Chapter 3 — The Emperor's Scheme
Chapter 3 — The Emperor's Scheme
Translation: Godtl
'The original female lead's stepdad is the true emperor who reclaims the throne. In other words, the older brother of the wicked emperor who sent me here.'
The current emperor believed his older brother and his sons were dead, but in fact, he was alive.
He was probably working hard right now to prepare to reclaim the throne.
His name was Perseus Auraria. The legitimate successor and the true emperor who would reclaim the throne.
Perseus seeks the throne, and the daughter born from his remarriage with someone from a family that helped the rebellion is the original female lead.
'She was a very lovely female lead. Making everyone around her happy with her bright and lovely smile...'
Perseus was a person tormented by grief and guilt over his wife who died along with their infant.
The one who opens his closed heart and heals him is the original female lead, 'Julianna.'
Eventually, Perseus becomes a huge daughter-fool and comes to adore the original female lead.
To the extent that if it was Julianna's word, he'd offer the entire empire.
Lelia made up her mind.
'Right, since I'll die soon after Perseus reclaims the throne... I need to be extra careful.'
Anyway, Perseus also found Lelia's existence bothersome.
As the daughter of his dead younger sister, she should be in his thoughts... but that wasn't the case.
Perseus hated his younger sister who had hated and persecuted his wife in the past.
As the daughter of that hated younger sister, there was no way he could look upon her kindly.
'When I return to my home country, I should prepare to defect.'
Anyway, even if I survived, staying in the imperial palace would just mean starving to death. I was sick and tired of starving anymore.
During the time living in a corner of the imperial palace, she had even experienced being so hungry that she ate dirt.
Honestly speaking... if someone just gave her food, she'd be willing to do anything. That's also why she was pretending to be the crown prince following the current emperor's orders.
'Emperor Perseus is concerning... but it doesn't matter.'
Lelia, who had been lost in thought for a moment, was startled.
Because Romeo's face was right in front of her nose.
"W-why, what's wrong?"
"You were staring blankly so much I got curious. So how about you? Do you hate them too?"
"...Um, well."
There was no particular reason to hate them? Of course, she didn't like them either.
At Lelia's response, Romeo's eyebrows wrinkled.
"You're my friend. If you're my friend, you should hate the kids I hate together with me. Is there no thought in your head?"
"......"
Should she tell him?
That those kids will become your comrades later? That you'll all compete over one woman? That you'll all get rejected?
It's annoying...
"I just am."
Lelia answered helplessly and sneered internally.
'And since when were we friends? I'm grateful you saved me from the water, but I'll pass on being friends.'
Her goal was simply to stay in this temple as quietly as possible without her identity being discovered and then return.
There were four key figures who would defeat the Mad Dragon in the future nearby, but they had nothing to do with her.
It was absolutely none of her business! Get lost, you guys!
'I will absolutely not get involved with them!'
That's right. That was the plan, but....
'Why are they so annoying... these kids....'
It was irritating. So irritating I could go crazy.
'I absolutely won't get involved with you people!'
That was what she firmly resolved, and then this happened the very next day.
'Euuugh...!'
Lelia watched the children gathered and whispering, clutching her hair in distress.
A small, frail boy with silver hair.
Oscar Hraesvelg was trembling as if having a seizure. And the children just watched from a distance.
Honestly, for Lelia, she could have just ignored it or called a priest.
'But... if it's not corrected now while he's young, Oscar will suffer from this forever....'
I don't know. Don't care.
Don't care... I won't...!
Actually, if she hadn't awakened to her past life memories, she could have comfortably ignored it. At the very least, she would have whispered fearfully like those other children.
But Lelia, having memories of her past life, could think somewhat more maturely.
Even if that just meant being able to think more like an adult than her peers. Still.
She couldn't pretend not to see a poor child trembling in fear.
At least she was that kind of person.
'...Ugh, whatever!'
Unable to bear it, Lelia pushed through the children.
"What are you all doing? Go call the priests quickly!"
Lelia shouted at the children who were just watching, then quickly removed Oscar's priestly cap and robe.
Then she unbuttoned the inner garment constricting his throat and cupped the boy's cheek in her hand.
"Oscar Hraesvelg. Snap out of it. The hallucinations you're seeing are all fake. Calm down. This place is safe, and you're unharmed. Don't listen to what that person is telling you!"
"Huu... hic...."
"Look at my eyes. Listen to me, Oscar!"
"Huu...."
Oscar's pupils were dilated. He was witnessing a horrific scene from his childhood, watching dozens of people being cut down by swords and dying before his eyes.
Since then, he occasionally suffered from bloody hallucinations.
'Hallucinations of corpses dripping blood and screaming to be saved.'
Perhaps because of that trauma, he might become a madman who goes berserk at the sight of blood.
Lelia kept speaking to Oscar, who was breaking out in cold sweat, until his pupils returned to normal.
"Everything that person says is bullshit, Oscar. You're safe. Everything you see is an illusion. So...."
Those words Oscar would be hearing.
Lelia remembered the scene from the original work where the grown Oscar calmly spoke of his wounds.
"Do you know why your eyes are red? The blood of those who died before your eyes back then splashed into them. Otherwise, why would only your eyes be so hideous in this imperial family? You're a monster. A monster!"
Oscar grew up hearing such words from his own father, the Emperor. Lelia was dumbfounded.
'He's the one who killed people in front of his own son, that madman!'
That Emperor was even a psychopath who killed Oscar's mother.
That shameless Emperor's voice tormented Oscar for his entire life. The only child among the Hraesvelg imperial family with red eyes.
Those pupils were both a curse and shackles that would torment Oscar for life.
But a single word from the original female protagonist:
"Your eyes are truly beautiful."
With those words, Oscar forgot his unhappy childhood and found salvation.
'When I read it in the novel, I just thought that's how it was....'
Actually seeing Oscar before her eyes, she couldn't bear to watch.
Unlike in the novel, the Oscar before her was too small, too thin, too young.
She had never imagined he would have such wretchedly fragile childhood years. That's why she couldn't turn away.
Lelia grasped Oscar's slender shoulders and held him firmly. She locked eyes with him and kept speaking. Telling him he was okay.
Fortunately, it worked.
His rough breathing gradually calmed, and his dilated pupils began to return to normal.
"What is happening!"
"His Highness Crown Prince Oscar!"
The priests who appeared at the children's call quickly examined Oscar's condition.
The priests infused holy power into Oscar, but this wasn't an illness that could be fixed with holy power.
'Still, it should calm him down a bit.'
Lelia stared intently at the priests' retreating figures as they carried Oscar away, then let out a relieved breath.
Oscar, held by the priest, looked at Lelia with slowly blinking eyes as if about to faint.
"Are you actually a heretic?"
That's when it happened.
Romeo Roseberry whispered in a very sweet voice from over her shoulder. As if sharing a secret.
"...."
Lelia turned to look at him with an annoyed expression.
"I'll keep your secret."
Romeo looked at the surrounding children and said that again.
'I want to punch him.'
Lelia clenched her fist and stood up. She started walking to go somewhere else, but she felt someone following behind.
"Why are you following me?"
"I'm thinking of changing religions too."
"I don't believe in heretic stuff."
"Then what was that just now? What kind of spell did you cast?"
Romeo asked with narrowed eyes, sounding suspicious.
"I just calmed him down. It was a simple seizure."
"Isn't he possessed by a demon?"
That was how ordinary people perceived it. The Emperor who sent Oscar here probably knew too.
'What nickname and distorted gaze Oscar will gain here.'
Once or twice could be overlooked, but if seizures repeatedly occur during the three years living here....
The temple would also become suspicious of Oscar. That he might be possessed by a demon.
Moreover, there were dozens of witnesses, and they were all imperial and noble children from various countries.
'Oscar's father wants to make another prince the successor instead of Oscar, so he's probably trying to lower his public reputation.'
However, Oscar eventually kills his own father in the original work and becomes Emperor. Honestly, it served him right.
Lelia said nonchalantly to Romeo:
"There are no demons. He just saw something shocking and got scared, seeing things. You have nightmares too, right? It's like that."
"Who has nightmares with their eyes open?"
"...There are people."
"No logic so you're just insisting? The Crown Prince of Auraria is a bit beneath standard."
Lelia bit her lip firmly. If she let her guard down, curses would spill out.
'This insolent bastard.'