Chapter 24

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 24

Chapter Title: Glaring Jealousy

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A little earlier, when I entered the palace with Arpad.

Evangeline had definitely been glaring at me with eyes like that.

And now I knew exactly what that emotion was.

‘Jealousy.’

It was clear.

But at the same time, a question arose.

‘Evangeline has always been having an affair with Ludwig, hasn’t she?’

I’d already confirmed that those two were lovers in this life too.

I’d seen and heard their secret affectionate antics and conversations.

Yet Evangeline’s expression right now looked like she was glaring at her husband for bringing along his mistress.

I realized it anew.

‘In the previous three lives, Evangeline never looked at me with eyes like that, no matter the situation.’

I had always been Ludwig’s wife.

Back then, Evangeline would mock me or keep me in check.

But this was the first time I’d seen her lose all reason, swept up entirely in a single emotion: jealousy.

Only now, in this fourth life, did the thought suddenly strike me.

‘Could it be that the one Evangeline truly likes… is Arpad?’

Logically speaking, it might sound absurd.

But a strange conviction gripped me.

The gaze that had hidden behind the pillar to glare at me earlier, and the gaze directed at me now.

And those desperate, shy glances she kept stealing at Arpad.

‘It’s like she’s a completely different person. Jekyll and Hyde or something….’

It was so absurd and ridiculous that anger surged up inside me.

But soon, I had to admit it.

‘Separate from her affair with Ludwig, the person she truly has her heart set on could be someone else.’

Isn’t that how human hearts work?

The more the merrier. Men are better off with more options—or whatever nonsense like that….

‘…Like hell!’

Suddenly, anger erupted like an active volcano, making my head burn hot.

‘Then her pretending to share a thousand-year love with Ludwig was fake too?’

‘I couldn’t help it. I can’t hide my true love.’

‘A real man doesn’t confuse the woman he truly loves. He never once confused me.’

Though her words varied slightly each time, Evangeline always looked down on me with that smug superiority, as if she possessed some grand, profound love.

And now that grand, true love of hers was a lie?

Just greed and ambition for power and glory?

‘Then what the hell was all my sacrifice for?’

The boiling rage cooled like lava hurled into a winter sea.

My mind felt chillingly numb, almost aching with cold.

Yet no emotion showed on my face.

The countless hardships I’d endured, my three deaths, and my fresh thirst for revenge made that possible.

I flashed a brilliant smile and clung to Arpad’s neck.

And while earlier, right after entering the palace, she’d only glared, things were different now.

The knowledge that my words, my responses, would truly strike and wound Evangeline… excited me.

So instead of letting Arpad answer, I responded to Evangeline’s question.

The question about whether His Majesty had truly acknowledged the bond between Arpad and me.

“Yes, Ruth Marquis’s Daughter. Fortunately, His Majesty blessed us and permitted the use of Artanus Hall.”

I deliberately emphasized her title, ‘Ruth Marquis’s Daughter,’ instead of her name.

It was a major complex for Evangeline.

I smiled like the happiest bride in the world.

I had a perfect model right in front of me.

I tried to mimic as closely as possible the way Evangeline had smiled at me mockingly before my regression, then continued.

“His Majesty must recognize our love too, right? I’m so thrilled. And I’m glad I could share this joyous news with you first, Eva.”

Ludwig had heard it first, but I hadn’t said it to him, so whatever.

Using the nickname for Evangeline that I’d never once called her before? That was to make her even angrier.

And…

The effect was tremendous!

“R-Really…?”

Evangeline’s face flushed bright red.

Not from embarrassment. She was barely suppressing an explosive rage that looked ready to burst at any moment.

I burrowed openly into Arpad’s arms and whispered.

“I’m so tired, darling.”

She was standing close enough that it must have reached Evangeline’s ears perfectly.

Her shoulders twitched dramatically for a moment.

Arpad, who had been observing Evangeline and me for a bit, thankfully played along.

“Then let’s do it. My Hilia.”

My…?

His unexpectedly forward words made me freeze for a second.

Coming from someone who’d just been called ‘darling’ and clung to him, it wasn’t that shocking.

But for some reason, ‘my’ sounded so natural to my ears.

Like something a real lover or wife would say… As if!

This guy’s putting on quite the act.

And I didn’t even have time to be more surprised or impressed.

Evangeline was showing even more obvious signs of devastation than from my ‘darling’ comment.

Her face was ashen, and her hands gripping her skirt trembled faintly.

Arpad seemed utterly indifferent to Evangeline, to an astonishing degree.

The words he spoke sounded more sincere than he’d use even with a servant.

“Since my wife is fatigued, we’ll postpone the audience.”

“Ah, the audience?”

“Yes. From your perspective as a marquis’s daughter, greeting the crown princess is an audience.”

“Y-Yes, that’s… right.”

Her voice and shoulders shook pitifully.

And of course, I felt not the slightest bit sorry for her! Not at all!

Quite the opposite!

‘Ah! That felt good!’

Ludwig had taken a physical blow just before, and now Evangeline had been slapped mentally. It was refreshing.

And so, after achieving a pretty solid result during the imperial audience and landing blows on those two adulterers, I returned to the Crown Prince Palace.

For the record, Arpad carried me the entire way there.

‘His stamina is insane.’

I only learned later, after some time had passed, that this incident had sparked wild rumors throughout the palace.

Like how Arpad loved me so much he didn’t want my feet to touch the ground.

I burst out laughing in disbelief when I found out, but that was far in the future.

Only after arriving at the Ivory Bedroom in the Crown Prince Palace could I finally set foot on the floor.

Thanks to that, my first question was this.

“Doesn’t your arm hurt?”

Arpad looked at me with eyes like he was studying some incomprehensible creature.

“That’s the first thing you ask?”

“Well… you carried me all the way from the entrance earlier, and such a long distance. How could I not worry if your arm hurts?”

I glanced at Arpad’s thick forearm as I answered.

Arpad crossed his arms and looked down at me, letting out a small sigh.

“Is that all you have to say? No other questions?”

“What else is there? …Thanks for carrying me?”

For some reason, his sigh this time sounded openly larger and longer.

Before I could say anything about it, Arpad pressed on preemptively.

“I’ll let it slide that you seem to harbor quite the grudge against Evangeline….”

“Well, yeah….”

Of course it was obvious—I’d openly mocked her to hit hard.

I hadn’t even given him a heads-up, but he’d backed me up anyway, so I was grateful for that.

That’s when a question popped into my head.

‘Come to think of it, does Arpad know about Evangeline’s feelings?’

And an even deeper one followed.

‘What does Arpad… feel for Evangeline?’

At least, it was clear he didn’t care much about her.

Plus, he’d taken my side during our spat with her….

While I was lost in such idle positive musings, Arpad smacked me over the head.

“Earlier, in front of the Emperor, you said you’d received Artanus’s blessing, didn’t you?”

“……!”

All thoughts of hatred or revenge toward Evangeline, or what Arpad thought of her, froze solid.

A chill ran up my spine, like an icy tongue licking it.

Reptilian, inhuman eyes stared straight at me.

Like a snake eyeing a bird trapped in its coils.

“The words you said to me in the catacombs—about helping me become Emperor without going mad—was that because of it?”

I forcibly hid the tension that had frozen my body in an instant.

And replied as casually as I could.

“Of course it was a lie! Why would Lord Artanus bless someone like me?”

This much was true.

Even the Emperor hadn’t fully bought it. Anyone could tell it was far-fetched.

“I just made up some nonsense to convince and gain His Majesty’s approval.”

Cold sweat trickled down my spine.

“Guess it sounded pretty convincing?”

Arpad’s gaze still pinned me sharply.

“Ah, but don’t worry. The part about having a way to keep you from going mad is real. I even proved it with a vow of sanctity, remember?”

Arpad’s eyes narrowed.

A pale, elegant finger tapped his chin.

He seemed lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly leaned his face right up to mine.

“……!”

I was so startled that heat rushed to my face in an instant.

‘Thought he was gonna kiss me!’

Fortunately, disaster was averted—his lips didn’t meet mine.

But Arpad slowly, very slowly, buried his face in my nape like a beast savoring its prey’s scent.

My nape, the hollow of my collarbone, my shoulder.

After deeply inhaling here and there, he murmured lowly.

“By the way, why do you smell so delicious? Makes me want to swallow you whole in one bite.”

Goosebumps raced across my skin.