Chapter 213
Translator: yun
“Hannah, prepare my al.”
Hannah widened her eyes.
“Y-Your al?”
Considering the fact that my maids had been forcing to eat the past few days, her shock was understandable. She nodded once and ran away before I could nag at her so more. She must have gone to pick up my food.
Now left alone, I stood up.
“Did I sleep too much?’
My fatigue could be explained by the excessive amount of sleep I had but my body also felt heavy as if I had just been drenched in water. Well, I had to admit my sleep had been terrible. Exhaustion had been guaranteed.
“That’s unavoidable.”
I might have overestimated myself. I believed–I thought I could get through anything. It wasn’t a belief that I had based on my hopes. Rather, it felt more like I had blindly believed that what I had been standing atop was solid ground.
But what I was actually standing on was the ground of a house standing precariously with no basent. When I first t the despair that was Castor, the ground had given way.
“The ability to regress and go through ti loops. That’s a [curse] only the Heirs to the Lord of the Gods have.”
Upon Castor’s arrival, the ground beneath collapsed helplessly and I was once again thrown into the abyss below without warning. My life had turned upside down like this once before–back when I had failed both my CSATs and my retake. Like those days of my past life, long, endless despair continued to draw in.
“I’m the only one who knows how to break the curse.”
‘Be with ,’ despair whispered.
“But, Ashley, if I tell you, you’d leave . Won’t you?”
Once I overca a hurdle, another ca searching for . I closed my eyes. This had always been the case.
If even death could not end this chain of misfortunes, what should I do? Without being able to find an answer, I wandered aimlessly around my dream. I had slept like a log. A friend from my past life had theorised that trying to keep sleeping without end was a way for the body to protest against the world for the stress it was putting it through.
“Sleep…”
A long ti ago, it had been easy to open my eyes in the morning. Especially when I was stressed, this habit of mine shone through. Early in the morning, at 8 am, whether it be for an exam or a morning eting, I had never been late. But the fact remained that for the past few days I had slept as if I was dead. Perhaps it was because there were so many things I hadn’t wanted to face yet.
However, I couldn’t move forward while avoiding my misfortunes forever.
“In this entire world, this is sothing only you and I have”
Castor wanted . Because he had the sa curse as ? Because he needed ? I didn’t know why. However, for whatever goal he had, he had killed more than 40 tis without any hesitation. No, he destroyed .
“That’s not love.”
I recalled what I had fearlessly said to the mad Crown Prince back when I had lost my mories. The love he believed to be love could never be love.
“The Lord of the Gods never loved the First Emperor. It was an obsession, not love.”
I wondered what he felt towards ? But it didn’t matter to what he thought of . But now I know for sure. In order for to be truly free of him, only one of us could win. A victory that left no doubt as to who was the victor must be achieved.
No, I must be the one who wins.
“And in order to do that…”
I knew my strengths. And I knew what I had at my disposal. I glanced at the diary. The most evil being I had in my possession was also a companion that I shared my life with for the past few years. Like it or not, the diary had been stuck to my side for the past four years. After staring at the diary for a long ti, I organised the information I had as I tapped on the back of the book before sweeping it down.
This was a world inside a novel. I had yet to confirm the existence of the female lead but what I knew of the novel so far was matching my reality. Even if I end up being so insane woman who persistently believed she was a character in a novel, most of the things I knew from the content of the original novel stayed true.
Until this point, I had been in a hurry to survive but now, I was going to be different.
Just like how Rebecca had changed her fate. If I had managed to change the ending of a villainess by making sure she didn’t fall for the tyrant, I could change the end of another character. And not only the end of a character but the end of this Empire. Just when Hannah re-entered the room, I had made up my mind.
“Princess, I have brought your al.”
“Bring it here.”
After having gobbled up my food, I instructed Hannah to relay what I was about to say to Dane who had still been waiting for .
“To wait for you?”
“Yes.”
Hannah asked where her princess was going. She seed to be worrying about since I just woke up. I reassured Hannah with a smile.
“I have a place to be. Prepare a carriage by the back entrance.”
Then, I sent Hannah away.
After changing my clothes and calling for Lena and Haina, the three of us headed to the back entrance. The place I was hurriedly heading to, after getting on the carriage waiting for at the back entrance, was the 4th Administrative Office.
“No, not the back entrance. Head to the main gates.”
Instead of entering through the back entrance as I usually did, I glanced at the main gates and the driver whipped the horses accordingly without a word. He was a heavy-lipped man Dane sent . Dane. The mont his na landed on my tongue, I quickly cald down. For a mont, it had seed as if the fla within went out. I even thought I had been a little energised just a mont ago.
The officials at the administration seed surprised at my sudden appearance. As I entered elegantly with my flowing dress, I glanced at each and every one of them. I strolled through the shock and astonishnt like I had been walking on a path of flowers.
“Granius.”
When I finally arrived at his office, I also t the surprised Penne and Soricks. Ah, Soricks was here too. That was good. I turned away to face Granius.
“Please assemble all the templars in the patrols (Keres).”
As expected of the head of the administration, Granius quickly responded.
“All of them?”
“Yes.”
Granius glanced at , looking a little surprised. However, there didn’t seem to be a big shift in his expression. Just then, I heard stuttering moans coming from the corner. Soricks seed to be alternating his gaze between Granius and I. He might have been in shock at how informal I was being.
After a short while, all the templars in patrols were gathered in the aedile’s office, clueless to the reason why they were called to assemble. Many were visibly awkward standing in his office considering the fact that they would usually gather in the training grounds or the outer wings of the palace for their patrolling duties. And what they seed to be the most awkward about was the fact that I was standing silently next to the aedile.
Clothes maketh a person. Good appearances open doors. That might not describe this situation to the tee but there was no denying that the clothes I was wearing seed to have given wings, disabling them from approaching as easily as before. Instead of explaining myself, I just smiled.
Perhaps Granius seed to have noticed my intentions. As I thought, perhaps it was wisdom that ca with his age? Penne looked restless and Soricks hadn’t been able to wipe that grin off his face since the start of this eting.
I took a step forward. Straightening my back and neck, I carefully scanned the room.
“My noblest mistress, this is the kind of status you should be getting used to.”
Alright, Rebecca. If this was the only way for to move forward, I’d be happy to take a step.
“Hello, everyone. I’ll introduce myself again.”
At my friendly voice, the head of the patrols, Chosone, flinched and raised his head. It had been a while since I removed the bandage from my cheek. No, I hadn’t stuck it on my cheek the whole day today. This was .
“The 8th Branch of the Empire.”
Wearing my dress calmly, I smiled graciously.
“I am Ashley Rosé, the 8th Princess.”
This was . My smile seed to have been imprinted on their minds as silence befell the room. No one dared to say anything. So of those who had adored had their eyes widened, their gaze lowered or the lips pressed together. However, they all looked either astonished or surprised.
“All of you.”
Tilting my head, I talked calmly.
“I apologise for asking this of you while you’re still flustered but there is sothing I need to ask you.”
Then, I glanced at Granius. Not too long ago, Granius had sworn to follow . Until I got married and beca a stranger to him.
“When I was very much younger, I had already enjoyed what the highest position had to offer. I have no more greed for power. So, it should be alright for to support soone who is going to leave soon, right?”
Now, his grey eyes seed certain that he had not been wrong to make that choice. Well, I had no clue whether the choice he made was right. Because I was only making this move to survive. No, now I was moving to save more people. The path I was taking to live was now turning to a way for to save more people.
“Granius told that he was going to follow .”
To change the original story. No, did the original novel even exist? I could still recall it vividly even after nine years. There was nothing to stop from just thinking that whatever happened so far had just been crazy coincidences. That was why I could only look forward.
“I wanted to ask you too.”
My endga was to strip Castor of his position as the Crown Prince. To prevent him from becoming the emperor like how the original novel had written it out to be. I couldn’t do anything in his presence. Even though I had the ‘Power of the Lord’, I couldn’t beco the emperor in his place. The empire had made it so that princesses could not beco the emperor. But I had another way. The 2nd Prince.
The emperor who had everything but Rusbella. An emperor, who could handle the fact that he could not have everything lashed out and eventually destroyed his own Empire, did not deserve to be one. I will take everything from the man who ruined my life and throw him into the bottom of the abyss where he would rot alone.
“Princess, may I ask you sothing?”
With his trembling lips, the Commander of the patrols asked.
“… Is the energy I’m feeling from you what I think it is?”
I smiled with my arms crossed. In place of the silence, a brilliant white light wrapped around the room. Unable to hold back his excitent, soone’s divinity glowed softly. Soon after, a spectacular sight unravelled before . As Chosone knelt on his knees and lowered his head, dozens of n followed suit. A heavy silence slowly rippled through the crowd in waves.
“I’m going to be supporting the 2nd Prince.”
It was enough for to change the future. Castor will not have anything.
Castor had nothing but his position as the Crown Prince. I carefully formulated my plan. That was why I will be taking it away from him and giving it to the 2nd Prince.
My gaze t with soone’s. His back was lowered but it seed as if he had yet to co to grips with reality. But the mont our eyes t, sothing else flashed by.
“Castor Dje Kaltanias.”
There was a rumour that you die the mont you speak his na. But that couldn’t be right. I convinced myself of what I had been thinking the entire morning. This was not a decision I made easily. I was afraid again. But for how long can I keep running away?
“I rember almost dying because of the Crown Prince and if the aedile hadn’t been there to save , what you would’ve been seeing instead of would be my gravestone.”
I will make myself known and no longer hide like my scar. I won’t just watch as he makes and countless other people his play things.
“I’ve had people try to kill countless tis now. I don’t know why but I’ve co to know that I have the ‘Power of the Lords’.”
Though they weren’t just attempts, I had actually died before.
I scanned the room carefully and took a good look at each of their faces. I could sense their anger the mont I ntioned the attempts on my life.
“I ask this of you, the ones who defend justice. If this mad Crown Prince becos the emperor and gets ahold of the Imperial power, what will he do with his strong divinity?”
A strange power took over the room. I had powers I had yet to even understand. But for so reason, I beca more and more energised by my strength as I spoke.
“I may be a weak princess but I will not let madness take over this Empire.”
Silence as fragile as glass befell the room, threatening to shatter if anyone were to speak up. When I looked around the room, no one dared to make eye contact with anymore. It felt a little lonely but this would be a sight I will be seeing more often in the future.
“Do I deserve to be your mistress?”
Just then, thump. Granius knelt on one knee.
“… I will follow you. Princess.”
Just as he did to before, I will take everything from him. I had died dozens of tis, And after surviving that, I had avoided hundreds of deaths. Finally, what I realised I could best do was to change the future.
Perhaps so people would die because of it. But it was up to to protect them. I gazed upon those kneeling before wistfully before quickly erasing the weakness from my eyes.
“I will be eting the desert princess in the near future.”
I made up my mind.
“I want you. So be mine.”
Then, when he’s finally left alone, I will force the truth out of him.
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