☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“How dare you side with the wicked woman!”
“Are you even human?”
Even in the face of countless accusations directed at him, Erich remained unfazed.
It was no surprise; he was used to it.
<The cursed golden demon of Schwanhild!>
<Kill him!>
These were the words of the enemy.
“Let’s see the face of that wicked woman’s dog!”
Someone attacked Erich’s face.
Originally, he was extremely concerned about his reputation and standing.
He had been obsessed with not ruining the perfect image of his brother, “Erich Lennon Blant”, and had been tormented by the fear of being inadequate as Cornelia’s husband.
Thus, Erich always tried to maintain the perfect image of the Duke of Blant.
But during the past few years, when he had lost her, he had come to realize what was truly important.
‘How dare they harm Cornelia…’
He had just managed to get her back, and now these people were trying to harm her.
“Let’s bring the wicked woman down and hold her accountable for what Crown Prince Fritz did!”
They were making her accountable for things that weren’t her fault.
Swish—
He always felt dirty every time he drew his sword. The acrid smell of blood felt every time he slaughtered someone—the sensation of flesh being cut. It was likely the self-loathing that came from having to commit such a horrific act again.
‘It doesn’t matter. If it’s to protect her… I’ll do anything.’
With that resolve, he tightly gripped the hilt of his sword—
“Stop!”
Among the many noises, the voice was clear.
Erich immediately turned to look at Cornelia. He was determined to follow whatever she said. Even if it was to massacre everyone present, he would comply.
‘After all, this is my only purpose.’
Wasn’t it his own father who had told him that? To behead the enemy and, when necessary, to sacrifice his life in place of his brother.
‘Even if you use me, it’s fine. If it means I can atone for my sins…’
But what came from her was something different from what he expected.
“Move aside, I’ll handle it from here.”
Cornelia spoke with confidence and radiance. Just like the first time he had seen and admired the princess.
For a moment, Erich clenched his fist and tried to dissuade her.
“…It’s dangerous.”
The nightmares that had tormented him for the past few years resurfaced. He envisioned her shooting herself in his mind.
‘If something happens to you, I…’
At that moment, Cornelia spoke.
“I know it’s dangerous. They currently see me as the enemy.”
“Yes, so I…”
Erich tried to say that he would handle it. However, before he could finish, Cornelia shook her head.
“Resolving this with violence is the worst option. If we do that, you might not come out unscathed.”
Erich wanted to respond that he understood and was prepared for that. But Cornelia was quicker.
“I have a good plan. So, please protect me from any potential threats.”
Cornelia’s eyes were filled with confidence in herself.
Erich stared blankly for a moment, then clenched his fist and replied.
“Once again, you’re asking for the obvious. Don’t worry, just do as you wish.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“The woman has come out of the carriage.”
Until now, I hadn’t been able to assess the situation due to fear. However, just before Erich drew his sword, I felt something strange about the reckless actions of some individuals.
After all, no matter how many people there were, the common folks would not dare to attack nobles or royalty recklessly.
Yet suddenly, a skilled fighter appeared, daringly breaking through the knights’ encirclement.
That wasn’t the only odd thing.
‘The speed at which the rumors spread is too fast.’
Typically, rumors of this nature take time to circulate carefully. This is because the truth is uncertain, and if one makes a mistake, they could be branded as someone who spreads false rumors.
But on the day I arrived, rumors spread throughout the capital. And it happened in just a few hours.
‘Perhaps this is… someone deliberately inciting unrest.’
A candle can be extinguished by a single breath. But a raging fire will not be extinguished by the wind; it will only burn more fiercely.
And this incident may be related to the “rebels”.
‘To incite the people at such a time…’
The principle behind the stability of the imperial family is simple. It relies on controlling the nobility with power and wealth and protecting the weak people from external threats.
Because of this trust, the commoners regard the imperial family as superior to the nobles, and the imperial family is able to survive.
And the current emperor has maintained the imperial family successfully until now.
‘However, the emperor’s prolonged illness has thrown the Empire into chaos.’
As a result, feelings of betrayal toward the imperial family have grown in the hearts of the people who had believed in and supported them all this time.
And I knew how to act in this situation through my experience in managing a territory.
“But she has blonde hair? Wasn’t the princess supposed to have black hair?”
“Maybe she dyed it?”
Countless gazes filled with suspicion were directed at me, and honestly, I felt scared. I feared they might threaten and chase me like in my previous life.
But if I ran away without resolving anything, the consequences would inevitably come back to me. Just like in my previous life when I chose to escape and ended up taking my own life.
I soon took off the hat I was wearing.
And someone who recognized me spoke up.
“That face… the princess?”
Despite the numerous gazes, I did not flinch and looked them straight in the eye. This time, I intended to confront them instead of running away.
“It’s been a while, everyone. I am Cornelia Odile Blant, the princess of the Schwanhild Empire.”
At my words, the expressions on their faces began to twist.
“What? So it really was the princess!”
“That brazen woman!”
“She pretended to be dead for the last five years, and now she crawls out of a carriage with that face!”
At their words, Erich clenched his fists and tried to step forward.
“What do you know to speak so recklessly…”
I immediately stopped him.
“Don’t say anything. Not until I give you permission.”
“But…!”
“I told you I would handle it my way. So, trust me and wait.”
At my words, he bit his lip and nodded.
“Yes, understood.”
With that, I had repaid a little of the debt I owed him.
‘If I resolve this, his identity won’t be exposed.’
Thinking this, I turned back to the crowd and spoke again.
“I understand why you are angry with me. It must be because you suffered because of my disappearance.”
“You knew that and still did it?”
I saw people pointing fingers at me. Among them were nobles, bourgeois, scholars, and doctors from the middle class.
“That wicked woman! Because of you, our livelihoods have collapsed!”
However, the majority of them were commoners, the backbone of this empire and its largest group.
‘It’s only natural for them to be angry. Their lives must have been difficult all this time.’
I had heard that, due to my disappearance, the capital hadn’t held a festival in years. Moreover, with the emperor’s illness, Fritz’s tyranny had worsened, and with the next emperor being decided as Fritz, I could only imagine how bleak their lives must have been.
‘So I need to persuade them.’
After years of hardship, it wouldn’t be easy to quell their anger. However, while managing the estate, I had observed the people closely. Thanks to that, I knew what they were angry about and what they wanted from me.
“People of the empire, I apologize for the harm I’ve caused you.”
As I bowed my head to deliver my apology, I saw expressions of shock on their faces.
“What? The princess is apologizing?”
Once, I had thought of them as monsters and feared them. But now I understand. The people here were neither evil nor good. They were simply resisting a harsh life. And what they wanted was not someone’s death, but a better life for themselves and their families.
I then raised my head and said,
“But just as you stand here to protect your families, I too had to protect mine.”
“What does that mean?”
In response to someone’s question, another replied.
“Now that you mention it, the reason Lady Arzen and Grand Madam Blant are being punished…”
While I observed their reactions for a moment, I continued speaking.
“Yes, you are right. If I hadn’t disappeared, Medelin Arzen and Grand Madam Blant would never have given up on killing my child.”
I knew they had feelings and the ability to judge right from wrong, just like me. So I focused on the essence of the matter to sway their judgment in my favor, mentioning family, something they could empathize with.
And as expected…
“That’s right. Come to think of it, Lady Arzen attacked the Duchess first, right?”
“Oh, no wonder the Duke of Blant said nothing… The Marquis was trying to shift the blame!”
The tide began to change. For the better, compared to moments ago.
Of course, there were still many who held resentment against me.
“So how are you going to compensate for the hardships we’ve endured all this time?”
“Exactly! Just the atrocities committed by Prince Fritz are overwhelming.”
“The empire has no future. How can such a person be the next emperor?”
Some believed that commoners were ignorant and could be easily manipulated. But the foolish ones were actually them. No one was more realistic and sensitive to the rise and fall of the empire than the commoners.
‘They already knew that Fritz would ruin the empire long ago.’
Eventually, they shouted,
“Is this a country?”
A desperate plea, saying it’s hard to live and begging to be saved. I answered them.
“Yes, what you are concerned about is the future of this empire.”
And then the answer came from my lips.
“I will take responsibility and persuade the emperor. We will elect a new crown prince.”
That was an answer they had never expected, but one they had been eagerly waiting for.
