Episode 78. What is Fate? (1)

In the end, all his misfortunes, as well as those of his predecessors, were merely to ensure the happiness of that insignificant woman. And she had the audacity to say that he wasn’t even a ‘main character.’ Percy had never seen her in the story before.

‘So that means we’re just background characters for the main characters.’

According to Beth, even the subjugation of the Stewart family to Zulatán was merely a background element for the story. They existed simply to describe the Empire as “having one Emperor and four Duke families.”

Creating a story might be free, but for those who were manipulated by it, it was infuriating. Percy furrowed his brow and pointed out the flaw in Beth’s logic.

“Don’t you have any doubts about the fact that someone has to be unjustly punished for your happiness?”

Beth responded calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“What’s the problem? That’s how the story was written from the start.”

“……”

Percy fell silent. She genuinely believed that no one else mattered except herself.

“I see.”

There was nothing more to say to her. Percy turned sharply on his heel. As he did, Beth clung to him.

“Wait! I’ve told you everything! So now, let me go!”

“I…”

At that moment, the anger Percy had been suppressing exploded. His red eyes blazed as if they were on fire.

“I’m not turning away because I’m in a good mood right now. For someone who claims to be the protagonist of this world, you’re surprisingly oblivious.”

“Hmph.”

Finally realizing that she could be killed again, Beth clamped her hands over her mouth. Percy glared at her with murderous intent before turning away once more.

Even as the door fully closed, Beth couldn’t stop trembling, biting her nails anxiously.

‘When are you coming, Daniel?’

Her resentment was directed at Daniel, who wasn’t even there.

‘What kind of male lead is this? He should have appeared before all these terrifying things happened and saved me.’

But there was no sign of Daniel coming. Beth covered her face with her hands and wept softly.

Meanwhile, after closing the door behind him, Percy gave strict orders to the subordinates standing outside.

“Don’t make eye contact with that woman. Don’t speak to her.”

“Yes, sir.”

Percy had given such instructions because he remembered Daniel’s reaction when he saw Beth crying in the back garden during the coronation ceremony.

Daniel had seemed rational when arguing with Beth, but the moment she shed a few tears and said a few words, he appeared to lose his senses and took her side.

‘She may not have displayed that power on me… but I can’t be certain it won’t affect others.’

In part, his harshness was a precaution against any such tricks she might try to pull.

As Percy walked out into the open, a shadow fell over his face. Every word that came out of Beth’s mouth was shocking.

‘So the story was written that way from the beginning.’

The idea that his entire life, struggling for survival, was merely a story was already appalling. But the fact that the protagonist was someone else, someone who had nothing to do with him, was even more so.

Strangely, as soon as he heard Beth’s words, a certain woman came to mind.

Percy.

A woman with thick, wavy red hair and sharp cat-like eyes.

‘Sienna.’

For some reason, at that moment, he felt an overwhelming desire to hold her tightly. To keep her from escaping anywhere, and to ensure no harm came to her.

He just wanted to keep her close, safe in his arms.

‘She’d probably grumble about it.’

Percy let out a small chuckle. Without even trying, he could vividly recall Sienna’s annoyed expressions and tone of voice.

– It hurts. Are you trying to kill me?

Before he knew it, his body was moving on its own, driven by the memory of her. Mounting his horse with ease, Percy rode at full speed toward his estate. Throughout the ride, his mind was filled only with thoughts of Sienna.

When he finally arrived home and strode to Sienna’s room, he flung open the door.

“……”

The room was empty.

For a moment, Percy stood there, stunned, unable to grasp the situation. A butler approached cautiously and spoke.

“Um, sir…”

“Where is Sienna?”

“Well…”

No one had moved, yet the curtains swished open, and the door slammed shut.

“Eek!”

The maids who had been watching nervously gasped in fear. The butler clenched his fists, sweat beading on his palms from the tension.

“His Majesty came personally while you were away, sir.”

“……”

Even the loyal servants of the Stewart family had no choice but to comply when the Emperor himself came.

‘He must have timed it deliberately for when I wasn’t here.’

Percy lowered his eyes. A memory of Julius’ words came to mind.

– Sienna belongs to the Emperor.

He had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

After the coronation, I continued to spend my days lazily, like a pampered cat in a wealthy household.

‘Is it really okay to be this idle?’

There was one thing that weighed on my mind: Beth.

‘At the coronation, she fell even though she didn’t actually bump into me.’

It was as if she had made up her mind to frame me as the villainess.

‘She might continue to act that way in the future.’

I needed to prepare for that possibility. However, since we were still in the official mourning period for the late emperor, it wasn’t appropriate to host any banquets or even small tea parties during this time. As a result, if I didn’t leave the Stewart estate, there was little chance I would encounter Beth.

‘So I might as well relax and enjoy my time here.’

Time slipped by uneventfully, and now only about 30 days remained until the ending. I decided that until then, I wouldn’t take a single step outside the Stewart mansion.

But then, an unexpected guest came to visit.

“Julius.”

When I heard that a guest had arrived, I hurried down to the drawing room, only to find Julius sitting there. I blurted out his name in surprise, then quickly grabbed my skirt and bent into a hurried bow, changing my address.

“Oh, I mean, Your Majesty.”

But how exactly should I be greeting him now? Julius clicked his tongue as he watched me tilt my head in confusion.

“Don’t bother pretending to be polite. I know you don’t really mean it.”

“…What are you talking about? Seriously.”

I pouted, standing upright again, but a sly smile crept onto my face. I plopped down cheerfully beside Julius and asked.

“What brings you here? Aren’t you busy?”

Julius pressed his fingers against his eyelids, answering with a sigh.

“I’m incredibly busy. I haven’t even slept.”

“Then why are you here? Shouldn’t you be working?”

“Can’t I take a break and come see you?”

“Ugh. Don’t say things like that; it’s creepy.”

“…You, are you pushing your luck just because I’ve been too lenient with you?”

“And what if I am?”

I laughed playfully. Talking with Julius was one of the few things I genuinely enjoyed in this game, even after he became the Emperor.

To be honest, Julius did look exhausted. It wasn’t surprising, given that he had only recently become Emperor. There must have been countless stressful and demanding tasks on his plate.

‘I was shocked too. Who would have thought that such a timid Julius would overthrow the Emperor and seize the crown?’

Not to mention the subsequent murders of his brothers. I had never met Julius’s other siblings, so I couldn’t fully grasp the situation, but Julius must have been deeply troubled by it all.

‘Even if this is just the setting of a game, these people are truly living their lives.’

Thinking about Julius’s circumstances made me feel a bit somber. I asked him again, more gently this time.

“So, why are you really here? You said you’re busy.”

Julius reached out his hand to me. The gloved hand oddly reminded me of Percy.

“I came to take you back, Sienna.”

“Huh?”

What was he talking about?

I frowned, not understanding, and Julius frowned in turn as he explained.

“I told you that since the wedding has been postponed, you should return to the Imperial Palace.”

“Well…”

It wasn’t that I particularly wanted to go back to the palace.

‘If I leave the Stewart mansion, I’ll have more chances to run into Beth!’

That was something I desperately wanted to avoid. As I fidgeted with my fingers, coming up with excuses, Julius misunderstood my hesitation and grabbed my hand firmly.

“No one will be able to mistreat you anymore. Are you still uneasy?”

Julius’s brown eyes looked at me with such seriousness that I couldn’t help but smile as I gently pulled my hand away from his.

“No, I trust you, Julius. What harm could a fool like you possibly cause me?”

“It would be nice if you could speak more kindly. It hurts the fool’s feelings.”

“That’s exactly why I said it.”

“You little…”

I giggled at Julius’s irritated expression. Even Julius, who had been pretending to be mad, eventually let out a small chuckle. He rested his arm on the sofa’s armrest and propped his chin up, speaking in a quieter tone.

“I haven’t been able to sleep lately.”

Surprised by his unexpected confession, I turned to look at him with wide eyes. Julius continued, deliberately keeping his gaze averted.

“When I dream, I see Father, and my brothers who are gone. I keep thinking that maybe the one who should have died was me.”

“…”

“Help me, Sienna.”

I stared silently at Julius’s profile. He was trying to act tough, but it was clear that his vulnerability was leaking out, as if he couldn’t keep it bottled up anymore.