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Chapter: 8
Yes.
If things continue as they are, without a doubt…
Rosiate, who dismissed my foresight as “a child’s whim,” would end up looking like a short-sighted fool.
And…
“Rosiate, proud as she is, would never admit such a situation.”
She would not acknowledge the sprout of insight the princess saw, which even Rosiate herself hadn’t noticed.
Moreover…
“She didn’t seem to have a good relationship with her father.”
I could only speculate, but in the original story, Rosiate’s execution of Sieta seemed to involve Sieta’s father as well.
Would she forgive a clever daughter who had allied with a man not friendly to her?
Before that sprout could properly grow, Rosiate would choose to cut it down for good.
“Originally…”
There was no need for Sieta to risk her life protecting an investment point that the Romancea Kingdom and the future male lead were already investing in.
All Sieta had to do was…
Predict what would happen in front of Rosiate and show that it came true.
That alone would prove her usefulness to Rosiate.
But if things continued this way, the story would change.
Sieta had to, by any means necessary, ensure…
that Rosiate did not attack the Romancea Kingdom and that the male lead’s investment point was not lost.
“I could argue directly against Rosiate right now…”
But that would be too conspicuous.
Gossips would spread that a six-year-old princess and the emperor of the Sikan Empire were at odds.
And most critically…
“I was caught meeting secretly with my father.”
The original story didn’t make clear what kind of person her father was…
But he was someone Rosiate, the final boss of the original story, would be cautious of.
“Meeting first might help.”
She could meet him once, and if it didn’t work out, draw a line then.
Anyway…
She was already attempting to meet Sieta’s father, who was assumed to be at odds with Rosiate.
She couldn’t do anything else that would risk Rosiate’s ire.
Sieta quietly thought about how to overcome this crisis.
And finally…
“It’s a gamble, but…”
She thought of a gamble worth taking.
If it worked…
Rosiate would hesitate in her judgment of Sieta.
To make that happen, a point of contact with the Romancea Kingdom was necessary.
And, conveniently, two days later…
There was supposed to be something like a meeting with the Romancea Kingdom.
“Alright. I’ve decided.”
Sieta’s eyes shone resolutely as she reached her conclusion.
Then, on a day when Rosiate had an external engagement, she managed to evade her attendants and…
Secretly…
Headed to Rosiate’s office.
The space was neat and elegant, but by no means shabby.
Every item, every placement, showed meticulous care.
True to Rosiate’s taste for avoiding extravagance, the objects were made of high-quality materials without being overly luxurious…
As the emperor’s office, it clearly showed the craftsmanship of a master artisan.
Sieta swallowed nervously, her eyes scanning the room secretly.
“Certainly…”
In the original story, Rosiate’s office had a secret space.
And Sieta remembered her “favorite” detail about Rosiate:
“Cliché as it may be, touch a certain book in the office…”
And at the same time, step on a certain tile…
And a hidden space would appear.
In this world, where the principle of mutual succession (linked fates) still existed, Sieta had no intention of opposing Rosiate or confronting the main characters.
Rosiate’s firm resolve could not be stopped.
But Sieta needed to see her mysterious father at least once and somehow prevent Rosiate’s actions.
Literally, if she couldn’t accomplish these mutually exclusive tasks, her survival would face a huge problem.
How absurdly difficult!
“I was born with a diamond spoon in this life, after all.”
As she thought about the absurdity…
Click.
“…Huh?”
It opened.
Since the original story indicated the connection between the books and tiles, all Sieta had to do was systematically record and test each one.
And now, sooner than expected…
“Oh.”
She had opened the door to Rosiate’s secret space.
Yes. She knew perfectly well that if she were caught entering the room holding all of Rosiate’s hidden secrets, it would be over that day.
But…
“If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well do it.”
If both action and inaction meant death, Sieta chose to act.
Believing life was about taking chances, she carefully stepped down the stairs.
Even with her small steps, the echo in the spacious secret area made her move more cautiously.
“Oh.”
Despite being a secret room, it was surprisingly spacious.
And most importantly…
“There’s light.”
Upon closer inspection, magical devices scattered throughout gave off light.
Sieta admired Rosiate’s wealth once again for casually arranging expensive magical artifacts…
Carefully, she moved forward.
“I’ll have to come again later, though.”
Today, her goal was one: to find the poison unique to the Romancea Kingdom.
She cautiously moved through the compartments of the room.
Then…
Click, click…
The sound of heels echoed.
Before Sieta could fully assess the situation, she immediately covered her mouth to suppress her breathing and moved backward to observe.
And finally…
“Gah.”
A familiar pair of heels, which should not have been here, approached.
Right across the bookshelf where she was crouching…
“Hmm.”
It was Rosiate.
Sieta froze in shock, trying to organize her thoughts.
“She said she was working…”
And belatedly, a piece of information from the original story crossed her mind:
Rosiate secretly visited a hidden location during part of her schedule.
“I was too careless because she had an external engagement.”
No matter where she was, the emperor’s every action was observed.
Servants, attendants, or ministers were always nearby.
The only time she could visit a secret place undetected was during an external engagement.
And the engagement Sieta had intercepted this time was likely a decoy for Rosiate to sneak into this room.
Sieta had been cleverly lured by this false schedule.
She crouched, controlling her breathing, and thought:
“Please, just…”
Go away.
Right in front of her, close enough to touch if she fell.
“This will do for now.”
Rosiate stood there.
Sieta desperately muffled her breathing, listening to Rosiate’s nearby breath, and continued to think.
It would be good to see what choice Rosiate would make while she was close…
“But if she notices me spying?”
It would be instant death.
No matter her bloodline, Rosiate would not let someone know the existence of her secret library.
“She even tried to kill me several times.”
Rosiate might seize this chance to kill Sieta outright.
Sieta waited, holding her breath, until Rosiate moved first.
Then, as if betraying her faith, click, click…
The sound of Rosiate’s heels approached…
Until…
“…N-no.”
Literally.
Rosiate stopped right in front of Sieta.
The proximity sent cold sweat down Sieta’s spine.
The crisp scent unique to Rosiate made it clear…
“This isn’t just across the room.”
If Sieta hadn’t crouched, they would have collided.
The heels’ sound stopped.
Sieta shrank further, desperately suppressing even the smallest sound.
“Please, just pass without noticing me.”
Thump, thump.
She wasn’t ready to die at six years old.
