Chapter 141
I stood by the door, watching Liena tremble, lost in thought.
“Wh… why are you… here…?”
She couldn’t even finish a single sentence, but it was clear what she wanted to say: why was Teacher Angela here?
To explain, I had to go back in time—to the day I had “spoken” with Mikhail in the greenhouse.
After I mentioned the Empress’s love, Mikhail quietly listened to everything I had to say.
He flipped through the books he had studied as a child, fiddled with them for a while, and then, without a word, stood up.
Seeing the clarity in his eyes now, far sharper than before, I didn’t bother stopping him.
After Mikhail staggered out, a man entered the greenhouse in his place.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Terrence asked in return, stepping up to the pavilion when I spoke.
“Why do you think that?” I asked.
“Though he’s improved a lot, Prince Mikhail’s brainwashing hasn’t fully been undone. Even after I poured all my divine power into him.”
That was likely because, aside from the three members of the Cassius family, Mikhail was most strongly affected by Liena’s blessing.
In the novel, wasn’t he even bound to her as a partner through a vow of eternal love?
I looked at the books scattered across the table and the papers Mikhail had written in his youth.
These were prepared as materials to resonate with his soul, with the Empress’s cooperation.
In fact, the Empress herself carried Liena’s divine power in her body.
It was only a small amount, and she had never become a follower because she had been extremely wary of Liena.
I erased the divine power within her while discussing the Empress with Liena.
Then, to liberate Mikhail, I planned today by learning about his childhood from the Empress.
“I judged that if they got engaged, it would be too late.”
Once Mikhail got engaged, he would be responsible enough not to betray Liena.
And above all, the Emperor posed a problem.
Whether tempted by the dowry or provoked by the public engagement, once Liena became Mikhail’s fiancée, the Emperor would have to meet his future daughter-in-law.
“The Emperor himself could very likely be caught in the blessing.”
The reason the Emperor had so far avoided Liena’s blessing was that he disliked the Cassius family so much that he ignored Mikhail’s attempts to introduce them.
In a way, he was similar to Kaise.
In Walking Only the Flower Path After Regression, Liena couldn’t even have a proper conversation with the Emperor until the very end.
No matter how much of a Cassius princess she was, the Emperor disliked her, so it wasn’t possible to force conversation.
But in the novel’s finale, even the Emperor acknowledges Liena’s heroism in saving the world from the evil god’s grasp, pampering her affectionately.
He even repents for once trying to disinherit his legitimate son in favor of a bastard.
For us, the Emperor falling for Liena was the worst-case scenario.
Even though I could erase Liena’s blessing, it was better to nip it in the bud before it became a problem.
That was why I had summoned Mikhail to the greenhouse…
“She’s not fully undone yet, so I wonder if he might fall under Liena’s influence again.”
Terrence sat beside me, smiling gently.
“It’ll be fine. Once caution is instilled, it’s not easy to slip back, as even the divine beast said.”
Then, he glanced at one of the papers on the table.
It was something young Mikhail had written during a composition class.
“…Although he’s a frustrating kid, I think we have to acknowledge that he genuinely wanted to be a good emperor.”
He seemed to have his own thoughts on the matter.
Terrence hadn’t opposed my plan to liberate Mikhail, but he hadn’t been especially enthusiastic either.
He seemed to think there was little hope for Mikhail.
But when the Empress had handed over Mikhail’s childhood belongings, Terrence examined them closely.
I wondered what the relationship between Terrence and Mikhail had been in Liena’s first life.
Of course, being the Emperor’s legitimate son and an illegitimate child, they couldn’t have been normal, brotherly siblings…
‘Still, it was probably less bloody than in the second life, when they fought over the throne.’
Perhaps, maybe, they were brothers who could face each other without blushing, just tolerably okay.
“Ah, right.”
Terrence looked at me and said,
“I received a message from your teacher.”
“Teacher… you mean… Teacher Angela?”
“Yes. She contacted me through one of my subordinates.”
The safehouse where Angela stayed always had a subordinate guarding her.
“What is it about?”
“Well… she said she finally made up her mind and wanted you to know.”
“Made up her mind…”
I had a good idea.
I had previously asked Angela if she could reveal the truth about the Cassius family: that she had been close with the Duchess and that the child originally meant to be adopted by Cassius wasn’t Liena.
Angela had trembled at the mere mention of “Cassius” and “Liena.”
After living in fear for so many years, never knowing when Liena might kill her, it made sense.
I had constantly reassured her that nothing would happen, but seeing her pitiful state, I had hesitated to press the matter further, leaving it unresolved.
Now, Angela had finally made her decision.
I headed to the safehouse immediately to meet her.
Seeing her again after so long, she appeared slightly frightened but resolute.
“Sorry it took so long. But I want to fix my mistakes, even now.”
Life here seemed to have restored both her health and courage.
“I saw the director remove you and adopt Liena into Cassius, and I did nothing. I was scared I’d be fired if I defied the director.”
Angela squeezed her eyes shut, blaming herself.
“But then my safety was threatened by Liena, and I finally thought of you. So shamelessly, I came to find you. Isn’t that cowardly?”
I held her trembling hand.
“I don’t think you were cowardly.”
I meant it. Angela was a good person, just ordinary—she wasn’t brave enough to risk her livelihood.
“Thank you, Idel. And I’m sorry…”
Angela expressed her gratitude and apology for a long while, then said with determination,
“Take me to Cassius.”
I immediately contacted Cassius to arrange a visit.
Fortunately, the very next day, the Duke, Riandro, and Reheim all confirmed they could meet us.
It was best for everyone to meet together.
They had the right to know the truth as well.
My feelings toward Cassius were complicated.
Of course, I understood they had acted as they did because of Liena’s blessing.
But having endured their coldness for two years of married life, I couldn’t just look at them with pity.
Still, recalling the first life, when they had lived happily with me, made the current situation all the more bitter.
As I crossed the threshold of the Cassius townhouse with Angela, I resolved not to fight with them, at least not like before.
The Duke didn’t immediately recognize Angela, but after my explanation, he gradually remembered.
“She was the teacher at the orphanage where Liena was.”
Angela had once faced punishment for child abuse alongside the director but was exonerated thanks to the children’s testimonies.
The Duke seemed impressed and viewed Angela favorably.
“Your Grace, I… have a confession about that time…”
Angela’s confession was enough to throw him into confusion.
“…The child Cheryl was close to… was you, Idel?”
Riandro, sitting nearby, spoke next.
“But Liena took that place away from you…”
Then Reheim spoke.
“That’s impossible! I can’t believe it!”
It made sense—they were shocked. Honestly, if I were in their position, it would have been hard to accept such a shocking truth immediately.
But it was the truth.
“There are witnesses besides Teacher Angela.”
I laid several papers on the reception table.
“This is the address book of children who grew up in the same orphanage. They can also testify who was especially close with the Duchess.”
For today, I had already tracked down the children scattered since Liena’s adoption.
“Even so, I can’t believe it.”
The Duke reacted sharply, not touching the stack of papers.
“The children at the orphanage ostracized Liena. It was wrong, but they were young, so we let it slide. But I can’t fully trust their words.”
“Did Liena say that? That’s odd.”
He had likely tried to instill a negative perception in case one of them came to reveal the truth.
“Liena did have trouble fitting in, but she was not entirely ostracized. I was her friend.”
I met the Duke’s gaze squarely.
“Will you dismiss my words as lies too? Then I ask you: who found the time capsule that the Duchess hid?”
“T-That is…”
“At that time, I had lost my old memories in an accident, but the time I spent with the Duchess remained faintly in my mind, guiding me to the time capsule.”
Though it was partly due to reading the novel, sometimes a little lie was necessary.
In the end, the Duke asked for time.
He would likely have contacted the children on the list to learn the truth.
Several days passed, and finally today, the Duke invited Angela and me back to the mansion to speak.
‘I didn’t expect Liena to return at the same time.’
The Duke rose, looking at his frozen daughter.
“Liena, I am truly disappointed in you.”
