SILHN Chapter 41🎗🎗

I couldn’t let my mother become a loser.

I couldn’t let her lose her pride and her life, become miserable, and bow her head and beg in front of an enemy she couldn’t even stand to chew and swallow, just to save her son’s life.

So, without even allowing myself any room for my own emotions…

“The bad guys probably have no intention of apologizing anyway.”

“That doesn’t make my fault disappear.”

The Empress looked like the portrait of a middle-aged woman who was tired from bearing a heavy burden for too long. However, the layers of time, like dust on a statue that had been displayed in a museum for ages, did not make her look ugly. She was like an owl that had reached its twilight and settled in her nest, folding her wings.

“Thank you for apologizing.”

I bowed my head in greeting.

“And now I can finally tell you, the role I’ve taken on this time is…”

I confirmed the path I had to take without hesitation. And Brian’s position, too.

That’s right. I can’t even use a sword properly, I’m not a beloved princess, and my past reputation is the worst. On top of that, I had been in a coma until just now, was told I was cursed, and was even going to wield a demonic sword. That’s right.

I smiled a mischievous smile that was unbefitting of a princess of the Empire and said.

“A clown. To survive after mocking a king, one has to be a court jester, don’t you think?”

Shall we go to the gambling table made of lies and deceit?

The Empress Consort, with a desperate heart, hurried the Emperor toward the underground labyrinth. High Priest Marjid asked if it wouldn’t be better to check on Princess Titania in the Empress’s palace first, but as soon as Brian was involved, the Empress Consort was not in her right mind.

In fact, it wasn’t natural for the news to be delivered directly to the Empress Consort as soon as Brian fell into the labyrinth after being chased by a magical beast. It was because the Castrain ducal family had prearranged for the news to be delivered immediately.

The Empress Consort was the first to realize that ‘something had gone wrong.’ She should have noticed something was strange when the Empress’s palace was quiet!

Of course, the fact that Titania, who should have been sleeping peacefully inside the Empress’s palace, and the Empress, who should have been protecting her, were not there, was a sufficient reason for the Empress Consort to make an issue of it. However, when it was Brian, of all people, who was being chased by a magical beast, how could she remain in the Empress’s palace?!

“Your Highness the Empress Consort, what should I…”

“…If something happens to Brian, the High Priest will treat him immediately, won’t he? And you will also correctly determine the source of today’s evil events in the Imperial Palace, right?”

“Your Highness the Empress Consort is right.”

Marjid and the Empress Consort exchanged anxious glances.

The Emperor had taken her words at face value when the Empress Consort herself, even bringing the Royal Guards that only the Emperor could command, said they should go save Brian. In fact, for the Emperor, today’s events were like a bolt out of the blue.

Magical beasts suddenly attacked the Imperial Palace, and among them, Brian was being chased. It was all so incomprehensible! Hadn’t they said Titania was cursed? From the looks of what was happening today, it was as if the entire Imperial Palace was cursed!

The Emperor had rarely seen a real magical beast in his life. At most, he had only seen their dead bodies. So when he heard that Brian was in danger, he decided to go and help him, even taking the Royal Guards, without a second thought. It was a thought befitting a member of the royal family who had never been threatened with his life.

However, the Empress Consort knew the danger of the current situation well.

Was this an assassination attempt? Using magical beasts to get rid of Brian? All sorts of thoughts ran through her mind. Why now, of all days? For that coward of an Empress and that impertinent girl to have orchestrated this, the situation was too urgent. Who was the culprit? Had the Castrain ducal family turned against them? The Lard marquis family had left a message when they helped them acquire that item, saying that ‘the price the Evillios marquis family wanted was not simple.’ Was she mistakenly caught up in their affairs? Filled with anxiety, the Empress Consort shouted.

“Brian, Brian. My child! My child, are you there? Are you safe?”

All those thoughts disappeared like foam the moment she entered the underground labyrinth and saw the inside.

“Uwoooah!”

Along with the agonizing groan of a magical beast.

Flash.

A hazy, golden color shone brightly in the air like gold dust. Like golden sand under the sun, a holy light illuminated everyone. Everyone instinctively closed their eyes at the dazzling light, then barely opened them.

In this situation, the Empress Consort looked at a person she never thought she would see here and said stupidly.

“…Titania?”

In front of a magical beast that was crumbling into ashes, there stood a princess holding a sword that emitted a bright light like a holy sword.

While planning this, there was one hypothesis that I had to confirm first. Why did Vivi and I fall into the underground labyrinth?

When I was lying comfortably in the Empress’s palace bed, I asked Vivi for the reason, and she hesitated for a moment. But then she looked at me and answered.

‘In that garden, there is an old imperial artifact. …It’s an imperial artifact since it’s in the Imperial Palace, but no one in the current imperial family seems to know about its existence. I was actually going to secretly take it. I’m so sorry.’

‘There was something that amazing?’

‘Yes. I was actually more curious about it because it looked similar to something the person who abandoned me was wearing.’

‘…Aban-abandoned me?’

‘You know I was adopted, right? The person who left me on the street was wearing a robe from head to toe. They said the person was wearing a necklace with a five-colored glowing leaf on it. I looked through various books, and it said that the artifact that keeps the labyrinth garden green all year round looks like that.’

When I heard that, I almost dropped my teacup.

…Wasn’t that the thing that made Vivi regress and then disappeared in the original novel? Since no one else besides Vivi could touch it, no one was able to take it away from her even when she was sold here and there and when she ran away. So she held onto it until the end of her first life, and in the original novel, which starts from the second life, it was an item that didn’t even exist, wasn’t it? But now it’s an imperial artifact?

‘You’re a regressor, and I’m a reincarnator!’ I couldn’t just blurt out, ‘I realized my past life by bumping my head, and I read a book about you in my past life, so I know the future and I’m relying on you!’ So I quietly drank my tea like water and sweat.

What on earth is this Imperial Palace’s true identity? There are magical beasts in the labyrinth. And strange artifacts and magical beasts that even the royal family doesn’t know about are hidden everywhere.

‘I’m so glad you trusted me and told me. I don’t care whether you take that imperial artifact that even the Emperor doesn’t know about or not. Don’t worry.’

‘…Really?’

‘Really!’

‘Why are you so kind, Unnie…? What are you going to do if someone deceives you by living so kindly…? A royal family member should be angry if someone tried to secretly take an imperial artifact, fell into the basement, and put you in danger!’

Vivi wailed, looking like she was about to cry herself.

‘Really! Unnie! Really! If you do this to Vivi!’

‘If I do this?’

‘I love you so much!’

Vivi hugged me tightly. I hugged Vivi back. Ah, she smells good. As the warm and cute Vivi rubbed her cheek against my chest, my heart naturally warmed up. As expected of the female protagonist of a parenting story! A cutie who saves her family, her country, and the world with her aegyo!

‘I love you too, Vivi!’

‘But let’s not do this to anyone else besides Vivi.’

Vivi pouted her lips and said. Oh, pouting Vivi is so cute. I instinctively replied.

‘I’m only doing this because it’s you, Vivi!’

‘What do you believe in Vivi for?’

Vivi got angry again. But I can’t really tell you that I know you’re a righteous, cute, and clever second-life regressor female protagonist from the life spoilers I saw in a book and that’s why I’m relying on you.

‘Because… you’re cute?’

‘…’

One of Vivi’s eyebrows crumpled. Really? Are you serious? Her eyes seemed to ask.

‘B-Because you’re the real power of the Castrain ducal family?’

‘Unnie, would you not have liked Vivi if she wasn’t from the Castrain ducal family?’

‘No!’

‘Would you not have loved Vivi if her cheeks weren’t as plump as a steamed bun?’

‘Unnie doesn’t care whether Vivi’s cheeks are steamed buns or sliced bread!’

‘Then that’s all a lie, isn’t it?’

‘…B-Because you’re my fiancé’s younger sister?’

Vivi let out a sigh. She shook her head as if to say she would let it go at that.

‘Since Unnie is on Vivi’s side, Vivi will also be on Unnie’s side.’

‘Uh, okay, let’s go with that!’

‘So, Unnie, don’t do things like throwing your body into danger like you did last time. Even if it’s for Vivi.’

‘…’

‘Unnie?’

‘…I’ll try!’

‘Unnie?’

‘…I’ll try harder!’

‘Unnie, when Vivi thinks about what happened last time, it makes her so sad…’

‘…I’ll try incredibly hard!’

‘Okay.’

When I answered with a flustered expression, Vivi finally nodded as if she understood.