Hurried footsteps were heard.
Lark wasn’t able to control his reason, lost in confusion, embarrassnt, and anger for a very long ti.
‘I heard about the future where the 2nd Prince Nathan would assassinate and ascend to the throne, but honestly, I did not worry about the well-being of the 1st Princess Bella.’
If Lark died, the next heir would be the 1st Princess Bella. This ant that in order for the 2nd Prince Nathan to beco emperor, she had to be set aside.
However.
‘Because Bella is Nathan’s biological sister…’
Nathan and Bella were siblings born to the sa mother and were famous for loving each other terribly.
‘Nathan can beco emperor without killing Bella. With the agreent between the imperial family and the parliantary aristocrats, the order of succession can be adjusted.’
Bella was weak from birth. She often vomited blood and it was hard for her to get out of bed.
‘No one will be happy with the succession of Bella, who’s not even healthy…’
So Lark had guessed that he was the only obstacle for Nathan. After removing him, Nathan would’ve easily replaced the succession ranking through an agreent with his sister, Bella.
That was what he’d thought.
‘No, I was complacent. Wasn’t he the kind of guy who assassinated blood kins and worked behind the scenes? I should’ve thought he was also capable of doing inhuman things.’
The regret that ca later flowed out with a sigh.
‘If the future that the princess saw had changed…’
Asto Palace.
The bedroom of the 1st Princess, Bella van Rashmach Descarde.
For so reason, the door was wide open. And, the servants who always surrounded the bed on which Bella was lying were noisy.
Shrak. Shrak. Shrak.
When he showed her presence, the maid, who had been weeping with concern, turned and greeted Lark.
“Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince-”
“Your Highness.”
The aristocratic maids were familiar faces who had been taking care of Bella from an early age. From their facial expressions alone, Lark could guess.
‘It has changed.’
His sister, as if asleep with a carefree face, with her dark gray hair ssed up on the pillow.
Bella.
‘It changed.’
The future that Rubette saw had changed.
A tragedy that should have taken place in the distant future was unfolding right before his eyes.
“… Brother.”
A familiar voice.
Lark lifted his head slowly.
The owner of the voice was standing at the other end of Bella’s bed…
‘Nathan.’
The culprit behind all of this.
With heavy wet eyes, he looked as if the world had collapsed.
The sunlight shattering over his gray hair made Nathan look even more pitiful.
‘Maybe it’s my fault that the future has changed.’
After hearing about the future from Rubette, Lark concluded that he was the biggest variable.
Advisor Ren was defending himself from being frad unfairly, and having identified his political opponent as Nathan, he chased after him more closely.
Nathan, of course, couldn’t stay still at the movent of Lark, who was squeezing his neck.
‘He frad Lissy to shake up, and even Bella, who had the highest succession rank, was eliminated…’
Lark said to himself.
Even if he knew the future, he wouldn’t be able to change Nathan’s ambitions.
‘This is obviously my fault.’
For a long ti in the dry atmosphere, their sharp gazes entangled and lingered.
***
Tuk.
Clatter.
The poker cards, which had been stacked like a pyramid, all collapsed when the bottom was slightly touched.
“If the future has changed, it is my fault. If I hadn’t acted differently, the future wouldn’t have changed. It was collapsing from the ti I started touching it.”
“So what?”
Wishit, who was staring at from the other side with his arms crossed, raised his eyebrows.
“Unlike the original future, if Lisbeth is frad for targeting her 1st Princess, I have to help her.”
“No, I’m against it. This one is dangerous. It’s like ddling in soone else’s house fight where life cos and goes,” Wishit leaned over to and said.
“I’ve felt it every so often. You often make such a judgnt that makes think I know you, but in fact, I don’t know you.”
“What do you an?”
“You know the future, so if you’re not a fool, of course you shouldn’t live the sa way.”
“Well, isn’t that right?”
“If you behave differently from your previous life, of course there will be variables. This situation may be just the beginning. If you save a person who should have died, on the other hand, the person who should have lived may die. Are you going to hold yourself accountable like this every ti?”
Wishit added with a look that said he could not understand at all.
“I liked how you act for personal gain and how you can be infinitely cold to others.”
“Mm, I guess. Because you were always frustrated with Rubette, who couldn’t act like .”
“Rember why you decided to help the crown prince in the first place,” Wishit added sternly.
“It was to help your business, and you paid the price. You’ve already taken a huge risk by telling him the future. You don’t have to worry about what happens after that.”
“Yes, that’s what I said.” After admitting it plainly, I put up the fallen poker cards one by one again.
“But Wishit. Now, to be honest, I didn’t just start helping the crown prince to model my shop.”
“…”
“Originally, he was a person who would die sadly, and there were many people who would be sad about his death.”
“Aha. So, from the beginning, were you planning on pretending to be a good-natured saint into a decent future that you know.”
“It’s not . It’s Rubette.”
Wishit stopped and hardened.
“You seem to know it very well, but you are right. ‘Juliet Karenina’ is not a very nice person. She never did anything to lose, was moderately selfish, and acted like a fox in the eyes of others.”
“…”
“It was the exact opposite of Rubette. Well, you know, Rubette…” I piled up one more card and chuckled. “She was a kid who tried to understand and forgive even the people who hated and tornted her. You were frustrated with her.”
“…”
“I am equally frustrated with that child. So, I’m going to feed the humans who hurt Rubette, who is kind, one by one. As far as that part, there is no compromise, even if it is not what Rubette wants.”
I calmly waved my index finger.
“But in other circumstances.”
Soon over the pyramid-shaped pile of cards, I made eye contact with Wishit.
“I will not act as Juliet Karenina, but as Rubetria Diollus.”
“…”
“I always think, what would it be like if it was Rubette who knew the future? She must have felt sorry for what had to happen.”
Having absorbed all of Rubette’s mories and emotions from mont to mont, I had felt it instinctively.
What she was hoping for, and how she would behave if it was her.
“There was an indifferent father all her life, but Rubette loved him. She would’ve done sothing sohow because she felt sorry for him to die at the age of 39.”
And so Juliet Karenina tried to save her father, with whom she had no bonds.
“Also, if she had had a chance to et the crown prince, she would have announced the future without thinking twice. You are dood to die, so be careful.”
Knowing the secret of Lark’s tragic death, she couldn’t have ignored him.
“And now, the choice that touched the future has left the innocent Lizbett in a situation where she is falsely accused.”
I asked Wishit, who had been silently listening to , looking straight ahead, “What about the Rubette you used to know? Would she have pretended not to know Lisbeth and lived comfortably?”
“…”
“A lot of the choices I’ve made so far, in fact, there are a lot of things I wouldn’t have done if I had been ‘Juliet Karenina’.”
However.
“But because I was determined to live a happy life for Rubette.”
“…”
“I want to make a choice that doesn’t deviate too much from the life she wants as much as possible.”
“Like a fool…”
“I know what you are worried about. You don’t want to get involved in sothing that doesn’t make sense and put in danger.”
“…”
“But I don’t jump into anything that will harm or put at risk in the first place. So, I’m going to think and act.”
“…”
I got up over the silent Wishit.
“You’ve seen well, Wishit.”
Then I walked past him and said,
“I am a person who can be cold to others. I will never feel heartbreak for anyone, but if there’s anyone that makes unable to keep my cool, it’s-” Before opening the door, I looked back at my Wishit and said, “Rubette. So take a look.”
***
When I left the room, I headed straight to my father’s bedroom.
“Dad.”
“…”
Dad, who was sitting by the sunny window, reading a book, leaned against the door and looked at with his eyes wide open at the low call I uttered.
“I’m here to ask you sothing.”
“And what is that?”
He spoke indifferently like his personality, but his voice was a little friendlier than when we first t.
Feeling that small change, I relaxed a bit.
“You see.”
“…”
Seeing hesitating while holding the doorknob, Dad tilted his head slightly.
“If I make an accident, how far can you handle it…?”
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