Episode 59
“Ugh.”
The moment she regained consciousness, a migraine hit her.
As Regina let out a groan, Leopold, who was sitting next to her, sprang to his feet.
“Miss Regina? Are you coming to?”
“Ah… Mr. Leo.”
“Here’s some medicine for the headache.”
As Regina sat up, Leopold offered her the water and medicine he had prepared.
He looked extremely displeased.
After swallowing the medicine, Regina mumbled softly, as if making an excuse.
“I don’t usually faint like this. It was just today.”
“……”
Leopold wasn’t good with words, but he was the type to sincerely keep a conversation going.
When he firmly kept his mouth shut, Regina couldn’t help but read the room.
“Bleeding like that isn’t normal either. It’s only because I tried to use it on so many people at once—it’s not usually like this.”
“You must have pushed yourself too far for something that rarely happens.”
There was a chill in his voice, laced with barely concealed anger.
But his anger wasn’t directed at Regina.
It was anger at himself for failing to protect her completely.
“Hah.”
Letting out a sigh, Leopold looked over Regina.
While she had fainted, he had wiped the blood from her face, but her reddened eye area rendered the effort useless.
It pained him. A lot.
“It’s all my fault.”
“What? How is this your fault, Mr. Leo?”
“If I had taken care of those bastards earlier, this wouldn’t have happened today.”
“Don’t blame yourself for what they did wrong.”
“……”
Instead of answering, he pressed his lower lip tightly together.
If only he had taken better care of Edgar, if only he had defended Regina more actively…
Countless regrets churned inside him.
‘She might feel burdened by me acting like this.’
They were broken up, and they hadn’t even been in a deep relationship.
His feelings had been intense from the beginning, but to Regina, he was just a mild interest at best.
So if he acted emotionally like this, it would only be a burden to her—he had to pull himself together.
“I’m sorry. You must be the one who’s suffering the most, Miss Regina.”
“It’s okay.”
“How could it be okay. That… that’s something you wanted to hide, isn’t it?”
Regina’s eyes widened.
He was more concerned about the emotional wound than the fact she had collapsed bleeding.
Most people would focus on the visible injuries…
She felt something hot well up and burst in her chest.
“It’s the first time someone other than family has worried about me like this…”
Her voice grew thick with emotion.
Even trying to clear her throat with a short cough didn’t help much.
“My abilities were already revealed anyway… What I hated more was being helpless.”
“I could have retaliated for you.”
“I just found it more fun to throw the punch myself. And my late mother used to say this: If you hide it, it becomes a weakness, but if you reveal it, it becomes a trait. I think I’m starting to understand what she meant.”
As their eyes met, Regina smiled gently, as if nothing was wrong.
Leopold, feeling bitter, swallowed something down his throat.
Feeling ashamed, he lowered his head deeply, and Regina carefully placed a hand on his cheek.
Leopold’s shoulders flinched.
She slowly lifted his face.
Leopold avoided her gaze.
“Mr. Leo.”
“Yes……”
“Look into my eyes.”
“…Yes.”
With difficulty, Leopold met her gaze.
Her eyes were as blue as the ocean, yet warm like a sunny day.
Regina gently curved her eyes into a smile.
“I’m not that weak. And I’ll only get stronger.”
“I know.”
“You don’t seem to know.”
“…Then please show me. By staying by my side.”
It was impulsive. But it was a confession he had long held in his heart.
He didn’t regret it.
If he didn’t say it now, his chest full of feelings would explode at the worst moment later.
What saddened him now was the idea that he might not get to see Miss Regina’s face again.
“Alright. Then.”
Yes. This is the end now.
He was the one who made things awkward—so it’s his responsibility to avoid seeing her again.
Leopold, for the first time in a long while, felt like crying.
“Be careful from now on… Huh?”
“I’ll show you by your side.”
“I—I didn’t mishear that, did I?”
“I’m thinking of becoming someone who can overcome the thing that’s always made me hesitate.”
Regina had decided not to be afraid anymore.
Even if people shunned her because of her powers, Leopold wouldn’t.
He wasn’t repulsed when he saw her bleeding from the eyes—he had worried about her heart first.
“D-Don’t tell me…”
“If I ever lose courage, cheer me on from beside me. Okay?”
She was sure now. If she let go of Leopold, she would regret it forever.
So Regina made up her mind to move forward with courage.
***
Viscount Gressley, who had fled the parliament in a panic, rode his horse like a madman back to his home.
“What happened? Is the Empress going back to Trovancha now?”
The Viscountess, who had been humiliated by Alice and Regina at the tea party, bombarded him with questions.
“It’s all over.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“The Duke of Berg can’t even beat Her Majesty the Empress, let alone the Emperor. We should go to the countryside.”
“Why suddenly the countryside?!”
“When the Duke of Berg falls, our heads will roll with his.”
Viscount Gressley explained what had happened to his wife.
“So let’s just lay low in the countryside for a few years. Once the palace is cleaned up, we can come back and rebuild.”
“Oh no…”
The Viscountess hated the countryside.
She didn’t want to miss the latest trends, nor could she give up parties and gatherings.
If she returned to the capital after a few years, she would be excluded from social circles and just another rustic country lady.
But none of that was worth more than her life, wealth, or reputation.
“I need to pack the jewels first.”
“Good thinking. Let’s leave tonight.”
And so, Viscount Gresley fled to the countryside faster than anyone else.
And Count Ruman…
***
Count Ruman, who had returned from parliament practically crawling on his knees, was terrified.
He had declared that the meeting had been convened for the Empress, so there was no doubt he had fallen out of favor with the Duke of Berg.
Yet he couldn’t pledge loyalty to the Emperor either.
Even if he had the excuse that he’d been misled, he had still held a hearing against Regina Berchio, and he had been loyal to the Duke for years.
“Chris! They say Edgar Rundballenieu can already read the paper, and you’re still playing with toys?!”
Count Ruman vented his frustration on his son, Chris.
The countess, no longer able to stand it, stepped in.
“Enough already. Chris is only eight years old!”
“Eight is grown! You just didn’t see how clever the young duke around the same age is!”
As his parents argued, Chris wiped away his tears.
Chris wasn’t brave like Helen, smart like Edgar, or good-natured like Lilliana.
At that moment, a letter arrived for Countess Ruman.
“Madam! A letter from the palace!”
“For me? Not for Chris?”
“Oh, there’s one for the young master too. It’s from Her Majesty’s youngest sibling.”
Chris took his letter and dashed into his room.
Count and Countess Ruman opened their own letter immediately.
“It’s from Her Majesty.”
“Her Majesty?”
“She met Miss Regina at a tea party hosted by Marquis Eldridge not long ago. The atmosphere was quite friendly—maybe that’s why?”
“How would I know? Just hurry and read what it says.”
Urged by her husband, the countess opened the envelope.
[…Lilliana says she misses Chris very much. The two of them are really good friends.]
“You’ve never met Lady Lilliana, right? She’s very kind to our Chris.”
“Hmph. Still just a foreigner from Trovancha.”
The countess resisted the urge to smack her husband’s mouth and continued reading the letter.
[And you are also a good friend to my sister. Regina told me many times how kind you were to her.]
“You were close with Regina Berchio?”
“Actually, the three of us, including Marquis Eldridge, planned to go to a performance together.”
“I told you to stay close with the Duchess of Berg—why are you getting close to a woman like that!”
As the count exploded, the countess replied in a crawling voice.
“The duchess is a bit…”
“The duchess is a bit?”
“She’s… looked down on me more than once, I told you.”
“That’s what matters?”
“L-Let’s just finish the letter.”
[I want to get along with House Ruman. I trust Count Ruman will understand what I mean.]
“Gasp!”
Count Ruman covered his mouth.
The Empress had extended her hand to him through his wife.
Knowing he was falling out with the Duke of Berg and couldn’t swear loyalty to the Emperor, she was inviting him to become her ally.
She even seemed willing to overlook the past unpleasantness.
‘When an opportunity comes, I must prove my worth!’
That was the only way to survive.
“Is Chris… really close with Lady Lilliana?”
“You called her that foreign girl just now, and now it’s Lady Lilliana?”
“W-When did I ever… After the performance with Miss Regina, buy something delicious for her. Make sure to stay close with her. Got it?”
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to go see the performance that day.”
“W-What? Are you crazy?”
“If I leave just you and Chris behind, you’ll yell at our son again. Hmm. I’m worried…”
Seeing her husband turn pale, the countess made up her mind.
She would be absolutely loyal to Her Majesty the Empress and Miss Regina—and fix her husband’s ways once and for all.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
