First of all, I must avoid getting involved with the main characters of the original story at all costs. Especially with the heroine, Sieta.
Because her surroundings are going to be crawling with abnormal male leads!
As I nervously threw a cushion, the door opened.
“Ah…”
Lisa, who was pushing a cart filled with food, hesitated and stopped.
“…I knocked several times, but there was no answer, so I thought you were asleep…”
“…”
“But… you haven’t been eating for so long, they said I must make sure you eat…”
Lisa explained eagerly, looking like she was about to cry.
So, thinking I was asleep, she came in to wake me up and serve me food.
Lisa, seeing the cushion lying on the floor, seemed at a loss.
“Your Highness… Is something wrong? Did something upset you…?”
“No, nothing’s wrong.”
I smiled brightly and slowly picked up the cushion. Then I elegantly sat on the sofa and tidied up my hair.
It must be a mess right now.
“Then, please excuse me.”
Lisa quickly began to move the plates.
I watched her carefully. She had served by my side for a long time, but I knew nothing about her except her name.
Before, I hadn’t paid much attention to the maids.
Everyone who served the royals was of noble birth and eager to catch my eye, which I found annoying to deal with.
Also, I had been raised with the belief that royals should not easily mingle with those beneath them.
But now, I needed every little piece of information.
Investigating those around me was the easiest and most necessary thing to do.
“Lisa.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“How long have you been working here?”
“I joined when you turned ten, so… it’s been about nine years now.”
“You’ve been here quite a while.”
I pretended to show interest and began the conversation.
Lisa, while answering diligently, tilted her head as if puzzled by the questions I’d never asked before.
“Which family do you belong to?”
“The Tria family.”
Tria!
I straightened up at the familiar name. A significant family appeared from the beginning.
…Though, the role of this family was to aid the rebellion of Etheron.
“Ah… so you’re from the Tria duchy.”
“Pardon?”
However, Lisa blinked as if she didn’t understand what I meant.
“No, Your Highness. My family is from a count’s house.”
“…What?”
I stopped spreading jam on my bread.
“Not a duchy?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
What kind of nonsense is this?
In my memory, the Tria family was definitely a duchy.
“…I must’ve been mistaken for a moment. I’ve been asleep for a week.”
“…Are you sure you’re okay?”
“You heard the physician say it could happen. Don’t worry too much.”
I shook my head and took a bite of the bread as if it were nothing.
However, Lisa couldn’t erase the worried expression from her face.
“If I need anything, I’ll call, so you can go do your work.”
“Yes, then I’ll take my leave.”
At my dismissal, Lisa left the room. Even as she closed the door behind her, she couldn’t take her eyes off me.
As soon as the door was completely shut, I set the bread down on the plate.
“Maybe they’ll become a duchy later on?”
What kind of merit could turn a count into a duke?
Ordinarily, it would be impossible no matter how much of one’s life was devoted to it.
Yet, the fact that they appear as a ducal family in the original story…
“Something must happen before the original story takes place.”
And it must be something big enough to shake Tuniate to its core.
There was no other way to explain it.
＊ ＊ ＊
In the end, I couldn’t sleep all night.
After a night of reasoning, I came to the conclusion that the major event that shakes Tuniate might be related to my death.
In fact, it didn’t seem likely that any other event worthy of being called a major incident would happen in Tuniate.
The imperial palace of Tuniate seemed to be a very peaceful place on the surface.
Except for the fact that Crown Prince Etheron couldn’t control his divine power.
‘I should first find out what kind of relationship I have with Etheron.’
With no clues, I didn’t know where to start digging.
Actually, there were a few clues. The discrepancies between the original story I knew and reality were the very clues.
The problem was that there was no thread to tie these clues together.
I furrowed my brow slightly.
One thing was certain: if I died, Etheron would be able to freely wield his divine power.
Judging by the past actions, I guessed that this was Lizbeth’s role.
‘What happens if Etheron continues to be unable to control his divine power?’
How much will it affect the original story?
There was no guarantee that Sieta, who hadn’t met Etheron, would successfully escape to Tuniate, and if she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to return to her original world.
Would the conflict between Seyard and Rahitrian continue? As long as I live?
‘…Ugh, wait. That’s not great either.’
In any case, for Sieta to fully return to her original world, she had no choice but to make contact with the Tuniate Empire.
She had to visit the temple to reach out to the goddess Tunia.
And the temple of the goddess Tunia was a place where the imperial family always had their ears open.
‘…I hope they’re always listening.’
To be honest, even this was uncertain.
I had never seen the current emperor, Karos, publicly proclaim an oracle during his reign.
Not that I’d seen much of his face to begin with.
‘…First, let’s focus on staying alive.’
If I tried to worry about other things, I might die before that.
I should solve the most immediate problem first and then plan the next steps.
After being cooped up in my room for two days straight, I got up from my seat.
A place that could solve this bleak situation had come to mind.
Fortunately, Lisa wasn’t around, so I could move without worrying about being noticed.
I was heading to the place where the secrets of the Tuniate Holy Empire were recorded.
It was the restricted section of the royal library.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Lizbeth has woken up?”
A woman with graceful manners stroked the teacup with her finger.
Her fingernails, decorated with small, transparent jewels, and the sapphire rings on each finger gleamed in the sunlight.
She was a beautiful woman with sky-blue hair that fell to her waist and deep-set eyes.
The maid Lisa bowed her head, looking tense.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Although she seemed a little confused after regaining consciousness, she is otherwise the same as usual.”
“I see. Take good care of Lizbeth so that she does not come to harm.”
Empress Atlea, sitting at a shaded tea table sipping fragrant tea, said softly.
“Is there anything else to report?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Atlea’s eyes crinkled as her lips curled up.
But soon, as if it had never happened, her expression turned indifferent again.
Lisa, pleased, blushed and bowed her head even more.
It was a stroke of luck to catch the empress’s eye. It could be an opportunity for the Tria family to rise to greater heights.
“Then, you may leave.”
“Yes.”
“Make sure Lizbeth’s birthday is well-prepared, leaving nothing lacking. …Wherever she goes, you must report her every move to me. Do not leave her side for even a moment.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
“I’ll arrange for you to be transferred to the Temple of the Goddess on the day Lizbeth comes of age.”
“R-Really?”
Lisa’s eyes widened.
She would become a maid in the palace where the crown prince resides.
The Tria family, which had had few opportunities to interact with the royal family until now, had been eagerly awaiting the day they could form connections with them.
Not with a princess who held no authority in the royal family, but with someone who could directly grant power to the family.
The princess, despite being of royal blood, was of no help.
Because she was not born with divine power.
Only those born with divine power could become the next ruler of Tuniate. That was the will of the goddess.
Lisa hastily bowed her head to the floor.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I will never disappoint you. I will never forget this grace.”
“You are trustworthy.”
Despite her words, Atlea’s eyes were cold.
Lisa, with her head bowed, failed to notice it.
＊ ＊ ＊
I entered the royal library.
The Tuniate Empire, boasting a history of thousands of years, was renowned across the continent for its vast collection of records.
There was a reason for the saying, ‘All the world’s secrets are in the royal library of Tuniate.’
The management was so thorough that not just anyone could enter the royal library.
Only those with clear identification and royal permission could gain entry.
“Greetings to Princess Lizbeth.”
Of course, my appearance itself made my status obvious, so there was no need for further proof.
Silver hair and blue eyes, known widely as the mark of the goddess, were unique to the royal family of Tuniate on the entire continent.
The librarian greeted me politely.
I gave a slight nod and walked inside.
As soon as I set foot in the royal library, I felt sharp gazes coming from all directions.
The appearance of a member of the royal family was always a subject of interest, no matter the place.
Since this was a library, the nobles greeted me with simple bows, maintaining their manners, but I could feel their glances constantly flickering towards me.
‘…At this rate, I won’t be able to move around freely.’
To get to the restricted section, I needed to go deep into the library, and with this much attention, rumors would spread in less than half a day.
‘Princess Lizbeth went into the restricted section!’
‘That won’t do.’
It would be troublesome if such rumors spread, especially when I still hadn’t figured out how to secure my safety.
“What should I do?”
I slipped between two bookshelves, grabbed a random book, opened it, and hid my face behind it, peeking out with only my eyes.
While I was sneaking around and looking for an opportunity to get inside, a playful voice came from beside me.
“What do you mean, ‘what should you do’?”
“Ah! You scared me!”
Startled, I adjusted my grip on the book. Right in front of me was a man’s broad chest.
I quickly stepped back and looked up to see a man with fiery red hair and red eyes, a handsome face, and his arms crossed, standing there.
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