While Sierra was being treated by a doctor in the Duke’s guest room, Edith, Killian, the Duchess, and Princess Catherine heard an amazing story from a sobbing Daniel.
“So, you’re John?”
“Yes…”
“You also recognized the Marchioness of Theroux, yes?”
“Yes.”
“But why did you pretend not to know at first?”
John sniffed his nose, fidgeted with his hands, and finally opened his mouth.
“I heard that my mother abandoned me. I secretly threw it away because I was useless… But I’m afraid I’ll be hated even more if I’m found out here…”
Catherine got angry at those words.
“Who! Who said that?”
“Hey, my aunt…”
“Your aunt?”
John clearly remembered what happened five years ago.
* * *
On the day of the outdoor banquet at the imperial court, John was playing in the garden with his cousins. It was the happiest day, with nice weather, plenty of food, and fun with peers he hadn’t seen in a long time. Then his aunt, Avery, beckoned from over there.
“Aunt!”
“It’s been a while, John.”
She grinned, picked him up, and walked deeper into the garden.
“Auntie, where are we going?”
“Umm, I’m taking John with me because your mom asked me for a favor.”
John clung to her without suspecting anything when he heard that her mother had told him to. She was Theroux’s aunt, who often came to visit and became close friends. However, in the remote garden where she carried John, a man was waiting for them with the shabby commoner boy’s clothes and wig.
“Let’s change clothes.”
“Why?”
“It’s a game of disguise. We put on disguises and play hide and seek.”
“Wow, that sounds fun!”
John was so excited that he changed his clothes and put on his wig.
“What do you think, Auntie? No one will know it’s me, right?”
“I see. You won’t get caught.”
Avery’s smile was a little strange, but John thought so it was part of the game. But this time, the man waiting there picked up John, looked around, and placed him in a carriage.
“Uh? Why are we taking the carriage?”
“Listen carefully, John. All your mother asked your aunt to do was leave you behind. You are of no use to your mother.”
“What?”
“Think about it. She already have two more healthy sons, so there’s no reason for your mother to have to raise you.”
“Yeah, but!”
Avery took out her wen bag from her arms and shook it.
“Look at this. This is money I got from your mom in exchange for cleaning up after you. Do you remember this silk pouch?”
Of course he remembered. Because that was one of the gifts John gave his mom for Mother’s Day this year.
“She said he didn’t need it and gave it to me. Your mom had a really hard time raising you. Because you don’t look like your father, she was even suspected of having an affair.”
As John was at a loss for words, the man riding in the carriage with him spoke.
“If you don’t want to be a nuisance to your mother any longer, it’s better to follow along quietly. If you make a fuss, your mother will be in more trouble.”
Then he slammed the carriage door shut. Suddenly, John fell from the middle of happiness to the abyss of unhappiness and was unable to come to his senses. He cried and struggled later, but he was only beaten by the man. And the man who took John somewhere in the countryside sold him to the owner of an inn.
* * *
“The culprit was Aunt Sierra’s sister…!”
Catherine covered her mouth. John was smart enough to remember all this, but at the time he was only a child of eight years old. And when he heard no word that the Marquis of Theroux was looking for him, John believed Avery’s words.
“No, John! They were afraid that if they spread the word that they were looking for you, the kidnappers might harm you. Your parents tried everything to find you!”
Catherine cried and hugged John. And then, there was the sound of something falling behind them. When everyone turned around in surprise, they saw Sierra sitting there, trembling, with a devastated face.
“John…!”
“Uh, mom…”
“My baby, since the day I lost you, there hasn’t been a single moment when I haven’t thought about you. I have been unable to die because of the hope that you would still be alive.”
“Mom!”
John got up and ran to Sierra. The mother and son, who met for the first time in five years, hugged each other and shed tears. While everyone was filled with emotion at the sight, only Edith was shaken.
‘It’s a good thing, but… Why did I find him?’
In the original, Lise found the boy, but this time she felt uneasy about what she had found. It was an added bonus that she felt like she had been robbed of a talented person who seemed promising. In any case, judging from her memories of the original, the Emperor would soon call her and offer to repay her with something.
‘Tsk. No matter how much I hate it, I have to save people’s lives, right?’
Of course, it was unknown whether the Emperor would really forgive Lise.
Duke Ludwig and Cliff, who had nothing to do with this, had a high chance of being released, but hanging was being discussed for Lise, who had dared to bring in a fake and caused even greater pain to the Marquis of Theroux.
* * *
The imperial family was in an uproar at the news that the real John had been found this time.
Sierra’s younger sister, Avery, was quickly arrested and an interrogation team was set up to convict her. She denied it, but when the innkeeper who bought John and the man who sold him John were arrested and gave their testimony, she finally gave up.
“My sister had everything, but she always pretended to be noble, she always pretended to be elegant! I wish she had seen that face distorted just once!”
She always thought she was prettier and more popular than her older sister. However, the Marquis of Theroux chose Sierra as his bride, and she was greatly shocked. The more her older sister started her happy family, the more her hatred for her older sister grew, and she kidnapped her youngest son, whom her older sister and her husband loved so much, hoping to ruin her older sister’s happiness. The kidnapping of her youngest son, which had caused the Marquis of Theroux and his wife to suffer for five years, had a fortunate yet bitter ending. And the Emperor summoned Killian and Edith without deciding on the disposition of the Ludwig family.
“It was a coincidence that could truly be considered a trick of God, but it is true that you saved John and kept him safe. If it weren’t for you, my brother and I might have suffered until the day we died.”
“Here comes the Emperor.”
“I heard that the Countess was the one who saved John, right? So Edit Risen. Tell me what you wish for. “I will present the award on behalf of Marquis Theroux.”
Edith, who was bowing her head, took a deep breath and gathered courage.
“The Count Rysen family wishes for nothing more, as they are already enjoying a full-fledged life thanks to His Majesty’s benevolence. Nevertheless, I dare to ask you, please forgive my sister-in-law, Lise Ludwig, just once.”
“What?”
The Emperor’s brow twitched.
“The fact that you saved John is separate from Lise Ludwig’s humiliation of the imperial family by bringing in a fake.”
“I know. But if that hadn’t happened, Lady Theroux would never have come to see the Duke, and she wouldn’t have recognized John. We would have taken Johan to Ryzen without knowing anything.”
It seemed as if a gurgling sound came from the emperor’s throat.
“Isn’t this all God’s arrangement to return the son to the Marquis of Theroux and his wife? Please think of this and forgive my sister-in-law just this once.”
After pondering for a while, the Emperor finally let out a long sigh and came to an undesirable conclusion.
“Now that you say that, I’m at a loss for words to answer. I get it. I will spare Lise Ludwig’s life.”
This meant that Lise had avoided the worst situation, but it did not mean that she was completely exonerated.
“Instead of sparing her well-deserved life, I deprive Lise Ludwig of her noble status and order her to serve in a monastery for the rest of her life and repent for her sins. As of today, her marriage to Cliff Ludwig is also invalidated.”
Everyone in the Ludwig family was speechless for a while at the Emperor’s decision. However, it was unreasonable for her to expect greater forgiveness from the Emperor. Lise, who tried to protect her status as ‘Duchess Ludwig’ by signing a prenuptial agreement with Cliff, was eventually stripped of her position as Cliff’s wife by order of the Emperor.
* * *
‘Yes, everything went wrong when Edith appeared. Why did something like that happen…’
Leaning against the cold stone wall of the prison and reminiscing about her past, Lise regretted it again. At that time, if she didn’t possess Edith with that person, no, if she didn’t ignore Killian’s change and move on. But now it was all a useless idea.
‘What happens to me now?’
The immediate urgent task was to uncover ‘Fake John’. She had no idea that the location of the point, which was set as ‘above the collarbone’ in the original, had changed. The crime of insulting the imperial family was the second most serious crime after treason. She could have been executed like this, or she could have been imprisoned forever. Since she had never cared about the fear or pain of a villain while portraying herself, Lise couldn’t even think about what to do in this situation. At that time, an imperial administrator suddenly appeared.
“Sinner Lise Ludwig, receive orders from His Majesty the Emperor!”
Lise thought that her execution had finally been decided and her mind became faint. However, the Emperor’s command was a bit different from what was expected.
“Your life will be spared, but you will be stripped of your surname Ludwig and your noble status, and you will be ordered to serve in a monastery for the rest of your life and repent for your sins!”
Without any time to panic at the unexpected notice, Lise had to hear even more shocking news.
“She took good care of her sister-in-law. Countess Rysen found the real Master John and asked His Majesty the Emperor to save your life, who promised to reward her.”
“Edith? Edith found John?”
“Yes. She found the real Master John, not the fake one. As soon as we complete the release formalities, you will leave for the Rodante Monastery. Please wait a moment.”
The administrator looked down at Lise with dry eyes and then walked out. But even with the news that her life had been saved, Lise felt complete despair. Because it was clear that she had met an ending befitting her villain acts.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
Last week of this novel. Edith is comming soon!!
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released tomorrow.
Want to read more?
So she realizes she was acting like a villainess!
Is she still going to try something?
Is Edith an angel or a saint?
Thanks for the chapter!!!!!
Lunatic.
They swapped places completely. I feel a little sorry for Cliff. He always loved her but she took that for granted. I hope he gets a happy ending with someone who loves him back
If you were to follow the original Killian would have a lonely ending. As things changed, I think Cliff got the lonely ending, since Killian is happy with Edith.
Nah cause Cliff was more than okay to kill Edith if that was what Lise wanted, so Cliff can suck it.
Lise deserves what she deserves and again I find the sentence much too kind for all the misdeeds she has done.
I think it fits though. If she had been executed, it would have been just an easy escape.
For Lizard the influence of the Ludwig status and all privileges which come with it was the much more important than anything. She also wanted to be above everyone else, hence all her scheme to get closer to the imperial family.
Now she lost all that and is going to be exiled in a monastery, which was not different from the dungeon. They are also famous for mistreating fallen noble women.
Anyway, she won’t be able to escape easily or if so, she’ll be still left with nothing as a commoner.
I don’t think that sentence was light for someone like Lizard. This attention-hungry creature is condemned to live a life without luxury or attention. For me it was a better ending than simply killing her.
No I think this is all based on a logic. Although the original is no more, but who knows if Lise die then the story will start from the beginning. After all, she is the main character. I mean just as Edith was the main villain of the story and every time the possessed Edith died the story starts from the beginning, it can also happen in turn of Lise. Lise never had to face the ending of dieing, no, no one as a main character like Killian or cliff had to face such an ending that’s why none knows just how much power “the original” holds. So executing Lise who is the protagonist of the story might destroy the efforts Edith did for surviving and her happiness.
Pls don’t mind. It’s just my opinion.
Merci beaucoup pour le chapitre RJR.
Edith est vraiment trop gentille d’avoir sauvé Lizard, alors qu’elle aurai pu demander des choses pour son territoire.
La tante du petit Jean qui s’en prend à lui par jalousie pour sa soeur.. mais qu’à fait le pauvre enfant ! Les conflits d’adultes doivent rester entre adultes, ceux qui ne respectent pas cela sont des psychopathe qu’ils faut enfermer pour le bien être de tous.
Très drôle, Lizard qui n’avais pas remarqué que sont comportement était celui d’une méchante. Cliff s’en sort bien il n’aura plus Lizard collé à lui. Pour moi c’est une clémence qu’il ne mérite pas au vu de ce qu’il a fait à Edith et il était clairement le complice de Lizard sur tous les fronts.
To my vet, our little angel Edith, in her kindness, condemned the Lizard to an ending worse than death for her. Love it!!! 🤩🤩🤩
Woah this is so interesting. Not only did the settings for the main character swap with the Villainess, the ML also swapped with the second lead. Now Cliff is the heart broken and lonely one instead of Killian! And Lizard finally realised she’s been the villain all along -_-
But I gotta say, the Emperor saved yours and everyone in Ludwig town’s lives. Move on from this lunatic.
I’m glad Lise will suffer instead of just dying but sometimes Edith is so kind that i’m annoyed. I would like for the ludwig family to suffer some more, they don’t deserve to get rid of the problem this easily, i hope that at least Cliff will never recover from this relationship and never fall in love again, damn bastard 🤩
Eu fico pensando oque vai acontecer com o falso John? Espero que também cuidem bem dele, afinal, ele não tem culpa de nada!