#083. Just as Her Husband Had, and Just as Her First Son Had
“Or perhaps it’s just a midday daydream one sees before death.”
The reason this second life was so painful wasn’t merely because he had to live a life he thought had already ended.
It was more painful because this second life overlapped with the first.
And the overlapping parts had all improved from his previous life. That, above all, made it even more unbearable for him.
The second prince of a small kingdom had now become the crown prince of a great empire.
In his previous life, he had been a privileged child who never even saw his father’s face. Now, at least, he had five years of memories with him.
His mother, who understood his peculiar character despite his seemingly cold demeanor, was healthy and seemed as if she would remain by his side for at least another ten years.
Because there was no war, his elder brother, whom he could trust and follow like his father, didn’t go to the battlefield. Naturally, the chance of death was infinitely lower.
Though stern and frightening to the outside world, his sister-in-law could not bear children, so he wouldn’t have to witness a nephew dying at her hands.
And unlike Ebaekryeon, beside Melchizedek was Blanche, who quietly dreamed of a future with him without ever leaving his side.
All of this was what he had wished for in his previous life.
A great nation where one need not wash blood with blood to survive. Family who remained alive and near, without vanishing. A partner who could dream of the future simply because he desired it.
These were the things Jacheongneung had dreamed of in his previous life—not gold, jewels, or worldly glory that others would envy.
Yet a life containing only what he desired became a nightmare because he had no right to wish for such things.
“So it means that I wasn’t the only one to see the past overlap.”
Just as he had overlapped Ebaekryeon onto Blanche, Melchizedek had overlapped Jahongwon onto Berken, Yeonnoksa onto Liana, and Gubian onto Lacia.
Those who had been his brother, sister-in-law, and mother.
“Perhaps that’s why it took a little longer.”
Once realized, it seemed only natural. Blanche had aspects that couldn’t be explained by simply calling her smart.
The fact that she could converse with Melchizedek from the age of three alone was abnormal.
Her talent for tailoring herself to appeal to others, something Melchizedek had once mentioned to Lacia, was a skill too remarkable to dismiss lightly.
Ebaekryeon’s habit of declining was the aftermath of bearing excessive burdens after the family nearly faced extinction when she was thirteen.
But Blanche, who came to the empire at age three with no memories and immediately became the duke’s playmate, had adopted the same habits—it was strange.
The fact that she had memorized all the old customs that even empire-born citizens might forget, and the fact that she chose clothing that was childishly old-fashioned and stuffy, were equally notable.
“She must have grown too accustomed to peace. I guess that’s why I didn’t notice it.”
─The similarities were truly countless. But isn’t that true of most things? Even Jacheongneung, who could manipulate countless foxes in the political sphere with one hand, had never imagined this possibility before.
Because others had no memory of it. Everyone else, expressing the same words, with the same expressions and attitudes as in the past, only saw Melchizedek as Melchizedek.
So it was only natural that Blanche would be assumed to be the same. Like everyone else, a reminder of the past—but unable to truly empathize. Isn’t it only natural to view her that way?
“─Still, you really had no intention of hiding this. Right?”
But now he understood. Blanche was the same person as Ebaekryeon and, like Melchizedek, retained memories of her previous life.
How could he be so sure?
“Did I ever say my favor was hard to understand? …It’s not that she doesn’t speak. There is no love more difficult than hers.”
She had behaved as if she would give him the world, yet withheld what he desired most. Such contradictory love he had only ever experienced from Ebaekryeon.
“What is it you want, Your Majesty? Please tell me.”
Her.
Only her.
The former emperor of the unified empire bowed his head. His most devoted loyalist had always been so. Even after forcing the entire continent to kneel at his feet, he never gave him the one thing he most desired. Instead, he fled death to avoid giving it.
As always, the one left behind was him.
“What is it that you want?”
Then as now, what he wished for was simple. To proclaim his love for her and have her love him in return.
To wake up and see her face in the morning. If he were to entrust someone with the future, it would be a child born from their union.
Yet, seeing her lying there so pale, the words could not leave his lips.
“……Then just tell me, and I’ll give it to you.”
If she wouldn’t give him what he wanted most anyway, if she would refuse everything he gave with a troubled expression, if she would try to flee from him through death—then it was better to have it spoken.
No matter how difficult it was, he would give it.
The imperial palace was thrown into chaos over the “assassination attempt on the crown princess, who isn’t even the crown princess.”
Fortunately, the amount of poison ingested was small, and the type of poison was quickly identified and treated. Still, Blanche did not open her eyes, perhaps because her organs were damaged.
The crown prince did not leave her side. If even meals were taken in the sickroom, it spoke volumes.
The empress was determined to uncover the culprit behind the assassination attempt.
The emperor, rather than restraining her, resolved all the political issues caused by the incident in place of Liana, who interrogated the suspects without resorting to force.
Among the four direct royal family members, only the empress dowager and Lacia were calm enough to see the big picture while the others acted irrationally.
So Lacia analyzed the situation carefully. She had not been present during the event, but perhaps that made her even more objective.
Combining information from nobles she was acquainted with and testimonies obtained through Liana’s strict interrogation:
A list of those who might want to poison Blanche, whether they could have tampered with drinks at the royal banquet, and whether they had any reason to attempt the poisoning specifically during the event.
After long analysis, Lacia arrived at the same conclusion Melchizedek had reached that day. Unlike Melchizedek, who relied on logic and intuition, she had solid evidence.
Thus, she summoned her second son, who had not left the sickroom. Unlike the unconscious Blanche, Melchizedek was conscious and able to speak.
“……Did you call me?”
Whether he had been unable to sleep from worry or the temporary bed in the sickroom was uncomfortable, his eyes were darkened with fatigue.
For anyone else, that expression would have been enough to dismiss suspicion, but Lacia asked anyway.
“Did you do this?”
Melchizedek’s breath momentarily stopped. No answer came.
“Ah.”
From that reaction, Lacia knew the answer. Not only that Melchizedek was not the culprit, but also who had put poison in the cup.
Her question was simple: yes or no.
Even if Melchizedek had actually poisoned Blanche’s cup, Lacia would have defended him. So he had no reason to lie.
Then why did Melchizedek remain silent? Why didn’t he laugh it off, but instead suspiciously stopped speaking?
He wanted to hide the culprit.
And the one he needed to hide from Lacia was none other than Blanche herself, still unconscious and unable to defend herself.
Blanche’s attempt at suicide had caused Liana to lose her composure and earn the nobles’ resentment, while Melchizedek was on the verge of being accused of attempting to kill the crown princess.
Even if the emperor could suppress it with his authority, it was an unnecessary burden.
So Melchizedek, that brilliant child, had endured the suspicion for days and remained silent even in front of his mother.
Because he wanted to protect Blanche.
“You like that child, don’t you.”
There are many reasons someone might protect another—pity, compassion, empathy, or calculating that not reporting it benefits oneself.
But the men of the Lertail royal family do not protect others at their own expense for such reasons.
If they sacrifice for someone else for emotional reasons, there is only one reason: love.
Just as her husband had, and just as her first son had.
