The one who was most angry and making a fuss about the situation was, as expected, Elzere.

“What’s so unbelievable about it?”

Sesenia showed no change in emotion despite her elder sister’s words.

“Does it make sense that you found a holy relic?”

“So what’s impossible about it? Life brings all kinds of luck sometimes. This is just one of those things. Elder sister. Why. Am I not allowed to have even that kind of luck?”

“It didn’t happen!!”

Sesenia shook her head as she watched Elzere, who seemed unable to grasp the situation, moving her mouth.

“Watch your words, elder sister. If others see… they might misunderstand.”

Sesenia’s gaze turned to her father. Only then did Elzere close her mouth.

Whether she didn’t want to tell her father that they had traveled back in time, her face filled with resentment. Her face contorted and her cheeks flushed red.

Sensing something strange, the Duke put down the letter from the temple and looked at the two of them.

“I have no idea what you two are talking about.”

“You don’t need to know. Sometimes in life, it’s better not to know certain things.”

“…You really are hiding something, aren’t you?”

“I was just saying. Father. What could we possibly be hiding?”

“That’s right. We’re not hiding anything, Father.”

More than anyone, it was Elzere who didn’t want to reveal their situation to the Duke. If she knew the future but couldn’t even beat Sesenia while knowing it, it would be like revealing her incompetence to the Duke.

She gnawed at her fingernails.

‘Absolutely not. As it is… things are so different from the past. I absolutely can’t say it.’

“That makes it even more suspicious.”

“What’s so strange about it?”

Elzere forced a smile and took Sesenia’s hand.

“I’m so happy for you, little sister. To think you discovered such an item. This elder sister is truly delighted.”

Like the original Elzere. Like the Elzere who always seemed to love Sesenia more than anyone in front of the family, she put on a mask.

“Delighted? How awkward and strange. Someone who was just saying it was nonsense… Come to your senses, elder sister. Acting like this makes it even stranger.”

The Duke nodded as if he had been waiting for this.

Sesenia crossed her arms and looked at Elzere with her head tilted askew. Had she always been this obvious?

“Well… at first I was surprised so…”

“Is that all?”

“Of, of course.”

It was then. As if returning to her former self, Elzere changed her expression with a smirk.

“Actually, it’s like this. Among the noble young ladies, I’m almost the only one who hasn’t received the title of saint. So I was jealous. A holy relic…”

“That’s understandable.”

Sesenia also nodded as if she understood. Though she knew better than anyone that wasn’t the real reason, there was no need to dig deeper into it here.

“In any case, it’s something to celebrate. A holy relic. So that’s what your visit to the temple a few days ago was about.”

“That’s right.”

“You went to the temple too? Why?”

“Didn’t you just hear? I said I went because of the holy relic.”

Such a thing didn’t exist in the past.

“Surely… not?”

Elzere tilted her head and looked at her.

“Why do you keep speaking so indirectly? It makes you look even stranger, elder sister. If you don’t want to congratulate me, you don’t have to. Anyway, Father. If you called me to tell me about the letter from the temple, may I go back now? It seems like you and elder sister were in the middle of an important conversation.”

“Y-Yes, go ahead. Haha. And we weren’t having any particularly important conversation, we were just talking. Don’t misunderstand.”

“…How strange of you. In the past, you would have told me not to mind even if I said something like this, but now you’re suddenly making excuses. Don’t worry. Whatever you two were talking about, it’s none of my business.”

“Still, I hope you won’t misunderstand. I’ve become quite strange lately too. I keep worrying about you.”

It was quite a sorrowful remark from the Duke. Sesenia found those actions uncomfortable. Since when did he look at her so sadly? Since when did he care about her? To Sesenia, the Duke was another perpetrator.

Someone who knew but did nothing.

Someone who blatantly discriminated in front of others, beyond just being unequal.

A perpetrator who made Sesenia hate herself over and over. That’s why Sesenia only felt irritated by her father’s gaze.

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

“Alright. In any case, you did well to find the holy relic and send it to the temple.”

“…”

“I’m proud.”

That one phrase she had wanted to hear so badly. Those words saying she had done well, that she was a source of pride.

But to the current Sesenia, those words felt indifferent. She silently turned and walked out.

“Why did he suddenly call you?”

“It seems the holy relic arrived safely.”

“Ah. I see.”

Lizbeth, who had been tense when the Duke suddenly called for Sesenia, let out a sigh.

“I thought something had happened.”

“Did something always happen when Father called for me?”

“Yes. Well… you never heard anything good. If something good happened, he was busy praising Lady Elzere, and if something bad happened, he was busy blaming you for everything.”

‘If Lizbeth remembers it that way, I must have lived quite an unloved life in this time.’

Sesenia, whose memories of the future were so vivid that her memories of this time had faded, smiled awkwardly. Returning in time didn’t necessarily make her childhood memories more prominent.

Memories are always remembered in the most favorable way. The same was true for Sesenia. So the present she was hearing from Lizbeth felt somewhat pitiful at that moment.

As soon as she left the Duke’s room and reached the corridor leading to her own room, someone grabbed her arm and dragged her along.

“What are you doing?”

Immediately recognizing the culprit as Elzere, Sesenia shook off her hand.

“I need to talk to you.”

“I have nothing to say.”

“Oh come on. If you don’t want to talk here, follow me.”

“If you have something to say, say it here. What. There’s no one watching, right?”

At those words, Elzere looked around and glared at Lizbeth. Seeming to understand immediately, Lizbeth stepped back without a word.

A stage for just the two of them was created. Even at that moment, Elzere looked around for a long time, seemingly worried.

“What did you want to say?”

“Tell me. Is that the holy relic you said you found?”

“What do you mean ‘that’?”

“That from the past!! But… even you as the Empress wouldn’t know about it. It’s something the temple kept hidden again and again. But you found it? How much do you know? Huh?”

Sesenia patted her elder sister’s shoulder.

“Poor thing.”

“What?”

“What’s so important about that holy relic?”

“What do you mean what’s important? This, this doesn’t make sense. This is different from the very beginning!! If that happens, you’ll be even more revered as a saint, won’t you? Isn’t this changing too much from the past? Huh?”

Whatever was making her so angry, Elzere pushed Sesenia’s shoulder with her finger.

“Tell me. Just how much do you know? Huh?”

“What do I know? I don’t really know anything special. We lived through the same time, so what’s there to know more or less about?”

“Then why!! How did you notice the holy relic? Tell me. Say more. We should at least share information, shouldn’t we?”

Hearing what was almost a threat, Sesenia laughed like a madwoman.

Elzere frowned at Sesenia’s sudden change. At the same time, Sesenia’s expression hardened again. Disgust filled her face.

“Elder sister. Are you crazy?”

“Wh-What?!”

Elzere’s face turned pale at the unexpected words.

“Wh-What did you just say? Cr-Crazy?”

“That’s right. I asked if you were crazy. I mean, logically, what kind of relationship do we have that we should share information? You killed me and took everything from me. Are you saying we should play fair? Start from the same starting point? Between us? Do you really have a brain?”

“…”

“Words aren’t everything just because you say them. How could I possibly do such a thing for you? Please think before you speak. It’s amazing. How can you do such a stupid thing so nonchalantly?”

Sesenia clicked her tongue as Elzere bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

“Well. If you were the kind of person who could understand such words, you would have understood long ago. But you know, elder sister. Get a grip.”

“You’re telling me to get a grip? Have you really gone mad?”

“That’s right. I’m mad. How could I not be mad? After what happened to me?”

Seeing Sesenia shrugging her shoulders, Elzere seemed to slowly come to her senses. She had rushed over in shock, but none of Sesenia’s words were wrong.

She had really done something stupid.

“So, act like your usual self. Be as smart as you were when you cornered me better than anyone else. That’s what makes it interesting for me. This kind of behavior… well. It’s just too boring.”

“…”

“I feel so foolish for being tense, it’s pathetic. So do it properly. I don’t want to take revenge on a stupid person.”

Sesenia patted Elzere’s shoulder.

“Understood?”

Only then did Elzere seem to come to her senses and shook her head.

“Don’t worry. Revenge? There’s no way your revenge could succeed. I was just a little shocked now, that’s all. There’s no way I would lose to the likes of you.”

“That’s right. So act a little smarter. Live desperately in ways different from the past. Don’t make such nonsensical thoughts that you’ll win just because you know the past. Understood?”