With one gesture, the emperor sent all the people around him out. We both knew that even if the story behind this was made known, it would be nothing good for each of us.
My weapon will be gone, and he will lose the empress. When everyone went out, I quietly asked the emperor.
âBreak the marriage. Or Iâll let everyone know that Her Majesty is the real culprit. Are you going to execute her according to the national law?â
âThere is no evidence. The culprit who opened the gate is dead.â
The emperor grinded his teeth. I covered my mouth slightly with my hands and folded my eyes to laugh.
âDo you really think thereâs no evidence?â
The empress must have left at least one evidence on purpose. And she would have hidden it in a place only he knew. If he didnât kill the marquis, she might have been willing to reveal everything and threaten to kill herself.
She said he would die from the poison I sent, but there was nowhere he could hide the evidence I had.
The emperor looked at my expression and gradually hardened his face. The weight was tilting. It was a battle that could never be won by those who had valuable things.
âItâs enough to kill you and ask about it.â
âWho do you think I heard this from? And Iâm neither foolish nor naive enough to die alone.â
This was a half lie. In order to go back, Helena had to be killed, so I could not die at the hands of the emperor.
There is a stabilizing device called causality, but I wasnât sure. Still, if the emperor wanted to kill me, even if it was unfair, I would release Kynthia and spread it to the people before I died.
ââŠIs it okay if the engagement is broken?â
In the end, it was the emperor who lowered his tail. smiled widely.
âYes, please identify the Marquis as the culprit. That way there will be less talk afterwards.â
âThen your father dies.â
âI wonder if Your Majesty will spare his life as a token of appreciation for his achievements.â
âYouâre a viper-like girl. You really resemble your father.â
It was funny to hear that the marquis and I are alike even though we donât have any relationship. After laughing for a while, I bowed my legs slightly and greeted him with sarcasm.
âIâll take that as a compliment.â
I was about to go out, but suddenly turned my head and told the emperor. Oh, I canât forget this.
âAnd make Helena Antebellum the Crown Princess.â
âAntebellum? Isnât that child a low-born?â
âIt doesnât matter. The moment she becomes the Crown Princess, she will be the most precious blood, Since the Her Majesty the Empress loved her as much as her daughter, Iâm sure sheâll be more pleased than with any other ladiesâ
The emperor burst into laughter.
âThatâs what you did too. Teaching and decorating her and sending her to the Crown PrinceâŠâŠ.â
âHow could I have recklessly dressed her up in the color of the royal family? It was possible because Her Majesty approved it.â
âItâs a pity. More than Antebellum, who can not do anything other than cry, the imperial family is the place where you, who are spirited, are more likely to survive.â
âItâs easy to surviveâŠ. everything.â
As soon as I opened the door, I was amazed by what heard. I sighed and corrected the emperorâs misunderstanding. No matter how tough Helena becomes, she will not survive in the imperial family,
âHow can you say that thereâs no one alive in this imperial family?â
I went out without looking back. I really hoped this would be the last meeting with the emperor.
As I was about to go back, the crown prince walked by from afar. My feet stopped as if they were frozen. My heart was tightening.
The crown prince also looked surprised to see me for a while. But what surprised me was that for a moment, he passed by as if nothing had happened. There was no feeling of guilt in the eyes that looked at me. It was just full of embarrassment.
I was dumbfounded and the corners of my mouth went up. Howâs that possible? How can you be so okay? Iâm having a hard time. Iâm going crazy. Why are you okay?
I wanted to hold onto him. I wanted to slap him on the cheek like he did to me that day and swear that he was as bad as a beast. If you have a conscience, kneel down and beg me. Like thatâŠâŠ I was going to tell him. But suddenly, I remembered what the witch said.
â All the other peopleâ donât remember. It wasnât there in the first place. I donât know if it will really benefit you or not.
Oh, it didnât happen. My mouth slowly opened. All the memories and words from that night, being forced to commit a crime, became illusions.
I remembered it clearlyâŠâŠ
It was still this clear. But I canât ask him anymore because the sin never happened. There was a victim, but the perpetrator disappeared.
How can you do this? My jaw trembled when I clenched it. Who should I blame?
I leaned against the wall because I didnât want to sit down even though my legs were weak. I closed my eyes.
As time went by, it would have been nice if my memory disappeared as well. If I hadnât known anythingâŠâŠ.
When I opened the door to the carriage, Anakin was waiting for me. It was not until I met his face that! burst into tears. I had no choice but to pour despair into his arms. The carriage ran fast. The sound of horseshoes concealed my crying.
âHeâs the one who made a mistake. Why should I suffer? Why am I the only one suffering?â
âArgh! Argh! Argh!â
Anakin hugged me tightly. I know itâs not my fault. But now I have no one left to resent.
The marquis was back. He was hollow and thin.
From his physical condition, it seemed that there was no physical torture, but sometimes mental torture worked better than physical. He became ten years older in that short time.
As soon as he saw me meet him, he grinded his teeth, but he didnât say anything because he cared about the eyes of his servants.
I chased after him without saying a word. When! followed the marquis into his office, he pushed me to the door, he brought his face closer and asked.
âWhy did you go to the academy that day?â
âI wanted to see the fireworks. Are you suspecting me?â
âYouâre not four years old, if so who are you!â
âItâs sad when someone who committed a lot of crimes says thatâŠâŠâ
When I laughed, the marquis punched the wall next to me. I crookedly looked up at him.
âWhy donât you try hitting your daughter, who is rumored to be crazy, now? Then youâre done.â
âIâm already done, you stupid thingâŠ..!â
The marquis moved away from my body.
He was thinking about something, hovering around the same spot. I lifted my body, leaning against the door, and asked faintly.
âCan you guess the culprit?â
âI donât have to knowâŠâŠ. If you hadnât broken up with the imperial familyâŠâŠâ
âWhy? If I hadnât broken up, do you think youâd be acquitted?â
To put it bluntly, the marquis had been ânearly acquitted as he thought. It was because I hit the player first before him and made a deal with the emperor, so it was canceled. There was no need to tell the truth. In order to urge the Marquis, it is necessary to create a virtual enemy. (PR/N: she struck first, and so she won.)
âThen think about it this way. Who will benefit from my breakupâŠâ
As I whispered, the marquisâs expression hardened. Do you see any faces that come to mind? This might make the story easier. The marquisâ mouth twitched and spat out a single last name.
Seeing the shape of his mouth, my head turned quickly. I had read it in the book.
He was one of the imperial nobles who would later help Helena.
âThe emperor tried to bring you down. The emperor knew you didnât open the gate, but he condoned it to keep his strength in check.â
âHis Majesty⊠No way.â
âAre you really sure? Has the Emperor never once betrayed you?â
I said it in a provocative way on purpose.
The marquisâ mouth was firmly closed by my words.
Once the doubt was planted, it would sprout and grow in him.
He will pull out all the memories of the past, contrast them and find questions. And he will create his own absurdity. It would soon become a plausible fiction that will replace reality.
Because the marquis needs an excuse.
âWas it the noble family of the Emperor faction that pushed my breakup? They knew that the Crown Prince loved Helena⊠so they must have secretly taught Helena. They were weaving the board under the water.â (Q/N: meaning, the ones who pulled the strings.)
The marquisâ pupils grew. I raised my voice to heighten my excitement. Because I had to make him my puppet and move him as I wanted.
âTo make her the Crown Princess. If you make her a puppet, youâll be able to regain power and take revenge!â
ââŠâŠWhy are you saying this to me? What do you want from me?â
The marquis scoured through my expression as if searching for my intentions. It was understandable to be suspicious. Because Iâve been hostile to him so far.
It was weirder for a suspicious human like the marquis to suddenly believe in me.
âIsnât it too sad to lose everything like this? Itâs not too
late.â
I whispered more tenderly on purpose.
Like, your enemy is not me.
âIf Helena dies, wonât he have no choice but to use me as the Crown Princess again?â
The marquis trembled at the whisper. He crumpled his face a little and said.
âWhat does that mean? How can you become a Crown Princess again just because Antebellum dies?â
âThink about it. Thereâs no sense of compassion in society. Then should the Crown Prince be made into an old bachelor?
I didnât go to many social gatherings, but I got a rough idea after going out twice to Young Lady Kazarâs party,
Young Lady Kazar has not yet been engaged, But when the Duke of Kazar was awarded the title of duke as a contributor to the founding of the country, he swore that he would not become an outcast of the imperial family.
Can the crown prince marry a princess from another country? It was impossible for him too. This was because, in the empire, there was no princess of marriageable age.
This ridiculous disaster occured when the author tried to give the probability of Helena, a lower maid, somehow marrying the crown prince.
In the original work, Helena was not reinstated as a nobleman for no reason. The marquisâ expression while listening to me shook for a moment. He asked in a locked voice.