“Don’t you remember when you got beaten to death and cried in the academy swordsmanship class? About ten years ago? You got beaten to death by Belerest and came to my brother, asking for revenge.”

Even when Leana chimed in, Pellio’s face showed a bewildered expression at Belerest’s words.

“W-What?”

While Belerest spoke, Pellio’s face turned red, crumpling embarrassingly, seemingly remembering the situation.

However, even in the midst of this, Belerest and Pellio continued to glower at each other, and even this sight appeared cute to Ermedelin’s eyes.

“Calm down. First, lower your hands! I won’t be accompanying you just because you raise your hands!”

Ermedelin had always assumed the role of mediating minor disputes among the younger siblings even in the orphanage of her previous life.

Although they were not younger siblings who stared at each other as if they would devour each other in front, Ermedelin, feeling a familiar sensation after a long time, completely forgot the tormenting thoughts that had plagued her mind until a while ago.

“It’s not a behavior befitting adults. Both of you, relax your gazes a bit.”

With Ermedelin’s straightforward words, Pellio and Belerest, finally aware of their own actions, lowered their hands with somewhat awkward expressions.

“In fact, I haven’t thought about when to visit the castle yet. I’ll decide on the accompanying personnel after some consideration, so for today, calm down and go back.”

The tension dissipated, but Belerest and Pellio still looked displeased with each other, lips pouting as they stared at one another.

Ermedelin smiled pleasantly, finding their childish appearance endearing.

Even in her previous life, where she had lived fiercely, and in her present life, where she had fought against deep loneliness, such moments were not frequent.

Someone might think of her as quite pitiful, but to Ermedelin, these small moments of childlike bickering felt genuinely joyful and precious.

After sending everyone away and being alone again, the pleasant feeling from a little while ago disappeared as if it were an illusion, and once again, self-loathing rushed in.

Faelio’s pure behavior like a child in front of a woman who might have killed her own mother brought immense pain to Ermedelin’s chest.

‘What kind of feelings did Gongja have when he saw me?’

Although I created the potion, I wasn’t the one who executed it, making any excuse sound feeble.

Anyway, Ermedelin provided the potion cursed to kill Faelio’s father, who ended up being her mother’s murderer.

‘Your mom wanted to kill your dad, so I helped.’ Well, I can’t say such a thing, can I?

‘Why did the gods possess me in this damn woman’s body? Well, are there gods? If so, at least Ermedelin’s soul would have been sent to the deepest part of hell, right?’
As sadness deepened, resentment began to emerge towards the gods who couldn’t be perceived.

Ermedelin’s face was instantly shrouded in a dark shadow as she descended into the abyss of deep despair.

“Yo… Your Majesty the Empress.”

At the moment when Ermedelin was about to fall into the abyss of deep despair, a slender voice like a ray of light from Luni was heard outside the bedroom.

“What’s going on?”

“I, I also have this…”

“Yeah?”

In Luni’s shyly extended hand was a small package wrapped in simple paper.

“Are you giving me this?”

“Yes. It’s modest, but…”

“Give it to me!”

Before Luni could finish speaking, Ermedelin caught the package and unwrapped it.

Inside the package was a silver ribbon that seemed to look beautiful when tied to a hat they had purchased together earlier.

At a glance, the expensive ribbon made of silk had delicate embroidery that read “Ermedelin Lian Brunian Franshuar Duke.”

“Cancel what I said to Gongja earlier! This is the best gift I’ve ever received! This is the best!!”

Ermedelin was about to criticize why she bought this expensive thing but immediately changed her mind, hugging the ribbon in her arms.

Since the item was engraved with her name, it would be difficult to get a refund.

In that case, it’s proper to receive it with as much joy as possible.

Monetary compensation could be dealt with stealthily later so that Luni wouldn’t notice.

“Really?”

“Sure! I can’t waste this. Embroidering on such soft fabric must have been really difficult… It took a long time, right?”

As Ermedelin acknowledged Luni’s efforts, a faint blush appeared on Luni’s snowy cheeks.

Thinking about the first time she fell into a strange world, surrounded only by enemies, Ermedelin considered it a happy occasion that people who prepared gifts appeared.

Baller, the protagonist of the Alhyun Sig, received a mountain of precious gifts, but she absolutely didn’t envy him.

What could be enviable about receiving gifts just because she had a child with Henri?

There were people celebrating her ennoblement, from Luni to the recent Belrest.

None of the connections Ermedelin created were obtained for free.

Despite being ignored and scorned, she didn’t lose her identity.