.¡± ¡°If you reborn and die a thousand or ten thousand times like that, will you make me your husband again during that time?¡± At that, Melpomene vomited blood and laughed. She seemed to have shed tears. ¡°Nonsense.¡± Melpomene collapsed first. Kratos finally gave up holding her in his arms and laid her on the floor as she was. * * * In a fading memory, the two were running together on a snowy field. Running away. In the brilliant white night that would never melt down again, the boy and the girl lost each other forever. I woke up vaguely at the distant sound of the bell. As if I hadn¡¯t slept very long, it was dawn when the day was dim. Even though spring was almost here, dawn was still cold, so I was crouching down. The bell didn¡¯t stop. Wait. How many times did the bell ring? I kicked out of bed and walked towards the sound of the bell and focused my ears on it. It was more than ten times, at least ten times. There are only two cases in which bells are rung more than ten times in the empire. First, when war broke out. Second, when the imperial family, if those whose rank was in the top three, died. There was no way that the crown prince, the male protagonist of the novel, or the grand duke, who was playing and eating in the outskirts, died suddenly, so there was only one answer. The emperor and empress died. I thought I wanted it to be as fast as possible, but I didn¡¯t know they would die so suddenly. It had not been more than a day since I spoke through the attendant. Still, I thought she would hesitate a little more because she had lived for a long time. The empress must have hated the emperor more than I thought. I expected the crown prince to visit me soon. Sure enough, the crown prince came to me with a more emaciated face than ever before. Perhaps because he lost so much at once, his hair was white like his father¡¯s in a day. What was unfortunate was that even white hair looked good on him. He sat on the bed, looked at me and said, ¡°The marquis is the culprit.¡± ¡°You already know why I came. Are you an accomplice?¡± ¡°Am I?¡± The tea cups bought by the marquis did not have their own feet, so there was no way to enter the Empress¡¯ Palace unless it was through me. Originally, I tried to say no because I had no motivation and had an alibi, but I was worried about changing his mind. It was enough if the marquis ordered it. I killed Helena anyway, so it was not a big deal to add another crime. I was just going to confess that I gave it to the empress, but my mouth was shut up by the person who suddenly came in. He was a close aide to the crown prince. ¡°Please forgive me, Your Highness, no, Your Majesty, for coming without courtesy. However, I couldn¡¯t help it because the issue was urgent.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°The man who was bribed by the Marquis and brought a teacup to the Empress¡¯s Palace was caught. But that¡¯s¡­¡± The aide closed his eyes and said. ¡°It is Lady Justia, the nanny of Letatio. Many people have witnessed her coming and going to the marquis several times.¡± What? I couldn¡¯t hide my surprise and took a breath. I didn¡¯t know she¡¯d come out here. As in the case of the Magic Gate, I only assumed that the Empress would at best bribe her maid to confess, but she used her nanny who taught her. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. She was my mother¡¯s teacher. Even after being kicked out of the palace, the two did not stop contacting each other.¡± ¡°That¡­ It seems that she lived quite poorly in a back alley. She has only one nephew in her family, but she didn¡¯t have the money for her niece¡¯s wedding, so she got money from the marquis to commit the crime¡­¡± Perhaps the nanny and empress were closer than I thought. Not only was she more reliable than others, but considering the rest of the life of the nanny, it may have been judged that it was better than sacrificing a young life. The empress would have told the nanny about the plan and asked for some work. Because the two hated the marquis. She would not have wanted to leave any room for the marquis to escape. ¡°This is not the time for this. We must hold the coronation ceremony as soon as possible, even if it is only now.¡± The close aide said that and looked around for a while, but he soon said without hiding his contempt for me, as if he thought it was not worth paying attention. ¡°Your Highness has not responded, but at this rate, the snake-like Marquis of Mis¨¦rian and the aristocracy may try to usurp the throne with the Grand Duke at the forefront.¡± No matter how resentful and upset the marquis was for being betrayed by the emperor, he could not commit such an emotional rebellion without going crazy. In order to make the marquis believe that he was not framed, but that he really committed rebellion, it was necessary to have something that the marquis believed in. Ironically, in order to devise a life for himself, the marquis met with people here and there, which ended in a situation where his title was cut short. To be honest, I never thought to link the marquis to rebellion because I thought it was only in vain. When I was wasting my time running away, the empress was firmly fixing the noose for her purpose. I got embarrassed again. When I was lost in thought for a moment, the aide whispered something in the crown prince¡¯s ear. He used great effort to keep me from hearing it, but it was obvious that Lady Mis¨¦rian could not be saved anyway. The crown prince¡¯s shaking eyes looking at me were saying that. Even though he knew he couldn¡¯t save me, he kept hesitating. Because there were only a few people left around him now. ¡°Helena¡­¡± Finally, the crown prince spoke with a distorted face as if in pain and a voice that was completely restless. ¡°I¡¯ll spare your life if you find a way to save her.¡± This was what it meant to choose to talk while suffering so much and agonizing. I didn¡¯t expect to find a way to really save myself. I didn¡¯t know what the crown prince was thinking, but I wasn¡¯t actually curious. So I smiled and drew the knife. ¡°Just kill me, Your Highness. Please kill me.¡± If you suffered like that, you would die. Chapter 85 Episode 85: Save Me Not * * * No matter how rushed the preparations for the coronation ceremony were, since a person had died, the funeral must be held first. The national funeral was held on a huge scale, but the progress was slower than expected. That was because the emperor and empress died at the same time and a joint funeral had to be held, so in that case, there was no precedent to see whether it conformed to the ¡®law¡¯. I didn¡¯t know if it was good or poisonous for me to spend time like this, but one thing was certain, it was poison for Helena. It was a shame that she was pitiful, but if she couldn¡¯t be revived like this, in the worst case, something that I wasn¡¯t aware of could happen. Like when I tried to commit suicide at first but failed. Because she was the main character of this novel. It was time to take out the mirror, thinking that I should ask the witch if Helena might never wake up. I heard someone¡¯s footsteps. I hid the mirror again and turned my eyes towards the door.¡­. ¡°Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­¡­.¡± Yes, no wonder I couldn¡¯t see him these days. The migraine that started again made my head pound. Jason was looking at me with the momentum of breaking through the door. I hadn¡¯t said a word yet, but I felt tired already. ¡°How did you get here?¡± ¡°Your face is very bad. Are you eating well?¡± ¡°No, I asked the wrong question. Why are you here?¡± ¡°Are you sick? The tower is quite high, and it¡¯s cold.¡­.¡± Despite my cold question, Jason said gibberish, constantly looked at me and continued to ask questions. I felt it even in Hubris, but somehow he was not as sane. I couldn¡¯t take it any longer and screamed. ¡°Hey, Sir Kazar! Don¡¯t say nonsense. Get out of here!¡± Then he stood close to the door and whispered in a desperate voice. ¡°Run away, Lady Miserian. Let¡¯s run away.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you cross the border, they won¡¯t chase you. You can start anew there.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start¡­.¡± What was he talking about, crazy guy¡­¡­. The curse filled up to the end of my throat and was hardly swallowed. Did he really think that I was going to participate in a night getaway? Also, with him? It was better to be tortured by that interrogator than to elope with him. To that extent, I didn¡¯t trust Jason at all. However, people avoided poop because it was dirty, so I just shook my head because I didn¡¯t want to scratch it for no reason. ¡°No, I¡¯m not going anywhere. I¡¯m going to stay here and pay for my sins.¡± ¡°¡­..Why?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You could die¡­ You know.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we already end this dreary conversation last time?¡± I rubbed my tired face. I couldn¡¯t figure out why I had to convince others about my life and death. Of course, my life was mine, but why were there so many people around me who didn¡¯t understand this simple proposition? ¡°Okay. Running away with you? And what are you going to do? Can you let me go? No? You¡¯re going to stay with me, saying things like you¡¯re worried or it¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°I, Lady Mis¨¦rian¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Are you sure that you won¡¯t touch a single hair on my body for the rest of my life, or rather, you won¡¯t beg me for my heart?¡± Before Jason could even open his mouth, I declared. ¡°You can¡¯t do that. Even if it¡¯s okay for now, over time, you¡¯ll cling to me and ask me to look at you, saying you¡¯ve done this for me, and you want to be rewarded.¡± It wasn¡¯t Jason¡¯s fault. It was just a universal trait that humans had. People want to be rewarded as much as they have given. It was a truth that humans had learned since they first began trading. There might be differences in the reactions seen when expectations were broken. Some would be angry, and others would give up. There were people who wanted to adjust, and there were people who wanted to deceive. And Jason¡­¡­ There was no reaction whatsoever. ¡°Alecto too¡­ The escort knight next to you¡­¡­ can live long enough without you.¡± Instead, he paused and muttered in a terribly trembling voice. He was very weak and miserable, not like the strongest man in the world. ¡°I can¡¯t live without you.¡± Jason¡­.. begged me. He was begging for love. It wasn¡¯t a plea to be his. Rather, it was the opposite. There was no use, it was closer to a desperate plea from a person who wanted to be dependent on someone. ¡°I need you¡­¡­ Please.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You can use me, use me and¡­.. throw me away, but please.¡± Could such a miserable and one-sided thing be called love? ¡°I¡­¡± Oh, yes. Maybe it was love. But, ¡°I can¡¯t take responsibility for you, Jason Kazar.¡± Even if it was love, I didn¡¯t have an obligation to accept him. ¡°So go back. Don¡¯t try to save me.¡± I shouted to make Jason go, who was not going to leave. Because I thought that someone guarding this place would hear my voice and come, and naturally Jason would have no choice but to run away. But he didn¡¯t run away. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you! Who¡¯s there!¡± ¡°A stranger in front of the door¡­¡­.¡± It was before the words were even finished. Ugh! The guard shouted in agony. Gasp, I swallowed my breath. The shadow on the wall clearly showed Jason cutting down and killing all the running guards. When the scream was finally over, Jason approached me, covered in blood. As I backed away with a look of fear, he wiped the blood with his sleeve with a bitter smile. But rather than wiping it, it just spread. He said in a low voice. ¡°¡­..There must be something going on. You¡­ I¡¯m sure.¡± He left those words and disappeared. I took out the mirror in my pocket that I was holding tightly and finally called out the face I was desperate for right now. ¡°Medea, something is wrong.¡± When Medea finally appeared in the mirror, I asked her desperately. What happens when a body comes back to life? Medea said slowly, cleaning under her fingernails. ¡°People can¡¯t come back to life. That¡¯s why we turned back time, right? When you killed the crown prince.¡± ¡°Even if the high priest saves me?¡± Medea raised one eyebrow. It was like a sign that she was interested. I had an ominous feeling. She finally reversed her words with a smile around her mouth. ¡°Oh, then it¡¯s a different story.¡± ¡°Does that mean I¡¯m going to come back to life? You¡¯re lying!¡± ¡°As I said. Divine power and magic are completely different kinds. Magic does not have an absolute advantage. Magic can do things that divine power cannot, and there are things that magic cannot do, but divine power can.¡± But somehow, Medea seemed very upset about that fact. She paused her words for a moment, and the witch, who was holding her breath as if to quench her anger, continued her explanation shortly after. ¡°The divine power, as the name suggests, is a power that is related to God, and it is accumulated in the soul as humans repeat reincarnation. Since God has the power of creation and life, isn¡¯t that the way for divine power too?¡± ¡°Wait. You said God and divinity have rules and must follow them. Isn¡¯t it against the rules to revive the dead?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. ¡®Reviving¡¯ the dead is a violation of the rules. But what if you ¡®reconstruct¡¯ the body that is perfectly the same as the body of the dead? What if you make the same organs or blood as the dead organ and exchange it? What do you think will happen?¡± ¡°Human¡­ can a human do such a thing?¡± I breathed once. Humans¡­ To ¡®create¡¯ another human body? Was that possible? How could that be a human being? Even though it was in this world, I felt like all the knowledge I knew was being destroyed. My hands trembled and Medea seemed to be shaking. ¡°It¡¯s going to take a lot of energy. If you¡¯re unlucky, you might die because you run out of energy. But¡­ Yes. I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s completely impossible.¡± ¡°What if¡­¡­ if I come back to life?¡± ¡°In the first place, the soul that fits the soul of the body was sucked in, so if you really ¡®revive¡¯, you can come back into the body.¡± ¡°Even if I¡¯m in a different world?¡± ¡°Even if you are in a different world. For your information, if you come back that way, your soul will be bound to this world and it will never let you go again.¡± I lost my breath. I buried my face in my hands and breathed heavily. How long has it been, I barely cleared my voice and asked the witch. ¡°¡­..What should I do then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly simple. It¡¯s a permanent and complete destruction of a corpse that can¡¯t even be saved by swapping it with divine power.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re going to destroy me after I die?¡± Then Medea looked surprised and waved her hand as if it was ridiculous and burst into laughter. ¡°Oh my God, wasn¡¯t the contract ¡®returning you to the original world¡¯? It didn¡¯t include ¡®preventing you from coming back¡¯.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so cheap! Are you going to be like this?¡± ¡°Then do you want to sign a new contract with me?¡± Medea narrowed her eyes. ¡°I warn you, after hearing what I¡¯m going to ask you, will you say you¡¯d rather be reborn here?¡± After saying that, the witch gave me a mean smile. Then a person¡¯s face suddenly came to mind as I was trying to ask how to destroy my body. Anakin. Anakin was good at erasing traces, so after I died, he would be able to come in to destroy my corpse. ¡­¡­I thought it was impossible, but there was no other way. Above all, now was not the time to be immersed in sentimentality, even when the death penalty was unclear. Let¡¯s think. To have Anakin destroy my corpse, I had to be executed. ¡°Medea, send Anakin and Kynthia here.¡± ¡°Well, wouldn¡¯t you rather leave? There¡¯s the concern that this might be heard by someone.¡± ¡°Is that possible?¡± ¡°Try your best to get out of there to where a mirror is. I¡¯ll take care of the rest on my own.¡± Medea left that remark and disappeared. I looked at the toilet in the room and rubbed my face. What the hell do you want me to do¡­. Chapter 86 Episode 86: Lady Mis¨¦rian is a Witch ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting outside.¡± The knight let me in through the entrance with a face of embarrassment. I shoved something into the toilet to make it clog, and then I barely managed to get out. Originally, the knight was trying to come in as a guard to prevent any unforeseen situation, and I barely managed to enter by myself on the grounds that my honour would be tarnished. By the way, if I disappeared through the mirror, the knight would notice, and I didn¡¯t know what Medea was going to do. I thought I would do well on my own, but I kept worrying and doubting myself.. I looked around and tapped the mirror slightly. Medea. Soon after my whisper, she appeared and reached out to me. Medea grabbed my hand and pulled me, and I was sucked through the mirror helplessly. When I woke up, the place I arrived at was Kynthia¡¯s house. As if they had already heard, Kynthia and Anakin were waiting for me in the room with their eyes wide open. Looking at those familiar faces, somehow I relaxed and laughed. ¡°Lady¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time to say hello. Kynthia, there¡¯s something you have to do for me.¡± ¡°Just say anything.¡± The child blinked and nodded vigorously. Looking at that face suddenly made me feel guilty. I didn¡¯t mean to say anything to a child who liked me like this, but I couldn¡¯t ask for anything else. I grabbed Kynthia¡¯s cheeks and whispered. ¡°Spread rumours that I¡¯m a witch on the street.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Spread it to the informants. You have to make as many people believe it as possible.¡± ¡°My lady!¡± Kynthia shouted. He asked me, trembling. Poor thing, he was terrified. ¡°Does the lady know what she is saying right now? If you¡¯re cornered as a witch, you¡¯ll be at least executed! Don¡¯t you know how much this country hates witches?!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why you¡¯ll spread the rumour that I¡¯m a witch. Definitely, so that I¡¯ll be executed.¡± Kynthia was restless and wandered around the room, but eventually knelt at my feet. He grabbed my hand and shook his head. ¡°No, lady. Please don¡¯t do that¡­ There¡¯s a saying that living is better even when it¡¯s dog shit. Yes? Even if you regret it, you can¡¯t go back.¡­.¡± I knelt down to him without saying a word. Cynthia jumped, but he didn¡¯t let go of my hand. I knew I was cowardly. But it was me, not Kynthia, who was more desperate. I made eye contact with him and prayed earnestly. ¡°Please, Kynthia. There¡¯s no one but you who can do me this favour. You found out I was a stranger last night, right? I must be executed to return to my world.¡± Kynthia¡¯s shaking eyes avoided my gaze. The child whispered in a thin, small voice. ¡°If you¡¯re branded as a witch, you may be tortured.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡®¡¯You¡¯ll be stoned until the moment you get to the death penalty.¡¯¡¯ ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Tears dropped from Kynthia¡¯s eyes. The child nodded reluctantly. That was a relief. Actually, I thought he would say no until the end. I sighed and wiped away his tears and told him to spread the words right now. As Kynthia left the house, Anakin was watching me silently. Perhaps, now was the last chance for us to say goodbye. But I didn¡¯t even know what to say. The words ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ and ¡®thank you¡¯ just lingered in my mouth. We looked at each other for a while. If I had been a real witch, I would have stopped time now. Every minute and every second that was slipping through my fingers was precious. I finally sighed and told Anakin. ¡°There are things you have to do for me¡­¡± ¡°Please name them.¡± ¡°It may be impossible.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°You may not want to.¡± When I said that, Anakin stared at me. ¡°There is no need for personal feelings for orders.¡± Ahh, I had such confidence that day. This man in front of me would never stray away because of love. I liked you because you were such a person. Even if you loved me, you wouldn¡¯t refuse my request because you loved me. ¡°Will my death¡­ make you sad?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°But, you¡­¡­ Can you kill me?¡± Anakin nodded silently. I burst into tears. But I couldn¡¯t stop talking. How long has it been since I tried to calm down with my mouth covered? I barely subdued my shrill voice and whispered to Anakin. ¡°If I¡¯m executed, those men will come to save me. Anakin, you have to stop them. And¡­.¡± Please chop my body so that I don¡¯t come back to life. * * * One day, a vicious rumour spread in the city. Lady Mis¨¦rian was actually a witch and tried to usurp the throne by marrying the crown prince, but when the crown prince recognized her ambition and refused, finally failing to marry, she murdered the crown prince¡¯s new bride. At first, the stories that were chewed as snacks by people at the bar began to have credibility as they spread through the information guild. There were also testimonies that not one or two people heard Lady Mis¨¦rian muttering something alone in an empty prison. Rumours continued to swell, and the myth that the sudden death of the emperor and empress was due to the witch¡¯s curse became a fact. The imperial family warned against rumours and against spreading groundless words, but it became a situation where they incited the witch, saying it was to hide what she had suffered. In addition, Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s father, Marquis Mis¨¦rian, had the history of withdrawing from politics after being accused of opening a magic gate in the city. Suspicions had spread that the reason for the light punishment of dismissal and seizure for a crime that deserved the whole family to be executed, might have been because Lady Mis¨¦rian, a witch, was behind it. It also came to mind that she, who deserved to be executed for killing the crown princess, was able to keep her life because of the witch¡¯s magic tricks. Marquis Mis¨¦rian and Lady Mis¨¦rian, who had a bad external image because they were already extravagant and arrogant. When even branded as a witch, voices calling for their execution immediately rang day after day. At a time when the people¡¯s hearts were becoming more ferocious, Alecto¡¯s coronation to the throne was held. Not long after the funeral, the coronation was held solemnly rather than splendidly. There were no firecrackers or marches. Dark purple embroidered the imperial palace, and the city also responded with silence to the tragic events that took place day after day. The people replaced the new emperor by offering flowers along the walls of the imperial palace. On behalf of the pope, who was still lying on the bed, a young and beautiful high priest stood in formal attire in the temple. Whenever Alecto walked, a purple cape fluttered. Finally, when Alecto knelt in front of Hubris, he put his hand over the crown prince¡¯s head that became white overnight. ¡°As the heir of the Holy Empire, do you swear that you will do your best to protect the Empire¡¯s territory and its people?¡± ¡°I swear.¡± ¡°Do you swear that you will not bring the people into sorrow by abusing the power that has been bestowed upon you in this glorious position?¡± ¡°I swear.¡± ¡°Are you accepting that all your authority is subject to God, and swear that you will never fall into false beliefs?¡± ¡°I swear.¡± ¡°May God protect you.¡± When the coronation oath was completed, the high priest lifted the crown and placed it on Alecto¡¯s head. As he straightened his bent knee and turned his body, the knights and ministers who had previously gathered instead knelt on one knee at once. A majestic hymn flowed from the organ. As soon as the coronation ceremony was over, Alecto had to attend the parliamentary meeting immediately. The same was true of the ministers who participated in the coronation. As soon as the meeting began, the topic that the ministers brought up was, of course, the disposition of the Mis¨¦rian family. ¡°Now that the coronation ceremony is over, we can no longer delay the disposition of the Mis¨¦rian family!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Your Majesty. Do you know what rumours are circulating on the streets? It is said that the imperial family was possessed by a special witch. If you sit by, the dignity of the imperial family may fall!¡± Alecto swept his face as if he were tired of the pouring voices. From the beginning, the imperial faction, which was the enemy of the Mis¨¦rian family, as well as the aristocratic faction raised their voices saying that the death penalty should be carried out. Now that she was being accused of treason as well as being a witch, if anyone defended the Mis¨¦rian family for no reason, they would be put in the same category and their political life would end. Alecto recalled a skinny, haggard woman trapped in the tower for a moment. Her green eyes and cynicism. He even checked with the high priest, but he actually knew that the woman was not Eris Mis¨¦rian. But he didn¡¯t want to believe it. It was hard for Alecto to accept the fact that the child, or the one who blindly loved him, had disappeared forever. It was all the more so now that he had lost everything. Guilt, hatred, possessiveness, love¡­¡­. It didn¡¯t matter what the name of this infested emotion was. Alecto¡­ desperately needed even the ghost of Eris Mis¨¦rian. He closed his eyes, and last night¡¯s memories poured on Alecto. Secretly, he called in a substitute to examine Helena. After looking at Helena for a long time, the High Priest reported that she was under the witch¡¯s curse. When asked how to release it, the High Priest shook his head silently. It was said to be a kind of ancient magic that had been passed through at least two witches. Considering the transcendence of the witch, human power was not enough, it had to be about the level of a dragon to release it. When asked why she did not die even though she was caught in the witch¡¯s magic, the answer came back that it was not intended for her to die in the first place. He also said that if she really died, it would have been more comfortable to deal with since they could have revived her with divine power. Chapter 87 Episode 87: Strike that Witch on the Neck! ¡ª It¡¯s a problem because we don¡¯t know when she¡¯ll wake up one day. After the dark-haired high priest had finished saying that, he added something more, he said that it was unfair to impose the death penalty on Eris Mis¨¦rian. The tone that secretly defended Eris somehow caught his heart. Were the two of them familiar? ¡°Please make a decision, Your Majesty!¡± At that cry, Alecto awoke from his thoughts. ¡­¡­Wait. Alecto clenched and opened his fist a few times. He could somehow revive her with divine powers.¡­ What? Did the high priest have a way to bring the dead back to life? Alecto stared blankly at the noise in front of him. The humble faces were urging him to make a decision. ¡°¡­¡­Do that. According to national law, it is known that public execution is the principle for those related to witches.¡± ¡°Oh¡­! Hymn to bravery!¡± The crowd scattered like clouds. Each of them was discussing when to execute the death penalty, how to inform people of the death penalty and instill fear and awareness to everyone. Alecto was the last to stand up. He called the loyal henchman who was already approaching. ¡°Call the high priest secretly. And maybe I can save her. If I can save her and get her somewhere¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°As expected of Jason Kazar.¡± * * * Black-haired, green-eyed witch lady? You¡¯ll be in big trouble if you¡¯re deceived because she is pretty?! She is carrying a knife inside and leaving again?! Eventually, she got caught and got arrested! Children ran around and sang songs in every alley. The song, which first started in the back alley, spread through the children¡¯s mouths, and eventually became a popular song that everyone in the capital humed unconsciously. However, unlike children who sang along without knowing anything, adults were accurately aware of who the ¡®witch lady¡¯ in the song was. Those who laughed at Lady Mis¨¦rian, saying, ¡°Is she really a witch?¡± began to whisper, saying, ¡°Will there be smoke in the chimney?¡± When suspicions arose that the crown prince, who had now become emperor, was delaying the disposition of the Mis¨¦rian family because he was implicated with the witch, the imperial family permitted the public execution of the Mis¨¦rian family, as if to escape. Unless the person was a serious criminal, it was unusual for the empire to carry out a public execution when the system had virtually disappeared. Strangely enough, it snowed on the day of the execution, even though it was the season when green leaves sprouted. People were bewildered by the untimely snow, but they began to rave it was proof that Lady Mis¨¦rian was really a witch. The weather was quite cold due to the snow, but the largest square in the capital was crowded with people to see the execution of Lady Mis¨¦rian and Marquis Mis¨¦rian. Due to the sudden deaths of the former emperor and empress, as well as the beautiful crown princess, people lived breathlessly without properly enjoying the grand enthronement ceremony and the festive atmosphere for the first time in a long time. The suppressed grievances erupted as soon as the execution date was set, making people enjoy the execution as a festival. As if it was an interesting spectacle like the ancient Colosseum, people were holding their food next and staring intently at the entrance to the Imperial Palace where Lady Mis¨¦rian would get on a carriage. At last the gates opened and two black carriages emerged. It was not a carriage that the imperial family would ride, but it was too luxurious for a sinner to ride, and everyone cursed and spit, saying that everything was divided according to the nobles. Violent people threw the food they were eating. The first one that came out of the carriage was the Marquis of Mis¨¦rian. Marquis Miserian, who came out with his body completely skin and bones, resisted to the very end with his thin body, and was dragged away by the executioner. The first one to come out of the next carriage was an old woman who once was the late crown prince¡¯s nanny. She leaned on the executioner due to her limp and headed for the death penalty. And finally Lady Mis¨¦rian came out of the carriage. When Lady Mis¨¦rian stepped on her feet, everyone stopped breathing and looked at her as if possessed. Not like the rare villain who killed her childhood friend on the first night of her honeymoon after losing her fianc¨¦e, she had a rather pitiful atmosphere. Just like the lyrics of the song, black hair, green eyes. Her sloppy figure and messy attire only accentuated her decadent charm. Even though she looked tired, she walked straight, not staggering out of the carriage unlike others. She did not allow her body to be touched, even the executioner took a step back from her and followed. In the middle of the square was a guillotine. Although guns were developed in the country, people still prefered the guillotine because if the bullet missed, you might not die at once. Due to the nature of the public execution, a podium was installed for many people to see. Lady Mis¨¦rian climbed the stairs silently. Thousands of eyes were focused on her, but she didn¡¯t seem to care at all. Finally standing in front of the guillotine, Lady Mis¨¦rian looked up at the sky silently and exhaled for a long time. White breath stretched out towards the sky. The figure was so elegant and beautiful that people suddenly firmly believed that such a person couldn¡¯t be a witch. The witch they imagined wasn¡¯t like that. Some thought the witch was a lustful widow, and others thought she was a cranky grandmother. Even if they had drawn a really crazy woman, they had never imagined a girl who was barely an adult as a witch. Maybe there was a mistake. The voice of a young child broke the silence as only the silence weighed heavily on the people. ¡°Strike that witch on the neck!¡± The child¡¯s voice was mixed with a little weeping, close to her desperate scream. The child was buried in the crowd, so they didn¡¯t know who first uttered it, but nothing incited people more effectively than the screams of a little child One by one, they clenched their fists and began to shout the same slogan in solidarity. ¡°Strike that witch on the neck!¡± The knights dispatched just in case came out to calm them down, but to no avail. Thousands of voices echoed through the city. Lady Mis¨¦rian did not budge, instead embracing the united madness. It was said that someone saw it and was convinced that she was a witch. If she were a really young girl, not a witch, she would have cried in that situation. She was able to be so calm because she was a witch. Lady Mis¨¦rian must have been a witch. * * * I had done everything I could. All I had left to do was wait. In my life, I never imagined that I would be cut off by a guillotine.¡­. It was something that people knew but didn¡¯t know. How much time would have passed when I went back? What kind of state would my body be in? The last memory was my friend¡¯s house. I was not in a coma because of an accident, right? No, in the first place, the friend might have called 119 and taken me to the hospital. Then what happened to my job? I wonder if I got fired. As I was sick, I would not have been fired immediately, but when I returned to work, I might be under subtle pressure to resign. If I retired like that¡­¡­ I thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to rest for a while. I felt I had been too busy so far. I heard that the average life expectancy had been extended, but why did I live so hastily? I wanted to graduate quickly and get a job, but I never took a common leave of absence in college because I was afraid that my scholarship would be cut off. Not only was I busy preparing for a job during the vacation, but after I got a job, there was no vacation at all. I didn¡¯t regret my hard-working life, but I had lived hard so far, so I wanted to live less hard in the future. Should I go on a trip abroad for the first time? It wouldn¡¯t be too far away, but I didn¡¯t think it would be bad to visit China, Japan, and Southeast Asia somehow. Several footsteps were heard through the door. I thought that the time had come. The executioner opened the door and tried to help me. I said, ¡°I will shake off those people¡¯s hands and walk by myself.¡± I don¡¯t know if it was because I was determined or if it was my last consideration before I died, but the executioner let go of my hand and backed away from me. I wondered if my clothes were a little dirty, but I thought it would be useless to willingly change since I was going to die anyway. In addition, they were clothes that would get dirty because of the blood if the neck was cut off. We went down the tower. The carriage standing to take me to the prison was always black like a funeral carriage. The carriage door opened. There, the appearance from when we first met was nowhere to be found, and only an elderly woman who looked old and tired was waiting for me. ¡°Did you plan to stop here?¡±¡± ¡°This was my purpose.¡± ¡°To be executed with the Marquis?¡±¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When I said that, she tilted her head and burst into laughter. ¡°I have lived believing that I was unlucky all my life, but this was how I saw all the blessings of my disciples in my later years. Both of them were too many for me.¡± ¡°Did you plan to be like this when you came to my house?¡±¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even imagine it was this big. I was just hoping that I could dig up a small corruption. But when I got a letter from an old student after a long time, something more thrilling was waiting for me. What?¡± The nanny, who saw my expression after saying that, shook her head and said. ¡°Don¡¯t make that face¡­¡­ I¡¯ve lived too long. I¡¯ve lived so long that I¡¯ve seen things that I didn¡¯t want to see.¡­.¡± There was no guilt or fear on her face. Only refreshingness remained like the face of a person who had finally done her job. We looked at each other silently until the carriage stopped. As we approached the square, the disturbance began to grow. I heard a lot of swearing. Sometimes there was a sound of objects thrown by people hitting each other. But when I finally got off the carriage, no one made a sound. They just looked through me, stopping. However, while living as ¡®Eris Miserian,¡¯ I received so much similar attention that I couldn¡¯t get used to it so I didn¡¯t even have any appreciation. Without a word, I walked to the guillotine in front of me. Looking up at the untimely snowy sky in front of the guillotine, I suddenly thought of Anakin. The last conversation we had inside Kynthia¡¯s house. Chapter 88 Episode 88: Death, Be My Mark * * * ¡°I want you to chop my body up so that I don¡¯t come back to life.¡± At my request, Anakin lost his words for a moment and rubbed his face dryly. He seemed to be picking words as he clenched his teeth over and over again. Anakin, who refined his voice with a sigh, asked me with sad-looking eyes. ¡°Are you asking me to chop your body with my hands?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is that included in preventing you from reviving?¡± ¡°¡­..Yes.¡± I knew it was an unreasonable request. Most countries usually did, but the empire was sensitive to the damage of the body. If the body was damaged, the owner of the soul would go to hell. Perhaps because of that, criminals who damaged a dead body were severely punished. No matter how much Anakin did not believe in God, even if he was an atheist, religious culture and customs were embedded deep in people¡¯s perceptions. It was Anakin who had already done a lot for me. I couldn¡¯t even make him do this. The moment I said it was just enough, Anakin quietly said, ¡°¡­¡­If I set fire, would that be okay?¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s too much of a request. It¡¯s okay to refuse.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll do it. I want to do it. With my own hands¡­ Please allow me to let you go.¡± He was always like this. No matter what I asked for, he didn¡¯t show any signs of dislike, and he tolerated my demands without saying a word. Without saying a word, my touch, my gaze¡­¡­ He understood and accepted everything. It was strange to simply be loyal. But if I hastily misunderstood his loyalty, I was the only one who would get hurt. I was selfish, so I only asked you at the end, after I got to the end. ¡°Anakin, me¡­¡­ Do you like me? Only then did Anakin laugh a little. Then he said it a little playfully. ¡°You didn¡¯t know? I thought you knew.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not good enough to kiss someone I don¡¯t even like.¡± When was it? No, it didn¡¯t really matter when it started. I had firmly believed that Anakin was not mine, but Eris¡¯ black knight. So I used to doubt all the actions he showed me. As Eris, it would be a favour for me as the ¡®character¡¯ of this novel. But no. It wasn¡¯t. I made you. You loved me, not Eris. Tears flowed from the truth that I realised too late. I didn¡¯t want to cry because it was the last time, but why was I always like this? Anakin hugged me silently and waited for me to calm down. When I finally stopped crying, I thought I didn¡¯t want to lose him. To be precise, I hated and regretted his future that I could not see. I felt afraid to see him meet, live, and move forward with other people in a place where I was not. To him, my appearance would be squeezed into this moment for the rest of his life. I hated it. I hated it and I was scared! ¡°Maybe it¡¯s nonsense.¡± I knew it was crazy. ¡°It could just be death. But if you still like it¡­¡­ If you¡­ If you want.¡± I knew better than anyone else that crossing the world was not as simple as it sounded. Maybe it was impossible to devote Anakin¡¯s whole life. But, nevertheless, I knelt down and dared to ask Anakin. ¡°Die for me. And come to my world and live with me.¡± Anakin opened his eyes wide as if surprised when he heard it. He asked me back in disbelief. ¡°Really? Really¡­ Is it okay to follow Master?¡± ¡°Fool, you have to get angry. I¡¯m telling you to die.¡± ¡°I just thought I was abandoned. Even though I know it can¡¯t be helped¡­¡­ I guess I was expecting you to stay.¡± ¡°Anakin¡­¡± (PR/N: Romeo and Juliet who? I only know Anakin and Eris) Was he crying? Anakin was crying. The first time I saw them, I embarrassingly wiped his tears with the back of my hand. Anakin saw me like that and whispered. I¡¯m happy. I¡¯m allowed to chase you.¡­ Because I¡¯m happy. Looking at him shedding tears, I suddenly thought I had the bottle in my pocket. I thought I left it with the marquis, but I didn¡¯t know how it was in the pocket. But the moment I confirmed that I had the bottle, I took it out and filled it with Anakin¡¯s tears. I felt like I had to do that. It was a very small bottle, so even a few drops of tears filled it easily. The bottle filled with tears soon disappeared like snow melting in my hand. It was neither the tears of the dragon nor any tears. It was Anakin¡¯s tears. Were the tears of the loved one a condition? We looked at my empty hands silently. Even though I knew I had to go back to the tower, I couldn¡¯t take a step when I thought it was my last chance to see Anakin¡¯s face. I didn¡¯t want to go. But I had to go. I didn¡¯t have any promise, but I might not be able to see him forever.¡­! ¡°You know, Anakin. I love you.¡± Eventually, before going back into the mirror, I looked back at Anakin and smiled, ¡°I wanted to keep saying this.¡± I didn¡¯t remember Anakin¡¯s expression. * * * I pointed out that I was a witch, but when I got up, everyone just looked at me on the guillotine and didn¡¯t swear or gossip. It shouldn¡¯t be like this. I certainly had to be rebuked to never come back to this world again. I looked among people, but I couldn¡¯t see any of the people I was looking for. Of course, among these many people, there was no way that a miracle would happen to find a face at once. However, even if it was hard to find a face, the voice could be recognized at once. As I asked, Kynthia was screaming for me among these countless people. ¡°Strike that witch on the neck!¡± The hoarse voice, full of tears, was desperately shouting for my death. The people assimilated by the scream soon clenched their fists and shouted together. ¡°Strike that witch on the neck!¡± Kynthia was the only one out of all these people who didn¡¯t want me to die. My fingertips were shaking. But I shouldn¡¯t make it obvious. Because the witch should not be seen as ¡®human¡¯. ¡°Strike that witch on the neck!¡± If the world was a big play, what song would resonate at the end? Suddenly, with that thought, my neck was pushed onto the execution table. I hoped it was a grand and wonderful orchestra ensemble.¡­ I hoped vaguely. Yes, I knew it.¡­ The song I heard before seemed to be ringing in my ears. When I hummed a verse, it was rattling. Everything was over. * * * It was a dark night where he couldn¡¯t even hear the birds cry. Perhaps it was because of the weather that gave a chill, or because the place they were headed for was the morgue. The season was spring, but the temperature was cool enough to snow, so the two men were firmly dressed. Under the torch, he walked through the underground passage of the imperial palace, where two shadows were intertwined like the paths of a labyrinth. The reason why Jason and Hubris, who have never met each other, were together was because of Lady Mis¨¦rian. On the night Lady Mis¨¦rian¡¯s death penalty was confirmed, Alecto secretly called the two together. ¡°¡­Instead of her, do you remember what you said to me in the past? You said it would be easier to revive Helena if she had died.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how I replied.¡± ¡°Then can I take it as a sign that you can save the dead?¡± At that, Jason, who was next to him, turned his head and looked at Hubris. Even without saying, everyone in this room knew what it meant. This was because there were only two women in the intersection of these three men, who seemed to be close but were not. When Hubris nodded silently, Alecto asked Hubris. ¡°Survival means the master of the soul will come back, right? It¡¯s not like a living body.¡± ¡°My power is not magic, Your Majesty. It¡¯s different even from Magic Engineers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all it matters. ¡­¡­We will place Eris Mis¨¦rian in a space where the bodies of the imperial families are placed underground.¡± Originally, it was something that was not allowed. Aside from the fact that she was no longer in the royal family because they broke up, she was executed for treason. However, it was taken into account that she remained the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e for a long time, and that there was no one to collect her body and hold a funeral because the Mis¨¦rian family was killed. After persuading, Alecto decided to keep her body for a while, and bury Lady Mis¨¦rian together when the temple collected the bodies of the unclaimed and held a collective funeral. Of course, Alecto had no intention of sending Eris¡¯ body to the temple from the beginning. ¡°Save her. Jason will guide you through the underground passageway. And I will leave it up to you, Jason, to escape the country.¡± At the words of the crown prince, Hubris asked. ¡°What are you going to say to the temple?¡± ¡°A body of a similar size has been saved. There is no fear of being caught anyway, as it is the law to cover the bodies of the royal family with cloth so that they cannot check the faces.¡± The reason Alecto allowed the public execution in the first place was because he thought it would be easier to escape if Hubris could save Eris, making her a completely dead person and showing everyone. The general public would never dream that the dead could be revived, so even if they saw Eris¡¯ face in the process of escaping, they would only regard her as a similar person. Alecto paused for a moment and drew a picture of the face that would be trapped in the tower. He didn¡¯t intend to look at her face in case he had any lingering feelings of regret or obsession. Chapter 89 Episode 89: Till Death, May We Never Part Even if he couldn¡¯t see her again, she just needed to live. As long as she was still alive, maybe someday they would meet again. Hubris told Jason while Alecto was contemplating. ¡°I¡¯ll accompany you on the way to escape with Lady Mis¨¦rian.¡± ¡°If there are a lot of people, it shouldn¡¯t attract attention.¡± ¡°There is only the theory to bring the dead back to life. No priest had actually put it into practice. ¡­Even if it¡¯s successful right now, we have to wait and see if there¡¯s any incomplete parts-¡ª¡± When Hubris poured out his words, Jason shook his hand as if he shouldn¡¯t continue. ¡°Then, once we¡¯ve escaped abroad, we¡¯ll send someone to give the high-ranking officer the address. You must know that escape is a priority.¡± Hubris had no choice but to close his mouth and nod because he couldn¡¯t throw up at those words. After Alecto¡¯s visit and before leaving, the two broke up after deciding on a time to meet again the night after the execution date. Jason, who was taking the lead without hesitation, stopped and stood tall in front of the entrance to the mortuary. Jason pulled out a sword that was cold on his waist without saying a word. When Hubris asked with a blink, Jason spoke softly. ¡°There¡¯s already someone inside.¡± ¡°No way. There¡¯s no one else to come, right?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s a dog that lost its owner.¡± Jason grinded his teeth and ran inside. In the blink of an eye, Hubris also rushed along. Somehow, he had a very bad feeling. The two men who ran into each other faced a burning body and a brown-haired man standing in front of it. ¡°You bastard¡­ No way¡­¡­.¡± ¡°My master had already anticipated that you would come. I was lost in the second basement of the Imperial Palace, but fortunately, it seems that I narrowly got ahead.¡± ¡°No!¡± Hubris screamed when he realised who the owner of the burning body was. He took off his cape and hurriedly tried to extinguish the fire, but he was stopped by Anakin and turned round. Anakin pulled out a sword and pointed it at Hubris¡¯ neck. Hubris shouted with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯ve done now? She could have been saved. She could have been saved!¡± ¡°I¡¯m following my master¡¯s orders.¡± As soon as Anakin finished speaking, Jason rushed in. Anakin instinctively turned and defended against it. The sound of swords clashing with each other echoed through the empty basement. Jason quickly shouted at Hubris. ¡°I¡¯ll be blocking him, so turn off the fire and save Lady Mis¨¦rian!¡± ¡°All right.¡± Anakin inserted his sword into Hubris¡¯ thigh, who was about to stand up. While Hubris swallowed the pain, Jason cut Anakin¡¯s waist. Unable to avoid the cut, Anakin swallowed a groan and glared at Jason sternly. Jason saw Anakin¡¯s movement and said, ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re a half-swordmaster. You¡¯ve read the instructions skillfully, but your swordsmanship is incomplete. I reached the level of swordmaster at a much younger age than you. Do you want to beat me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here right now to distinguish between victory and defeat with you.¡± Anakin aimed at the back of the neck of Hubris, who put out the fire, but failed due to Jason¡¯s block. Anakin put a weak sword on his sword, this was the only way to barely block Jason¡¯s sword with his sword. If he hadn¡¯t done that, the sword would have been broken sooner. The fire on the body went out and Hubris put divine power into the body. Then, the skin that had been burned by the fire shone and began to regenerate slowly. Sparks flew in Anakin¡¯s eyes when he saw it. The fight between the three turned strangely. A man who tried to save her somehow, and a man who tried to stop him. And another man trying to stop such a man was fighting with blood splattering. As time went by, Anakin did his best to attack Hubris without thinking about his body¡¯s safety. Finally, Jason¡¯s sword pierced Anakin¡¯s stomach. Even with his already tattered body, Anakin did not let go of his sword. Jason looked down at him and said to him as if he did not understand. ¡°Why is it you? I wouldn¡¯t have been so angry if you were a man with a good side everywhere.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t respect one of my master¡¯s choices, really¡­ you don¡¯t know why?¡± ¡°Shut up! She could have changed her mind! It¡¯s just that there was no opportunity.¡± In response to Jason¡¯s subsequent reply, Anakin vomited blood and anger. ¡°An opportunity? Are you sure you want to say that you wanted an opportunity? Changing someone¡¯s heart, will, and thinking! It¡¯s a great arrogance, a misjudgment!¡± When Jason finally pulled out the sword that had been stuck in Anakin¡¯s stomach and tried to slash him in the neck, and when Hubris almost succeeded in reviving the body in cold sweat, the body ignited again. ¡°Witch?¡± When Hubris said the word, the air immediately cracked black, and a woman with red hair escaped from it like the flame she had bloomed. She wore a black satin dress and took a light step with her pearl-stained flat shoes. ¡°I came here just in case, as expected, it was too much to do alone.¡± Jason swung the sword directly at the woman, but the woman lightly moved her body to another space. Both Hubris and Jason looked at her in fear at the gesture that convinced them that she was a witch. The woman lightly nodded and greeted. ¡°Nice to meet you, gentlemen. I¡¯m sorry, I seemed to disturb you, but it¡¯s in my belief to keep my promise.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, step back, witch.¡± Hubris struggled to extinguish the flame with his divine power, but the divine power he had poured into Eris was so great that there was not much divine power left to squeeze. Jason, who glanced at Hubris, pointed his sword at the woman. But he wasn¡¯t convinced he would win. The woman also smiled with her eyes folded affectionately, as if she knew what Jason was thinking. She whispered in a sweet and seductive voice. ¡°If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t suggest such a reckless challenge. You must be ¡®the strongest man in the world¡¯, but that¡¯s not synonymous with ¡®the strongest person in the world¡¯, right?¡± ¡°Did anyone ever tell you that you could get hurt if you¡¯re overconfident in your own strength?¡± ¡°Oh, my. If you want to teach me, then I¡¯ll have to teach you too.¡± Despite Jason¡¯s provocation, the woman did not lose her smile. Such provocations did not seem to be as impressive to those who listened to them all the time during their lives. . ¡°Before that, let¡¯s greet politely for the first and last time. I¡¯ll tell you in advance, but I won¡¯t kill you. What¡¯s the fun in killing something weaker than me?¡± Instead, she raised her skirt slightly and bent her knees gracefully. As if imitating a knight taking off her gloves before her duel and throwing it at her opponent. ¡°My name is Medea. As the ninth witch of this land and the last witch left in the empire, some also call me Revenge.¡± As her eyes burned sharply, Hubris warned Jason to be careful, but it was too late. Medea¡¯s mouth corners twisted beautifully. ¡°Have you ever imagined yourself not bound by rules? Oh, baby. Whatever you imagine, I¡¯m stronger than that.¡± After it was all over, Medea looked for a moment at Anakin, who was barely breathing under her feet. It was the appearance right before his death, but unfortunately she did not have the power to replenish lost lives. However, it was possible to paralyse pain so that Anakin did not feel pain. ¡°Why are you here? I thought you wouldn¡¯t help me.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it my job to ¡®send her back¡¯?¡± It became something like a pun, but in fact, she didn¡¯t intend to come. Because their deal was already over, so there was no need for trouble. Visiting here and helping Anakin was more of a purely impulsive whim. She wanted to watch the end of a woman who could have been her sister. As he spat out the rising blood and cleared his throat, he quietly asked. ¡°Am I going to die?¡± ¡°A few days later.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Do you regret it?¡± Anakin thought for a while and soon nodded his head a little. Anakin said quietly. ¡°I dare to follow her. So¡­ I actually wish to beg you. It may be impossible, but I¡¯m asking you to tell me how I can chase her.¡± ¡°You¡¯re an honest kid.¡± ¡°If I knew this would happen, I shouldn¡¯t have said I¡¯d chase her. She might be waiting for me¡­¡­.¡± Even his regret was not his own death, but his master¡¯s waiting. Medea laughed, raising her neck to the knight in front of her, her terrifyingly and grotesquely loyal one. She had seen many human figures, but he was the first to be so blind. Suddenly, she became curious. Could he be so blind even if he fell into a completely unfamiliar environment? Wasn¡¯t his blindness the imprint that birds saw on their first hatchling? Medea quietly opened her mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a story.¡± Chapter 90 Episode 90: It Wasn¡¯t Goodbye, It¡¯s See You Later Between the soul and the body, any witch, subject of use, or priest, would value the soul side. In the first place, that was attributed to the premise of reincarnation. Even if their memories disappeared, if the souls remained intact, they could be reborn. The same was true of the witches who could not be born again. For them who transcended everything, the disruption of the body had no meaning. As long as the soul was not damaged, it was enough to restore the body again. That was why ordinary people often thought of the soul as ¡®the kernel¡¯ and the body as ¡®the shell.¡¯ However, when a soul crossed the world, all standards originated from the body. Firstly, even if the soul passed over, if there was no vessel to contain the soul, it couldn¡¯t be alive. Secondly, from the body¡¯s perspective, the material for the ¡®gate¡¯ through which the soul passed through the body must have been found. If the gate asked for ¡®the most loved one¡¯, the soul that entered the body had to offer the one loved the most by the original owner of the body, not the one they loved the most. The reason why this happened was because the stranger who first crossed the world deceived God and won. The stranger asked God to do his favour because he would save the world as he wanted, and God allowed it on the condition that he would save the world. As promised, the stranger who saved the world refused all the fantastic gifts from God and asked to return to his world. God, whose gift was rejected, was grumpy and demanded that he sacrificed what he valued most if he wanted to return to his world. However, God made one mistake, he did not decide whether it was the most precious thing of the ¡®body¡¯ or the most precious thing of the ¡®soul¡¯. The stranger killed the horse that the owner of the body he had possessed, valued most and fulfilled the conditions. Later, God realised his mistake. But he could not reverse his promise, so he had to let the stranger go. ¡°It took two people¡¯s understanding for her to cross the world. The understanding of the person who loved her and the understanding of the person she hated.¡± In other words, in order to cross the door, the person whom ¡®Eris Miserian¡¯ hated, and the person who loved ¡®Eris¡¯ needed to understand. Anakin suddenly recalled when he had shed tears. ¡°Are you talking about my tears?¡± ¡°Oh, my. What you loved was the stranger, not ¡®Eris¡¯. I¡¯m sorry, but your tears were not conditions, but a price. Did you forget? She hasn¡¯t paid me yet. I needed tears from someone who was purely delighted.¡± Medea recalled something, sweeping her lips with her fingers. ¡°She left without knowing that someone she had never expected had already shed tears for ¡®Eris¡¯. Poor Emma. By now, she might have been crying until the snow melted down.¡± After speaking, Medea reached out her hand to the sky in an elegant and exaggerated tone, as if in a play. She whispered as if reciting a verse from a play. At that moment, even though it was a basement, he had the illusion that light was pouring in. ¡°May you be forgiven for inserting a knife into a hateful person. Even if you are separated from the one you love forever, may they understand your choice. So that when we finish the play of life, we may be applauded by everyone. ¡° Medea turned gracefully to greet him, and her skirt fluttered. She put her hand on Anakin¡¯s forehead, who was slowly dying. Then she continued to talk. She didn¡¯t seem to care much about whether he could hear it or not. ¡°Because you were born and raised here, the way for you to cross the world is completely different from the way the stranger returned. In fact it¡¯s actually harder. The most powerful women in the world; the strongest woman, the most influential woman¡­.. You need the power of the three.¡± Medea closed her eyes, but the world was as bright as day. ¡°You¡¯re so lucky, baby. You¡¯ve already met all three of them, and you¡¯ve earned them a favour.¡± * * * I woke up from my dream with a seizure. My friend said she didn¡¯t wake me up because she thought I was sleeping, but she said something felt wrong and when she looked it up, I wasn¡¯t breathing. She was shaking me awake because she thought I had sleep apnea, but I woke up when she was about to call 911. (PR/N: sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterised by temporary stopping or irregular breathing during sleep.) I pushed my friend away and ran into the bathroom to check my face. It looked like this. My face used to look like this. When I washed my face with cold water, my friend was looking at me with a puzzled face. Are you sure you are okay? I struggled to smile at the question. I looked at the watch and saw that four hours had passed. There was a saying that even if you lived your whole life in a dream, it was only a moment when you woke up, but it hadn¡¯t hit me yet. I stared blankly at the romance fantasy novel next to me. Come to think of it, it took about four hours to finish reading that novel. Was it all a dream that I went through after reading a novel? In vain, I grabbed and opened my empty hands. I could still vividly remember my life there. My return meant that Anakin had done what I asked from him. Anakin, what happened to Helena? My head was dizzy from worries. * * * A few days have passed. I was achieving things that I had decided to do in this world one by one. I wanted to quit my job right away, but I ended up working a little more due to the issues of takeover. These days, I paid attention to holiday packages on the internet every day with the intention of travelling abroad when I received the severance pay. I couldn¡¯t sleep deeply and woke up from my dream because my throat was being cut off over and over again. In the end, I had been regularly visiting a neuropsychiatrist for a while. I couldn¡¯t tell them everything, but I think I was getting a little better after taking medicine steadily. I also went to my parents. I went and drank a cup and took the energy to confess my upset and disappointment. My parents comforted me, but it didn¡¯t mean that they understood me. I think that was¡­¡­ It was no different from comforting for a moment before the word ¡®endure it¡¯ came out. They haven¡¯t changed. I decided to understand that there were things in the world that couldn¡¯t be achieved only by effort. I often cried. Sometimes I wanted to call the publishing company and ask them to change the writer, and then ask the writer why he wrote it like that. I haven¡¯t been able to find the publisher¡¯s phone number yet, because a thread of reason stopped me saying it was the truth. As I walked down the street, I stopped and looked at people¡¯s faces. Perhaps Anakin came after me. After spending time standing there for a long time, I went back the way I had walked with not even tears in my eyes, feeling only the fact that I would never see him again. I didn¡¯t look at my cell phone anymore. Even when walking on the street, even when I was on public transportation, I was busy checking the faces of people who were waiting for the crosswalk signal. Just in case, just in case. I kept catching myself. I looked forward to it every day and was disappointed every day. Have you not crossed the world? Was it impossible even if you dedicated your life to it? It might have been my delusion. Maybe it was just a midsummer night¡¯s dream. Even if he said that he had crossed the world, how would he recognize me, whose appearance and voice have changed? In this vast land, in the midst of so many people. It started again. As I began to cry, people passing by glanced at me. While I was at it, I wanted to sit down and cry, but I stepped out of the way because I thought it would interfere with the traffic because I was in the middle of the road. To make matters worse, I felt a drop of water on the top of my head. What had fallen drop by drop soon turned into a shower and soaked me. I thought it was better, so I stopped wiping my tears and was walking with tears as much as I wanted. A man with an umbrella walked from across the narrow street. I habitually looked at the man in the face. And finally. ¡°Anakin?¡± Everything had changed, but somehow I was strangely convinced. I had always been confident that I would be able to recognize him at first sight if I met him. Honestly, I didn¡¯t know why my groundless confidence had sprung up so much. People usually called it fate. The man looked at me reflexively at my question. He tilted his umbrella towards me to block the rain, and soon smiled. His shoulders and eyes were getting wet. In this situation, kisses were clich¨¦, but there must have been a reason why clich¨¦ things in this world were loved. Like the dazzling ending of a play, movie and story, we kissed. Then we never broke up again. ¡ªThe End¡ª Jasmine¡¯s Note: Oh my god, it¡¯s my second novel to be completed! I want to thank one of my favourite PR, Dea, and QC, AME thank you so much for your speedy work, if not for her, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to post the chapters constantly, second, I would like to thank all my readers who were there with me in my journey to translate this beautiful novel, loved, cried, cursed ????, with me. Thank you so much for loving Eris, Anakin and everyone in the novel. Now that we are here, can we give a big shout out to Emma? Dea¡¯s Note: No because for real, I needed a second to remember who Emma was haha, you go Emma, the hero we didn¡¯t know we needed. Thank you so much Jas for translating this novel and congrats on completing it! It¡¯s one of the best ones I¡¯ve read so far, it¡¯s so realistic, frustrating and sad, but also heartwarming and cute at times. It was truly an experience going on this journey with those characters. Thank you Ame for having my back and making sense of the odd confusing sentences and thank you to everyone who read it, hope you enjoyed it!! ^^ Ame¡¯s Note: Actually, sorry Anakin, I kinda like you but in my opinion, the women are the best characters in this novel ¨C Eris, Helena, Medea, Emma, the Empress¡­ I am very relieved that I named one of the chapters ¡®Emma¡¯ :¡±) If I didn¡¯t, it would be such a disservice to that lovely woman who quietly supported and rooted for Eris from the side. Much thanks to Jasmine for translating this novel, and Limu and Dea for proofreading this. Completing these 90 chapters in such a short time (6 months!) could never be done without everyone¡¯s efforts and time ? Thank you all for reading this, see you again in the side stories!