“Why? Because unnie thinks it would be better for me to become the empress, seating me as the empress like in the past? Or maybe, to defeat me, you think it would be easier for me to marry him as in the past?”

Even if she asked like this, Elzé had no intention of answering.

“Just do it as you wish.”

“Unnie, do you want to become the empress?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Then, let’s make a bet. Who becomes the empress? Who survives until the end? Unnie has so many choices, right? Become the empress by marrying Prince Herbert, the idiot who will inevitably become the emperor. Or marry Prince Ian, who has no one to restrain him at all. Strive in any way to become the empress. With unnie in such a foolish state right now, it seems too easy to win. Suppress me with power or whatever. If you don’t, I will kill you, unnie.”

“…….”

Cessenia laughed brighter than ever.

As if genuinely happy.
“Although I know from experience, unnie can never defeat me with her intellect. So, make sure to become the empress. Got it? If you understand your position, will you leave?”

“Are you really going to become the empress?”

“Yeah. And this time, it won’t be that easy for you.”

“…Fine. I’ll find a way to get you out somehow.”

“Yeah. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

It was already a lost cause. From the moment she entered this room, from the moment Cessenia told her to marry the crown prince. No, from the moment she revealed herself as a reincarnator, Elzé was already defeated.

And Cessenia, to make her the empress, to elevate her to that position, to lead that conversation, Cessenia cornered Elzé into a corner.

And finally, Cessenia dipped the brush into bright red paint and started painting on the blank canvas.

For the sake of her bloody future.

After Elzé left, the marchioness came to her room.

“You’re here.”

More furious than ever, the marchioness entered.

“Ha. I’m really going crazy because of your sister.”

It was the first time. The marchioness revealed her emotions in front of her like this.

Lisbeth, who naturally went out when Elzé came in, brought tea again and went outside. In response, the marchioness sat down on the sofa armrest with a full expression of annoyance.

“Why?”

Cessenia, with a clueless expression, stood in front of him. Despite being in her own room, Cessenia, standing like an uninvited guest, sat on the sofa armrest just like Elzé had done, gazing at her father.

“Isn’t unnie not listening?”

“Yeah. After I prepared a place for her, what? Is nobody willing to get married? It’s not just anyone; it’s the crown prince. The person who will become the emperor. But why doesn’t anyone want to do it? I don’t understand.”

In the past, she couldn’t act like Elzé. She didn’t feel the need for it, and she didn’t even think about it. But Cessenia now was different.

“That’s right. I don’t understand why unnie is doing this either. The rumors about Prince Herbert aren’t good, but still, without even meeting him, why is she doing this…”

“Is that so? Well then, Cessenia. Finally, we can communicate.”

It turned out that she could communicate with someone like her. Regardless of how the image of the rigid and cold marchioness was, the marchioness was someone more easily handled than she had thought.

The marchioness was also on the list of those seeking revenge. Only because of the family, what he did prevented a child from growing up as a child. It made the child watch their steps and seek love.

A child’s temperament varies significantly depending on how the parents raise them from a young age. And because of the existence of the lacking father, Cessenia could not grow up as an ordinary child.

“That’s right.”

“Yeah. You’ve always been quite clever since you were a child.”
“Everyone resembles Father, right? So, what are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t know. This time, she’s so determined… I don’t know if I can convince her.”

In the past, the marquis had pushed forward regardless of what Elzé thought. In contrast, the current marquis, somehow, sighed deeply as if already knowing that it would be impossible to persuade her.

‘Why has it changed?’

This had nothing to do with the events orchestrated by Cessenia. Instead, Cessenia had firmly stated that she would not become the crown prince’s fiancee. In that case, Elzé should cling to her even more, but she had given up like this.

‘Why did it change at all? Why… What’s different from the past?’

No matter how much she thought about it, it was a part that she couldn’t understand at all. However, just because she couldn’t understand didn’t mean there was anything she could do about it right now. It was not possible to ask the marquis why things were different from the past.

“Still, will you continue to persuade her?”

“That’s the thing… Cessenia.”

“Yes?”

“What do you think about being the crown prince’s fiancee?”