“As I said, half the credit belongs to you, Arinel.”

All eyes in the main hall turned to me.

Finding myself suddenly the center of attention, I awkwardly shifted my gaze to empty space.

Duke Siegfried was the one who did the excavation work in Acrect, so for me to take half the credit… This is too much pressure!

However, Briton, standing beside me, maintained a gentle smile as if agreeing with Parmes’s words.

“If Arinel hadn’t talked about the geological survey, Duke Siegfried would never have gone to Acrect. Isn’t that right, Duke Siegfried?”

Parmes, who had shown a sunny expression towards me, suddenly hardened his gaze and asked sharply.

Siegfried, seemingly used to such changes, responded immediately without showing any particular reaction.

“Your Majesty is correct. Therefore, it would be right to bestow a reward upon Arinel. We need to remind all imperial citizens that great contributions to the Empire during difficult times are rewarded generously.”

All imperial citizens… Isn’t this going too far?

“I’m fine, really. I’m just happy to have been of help to the Empire. Ah… haha…”

I awkwardly laughed while waving my small hands in a fluttering motion.

The discovery at Acrect seems to have pushed back the bank’s bankruptcy, and I won’t have to witness the terrible situations from the original story, so it’s good for me too.

But Parmes ignored my refusal, not even acknowledging it.

Instead, he addressed the crowd.

“Would anyone object to whatever reward I choose to give Arinel?”

Parmes slowly looked over the assembled nobles.

Naturally, not a single person dared make a sound.

“Who would dare object, Your Majesty?”

Briton’s soft, gentle voice flowed out.

I looked at Briton with a startled expression, but he simply smiled as if to say there was no need for concern.

I really am fine though…

Parmes’s previously closed lips opened.

“Actually, there’s been a complaint filed at Victory Square. People say my statue is too cruel. They’re being quite sensitive about just a few pieces of corpses cut by my sword.”

When I heard Parmes’s words, I had a sense of déjà vu.

Right, that statue…

Wait? That complaint was from me?

That statue with the raised sword and piled corpses was too cruel for children to see.

However since I submitted it anonymously, no one would know it was from me.

“But thinking about it, that argument has merit, so I’ve decided to remove the statue.”

“What? The entire statue?”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t imagine what the square would look like without the statue. My complaint wasn’t about removing the entire statue, just the carved corpse pieces…

But why is he suddenly talking about this while discussing my reward?

…Wait a minute?

“And instead of my statue, I plan to er*ect a statue of Arinel.”

BOOM-!

It felt like lightning had struck my head.

“…Wh-what did you just say…?”

“I said I’m removing my statue and putting up a statue of Arinel.”

CRASH-

Like thunder following lightning, another shock wave hit me.

But unlike my frozen state, Parmes seemed somehow excited.

“Arinel. Don’t you think it’s a wonderful idea? It should be even bigger than my statue, and you can discuss with the sculptor what kind of dress you’d like. I’ll let you reflect your taste in that. And…”

That was like the Admiral Yi Sun-sin statue in Gwanghwamun Square in Korea.

While Parmes hadn’t achieved merits like Admiral Yi Sun-sin or earned nationwide respect, his statue stood in such a meaningful location!

A location that every imperial citizen would know about when asked about the Emperor’s statue.

And he wants to remove that and replace it with me?!

“This can’t be happening…”

I felt dizzy at Parmes’s declaration of what felt like a punishment rather than a reward.

“An excellent idea, Your Majesty.”

And then Briton’s voice from beside me.

I turned to look at Briton with wide eyes.

Briton was smiling with slightly flushed cheeks, muttering to himself.

“…Now I’ll be able to see my lady’s face in the square as well.”

Wait a minute, that’s not the point!

“Then shall we hear the ministers’ opinions?”

Just as I was about to object, Parmes’s stern voice rang out.

Phew, at least he’s thinking of consulting others’ opinions.

Thankfully, it seems he won’t make this decision arbitrarily.

Right, removing the Emperor’s statue and putting up a statue of a little kid instead…

Everyone will surely oppose this ridiculous idea. Just as I was catching my breath, I heard applause like thunder.

Clap clap clap clap clap-!

The source of that intense applause, as if something was being torn apart, was Duke Guermont.

What’s with those flashing yellow eyes!

“Well, it seems Duke Guermont approves.”

Then Lady Alens joined in with her applause.

“Ho ho ho! It’s an excellent idea, Your Majesty.”

As if enchanted, the nobles began to applaud together.

The thunderous applause filling the previously quiet main hall made my head spin.

Parmes looked at them with satisfied eyes.

Then he said to me.

“Everyone in the Empire must know what a great thing Arinel has done. It wouldn’t be right for only a few to know about it.”

“I agree completely. That would indeed be unfair. Your Majesty’s insight is correct.”

Siegfried pushed up his glasses as he supported Parmes’s words.

What’s unfair about what!

You gentlemen are the ones being unfair!

***

After returning home, I reread my diary.

The diary contained information about <I will no longer be the Tyrant’s lover> that I had read before being transmigrated.

I had written it down carefully, afraid I might forget the original story.

Sometimes I would take it out and add notes when I remembered details from the original that I hadn’t written down before.

The diary I had kept since childhood turned pages slowly, one by one.

What stood out most was the relationship between Parmes and the female lead, typical of a tragic romance novel.

The female protagonist Amelia. Described as a legendary beauty with jet-black hair and black eyes, she becomes the object of Parmes’s obsessive love.

‘I can’t imagine it.’

Parmes’s face when he’s in love, that is.

…It might be a bit scary?

Anyway, as his obsession with Amelia intensifies, Parmes’s tyranny proportionally worsens.

And then comes the great famine… It’s still horrifying to think about how many people died of starvation!

No matter how many times I read the diary’s contents, they remained exactly as I remembered.

No matter how much I looked, there was no mention of my name “Arinel Mylar” anywhere.

‘See, there’s definitely the Emperor’s statue.’

In the third year of the great famine, thousands of imperial citizens start a rebellion in front of the Emperor’s statue.

It’s understandable that the people would be angry – everyone is dying of starvation while the Emperor shows no interest in governing, obsessed only with his lover Amelia.

So they behead the Emperor’s statue and advance toward the imperial palace.

And what happened to them, you ask?

What would the strongest and worst tyrant do to rebellious citizens? It’s obvious.

‘Back when I read this, I cursed Parmes so much, calling him a b*****d…’

“….”

I closed the diary.

And stared at the ceiling with a blank face.

“How did things turn out like this?”

While I still maintain my attitude of ‘the original story isn’t my business’…

And although it’s wonderful that preparations for the famine are steadily being made so the poor citizens won’t have to die…

Why does my presence have to become so significant!

“Young miss, the imperial sculptor has come to sketch you.”

Adam’s voice came from outside the door.

Aaaaargh!

***

Duke Siegfried’s mansion.

“Once again, my calculations were correct.”

Eden Siegfried smiled pleasantly upon hearing that Arinel’s statue would be erected in the square.

Considering Arinel’s various achievements so far, he had calculated that the probability of her statue being built had risen to 83 percent and it was just a matter of time – and indeed, it came to pass.

The boy turned his head to look at the coin collection shelf in the study.

“And someday when Lady Mylar visits this place and sees that empty spot there…”

Eden’s lips continued to move.

“The probability that she’ll recognize that gift was from me and be moved is 72 percent.”

While he would need to carefully build up to increase that probability, Eden felt that everything was still going according to plan.