Chapter 70
I looked down at the pale hand reaching out to me and felt disgusted.
Judith always smelled nice. I hadn’t touched her many times, but she had a scent like sun-dried flowers.
She still smelled the same now. And that made it even more unbearable.
“…That won’t be possible.”
I stepped back and said.
“His Grace the Grand Duke said there’s someone from the bandits who’s still alive. He’s badly injured and won’t live long, but… he’s alive.”
My throat felt tight, like something soft was stuck there.
“Please leave me alone. Whatever I do, don’t worry about it. Just focus on protecting Brother Boris.”
At the mention of Boris, Judith’s eyes turned sharp.
She quickly came forward and grabbed both my shoulders tightly, whispering in a threatening tone.
“Protecting him? If anything happens to Boris, I won’t let you go unpunished.”
“I swear I won’t do anything to Brother Boris. I truly…”
You don’t know, do you?
You can’t even imagine it.
“I truly hope Brother Boris becomes an adult safely.”
That under your warm wings, the monster born from your own blood is growing quietly.
And that monster always ended up eating your most beloved child—every time.
“Don’t even dream of pressuring Boris just because the Emperor favors you a little.”
Judith twisted my words and tightened her grip on me even harder.
“Boris has noble blood, something you can’t even compare to. If something ever happens to him, it’ll be you who ends up humiliated.”
I used all my strength to push Judith away.
She stumbled and almost fell backward, but someone caught me from behind.
“That body is far too weak to carry noble blood.”
I tried to stand but couldn’t find any strength in my legs. I collapsed again.
The voice of the person who caught me sounded distant and muffled, like I was hearing it underwater.
“Your Majesty!”
“You’re only alive because I let you be. This is the last time I overlook something that displeases me. Now, leave—”
My long hair got tangled around someone’s fingers.
It must have been the Emperor, but I had no strength to even open my eyes.
My ears were ringing, like bees buzzing all around.
Then I was carried somewhere.
When my head touched something soft, I started falling asleep right away.
“You won’t even give me a moment to rest.”
“…Mom.”
“……”
The last face I saw before losing consciousness…
Strangely enough, it was Judith again.
She held me in her arms with an unfamiliar expression—calm, without emotion.
But her embrace was ice-cold, and the fingers brushing my hair were freezing too.
I didn’t know what part was real and what part was a dream.
Judith’s face began to overlap with the face of my mother from my previous life.
And at that moment, I had a horrible nightmare.
One where I stayed in her arms for a long, long time.
And strangely… I felt happy and tried to snuggle closer into that cold hug.
***
I was sick for two whole days after collapsing.
When I finally opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the seventh most handsome face on the continent.
“He cried so much, I had to lay him beside you. Once he was near you, he stopped crying.”
“Mmummummu…”
My lovely little Sweet Potato was cuddled up beside me.
Apparently, he also got sick when I did.
“What a strange magical creature this is.”
The Emperor looked suspiciously at Sweet Potato, especially since the baby’s fever went away the moment I sat up.
But I just pinched the baby’s chubby cheeks and pretended not to hear.
So squishy.
Still cute as ever.
“Do you know what that is?”
“…It looks like a pig.”
“Wrong.”
After feeding me well, washing me up, and dressing me, the Emperor took me to the pig pen and said something strange.
“That’s your new role model.”
“……”
“I underestimated your paper-thin body. You’re not going anywhere until those pigs mistake you for one of them and come running.”
Yet even after saying that, the Emperor picked one of the pigs and cooked it in all sorts of ways—grilled, fried, boiled, and roasted—and served it on a plate.
I stared at the plate with sad eyes.
“Master… please forgive your rude disciple…”
But I couldn’t deny it—meat tasted good no matter how you cooked it.
After eating so much pig and cow meat, I finally gained a bit of weight.
“You’ve gained a little, Miss, but you’re still far from your original weight after being sick.”
That meant I had a long way to go.
And until then, I’d have to keep eating, sleeping, and doing nothing else.
But I needed to make another prophecy.
The plague had been lingering around the coast for over a year now. People needed to stay away from the sea.
I should use Yubel again.
After my baby self’s previous prophecy turned out to be true, people believed my next words even more.
So I had to make use of that while I could.
But how?
It’s not easy to sneak into Yubel’s room anymore.
We lived separately now, and even if I visited the Rohia estate, I doubted her nanny would fall for the same trick again.
That’s when a name popped into my head.
Perez of Hordel.
…Maybe I could use that old doctor to get close to Yubel again.
As I rolled around in bed, rubbing my full belly, I suddenly sat up.
I had spent days just eating and sleeping in the palace.
But I had too much to do to keep wasting time like this while waiting for Winter.
“Miss, where are you going?”
Loaty, Rena, and Alfred—who were all sitting around Sweet Potato’s flower vase—looked up at me.
Their eyes sparkled.
It had already been three days since I unofficially “rescued” Rena and Alfred during my confrontation with Judith.
***
“Go wherever you want.”
That’s what I told Rena and Alfred. I thought they should go live the lives they wanted, perhaps in another country.
I hadn’t paid off their debts, but I did manage to erase them through some mild threats. So they didn’t owe me anything anymore.
The problem was…
Alfred and Loaty refused to leave and insisted on staying by my side.
“Miss, do you need a strong stable hand?”
“I don’t even know how to ride a horse. I don’t even own one.”
“Then how about using me until you do? I once carried three sacks of wheat for half a day!”
“You’re hired.”
Alfred flexed his muscles proudly, and honestly, I couldn’t imagine a more reliable helper.
I kind of expected this. Honestly, I had hoped for it.
“Rena, what about you?”
“We’re not that close yet… but…”
“You’re hired.”
“Huh?”
“I can’t handle those two alone. You’re hired too.”
When the Emperor approved it without complaint, all three of them became my personal attendants.
Now they just lazed around my room all day because I never really left it or needed much help.
Their main job was to entertain my half-sweet potato while I ate and slept.
“Mmua! Mmmuaaaa!”
I gently stroked the baby’s chubby cheeks as he wiggled his little roots toward me.
…His hair was slowly starting to resemble actual hair instead of plant roots.
Sweet Potato, who didn’t like Winter, seemed to enjoy being cared for by Rena, Alfred, and Loaty.
Thanks to them, I finally felt free to move around a little.
“You guys…”
I looked at the three of them sitting around the flower vase and narrowed my eyes.
I was worn out every day because of this unwanted reincarnation, while these three were chatting happily like nothing was wrong.
For some reason, I felt jealous.
I wanted to give them a hard time.
I wanted to give them a trial—one that would make them cry and pull their hair out in frustration.
My eyes gleamed as I rolled them around.
Then, I pointed at Loaty.
