Chapter 17
Briana carefully spoke as she observed David’s expression.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m not really Briana Clark.”
“What do you mean…?”
“I’m Anastasia Floria. Uncle.”
David’s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t seem ready to fully believe Briana. At that moment, Briana’s eyes caught a scar on David’s arm.
“You got that scar when I was twelve, right?”
“…?”
“I still feel guilty every time I see that scar.”
David paused as he looked at the scar, then slowly turned his gaze toward her.
That scar was from the day Anastasia had slipped off a cliff, and David had saved her. It had been more than ten years ago.
Briana could tell that David was starting to believe her.
“It may not be my appearance, but at least my soul is definitely Anastasia, the one you knew.”
“…!”
“I don’t know the full story of how this happened, but I’m now in Briana’s body.”
There was still doubt in David’s eyes, but Briana was confident that he would believe her.
“And unlike Briana, who couldn’t speak, I can talk now.”
David remained silent as he listened to Briana, and suddenly, a strange feeling struck him.
“Your voice… it sounds like the Lady’s voice.”
Briana Clark’s appearance was clear, but the voice that came out was Anastasia’s. After serving her for decades, it would be impossible for him to forget her voice.
“I’ve noticed that too, and it seems like you’re thinking the same thing, Uncle.”
Briana had sensed from the moment she entered this body that the voice was hers. She had been careful, knowing that anyone who knew her well might recognize it.
“Luckily, my voice helps ease your doubts.”
“…God.”
A tear that had barely formed in Briana’s eye rolled down her cheek. Once the tears started, they kept coming.
Seeing her tears, David suddenly fell to his knees.
“Lady, it’s my fault. I should have served the Duke’s family better. This is all my negligence.”
Seeing him apologize, Briana knelt beside him.
“No, it’s not your fault. It’s my mistake.”
“It’s not your mistake, Lady, not at all.”
“No, I was careless.”
Briana took David’s hand and spoke softly.
“I was foolish enough to trust the Emperor too much… I arrogantly thought I could change his twisted ambition.”
Tears continued to flow from her eyes.
“My mother, father, and even Asilius… this is all my fault.”
As she thought of the ones who were gone, Briana cried.
David, hearing her voice, lowered his head deeply.
They both sat there, shedding tears, thinking of those who had passed.
“Destroy the Floria family for treason!”
At the Emperor’s command, the spear was aimed without hesitation.
Her father shouted his innocence, and her mother collapsed in despair.
But the truth was lighter than gold, and in the face of power, justice had long disappeared.
Anastasia could only watch helplessly as her parents were executed.
The day her younger brother Asilius was also about to be executed…
“…As.”
Anastasia, defying the Emperor’s orders not to leave the Diamond Palace, went to the underground prison.
There, she found her brother, nearly dead, and couldn’t speak a word.
The frail child, who hadn’t even seen much of the world, struggled to approach his sister.
“Sis, you have to survive…”
His last words pierced her heart like a sharp knife.
They had spent so much time together, and they weren’t easy to forget.
After crying for a long time, Briana wiped her cheeks and spoke.
“I plan to crown a new Emperor.”
Her voice was full of determination and confidence.
“…Are you talking about a coup?”
“Yes, it might be a coup.”
“What are you planning to do?”
David looked at her with a worried expression.
To David, Anastasia was like a daughter.
That’s why knowing she was alive brought him immense comfort, but now, hearing about her plans for revenge…
“I don’t know what you’re planning, but it sounds like it’s going to be a rough path. I’m worried.”
She had already been through so much, and now, what she was planning would be even more difficult.
Seeing the worried look on David’s face, Briana replied.
“You were the one who told me not to just walk the peaceful path, Uncle.”
Briana smiled brightly.
Her determined voice and expression reminded David of the Anastasia he knew when she was younger.
Indeed…
Her appearance had changed, but this was certainly Anastasia.
“I’m thinking of making Sebastian Leonhardt the Emperor.”
When she spoke Sebastian’s name, David’s face stiffened.
“He’s the Emperor’s lapdog, isn’t he? Anyone else, maybe, but why him?”
David’s reaction was completely understandable.
This clearly showed how bad Sebastian’s reputation was.
“That’s exactly why he has to be the one.”
Briana’s confidence made David uneasy, but at the same time, he was curious.
As someone who served his master, he couldn’t go against her, but still, he lowered his head.
“I’ll follow you and trust you, no matter what you plan, Lady.”
Briana took his hand tightly.
“Thank you for trusting me, Uncle.”
At Café Stine, Sebastian had been sitting in Briana’s usual spot since 1 PM, as she had requested.
However, after an hour or more had passed, she still hadn’t shown up.
What’s going on?
Briana, who was always punctual, was making him worry.
After waiting a little longer, Sebastian decided he couldn’t wait any longer and stood up to leave.
Then, the bell above the café door jingled, and Briana walked in.
Why are her eyes swollen?
Her eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying.
Briana, on the other hand, quickly walked up to him.
Her meeting with David had taken longer than expected, and she had lost track of time.
Breathing heavily, she stood in front of Sebastian and quickly wrote in her notebook.
[Sorry, something came up.]
“What happened?”
Sebastian’s voice was sharp.
Should I tell him?
It wasn’t easy for her to admit she had met someone related to the Floria family.
Noticing her hesitation, Sebastian spoke up.
“Weren’t you the one who said you wouldn’t hide anything from your future husband?”
