Chapter 12
Chapter: 12
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 012
>Chapter Title: The Princess Has Returned for Revenge (1)
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A stormy day passed, and the next morning arrived.
The servants of the Silver Rose Palace now had to watch the princess's mood for an entirely different reason. The princess, who had startled them with her extreme emotional outburst, had now become excessively listless.
The intense memory of death had temporarily awakened her emotions, but as a little time passed, that fierce turmoil slowly sank back into her inner self.
Her body was that of a 16-year-old girl, but her mind was that of a queen confined alone in a tower for many years.
Years of Leonard's mental and physical abuse. Those painful memories continued to gnaw relentlessly at her mind even now that she had returned to the past. She had reverted to the Amelia of that time—completely drained, dried up like a desert.
"Lady Amelia…."
Mirabel looked at the princess, who lay limply on the bed, with pitying eyes.
"Please don't be too heartbroken. There must be a way to fix it."
"Hm?"
Amelia echoed in bewilderment, then realized that Mirabel was attributing her gloom to the wrong cause.
"It was Her Majesty's precious keepsake—how could they manage it so poorly…. I'll give that attendant maid a real scolding!"
The necklace. It was the story of the necklace discovered broken that morning.
The small white necklace, a keepsake from her mother that she had cherished in her jewelry box since childhood. Back in the tower, she had never taken it off her body for even a moment.
"Mirabel. Could you bring it to me?"
"Yes? But seeing it will only hurt your heart more…."
"It's fine. Please."
Mirabel obediently followed her command. Soon, the broken necklace was handed to Amelia, wrapped in a clean handkerchief.
She unfolded the handkerchief and rolled the shattered pendant around.
It was strange that this had broken.
The white gem in the pendant was some nameless junk stone, yet the maids who managed the jewelry had always marveled at how it seemed harder than diamond.
As proof, it had remained intact around her neck until the very end, even through all the hardships in Rohan.
Yet now it had suddenly split in two inside the jewelry box.
'But this is exactly the proof that I've returned to the past.'
Amelia's eyes grew coldly serene.
'I won't repeat the same mistakes ever again.'
She clenched the pendant wrapped in the handkerchief and vowed it over and over.
'I'll never fall for that damned bastard Leonard again. Never!'
But what came next?
If she avoided getting involved with Leonard and never went to Rohan, then what?
Was it enough just not to be used by him?
Should she just hide away in the Silver Rose Palace like this, living quietly so as not to burden Mores and Father?
'I don't know….'
Amelia clutched the handkerchief to her chest and burrowed into the bed.
Her mind was already far too weary to ponder life's purpose or direction.
The next morning dawned. Mirabel was on the verge of exploding.
"Princess, please eat something today, I beg you. The palace physicians say there's no major illness—how long are you going to skip meals?"
Amelia sat up in bed with a tousled face.
"Sorry, I got it. Could you bring some simple soup?"
"Oh, come on! You need to get up and wash first! Here, let me brush your hair. Why is our elegant princess acting like this lately!"
As her hair shook this way and that from the emotional brushing, Amelia thought blankly.
Ah, Mirabel. It's because all my problems are solved now.
Mores is still alive, and Father is still well. I won't be a burden to them anymore. There's no problem at all, right?
A sigh came from above her head.
"Really, what's going on? That good-for-nothing prince jumps out of bed and dives straight into training to build his stamina, and now our lovely princess wants to follow suit by lazing around?"
A spark of light flickered briefly in Amelia's eyes.
"Mores…."
The princess murmured blankly.
"Should I go to the Pearl Palace…."
Mirabel, who would normally recoil at the mere mention of Mores, strangely beamed today and jingled her bell.
"Great idea! Let's have a quick breakfast first, then get you all prettied up?"
Soon, maids swarmed in with perfumes, bath supplies, and all sorts of dresses and accessories.
* * *
An unexpected spring breeze blew across the Pearl Palace training ground.
The goddess of spring herself had descended, adorned in a flowing pale yellow dress and her hair decorated with small white flowers.
Seongjin, who had just finished two sets of laps and was catching his breath, widened his eyes.
"Wow… Sister. What's up?"
The female knight escorting her was quite beautiful, but Princess Amelia boasted a peerless beauty. An aura blending utmost vibrancy and purity.
"Yeah, I was passing by and thought of you. I heard you've been living at the training ground lately?"
Amelia smiled shyly, then continued a bit apologetically.
"I hope I'm not interrupting. Everyone's training so hard…."
Following her gaze, sure enough. The Pearl Palace resident knights were shirtless in the corner of the training ground, sweating away. These guys?
"Nah, it was break time anyway. Don't worry about them—they handle themselves."
Seongjin waved it off.
Amelia watched admiringly as Seongjin stretched here and there even while resting. In just a few days at the training ground, he looked much leaner.
His belly still jiggled with every move, but compared to how he used to waddle and roll around, it was a huge improvement.
"You've really changed. You've lost a lot of weight."
Seongjin smiled wryly.
"Heh heh heh. Nothing slims you down like marching in full gear."
This body has more weight to lose than full kit weighs, Sister.
Of course, Amelia, not understanding, just tilted her head.
Knight Masain, who had seemed ready to drop everything and rush over, was unexpectedly delayed with handover duties. It looked like from now on, he'd dump everything on his adjutant and devote himself fully to Seongjin's lessons.
Thanks to that, Seongjin was still training alone. Well, until today, anyway.
He figured he'd save some energy for lessons, and the sight before him wasn't great for mental health, so maybe wrap up morning training here.
"I'm about to grab lunch. Want to join if you haven't eaten?"
Something unimaginable in their old relationship. The escort knight flinched and glanced at Amelia, but she nodded happily.
"Sure, let's do that. Mores."
And so the siblings left the training ground, ignoring the resident knights' desperate stares.
* * *
"Hm… So it's about losing your purpose in life?"
Seongjin had just finished a quick shower and was sitting across from Amelia at a modestly set table.
Surprisingly, the two got along well in conversation, and the usually shy Amelia was inwardly shocked. Meal time with him was more enjoyable than expected.
She'd had no appetite that morning, yet here she was, eagerly finishing her food and chattering away. Perhaps their unusually intense first real exchange two days ago had broken down the walls between them.
"So, once you're free from the guy tormenting you, it feels empty and you don't know what to live for?"
"In summary, yes."
Somehow, Amelia had ended up consulting him about her recent troubles. Of course, she couldn't reveal the regression, so it was all vague.
Seongjin tilted his head.
This conversation didn't feel all that unfamiliar. Ah, hadn't he rambled something similar to the Holy Emperor recently about wanting to know why he lived?
But who could torment a princess so badly? Enough to lose her life's purpose? Who the hell?
The Demon King nodded gravely in his calm tone.
[It's you. Your story.]
'No way…?'
Seongjin furrowed his brows, pondered briefly, then spoke.
"Hm, Sister. This is just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt."
Amelia nodded eagerly.
"Yeah."
"So, escaping that guy was thanks to someone else, right? You never even got a chance to do anything."
"Yeah."
"And that guy's still alive and kicking?"
"Yeah."
"Then what's to worry about? Until you find another purpose, just focus on making his life hell. Pay back the damage with interest, and tack on mental anguish as a bonus."
"Um…."
Amelia's face grew gloomy.
"I think you're right. There was a time when my resentment was so overwhelming that all I could think about was revenge."
After learning Leonard's true feelings, for the first few years, Amelia had ground her teeth and sworn vengeance. She'd stake everything, pour all her strength into making him pay.
But over the long years of confinement and suffering, unable to do anything, her thirst for revenge gradually wore away.
Leonard.
He was the king who held all of Rohan's power.
Whereas Amelia had been nothing but a powerless prisoner.
And could she truly blame her downfall and death solely on him?
The ambitions and power struggles of many people, and their schemes. She had simply been swept helplessly into them and trampled.
The foolish queen, locked away for ages, hadn't even figured out everyone she should get revenge on.
That was so agonizing, it eventually made her shrink into herself.
But Seongjin clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Wow, Sister's being all naive again. Why overcomplicate it? Revenge starts by picking one bastard and beating the crap out of him."
"……?"
"Listen, Sister. Pick the one who bugs you most! Then focus solely on how to screw him over. Nothing else matters. Hunt that one fucker to the ends of the earth."
For a moment, Seongjin felt a pathetic leftover trash heap shuddering in his mind. Why's it shaking again?
He wasn't perceptive enough to realize it didn't feel like someone else's story.
"Then the accomplices will pop up one by one, right? Beat them too. If he's the top dog? By the time you get to him, the others are probably dead already. Huh? Revenge complete?"
Huh? That… makes sense.
It sounded ridiculously simple.
Amelia tilted her head.
"Picture him on his knees, nose bleeding, begging you. I guarantee no room for gloom. Life's purpose? Sister, is there anything more fulfilling than the thrill of revenge?"
"……."
The Demon King sighed.
[No, you demon!]
"True revenge isn't just enduring for some end result, Sister. It's designing the perfect trap to screw over your enemy. How beautiful is that? Every step toward executing it—how precious and rewarding?"
"……."
"Then if something else catches your interest? Do that instead. His retaliation? Pfft, why worry? Your dad's the strongest backer in the kingdom."
"R-right."
Amelia felt her once-muddled mind clear up.
"Yeah, you're right. I do want revenge."
Just avoiding that man wouldn't satisfy her. Why had she tried to ignore that fact until now?
Because she thought it was beyond her power. Because she believed unattainable goals should be abandoned. Because she'd convinced herself wasting life on such things was wrong.
So she'd become listless. Just an empty shell.
"I thought revenge unfinished was futile. But true revenge enriches life not just in the outcome, but in the process itself."
A radiant smile bloomed on Amelia's face.
No more ignoring her true desire.
Yes. I want to see that man Leonard ruined.
Nothing else remained but that longing. Perhaps she'd returned to the past for this very reason.
If she feared failure, she'd love even the path to it.
If her weary mind could no longer sing of any life, then from now on, revenge would ignite her will, bring her joy, and make her life shine.
Light slowly returned to Amelia's eyes. A brilliant blue glow never seen before.
Seongjin flinched for a moment and averted his gaze.
Um, if I may be so bold, Sister.
That target isn't… me, right?