Chapter : 06
I was declared terminally ill around the time Maxel and Lilia had grown considerably closer.
For Maxel, who loved Lilia but could not bring himself to break off his engagement with House Roam, it must have been welcome news.
My medical report—something that should have remained strictly confidential—was leaked almost immediately and became the talk of society.
At the same time, I began to waste away.
As if proving the rumors true, my body gradually lost its vitality.
My skin became dry and dull.
Its healthy glow vanished.
My stamina plummeted.
I truly believed I was dying.
I never once imagined it had all been Lilia’s scheme.
Everything around me changed simply because my health deteriorated, and I was so busy trying to keep up with those changes that I never had time to question them.
Back then, Maxel still seemed to pity me.
Not just Maxel—most people did.
They whispered that the second daughter of House Roam, who had spent her entire life preparing to become Empress, had ultimately failed to overcome the poison in her own heart and received a terminal diagnosis.
How pitiful.
As I withdrew from more and more social gatherings, Lilia began filling my place.
My sister Frisian, who had always worried obsessively that my engagement to Maxel might be broken, grew close to Lilia.
As Lilia began visiting House Roam regularly, my parents also started paying attention to her.
None of the Roams wanted the imperial engagement to be broken.
There were countless wolves outside waiting for an opportunity to replace me as the Crown Prince’s fiancée.
To them, Lilia was simply a new solution.
It did not take long for her to become my adopted sister.
With a kindness and warmth that had never existed within House Roam, Lilia captured everyone’s hearts.
I could still remember Father’s voice.
“Her education may be lacking, but with such gentle generosity, she would make a fine Empress.”
Little by little, everything that had once been mine passed into Lilia’s hands.
Friends who had once associated with me became enchanted by her kindness.
The more that happened, the worse my behavior became.
I acted exactly as I had been taught.
By any means necessary.
What belonged to Roam should remain Roam’s.
I merely followed the lessons I had been raised with.
Yet what returned to me were looks of disgust and contempt.
The very parents who had taught me those principles now lectured me about virtue and morality, criticizing my cold decisiveness.
Maxel came to despise me.
My friends became disappointed in me.
And when I was left alone, unable to understand why—
Lilia came to visit.
“I wanted to help you.”
Lilia.
“Everything I did was for your sake.”
Ah, Lilia.
For my sake, she had bribed a doctor to declare me terminally ill.
“I have the gift of prophecy, Anelli.”
The confession came through trembling tears.
So pitiful.
So sincere.
“You’re destined to die young. Alone and lonely.”
Looking back now, her prophecy had been real.
I had ultimately been executed by beheading.
Alone.
Perhaps all those “fortunate coincidences” that filled her life had never been coincidences at all.
Perhaps they were inevitable blessings guided by foresight.
“If that was going to happen anyway, I thought it would be better if you spent your final days surrounded by people who cared for you. I believed that if you became sick, you would stop doing cruel things.”
How selfish.
How utterly self-centered.
When I realized that all the absurdity in my life had originated from that ridiculous reasoning of hers, I could only feel empty.
In the end, even her attempt to help had simply pushed me further toward the lonely death she had foreseen.
“If dying alone is my fate, then I will accept it.”
“But if you leave like that, Lord Maxel will—!”
“You know, your way of speaking has become quite arrogant.”
At that time she was already Lilia Roam.
The adopted daughter of House Roam.
The woman destined to become Crown Princess in place of the dying Anelli Roam.
Beloved by all of high society.
Treasured by House Roam.
Cherished by the Crown Prince.
So what?
“Bring me a whip.”
Lilia smiled gently.
“If it helps ease your anger, I don’t mind.”
I laughed coldly.
“How unfortunate. You and I were born differently.”
Even if I took your life, my anger would not be satisfied.
“A person’s worth isn’t determined by birth.”
“What a shame. This world determines everything by birth.”
I think I even mocked her further.
That was why she was skilled at chores and practical tasks.
Because she had been born into a fallen noble family.
Meanwhile, I had been raised too preciously to know such things.
That was when the look in Lilia’s eyes changed.
For a brief instant.
Lilia had always looked at me with pity.
Ever since we first met, she had behaved as though she stood above me.
I think that was the first time she ever openly revealed hostility toward me.
“Life is precious. You were given a terminal diagnosis. Why can’t you understand that?”
“You’re saying that after playing with my life?”
I asked flatly.
Lilia’s shoulders trembled.
The hostility disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
Once again she wore a sorrowful expression.
“You bribed a doctor and ruined my health.”
“Ruined? No. You refused to change, so I couldn’t stop.”
“…So becoming terminally ill was my fault too?”
As though her heart ached, she clasped her hands together.
Her trembling eyelashes.
Her frail figure.
She looked heartbreakingly pitiful.
“Are you joking?”
At that moment, the whip arrived.
The servants handed it to me, clearly believing I would never actually use it.
But I was completely serious.
How could I not be?
How could I stand before Lilia, who shamelessly insisted that everything was my fault, and not be serious?
“M-My lady…”
The servants grew uneasy.
Lilia’s maid, having heard the commotion, rushed into the room and threw herself forward, begging me to strike her instead.
“Take her out. Close the door. Don’t let anyone enter.”
“My lady!”
“It’s alright. I’ll have a proper conversation with my little sister. Just wait outside.”
Comforted by Lilia’s gentle words, the maid left in tears.
And my anger deepened.
“…Little sister?”
The reason my whipping failed to kill Lilia was simple.
My own sick body gave out first.
The maid who had been dragged away returned with my entire family.
And with Maxel, who had apparently happened to visit House Roam that day.
The moment Lilia heard the commotion outside the door, she conveniently fainted.
The sight they found was obvious.
Lilia collapsed on the floor.
A bloodstained whip in my hand.
Naturally, they were furious.
Soon afterward I was imprisoned for injuring a woman destined to become royalty.
House Roam weighed Lilia and me against each other.
And chose one.
As for Maxel’s choice—
There was no need to ask.
I lost.
No.
Calling it a loss was the correct way to describe it.
I had already acknowledged that defeat on the execution platform.
I had no intention of climbing onto that stage again.
“Resurrected One.”
A low voice sounded behind me as I moved through the crowd.
I glanced at Samuel walking nearby and casually looked forward again.
“What? Afraid I’ll run?”
I shrugged.
“With your abilities, you could catch me even in a crowd this large.”
The Central Plaza was the largest open space in the city.
Every day it hosted various events.
Religious plays praising God.
Public sermons by priests.
And countless pilgrims wearing cloaks identical to my own.
Even among dozens of people dressed exactly the same, Samuel never lost track of me.
Changing my appearance with the Temple treasure made no difference.
I was now certain of it.
The reason he could identify me was because of the Temple treasure.
Which meant that if I handed it to someone else, I could temporarily divert his attention.
After all, Samuel had never actually met the real Anelli Roam before.
The necklace had already been removed and hidden in my hand.
Once it left my body completely, the magic would end.
I would return to my original appearance.
All that remained was timing.
I had decided not to sneak away like a rat.
If escaping quietly was impossible, then I would flee openly.
Everyone would know I had disappeared.
But why should I care about the chaos that followed?
Cleaning up the mess would be the Temple’s problem.
I had chosen today for a reason.
Today’s event always drew enormous crowds.
A high priest was scheduled to deliver blessings to the pilgrims.
The sermon had not even begun, yet the Central Plaza was already packed.
A large crowd meant I could hide among people, even briefly.
It meant the Holy Knights could not use force recklessly.
It meant everyone would be more cautious about their words and actions under the watchful eyes of the public.
For me, it was the perfect environment.
“You could have arrived closer to the sermon.”
“Then I wouldn’t get a good seat.”
I answered indifferently.
At that moment, a black dot appeared in the sky.
The eagle had told me the bird coming to retrieve me would be red and easy to recognize.
Was that distant speck the bird it meant?
Without moving my head, I looked upward with only my eyes.
At the same time, I tightened my grip on the necklace.
If a giant bird suddenly appeared, everyone would panic.
During the confusion, I would drop the necklace.
The squirrel would then grab it and stuff it into someone else’s pocket or bag.
I deliberately blended deeper into a group of people wearing cloaks similar to mine.
Still, I kept watching the sky.
I wasn’t entirely convinced that distant shape was the bird.
The eagle had simply insisted:
“He’s my sworn brother! A great guy! He’ll definitely help!”
And offered no further explanation.
As far as I knew, no bird existed that possessed both crimson feathers and a body large enough to carry a human.
Then the dark speck drew closer.
Several people in the plaza noticed the creature diving from the sky and pointed upward.
At first it was merely a shadow.
Now flashes of red were becoming visible.
But—
“W-What is that?!”
I stared upward, speechless.
Eagle.
You told me he was your sworn brother.
…
You never mentioned that your sworn brother was a wyvern.
