Chapter 126…………………………………………….
My possession and Rieanna… are related?
“That’s one possibility,”
The divine beast’s new hypothesis strangely gripped my mind, but there was no way to verify it for now.
“Hmm… about that soul resonance… do you think it will happen again?”
“Hard to say. It’s not a common occurrence, so I don’t really know. Why do you ask?”
“If I’m going to deal with Rieanna from now on, it might be useful to peek into her memories.”
Even earlier, I had learned several things I didn’t know from Rieanna’s memories.
“…Master, you’re the type to use anything you can, aren’t you?”
“You understand me well.”
“Still… if you’re thinking about deliberately triggering a soul resonance, you should stop.”
“Why?”
“It’s not something you can trigger just because you want to….”
The divine beast rested its short foreleg against its chin.
“This time, you were lucky to peek only at her memories, but there’s no guarantee it will happen next time. Would you be okay if she saw your memories?”
“Ugh… that’s a bit too much.”
“Exactly. So drop that thought.”
We continued exchanging thoughts for a while longer until Terrence returned, cutting the conversation short.
“Mihail… so you were just nitpicking the minor details as a cover for something else, huh?”
Terrence growled lowly, roughly undoing the buttons of his shirt collar.
“It’s regrettable that I, of all people, have to respond personally to someone like that, just because he’s a prince.”
“I’m sorry. Because of me.”
“How is that my fault?”
“Rieanna stirred all this just to meet me. As a result, Terrence lost his precious free time and seems really upset…”
“Idel, if you want to lift my mood, don’t apologize. Spend time with me instead.”
“Eh?”
“The reason I was upset is that my golden leisure time with you was reduced because of those fools.”
Terrence winked one eye.
“Of course, spending time with you makes it disappear immediately.”
“….”
I was momentarily lost for words.
‘Wow… he really just comes at you head-on.’
Of course, he had confessed to me yesterday, but his demeanor was distinctly different from before, leaving me dazed.
I had thought that since he had always been kind and gentle, even if our relationship changed slightly, it wouldn’t feel different—but that had been a huge misconception.
Is this the difference between a ‘friend’ and a ‘seducer’?
Terrence, now in the ‘seducer’ role, openly expressed his feelings.
I wasn’t used to such blunt expressions of affection.
Even before possession, I had never had a proper romantic relationship—life had been too busy. And my relationship with my ex-husband Leandro had been cold and distant.
Even before our relationship fell apart, the most affectionate thing we did was drink tea and compliment each other—a display of decorum at best.
So this current situation felt incredibly embarrassing to me.
“The weather’s lovely… would you grant me the honor of a walk with you?”
I carefully placed my hand on Terrence’s extended one.
“…The honor is mine.”
It was embarrassing, but not unpleasant.
We walked side by side through the villa’s rear garden.
Fortunately—or perhaps intentionally—he let go of my hand once we entered the garden path.
Otherwise, I would have been too conscious of holding hands to properly enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Even though I had held his hand when dancing at the last emperor’s birthday celebration, why did it feel so different now?
Recently, I was the only guest at the villa, and the royal knights were guarding the surroundings flawlessly, making the garden feel like our private world.
Thanks to that, I could admire the autumn flowers and reflect on my thoughts.
Many things crossed my mind: conversations with Rieanna, peeking into her memories, the current situation, and my own desires.
It took time to process the numerous new revelations, but eventually, I gathered my thoughts.
“Rieanna said I was her enemy.”
I suddenly said this, and Terrence, who had been quiet the entire walk, looked at me.
He had remained silent on purpose, recognizing that I had much to think about.
Grateful for his quiet consideration, I continued.
“I don’t particularly wish to become Rieanna’s enemy, but I will not back down in the face of someone who attacks me.”
Originally, I had planned to move to the Soro Kingdom after the divorce to avoid Cassius.
But things had changed.
Even when Rieanna had shown obsessive favor toward me, it was uncertain whether I could sever ties with Cassius by leaving far away. Now, she had become my enemy.
Having read Walking the Flower Path After Reincarnation, I knew how merciless Rieanna could be toward her enemies.
According to accounts from characters who faced Rieanna as an enemy, the usual outcomes were ruin or death.
Even those who initially disliked Rieanna, like the empress, could survive if they repented and became loyal followers—but that was still a rare reprieve.
‘But I don’t want that.’
That wasn’t the life I wanted.
If a life solely for Rieanna was my only alternative, I’d rather take the risk and confront her directly.
Facing Terrence, I was the first to extend my hand toward him this time.
“I will fight. In that sense, I formally request an alliance with Your Highness.”
Terrence’s eyes widened slightly.
“Rieanna can command many, including Emperor Mihail. Honestly, with just my strength alone, it would be difficult to face her.”
This proposal also benefited Terrence.
“Emperor Mihail must face you for the throne. For reasons unknown, Rieanna also holds strong animosity toward you.”
Therefore…
“Since we share a common enemy, we must cooperate. Rieanna, loved by all, and Mihail, the rightful emperor, are formidable, but I believe you and I can handle it.”
Even discussing such a heavy topic, I smiled slightly.
“Because if we combine our strength, there’s nothing we can’t achieve.”
Divorce, the Iver Trading Company, Elliot, even the divine beast.
I had overcome nearly impossible challenges alongside him.
So this too was achievable. It was not arrogance, but a reasoned certainty.
“…I find that a bit disappointing.”
Unexpectedly, Terrence spoke.
‘Could it be I’ve been too arrogant…?’
At that moment, he firmly grasped my hand.
“Aren’t we already allies?”
He said this with a playful smile.
“Having such a strong ally as you makes me feel like I already hold the world in my hands.”
I responded jokingly.
“That’s a bit dangerous. I can’t let my guard down.”
“Ah, duly noted.”
In the autumn garden filled with fragrant flowers, we shook hands firmly to commemorate our alliance.
Later, as we headed back inside, Terrence asked about my future strategy.
“First, I want to understand my blessing more.”
“You said it can nullify her blessing, right?”
“That’s my hypothesis. But I don’t have enough information yet to know exactly how to use it.”
So far, Roland Cassius was the only person whose condition I had consciously altered using my ability.
Seeing his eyes noticeably clear suggested that he had been released from Rieanna’s blessing.
I had observed similar sudden clarity in the eyes of others before: the Duke of Cassius and Elliot.
Back then, the Duke had agreed to my divorce despite Rieanna’s opposition, and Elliot questioned his own irrational feelings toward Rieanna.
While not as extreme as Roland, their changes indicated that Rieanna’s blessing had partially been lifted.
‘There may be others as well.’
I hadn’t observed everyone I met, so there might be changes I hadn’t noticed.
I would need to use this ability a few more times to gather information.
Ideally, I’d start with Mihail and lift the blessing on all of Rieanna’s followers…
“But I must act cautiously. If Rieanna learns I have this ability, I don’t know how she might react.”
“She could prevent her followers from meeting you entirely.”
From past cases, a blessing required at least some interaction to work.
Even in the memories I saw yesterday, Rieanna couldn’t captivate someone with just a glance.
In other words, if Rieanna deliberately blocks me from meeting her followers, nullifying the blessing would become far more difficult.
“Is there someone suitable to test my blessing on? Someone Rieanna has blessed but currently doesn’t pay much attention to?”
That would allow me to move without being noticed.
Elliot, imprisoned, would have been perfect, but he had already been released and was too far away.
“Also, it’s better if we can keep them in place. If they run off and report to Rieanna, it could be troublesome.”
“There is someone like that.”
At that moment, Terrence, deep in thought, spoke.
“If you want, we could meet them secretly tomorrow. What do you think?”
The sudden proposal was easy to answer.
The next day, I met someone secretly at the location arranged by Terrence.
The red-haired woman seemed greatly startled by the unexpected situation.
“W-what on earth is happening…?”
Cecil Iver, former master of the now-defunct Iver Trading Company, glanced around nervously as he spoke.
