I, the Female Lead, Ruined the Original

“W-What did you say…?” Pavellian, stunned by the sudden reproach, could only blush deeply without a proper retort.

[Yes. It’s the first time I’ve dealt with such a powerful divine power since Asmion.]

Arshilla’s brow furrowed deeply. For her, this was a drastic change in expression. As if venting her anger, Arshilla swung her hand down vertically.

“E-Eonel…?”

Opposite the empress, the figure of the fourth prince appeared in the empty seat. Whether he was asleep or had collapsed, he hung limp with his eyes closed.

Pavellian instinctively rushed to his half-brother. The empress, however, only stared at her son with steely eyes.

[Eonel…]

[When the saintess used her power earlier, I heard a sound. It must have been him collapsing.]

“Eonel, wake up,” Pavellian urged, checking the boy over. He was breathing, but his breaths were faint, and he showed no response to Pavellian’s touch on his cheeks and shoulders.

“Crown Prince. Try contacting Lady Elard.”

“But, Your Majesty. Eonel—”

The empress’s dry tone left the older brother staring at her in bewilderment.

“Immediately.”

As her eyes flashed coldly at Pavellian, his eyes, which had been moving wildly, gradually calmed… and he slowly approached Selleana.

[It seems he’s acting not of his own will.]

Though Selleana often mocked him, Pavellian was as tall as Rakrensius and more heavily built. More importantly, he seemed to be in a state where it was impossible to communicate.

As his shadow loomed over her, Selleana clenched her fist, preparing for any sudden moves. Just then, Pavellian slowly bent down and, with a thud, grabbed Selleana’s wrist, which was clenched into a fist.

“L-L-Let go of me…!”

The moment Selleana shook her hand as if to resist him.

His grip was so light that it was hard to believe it belonged to an adult man trained in martial arts, and it easily fell away.

Arshilla, who was watching, turned pale.

“This is…!”

[The crown prince is deeply immersed in Orot’s power. And since your fates are intertwined, even brief contact could have forced your fate.]

Just as Di finished its brief assessment of the situation.

“Guards!”

At Arshilla’s shout, the parlor door burst open, and the waiting knights poured in.

“…

!”

The knights who had brought Selleana grabbed her by the arms and lifted her while the rest pointed their weapons at her. However, upon realizing that their target was Lady Elard, they seemed quite flustered, and their actions weren’t very firm. They had considered her the future crown princess for too long.

[I’m already having a hard time calming him down.]

The knights’ clumsy attitude didn’t matter much to Arshilla.

“The charge is… yes, an insult against the imperial family.” She barely managed to compose her pale face and smiled gently, as always, as the saintess and the mother of the empire. “Confine her to the underground prison.”

* * *

It was shortly after, in the Duke Elard’s office.

“Lea… is in the underground prison?”

“…I’m sorry. I wasn’t formally present, so I couldn’t intervene.”

“…I understand. You did well.”

Who knew how things might have gone wrong if Rakrensius had intervened.

Despite the duke’s attempt to comfort him, Rakrensius’s expression remained unchanged. Having rushed over as soon as the events at the Rose Palace ended, he was filled with despair and self-blame.

Though it wasn’t the most appropriate thought at the moment, the duke found Rakrensius’s attitude quite satisfactory.

Yes, suffering…

The duke shook off his thoughts and frowned deeply. Resting his nose on his clasped hands on the desk, he fell into serious contemplation.

The recent attitude of the imperial family regarding the treatment of Selleana had been consistently displeasing. Pavellian seemed unwilling to consider breaking off the engagement. The empress, who initially seemed to allow Selleana to skip the selection if she brought her lover, only changed her stance, citing issues with the partner Selleana brought. And above all, they are trying to hand over Lady Branto to the Laten royal family…

Though the duke hadn’t interacted much with Michi, since Selleana considered her like a sister, he also regarded Michi at least as a collateral of Elard.

“The imperial family is really…”

Duke Elard, who was about to reflexively express his frustration, paused.

It was strange. The emotion boiling in his chest was clearly anger, but it was directed solely at the imperial family, not Selleana for her capriciousness that led to this situation. He, too, had a deep-seated loyalty that believed Elard existed because of Nepelsian.

Upon reflection, it was simple. He had no reason to be genuinely angry at their lark in the first place…

Given the current situation, detaining her on a flimsy charge was practically a self-destructive move by the imperial family.

Having sorted his thoughts, he addressed his prospective son-in-law with a kind tone. “For now, don’t worry too much.”

“…”

“The charge itself is absurd. One of the main requirements for the crime of insulting the imperial family is public exposure. Do you know who was present at the time?”

“The saintess, the crown prince, the fourth prince… and two imperial knights escorting the lady.”

“Although there were two non-imperial members, they were also part of the imperial knights. And the content of Lea’s statement?”

“She said it was difficult to please the crown prince….”

“…

” Duke Elard chuckled.

“Andrea.”

“Yes.”

Rakrensius gave a brief nod to the waiting escort knight.

“How many personnel are currently dispatched here?”

“The entire 2nd battalion of the imperial knights is stationed here.”

“That’s quite a lot… The 2nd battalion, their captain is from the Langton family, right?”

“Yes.”

The Langtons had always been Elard’s rivals, making them hard to persuade. Regardless of the weak justification for the house arrest, the motivation of the monitoring personnel would be lukewarm.

“Andrea, tell Peredo to discuss matters with Sir Dylan first. Make sure they are ready to move at any time.”

“Understood.” Andrea disappeared immediately.

“That, Sir Dylan…?”

“He’s our knight captain.”

“Are you planning to confront them?”

“Since we have to go to the imperial palace and hold a sit-in, there’s no other choice.” Duke Elard shrugged his shoulders briefly.

Not only did the duke speak nonchalantly about confronting the imperial knights, but he also seemed confident in overpowering them. The imperial family must have sent their elite, yet…

While Rakrensius remained stunned by the duke’s calm demeanor, the duke spoke again.

“So, Your Highness.”

“…Yes.”

“Could you please tell Lea not to lose heart and to eat well since her father will be there soon?”

“…I will convey that.”

Rakrensius responded quickly, though he had to suppress his astonishment. It felt as if the duke was speaking, as though Selleana was merely stuck at a dull party due to bad weather, and he would soon go fetch her.

* * *

“I just… I just…! I can’t understand what’s happening.”

It was in the empress’s chambers, deep within the Rose Palace.

“Surely, my son’s life force was depleted.”

“…Yes.”

“Then why is there no change?”

Arshilla paced, recounting the situation.

“Even after channeling through someone whose fate is intertwined, there was no effect. What on earth is this…”

“Mother.” The boy, who had been listening calmly, blinked his eyes. “Why not just kill her?”

“What?”

“Isn’t it because you’re trying to force fate again after taking all her belongings, fearing she might have used some trick?”

“…Yes.”

“Then I won’t have to waste my life force on something uncertain again, will I?”

“My son….”

“As you said, my life force was depleted several times more than usual due to her diluted fate.”

“…”

“Moreover, I lost more life force by controlling my brother.”

The boy’s emotionless face turned towards his mother.

“Even if you eliminate someone with such a diluted fate, it won’t significantly disrupt the balance. Just get rid of her.”

Two pairs of black eyes met in the air.