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Chapter : 48
Luciano practiced over and over again to master the power of the sun after it awakened within him.
The power of the sun was a formidable force—power bestowed upon humans by Helios, the god of the sun himself.
Those who had awakened this power but failed to control it perfectly had ultimately been unable to stop themselves from going berserk, often meeting tragic ends.
Because it was such overwhelming power, how perfectly one could wield it was what mattered most.
“Your Grace. Are you training again today?”
Ed approached Luciano with a cup of water.
Physically, it wasn’t exhausting, but since the power of the sun was controlled through the mind, the mental toll was enormous.
“Your Grace. Princess Rebecca has arrived.”
“Princess Rebecca?”
Arriving without prior notice was rude—especially visiting a noble household so early in the morning, which was considered even more discourteous.
“Tell her to come in.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Rebecca came to where Luciano was.
“Good morning, Duke of Winfoste.”
“You’ve come so early. What brings you here?”
“I already know that the power of the sun has awakened within you.”
Rebecca spoke calmly.
“Your Highness.”
“I’m someone who possesses the ability to awaken the power of the sun, after all.”
“You already knew?”
“No. At first, I didn’t know that you possessed the sun’s power. But when you kept coming to see me, I began to suspect it. Now that I look at you, the light surrounding you tells me clearly that you’ve awakened it.”
Rebecca seemed to possess abilities far more extraordinary than Luciano had expected.
Being able to see the light that most people couldn’t was likely part of her power as well.
“So you know everything, Princess.”
“No. I don’t know how to use it perfectly.”
Rebecca studied Luciano closely.
“It’s awakened faster than before…”
“What did you say?”
She had murmured it so quietly that Luciano couldn’t hear.
“It’s nothing, Your Grace.”
With that, Rebecca smiled and left the ducal estate.
* * *
“Your Highness, why did you visit the ducal estate?”
While riding in the carriage back to the imperial palace, Rebecca’s maid asked her.
“Are you curious?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe it—or understand it.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
The maid tilted her head, unable to understand Rebecca’s words.
‘It’s faster.’
Rebecca was a regressor—one who remembered her entire previous life.
‘I will never repeat that past again. Never.’
Everything was happening faster. When she first arrived at the empire, she couldn’t hide her confusion.
Luciano and Estelin, who were supposed to have a strained relationship, seemed unusually close.
She had begun to suspect something when the Lysianthus attack happened earlier than expected, but many things were now different from the past.
And once she had finally adjusted to life in the empire, Luciano came to see her. Watching his behavior, she couldn’t help but realize it—he had awakened the power of the sun.
The first person Rebecca worried about was Estelin.
‘Will the Duchess be all right?’
In the past, Estelin had lost her life—along with her child—because of the power of the sun. Did she still not know that her husband’s power would one day kill her?
Rebecca felt pity for Estelin’s fate.
She wanted to tell her to avoid it, but believed Estelin would handle it herself, so she didn’t interfere.
‘I can’t even describe how shocked I was when I regressed in my last life.’
Her previous life had seemed to follow the saying: happiness comes after suffering. After an abusive childhood, she came to the empire only to face endless humiliation as the princess abandoned by the Kingdom of Etoah.
Fortunately, after meeting Luciano, those days ended. Happiness followed—Dotaine and Marquis Perisian, along with Empress Ferician, met their ends, and the empire seemed to be at peace.
But no one realized that the greatest evil still remained.
Only when she stood on the brink of death did Rebecca regret the life she had lived. Her happy years were only a handful. Even Luciano—the one who had given her happiness—fell into danger.
‘Just give me one more chance!’
‘Give me the chance to change my miserable life!’
She thought it was the end—but when she opened her eyes, she found herself once again as the immature, troublesome princess of the hellish Kingdom of Etoah.
“Did I really come back to life?”
At first, she couldn’t believe it. But as the same events from her past life began repeating themselves, she had no choice but to accept it.
Her past life was repeating. The words she had spoken before dying had become reality.
She had to change the past. If things continued this way, her life would surely become miserable once again.
“Your Highness, what are you thinking so deeply about?”
“…Nothing at all. Don’t worry.”
Rebecca took her maid’s hand and got down at the palace.
“Shall we return to your quarters?”
“Yes. I’ve been moving since morning—I should rest.”
While returning to her palace with her maids, she encountered Empress Lysianthus.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“Where have you been, Princess?”
“I visited the ducal estate briefly, Your Majesty.”
At those words, Empress Lysianthus’s eyes sharpened.
“Visiting a ducal estate so early in the morning—it hardly seems proper.”
“I merely had something to say to Duke Winfoste.”
At that, Lysianthus’s voice grew icy.
“What business does a princess have with the duke?”
“My apologies.”
“How utterly irritating…”
The empress spoke coldly and passed by Rebecca.
‘She hates me just as much as she did in the past.’
Still, perhaps things were better now. In the past, Estelin had already died, so Lysianthus had acted without restraint.
‘At least she seems happier in this life.’
In her previous life, Lysianthus had lost the emperor’s favor and even her beloved younger sister, leaving her with nothing but the hollow title of empress.
But in this life, having met earlier, she lived happily with the emperor—and her beloved sister Estelin was still alive.
Rebecca turned to watch Lysianthus’s retreating figure, then headed to her own palace.
* * *
I woke to the sound of birds outside the window.
“Madam, you’re awake?”
“Yes… come in.”
The maids entered the bedroom carrying a washbasin filled with water and towels.
They washed my face clean and dressed me in a red dress.
Just as they finished, Dahlia entered the room.
She bowed lightly and spoke.
“You have no scheduled appointments today, Madam.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, Madam.”
Since I had attended only grand banquets recently, I had declined invitations to smaller tea gatherings and noble parties.
‘It’s time to return to social activities.’
Once I divorce, I will no longer be the Duchess of Winfoste, but merely Lady Seledina.
Divorce wasn’t common in the empire, and when it happened, both parties were inevitably caught in scandal.
But this was the world of the original story.
Luciano, the male lead, would suffer little consequence even after divorce, just as the author intended.
I was different. As a mere extra, I would undoubtedly be engulfed in scandal. The only way to prevent that was to strengthen my influence in high society.
Eventually, Rebecca, as the female lead, would dominate the social scene—but until then, I needed to build my own power base.
“Do I have invitations?”
Dahlia nodded and brought a box filled with them.
“So many?”
“They’ve been sorted by date. All the invitations in this box are for tea parties being held today.”
“But if I attend suddenly, the ladies might be startled…”
I hesitated.
Invitations were usually sent a week in advance, and it was customary to reply within five days.
Attending on the same day could mean they weren’t fully prepared.
Of course, they would make preparations just in case—but imagining their startled expressions made my face feel warm with embarrassment.
“Madam? Will you attend?”
“If I go like this, won’t everyone be surprised?”
“Of course. But they’ll all take pride in the fact that you attended.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. You are the lady of the empire’s only grand ducal household.”
Reassured, I looked through the invitations and chose one.
“I’ll go here—the Stura Marquisate’s tea party.”
“Madam, the Stura Marquisate is…”
The Stura family was still the household of Lily Stura, Erion’s fiancée.
Unlike the others, they were part of the pro-emperor faction and maintained good relations with both the grand ducal house and the Seledina ducal family, so it seemed like a comfortable choice.
“I’ll just wear this dress.”
Though red, the dress had minimal decoration, striking a balance between elegance and simplicity.
I paired it with simple amethyst earrings and a necklace, took the invitation, and headed to the Stura Marquisate, where the tea party was being held.
