131 – What seemed to have changed had not changed (1)
TL: Zimming
Editor: bodyinthefreezer
Richard was going to attend the ball today and make a splendid comeback into society.
He had been waiting for this day for seven years now.
The Cassil family fell into ruin, and so did Richard's life.
Although Richard was the son of a traitor, he was the only nephew of the Emperor.
If Frank and Neon survived, there still would've been nobles who felt sorry for their situation and offered to help. But Richard was treated differently because he didn't have the silver hair that was the symbol of the Imperial Family but had the blood of the Roums. He was only subject to looks of mockery and contempt instead. Richard gritted his teeth.
'I will become the Emperor.'
He decided that he would surely rise to the highest position in the Empire and get revenge on all of the people who despised him.
And today was the beginning of a great history.
His plan was perfect.
He built a good image for himself through the orphanage, and was set to be the next Marquis after marrying Sophia, the only daughter of the Marquis of Westin.
Sophia was the fiancee of his half-brother, Frank Cassil, but it didn't matter much.
Moreover, Richard made a great contribution in the search for the long lost Crown Princess.
Therefore, it was only natural for him to be the main character of this ball.
He would use this ball to imprint his position in society and take the first step toward becoming Emperor of this Empire.
If Ancia had poisoned Blake according to Richard's brainwashing, the Crown Prince would soon die.
Richard would be suspected if Ancia was found to be the culprit, but he had already prepared a countermeasure.
After Richard married Sophia Westin, he planned to keep a distance from Ancia.
But Richard's plan went down the drain in an instant.
Ancia was a fake. The news came to him like a bolt out of the blue.
Richard urgently tried to grasp the situation.
Rose was the real Ancia and had returned to her original form. Richard could not find any other information except that the fake Ancia had disappeared.
The palace knights stormed in and dragged Richard away. He didn't even get a moment's rest before he underwent intensive investigation.
The nightmare from seven years ago seemed to be repeating again.
He was released safely after he proved that he did not intentionally bring the fake, but one problem still remained.
'What happened to the poison?'
Richard had ordered the fake Ancia to poison Blake. However, no investigation had been conducted in regards to the poison.
Did they not know about it yet? Or were they just pretending to not know?
There was very little chance that it was the latter. After all, there was no reason for Tenstheon to be lenient towards Richard.
That fake Ancia had disappeared without saying anything.
'What did she do with the poison I gave her? Did the fake take it? Or maybe she left it in the palace, but it hadn't been discovered yet?'
It was not a problem that he could solve just by thinking about it.
The Imperial family was looking for the missing fake Ancia. If she was caught, all the facts would be discovered in the end.
Richard had to find her before the Imperial family did. Otherwise, he would be completely done for.
Richard desperately tried to find the fake Ancia.
She was under his brainwashing, so she couldn't have gone far alone. But he couldn't find her.
Let alone traces, Richard couldn't find anything at all.
'Oh my god. Where the hell did she disappear?'
Richard gritted his teeth. However, there was a report that the fake had been found.
He immediately ran to the square where the fake Ancia was reported to have been sighted.
The square was packed with people who came to see the fireworks.
'Where is she? Where is she? Don't get caught!'
Fireworks erupted and lit up the night sky beautifully, but Richard pushed his way through the crowd without even sparing a glance for the fireworks.
"There she is!"
Connin, Richard's new black mage cried.
"Keep your voice down."
Richard said coldly.
He knew that they were acting in secret, yet he screamed as if he wanted to announce their movements to the whole world.
"I'm sorry."
Connin apologized and covered his mouth.
He was very lacking compared to Domiram.
For the past seven years, Richard had tirelessly searched for a black mage to replace Domiram, but had yet to find the right one.
Connin was one of the best, but he made many mistakes because he was still young.
When can I find someone useful…
But now was not the time to think about that.
Richard turned to the direction in which Connin pointed.
A blonde woman was watching the fireworks as her green eyes twinkled. Richard's heart sank the moment he saw the woman.
It was Ancia.
It was not a fake that looked similar to her, but the woman who tied a handkerchief to his mother's grave.
Richard thought his feelings had died down.
In the midst of his miserable reality, he thought that all useless feelings like fantasizing about having family and the compassion he felt for the first time in his life had already scattered like dust. But that wasn't the case.
The reason why he didn't feel anything special when he reunited with the fake Ancia was because she was literally a fake.
As soon as he saw the real Ancia, he began to feel a deep desire to possess her.
"Shall we capture her?"
Connin whispered solemnly, but Richard was dumbfounded.
"You idiot! Does she look like the fake to you?"
After being scolded by Richard, Connin looked at Ancia again.
He was surprised when he saw the Crown Prince Blake standing beside her. So she was the real Crown Princess?
"Is she the real one? But they really look alike."
Connin knew her face because he cast a brainwashing spell on the fake Ancia. And their faces were exactly the same.
He heard that real and fake faces resembled each other a lot, but he didn't expect them to be similar to that extent. They looked completely identical.
"I'm sorry."
"You fool."
Richard looked at Ancia as he repressed his raging anger.
Ancia and Blake looked at each other affectionately and conversed lightheartedly. Then, Blake kissed her.
Under the fireworks bursting in the night sky, Richard could clearly see the two kissing.
Richard clenched his fist so tight that his fingernails dug into flesh.
His blood began seething with unbearable rage.
'She is my woman!'
She is my woman. She had to be my woman.
Other than the desire to possess Ancia, he seemed to be more angry seeing Ancia being stolen by Blake.
"I hate you."
At that moment, a woman's voice rang in Richard's ears.
"I hate you."
Richard frowned and covered his ears with his hand. The woman's voice ran in his ears again.
Last night in the square, he heard a woman's voice and his head began to ache terribly. He eventually managed to return home with Connin's help.
'What's wrong with me?'
Richard had often experienced this in recent years. Not only did he have auditory hallucinations, but he also dreamed of strange things.
A woman appeared in the dream. At first he thought it was Ancia, but it wasn't.
Her name was Laontel.
She had the same name as Laontel Bellacian, a mage of light who had made a great contribution in the founding of the Asteric Empire.
Even though their name was the same, there was no possibility of her being the same person as Laontel Bellacian.
There was little record of her. There was not even a single portrait to be found.
It was impossible to dream of a person who lived a thousand years ago without even knowing their face.
But then who was she? She was the one who said, 'I hate you.'
He kept having auditory hallucinations, and even the woman who appeared in his dream looked at him and said that she hated him.
Was it because she looked like Ancia? It was just a dream, but Richard felt very angry.
'Why on earth did I dream of that?'
That fake! Come to think of it, he started getting these dreams after that fake appeared. It was from then on that he suffered from auditory hallucinations and headaches.
Richard gritted his teeth.
He had to catch her right away. He had to ask what she did with the poison he gave her and find out what she did to her body.
He was sure she wasn't an ordinary woman. She had the same appearance and language skills as Ancia.
She had deceived even the ever so cautious Tenstheon.
She had lost her memory and was brainwashed by black magic, but perhaps that was also a lie.
The Emperor was looking for the fake Ancia. However, he acted cautiously, as if he were looking for a missing member of the royal family and not a sinner who pretended to be the Crown Princess.
Even though she had committed a crime, Tenstheon seemed as if he only pretended to look for her. Richard was suspicious that Tenstheon didn't actually intend to catch her.
His attitude was completely different from the way he had punished the Crown Princess impersonators until now.
The fact that Richard's investigation ended more quickly than expected may have something to do with the woman's identity.
Did she know something about the Imperial family?
Richard felt that the fake was like a devil who had come to ruin his life.
But it may be the opposite.
If that fake was aware of a huge secret, then this could be an opportunity.
Anyway, he had to find the fake before the Imperial family did.
Richard was desperately searching for her and ran to the square yesterday when he heard that they had found the fake. But it was Ancia and Blake who were there.
He still remembered the image of Ancia and the Crown Prince kissing under the fireworks.
At that moment, he began to get angry again.
'I will surely become the Emperor. I'll get rid of the Crown Prince and make her my woman!'
From the moment he saw the real Ancia, the possessiveness he felt surged and spread through his whole body.
Richard was about to go out when the butler entered his room.
"Master, I have a message from Marquis Westin."
He had sent a letter to Richard.
What was going on? The Marquis had never sent him any letters before…
Richard had a feeling of ominousness as he opened the letter. The moment he read the contents, his expression crumpled horribly.
It was a notice of divorce.
132 – What seemed to have changed had not changed (2)
TL: Zimming
Editor: bodyinthefreezer
Richard went straight to the Marquis of Westin after seeing the divorce notice.
When Richard arrived, Sophia Westin greeted him with a big smile.
"What's going on, Richard?"
Instead of answering her, Richard handed her the divorce notice that he received from Marquis Westin.
"What is this?"
"It's a notice of divorce."
"Y-you're breaking up with me?"
Richard's expression crumpled.
The seal on the envelope was stamped with the Westin family's insignia.
No matter how one looked at it, it was the Marquis Westin who sent the notice of divorce and Richard had come over to protest it. But Sophia cluelessly misunderstood the situation.
What a stupid woman.
Richard's half brother Frank was unhappy with the appearance of his fiancee, Sophia.
There were many times when he'd mocked her face, laughing at her black hair and freckles.
Richard also did not think Sophia was a beauty. However, he was more irritated by her foolish personality.
'There's never a time when I'm not frustrated at her.'
Still, looking at Sophia's reaction, she seemed to have no idea about the divorce.
"Read it for now."
"Okay…"
Only then did Sophia read the form inside the envelope.
"Oh, no! I never sent such a thing."
Sophia's face turned pale when she finally figured out the situation.
As Richard had guessed, the Marquis Westin had decided it on his own.
That's right. He had put in a lot of effort for this girl.
She couldn't have betrayed him like that.
Richard had tolerated a lot so he could regain the life he originally had.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't regain his original identity.
In some cases, people could pay to receive a title, but that was impossible for a nameless commoner.
Tenstheon placed more emphasis on individual ability than titles, and he was one of the most prominent Emperors of the Asteric Empire.
Some nobles also complained that this made their titles less valuable, but this did not apply to Richard.
Tenstheon didn't trust Richard and was watching his every move. Even if Richard accomplished something great, Tenstheon wouldn't give him a title.
Richard finally found a way after much consideration. It was through marriage.
When he married one of the noble's daughters, he would be able to regain his title and return to the aristocratic society.
In addition, there was a hierarchy among the nobles.
If he escaped the status of a commoner by buying a title or receiving it from the Emperor, he would be at the bottom of the hierarchy among nobles.
However, if he became the son-in-law of a powerful family, he could at least rank higher in the hierarchy.
Richard looked for a candidate, and among them, he chose Sophia Westin.
The Marquis of Westin's family had been on the decline ever since the fall of the Cassil family. However, they were still a noble family and had a lot of wealth. In addition, Marquis Westin had only one daughter, so it would be easy for Richard to become his son-in-law.
Sophia had been confined to her home after her engagement with Frank was broken and she suffered from severe depression.
Marquis Westin tried to find a good match for her, but it wasn't easy.
Although a marriage was nearly finalized for Sophia, she rejected the idea, saying she no longer wanted a political marriage.
Was there anything easier than seducing a wounded woman?
Richard used Sophia's maid to get her to come to his orphanage.
Sophia visited the orphanage as planned and cried as she watched the children who had been abandoned by their parents.
Richard approached the crying girl and handed her a handkerchief.
"Thank—…you!"
Sophia's eyes opened wide when she saw Richard.
"Lady Sophia, long time no see."
"How did you get here…"
"This is an orphanage that I run."
"Yes, I had no idea. Well, I'll be on my way."
Sophia had run into her ex-fiance's brother, so she turned away in a hurry.
Richard had expected her reaction. He winked at Karuo, a boy at the orphanage.
Karuo quickly latched onto Sofia.
"Sister, don't go. Play with me."
When the child hung onto her, Sophia stood there helplessly.
"Karuo, don't make it hard for the lady."
"Sister!"
Karuo was a brilliant child. He understood Richard's signal and sat down before he began to cry.
"S-so-sorry. Child, don't cry."
Sophia forgot that she was trying to avoid Richard and began appeasing the child.
Karuo became tired of crying and fell asleep (he was only pretending to be asleep), as Sophia looked at the boy sadly.
Richard naturally approached her and began to talk to her.
"Thank you for taking care of Karuo today."
"No, it's alright."
Sophia shook her head. Perhaps because she had spent time appeasing Karuo with Richard, but she didn't avoid him like when she first met him.
"By the way, where did his sister go?"
"She has passed away."
"What? How did that happen…?"
"As you may have guessed from his name, Karuo is a Roum. His sister took her own life after being given a tough job because she was a Roum. So only Karuo came to our orphanage."
In fact, his sister Karan was still alive, but Richard lied without any hesitation.
"Did the criminal get caught?"
"No, the Roum don't get treated like humans. There's no way to investigate the case."
"I can't believe it. That's too much."
"If I had strength, I would have helped this child…I felt sorry for him."
"No, you taking care of him like this is already a lot."
Sophia seemed to be moved by Richard's good deeds.
"I've heard that private orphanages usually refuse Roums, so you're really amazing."
"After all, I'm also a Roum."
Richard frankly told her about his weakness.
It was already revealed that he was a Roum during the Cassil family's trial anyway.
"Oh, yes…"
Although Sophia felt sympathy for the tragedy of the siblings, she quickly froze awkwardly when she recalled the fact that Richard was a Roum as well.
Richard gritted his teeth inwardly.
Did he make a mistake?
Her response was not unexpected.
There was a deep-rooted hatred towards the Roums in the Asteric Empire.
Even among those who pretended to be kind because they felt sorry for the Roums, it was not uncommon to see people who avoided and swore at them when they actually met a Roum.
"I'm sorry about what happened before."
"Huh?"
"I should've stopped them…"
Sophia shook her head in dismay as Richard brought up the topic of Frank.
"Oh, no. I know you had a hard time because of it."
"No. I should've helped you. Actually, it's my fault that he hated you. He hated me too. That's why he hated you. It was because the color of your hair is the same as mine."
"That's not true. It's just that I'm ugly…"
Sophia lowered her head, while hiding her face behind her black hair.
Frank didn't like being engaged to Sophia and spoke to her harshly.
Sophia was distressed, but her father only told her to put up with it.
She decided to put up with it as her father told her to.
But that wasn't all.
"How dare you touch me? You're so ugly! If it wasn't for the Marquis, who would've looked out for you?"
Frank insulted Sophia at the palace ball.
After that day, Sophia was afraid to go outside. She felt as if everyone was mocking and laughing at her.
Even though several years had passed since Frank's death, the wound still lingered in her heart.
"No, I've never thought of that before. If I were Frank, I would never have hurt you. It's late, but I'd like to apologize on behalf of him."
Richard bowed politely.
"Th-thank you."
No one had ever consoled her before.
When she broke up with Frank and was humiliated, her friends all left her.
Sophia was in tears because she received her first sincere apology.
Richard smiled inwardly without any remorse when he looked up and saw Sophia.
"Lady, don't cry."
Richard took Sophia's hand. She didn't shake his hand off.
"I should have visited you and apologized, but I'm too late."
"No, thank you for telling me now."
"If you don't mind, please visit us often. Karuo seems to like you very much. And I would like to see you too."
"…okay."
Sophia's face flushed red. Richard also smiled broadly.
'That's enough.'
Having broken her walls down, it was a piece of cake to move on to the next level.
And everything went as Richard planned.
133 – What seemed to have changed had not changed (3)
TL: Zimming
Editor: bodyinthefreezer
Sophia visited Richard's orphanage quite often.
She was completely smitten by Richard and listened to whatever he said.
There was no need to brainwash her.
Although Richard was cornered by the fake Ancia incident, Sophia was completely smitten by him so she wouldn't want to break up.
"I didn't send it. Please believe me."
When Richard didn't say anything, Sophia cried.
She was very annoying, but that was not important now. Stopping the breakup was more urgent now.
"I know. Your father did it on his own."
"That's right! My father sent it all on his own! I had no idea."
Richard hugged her as he smiled.
"I knew it. Sophia, you're a good girl. There's no way you would betray me cruelly even though you knew that I'm in a bad situation."
"I'm on your side no matter what!"
"Yes, I'll trust you."
How did she want me to believe her? She couldn't even speak to her own father!
Richard held back his irritation.
"I'd like to speak to the Marquis. Is he in the mansion?"
"Yes, he's in the office."
"Alright."
When Richard was about to enter the office, Sophia suddenly held his hand.
"If my father asks us to break up, I won't allow him to."
It had been a long time since she said something commendable.
"I will abandon my family if he persists. I'll leave my house and go with you."
Richard's expression crumpled.
What? She was willing to abandon her family? There was no reason for him to marry a foolish woman like her if not for the Marquis!
If she wanted him to believe in her, she had to at least say that she'd endure everything without breaking the marriage, or that she'd drive her father out and make him the Marquis!
At least tell me that you're going to convince him!
"Richard…?"
Richard's thoughts appeared on his face and Sophia looked at him in surprise.
'What's wrong with her?'
Richard had long known that Sophia was tactless and frustrating. Both he and Frank knew that way before.
It was frustrating, but he could accept anything considering the position she would bring him.
He tried to think positively and reminded himself that Sophia was easy to use.
But it was especially hard to bear Sophia's every move after seeing the real Ancia.
Even at this moment, Ancia completely belonged to Blake. Richard thought that he had to get rid of Blake as soon as possible.
Ancia is mine! I have to get her back!
Richard was filled with the desire to own her.
The intense desire that he could not understand himself engulfed his whole body.
"I hate you."
The voice of the woman named Laontel rang in Richard's ears yet again.
Then, he got a headache, and his desire began to grow even more intense.
'I'll have her for sure this time.'
He gritted his teeth.
'Wait, why am I being like this?'
Richard hated to admit it, but Ancia was the Crown Prince's woman.
As a child, whenever he went to a party hosted by the Bellacian family, Ancia used to stare at him.
Richard knew that she liked him, but he did not reciprocate because she would be of no help to him.
Nevertheless, he was filled with anger.
He felt as if Ancia was his from a long time ago.
He couldn't stand it because he felt he had lost the woman who was originally his to Blake.
His headache was followed by the auditory hallucination.
"What's wrong you, Richard?"
Richard turned around and Sophia came to him.
"Nothing. I'm having a headache because of the breakup. I guess it's because I'm nervous that I might not be able to see you anymore."
Richard pretended to look sad.
In any case, he had to pretend until he took over the Marquis position.
"Richard, don't worry too much. You're the only one for me. If they disagree, let's run away together."
Sophia hugged Richard with the expression of the heroine of a tragic love story in an opera.
What nonsense was she saying?
Richard smiled as he held his irritation back.
"I'll be right back."
"Why are you showing your face after what you did? Get out of here!"
The Marquis of Westin yelled as soon as Richard came into his office.
'How nostalgic.'
Every time Richard met Marquis Westin, he'd recall his days at the Duke of Cassil's mansion.
It was such a bad time.
Richard didn't want to put up with the insults like he did then.
After he married Sophia Westin, he'd kill that old man right away.
He'd torture him until he couldn't even scream. But that was for later. In the meantime, he'd put up with the humiliation. Richard spoke politely for now.
"A notice of divorce arrived at my place. What happened?"
"You're asking me? I can't believe you brought a fake Crown Princess to the palace! I was so embarrassed that I couldn't even attend the Founding Festival! Do you know how upset Sophia was?"
"That was just a small mistake. That woman looked so much like the Crown Princess that even the Emperor was deceived. Besides, it was already clear that I was innocent."
Marquis Westin was enraged by Richard's imposing manner.
"What?! There's a limit to being shameless. As expected of someone with Roum blood!"
"You're crossing the line."
"Did I say something wrong? This is why I shouldn't have accepted you! I was crazy! I was crazy for taking you in!"
Richard looked at the Marquis coldly.
"I'm innocent. I can't accept the breakup."
"How dare you disobey my will when you are a Roum?!"
"If you want us to break up, then please file a trial."
No matter how big of a fuss the Marquis of Westin made, Richard had an absolute advantage since they were already engaged.
If a trial was held for the breakup, it would take at least a year or more until it could come to a conclusion. At the longest it could also take three to four years.
In addition, there were far bigger problems than the trial period.
Each side's dirty laundry would be aired in the breakup trial.
Everything would be disclosed and the damage to the woman's side would be most severe.
The woman would be ridiculed or pointed out as a lustful woman and have several reports about it published in the newspaper.
"You didn't send me a divorce notice without preparing for this, did you?"
Richard smiled arrogantly. In the meantime, since there wasn't much time left for their marriage, he had been holding it in moderately.
However, if the Marquis of Westin wished to break them up, then he had no intention of putting up with anything.
"How dare you! Since you were the son of Duke Cassil, I've been treating you nicely so far, and you still don't know to repay me!"
Richard was dumbfounded. The Marquis had never treated him with respect in the first place.
He only treated Frank and Neon like the sons of the Duke but Richard had the blood of a slave so he treated him like a servant.
"Your Excellency, Sophia and I won't give up. Don't be like this."
"No, you both will break up. Richard, I know everything you've done to her!"
As soon as the Marquis of Westin shouted, Richard's expression became stiff.
'Did he know about that?'
The Marquis of Westin opposed the marriage between Richard and Sophia.
He opposed it for a year and even tried to marry her off to another man.
In the end, Richard had to use the last resort.
He arranged a drinking party with the Marquis Westin. Then, he cast a brainwashing spell on the drunk Marquis and got him to sign the engagement papers.
The next day, Marquis Westin was shocked to see that the engagement document had been signed.
But he only thought he made that mistake while he was drunk.
"I signed it when I was drunk! This is invalid!"
Richard whispered to the Marquis.
"I'll make Sophia the Empress."
"…what?"
The Marquis of Westin was a greedy man. Even though he knew Frank was not a good man, he still let Sophia be engaged to him for his own gain. Even after they broke up, Marquis Westin struggled to find the best candidate for Sophia.
Richard knew of his ambition well. The Marquis of Westin would ignore his lineage and support him completely if the Marquis believed that he'd become the next Emperor.
But that didn't mean Richard would tell him everything about his plans.
"The Crown Prince is now waiting for the dead Crown Princess. He's also kept his distance from all women in the meantime. If he doesn't get married, the Crown Prince will belong to me in the end."
"You're of Roum origin and don't even have a title."
"If I were to marry Sophia and get the title, then I'd have the right to become the Crown Prince."
"……"
"It's possible with your help. If you choose me, you'll definitely have a lot to gain."
Marquis Westin began to calculate in his head.
Richard's words sounded like a bluff when he first heard it, but it was not entirely impossible if Prince Blake did not marry or met with an accident.
Marquis Westin decided to gamble.
But his gamble failed miserably.
The real princess returned. Now that Ancia came back, the possibility of Richard becoming the Emperor was nearly impossible.
Furthermore, Richard even caused the fake Crown Princess incident.
The Marquis couldn't possibly let someone who had no possibility to become the Emperor and had no title become his son-in-law.
"I shouldn't have accepted a son-in-law like you!"
Richard was relieved. The Marquis was just trying to force him to break up with his daughter, but he didn't notice that Richard had used black magic.
"Don't be stubborn. Didn't Your Excellency sign it yourself?"
"You must have done something dirty! You must've used some kind of black magic!"
"……"
"Yeah, black magic! I heard that the Roums betrayed the Goddess and practiced black magic. So you should've done it too!"
"……"
"It was you who killed the Duchess of Cassil! She wouldn't kill herself! She's not that kind of person in the first place. Did you use your dirty tricks to kill her?"
134 – What seemed to have changed had not changed (4)
TL: Zimming
Editor: bodyinthefreezer
The Marquis of Westin began to speak thoughtlessly. It was just a groundless accusation.
But Richard stiffened up.
Everything that the Marquis Westin had said was true.
"…you're crossing the line. Of course, that can't be true."
"We'll find out in the trial."
"Are you going to file for a breakup trial?"
Richard was surprised. In any case, the Marquis of Westin wouldn't have applied for a divorce trial.
Besides, it wasn't really about the evidence. The fact that Richard still had an advantage hadn't changed.
Richard had just regained his composure when the Marquis of Westin continued.
"No, I'm going to file for a demon trial!"
"……"
"I'll say that you colluded a demon to deceive my daughter and manipulate me!"
The Marquis continued to speak, "I'll file for a trial right now!"
"W-wait. Wait a minute!"
Richard stopped the Marquis of Westin in a hurry.
'I shouldn't have said that. I need to respond calmly.'
Richard thought so, but his body moved first.
He'd be completely done for if the Marquis of Westin really applied for the trial.
"What are you thinking about? Did you really join hands with them?"
"Of course not. I was just surprised to hear that ridiculous accusation."
Richard tried to calm down, but Marquis Westin narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
The Marquis wasn't as smart as Richard, but he had been the leader of the Westin family for a long time so was very experienced.
He had detected a subtle change in Richard's expression.
There must be something.
Although the Marquis had said that, he didn't really intend to apply for a trial.
Times had changed.
Filing for a demon trial was not easy as before.
He could lose his life in the process if his accusation was wrong.
He wanted to threaten Richard into ending the engagement, taking advantage of the fact that he would be at a disadvantage if he were on a demon trial thanks to his Roum lineage.
However, Marquis Westin changed his mind when he saw Richard's reaction.
'He's got something to hide.'
If it was true that Richard used black magic, then this was a huge opportunity.
Come to think of it, Richard's expression had changed when he brought up the story of the Duchess and Neon.
If it was true that he killed them using black magic…
A corner of Marquis Westin's mouth raised up.
If he revealed the truth about the Duke of Cassil from seven years ago, he could earn Tenstheon's trust and he'd be able to regain his family glory.
"Let's find the truth out in court."
The Marquis of Westin headed to the door with an arrogant smile.
As soon as he grabbed the door handle, he felt something behind him.
The Marquis fell down on the spot before he could even look back.
The blood spread gradually, staining the marble floor.
Richard looked down at the Marquis coldly.
There was one thing Richard had regretted over the past seven years.
Frank, if he had taken care of that moron sooner, the Cassil family wouldn't have fallen like this.
The root of the problem had to be removed quickly and it'd be too late the moment he didn't take action immediately.
Richard put the bronze sculpture he used to attack the Marquis down and confirmed that he was dead.
There was nothing to panic about. He was going to kill him after he got married anyway.
It's just that the time had come a little earlier.
Richard would lock the door first, and then call Connin and Karan to take care of it.
Richard tried to lock the door, but it opened before he could do that. Sophia came inside.
"Sophia…"
"What happened? I was worried…"
"L-Let's get out of here first."
Richard said as he hid his hands that were stained with blood behind him. Sophia hadn't seen the Marquis yet.
They had to get out of this room. However, Sophia noticed that he was hiding his hands.
"Richard, isn't that blood?"
"Let's get out."
"What happened…Aah!"
Sophia discovered the Marquis' body lying on the ground when she moved closer to look at Richard's hands and screamed.
Richard gritted his teeth. It was the worst case scenario.
After the Founding Festival, Diana returned to the academy.
I also chose a new maid and returned to my daily life, busying myself with finding out what had happened over the 7 years that I wasn't here.
I realized every morning that it was really not a dream because Blake's face was the first thing I saw when I woke up. That made me so happy.
We had the Forens Palace and Sephia Palace, but we usually stayed in Amoria Palace.
The servants did not enter the Amoria Palace unless they really needed to.
This was our own secret space, and we could recall all the memories we made here clearly. So it was more comfortable for us to stay here.
A thousand years ago I was locked in this exact place. It was a terrible memory, but staying here didn't particularly remind me of that or bother me in any way.
It was all thanks to the memories I had with Blake.
We spent every day surrounded by happiness, but today was somewhat different.
"I'm going to the Phillion Palace."
I said to Blake as we lay in bed.
Today, I was going to go to the Phillion Palace to meet father and speak to Sir Collin.
Asking Collin and Chelsea about what had happened over the past seven years would be the quickest way to find out what really happened.
Most of the time other people wouldn't tell me all the facts honestly because they were being considerate of me.
As I was going to leave, Blake grabbed my hand.
"Ancia, I'm so tired that I can't move. Are you going to leave me alone…?"
When he lowered his eyes, I noticed his long lashes.
He looked so innocent everytime he did that, but Ancia saw through him this time.
"You deserve it."
Tenstheon wanted to establish a group of knights for me. However, I asked him to postpone that till next year.
I wanted to wait until Diana graduated.
Father accepted my request, and for the time being, only some knights were arranged to escort me.
I was worried that the knights would be reluctant, but unexpectedly, they all eagerly clamored to get the job.
They even competed to become my exclusive escort.
Finally, it was decided that a battle would be arranged among the knights and the winner would become my exclusive escort.
But unexpectedly, Blake also participated in the battle.
And the result was…
"It was devastating."
Chelsea, who had watched the match, said with a pale face.
According to her, Blake had defeated the knights in an instant.
I didn't see the match in person, but I had a rough idea of the events that transpired since I'd already seen Blake beat Jayden, who was considered one of the best among the knights, with a single move.
However, it was ridiculous to see Blake saying he was tired when he'd beaten all the knights just like that.
"You shouldn't have fought the knights!"
Blake murmured softly in response.
"But I healed them all," He said as if he had been wrongly accused.
No, he hit them deliberately and then healed them?
"I'm giving you a pill."
"I had no other choice if I wanted to make sure they had the ability to protect you."
He glanced up at me slightly with those pitiful eyes.
"But what if you win the escort battle?"
"As expected, I'm the only one who's capable of escorting you,"
"Huh?"
"I'll be your escort!"
"…is that why you did it?"
There had never been a precedent of the Crown Prince escorting the Crown Princess in all of the Empire's history, but Blake seemed to be serious about it.
"I can't leave my wife to those who can't even beat me."
"Blake."
"You know I don't like to fight. I was just worried about my wife, so I couldn't help but participate."
That's right. Blake didn't even like ordinary snowball fights, so he had always been beaten by Diana before.
"I'm really worried about you."
Blake clasped my hand. The matching rings on our fingers glistened in the sunlight.
Ser had left my wedding ring intact.
Blake bought me a new ring in the square, but I still chose to wear the former one.
Although the ring had been damaged a lot after seven years, it looked as good as new after it was repaired.
"Blake, are you really that tired?"
"Yes, my legs hurt and I can't walk."
Ahh…what to do? I found him to be really cute when he was helpless like this.
"Then, I'll heal you."
"I think I'd feel better if you stayed next to me."
Blake didn't want to stay away from me for even a second.
I appreciated and understood his concern for me, but things couldn't continue like this.
"Blake, let me teach you some magic."
"Magic?"
"Yes."
After Ser was sealed, the magic of light disappeared from the Empire.
When the magic of light disappeared, the mages of light naturally lost their power.
Over a thousand years, only books about the disappearance of light magic could be found but there was no information about the magic itself left.
Of course, people still developed magical tools made from mana stones of light, but the magic of light was close to being lost entirely.
When the Cassils caused that incident in the ballroom seven years ago, Blake had healed their wounds.
He had never studied the magic of light but he could instinctively see the flow of mana and even use healing magic.
Blake had a natural talent for it. If he learned it properly, his skills would definitely improve.
"How do you know the magic of light?"
"I learned about it when I entered the Door of Darkness."
I couldn't tell him about my past life, so I made up an excuse.
But Blake's expression darkened instantly at the mere mention of that time.
He grabbed my shoulders.
"Teach me. I'd like to learn everything I can to protect my wife."
"Okay."
I clasped his hands tightly.
"The first thing I want to teach you is how to feel another person's heart, so that we can feel each other's presence no matter where we are."
The transparent light from my hand passed on to Blake's hand.
135 – What seemed to have changed had not changed (5)
TL: Zimming
Editor: bodyinthefreezer
"It's warm."
"Really?"
"Yes. Your hands are always warm. It's been like that since the beginning. Ever since I took your hand, all of my pain was gone."
Blake smiled and laughed. Now that Blake was all better, I could say this with a smile.
"I should've done it sooner…"
Blake shook his head.
"Don't say that. It's enough that you're here with me."
He raised our clasped hands to his face and rubbed my hands on his cheeks.
"Ancia, your mana is wavering."
It seems that the fluctuation of my heartbeat affected the flow of mana. I was embarrassed and quickly removed my hand.
"Y-you can already see the flow of the mana. That's great!"
Blake smiled innocently and grabbed my hand again.
"How's my mana?"
I closed my eyes and felt the mana flowing through his body. His mana felt so pure.
When the curse was lifted, a massive amount of mana entered his body. It should've caused his body to be overwhelmed, but he was managing very well.
As expected, my husband is a genius.
But it was not just that. He must've learned how to control it since he was a child.
So Blake had developed his ability to suppress and control his mana.
"Your mana is pure and well controlled. But I think you should learn how to send it out."
"Yes."
He nodded gently. He was like a good student that listened to his teacher well.
"Focus on your mind, and just like what I did just a moment ago, gather the mana on your fingertips and let it flow to me."
"Alright."
"It might not work out at first. Stay calm and take your time."
"Yes."
But as soon as I said that, his mana flowed into my hand.
I was surprised.
"That's great!"
"Did I do a good job?"
"Yes, you did a great job. My husband is a genius!"
He could immediately let out a moderate amount of mana. Only skilled mages could do this.
Regardless of past experience, Blake must be a real genius.
"Hehe."
Blake smiled shyly. He became embarrassed because of a small compliment. He was so cute.
"Remember the wavelength and flow of mana you felt now. Our mana comes from the same source, so we can find each other any time."
His grip on my hand tightened.
"Of course, it will take a lot of training, but I believe my husband will be able to do it soon."
"Yes, I'll try my best."
Blake smiled brightly as I stroked his head.
"I'll always be by your side, so don't be nervous anymore. Apologize to the knights, okay?
Even if Blake did it out of good intentions, he was wrong to get involved in the battle between the knights and injure them.
Blake didn't say anything when I said that again.
"I like nice people."
When I said that, he nodded quickly.
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
Blake was on his way to meet the knights.
His innocent expression from when he was with Ancia disappeared without a trace, and only a sense of coldness exuded from his expression.
"Your Highness, you're here."
The knights who were training saw Blake and said their greetings.
No one was surprised to see his cold expression. He had always been like that.
Blake looked at Alex who was standing behind him.
"What's wrong with your hands? I would've treated you if you told me."
After finishing the match to pick Ancia's escort, Blake had treated all of the injured knights.
"Oh, I fell down while training a while ago…"
Alex scratched his head in embarrassment, but on the inside, he felt very overwhelmed.
Blake noticed that he was injured, even though it was not that visible.
Blake had suddenly become attentive after he returned after meeting Ancia.
"Come here."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Alex quickly approached him. Blake looked at Alex's condition and put his hand on his swollen wrist.
Alex took his hand off in surprise.
"Oh, no! It's alright."
Not long after the Crown Prince had treated him with the power of light, he was injured again due to his carelessness.
He was thankful that Blake didn't scold him for being clumsy and treated his injury instead.
Blake pulled Alex's hand again.
"Your Highness…"
Alex was very touched by Blake's action.
The other knights also thought so.
When this cold-hearted person suddenly showed some affection towards them, they were all moved.
Blake said calmly, "Shut up and let me treat you. If you keep shaking like this, my wife will misunderstand."
Alex became stiff.
However, the person who dampened the atmosphere did not pay attention to their reactions and focused on treating Alex.
He was scolded by Ancia, but his mood became even worse because of the fact that she was worried about another man.
Of course, he knew that Ancia wasn't particularly interested in the knights, but he still hated it.
"Everyone who's hurt, stand in a line."
Blake shouted coldly, letting go of Alex's arms after treating it.
"N-no. We're fine."
The knights declined, but Blake's gaze became colder.
"Come here right now!"
The autumn weather was fickle. Yesterday, it was cold as if winter had come, but today it was warm if it was still summer.
Even so, I was glad to see the warm autumn sun.
I was taking a walk, when suddenly, I saw a group of people.
It was the Imperial Knights.
"Your Highness!!!"
They came running towards me as soon as they saw me.
What happened?
"I can't believe I ran into you in a place like this! What a coincidence! Hahaha!"
"Yes! Such a coincidence!"
A coincidence? It seemed as if they came running to meet me on purpose though.
"Ah, is that so…"
The knights nodded awkwardly.
"I feel so good! His Highness treated my injuries today!"
"I feel so good that I ran all the way here from the training ground!"
"His Highness is very kind. In my opinion, he's the nicest man in the Empire. Hahahaha!
They awkwardly spewed out such scripted comments and laughed. Even their smile looked like they were doing a public service advertisement.
"I see."
I nodded softly. I knew they were telling the truth, but something about it was weird.
Even after I went on my way, I encountered several other knights and they, too, sang praises about Blake before continuing what they were doing.
What was happening?
Blake visited the knights today and treated the injured knights meticulously.
He must have reviewed the conditions of the knights out of regret after hearing what I said.
He looked so reluctant when I asked him to apologize, but I think he had still done it.
When I entered the Imperial Palace with a happy smile, the servant bowed his head.
"Your Highness, I think you'll have to wait a little bit today."
"Does His Majesty have a visitor?"
"It's not like that, Your Highness, he's duelling with the captain."
He was duelling with Ron? The leader of the knights?
Sir Ron was regarded as the strongest knight in the palace because he was a master of the sword. However, people said that even Sir Ron was lacking compared to Tenstheon.
"Lead me to where they are."
"Yes, Your Highness."
As we approached the site of the duel, I could hear the clanging sound of metal striking metal.
I didn't know much about swordsmanship, but tensed up just listening to the sound.
I walked quietly by the side.
Tenstheon and Ron were duelling with their swords.
As far as I knew, Sir Ron was younger than Tenstheon, but he looked like he was the older one among the two.
I've noticed this since I first saw him, but my father looked really young. It was as if he had defied the flow of time.
The duel between the two was much more intense than I expected.
Right now, Tenstheon, Ron, and Blake were the best swordsmen in the Empire.
I often spectated competitions and contests between knights, but I felt this duel was on a different level compared to those.
As time went by, Ron began to fall behind.
The edge of the sword was pointed near Tenstheon's chest, but he dodged it with ease.
However, as a result, one of Tenstheon's buttons fell off.
"Is Your Majesty alright?"
Ron was startled and went to approach Tenstheon.
"I'm alright."
Tenstheon tore off his shirt after he lost the button.
Gasp!
I barely managed to hold back my scream.
Oh my god. Oh my god.
He looked better than he did 10 years ago. No, how could he look even better? I thought he was already perfect back then.
"Let's continue."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The two continued their duel again. It was fiercer than before, but I couldn't concentrate on the fight because I was distracted by Tenstheon.
Suddenly a big hand covered my eyes.
"What are you doing?"
I looked back in surprise.
"Blake…"
"What are you looking at?"
"The b-battle."
Yeah, I was watching the battle! Why did I get so nervous? I was telling the truth.
Blake stared at Tenstheon and Ron duelling and spoke in a low voice.
"Let's go back first. We can't interrupt them can't we?"
"Yes…"
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136 – What seemed to have changed had not changed (6)
TL: Zimming
Editor: bodyinthefreezer
Blake returned to the Amoria Palace in a bad mood.
"Ancia."
When we went into the room, he broke the silence and called my name.
"Yes, Blake?"
"Are His Majesty's abs really that good?"
"N-no!"
I shook my head hurriedly.
"I just went to see the duel!"
I just really wanted to see the best swordsmen in the Empire duelling each other.
I never dreamed that such an incredible scene would suddenly unfold there.
Blake's expression did not change despite the explanation.
"I-I tried so hard…but I guess it wasn't enough."
"No, it's not that!"
Blake's abs were excellent. However, compared to Tenstheon, it was slightly different.
Blake abs looked like that of a model.
He had a lean and slender figure paired with his abs. It was aesthetically perfect, like a painting or a sculpture.
On the other hand, Tenstheon's abs looked like that of a gold medallist professional athlete.
"Blake and His Majesty's abs are different!"
"What's the difference?"
"S-so…"
How could I explain the difference?
I couldn't think of anything.
"Uh, His Majesty's abs are like gold—"
"What?!"
Blake's expression crumpled.
"No, I mean…!"
What's wrong with you, Ancia?
I feel like I was just talking nonsense.
"It's as good as gold?"
"No, no, the best—!"
I wanted to say that he had abs like an athlete, but before I could say it, Blake said, "His Majesty's abs are number one in the world?"
"H-He's not number one in the world…"
Come to think of it, there was no concept of 'athlete' in this world.
The more I spoke, the more I felt like I was saying the wrong thing.
Blake stood up just as I was about to explain.
"Blake, where are you going?"
"Phillion Palace."
"Why?"
"If I beat him, I'll be number one."
Blake said as he firmly grasped the sword on his waist.
It seems he had misunderstood what I had said. I grabbed onto him in a hurry.
"Blake is in the first place too!
"What first place?"
"…you're first place for being beautiful!"
I couldn't find a better alternative for the word 'model'.
"……"
But Blake was silent. I quickly added, "And to me, you're in the first place!"
"……"
At that moment, he loosened the grip on the sword.
I didn't miss the opportunity and held Blake's hand. I took his hands and blew raspberries on it.
"…Ancia, what are you doing?"
"Blowing raspberries."
Seeing me laugh, Blake also ended up laughing in response.
"Ancia, there's something wrong."
"Huh?"
"You should do it here."
He pointed at his stomach. He remembered that I used to blow raspberries on his stomach when we were young.
His baby belly had now turned into the belly of a man.
"…well, that was when you were a kid."
"Then should I do it for you?"
"Huh?"
Before I could say anything, Blake blew in my ears.
He rubbed my earlobes and took off my coat.
Blake's lips touched my neck and started going lower. He passed down my shoulder and came down to my arms, wrists, and palms.
He wasn't blowing raspberries, but I didn't point it out.
Every time he kissed me, my body temperature seemed to rise.
"Father."
Tenstheon was looking at the documents when I arrived at his study. He smiled when he looked up and saw me.
"Ancia, you're here?"
"Were you busy?"
"No, I'm just taking a break."
Contrary to what he said, there was a pile of documents in front of his desk.
"I can wait if you're busy."
"No, I was just about to go and see you."
"Me?"
"I heard you came here yesterday."
Cough.
I was so embarrassed when I thought about what happened yesterday.
"Are you alright?"
"Oh, yes. I didn't come for any important matters yesterday. I just came and went back because I thought you were busy."
"There's nothing more important than you."
He handed me a glass of water.
"Thank you."
I drank the water in a hurry. Tenstheon patted me on the shoulder when I finally calmed down.
We left the study and went to the greenhouse in the Palace. It was also the place where Tenstheon had invited me for the first time.
On the white table, there were many fascinating desserts laid out.
"Tell me if it's not enough."
"No, there's so much."
First, I tried a strawberry shortcake that had red strawberries on it.
"Is it tasty?"
Tenstheon asked me while smiling.
"Yes, father. You try it too."
"Alright."
Before I said that, he hadn't touched anything other than the black tea. He still wasn't a fan of sweet things.
While I was gone, his relationship with Blake had become more awkward. My heart felt heavy because I knew it was because of me.
"Blake dropped by for a while before."
"Really?"
Now that I was back, was Blake trying to fix his relationship with his father?
As soon as I was about to be relieved, Tenstheon added, "He said we should duel."
"…I think you should refuse him."
"Why?"
It'd be dangerous for Tenstheon if they decided to duel.
Blake's intention to duel was not purely to improve his skills and to observe Tenstheon's skills.
But I couldn't tell him the truth.
"I don't want to see both of you fight."
"It's just a friendly duel."
"But you both are going to use real swords. It's dangerous."
"…okay, I won't do it if you don't want it."
A nostalgic expression suddenly appeared on Tenstheon's face, perhaps he was reminded of the time when he taught Blake swordsmanship.
I smiled brightly to warm up the atmosphere.
"Please do it after you become closer."
"…okay."
When would their relationship get better?
I hoped Blake would call Tenstheon 'father' soon. Tenstheon would be very happy then.
"You're going to Sir Ron's wedding, aren't you?"
Ron would be getting married the day after tomorrow.
He claimed to be single until his late 30s, saying he was already married to the Empire, but he suddenly announced his marriage after reuniting with a friend this year.
Thanks to his marriage, the knights were all in a festive mood.
"Of course."
"Is Sir Collin coming too?"
"No, he said he'd be working."
So he's still a workaholic.
Not only was it a hot topic among the knights, all of the aristocratic society was also in a buzz because of Ron's marriage.
As soon as I was about to take my leave and let him rest, Tenstheon added, "Shannon and Edon said they wouldn't attend and stay behind to protect the Palace instead."
Shannon was the only woman to lead the Knights of the Imperial Palace. She was also respected by many young knights, including Diana.
It was plausible for her to not like weddings because it was a formal event, but I was surprised by Edon's choice.
"Sir Edon too?"
"They know that they're the next targets."
"Target? Ah…"
I understood what Tenstheon said and gave a nod.
Sir Ron's marriage was one of the hottest topics these days.
I often heard this kind of chatter in the parties. 'The excellent knights have to get married quickly or it'll be a waste of their skills. If they're really thinking for the Empire, then they should have a child who inherits their skills.'
Now that Ron, who was so adamant to not get married, really got married, their target would naturally change.
Collin, Edon and Shannon were the most likely candidates.
It was obvious that people would constantly come over to them during the party and ask, 'Now that Sir Ron is married, don't you want to get married too?'
Thinking about it, I could understand their unwillingness to attend the wedding.
"Then will Sir Collin really stay here?"
"No, I'll take him."
Tenstheon said firmly.
But why?
I didn't think he had to take him since Sir Collin had such a clear reason.
Perhaps since Sir Collin was the Emperor's lieutenant, it wouldn't look good for him to not come when the Emperor himself came.
"I see…"
I tried to guess the reason, but then, Tenstheon said, "If Collin isn't there, then I'll become the topic of conversation of those cheeky people. I'll definitely take all three of them with me."
"……"
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137 – What seemed to have changed had not changed (7)
TL: Zimming
Editor: bodyinthefreezer
Come to think of it, if those three people didn't come, the next target would be Tenstheon.
The Empress' seat had been vacant for a long time now. Since Tenstheon did not have any Empress or concubines, there were many people who wanted to secure the Emperor's second marriage for themselves.
In addition, there were countless women who pursued him.
It was no exaggeration to say that all the noblewomen had had a crush on Tenstheon at some point in their youth. According to Chelsea, Tenstheon was second only to Blake when it came to how many noblewomen had a crush on them.
If those three were absent tomorrow, Tenstheon would be asked about his remarriage.
Normally, he'd keep his mouth shut the whole time, but there would still be quite a few people who were too drunk to notice and kept talking to him.
It'd be hard for Tenstheon to get angry during the party.
But he was planning to use those three as a shield. He was such a bad boss!
When I glanced at Tenstheon, he placed another dessert in front of me.
"Eat up. You have to eat a lot to regain your stamina."
"Yes, father."
I cut a slice of the cheesecake. The cheesecake melted as soon as it entered my mouth, and the taste of delicious cheese took over my senses.
"It's so delicious!"
Tenstheon smiled at me.
"Father, you eat it too."
"I'm full just looking at you."
I didn't insist anymore because I knew he didn't like sweets.
Having eaten all those desserts alone, my stomach felt like it was going to explode.
I thought I should exercise, but the weather was so cold that I was shivering.
I walked a little and quickly went into the library in front of me.
"Your Highness."
"Collin!"
When I saw Collin, I quickly greeted him.
"Are you here to read?"
"Ah, yes."
I had originally wanted to take a walk but it was too cold outside.
"Did you come here often?"
I didn't meet him when I went to the study before. He must've been in the library.
"Yes, I'm thinking of leaving work today."
"So soon? Are you sick?"
It was still early. Besides, there seemed to be a lot of documents piled up in the study.
I was worried about whether he was sick but Collin shook his head.
"No, I'm not sick."
"Then…?"
"The day after tomorrow."
"Ah…"
Noticing what Collin meant, I nodded my head.
He was intentionally delaying his work so he didn't have to go to the wedding.
"You're not going to attend Ron's wedding?"
"That's right."
He nodded firmly without any hesitation.
"But His Majesty said you're coming with us."
"I'm not going. I'll never go."
He spoke with a determined expression.
Even though Collin often whined to Tenstheon, I never thought that there would come a day when he'd reject His Majesty's order.
Seeing him like this, it seemed like he really didn't want to go.
"I hope you get what you want."
I said it sincerely.
He was so pitiful. His boss wanted to drag him to the wedding and use him as a shield even though he didn't want to go.
No matter what father said, I was on Collin's side.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
He spoke in a grateful tone. I had never seen Collin being like this. It seems he was really thankful that I sided with him.
"Collin, there's no news about her yet, is there?"
Ser being the Goddess of Light was a secret that only Blake, Tenstheon, Collin and I knew.
There was no one around us right now, but just in case, I phrased it cryptically.
"No, nothing yet."
"What about the Camellia orphanage?"
Camellia was the name of the orphanage that Richard owned. It was also the place where Ser first appeared.
"She didn't go there either."
Tenstheon had also investigated Richard for bringing the fake Ancia, but released him quickly .
Richard didn't know about Ser's existence at all. He brought her to the Palace because he thought it was really me.
But that might be a lie as well.
I was being careful because I didn't know exactly why Serphania went to Richard.
I wasn't going to tell them about my past life, but I let them know that Richard was Phillip.
Even now, we didn't know what kind of thing he was planning now.
Even after coming out of the Door of Darkness, Ser had spoken about Phillip as if she had lingering feelings.
"If I find any clues, I'll let you know right away."
"Yes please."
At first, I was going to wait quietly for Ser to appear in front of me.
However, the anxiety in my mind continued to rise.
What if she was asking me for help but I couldn't hear her like before…
Of course, I didn't think that was the case because Ser had appeared in my dream, but I really wanted to meet her.
The palace was scheduled to undergo extensive repairs starting tomorrow.
There were many places to fix because it had been empty for seven years.
Originally, I only intended to repair the defects, but due to Blake and Tenstheon's strong insistence, we finally decided to just remodel everything.
I checked the list of things to be repaired for one last time, and then gave it to Chelsea.
"Okay, proceed."
"Yes, Your Highness."
It hadn't been long since I returned to my own body, but I already had a lot of work to do.
Chelsea was very helpful because of her resourcefulness.
After the remodelling of the Sephia Palace was completed and I began to work as the Crown Princess again, I planned to select Chelsea as my official assistant.
She was more of an aide than a maid.
"Actually, I went to Camellia orphanage yesterday."
She had asked me for a day off yesterday, so I guess she went to Richard's orphanage then. She must've gone there to take a look because she knew that I kept thinking about it.
"How was it?"
"The facilities were very good. I almost thought I had come to the wrong orphanage. They taught the kids there how to read and write, and provided them with excellent food and clothing as well."
"Is that so…"
Collin said the same thing.
I continued to monitor Richard just in case, but there was no problem to be found.
He named the orphanage after the flower, Camellia. He must've worked there sincerely. After all, he named the orphanage after his mother's favorite flower.
That was not to say that I believed Richard had changed.
Due to his meticulous nature, he would not have committed illegal activities in his own facility.
Even if he did something bad, he wouldn't have done it in the orphanage that was under his name while the Imperial family was monitoring him.
It must've been true that the facilities were good and that he was treating the children well then.
He was probably running the orphanage to build a good reputation for himself, so he must've paid extra attention to it.
However, it was somewhat surprising that he even accepted children of Roum blood.
Although his Roum lineage had been revealed in the trials before, I thought he'd ignore it and simply forget about it.
It was weird because in the original, other than hiring Domiram, he had nothing to do with the Roums. Besides, he had hired Domiram because of his excellent skills.
Even after he became an Emperor, there were no talks of implementing policies for the Roums.
"But there's a slight problem with the treatment of the Roum children."
"Are they discriminated against?"
I was a little surprised to hear what Chelsea said.
Knowing Richard's character, he would've refused them right from the beginning rather than accept them, and then discriminate against them.
Did he have any other intentions behind taking them in other than building his reputation?
I thought it was suspicious for some reason, but Chelsea shook her head.
"Not really, but it seemed as if the other kids were rather reluctant to play with the Roums. They formed separate groups and didn't include the Roums because of their deep-rooted prejudice."
"What happened?"
No matter how smart Chelsea was, it would be difficult to grasp the relationship among the children from just one short visit.
"There was a fight. A child cursed at one of the Roums. The Roum child got angry and it quickly turned into a physical fight. The teachers were shocked and quickly stopped them."
"Did anyone get hurt?"
"Yes. It could have ended quickly, but one of the Roums wouldn't stop until the end. It was a little boy named Karuo, and in a good way, he was very spiteful."
According to Chelsea, it was really just a quarrel between the children. It didn't seem like Richard had done anything.
However, I couldn't draw any conclusions since I didn't see it in person.
"Was Richard Cassil with the kids when they were fighting?"
"No, he wasn't there."
I heard that he had been stopping by the orphanage lately, but coincidentally enough, he didn't come yesterday.
I couldn't tell whether it was because Ser hid him or he was busy preparing for his marriage, but I had heard these days that the Marquis of Westin did not come out of the house at all.
"Ah, and the date of Richard Cassil's wedding has been moved forward."
I was surprised to hear Chelsea's words.
Their wedding was less than a month away, but he still pushed the date forward?
"When?"
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? That soon? What's the occasion?"
"Marquis Westin is said to be in critical condition."
I remembered the contents of the original story. Marquis Westin was a character who did not appear until the second half of the novel.
There was not a single line describing his poor health or any note of him suffering from a chronic disease.
Someone like that suddenly fell into a critical condition? It was too suspicious.
Chelsea said Marquis Westin was suddenly in a critical condition.
That's why he was holding the wedding ceremony sooner. So he could see his daughter getting married before he died.
At first glance, it sounded plausible, but there were many things suspicious about it.
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138 – What seemed to have changed had not changed (8)
TL: Zimming
Editor: bodyinthefreezer
Even if his health was bad, he was still the Marquis of Westin.
If it was a chronic disease, he would've noticed it a long time ago, and if it was some kind of an injury, like a fracture, then they had specialized doctors or priests that could take care of it.
It was nonsense to think that he didn't bother to call the priest or doctor and said that he'd give up treatment to prepare for the wedding.
Moreover, it was Ron's wedding day tomorrow.
This caused a stir throughout the aristocratic circles. Not only the Emperor, but also many nobles were set to attend the wedding.
Of course, Blake and I were also in attendance.
There were still people who would attend Richard's wedding despite the poor public opinion he had acquired thanks to the fake Crown Princess incident.
Even if Marquis Westin was seriously ill, and Lady Westin was in a hurry to get married because of his father, Richard would've opposed it, saying it would not be possible tomorrow.
That day was very important for Richard if he wanted to restore his good reputation.
There was no reason to set the date for tomorrow and risk losing his reputation thanks to not many guests showing because they went to attend Ron's wedding instead.
I was sure there was something strange going in.
I was still lost in thought when Jayden suddenly asked me, "Your Highness, do you have any concerns?"
"N-no."
I shook my head.
In the end, Jayden became my escort.
Seeing the chaotic atmosphere among the knights, Edon took care of the situation and appointed Jayden as my escort. Of course, I agreed.
"By the way, are you okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"You must've joined the Imperial Knights because you wanted to escort the Crown Prince, but you were assigned to be my escort instead."
"No, I'm very honored. I'm fine, but it's just that, sometimes, I feel many gazes on my back…"
"Huh?"
"No, it's nothing."
Jayden didn't say it clearly so I couldn't catch what he said at the end.
"Hey, Jayden."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"…how's Diana been doing while I was gone?"
Diana only said she was doing well and no one else told me about her honestly.
I wondered how this child had really been.
I thought Jayden would tell me honestly.
"She's courageous and hardworking. She never gives up and is nice to her friends."
I was a little relieved to hear Jayden's answer. I was glad because it seemed Diana didn't spend too much time being sad.
"Diana is very confident and she has the ability to lead people naturally so everyone likes her. She was especially popular with women."
"She wasn't popular with guys?"
"I don't know. But I like it."
I looked at him in surprise.
Was he confessing that he liked Diana?
I did ask him that question to get a glimpse of his thoughts on Diana, but I didn't think he'd answer this directly.
"Do you like Diana?"
"Yes."
Jayden answered monotonously. Was he saying that he liked her as a friend?
It was probably so considering his tone.
"I was very happy when Your Highness came back. I saw how much Diana missed you. As soon as I heard that you were back, I called Diana over without your permission."
"But you didn't tell her before, didn't you?"
Jayden didn't tell Diana when Ser showed up pretending to be me.
"Honestly, I was suspicious of her before. His Majesty's reaction was too cold. I don't want to disappoint Diana with uncertain information."
When other people talked about me being dead, Jayden would call them out on it.
Maybe he did that for Diana.
"But when you returned, I thought it was for real this time. I forgot that I couldn't tell anyone without your permission and told Diana. I'm sorry.
"No, thanks to you, I got to see Diana earlier."
"I was also happy because she was happy."
Jayden smiled even wider. Was the mere thought of Diana enough to make him smile?
It wasn't my business, so I thought I shouldn't just assume that. But at this point, I was sure.
"Jayden, do you happen to…"
"Yes?"
"What do you think of Diana…?"
"She's a good friend of mine."
He didn't beat around the bush and answered quickly.
"Ah…"
A friend.
Actually, I thought he had some other feelings towards her, but I couldn't say anything if he just called it a friendship. Diana also said that they were only friends.
"Ancia."
When I entered the Amoria Palace, I saw Blake waiting for me.
"Why are you out in the cold?"
"I missed my wife."
He took my hand with a big smile.
"But what were you talking about so seriously?"
"I was asking about Diana. Sir Jayden is friends with Diana."
"I see. I'd love to hear it with you next time."
Blake smiled brightly and held Jayden's hand. At that moment, Jayden's face turned pale.
What's wrong? Was he nervous?
"I-I'll get going."
Jayden bowed his head and quickly turned as if he was fleeing.
"Did you happen to do something to Sir Jayden?"
Blake shook his head when I asked him that.
"No, of course not. I'm a good man."
Blake smiled and held my hand.
"Let's go to the greenhouse. I want to show you something."
"Okay."
I went into the greenhouse with him. Then, a white rose blooming on one side of the greenhouse caught my eye.
I planted a seed with Blake yesterday, and it grew up in a day.
"Did you do this?"
"Yes, I practiced what you taught me yesterday."
I taught Blake the magic of growing plants yesterday.
However, he mastered the magic so perfectly that it bloomed in just one day.
"Amazing! Not even a mage could learn this fast!"
"It's all thanks to you being a good teacher."
"No, this is your natural talent! What a genius!"
"Eh…I'm not."
Blake's face turned red with just some compliments.
It was very cute to see him looking down slightly and turning away…
"You had a hard time practicing, didn't you?"
He must've become tired from practicing alone. I was going to ask him to take a break today, but he noticed my thoughts and answered quickly.
"No, I can still learn today."
"Don't overdo it. You don't have to rush."
"It's not like that. I just like learning from my wife."
Blake smiled and looked into my eyes. I touched his silver hair lightly.
I didn't want to push himself too hard, so I decided to review what he learned yesterday with him.
He made strawberries appear on a tree that had been planted not long ago using his mana.
I picked the strawberries and put them in his mouth.
His mouth was puffed as he ate the strawberry and the sight reminded me of our childhood.
He was so cute. He still had a youthful face that didn't change with age.
"How does it taste?"
"Your strawberries are sweet and delicious, but mine are a little bland."
"That doesn't have anything to do with it. The magic is just to grow the strawberries. This magic is used for growing crops that originally grow slowly in a short period of time."
"Okay."
"You have to work hard. Aside from watering them, you need to control the Mana too."
I held Blake's hand and let the mana flow.
"Does it feel ticklish?"
"A little."
"This is how you deliver mana to the whole crop."
"Yes, I'll try."
Blake injected mana into the freshly sprouted strawberries. He was always serious when studying magic.
The strawberries began to grow in size. The leaves, which were a little smaller than just a while ago, became green and full of vitality.
Drops of sweat formed on Blake's forehead as he concentrated his entire mind on the mana. I wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.
His shoulders shook when I did that. Was he feeling shy?
He was so surprised, so I playfully rubbed his earlobe.
This time, Blake showed a nonchalant response, but I saw his ears getting redder and redder.
At night, he acted like a beast, so it was very cute seeing him be embarrassed at such a light touch.
Suddenly, as if he had been triggered, Blake couldn't stand it anymore when I rubbed his earlobe and turned his head.
"W-wife?!"
He shouted with a red face.
"My husband's ears are so pretty."
"I-If you touch it like that…!"
It was ridiculous to see him stammering in embarrassment. He was…
But before I could say anything, Blake murmured in a small voice.
"I'm embarrassed…"
Gasp…!
I couldn't stand it when I saw the Blush on his face because he was so cute. Blake was the cutest on the whole continent.
Finally, I lost control and hugged him tightly.
"W-wife…!"
Blake was embarrassed. I completely leaned on to him and he supported me so that I wouldn't fall into the dirt.
"My husband is very cute!"
"Really?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"Cute!"
"…still a long way huh?"
He sighed.
"Huh?"
"No, it's nothing."
Blake shook his head. He picked the strawberries up and put them in my mouth.
"How is it?"
"Tasty."
"Really?"
"Yes."
He picked another strawberry and tried it himself.
"It's still lacking compared to yours."
The strawberries I made were still much sweeter. Still, it was a great development compared to the beginning.
"It's only your second time. This is already good."
I comforted the sullen Blake. But I didn't mean it out of courtesy. He really had a natural talent for it.
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139 – What seemed to have changed had not changed (9)
TL: Zimming
Editor: bodyinthefreezer
After practicing magic, the whole greenhouse turned into a strawberry field.
"What do I do with this?"
"I'll give it to Sir Ron as a wedding gift tomorrow."
Blake said calmly. The fruits were made using the magic of light, so they'd be good for his health.
"Hey, tomorrow's wedding…"
"Yes?"
"Can I go a little late?"
"Why? What's wrong?"
Blake's expression immediately changed to worry.
I added quickly, "Did you hear that Richard Cassil's wedding was moved ahead to tomorrow?"
"Yes, I heard it."
"I want to go there."
"No."
He said quickly. I expected that he'd oppose it, but his opposition was much stronger than I'd expected.
In 'The Beast and the Lady', Sophia Westin was one of Richard's women.
Marquis Westin was a greedy father who wanted to make his daughter, Sophia, the Empress by marrying her to Frank.
However, the Duke of Cassil didn't give him a definite answer even though he pretended to let Sophia get engaged to Frank.
Frank was next in line to the throne, so there were many women who wanted to marry him. Naturally, Duke Cassil wanted to keep his options open until the very end.
However, thanks to Marquis Westin's efforts, Sophia eventually became engaged to Frank.
Sophia was happy to fulfill her father's wish. However that was before Frank shamed Sophia for her appearance and verbally abused her. He also had flings with other women.
Instead of apologizing to Sophia when he was caught cheating, he'd yell at her, saying, 'If you don't like it, then you should break up with me.'
Sophia had a hard time, but Marquis Westin repeatedly told her that Frank would change when he grew up.
Sophia also believed her father, praying that Blake would die as soon as possible and that Frank would become the real Crown Prince.
"Goddess, please kill that monster. He's a monster that everyone hates. The Goddess doesn't like him either. Let the monster die so that Frank can become the Crown Prince. I only ask this of you: Please kill him as soon as possible."
Blake didn't die, but the Duke of Cassil still became the Emperor in the original story because Richard killed Tenstheon.
Arnold Cassil was very fond of his eldest son, Frank, so he'd definitely instate him as the Crown Prince. However, nothing changed for Sophia.
Or rather, she became even more unhappy.
Not only did Frank delay the marriage day after day, he also swore at Sophia, demanding her to break up with him.
Even if he became the Emperor, Sophia would never become his Empress. He threatened her to give up before he did something to her in a fit of rage.
Sophia was exhausted, but her father would never allow a break up.
Richard approached the depressed woman.
After struggling for so long between her father and her fiance, Sophia eventually fell in love with Richard.
Richard also pretended to love her, but of course, he didn't really mean it.
Richard used Sofia to extract information on Frank so that he could trap him. And once Frank died, he mercilessly abandoned Sophia.
Even though that was how it went in the original story, the two people who were intertwined in such a terrible relationship were really going to get married.
Of course, there was no guarantee that it would turn out the same way this time.
A lot of things had changed, so it was possible that they were really getting married to each other out of love.
According to the gossip in the aristocratic circles, Sophia had become noticeably brighter since she met Richard, and Richard also treated her with utmost devotion.
However, it was still hard for me to believe it, and kept bugging me.
I asked Blake once again.
"It won't take long. I'll stop by just for a moment."
"Ancia…"
I honestly didn't like Sophia.
The scene of Sophia praying desperately for Blake's was so creepy, yet it was considered one of the best scenes in the original story.
The people who hurt Sophia were Marquis Westin and Frank, but she turned the tip of her blade towards Blake who hadn't done anything to hurt her, and prayed sincerely for his death.
She couldn't do that just because she was helpless.
"I really want to go."
Blake sighed when I said it again.
"You'll go even if I stop you, right?"
"Yes, sorry…"
I didn't want to worry him or give him a hard time anymore, but I couldn't help it this time.
Then, Blake shook his head and wrapped an arm around me.
"There's nothing to be sorry about. Do whatever you want. I'll protect you."
"Thank you."
I leaned my head on his shoulder with a big smile.
The next day, we headed to Marquis Westin's residence.
Blake and I got out of the carriage and headed to the garden where the wedding was being held. There were far fewer people than expected.
I had expected to see Marquis Westin's relatives attending Richard's wedding, but it seemed that even they had chosen to attend Ron's wedding instead.
A lot of people didn't attend the ceremony as a form of protest, saying they could not accept someone with Roum blood as the next Marquis.
"Ancia, remember what I said?"
Blake held my hand tightly as he whispered in my ear.
"Yes, don't worry."
I clearly remembered what he said before I came here. I also whispered quietly to him, when suddenly, we heard an angry voice.
"Why are you stopping his own brother from entering?!"
The butler bowed his head when Marquis Westin's brother roared.
"His Excellency is in critical condition. It's hard for him to attend to guests."
"Guest?! How am I a guest? We are blood brothers! I'm a lot closer to him than that Roum!"
"This is Lady Sophia's command. Please wait until the ceremony is over."
"What's wrong with her? What the hell is Sophia thinking?!"
"Sophia, what does she know? She's become so enamoured by that Roum that she's gone crazy. I have to stop him before he devours the entire Westin family!"
His son, who was standing next to him, shouted as well.
"Get out of my way! I have to see them right now."
"No!"
"A mere butler like you dares to block Marquis Westin's own brother!"
"The battle for the title has already begun."
Blake spit coldly. It was as he said.
Marquis Westin was said to have fought fiercely with his brother for the Marquis title.
I even heard that he kicked out his younger brother who lost the title fight without giving him a single penny.
Let alone being acquainted, they were more like enemies. But he seemed to be acting like that now because he'd heard that Marquis Westin was in critical condition.
If Richard and Sophia got married before his death, then Richard would become the next Marquis.
However, things would get complicated if Marquis Westin died before they could get married.
If the Marquis' brother claimed his rights and brought the people into his side, the position could just as easily fall into his lap.
Originally, the vassals would naturally have supported Sophia since she was the daughter of the Marquis, but she couldn't guarantee them victory any longer because she was getting married to Richard who was a Roum.
They thought Richard was in a hurry to get married to prevent that from happening.
Blake also agreed, and the people at the wedding were probably thinking the same thing too.
The Marquis wasn't dead yet, so they couldn't rush into the fight and take sides just yet.
Marquis Westin had lived his entire life enjoying wealth that ordinary people could not even dream of.
However, there was no one who was genuinely concerned about him when they heard he was in critical condition.
"I don't think he's in a hurry to get married simply because of the title or inheritance."
I said to Blake as I looked around the garden. On the whole, the atmosphere was very chaotic.
The guest chair wasn't comfortable and the decorations were terrible. Furthermore, the number of servants was quite insufficient, so even the few guests had not been welcomed properly.
Was he really in a hurry because the Marquis was sick? Or did he want it to look like he was in a hurry?
They said they suddenly moved up the date, but Richard and Sophia didn't have to prepare everything themselves.
It would've been better to ask relatives or servants to help, or to hire outside personnel.
The Marquis Westin's family was not struggling with financial difficulties, but it felt rather contrived because it was so chaotic.
There must be something wrong.
It was not just the matter of succession to a title. Richard was up to something.
I thought it was suspicious from the beginning, but I was even more convinced now.
"Oh my, Your Highness!"
In the midst of this chaotic atmosphere, one of the guests exclaimed when he saw us. Others were surprised and turned to our side.
"Your Highnesses!"
"I didn't expect you to come."
Originally, the groom was supposed to greet the guests and act as the host, but Richard was nowhere to be seen.
The butler had his hands full blocking the Marquis' brother, so no one noticed that we had also come.
People who belatedly found out that we had arrived rushed to greet us.
The younger brother and nephew of the Marquis, who had been shouting loudly, were also surprised and bowed their heads.
However, even in spite of this tumultuous situation, Richard didn't come out…
"There are very few guests. Most of the relatives just notified us of their absence."
The woman in the maid's uniform reported to Richard.
Her name was Karan and she was one of Richard's black mages.
"They're all going to Ron's wedding. Those jerks."
Richard spat coldly.
One of the Emperor's most cherished servants, Sir Ron, was also having a wedding ceremony, so most of them ran there.
In addition, the Emperor and Imperial couple would also attend the event.
If it were another day, he'd be seething with rage, but today was different.
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140 – What seemed to have changed had not changed (10)
TL: Zimming
Editor: bodyinthefreezer
It was something he expected anyway. He had decided on today because he wanted fewer guests to show up.
He had announced the wedding date just yesterday in order to reduce the number of guests as much as possible.
Marquis Westin was dead.
Although he managed to prevent the decomposition of the body using black magic and mana stones, it would be obvious when someone looked closely.
Connin's spell wasn't perfect, so he manipulated the body with black magic to disguise it as if he was alive.
The more people there were, the higher the risk of being caught would be.
Richard looked at Sophia Westin, who was asleep in the chair opposite to him.
She was wearing a white wedding dress.
He didn't understand why Sophia was making a fuss over just one dress and preparing it so many months in advance, but it turned out well.
If she hadn't prepared her wedding dress in advance, it would've been troublesome to prepare clothes in a hurry.
"Should I wake her up?" asked Karan.
Richard shook his head.
"Leave her be."
Sophia had seen Richard killing Marquis Westin.
He was surprised, but he regained his composure soon.
Marquis Westin regarded Sophia as a tool for their family, and she was well aware of this.
Their father-daughter relationship was not a good one, so he thought it could be overlooked if he coaxed her well.
"I couldn't help it. Marquis Westin accused me and said he'd take me to court. I don't care about dying, but I couldn't stand the thought of breaking up with you…"
"Killer! You killed my father! You murderer!!"
However, he was terribly wrong.
Sophia sobbed and screamed when she found out that Marquis Westin had died.
Marquis Westin has never truly loved you, Only I love you, and I was afraid to break up with you. This happened because the Marquis attacked me first and I made a mistake when I tried to stop him. Richard kept making such excuses. But no matter what he said, Sophia didn't listen.
"Save my father!"
Richard's expression hardened as he watched her cry. Why was she acting like this?
For Marquis Westin, Sophia was not a child, but a tool. The Duke of Cassil also acted no different from Marquis Westin.
But why was she so sad?
Richard was the one who comforted Sophia's heart which had been wounded by Marquis Westin.
So naturally, he expected her to put him first. So why was she so sad?
Was it because they were family?
Richard didn't understand Sophia. However, he still needed her to take over the Westin family.
He had to coax her and get married somehow.
"Sophia, calm down."
"What? How could you say that? You killed my father and now you're telling me to calm down?!"
She turned around and screamed at Richard.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to put you to trial!"
Richard quickly stopped her in surprise.
If the fact that he had murdered Marquis Westin was discovered, then he would be completely done for. Rather than becoming the Emperor, his head would be on the guillotine.
Richard knocked Sophia out.
The next day, she woke up and started screaming again, but Richard didn't comfort her anymore.
She had wanted to kill him by calling for a trial. There was no need for him to show her compassion.
Richard had Karan cast a spell on Sophia.
It was manipulation magic which dominated the body and controlled it like a puppet. It was a level lower than the brainwashing magic which dominated the mind.
It could only be used to execute a limited amount of behavior, and above all, there was a high risk of being caught because it would seem somewhat unnatural and awkward.
Karan was smarter and more cautious than Connin, but her black magic was still lacking.
Connin, however, was already in charge of Marquis Westin, so he couldn't put a spell on Sophia as well.
Richard moved the wedding forward.
As soon as Sophia put on her wedding dress and finished her makeup, he had her go back to sleep.
"It will be time for the wedding to begin soon."
When Richard told Karan not to wake Sophia up, she became worried and checked the time.
Most of the guests would go to Ron's wedding after showing up for a while.
If the wedding was delayed, they wouldn't wait any longer and just go to Ron's wedding.
The fewer guests there were, the better it was for them.
If Richard said that Sophia was sad about the Marquis and exhausted from crying as an excuse, there would be no one who'd protest it.
Richard planned to kill Sophia and disguise it as a suicide when he officially became the Marquis of Westin after the wedding.
Since she was already depressed at the time of the wedding, no one would doubt that she hadn't died because of the sadness of losing her father.
People would think that her depression got worse because there were only a few guests at her wedding and pity her.
The public would also criticize the vassals for abandoning their lord and choosing to go to Ron's wedding.
Other nobles were conscious of public opinion so they would also keep their distance from them, and so, the vassals would be forced to show loyalty to the Westin family again.
If both Marquis Westin and Sophia died, people would oppose Richard's succession of the Westin family. They'd think Richard took over the Westin family on purpose.
But amidst public sympathy for Sophia who died and criticism for the vassals, they'd have no choice but to shut their mouth.
After all, they were also responsible for Sophia's suicide.
At first, he was going to persuade Sophia to hide the death of Marquis Westin and hold a splendid wedding.
However, Sophia was foolish enough to side with her father and lost her mind, so they were forced to hold the ceremony today. But as a result, it turned out well.
Rather, this was much simpler.
He'd have her write a suicide note that said, 'I love Richard so much. I want to give everything to him.'
Richard glanced at Sofia indifferently.
"What a fool."
He didn't feel sorry or guilty towards her.
He had given her a chance. However, Sophia chose to make a fool out of herself and called for the guards.
"But wouldn't it be better to keep her awake now? I think I'd have to get her dress and hair done again."
The decorations on her hair and clothes were in disarray as she had pressed on it while sleeping.
"Just leave her be."
In fact, it would be nice if she looked a bit disheveled.
After the wedding, the guests would demand to see Marquis Westin.
The guests were mostly Marquis Westin's people.
In particular, those who did not go to Ron's wedding and remained in place until the end were those who were very close to Marquis Westin.
And they had come here to see the Marquis of Westin, not Richard and Sophia's wedding.
No matter how good Connin was at magic, they'd notice that the Marquis was in a strange condition.
Therefore Richard planned to use hallucination to confuse their minds.
"Have you prepared for it?"
"Yes, I've set it up in the Marquis's room."
After the wedding, they'd take the guests to Marquis Westin's room.
Connin would manipulate Marquis Westin's body and make a false voice to make him look alive, while Karan would use hallucination magic.
Under the influence of the hallucinations and magic, all the people would believe that the Marquis was still alive.
Marquis Westin would die after nominating Richard as the next Marquis.
It had been a long time since the Marquis died, but Richard had hidden it with manipulation magic, so no one would notice it.
The next day would be the perfect time to release the suicide note that he had prepared in advance.
Tomorrow he would become Marquis Westin.
Not only would he become a nobleman again, all of the Westin family's vast wealth would also belong to him then.
Richard smiled when he thought about the future that would unfold from tomorrow, and suddenly a woman's voice echoed in his ears.
"Are you crazy? You're out of your mind! How could you do this? Were you really that kind of a human? No, you gave up being a human a long time ago."
The voice belonged to Laontel. She always bothered him with the auditory hallucinations, but this time she was directly criticizing him.
Following the auditory hallucination came a splitting headache.
When Karan saw Richard staggering, she rushed to him in surprise.
"Master!"
"It's okay. Don't make a fuss."
Richard clenched his fist and rose up again.
'What is this? Just what is this!'
He couldn't figure out why the auditory hallucinations suddenly started. He guessed that it had something to do with the fake Ancia.
However, he was more angry than curious about the cause.
'Why is she blaming me?! Why is she rejecting me?!!'
No matter who she was, the unbearable anger boiled up when she criticized him.
He'd go find that fake after he got married and became the Marquis. He would definitely find her and find out the source of this auditory hallucination!
Richard was gritting his teeth, when the butler came inside.
"What's going on?"
Richard had planted him here when he first started courting Sophia.
He owned the butler, as well as some of the Marquis' knights and servants.
Thanks to this, it was easy to control the mansion even after he killed the Marquis.
"Marquis Westin's brother has come."
Richard frowned. The Marquis and his brother were practically enemies.
As soon as he heard that his brother was in critical condition, he showed up. What a piece of shit.
"Get rid of him right now."
"But it's the younger brother of the Marquis…"
"Tell them that it's Marquis Westin's orders."
No one would doubt it if they heard that Marquis Westin kicked his brother out.
"Also the Crown Prince and his wife are here."
As soon as Richard heard that, his expression distorted horribly.
Ancia and Blake were here?
He thought that they had gone to attend Sir Ron's wedding.
What were they doing here?
He had an ominous feeling about it.
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