Chapter 53 –
Alesia rested her head on Franz’s shoulder. Her mind was spinning with fleeting, haunting memories.
As she kissed him just moments ago, the horrible memories of the past overwhelmed her.
They were memories that made Alesia tremble with hatred.
But something about them felt twisted.
Because they weren’t her memories.
They belonged to Franz.
The man who had loved Alesia deeply, but who, not knowing how to love, had brought about her death.
A man who was sinner, perpetrator—and victim all at once.
She blinked in confusion. Each blink left tears clinging to her lashes.
Her breath came out in short gasps.
“All of this… What are all these memories?”
“Please don’t be confused. Everything that happened back then—it was all my fault.”
Franz’s voice made Alesia flinch. He continued carefully.
“I was weak. A coward. That’s why I hurt you.”
“You hurt me?”
Alesia let out a hollow laugh. As the laughter escaped, tears rolled down her cheeks.
She struggled to sit up from where she’d leaned on Franz. Her head was spinning.
Rubbing her temple, she sneered.
“That’s easy for you to say.”
“I—”
“If you just say ‘sorry’ like that, what am I supposed to do with it? Should I say, ‘Oh, I see. It couldn’t be helped, so it’s fine’?”
“You were so precious to me… I didn’t want to risk any danger coming to you.”
“That’s just an excuse. You were the greatest danger to me. I wasn’t suffering because of the First Prince. It was you.”
Alesia clutched her head. Franz’s memories were fragmented.
There were holes everywhere, pieces jumbled out of order.
Especially the moment right after her death—it was all a blur.
After the scene where Franz killed Creighton, everything went dark, like a candle snuffed out.
Only an unbearable pain lingered.
Lowering her hand, Alesia muttered.
“You’re selfish.”
Franz quietly accepted her accusation. That silence stoked a fresh fire in her.
“What are you really up to? To shamelessly take me back as your princess consort.”
“I didn’t choose the moment of return. When I woke up, the engagement was already arranged… I couldn’t help it.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me you had returned too? Were you just watching from the sidelines? Enjoying how flustered I was?”
“At first, I didn’t know either. I thought I was the only one who came back with memories. So I… I wanted to make you happy this time. I wanted to start over with you, from the beginning…”
Franz clenched his fists on his knees. He spoke as if forcing the words out of his chest.
“I thought the heavens had given me another chance—one where I could make you happy without hurting you.”
“So? Do I look happy to you now?”
Franz clamped his lips shut. Alesia glared at him coldly and pressed further.
“How did you return, anyway?”
“That…”
Franz’s lips parted, but for the first time, he hesitated—he who had answered everything until now.
He looked at her silently, then furrowed his brow and spoke with a grave tone.
“You’re asking that… So you don’t remember what happened right before the return.”
“My memories are fragmented. They’re not complete.”
“I see.”
Franz looked disappointed by her explanation.
“It seems there’s a conflict in the memories.”
He spoke stiffly and reached toward her face. When she flinched and moved to push his hand away, he gave a faint, cold smile.
“I was only going to wipe the blood away.”
Alesia lowered her hand.
He gently wiped the blood at the corner of her lips. She stared at him until his thumb passed over her lips and dropped away.
As Franz pulled his hand back, Alesia awkwardly cleared her throat.
“Why am I bleeding? Is the mana not neutralized?”
“It must be a side effect of returning. Nothing to worry about.”
“I’m not worried.”
She shot back coldly. Franz just smiled quietly at her harsh tone.
Seeing the sickly pallor on his face, Alesia’s chest tightened.
Franz is paying for his sins. There’s no reason to pity him.
She threw her handkerchief at him.
“Clean yourself up too. It’s unsightly.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Don’t say you’re sorry. I don’t want to hear it.”
Franz lowered his gaze and wiped his mouth with the handkerchief. Alesia looked at him with a conflicted expression.
She didn’t know how much she could trust him.
Their memories were too different.
She couldn’t forget the Franz who looked at her with contempt.
The one who hurled cruel words at her in front of others. The one who walked past her with his arm around Niris.
It was all vivid.
But now he claimed it was all an act to protect her from the First Prince, that he had loved her all along.
It was hard to accept.
How could that be?
If that were true, then because of that absurd act, Alesia had lost her child.
And he didn’t even know she had been pregnant. That was what enraged her most.
Unforgivable.
Alesia glared at Franz with cold, sharp eyes.
The things she had lost due to his reckless affection couldn’t be fixed with a few words.
Honestly, she didn’t care about anything else.
The child. Yes, if not for the child, she might have forgiven him.
She might have agreed to start over, just as he wanted.
But that wasn’t possible.
A river too wide had formed between them.
The current was too strong, and Alesia couldn’t cross it. She couldn’t recover anything that had been swept away.
Even if time was turned back, it didn’t change the fact that she had lost her child.
Nor did it change that her miscarriage had been caused by Franz’s indifference.
“…So, what are you going to do about the First Prince?”
Alesia asked in a dry voice.
At the edge of her memory, she saw Creighton struck by a golden arrow and dying.
She wanted to do the same in this life. But she couldn’t kill him without reason.
To harm a member of the royal family was a crime punishable by death—by exterminating your entire family line. Killing Creighton and taking her own life might be one thing, but it was essentially suicide.
Come to think of it, what happened to Franz after he killed the First Prince in the previous life?
Alesia tilted her head slightly. Her fragmented memories didn’t show how Franz’s fate ended.
Did he run away with me by returning together?
She let out a bitter laugh.
There was no clearer answer than the fact he was here with her now.
Alesia slowly raised her hand and gently cupped Franz’s cheek.
He flinched at her touch. His eyes quivered slightly.
“Resa…”
“If you’re really sorry, then help me get revenge on the First Prince.”
Alesia smiled gently as she watched Franz waver.
He had used her in his selfish love. So she would use him too.
She wasn’t giving up on revenge against him.
But first, she would punish the one who had killed her.
“How would you like to do it?”
“I want to kill him. In the most painful way possible.”
Franz’s eyes darkened at her request. He fell silent, deep in thought.
“It’s fine even if you don’t help. I’ll do it alone.”
As she tried to withdraw her hand, he caught it. He pressed his cheek to her palm and closed his eyes.
“I’ll do as you wish.”
Because that’s the reason I came back.
Alesia looked at Franz with a troubled expression.
Her head ached.
The ugly truth she had uncovered stirred fury in her mind like a whirlwind.
“To think the First Prince did that… I still can’t believe it. I never did anything to him. Why would he go so far as to kill me?”
Her words came out through clenched teeth, filled with rage.
“What did I do wrong? What sin did I commit that deserved death? Becoming your consort—was that such an unforgivable crime?”
“You did nothing wrong. I was weak and cowardly—that was the crime.”
“A brother who drives his weaker sibling to the cliff edge, huh?”
Alesia spoke with bitter disbelief.
It was hard to accept that her misfortune had stemmed from Creighton.
Whenever they met, he always wore a pleasant smile.
The carefree, composed First Prince.
The prince loved by all.
That was the Creighton she remembered.
But behind that gentle smile, he had hidden vile greed. And with that greed, he had torn Alesia’s life to shreds.
Recalling Creighton’s amiable face, she clenched her fists tightly. If he were in front of her now, she’d want to claw that handsome face.
Alesia let out a long breath.
“…Alright.”
Now wasn’t the time to be swept up in anger. She had to cool her burning hatred with reason and act with precision.
“Do you have any clever plans?”
She asked gravely, her eyes burning with a singular purpose—revenge.
Franz looked back at her with a complicated expression.
He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or sad that the hatred in her gaze was no longer directed at him.
Alesia sensed his turmoil but pretended not to notice, her eyes sharp.
To her, love was lighter than revenge.
The reason she had survived a night worse than death—perhaps it was all for vengeance.
No—surely it was.
Franz closed his eyes tightly and then opened them again to speak.
“After returning, I worked to gain the power to protect you. I didn’t want to repeat the misfortunes that left you alone. I wanted to make you truly happy. To make you not my weakness—but my treasure.”
“Spare me the pretty words.”
Alesia scoffed. His desperation didn’t move her. She had no time to be swayed by sentimental lines.
“I want to hear your plan.”
“Of course. I have one.”
Franz spoke with firm resolve.
“I’ll join hands with Linden and bring Creighton down. I’ll become the crown prince and purge him.”
“That won’t be easy. Even with Duke Linden’s help, it’s uncertain you can win the battle for the throne. There are too many variables.”
“Then why not do to Creighton what you were planning to do to me today?”
“What was I planning to do?”
Alesia flinched and pulled her hand from Franz’s face. He gave her a sad smile and said,
“You came to destroy my mana stone, didn’t you?”
