Chapter 74

It was a satisfying, even sweet, answer. It must have shown on my face because Julian asked, relieved,

“Are you finally going to forgive me?”

“It’s not like I gave you a hard time or anything,“ I said, playfully pouting, though a broad smile had already spread across my lips. Julian smiled, too, gently touching the corner of my mouth with his thumb.

“But you even left the house.“

“I couldn’t help feeling hurt just looking at you.”

I blushed, feeling shy.

“Now that I think about it, I already knew I liked you back then. It must have been so upsetting because I cared about you, and you didn’t trust me.“

“It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you. I might have been able to trust Lady Sasha, but it was hard to take the word of her former maid as solid information.“

“You’re right. I’m sorry I got angry. I was being petty.“

“No, you weren’t. You always blame yourself for everything. It was more my fault for disappointing you.“

“No, it’s my fault for pushing you without understanding the situation.“

“No, you were just speaking from your own experience. I should have listened more carefully.”

This conversation could go on forever. I laughed, feeling a bit weary, and nodded.

“Alright, fine. It wasn’t your fault, and it wasn’t mine either. Let’s just agree that we were both a little clumsy.”

We both nodded in agreement, finally settling the matter. Julian then returned to the main topic he had started discussing earlier.

“I used the maid we placed near Lady Eriant to verify whether Lady Sasha’s former maid was trustworthy. There were no issues at the Eriant estate, but her loyalty to the Sasha family was stronger.”

If Nife had told me the truth, this would make sense. That maid was deeply indebted to Nife.

“You were right. I should—”

Before he could apologize again, I quickly pressed a finger to his lips.

“Stop! If you keep apologizing, we won’t get anywhere.”

I could feel Julian’s lips curve into a smile under my hand. I curled my fingers, hid them behind my back, and took a deep breath before speaking hesitantly.

“We should probably start saying ‘thank you‘ or ‘sorry‘ less often. Even though we started out in a political marriage, we both like each other now…”

My face flushed, but I forced myself to look at Julian. He nodded.

“Our relationship is built on mutual trust and affection.”

His voice was soft yet firm, low but undeniably sincere.

Hearing those words, I made a vow to myself. Someday, I would tell him everything. Why I chose him, why I kept so many secrets, and why my life had become so intense.

“I’ll make sure I live up to your trust.”

I said it with all the conviction I could muster, hoping that Julian would understand my sincerity.

I was now sure that even if I couldn’t bear an heir or met an untimely death, Julian wouldn’t abandon me. He would stay by my side until the end, just as he had in my past life.

So, instead of hiding or avoiding things, I knew what I had to do: break the curse that bound me and live a long life by his side, helping him achieve his revenge and fulfill his ambitions. That was my role.

We decided to continue aligning our steps, correcting the missteps we had taken along the way.

“It seems likely that Lady Eriant is one of Princess Abigail’s people,“ I said.

“Yes. But she hasn’t left her room or met with anyone recently. She probably judged that it would be too dangerous to confront the princess directly under these circumstances.“

“Especially with Prince Cain imprisoned.”

Julian nodded.

“The maid I placed there said that the young lord of Eriant occasionally enters her room, and they often argue. When he said, ‘That person is unfit to be emperor,‘ the Lady Eriant replied, ‘That person alone is worthy of the throne.‘”

I paused, my mind racing, before I suddenly stood up. Julian gently grabbed my arm, guiding me to sit back down, but my thoughts were still scattered.

“She’s not talking about Prince Cain. No one believes he has what it takes to be emperor.“

“Exactly.”

Then, a thought struck me. Was I missing something?

‘Emperor,‘ ‘worthiness,‘ and ‘qualifications.’

Prince Aslan had both the qualifications and the qualities of an emperor, while Prince Cain had the qualifications but lacked the qualities. But Lady Eriant said that someone had the ‘qualifications.’

Someone other than these two princes who might be deemed worthy of the throne. And in that moment, Julian and I exchanged a look of dawning realization. I held onto Julian as he voiced what we had just figured out.

“They want to make Princess Abigail the emperor!”

There had never been a female emperor in this country’s history. While no law explicitly barred women from the throne, the lack of precedent was as good as an unspoken rule.

“Princess Abigail must have seen even her brother as nothing more than a pawn.”

She had set up Prince Cain as a rival to Prince Aslan, pitting them against each other while she built her own power in the shadows. That was Princess Abigail’s plan.

It dawned on me then—could it have been Princess Abigail who falsely accused the Winsley family of treason and had them executed in my past life? Realizing this, my hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

I had thought we were safe with Prince Cain imprisoned. With him behind bars, his chances of being released were slim, and even if he were freed, it would take him years to rebuild his power. But I was wrong.

If we don’t stop Princess Abigail, the same tragedy from the past will unfold. My family will be accused of treason, and they’ll either be hanged or reduced to slavery. My lips trembled as I spoke.

“…We have to stop Princess Abigail.”

By some miracle, I was living a second life. If I let this chance slip away, I’d never forgive myself.

“If we don’t, she’ll bring about even greater turmoil.”

Julian might not fully grasp what I meant, but he understood that battles for the throne always ensnared innocent people.

The power struggle between Prince Aslan and Prince Cain had already significantly weakened the royal family. If Princess Abigail were to assert her ambitions now, it would be difficult to achieve a good outcome, no matter who won.

Julian seemed to agree, nodding thoughtfully. Then he looked at me intently and added,

“If she becomes empress, you’ll be in even greater danger. I want to prevent that at all costs.”

His voice was filled with concern. Julian gently took my trembling hand, and gradually, the shaking subsided. A sudden thought made me smile as I regained my composure while gazing into his eyes.

“I might not be able to place someone close to Princess Abigail, but there is someone who can annoy her.”

* * *

Instead of returning to the villa, I decided to stay at the Grand Duke’s residence. I had said I’d stop by the villa, but Julian adamantly refused.

“If I’d known how dangerous the princess and the emperor were, I wouldn’t have sent you to the villa in the first place.“

Julian’s stance was firm. After all, Lady Eriant, one of the princess’s followers, had already attempted to assassinate me, and the emperor had poisoned Julian’s mother.

There was no guarantee that I wouldn’t be the emperor’s next target. The reason he killed the former duchess instead of the former duke was apparent.

It was much easier to kill the duchess than the duke. The secluded mansion, which seemed defenseless even against a common thief, with its lack of servants, had made her an easy target.

Julian, aware of this, had no intention of letting me leave the Grand Duke’s residence. If I expressed frustration and wanted to go for a walk, he would simply pick me up and carry me to the garden himself.

After a few days of this routine, the doctor finally replaced my wheelchair with crutches.

Around that time, I received two letters.

One was from Viscount Lessa.

「I will carry out your orders.」

The letter was short, revealing nothing useful if intercepted, but it conveyed the viscount’s fear.

I had instructed Viscount Lessa to replicate his behavior toward Prince Cain, but this time toward Princess Abigail.

I had given him the task of sending her gifts frequently, learning her schedule, following her around, and trying to get in her good graces.

Though very cautious in her actions, Princess Abigail had lost the card that was Prince Cain, so she would be desperate to gain any advantage she could.

Whether she took the bait and trusted Viscount Lessa, his constant presence would force her to limit her movements. I knew better than anyone how much Prince Cain had been annoyed by Viscount Lessa’s persistence in my past life.

Smiling to myself, I moved on to the following letter from the physician, Thien Yus.

「 They’re a picky bunch, but when it comes to curiosity, they’re weaker than anyone else. As soon as they heard your story, they were desperate to investigate. We’ll be visiting soon. Please remember to protect me but also not to protect me too much when you persuade the Grand Duke! Spare me! –

Thien Yus」

I couldn’t help but laugh as soon as I read it. It was as if Thien were speaking right next to me. Come to think of it, Thien had often complained that Julian seemed jealous of him.

At the time, I thought it was absurd, but looking back now, it seemed Thien wasn’t wrong. Julian’s mood would noticeably sour just from me addressing Thien by his first name.

The memory made my face flush. I buried my face in the letter, letting out a silent scream.

But now, I’d have to start persuading Julian. He was determined to stay close even when I walked in the garden—would he really let me go to the Magic Tower?

TL NOTE: A more advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories.