WHTL 04

So it really was true—my sister had regressed.

Having confirmed the information I wanted, I grabbed Minabel’s hand and spoke sincerely.

“Bell, I don’t want to run away from this place.”

No matter who it is, nobody wants to lose the place they belong to.

Besides, I had no desire to go somewhere new, meet new people, and exhaust myself discovering all of their secrets too.

If life would remain the same no matter where I fled, then wouldn’t it be better to make full use of what I already had and face everything head-on?

First, let’s calm down and make a plan.

For my peaceful daily life to continue, the Empire’s destruction must be prevented above all else.

And to do that, there was only one thing I needed to know right now.

“Bell, why did the Empire fall in that story?”

“Well, obviously…”

I could already guess the answer. It was because they failed to follow the prophecy that said ‘the one with red eyes must ascend the throne.’

“Then if the rightful person takes that seat, the Empire won’t fall, right?”

“What? T-That’s probably true, but Tia, whatever you’re planning, that’s way too dangerous! I don’t even need to hear it to know that!”

“If the Empire is doomed to fall anyway, I’d rather try something so I won’t regret it later. At least that’s what I think.”

With Serphina unni, who knew the future, and Minabel, who could see everything just by looking above people’s heads, things would be much easier.

My sister would obviously cooperate, but judging from Minabel’s pale expression, I wasn’t sure whether she’d actually help us take action.

And I didn’t want to be awful enough to exploit Bell’s guilt just because she’d originally searched for a way to survive.

Maybe I should just prove it through action instead.

“First, we need to meet the Third Prince.”

Trying to appear determined, I abruptly stood up—

—and immediately staggered.

In the distance, Elian came running toward me.

“Tia, are you okay? Were you outside too long?”

“My lady!”

Since I couldn’t steady myself for quite a while, far longer than what could be explained by simply standing too fast, Minabel and Elian panicked helplessly.

Then Minabel muttered in shock under her breath.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t mention that your only title is ‘the sickly youngest princess’…”

I heard that already.

“Tia!”

The moment my sister heard my condition had worsened, she burst into my room.

Seriously, the rumors were way too exaggerated.

“I’m fine, unni. I just skipped a meal because I got too caught up chatting.”

After calming her down, I immediately told her about the plan I had formed through my conversation with Minabel.

“Unni, don’t be surprised. I’m going to make the Third Prince emperor.”

Elian and Minabel, standing behind me, froze completely.

Apparently they hadn’t expected me to say it so directly.

In contrast, my sister calmly raised her head and looked at me without the slightest agitation.

“Is that what you want?”

“Yes. That’s what I want.”

Her composed gaze looked ready to listen to anything I said.

I don’t know what the previous life’s Flotie was like, but she really did a great job.

“I found out the Third Prince’s eyes are red.”

Behind me, I heard Minabel collapse onto the floor.

“How did you find that out?”

“I saw it. The day I asked you that question.”

“Ah… so that’s why you asked me that.”

My sister nodded as though she finally understood.

A family who believes and supports you without needing proof or logic is truly precious.

“But Tia, you don’t need to step in and fix this yourself. If you’re worried about the family’s safety, I’ve already prepared everything.”

My sister’s coaxing voice was gentle.

“No, unni. I want the land I live in to remain peaceful and safe. And I know you returned through time… and why.”

“……”

“I hate the thought of you carrying every burden alone. More than anything, pretending not to know everything would be terrible for my mental and physical health.”

Not a single word of that was a lie.

Whenever I became stressed, my body deteriorated even further.

My already weak body broke down in various ways, and even while sleeping, I woke up several times a night.

Even if I turned away from all of this and fled the Empire, would I truly live safely and happily day by day?

No. The guilt alone might drive me insane.

“I can’t give up on Rosena without even trying. And my friends, the people I need to protect… Just like you protect me, there are people here I want to protect too.”

I looked back and forth between Minabel and Elian, who had cared for me after I collapsed.

If I didn’t act, then being perceptive alone meant absolutely nothing.

“So I need your help, unni.”

Because this was impossible alone.

I couldn’t wield a sword, deliver dazzling speeches, or dominate high society.

Most of my abilities were below average. Just as the title ‘sickly youngest princess’ suggested.

The only things I really had going for me were being somewhat quick-witted and unafraid to ask others for help.

Still, right before me stood someone who would gladly lend me a hand if I asked.

Sure enough, my sister stared at me with a shaken expression before letting out a deep sigh.

“Tia… when you’re going this far, how could I possibly refuse?”

“Thank you, unni.”

In truth, this wasn’t a simple matter.

If House Rosena openly declared support for the Third Prince, then we’d be throwing ourselves directly into the center of a political power struggle.

Even if someone had to bear responsibility for that choice, it needed to be minimized as much as possible.

Not House Rosena—but Flotie Rosena alone.

I had no intention of telling our parents, so it could be dismissed as nothing more than the impulsive recklessness of the youngest daughter.

“Tell me what we need to do. Your plan.”

If I failed, the Empire would fall.

If my life was destined to end after nearly being poisoned anyway, then perhaps risking it for something meaningful wasn’t such a bad idea.

Of course, that didn’t mean I intended to throw my life away carelessly.

“First we need to persuade His Highness. He lives in a very secluded palace, so with the right gift, even the gatekeeper can easily be bribed to open—”

“No.”

At that moment, Minabel suddenly interrupted in a grave tone.

“I can find where the prince is. Tia, you just wait.”

Thanks to Minabel’s help, we discovered the Third Prince’s whereabouts and decided to move immediately.

For that purpose, Serphina unni, Minabel, and I were all disguised with transformation magic.

Unni and Minabel posed as escorts, while I appeared as a noble lady with only my hair color altered.

The goal was to make us look like the daughter of a noble house accompanied by two maids or guards.

“…Can we walk a little slower? I think I’m out of breath.”

“Just hang in there a little longer. We’re almost there.”

Minabel pointed toward a shabby building.

“He’s in a place like this? This isn’t even an information guild.”

A sour smell drifted from the building, which looked suspiciously flimsy no matter how you looked at it.

“It used to be a place information brokers frequented, but apparently nobody came today.”

Even though Minabel understood the rules of this world, she didn’t pay much attention to them. And I had spent most of my life secluded indoors.

The two of us clearly had limits when it came to understanding how the world worked.

But beside us stood someone living her second life.

“The broker betrayed someone. Or got killed. It’s about time for that to happen. Even if many things change, some things stay exactly the same.”

Speaking casually, unni draped a shawl over my shoulders.

“Ah, right… I’ll remember that if I ever regress. Anyway, it’s good we found him quickly.”

Minabel’s status window had been incredibly helpful this time.

Using something called a minimap and a tracking skill, she had located the Third Prince’s whereabouts with surprising ease.

“That’s not simple at all!”

Minabel tearfully complained that she’d spent an enormous amount of points.

“Do you have to pay some kind of price for that?”

“Yeah…”

“How do you pay it? If any of my jewelry would help, you can take it. Especially this one—it’s a pink diamond from Rosena’s own diamond mines—”

“No, it’s not the kind of thing you earn like that… It’s complicated. Anyway, if it helped you, then it’s fine. I can just invent more things and earn more points later…!”

Anyway, just as I reached for the door, unni’s hand moved faster.

“You’ll hurt your hand, Tia. Doors like this are full of splinters.”

“Your hands are important too, unni…”

Inside, people were shouting at the tops of their lungs.

Some were heavily drunk, while others grabbed each other by the collar as though their gambling game had gone terribly wrong.

Frowning slightly, I pulled my veil tighter across my face.

“He’s over there.”

Minabel quietly gestured toward a corner.

There, beneath a robe, sat someone with silver hair.

We found him.

Lucian Adevane.