TVMS 184

CHAPTER 184………………………………………..

Father, Duke Kanel, scolded me, saying I would hear whatever he taught me with one ear and let it slip out the other.

Honestly, I thought that was true about me too.

But when the situation demanded it, the rote education I had endured finally shone.

The knowledge of our family, which even I had forgotten, came to mind in a jumble.

Just as the House of Hyperion of Serené specializes in elemental magic, the House of Rosen also inherited a special power.

It is what is called “the care of our ancestors.”

The foundation of the House of Rosen is commerce.

Business is a field where luck is crucial. People believe in superstitions and pray often.

So our family has carefully revered the spirits of our ancestors for generations.

Even a single stone, if revered sincerely, can become special—let alone a human soul. Especially in a world where magic exists.

The ancestral spirits of the House of Rosen gained great power thanks to their descendants.

Of course, the strongest authority is inherited by the head of the family or the heir, while other family members receive relatively minor blessings.

Moreover, the power varies greatly depending on how favorably an ancestor views their descendant.

Then, how about me?

There’s no need to say.

Even though I was the only legitimate eldest child at the time, I had fallen out of favor with the ancestors enough to fail the heir qualification exam.

So I had almost no power. Almost at the level of a bug, one might say.

But in this case, that very fact turned into a golden opportunity.

It was a unique energy, completely different from magic, elemental arts, or divine power—and it was weak enough to hide my existence completely.

“If I play it right, maybe I could prove that Theseud met me that night, like forensic science. Like using luminol at a crime scene to detect blood invisible to the naked eye.”

Thinking this snapped me fully awake.

“Well done. That’s the kind of attitude that matters. I definitely couldn’t have done it alone.”

A person’s life is shaped by choices. Because I chose to save Grace, I was able to regain important fragments of memory.

“I have to make use of this!”

I opened my eyes wide.

I hadn’t realized it while focusing on recovering lost memories, but somehow I had collapsed onto the floor.

I must have passed out in the middle of rolling around with Grace and fallen into a reverie.

“Aristina, are you alright?”

Ruelian was looking down at me, supporting my head with concern. When I gave him a faint smile, he flinched.

“You’re not alright.”

He must have thought something was wrong with my head.

I hurriedly corrected his misunderstanding.

“No, I’m fine. Really fine. I just smiled because I feel great—I think I’ve found decisive evidence to tie the culprit to the crime.”

I then ruffled myself and got up.

From the other side, I saw the Great Spirit sighing and snapping its fingers.

“Phew, almost done.”

I first expressed my gratitude.

“Great Spirit, thank you so much for saving us.”

“You’re welcome.”

It ruffled its long, sprawling hair with an embarrassed expression.

“I still have no idea what’s going on, but it seems like a very interesting situation is unfolding. Wait—let me take proper form and come back.”

The Great Spirit disappeared.

Hearing it would return was a welcome sign. It seemed it would also serve as an excellent witness for the upcoming revelation.

Of course, the most important witness was someone else.

“……”

My gaze fixed on one spot.

Grace was standing there, dazed. Perhaps her heart hadn’t yet calmed after what had just happened.

I quietly spoke to her.

“I remember now. We’ve met before, haven’t we? On the night of that incident, in the palace hallway.”

“……”

“You clearly suspected me then. But still, you mentioned the ghost to open a way for me to escape because I was so young. Even though I was the little villainous princess, you took pity on me, who had accidentally gotten caught in the incident. I didn’t understand then, but I do now.”

I continued speaking to Grace, who kept her lips pressed together.

“Everyone wants to live. We all don’t want to die. Grace, you said you would die with us without regret, but when being pulled into the darkness, weren’t you a little afraid? That’s what death is.”

“……”

“But because of that incident, how many people have to die?”

Grace’s expression changed.

She was thinking the same thing. She had chosen to destroy her own tongue to stop further deaths.

I continued.

“Ruelian, next to me, lost his parents overnight because of that incident. And I… I have already died once.”

“……?”

Ruelian, who had been listening quietly beside me, was shocked.

“Aristina, what do you mean? You already died?”

“It’s the truth.”

I answered calmly.

“I am neither exaggerating nor lying. That person killed me. If it weren’t for our mother’s great love and the miracle granted by the Mother of All Dragons, I wouldn’t be standing here now. Like Ruelian’s parents, I would be lying in a cold grave. And after death, I might have been framed for murder, tarnishing my honor.”

“……”

“Isn’t it too cruel to pay such a price just for witnessing a single scene? This is madness. Purely insane.”

I clasped my hands in prayer and spoke earnestly to Grace, who still kept her lips sealed.

“The two people who suffered the most from that incident are here in front of you. I appeal to you—please, end this now. Everything depends on you, Grace.”

I then looked at Ruelian.

He was very surprised by my words, his violet eyes widening slightly.

But he empathized with my desperate heart, and recalling his tragically deceased parents, he couldn’t help but feel grief.

So he joined me in clasping our hands together.

“I understand now. Manipulating the testimony and framing my parents wasn’t truly what you wanted either. Grace, let’s end this now. I beg you.”

“……”

Silence fell.

Countless emotions seemed to cross Grace’s wrinkled face.

After a long pause, she finally spoke.

“I understand.”

Hah…

My legs nearly gave out, and I almost collapsed.

I had finally succeeded in moving the heart of a key witness. It felt like overcoming a major hurdle.

Perhaps because of that relief, I finally noticed my surroundings.

As the remnants of the curse dissipated, the space, which had been warped, returned to normal.

No, to be precise, not exactly normal.

Because we had caused a commotion trying to break the curse, the small secret garden was completely destroyed. The surrounding walls were gone, and the outside was fully visible.

People gathered because of the commotion.

At first, they approached noisily, but upon seeing us, they were collectively stunned.

“Ah, that’s right…”

I realized something then.

Since Ruelian had concentrated all his divine power on breaking the curse, our disguises had completely disappeared.

Aristina Rosen and Ruelian Lacroix.

The empire’s most wanted fugitives had suddenly appeared in the palace, destroying it. People were naturally shocked.

“Everyone…”

As I began to speak to them, a section of the crowd opened, and some people appeared.

At the front was a tall knight.

White long hair, a flowing red cape, and a perfectly tailored uniform without a single flaw.

It was Theseud.