Chapter 9

An Unexpected Truth (4)

“As I just said, I only came to check on you. Is there a problem if that was my only reason? Or… are you asking because you’re sick and forgot what I said already?”

“No, that’s not it. It just feels like there’s more to it. What is it?”

Llewellyn quietly lifted the corners of his lips into a smile before turning his gaze to the side and gesturing with his chin.

Following his gaze, Elia looked toward the maid who had served the tea.

Even though he had not spoken a single word, the maid seemed to understand immediately. She bowed quietly before leaving the room.

The scene felt so natural that it almost seemed as though Llewellyn was the true owner of the room rather than Elia.

“So, my business…”

Elia had been staring at the closed door for a while before finally turning toward Llewellyn at the sound of his low voice beside her.

Hearing his voice made her think of Aaron without realizing it.

Llewellyn’s voice felt completely different from Aaron’s.

Aaron’s voice felt soft and ticklish to her ears, while Llewellyn’s sounded sharp enough to smile while stabbing someone with a knife.

Of course the two men were different, yet Aaron’s voice and actions kept overlapping in her mind.

At this point, maybe her condition was already serious.

Aaron’s voice felt soft and warm, while Llewellyn’s carried the sharpness of someone who could smile while driving in a blade.

“I heard Marquis Livius proposed to you again, noona.”

She had only pressured him slightly because of the uneasy feeling she had, yet Llewellyn revealed the topic smoothly as though he had never intended to hide it.

She did not know whether Livius himself had told him or whether the maid who just left had reported it.

Still, the possibility that Livius had personally informed him felt much higher.

“Yes. How did you hear about it?”

“There are no secrets inside the Imperial Palace.”

Llewellyn’s smiling expression did not change even slightly.

So he did not want to openly admit he was close with Livius?

Everything that happened between Livius and Elia would obviously be reported directly to Llewellyn, yet he spoke as though he had merely heard it through rumors.

It was difficult for secrets to exist inside the Imperial Palace in the first place.

Still, thankfully there were no modern inventions like surveillance devices here.

If there were, she probably would have been caught every single time she tried to do anything.

Though she was not particularly planning anything right now.

“To be honest… I’m conflicted.”

“You mean your answer to the proposal?”

“Yes. It happened so suddenly… I don’t know what I should do.”

Pretending to seek advice, Elia casually spoke to him.

Llewellyn met her gaze with an unusually serious expression.

But seeing that serious face only made her feel even more strongly that this conversation had no real value at all.

“Marquis Livius truly loves you sincerely, noona.”

Was there a thousand-year-old snake living inside his mouth?

He lied so naturally without even blinking.

She did not know what his true intentions were for acting so actively like this, but it certainly did not feel good.

“Marquis Livius truly loves you sincerely, noona.”

“Truly?”

“Yes.”

Elia knew that Llewellyn and Livius’s relationship itself was built around each other’s ambitions, but she did not know the detailed truth regarding Elia herself, and that frustrated her.

What exactly were they so wary of in someone with such a weak body that she could die at any moment?

“It sounds like you want me to marry Marquis Livius, Llewellyn.”

“I simply wish for you to marry someone who will truly cherish and love you.”

As if.

He should focus on fixing his own behavior first.

If Llewellyn had treated her kindly from the very beginning, perhaps she might have wondered whether he had originally been a good younger brother who later became corrupted.

But Elia’s role in the original novel only existed to show the person who caused Llewellyn’s inferiority complex.

As an example, the Llewellyn from the main story remembered Elia the first day he met Lotte.

He believed that if Elia had still been alive, she would have stood in the same position as Lotte—or perhaps even higher.

And that he himself would have died by the hands of Elia, the daughter of the Emperor’s first wife.

As though one of them had always been destined to die.

“Still, I understand your feelings, Llewellyn. You are my only younger brother after all.”

Elia matched his pace while trying to gather information that had never appeared in the original story, but honestly, it was exhausting.

Pretending not to know the truth while already understanding their hidden intentions felt unbearable.

She probably would not even live long enough to participate in noble society anyway, yet it felt as though she was being forced to experience it in advance.

“For the revival of the Empire as well, Marquis Livius is not a bad match.”

Thinking Elia was beginning to agree with him, Llewellyn started listing the benefits of marrying Livius.

He spoke about Livius’s reputation in high society and the wealth of the Paolo family.

But no matter how highly he praised him, Elia’s opinion would never change.

Both the descriptions in the novel and her first impression of him had been terrible.

“The revival of the Empire…”

Still, she had not gained any useful information yet, so even though she disliked the conversation, she continued responding along with him.

If only he would casually reveal even a tiny clue.

There had also been a scene related to the Empire’s revival in the original story.

Llewellyn originally ignored Lotte even though she seemed interested in him, but later decided to use her for the Empire’s revival.

The person who helped strengthen that decision was Livius.

“Her Highness the Imperial Princess did not die because of Your Majesty. Her time simply came.”

Livius constantly soothed Llewellyn whenever he compared Lotte and Elia.

He insisted they were completely different people and that Lotte would become a great help.

Yet despite that, Llewellyn remained tormented by the thought that if Elia had lived, she—not he—would have sat upon the throne.

Whenever that happened, Livius would tell him that Elia had never been destined to become Emperor.

She had only been destined to die.

And that Llewellyn alone was destined to become Emperor.

Remembering that scene made Elia feel irritated toward Livius all over again.

“He would certainly work hard for the Empire’s revival.”

“Of course, noona.”

The moment Elia absentmindedly muttered those words, Llewellyn quickly jumped on them as though he had caught a giant fish.

From the perspective of someone who had possessed this body, Elia began to suspect that the original Elia might have been the type of person easily swayed by words.

The confidence both Livius and Llewellyn showed—as though they believed things would naturally go the way they wanted if they simply spoke well enough—made that much obvious.

It was not pleasant news at all.

“You’re kind, Llewellyn. Even after becoming Crown Prince, you could have viewed me as a threat, yet you still work for the Empire without caring about things like that.”

Elia forced her stiff muscles to move and smiled gently.

Perhaps if she kept nudging him little by little, she could finally hear the answers she wanted.

“Whether as Crown Prince or Imperial Princess, we still share blood even if only halfway. If something benefits the Empire, I believe we should help regardless of succession.”

“Were you upset after I lost my memories? We must have been very close siblings. I’m sorry…”

“Even so, as long as noona is healthy, that is enough for me.”

Perhaps even Llewellyn was growing tired of this conversation, because tiny cracks had finally begun appearing in his expression.

At this point, suffering together felt easier than continuing to speak indirectly.

“To be honest… Marquis Livius apparently only told me privately that he wanted to break off the engagement. But since I can’t remember it, I think that’s why I’m even more confused.”

“The fact that the engagement was broken is not important. What matters is that Marquis Livius changed his mind and proposed to you again.”

Not important?

That was the biggest problem of all.

No matter how long this conversation continued, it felt like she would gain nothing useful from it.

At this point, she just wanted this headache-inducing discussion to end.

Surely she had already tried hard enough.

“The fact that the engagement was broken is not important. What matters is that Marquis Livius changed his mind and proposed to you again.”

“Ha… I think I need time to think. I’m confused.”

As Elia pressed her fingers against her temple and frowned, she noticed Llewellyn’s expression brighten slightly.

Were you suffering too?

Because I was suffering too.

“I’m worried I may have burdened you with unnecessary talk when your health is already poor. But I hope you understand that everything I said was for your sake.”

If Elia had truly been the original Elia rather than someone who possessed her body, she honestly might have believed him.

Llewellyn repeatedly emphasized his sincerity until he finally heard her agree, and only then did he leave the room.

He whispered as though helping the Empire’s revival was the proper path for Elia if she wished to claim the throne.

But unlike Elia, she herself had absolutely no interest in the throne at all.

Why would she willingly choose such an exhausting position?

Living comfortably like this was far better.

And just like that, time continued to pass meaninglessly.

Had it been about a week since Llewellyn visited?

“Your Highness.”

Elia had been resting her chin on her hand while blankly staring out the window when she suddenly heard a maid’s voice through the crack of the door.

Wondering what it was about, she turned her head.

But before the maid could continue speaking, the door suddenly swung open.

“…Marquis Livius?”