“Episode 4”
Arist tried to calm her mind as much as possible and decided to accept this reality. It was better than going back to that dreadful previous life.
“This is…”
A glint caught Arist’s eyes as she stood alone looking at the mirror. There was a sparkling fragment near her white neck. The small crystal, shining beneath the thin skin covering the place where she had been cut in her previous life, was so tiny that it wouldn’t be noticed unless examined closely.
“The fragment of that gem…?”
Arist prodded the spot with her finger, but she didn’t feel any foreign sensation. Yet, the mysterious and subtle light surrounding the fragment captivated her attention.
“Princess?”
At that moment, Veronique came and interrupted her reverie.
“Why are you staring at the mirror like that?”
“Oh, I thought I saw something here.”
Arist gestured around, but Veronique rushed over in concern and examined Arist’s neck.
“Where?”
“Here.”
Arist pointed precisely where the fragment was gleaming, but Veronique looked puzzled.
“There’s nothing there.”
But Arist had seen it clearly. Another inexplicable event had occurred, adding to the already unexplainable occurrences she had experienced.
“Anyway, it’s already July. We’ll be busier because of the Great Festival.”
“The Festival…?”
Arist was about to let it slide, but she suddenly froze at Veronique’s words. July at nineteen… At that time, Arist was on the verge of being selected as the Empress.
“Oh, right, the Festival!”
Veronique cocked her head as she watched Arist abruptly stand up. Today, the princess seemed strange.
“Veronique, the Empress selection is coming soon, right?”
“Yes. Are you nervous? You have until September to prepare.”
The disastrous matchmaking for Arist had occurred in September, and the wedding took place in October. How could she forget? A dreadful fate had been sealed for ten years in her previous life.
“No…”
Arist muttered anxiously, and Veronique patted her shoulder.
“It’s okay. Where else can they find a more beautiful candidate than the princess? His Majesty and Her Majesty are putting in so much effort.”
That was the problem. The King and Queen had long spread rumors about their beautiful daughter to make her known to the royal court. The rumor was that the most beautiful woman on the continent was reaching marriageable age. Acting according to their wishes, the young emperor marked Arist as a candidate for Empress.
“…That won’t do.”
At Arist’s anxious murmur, Veronique looked puzzled.
“It’s fine. Where else can they find a more beautiful candidate than the princess? His Majesty and Her Majesty are putting in so much effort.”
That was the problem. The King and Queen had long spread rumors about their beautiful daughter to make her known to the royal court. The rumor was that the most beautiful woman on the continent was reaching marriageable age. Acting according to their wishes, the young emperor marked Arist as a candidate for Empress.
“…That won’t do.”
At Arist’s anxious murmur, Veronique looked puzzled.
“What’s wrong with you, princess?”
“I need to see the Queen Mother. Where is she now?”
“The princess… You’re acting strange today. She’s currently staying at the Duke’s Manor.”
The Queen Mother was the beloved of the Duke of Parell and still had close ties with her family. She might have been the only humane figure in this kingdom. Due to this, Arist couldn’t attach herself to any family members other than her grandmother.
“I’ll go to the Duke’s Manor. I need to see Grandma.”
Arist had been to the Duke’s Manor several times with the Queen Mother. It wasn’t like she couldn’t go there, and Arist had always followed her grandmother, so there was no reason for suspicion.
“But… first, I need to get permission from His Majesty and Her Majesty.”
The King and Queen were distant from the Queen Mother. To be precise, it was the Queen Mother who distanced herself from the King and Queen for pragmatic and materialistic reasons.
“I’ll personally ask for it.”
Arist said urgently. If she let go of her hand until the selection, she would end up becoming the emperor’s wife and living as the wife of that madman. She had returned to the past where she could barely repent; she couldn’t just sit idly by.
“Yeah… there’s the selection, right? This could be my last Great Festival sent off by the kingdom. If I mention that, they’ll probably grant permission.”
In reality, Arist never returned to her homeland after becoming the Empress. She never saw Veronique again after they parted ways.
“Before getting married, it’s the last chance… I have to get permission somehow.”
It was understandable that Arist’s heart was troubled before the marriage. Despite being a princess, her feelings weren’t any different from those of other women. Considering the emperor’s lavish praise of Arist’s portrait, it was uncertain if this would indeed be the kingdom’s last Great Festival.
“If it’s about that, they might grant permission.”
With a somewhat regretful feeling, Veronique helped Arist adjust her clothes.
“If you become Empress, it will be harder to visit the kingdom…”
Marrying into the royal family meant losing almost all freedom, just like being married into the nobility. But for the King and Queen, the power of being the parents of the Empress was more important than their daughter’s happiness, so there was nothing to be done.
“Yeah, if Abamama is in a good mood, she’ll grant permission.”
Arist smiled wryly. It was better to persuade the more likely King than the whimsical Queen.
“Abamama would never allow it.”
Moreover, the Queen was the stepmother. Although she had raised Arist as a substitute for the deceased former Queen since childhood, the mother and daughter could never mix like water and oil. The Queen always seemed strangely cold to Arist, so it was expected.
“Please speak to His Majesty. Staying at the Duke’s Manor will allow you to enjoy the Great Festival more and create memories.”
Arist nodded at Veronique’s advice. It was a reasonable reason to move the King’s heart.
Fortunately, the King granted Arist’s request. It was also a kind of reward for his daughter, who would soon become Empress, to leave time to create memories.
“Pack appropriately. I want to leave as soon as possible tomorrow.”
Arist said to the busy Veronique.
“Aren’t you rushing too much?”
“I just… want to see Grandma quickly.”
At that, Veronique smiled warmly and moved busily again. The Queen Mother was already old and not entirely lucid, with little time left to spend with her. She could understand Arist’s heartfelt desire to see her soon.
“Well, once the Great Festival starts in earnest, it’ll be difficult for the carriages to get around.”
The Great Festival was a tradition in Leon Kingdom where people gathered in the streets to eat, drink, and enjoy themselves. One peculiar aspect was that everyone wore masks, so much so that some people visited just for the festival.
“Yeah. Everyone will be wearing masks and flooding the square.”
“Princess, you don’t have a mask, do you?”
Arist nodded. Although this festival was the most famous in the kingdom, Arist had never participated in it. As a princess, she couldn’t wear a mask and enjoy the festival in the grand square. So, she didn’t have her own mask.
“Then, please go to bed early. I’ll finish packing.”
“Yeah.”
Alone, Arist bit her lip in silence. Avoiding the Duke’s Manor was a good idea. If by some chance she couldn’t find a way to avoid the selection, she was prepared to escape.
“Even so, I’ll have to apologize to Grandma.”
But Arist knew her grandmother would encourage her happiness. Unlike the king, who saw her as a tool for strategic marriage, or the bloodless queen, her grandmother was different.
“But I still need to find a surefire way.”
Realistically, it wouldn’t be easy for a princess to escape and live on her own.
“To avoid the selection… to not become Empress… for reasons like that.”
It was a difficult task. But Arist had to come up with those reasons within the deadline. If she couldn’t, then coming back in time, getting a second chance at life, would all be meaningless.
The pain of the past life, the despair that led her to take her own life… “No.”
Arist shook her head. She would live a different life. Not becoming Patrick’s Empress, who had deceived her all her life, but achieving that ordinary life where she could live as herself.
—
When Arist arrived at the Duke’s Manor, the weather was exceptionally clear. However, since the Queen Mother was unconscious, she could only briefly enter her room and see her face. If she could turn back time, Arist thought, it would have been better to go back to when her grandmother was healthy. She swallowed the bitter thought.
“The Queen Mother…”
Veronique asked when she saw Arist entering the room. Arist nodded with a vague smile.
“She’s asleep.”
“Then, you couldn’t talk to her.”
“Yeah. But it was nice to see her face.”
Because of the vivid memories of her previous life, seeing her grandmother’s face felt like going back decades. Just being able to come here was something to be grateful for.
“They say she comes to her senses once every few days, so let’s wait.”
“Yes. I’m sure she’ll be very happy to see you.”
“I hope so.”
Arist expressed her wish. Perhaps due to the wounds from her previous life still unhealed, her grandmother’s warmth felt poignant.
“And what about Lance?”
“He’s waiting in the reception room. Will you meet him now? Aren’t you tired?”
“I want to meet him now.”
Lance was the heir to the title of Parrel Duchy, Arist’s cousin brother. They had been quite close since childhood, being only three years apart.
“Then, this way…”
Following Veronica’s guidance, as they entered the reception room, Lance quickly rose from his seat with a welcoming expression.
“Princess.”
“Long time no see, please have a seat.”
“Yes!”
Replying confidently, the sixteen-year-old heir of Parrel Duchy, though still young, had a sturdy physique and an impressive gaze.
“Your voice is still loud as ever.”
“I’m just glad to see you after so long…”
Lance made a somewhat awkward expression. Although he had grown up, whenever he saw Arist, he seemed to revert to the mischievous boy from their childhood.
“It’s uncertain when we’ll meet again after the Empress selection ends, so… I was so pleased to hear you were coming this time. It would have been even better if Father were here.”
“The Duke is in the imperial capital for urgent matters. I came here suddenly.”
Actually, what Arist wanted to see wasn’t the Duke, but her grandmother and Lance, so it was fine.
“Thanks to you, I’m currently acting as the deputy of Parrel Duchy… so maybe there will be even better opportunities.”
Lance smiled as if he had some hidden agenda. It felt like unexpected events were about to unfold.
