Chapter 79
Anyway, in the original history of Pascal, the Crown Prince who had been involved in an accident was safely rescued. He grew up without issue, gained strength under the Empress’s support, and solidified his position by marrying a Crown Princess from Duyrevog.
However, the current timeline—where the Crown Prince had turned into an imbecile due to Pascal’s summoning after the fire—unfolded somewhat differently than the original.
“You’re right, Rita. His Majesty the Emperor does not want the Crown Prince to ascend the throne. Though he is the legitimate heir, if you trace the lineage back a few generations, Adikle also has a valid claim. That’s why Laskail, loyal to the Imperial Family, has remained neutral until now—and also why supporting the Crown Prince is such a risky move.”
Leonhardt asked calmly.
“Lillieta, can you truly say that your decision to support His Highness the Crown Prince was unaffected by your personal bond with him in the other world?”
Lillieta answered honestly.
“No, I can’t say that. If His Highness weren’t the ‘Gid Pascal’ I knew, I probably wouldn’t have even made such a suggestion.”
“Yet even knowing that, you still think he’s worth supporting?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s going to win in the end.”
Leonhardt fell silent for a long time. Rita waited briefly before speaking.
“Have you ever met the Crown Prince, brother?”
“I’ve seen him several times. At banquets or official events.”
“But have you ever had a private or long conversation with him?”
“Not exactly…”
“Then meet him. I’ll arrange it.”
Rita gave a faint smile.
“You can make your decision after that.”
“…You really do trust him, don’t you, Rita?”
“He was my commander—the one I entrusted my life to.”
She shrugged and added:
“Even setting aside our bond, I still believe I should support him based purely on what I know about Gid. But since that’s only a judgment I can make because I know him, I wouldn’t force others to feel the same.”
“So you believe others will change their minds once they meet him?”
“Yeah.”
She’d always had this much trust in him, but now that she knew his true goal and what kind of hero he became in history, her belief was even firmer.
Leonhardt looked at her and smiled gently at her unwavering response.
“If you’re this confident… I guess I should believe you. Can you arrange that meeting?”
“Yes. It won’t take long. We’re scheduled to meet at an upcoming salon.”
She nodded and added, “Since I’m arranging this, should I invite Father too? Or maybe we should all go as a family?”
“Father usually left these matters to me, so—hm.”
Leonhardt stopped himself mid-sentence and rubbed his mouth thoughtfully.
“…No, not anymore. I don’t get to decide alone now. You’re right, Rita. It’s better if we all go.”
“I’ll set it up. But… has Father always left such things to you?”
He replied with a gentle smile.
“Yes. He was struggling too much, after all.”
Rita watched his expression carefully, then suddenly asked:
“Wasn’t it hard for you, though?”
“Hard? Not at all. I was doing what any heir to a house should do.”
“Handling everything and taking full responsibility on your own?”
“Making decisions and being responsible is part of being the family head.”
“But you weren’t the head yet. Just the heir.”
“What are you trying to say, Rita?”
Rita chose her words carefully before speaking.
“I think Father placed too heavy a burden on you.”
“What?”
“Remember what you told me before? That I was too indifferent, that acting like nothing’s wrong isn’t normal—and that it’s normal to vent and get angry when you’re hurting?”
She looked directly at Leonhardt, who had gone blank with surprise.
“That’s how you look to me right now, brother.”
“…Me?”
“We both know Father loves us deeply. That’s why I wish you’d be honest with him at least once. Tell him how hard it’s been, holding up the family alone for the past ten years.”
Leonhardt blinked in confusion, then gave a sheepish smile.
“Rita, you’re misunderstanding something. I wasn’t suffering. I was doing what I was supposed to.”
“…Now I think I understand why you thought my attitude was strange.”
Lillieta sighed softly and lightly pressed a piano key. Ting— The first note of “Rabbit’s Waltz” rang out.
She spoke again.
“About you breaking off the engagement with Anne.”
“…”
“That wasn’t your choice—it was for the sake of the family. That must’ve been hard too, wasn’t it?”
Clang—
A loud, dissonant sound rang as Leonhardt slammed his hand onto the piano keys. He leaned over toward her.
“Rita.”
“Yes?”
“I told you before, didn’t I? That it wasn’t your fault.”
“I remember.”
“Then why are you still bringing it up?”
His voice was low. Rita could tell he was truly angry.
“Stay out of this, Rita.”
He was usually gentle and forgiving, especially toward his youngest sister. If it were Lily, she would’ve been scared and apologized right away. But—
“Why?”
Rita calmly responded, looking up at her older brother who now loomed over her like a shadow.
“Even if it’s not my fault, the fact remains your marriage was delayed because I went missing. And eventually, you broke it off—”
“Are you feeling some kind of useless guilt? I told you, it wasn’t your fault. And I told you not to get involved.”
Leonhardt added coldly:
“Will you only be satisfied if I tell you exactly what I did to Anne?”
“…”
“Now that Laskail’s position is decided, and our alliance with the Everett family no longer affects the safety of the household, you seem to think I could marry Anne again… but Rita.”
He curved his lips into a bitter smile and whispered:
“Even if our family’s issues are resolved, I can never be with Anne again. I hurt her deeply.”
“…”
“So this has nothing to do with you. It’s my problem.”
Leonhardt took his hand off the keys and straightened his posture. He let out a small sigh as he stepped away from the piano, then rubbed his face and spoke slowly.
“Sorry if I scared you. I lost my temper.”
“…No, it’s okay.”
“You were right. This really was hard for me. So please… don’t bring it up again.”
He smiled as usual, said, see you at dinner, and left the music room.
Rita let out a heavy sigh she’d been holding and collapsed over the piano keys. Amid the echoing rumble of piano strings, a familiar voice she had forgotten returned.
[Analysis: The user’s family member claimed it wasn’t the user’s fault, yet expressed anger toward the user. Additionally, they concluded the topic but still referred to it as a ‘problem.’]
[Reference: By definition, a ‘problem’ refers to an issue that has yet to be resolved.]
It was Grace, the artificial spirit Rita had activated earlier to keep her promise to Ollie—and had forgotten to turn off. She replied in a drained voice.
“You were still on? I forgot to shut you down.”
[Question: The tone and the words don’t align. The user’s family member was angry yet claimed not to be. Does this imply they lied? Furthermore, calling it a ‘problem’—does it indicate lingering feelings or regrets?]
“He was mad at me… but I think he was even angrier at himself. As for regrets… yeah, he probably still has them.”
If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have sat at the piano, playing that piece he wasn’t even familiar with.
Rita rested her forehead on her arm on the keys and murmured:
“I was too naïve. I thought they were just forced apart by circumstances… but it looks like it was more than that.”
The breakup must have left deeper wounds than she had imagined.
She stared at the sunlight filtering over the black and white keys, recalling the youthful faces of her brother and Anne blushing as they played a duet together.
She felt like she had ruined that beautiful image—the happiness that should have been.
Even if it wasn’t her fault, it was still her disappearance that had ultimately broken them apart.
“How could I just leave it like this…”
[Suggestion: This AI spirit is prepared to actively support the user in resolving this issue.]
“…This isn’t something you can help with, so just go to sleep.”
[Objection: User, this AI spirit is highly competent—]
Rita severed the connection with Grace through the flow of Ode and lifted her head.
No matter what Leonhardt said, she couldn’t give up.
Unless Anne-Marie had already married someone else, she—like many noble ladies—was still unmarried well past the average marriage age.
‘Whatever happened between them back then… I have to find out.’
Leonhardt and Anne-Marie probably wouldn’t speak easily about it. So the one who might give her a lead was—
‘…Lavinia.’
She now had one more reason to teach the Duyrevog lady how to shoot.
