~Chapter 105~
Leah woke up feeling refreshed.
“Huh? Where’s Rafi?”
She looked around, then tugged the bell rope.
“Lady Raphaella woke up earlier, had dinner, and is in her room now,” Paula told her.
“Dinner? Paula, what time is it?”
“It’s past eight, Miss Leah.”
Paula pulled the bed curtains for her.
It was already dark outside.
Oh my gosh, I slept that long?
“Should I prepare dinner for you now?”
“Yes, something light, please.”
Leah got out of bed and stood in front of the mirror.
…My cheeks are still a little swollen.
After finishing the meal Paula brought, Leah pressed an ice pack to her cheek and leaned back on the sofa in the parlor.
She wondered if she should really tell Johann about her regression when he came.
If she left out the regression, she wouldn’t be able to explain how she knew about black magic.
…Will he believe me?
What if he looks at me like I’m crazy?
Knock knock knock.
“Leah, may I come in?”
“Yes, yes!”
She quickly set aside the ice pack and answered.
“…You were using an ice pack.”
He frowned as he walked over.
“There’s still a bit of swelling,” she said.
His concerned look made her feel awkward.
“Let me see.”
Johann came closer and gently touched her left cheek.
Heat rushed to her face.
“Does it hurt?”
“No, it doesn’t hurt.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
It felt like the tiny hairs on her cheeks stood on end.
“Then why does it feel warm?”
He frowned again.
Because you keep touching it, that’s why it’s warm, she thought, but didn’t say aloud.
“I’d better call a healing mage right away.”
“N-no, there’s no need for that!”
If he’d just take his hand away, it would go down on its own.
“Um, could you… take your hand off?”
She gently took his hand and lowered it.
Phew, my heart almost exploded.
“Ah, sorry.”
“Anyway, are you done with work for today?”
“Yeah.”
“Sorry, you said you’d come over and I slept so long.”
“It’s fine. It’s been a tiring day for both of us.”
He smiled gently.
“Leah.”
“Yes?”
“The princess won’t bother you anymore.”
He looked relieved, like a weight had been lifted.
“She’s leaving for the convent tomorrow.”
“Really?”
Leah’s eyes widened in surprise.
Even for a princess, being sent to a convent was extreme.
“Yes, it seems the Empress has completely abandoned her.”
“I see.”
“And when I sent a coded message to the Crown Prince, he said he wants to see you immediately.”
It seemed a lot had happened while she was asleep.
“Your Grace, before we meet His Highness, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
She had decided to tell him everything, but now that the moment had come, she was nervous.
“It’s about the Empress.”
“The Empress?”
“Yes. And it’s also about me.”
Please don’t look at me like I’m crazy after you hear this.
“Your Grace, it might be a long story. Is that okay?”
“I don’t mind. If it’s about you, I could listen all night. Speak freely.”
“To start… I think the Empress used black magic to kill Her Majesty the Empress Dowager.”
“…What? With black magic?”
His face was filled with shock.
“I don’t have proof yet, but I think I’ve found a witness.”
She suspected Dorothea was that witness, though she couldn’t be sure if Dorothea would testify in court.
“It’s surprising that black magic has advanced enough to kill someone.”
“…I wasn’t sure either, but Dorothea told me it’s possible now.”
“But how did you even find out the Empress could use black magic?”
“Well…”
Leah clasped her hands and looked straight at him.
“…Phew. What I’m about to say will be hard to believe, but please listen until the end.”
“All right.”
“I’ve already died once.”
“…What?”
“Thanks to the Goddess’s blessing, I went back to about two years before my death.”
“What are you…?”
Johann stared at her, speechless.
Leah gave a faint smile and explained what had happened before her regression, and what happened after—only the parts related to the Empress, since telling him everything would take all day.
“When I realized the Empress had given me perfume made with black magic, I understood I wasn’t really terminally ill.”
When she finished, she met his gaze.
Instead of suspicion, his red eyes were filled with pain.
“…Did it hurt a lot?”
He finally spoke after a long silence, his body trembling slightly.
“It’s okay. It’s like it never happened now.”
She patted his hand.
“…Even if you came back, you still remember everything.”
A big tear rolled down his cheek.
“I deserve to be hated for life.”
“Your Grace…”
“Even if I lost my memories, the fact that I left you to die… it’s driving me mad.”
“You couldn’t help it—you didn’t remember. Please don’t blame yourself so much.”
Seeing how tormented he looked made her heart ache too.
Once, she had wished he would know the truth and feel just as miserable as she did… but now she didn’t.
“I’ve always thought you were too kind.”
His trembling hand cupped her cheek.
“…Leah, you should hate and resent me more.”
He bit his lip and cried harder.
In the end, Leah cried with him.
“Now both of our eyes are swollen,” she said after a while, letting out a small laugh.
“You’re even more swollen than before. I’m sorry.”
He gently brushed her eyes.
“You’ve apologized enough.”
“Then…”
“No similar words either.”
She lightly covered his mouth with her hand.
“Okay, I’ll stop.”
“I’ve hated and resented you plenty already, so really—it’s fine.”
“Mm. Thanks for telling me something so hard to share.”
“Thank you for believing me.”
“I believe everything you say.”
That made her chuckle.
When she had first come to the mansion, he had looked at her with suspicion.
That felt like ages ago now.
“Your Grace, shall we talk about the Empress now?”
“Yes, let’s. Thanks to you, the puzzle is complete.”
“Puzzle?”
“Yes. I couldn’t figure out how the Empress killed the Empress Dowager without leaving any evidence, why monsters had been getting fiercer and mutating in recent years, or how she got her hands on monster poison.”
Wait… the monster mutations were her doing too?
“But if all of it was through black magic, it makes sense.”
“…The Empress has monster poison?”
“Yes. I didn’t tell you before, but she actually tried to use that poison to kill you.”
“What? Me? When…?”
“The night of the fireworks festival.”
That was after the news had spread in high society that Leah had saved Penelope by developing a potion.
No way…
“I can guess why she’d want me dead.”
“What?”
“I think it’s because I cured the mutated monster’s poison—it must’ve upset her.”
“The potion you made for Penelope?”
“Yes. The Empress probably found out and panicked. After all, someone had solved a poison created by her black magic.”
“She thought you might solve more of her black-magic schemes, so she tried to kill you.”
“Yes.”
Now it all fits together.
The Empress could use black magic and had killed the Empress Dowager with it—Leah too, in the previous timeline.
She had also made monsters more vicious and mutated them, and used forbidden monster poison to try to kill Leah and Johann when they got in her way.
“But then why would she try to tie me to the princess if she wanted me dead?”
“…That is weird.”
There had to be a reason, but they couldn’t figure it out yet.
“Well, we’ll find out eventually.”
He rubbed his face tiredly.
“When are we meeting the Crown Prince?”
“No set date yet, but it’ll be soon.”
“Okay.”
If we’re going to see the Crown Prince, I should talk to Dorothea again as soon as possible.
Now that everything was clearer, she needed to get clues about the Empress quickly.
