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Chapter 11
Ethan Denil.
That was the name of the woodcutter who had died so unjustly.
The moment she heard it, the queen stopped breathing and squeezed her eyes shut.
Looking up at her mother, Ariana let the smile fade from her own face as well.
Silence settled between mother and daughter.
After a long moment, the queen regained her composure and slowly opened her eyes.
The turmoil that had filled them only moments before was gone.
Meeting her mother’s steady gaze, Ariana repeated her question.
“Do I resemble him?”
“…Yes. Very much.”
The queen did not ask where Ariana had heard Ethan’s name.
Nor did she ask how Ariana had learned the secret of her birth.
Instead, she simply asked,
“I heard you have something you want from me.”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“I want to become the Queen of Molvian, Mother.”
“…”
“So please help me.”
Many people mistakenly believed that, because the queen had been born a commoner, she possessed no power whatsoever.
But Ariana knew the truth.
At that very moment, the person holding the greatest power in Molvian…
…was her mother.
“Everything in Molvian moves according to the king’s will. And in a kingdom like that, the woman who possesses the king’s absolute love wields unimaginable influence.”
Ariana understood that better than anyone.
After all, she herself had been showered with affection simply because she resembled the woman the king loved.
She believed her mother understood it just as well.
“How do you want me to help you?”
See?
Mother already knows.
Ariana smiled brightly once more and gently placed both of her hands atop her mother’s knees.
“Please begin what you’ve been planning… just a little sooner.”
“What I’ve been planning?”
“Your garden is already full.”
“…So you discovered that too?”
“Yes.”
In her previous life…
King Molvian had died from poison.
Everyone had suspected the First Prince, Terrence, of being behind the assassination.
But the poison had been administered so cleverly that the real culprit was never identified.
“But I know who truly did it.”
Looking into the face of the woman who had confessed to killing the king in her previous life, Ariana continued,
“When death is right before his eyes… perhaps he’ll look more closely at the face of the daughter he loves.”
“…The face that resembles the wife he loved.”
“Yes. And then… he might make a choice he never otherwise would.”
“Are you planning to rely on luck?”
“Of course not. I’ll prepare carefully. All I’m asking from you is a little help.”
“Hahaha!”
In the queen’s green eyes, Ariana saw it clearly—
A thirst for vengeance.
It was the same madness that had transformed ordinary wildflowers and medicinal herbs into a deadly poison she had named Dain.
In her previous life, the queen had successfully used that poison to assassinate the king.
The king had loved her…
But because he believed she was nothing more than a powerless commoner, he had never suspected her.
His own carelessness had killed him.
And nothing had changed.
“Mother.”
“Yes?”
“I will become queen.”
“You will.”
“And together… I’ll fulfill your wish as well.”
As her mother gently caressed her cheek, Ariana smiled radiantly.
“My illness has lingered for so long that His Majesty has been deeply worried.”
“But soon, I’ll be able to ease his concerns.”
“When are you planning to recover?”
“On the day of your coming-of-age ceremony.”
“Will you attend?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll prepare your dress.”
“His Majesty has already prepared everything.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Smiling softly, the queen ran her fingers through Ariana’s golden hair.
“As you said…
I can help you.”
“Yes.”
“So if there’s ever anything you need…
Tell me.
Consider it this mother’s apology…
…for leaving you alone all these years.”
The queen opened her arms.
Ariana stepped into her embrace and buried her face against her mother’s chest.
The faint scent of medicinal herbs surrounded her.
It was warmer…
…far warmer than she had ever imagined.
For the first time in both her previous life and this one, she felt completely safe.
The tension she had unknowingly carried throughout her body melted away.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Mother.”
“Ariana…”
“If anything…
I’m the one who should thank you.”
“…”
“Thank you…
for protecting me all this time.”
“…Yes.”
“And please…
continue helping me from now on.”
Hearing the childlike affection in Ariana’s voice, the queen’s arms trembled around her.
Warm drops landed on Ariana’s cheek.
They were her mother’s tears.
Pretending not to notice, Ariana nestled even closer into her embrace and closed her eyes.
There was so much to do if she wanted to become queen.
But just for this moment…
She wanted to enjoy this peace.
* * *
After sunset, Ariana returned to her own chambers from the queen’s residence.
She handed Maia several items her mother had given her.
Ordering her to hide them somewhere Rosa would never find, Ariana took a quick bath, changed into her nightclothes, sat on her bed, and let out a long sigh.
It was the first time she had ever spoken with her mother for so long.
Considering the conversation had begun with her declaration that she would become queen, they had talked about surprisingly ordinary things.
And somehow…
she liked that.
“I thought she’d ask how I learned Father’s name… or question me about Rashan…”
Instead, the queen’s attention had remained entirely on Ariana.
Maia undoubtedly reported every little detail to her already.
Yet it seemed she had wanted to hear everything directly from her daughter.
To the outside world, the queen was known as a timid, quiet woman who feared standing before others.
But the woman Ariana had seen today was nothing like that.
She was someone capable of enduring patiently until the right moment…
Someone who understood exactly what power she possessed and knew how to use it.
“I never knew Mother’s poison was made from the same wildflowers Father loved.”
Extracting toxins from ordinary flowers.
Combining them into a lethal poison.
No one had ever imagined the queen capable of creating something like that.
*”Until I gain enough strength…
I’ll have to move quietly, just like Mother.”*
What Ariana needed now was clear:
Reliable allies.
Money.
And power.
She would gather supporters after her coming-of-age ceremony.
She would earn money using knowledge from her previous life.
As for power…
She had Rashan.
“I need to bring Rashan to my side as soon as possible.”
The strength Rashan possessed wasn’t his alone.
Without realizing it, many people admired him.
They were the Avengers—those bound together by revenge.
In her previous life, Rashan had never considered using them.
But Ariana was different.
“I’ll use every resource available to me.”
If she could gain their loyalty, she could save the immense time and effort required to build a private army from scratch.
Compared to her siblings, she had already fallen behind.
She needed to strengthen her position quickly.
Winning over the Avengers who followed Rashan was practically essential.
*”But first…
I have to make absolutely certain Rashan is on my side.”*
More precisely…
She needed to put a leash around his neck.
To do that, she’d also have to place a leash around her own neck…
…and hand the other end to him.
To her, that was only a minor inconvenience.
“Maia.”
“Yes, Princess?”
“When can I leave the palace again?”
“Her Majesty said you may go out whenever you wish.”
Naturally, even with the queen’s permission, Ariana still had to inform the king.
But at least she no longer had to flatter him every single time.
That alone was worth celebrating.
“Then let’s go tomorrow.
The day after that, preparations for the banquet begin, so I won’t have time.”
Without the queen’s approval, a second outing would not have been possible until after her coming-of-age ceremony.
“Understood.”
“The investigation into Rosa is progressing, isn’t it?”
“I’ll have the answers you seek very soon.”
“I’ll trust you.”
Although only a few days had passed since her return to the past, Ariana expected swift results from Maia.
Someone like Rosa simply wasn’t worth wasting much time on.
Maia, unaware that Ariana had regressed, apparently felt the same.
After wishing Ariana a good night, she quietly left the room.
Lying down on her bed, Ariana felt as though she had finally completed a long-overdue task.
Tomorrow she would have to begin moving again.
But for tonight…
She would think about nothing.
Curling beneath the soft blankets as though returning to the warmth of her mother’s embrace, Ariana slowly drifted to sleep.
For the first time in a long while…
Her sleeping face looked truly peaceful.
