Sitting at a round table with only a teacup left behind, I gazed quietly at the empty garden.
Teresa had bolted from this place, declaring her intention to call off the engagement.
Someone would probably say that the relationship between me and Teresa had become twisted.
Just a few days ago, what rumors might spread about the broken connection of lovers who seemed so good together?
I thought Teresa would manage just fine on her own.
If she wanted to save her older brother, she would surely be careful even without my saying so.
Still, her family was about to lose everything… but that’s not my concern anymore.
After all, I can’t save someone who’s destined to die, nor do I have a reason to.
“Has your fiancée left? She returned early, didn’t she?”
“She’s not my fiancée anymore, so feel free to call her Violet or something more casual.”
“Uh…?”
Renold, who had brought the tea, wore a dazed expression, but all he did was chuckle and shake his head.
The talk of the engagement breaking off would spread soon.
However, there was nothing to fear.
Yuria wouldn’t pay any mind to my affairs, and my father never supported this marriage in the first place.
In fact, she might be genuinely delighted about this broken engagement and think of some gift for me.
Wouldn’t she say something like love is nothing, and that she finally came to her senses?
A faint laugh escaped my lips as I lifted the teacup to cover my mouth.
The scent of chamomile filled the garden.
Having experienced so much, the only thing I remembered was that Teresa had liked this chamomile tea.
Taking a slow sip of the refreshing brew, the fragrant herbs filled my mouth.
“I won’t be coming back here again.”
In a hundred lifetimes, there had never been a time when the woman Teresa was absent.
She was always my fiancée and was often by my side when I died.
But this life would be different.
In my 101st life, I no longer wanted to see that woman Teresa.
She was the one that first reminded me of my foolish past, and it was about time to forget her.
Lost in such residual thoughts, my hand slowly tilted, causing the tea to spill from the cup.
“Young Master, the tea…”
“It’s fine. I’m doing it on purpose.”
As I watched the chamomile tea trickle down to the floor, I contemplated.
Wasn’t chamomile tea supposed to promote restful sleep?
Perhaps I would be able to sleep quite deeply tonight.
For the first time in a long while.
#
Thanks to the effects of chamomile tea, or perhaps the severing of some past ties unknown to anyone, I woke up in the morning feeling nothing short of fantastic.
How long has it been since I slept so soundly?
Usually, whenever I lay in bed, I would be haunted by nightmares.
Re-experiencing all the deaths I’d gone through, culminating in the most recent demise.
At first, I was tormented by it, but now I hardly cared. Still, not having a dream made me feel much lighter.
If only it could stay this way going forward.
While fiddling with my messy hair, I rubbed my face with my dry hand.
Experiencing ‘tomorrow’ again after reincarnation isn’t always a great day.
After all, I had died on the second day once, so it wouldn’t be wise to relax until I saw the Crown Prince’s face.
Relaxing until now wasn’t good.
Still, well, at this point…
“It’s fine.”
Not just fine, it’s very good.
Yuria was family, so she couldn’t be separated, but Teresa was really someone I didn’t need in my life.
The first thought I had when starting my 101st life was that I no longer needed to be attached to Teresa.
There was no need to try to live any longer.
For the sake of any uncertain variables, there was also no need to strive for the foolish wish I had held onto.
Cut off what needs to be cut off, take what needs to be taken; that’s the process.
What awaits at the end is my eternal rest.
Let’s think a little more calmly.
With that thought in mind, I dipped my hand into the water the attendant brought, and alongside the refreshing sensation came a realization.
There was an agenda for that day just like there was on the day of my reincarnation.
However, it would unfold quite differently from what I remembered.
“Was today the Crown Princess’s birthday party?”
Whenever I recalled the name Miragen Juliet, my expression would always twist.
Unlike Yuria and Teresa, she was not tied to me by a fateful connection.
Rather, it could be described as a more affectionate and complicated relationship.
“…Today, we will judge a sinner. Someone who killed family, friends, and innocent people. We will judge such a horrific being.”
The woman’s eyes, reading the declaration in a calm voice, were puffy.
Even kneeling, it was clear she had cried a lot.
This was a memory from a time when I had temporarily lost my mind.
It was a memory unrelated to now, one that only I remembered.
I had a plan to use the Princess if needed.
There was a life where I loved her, but ultimately, it was just another round where my memories were hazy.
I wondered if I could ever hold someone’s heart again.
Now, awakening to my true nature was about understanding why I had to meet such a miserable death.
The Crown Prince, and the woman who would be the connecting link, the Princess.
It was a method I generally wanted to avoid, but if necessary, I thought I could approach it.
“Will you be dining separately today?”
As I wiped my face dry with a towel, Renold asked.
Thinking back, I had been avoiding dining together for a while.
Seeing each other’s faces brought back memories of my death, making it hard for me to swallow my food.
But what about now? There was no need to avoid it.
By now, I figured the news of yesterday’s engagement cancellation had probably reached my father.
I had to see whether he would smile with satisfaction or scold me for handling things alone.
I shook my head and spoke.
“No, today let’s eat together.”
“…Understood.”
Renold seemed startled by my sudden change in attitude.
Of course, it was a natural reaction since a person changed so much overnight.
Though I had seen this reaction so many times that it didn’t amaze me anymore.
It was a rare occurrence, but if I changed too much, Renold would sometimes attempt to assassinate me.
“Still, Renold is the best.”
But that was really only in extreme situations; in scenarios like this, the most useful one is Renold.
In such an extreme situation, the most useful person right now is Renold.
After all, he’s my personal butler.
I didn’t plan on easily sending him away, as he could be a means to understand what’s happening in this mansion.
“Is Father here?”
“Yes, he’s already having a meal downstairs.”
“He’ll probably scold me for being late. Oh, I might not even have my place set.”
As I went down the stairs towards the dining room, I saw Yuria and Father already slicing their steaks.
Yuria looked at me with surprise, but I shrugged my shoulders and naturally took my seat.
Fortunately, my place setting was there.
However, since I came down unexpectedly, the attendants hurriedly moved to bring out food.
As I quietly stared at the table, Yuria wiped her mouth with a napkin and glanced at me.
“…What a surprise. I didn’t expect you to come out like this. Didn’t you say it’s easier to eat alone?”
“Sometimes we should eat together, right? I’m also a member of the Taylor family.”
“Seems like you’re not completely unaware.”
Tsk.
My answer seemed to disappoint Yuria, who clicked her tongue and averted her gaze.
I already anticipated such a reaction.
Yet, I couldn’t help but feel concerned about Father, who still hadn’t said a word.
It was a rather ambiguous relationship. He hadn’t directly caused my death, but he had always indirectly approved of it, hadn’t he?
I was quite curious about how he would view me in this life.
“Younger Master, the meal has been served.”
Plates started to be placed in front of me, and just as I was about to reach for the steak, a low voice whispered in my ear.
“Yesterday, I received a message from the Violet family.”
“Is that so?”
“Ending the engagement without even telling me? What are you thinking?”
I was surprised by his directness, as I didn’t expect him to be so straightforward. But it actually felt more comfortable.
It meant this was the only thing Father was curious about.
Yuria raised an eyebrow in surprise but shot me a glare, while I calmly continued to cut my meat before answering.
“It just didn’t feel right. Can a person’s heart remain the same forever?”
“What did you say when I mentioned this last time?”
“…There was a time when I thought love was eternal.”
My words from my first life were filled with contradictions.
I couldn’t remember all of them, so I responded vaguely, causing Father’s eyes to narrow.
His bushy beard seemed to signify his unwavering authority.
Despite nearing sixty, his sharp gaze made me halt my movements and meet his eyes.
“Then you’re saying you believe that statement is wrong now.”
“It was a childish slip of the tongue.”
“I don’t enjoy word games.”
As if trying to read my mind, his blue eyes, which I had inherited, pierced through my thoughts.
His eyes bore a penetrating insight, as if they could sift through the truth.
Having guided the Duke family alone, Father was someone I could never deceive.
As my father is a head of the family, I had never succeeded in lying to him.
Of course, I had no intention of lying now, so my father blinked and swallowed softly.
I once thought that a person’s heart wouldn’t change.
But that was a long time ago. Isn’t it reality that even the wish I hold has changed?
“That’s good to hear. You weren’t completely useless.”
“I apologize for handling it without informing you. I will be more careful next time.”
“Alright. Your reckless actions aren’t new. Besides, I’ve never liked that Violet girl. We are the Taylors. We shouldn’t spread our noble blood carelessly.”
When I nodded, my father tilted his head as if to say I should just eat.
Talking to my father had always been fairly easy.
As long as I focused on our family and made it clear that I was acting for the family’s sake, he was satisfied.
However, in the past, my stubbornness clouded my judgment.
Thus, I strayed from my father’s gaze, and because of that, he must have turned a blind eye to my death as well.
If you ask if I hate him, I don’t. I now know that I was foolish in my past life.
But that doesn’t mean I truly think of him as my father.
He’s a piece that can be used; ultimately, the real power of the Taylor family rests with my father, after all.
It wouldn’t be odd if a situation arose where I could utilize the head of the family under the name of family.
“By the way, isn’t there a party at the imperial family today?”
“That’s right. I had planned to attend today. And… Robert as well.”
Around the time the meal was nearly finished, my father mentioned the party to Yuria.
It was a conversation I had been waiting for.
Originally, I was supposed to attend the party with Teresa, so I had to figure out how to attend alone without a partner.
Nodding to Yuria’s words, my father spoke again as if he had remembered something.
“Have you decided on a partner?”
“There doesn’t need to be a partner. I’m the Lady of the House, so it wouldn’t be a problem attending alone.”
“Then you can attend with Robert.”
At those words, Yuria’s eyes widened.
Didn’t know she could make expressions like that!
As I watched the conversation with interest, my father turned his gaze back to me and added.
“You don’t have a partner anymore, do you? Since your sister is the Lady of the House, it wouldn’t be bad to show that you can support her as a partner. You wouldn’t dislike that, would you?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Then it’s settled, and I won’t hear any more arguments. Understand?”
Yuria glared at me coldly, but my father’s decision was final.
For now, the head of the Taylor family is my father, and Yuria as the Lady of the House has no choice but to follow.
By the way, being a partner with Yuria would clearly free me up somewhat.
That means I might be able to meet someone else besides the princess.
A woman attending today’s party.
A woman I don’t recall having a bad connection with.
I had a feeling that I might run into Adele Igrit, the Grand Duchess of the North.
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