Chapter 43
Why was it?
Why did the thought arise that those words could not possibly be a lie?
Ailié couldn’t fully trust her own mind. What she needed in this life wasn’t love. She realized it was far too late to wish for love now.
So what she needed was only your downfall.
She had likely vowed to utterly ruin the life of Benéit, the man who had destroyed hers. But then…“…”It was painful.
Maybe this too was a lie. No matter how hard she tried to force herself to doubt it, it only caused more suffering.
Her whole body resisted.
Please, don’t doubt it. Love is not a word to be so carelessly used as a prop in some performance. Look properly into his eyes. If you can find a lie in them, then go ahead and find it.
Ailié lowered her head deeply, clutching the folds of her dress. Both her hands trembled.A lie… it’s not.It was closer to a foolish faith than certainty.
Yet she couldn’t bring herself to doubt it. The moment she did, it felt as if countless invisible things would shatter.
And once that happened, it would never be possible to turn back.I love you so much, Ailié.She had heard those words before.
No, she had read them. In the original novel.
Benéit in the original story was delicate and kind, but a rather blunt man. He loved sincerely, yet even the empress doubted his feelings until the middle of the novel.
Yet even that empress eventually crumbled at a single word.
She realized that every word, every action, every glance from him was sincere.
It was the first time he had spoken the word “love.”“…Your Majesty.”Ailié called for Benéit, attempting to speak, but then quickly closed her mouth and turned away.
She was utterly confused.
She thought there were still suspicious points that couldn’t simply be overlooked.
The conversation in the carriage, Benéit, who seemed like a completely different person than before her reincarnation, the hands he had repeatedly stretched out to save her…
Ailié tried her best not to waver when facing all these doubts.
No matter how plausible it seemed, she would first believe only in the facts she had personally experienced. She would neither beg for trust nor scatter it freely.
But now, she could no longer pretend not to notice.Something’s wrong. Something… some unknown force must be involved.It was strange.
This life was completely different from the one before.
No matter how differently she acted this time, there were many things that could not be explained.
Benéit’s devotion was actually closer to the original novel, yet it didn’t unfold exactly as in the story.
Even the visit to the temple—originally, it had been a perfectly uneventful trip. There had been nothing worth mentioning; the story had simply moved from departure to arrival.
But the incident occurred on the way back to the imperial palace, not because of being stranded in the rain, but because of an ambush by a band of thieves.
It was different. And in the original story, Benéit had never looked at Ailié with such…To this extent…It wasn’t pitiable.
After all, he was a man standing at the top of the empire with the woman he loved. The Benéit of the original story feared nothing.
So he never looked at Ailié with a forlorn, pitiful gaze like an abandoned child. There was no reason to. Really.
What caused this difference?
What force had intervened to distort things so drastically?“Rest, it’s still early.”
“Ailié.”
“I’ll just step out for a moment to get some fresh air. Don’t worry. I won’t go far.”
“…”As soon as Ailié stepped into the backyard through the rear door, she wrapped her hands around her head.
A long sigh escaped her lips.
Nothing was certain yet. Everything was just speculation.
And yet, her heart had already been shaken.Now…She had no strength left to fully hate Benéit.
It didn’t mean she would forgive him immediately—she couldn’t. Her heart was still wounded.
But now she would face the truth.
The moment those words of love escaped his lips, the resolve she had made to remain unmoved by any doubt crumbled helplessly.
She was shaken to the core, to the point where denying it even felt ugly and pitiful.
No amount of self-scolding for being foolish would change that.Once a heart has been shaken, it cannot simply return to its previous state. Not until I know the full truth of everything.So Ailié made a vow.I need to find out what’s going on.She needed to investigate. That came first.
Seeking revenge while holding doubts would bring her only emptiness in return.
Two days ago, right after the group heading to the temple split into two.
Once they confirmed the emperor and empress had safely disappeared across the river, the group held a strategy meeting.
They spread a cloak and set up a tent between the carriages. Sitting beneath it, they tried to plan while avoiding the rain, but… no plausible solution emerged.
They had to find the villa quickly. If not, at least they needed to move to higher ground. Otherwise, the rainwater would rise and become a problem.
But the bridge had already been cut off, visibility was extremely limited by the heavy rain, and no one among them truly knew the forest terrain. Not even the one person who knew of the Brenni family villa.“There’s no choice. We have to rely on our instincts and go wherever our feet take us.”At that moment, Liciàr stood up and spoke boldly.
Considering he had been one of the longest watchers across the river in the rain with Sirion, it was a surprisingly decisive claim.
Brenni nodded with a small exclamation, but Liton, his superior who had recommended him, clearly wasn’t pleased.“What if the entire group gets lost that way?”
“We’ll think of it as the will of the gods and come up with a solution then…”
“That won’t do. With Miss Veseli, the doctor, and the coachmen accompanying us, we can’t act recklessly.”
“…I suppose not.”For context, Liton had also been responsible for Liciàr’s first training. His guidance had been extremely strict—so much so that Liciàr often thought of it in his sleep.
Liciàr sat back down, watching for a moment.“But Sir Liton, if this meeting drags on, won’t the risk of flooding only increase?”At that moment, the knight commander supported Liciàr’s claim with a slight delay.
Sirion, carefully surveying the terrain, quietly nodded as well. The words were correct. They needed to move to higher ground as soon as possible.“That’s true, but we should move only after finding a place with even slightly more chance of safety, shouldn’t we?”
“Hmm…”
“Safety comes first. We’re not alone, after all.”Yet Liton, who lacked flexibility, shook his head again.
His stance, as a knight, was that protecting the companions came first, so even the commander could not argue further.
If this were during knight training, they might have insisted on risking danger, but this was not the case.
A brief silence followed, and Brenni, quietly listening, suddenly spoke.“I’m sorry.”It was an apology.“If I had known the villa’s location, we wouldn’t have wandered like this… I feel like a burden for not even being able to help, and I’m truly sorry.”It was a sincere apology, unexpectedly straightforward for someone usually cheerful without planning.
Liton, bewildered, stood abruptly.
He had assumed he knew Brenni well, having been her escort in Erdei and having had occasional conversations in the rain.
So he was all the more shocked. The sorrowful expression, the sad tone.
Even when rescued at the second hideout, she hadn’t looked this defeated.
Hearing her say she felt like a burden… Liton felt as if it were his fault and was utterly disoriented.“A burden… You mean… That’s not what I intended to say.”
“You don’t need to comfort me.”
“No, that’s not it…”
“Really.”
“Ah, Sir Albero! You’re right! We should move quickly!”At Brenni’s subdued voice, the stiff Liton instantly changed his stance.
Surprised by the unexpected reaction, his wide brown eyes opened in astonishment.
In truth, Brenni wasn’t hurt by Liton and hadn’t been trying to persuade him. She had merely realized how much like a burden she felt, and it made her sad.
Unaware of this, Liton stepped outside the tent, scanning the surroundings as if ready to find the path immediately.
Seeing this, the group each stifled a laugh—everyone except the oblivious Brenni.“Let’s depart quickly. So, Sir Albero, as you mentioned earlier…”Then—
Huh? Liton, stepping outside the tent, tilted his head to the left.“The rain… has stopped?”It was absurd.
But it was true. The heavy downpour that had pounded their ears had suddenly ceased. The group looked around in confusion.
Could it have been a sudden shower?
At that moment, Sirion, who had immediately looked across the river upon hearing the rain had stopped, muttered:“That’s strange… Across the river, it’s still…”At his words, everyone’s gaze shifted.
It was true. As if the sky itself had been split in half by the river, it continued to pour heavily across the river.
Impossible.The group, pale-faced, couldn’t take their eyes off the downpour across the river for a long time.
