Ian spoke again.
“Lethenia, I don’t…”
“Stop.”
I cut him off with a firm voice, knowing what he was going to say.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t the person who should hear those words. All of this should have been directed at the original owner of this body, Lethenia.
But everything had become tangled. Lethenia was gone, and I had to carry on with her life. I could never disclose the truth to him—that I wasn’t the real Lethenia.
If he finds out, I might really die at the hands of this man.
“Ian.”
At this point, there was nothing I could change.
I wasn’t the real Lethenia, and I couldn’t accept his feelings. I didn’t want to think about complicated relationship issues.
I didn’t want to be held back by his love and obsession for Lethenia.
“Would you give up everything for love?”
“…….”
“Would you hand over everything to the enemy, the ruthless Duke Bledel, right now and run away?”
He didn’t answer. I felt a strange sense of relief.
“Perhaps you can’t. If you were that kind of person, you wouldn’t have treated the woman you love so cruelly in the first place.”
I knew my sharp words were piercing his heart.
But I didn’t want to leave behind any trace of affection or emotion toward him.
“You know it’s too late now.”
“…….”
“I don’t love you.”
“…….”
“So, please let me go as well.”
The calmness in his face slowly turned into deep despair.
××××××××××××××××××××××
“Anyway, it’s a relief. The atmosphere in the palace has been so tense these past few days after what happened to His Majesty the Emperor.”
As the tension that had been at its peak for the past few days eased somewhat, Stella let out a soft sigh and spoke.
Ian’s recovery had softened the expressions of the palace staff, who had been stiff the entire time.
If the Emperor, who had no successor, had suddenly died, there would have been a terrible upheaval in the palace.
Although the healing stone had prevented that from happening, I had been restless in my mind since entering and coming out of that secret room.
Things weren’t working out the way I thought they should.
It wasn’t my intervention in this world that changed the story.
Ian’s paintings existed before I even transmigrated.
The original story concealed all this information.
Everything is similar, but… subtly different.
Stella continued, her voice slightly excited.
“As I expected, His Majesty seems to cherish Empress the most. His relationship with Rosetin was all fake.”
Stella believed that Ian had a deep affection for me, enough to stake his life. She wasn’t the only one.
The emperor was stabbed while trying to protect the empress.
Because of this, words that would have been unthinkable in the past are now diligently being spoken.
In truth, the Emperor cherished the Empress deeply.
Furthermore, the newly revitalized Emperor had not taken a single step toward Rosetin, who had lost consciousness due to exhaustion from crying.
Even when she came to the imperial palace, he used the excuse of being busy and did not meet her at all.
This led to the ridiculous rumor that Rosetin had been pushed aside by the Emperor.
I recalled Ian’s eyes filled with despair. The protagonist, Ian, loved Lethenia.
So what comes next? My mind was in complete disarray.
Then, would the horrific ending where Lethenia is sentenced to death remain the same?
I couldn’t make a judgment.
Could I be certain that he wouldn’t try to kill me?
Could there be an event that would completely change his deep affection for Lethenia?
“I wonder if he’s really going to try to kill me…….”
I muttered to myself without realizing it. Stella was startled by my muttering; her eyes widened in surprise.
“What are you talking about?”
Stella’s question, filled with puzzlement, made me snap back to reality.
I momentarily set aside my doubts about this world’s structure and gave her a suitable answer.
“Oh, I mean… Anyway, Ian and I are practically enemies. You never know how the situation might change. In this world, even family members turn their swords on each other when it comes to political matters.”
“If it were that easy for him to change his mind, he wouldn’t have risked his life for the Empress that day.”
Stella responded with a gentle yet firm tone.
Her words weren’t entirely wrong, but the unsettling feeling still lingered.
“In any case, it won’t change the fact that I have to leave.”
Upon hearing that, Stella’s face darkened. Regardless of Ian’s true feelings, that was the reality I faced now.
In this tiresome struggle steeped with deep resentment, whether Ian became the victor, the Duke of Bledel, or whatever, I would be dethroned.
Although Ian still seemed to love Lethenia, he didn’t appear to be willing to give up a lifelong pursuit of revenge.
‘If the day ever comes that Ian learns of Lethenia’s relationship with the Duke of Bledel…….’
If Ian ever finds out that Lethenia is not the real daughter of Duke Bledel, he will never let me go.
The thought of being trapped inside the palace for the rest of my life sent shivers down my spine.
I can’t spend the rest of my life as an empty shell next to someone who doesn’t love me.
Therefore, I must continue with my plans to leave and start a new life in a place where no one knows me.
××××××××××××××××××××××
The Emperor, who was previously in such a dire state that access to the imperial palace had been controlled, appeared before his subjects a few days later, looking healthy and well-groomed.
The Duke faction, who had raised their glasses thinking that it was now their world, would be in for a surprise.
But the Emperor’s faction was equally uneasy.
The Duke of Bledel, who was said to be on the verge of death, disappeared for a while, then reappeared, looking healthier than ever.
No one knew what mysterious remedy both the Emperor and the Duke had used, but they both appeared healthier than before.
Regardless, the key figures of divided power had returned to good health, so it was time to resume the power struggle.
The full details of the heinous incident during the previous audience day event were still not properly uncovered.
Since everything was just speculation based on circumstantial evidence, the officials just talked nonsense and tried to pin the blame on the opposition faction.
Everything seemed to be back to square one.
It was revealed that the culprit who had tried to kill the empress in front of everyone was a Xenos slave who had fled from the Briland farm. But they didn’t know who was behind the crime.
The culprit was dead, and the knife used in the crime had already disappeared.
Moreover, it was difficult to keep track of the black mage organizations spread across the globe.
The Duke had been bedridden for a while due to illness, and it was unclear how he had managed to orchestrate anything.
There had to be someone moving in the shadows, operating as stealthily as the Duke’s puppet.
However, even though Ian had been secretly watching the Duke’s residence all this time, they still couldn’t catch any leads.
‘How can someone orchestrate all of this without ever being detected by anyone?’
Coincidentally, this incident stirred up public outrage against the Xenosians.
The people of the empire were shocked when they witnessed the Emperor being attacked by the assassin’s knife.
The very next day, rumors began to spread that the culprit was a Xenos slave.
The fact that a Xenos slave had disguised themselves as an Ashan and even used dark magic deepened the people’s prejudice against Xenosians.
Ironically, this atmosphere put the Duke faction in a subtly dominant position, as they had always advocated strict policies against Xenos slaves.
If, instead, the hated Empress had been the one stabbed, people might not have been as furious.
The fact that the Emperor, who had always been lenient towards Xenosians, suffered such a heinous act in a public place further incited the people’s anger.
The public sentiment had never favored the Duke’s faction until now, but this incident had created such significant turmoil in the country that it cast a shadow over the entire nation.
Suddenly, there were even extremists suggesting that all visible Xenosians should be subjected to witch trials.
For a few days, the country was further stirred up by a poster conveying a message that the vile Xenosians, associated with black magic, needed to be captured and killed.
People were very upset by that. I couldn’t help but suspect it might be another one of Duke Bledel’s tricks.
“Now we have to conduct a poison test even when eating a single piece of pastry.”
“It’s cumbersome, but it’s necessary. Anyway, the fact that rebels are hiding within Asha is now clear.”
On a tray that Stella brought, various tools for testing poison were neatly arranged along with lemon fritters.
Due to the attack incident, security within the palace had become stricter.
The number of guards had doubled, and even simple tasks like eating and drinking were no longer done with ease.
Regardless of being in the Emperor faction or the Duke faction, the attendants were closely monitored under the pretext of imperial protection.
From the perspective of the nobles, this situation was uncomfortable, but when it came to the rebellion issue, no one dared to voice their objections.
Ian seemed tirelessly determined to uncover the mastermind behind it all.
Those connected to the audience-day event were all detained and undergoing interrogation.
Anyone suspected of being a black mage, regardless of their social status, had to endure imprisonment until the investigation was concluded.
Furthermore, they were investigating all suspicious circumstances, such as whether any individuals with questionable backgrounds had recently entered the country or if unauthorized ships had docked in the harbor.
Of course, it was unlikely that the cunning Duke Bledel would be easily apprehended just because of these efforts.
Nevertheless, for the time being, the Duke’s faction had to maintain a low profile to avoid unjust implications in this affair.
At this time, the Imperial Palace was shrouded in a chilling atmosphere, day after day.
“By the way, this time Princess Erita won’t be able to discreetly rely on the Emperor’s favor.”
Stella, with a sly grin, shared some news about Delua.
