***

They couldn’t immediately rescue those held hostage.

If the Emperor noticed signs of rebellion, things would become complicated.

Of course, that didn’t mean they couldn’t bring down the imperial family, but if the Emperor noticed and went berserk, unnecessary casualties might occur.

Leticia once again engraved Astrid’s words in her heart.

Revenge is ultimately something I do to be happy, so leave no element that might cause painful rumination later.

Never justify my means with revenge as the reason.

There is no sacrifice that should be taken lightly, and no life that should be easily discarded.

It was a boringly virtuous story. Old-fashioned like a fairy tale children hear at their bedside.

Of course, Leticia, who had never experienced parents reading bedside stories, always thought such ideas were the innocence of children who grew up sheltered in adults’ protection.

And that innocence, she believed, was merely foolishness.

How could one obtain what they wanted without paying any price?

Ten years ago, Leticia accepted the Emperor’s proposal for this reason. She exchanged her family’s lives for her own.

Because to get what you want, you had to pay a price.

However, Astrid, Leticia’s teacher, evaluated the past transaction differently.

“That wasn’t a deal, it was a threat, Leti.”

“I received something.”

“What the other party gave and what you received isn’t what matters. The difference between a deal and a threat lies in whether you can refuse the offer or not.”

Astrid embraced Leticia bitterly and whispered.

“An offer you can’t refuse is nothing but a threat.”

But Leticia had never received an offer she could refuse in her life. The offers that came to her were always ones she couldn’t refuse.

“The world has been cruel to you, Leti.”

The world was inherently unfair. That wasn’t even an issue, just an obvious reality.

Leticia and the other street children didn’t sob while lamenting their circumstances. Those who died quickly.

Instead, they were busy finding means to live better lives.

In Leticia’s case, her first means was her appearance. She was a handsome child, so the Borba troupe made her an actor and became her family.

The second means was magic. Because she had outstanding magical talent, Basilinte became her family.

Of course, Leticia knew they loved her.

Luka would still love her even if her appearance faded somewhat, and the Basilinte people would still love her even if her magic weakened.

But if Leticia hadn’t been beautiful, if she hadn’t been a mage, could she have seized the opportunity to gain a family?

The world wasn’t cruel; it simply gave as much as she could pay for.

But Astrid’s answer was different.

“No. You’re wrong, Leti. In the world, many things are given without any reason. They can be good things or bad things. You just received too many bad things.”

“Yet you did your best. Despite your bad luck, you did your best to get this far.”

Was that really true? But…

“Be a little more generous to yourself. Hmm? If I were in your place, or if Chamuka or Tan or Kalia were, what would you say to them? Can’t you say those words to yourself?”

“But I’m not you, Master. I’m not Chamuka or Tan or Kalia either.”

The things they were born rightfully having, Leticia had to pay a price to obtain.

They were different from the start. She and they were not the same.

“What exactly is different? That you’re cuter, prettier, more lovable?”

If she had to compare, wouldn’t it be like the difference between a shop owner’s children and customers?

The shop owner’s children can take items from the shop without paying, but customers can’t.

Leticia spoke her thoughts to Astrid with great difficulty, beating around the bush.

Astrid listened to her words silently without refutation, then declared:

“Our Leti needs to learn that there are things she can obtain without paying any price.”

Through Leticia’s revenge, Astrid aimed to rebuild the foundation of Leticia’s thinking.

That’s why, despite it being Leticia’s revenge, she didn’t let Leticia work. She passed the harsh, dirty, and troublesome tasks to others.

She only assigned Leticia tasks that would appear in magnificently staged revenge scenes in theatrical performances.

Essentially, she was just a figurehead.

Though Astrid did explain how things progressed, hearing about it and experiencing it directly were different.

While others were being run ragged outside until they looked haggard, Leticia was forced to enjoy a leisure that seemed almost inappropriate in Prince Sion’s palace.

Even if she wanted to do something, she needed to know the details of how things were progressing, and she hesitated to intervene for fear of disrupting the plans.

It didn’t feel like proper revenge.

During these days of comfort without any hardship, Leticia had even tried to flatter(?) Astrid to give her some work.

Normally, Astrid would have given Leticia anything—liver or gallbladder—with just one “Teacher is the best” from her, but this time was different.

Astrid firmly refused.

And if Leticia was bored, she gave her tickets to see a play. While others were being worn out by overwork.

“Isn’t it wrong for only me to be this comfortable?”

“As you said, the world is inherently unfair. This is simply good fortune given to you without reason—just like the misfortune that was given to you before.”

Astrid’s teaching had somewhat extreme aspects, but thanks to it, Leticia could clearly understand what she wanted to teach.

And the idleness she was forced to learn for the first time, while passing work to others, was surprisingly sweet.

“…Leti, isn’t that usually called rest, not idleness?”

Tan, who was rightfully lounging at Leticia’s feet as a reward for discovering the location of the hostages, countered.

Since Chamuka, who had been giving Tan heated glances, was dragged away by Astrid, Tan could enjoy Leticia’s petting without any interference.

“If I rest while others work, that’s being lazy.”

“But you’re working too, Leti. You’re resting after finishing your work.”

“But my work is easy.”

Tan tilted his head.

“Making rain fall from a clear sky, pretending to be a prince, negotiating with high nobles—none of that seems easy.”

“It’s easy for me. Not for others.”

“The work I do is easy for me, too. Everyone is doing what they’re good at.”

“But it’s harder than what I…”

“No, it’s not.”

Tan rubbed his cheek against Leticia’s knee and said.

“Leti has it the hardest. You suffer the most, do the most work, and do it the best…”

“Anyone can see that’s not true.”

“You think as you please, so why can’t I think as I please? I choose to believe Leti has it the hardest.”

Leticia was at a loss for words.

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine when you see him running around on all fours, but surprisingly, Tan was the most articulate among the Basilinte people.

“…How can you speak so well yet only growl at Chamuka?”

After voicing this pointed grumble about being speechless, Tan frowned.

“That guy doesn’t listen to reason.”

“He listens better than you think.”

“You’re the only exception. And even with you, he only listens to what he likes and ignores what he doesn’t. He was just born that way. He won’t change even if he dies.”

Tan smiled brightly and pulled Leticia’s hand to place it on his cheek.

“So if you’re going to marry someone, marry me… mmph!”

Water suddenly shot out from a teacup and covered Tan’s mouth.

Leticia looked up in surprise at the water; she hadn’t moved. Astrid was striding in through the open door.

“Do you want to end up like your brother, Tan?”

Behind Astrid, Chamuka was floating in a huge water bubble, frowning. Even from within the water, his glare at Tan was fierce.

To be honest, it was just another ordinary day.

And a few days later, Prince Sion’s debut ball grandly announced its beginning.