How to Turn a Kind Savior into an Emperor (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7

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For Ines, who for so long had been beaten without reason and had to beg for forgiveness as naturally as breathing, this was nothing short of a miracle.

Having traveled back through twelve years of time, he would probably look youthful and boyish.

Though what she needed to confront was Count Graeham, Ines still had neither a plan nor any strength.

Yet merely imagining Carson, much younger than she remembered, brought her peace of mind. If she could see him today—even from afar—his presence alone would encourage her.

Just then, Susan approached Ines with a drinkable beverage in hand.

“My lady, please have this. It’s chilled flower tea.”

“Thank you, Susan.”

“And you don’t need to stay here.”

“Why?”

“They say he’s coming this way, but it turns out it’s not this route after all.”

“What?”

Ines, flustered, raised her voice without realizing it.

“But don’t worry. I shared this drink with the knights guarding the square and got proper information.”

Ines looked at Susan with renewed surprise—she hadn’t realized the girl was this clever.

“Did I… do something wrong?”

“No, don’t say that. You did wonderfully.”

Susan blushed prettily at her praise.

“So it must be toward Konero Square, then?”

Susan gave her a questioning look, as if wondering how she knew, but Ines hurried her steps without offering an answer.

Carson’s younger sister was at Lord Lesonia’s manor. There were only two possible routes from the capital for him to reach Lord Lesonia’s estate.

Back when Ines was in Romfield, she’d once been conscripted to help replace the sewer system in Konero Square after heavy rains had destroyed it.

It had been an enormous square, and the entire drainage infrastructure had collapsed, leaving her crawling across the entire floor for quite a long time during repairs—a memory that remained vivid.

“Hurry, Susan.”

As she urged Susan onward, Ines sifted through her memories. Taking the underground passage was the fastest way from Lesonia Square to Konero. Not knowing when he might pass through, Ines quickened her pace.

“Still, I was a bit surprised to hear you were going to see Prince Carson.”

“Why? Because you think I’m a fool who only knows Joseph?”

Having come into town after a long while, Susan seemed unusually excited and chatty.

“No, I didn’t mean… that’s not what I meant at all.”

Well, Ines couldn’t help but smile quietly, unnoticed by Susan trailing behind. Susan’s surprise was understandable—after all, the original Ines had known nothing about Carson.

“I know—he’s incredibly famous. I’ve only ever seen him in magazines.”

“Yes.”

Carson was well known not only in the capital but also among the people of the provincial territories. He had accomplished much from a young age, but more than that, his striking looks had greatly contributed to his fame.

She’d only recently learned that there wasn’t a single maid who didn’t own at least one or two portraits of him.

“Do you happen to have one of his portraits too?”

“Huh?”

Glancing sideways, Ines saw Susan’s eyes wide with shock. After a brief hesitation, Ines had no choice but to ask.

“Get me one too.”

“One… what?”

“What else? A portrait of Prince Carson Raymond. Something the size of my palm, or just a bit larger. Okay?”

Just then, Ines turned into a narrow alley and quickened her steps, while Susan followed behind, still unable to close her gaping mouth.

“I’ll get it for you.”

At Susan’s belated shout, the corners of Ines’s lips lifted slightly.

As the time he was due to pass drew near, Ines grew anxious.

Once he became Lord of Landhill, the local nobles would naturally go to greet him. But before that, Ines wanted to see him just once more.

At the end of the alley, the entrance to the underground passage came into view.

“There’s an underground passage here? But can you really go through it, my lady?”

Ines let out a quiet chuckle at Susan’s words. Though it looked dark and narrow at a glance, such paths were far more familiar to her. If anything, she was more worried about Susan, who was just a maid.

“Besides, there’s not a soul around.”

“This way is much faster. Hurry.”

This underground passage was used by laborers for construction work. It also served as a drainage channel during heavy rains, so the floor was always damp. Scattered storage nooks for equipment gave it the feel of a maze at first glance.

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“It’s kind of eerie.”

“Yeah. Be careful—the floor’s slippery.”

In truth, it wasn’t merely eerie—it was horrifying. Once, a prisoner performing forced labor here had collapsed from exhaustion and plunged her head into the water.

Everyone had witnessed it, yet no one helped her up. No one had the strength left to do so. Ines had seen it from across the way but hadn’t gone to help either. In the end, the woman drowned right there.

At that time, the water had only reached ankle depth.

While Ines was lost in old memories, a low, rumbling voice echoed from somewhere nearby.

She furrowed her brow sharply.

Whenever there was a procession in the square, laborers were never deployed. The Kaines Empire was a nation with clear boundaries between light and dark—never revealing the desperate realities hidden behind its splendor.

Moreover, it hadn’t rained in the past two days, meaning there was no reason for any supervisor to inspect the facility.

“My lady, why did you st—”

Ines raised a finger to signal silence, closed her eyes briefly, and focused to locate the source of the sound. It was coming from somewhere closer than she’d thought.

Of course, someone else might have entered, just as they had, intending to use it as a shortcut. But a chilling premonition made Ines tread even more quietly.

As she moved slowly, Susan instinctively followed her in secret.

Finally locating the source of the voice, Ines focused on the figure moving in the darkness—and had to clamp her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream.

‘Lena…?’

Her hair, always appearing ash-gray, was now a pale gold, and her once-hunched posture was straightened—so much so that Ines briefly wondered if it might be someone else who merely resembled her. But she knew for certain.

Young Lena. Since Lena was five years older than Ines, she would now be a woman in her mid-twenties. She’d also mentioned entering Romfield about a year before Ines did.

〈I killed royalty. I killed royalty… They promised they’d spare Jason if I just did as I was told… Jason, Jason…〉

Her mutterings, as if she were banging her head against the pitch-black prison wall, sounded as though they were right beside Ines.

She was with a man—tall and gaunt, his face hidden beneath a deeply pulled-down hat. Though dressed in ragged clothes to conceal his status, he couldn’t entirely hide his noble bearing.

“Let’s go.”

Susan urged Ines from behind, but she left Susan and approached them alone. She got as close as she could, yet couldn’t make out a word they were saying.

What could Lena possibly be doing in this secret place? Could she be targeting Prince Carson Raymond? But Carson had been perfectly fine when Ines was released from prison.

Because Lena scanned the area restlessly, Ines ducked low and quickly slipped out of the underground passage.

“Who on earth were those people just now, and what were they doing there? Were they heading toward Konero Square like us?”

‘Maybe. No—surely they’re coming this way.’

Carson Raymond was the only royal expected to appear in the square today. Though anxious, Ines could do nothing but bite her nails.

Though not as crowded as Lesonia Square, people had begun slowly gathering in Konero Square—news had spread from somewhere.

The royal court might not openly praise his achievements, but they couldn’t stop rumors from circulating among the people. Quietly, stories and whispers about Carson had already spread throughout the empire.

Songs praising him and novels about him were already wildly popular. Here and there, women could be seen scattering flower petals along the route he would take.

‘Nothing will happen.’

Lena was certainly plotting something, but Carson would be safe. Hadn’t the future she’d seen confirmed that?

“Excuse me.”

Just then, a composed voice sounded behind Ines. Turning, she saw a neatly dressed middle-aged woman—her demeanor and speech marking her clearly as a maid from a noble household. Beside her stood a sweet-looking little girl, holding the woman’s hand.

She looked about ten years old?

“Please step aside.”

Susan widened the gap between herself and Ines to make room for the child to pass. The girl glanced once at Ines with a cool, aloof look before walking ahead. Though they’d never met, Ines found it strangely hard to look away.

But at that moment, something caught Ines’s eye as she watched the girl’s retreating back.

The red hair ribbon—once worn by Lena, rubbed so often it shimmered with a bright gleam.

That very satin red ribbon now adorned the girl’s black hair, perfectly matched and neatly tied.

A chilling thought struck Ines suddenly, and she reached out hurriedly—but only barely brushed the tip of the girl’s hair.

“No!”

Ines cried out loudly, but the girl had already vanished into the crowd. Immediately, a chorus of “Wow!” rose around them—the crowd’s excited gasp signaling the arrival of the day’s main attraction.

Ines began pushing through the people, following the direction the girl had taken. At the same time, Carson Raymond’s procession came into view in the distance.

Even in that moment, Ines recognized him at the front by the bright light shining behind his back.

Glancing around, Ines finally spotted the little girl she’d been searching for—and her maid—speaking to a guard knight. Moments later, the girl began crossing the square, accompanied by two knights.

Everything became clear.

In Lesonia, the only child permitted to step forward into Carson’s approaching procession was his younger sister. That meant the girl was royalty herself.

〈I killed royalty. Hehehe, I killed royalty.〉

The instant Ines realized that the “royalty” Lena had spoken of wasn’t Carson but his sister, a strange noise boomed loudly from across the square. No one was allowed to ride a horse in the square while royalty was present—except those in the official procession.

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But the crowd was in an uproar, and though people heard the sound of hooves, no one paid it much mind.

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