ITETD 29

Chapter 29

Before Calix reunited with me and brought me here to Heretrio territory, he seemed completely focused on hiding me from the Emperor.

Didn’t he act like he’d never send me to the capital no matter what?

But now?

He’s acting like he’s been waiting for the Emperor to summon us. He’s getting ready to go to the capital so quickly.

At this point, I couldn’t help but suspect something.

“Does he have some secret plan?”

Let’s say I were Calix.

What would be the best way to protect Regiana Rohelo Troxia from the Emperor?

“Maybe take her somewhere no one knows and hide her forever?”

That could work—but it’s not Calix’s style.

His way is…

I rested my chin on my hand, staring out the window, lost in thought.

The answer came quickly.

Honestly, I’d known it from the beginning. I just didn’t want to admit it.

“What’s the best way to protect me from the Emperor?”

There’s only one answer:

Get rid of him.

Who?

The Emperor.

That’s right.

That’s Calix’s way.

Naturally, the next question popped into my head.

“So… is Calix going to the capital to kill the Emperor?”

It felt half-right, half-wrong.

I wasn’t sure—because of me.

If this trip to the capital were just Calix going alone, I’d be certain he was planning to assassinate the Emperor.

But would he really attempt that while bringing me along? Would he take such a risk with me there?

“That’s what I don’t know.”

Of course, I couldn’t just ask him directly:

“Hey, are you planning to kill the Emperor this time? Or next time?”

Or better yet:

“So… killing the Emperor is 100% locked in now, right?”

I mean, I’m sure in Calix’s mind, it is locked in.

So now I’m planning a trip to the capital with a wannabe Emperor assassin.

“Great…”

Suddenly, I remembered what I said when I first met Calix.

“You and I are going to have exhausting lives.”

Yeah. That was the perfect way to put it.

Calix is the male lead. Of course his life was going to be messy and dramatic.

“Should I stop him?”

Tell him not to kill the Emperor?

But deep down, I already knew.

The only way for my life to become peaceful… is if he kills the Emperor.

If the Emperor lives, I’ll never be free.

And I also knew this path lined up with the original novel’s plot.

In the original, Regiana dies before the story even begins. So what was the male lead doing for the rest of the story?

Avenging his first love.

I don’t remember the original ending being tragic, so Calix probably did kill the Emperor in the end.

So even if I do nothing, the story will naturally push him toward revenge.

There’s nothing to worry about…

“When it comes to Calix,” that is.

The real problem… is me.

In the novel, I died before the story even began. But now I’m alive and present throughout the whole thing.

So… does that mean the story might still try to kill me later?

Or, did escaping the original “execution for treason” ending mean I’ve completely escaped death?

If this world still follows the plot and logic of the original story…

Then I still have a death scene waiting for me.

I have to survive again—just like I did the first time.

But if I do die…

Right now, Calix is driven by his desire to keep me safe. But that could easily turn into a desire to get revenge for me.

Naturally, my thoughts drifted to the original female lead.

If Calix’s goal in the novel was revenge for his first love, what was her goal?

What made the two of them work together?

Does the original female lead still have the same goals as she did in the book?

If so…

That means the Emperor is now being targeted by both Calix and the original female lead.

If she’s on our side, that’s great—but I couldn’t be sure of that.

“The biggest problem is that we don’t even know where she is.”

We had no information on her location.

In the novel, she teamed up with Calix.
But since he isn’t with her now, who is she working with instead?

Possible answer #1: She’s acting alone.

Or answer #2: She found a new partner to replace Calix.

“Either way… this is going to be exhausting.”

Now I had to:

• Avoid any surprise death scenes,

• Find the original female lead,

• Figure out her goals and who she’s working with,

• And most importantly, escape the Emperor’s reach.

“I’m so screwed…”

“Huh? What’s screwed?”

A familiar voice cut through my muttering.

I looked up—and there was Calix, standing in front of me, looking worried.

“Huh? Oh—it’s just that my shoelaces keep coming undone.”

“Here, let me tie them for you.”

I quietly watched as Calix knelt down and tied the laces on my shoes.

“Will you marry me?”

Ugh… stop thinking about that!

I was about to tear out the ribbons the maids had carefully tied in my hair from frustration.

When Calix finished tying both shoes, he stood up and offered me his hand.

“Shall we get going now?”

I looked at his hand with a serious expression… then took it and stood up.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Today was the day.

Departure for the capital.

Calix had been in a really good mood since this morning.

And I knew exactly why: my hair.

After days of acting strangely, I had finally changed my hair color back to what it originally was.

My natural color: a mix of pink and orange—a soft coral.

Even I hadn’t seen it in years, so it felt strange. I asked the maids to tie it back simply, but Calix still looked desperate to touch it.

He acted like someone who needed constant confirmation that I was really there—just like the day we reunited.

So now I had given up and was letting him mess with my hair while I looked out the window.

Every time his fingers brushed my neck or ears, it made my skin tingle, but I sat perfectly straight and tried not to show it.

Luckily, he wasn’t reacting much. He just quietly played with my hair.

Or maybe… he was pretending not to react?

Was this another one of Calix’s sneaky tricks?

“No. Stop. Don’t fall for it.”

I couldn’t let myself get caught up in him again.

“Think of something else. Anything else…”

Like the train we’d be taking in a few hours.

“I thought we wouldn’t take the train again after that surprise inspection last time.”

But Calix said riding a train for a few hours was better than traveling by carriage for over a week.

“Well, if he says so, I guess it’s true.”

Rustle. Some loose hairs tickled my neck.

“No! Think of something else!”

Why did I change my hair back to the original color?

Because I wanted to face the Emperor head-on.

Still, I didn’t want him to immediately recognize me as Regiana Troxia, so I’d kept changing my hair color for a few days—to give myself an excuse, an alibi.

“See? It was all part of a master plan!”

Just like how Calix was now gently stroking my neck like he couldn’t help himself.

If the Emperor asked about my hair, I’d just say I messed up a magic potion again.

Besides, hair color alone wasn’t enough proof that I was Regiana Rohelo Troxia.
Just having my original hair color was already a declaration—I’m not afraid to show myself.

“Even if… this only ended up making Calix happy.”

The way he touched my hair with such awe—it was like a child cuddling their favorite toy.

“You really like it that much?”

I moved slightly away from his hand and asked.

“Yeah. I love it. So much.”

He answered without hesitation.

“Do you even know where we’re going?”

“Of course. We’re going to the Imperial Palace.”

“And you’re still this happy? Even though I look too much like…”

I paused.

“…Regiana Troxia.”

To that, Calix answered:

“It’s fine. Don’t worry. The Emperor won’t be able to lay a finger on you.”

“Ah. So he really does plan to kill him this time.”

Yup. That sealed it.

“He’s going to the capital with the full intention of assassinating the Emperor.”

My hands went cold.

Suddenly, it all felt real again.

Just imagining Calix stabbing the Emperor the second we arrive made me feel sick—like I was getting carriage motion sickness.

“I shouldn’t be worrying about Calix romantically right now…”

This guy could yell “For Lena!” and stab the Emperor as soon as we set foot in the palace.

My hands were cold and stiff as I forced myself to ask:

“What kind of person is the Emperor?”

“A coward.”

Calix didn’t even need to think.

“He’s greedy and scared.”

His face twisted with such anger that anyone watching might think he was mad at me.

“You don’t need to worry about him.”

He added.

“Because I’ll kill him before you even get the chance to worry?”

I swallowed those words and asked something else instead.

“What about clothes? What am I supposed to wear?”

“I booked an appointment at the best boutique in the capital. You’ll get fitted there.”

He answered while still playing with my hair.

Maybe he thought I was only nervous about seeing the Emperor.

But in this carriage, alone with Calix, I had to use every bit of self-control I had…

To keep from blurting everything out.