Adela Gilroyt submitted the letters she had exchanged with Duke Valois as evidence.

She also reported the circumstances of his fundraising, saying he had been extorting money from other nobles by exploiting their weaknesses.

As her story continued, Duke Valois’s expression turned red and blue.

He soon shouted that it was nonsense, but people seemed more inclined to believe Adela Gilroyt, who was denouncing his misdeeds in quite detail.

“It’s a lie! It’s all lies!”

“It’s not a lie!”

And with the appearance of Arianna Valois, who was known to be under house arrest at the mansion, the situation was completely overturned.

Judging by the ashen faces of not only Duke Valois but also Lloyd, Arianna must be quite a powerful witness.

And I added a few more supporters for Adela.

“Lady Gilroyt’s words are true! I can testify!”

“I can testify too!”

A few servants and knights working for the Valois ducal family.

They were people I had planted through Betty long ago, though not for today.

It was simply to monitor the duke’s movements, but I didn’t know it would be helpful at a time like this.

I watched with a pleased expression as they testified one by one to Duke Valois’s crimes.

And on top of that, Count Felice too.

When he confessed that everything he had done was on Duke Valois’s orders, Duke Valois’s crimes were all established as perfectly as possible.

And that, due to very perfect testimonies.

“It’s all lies! Are you believing the words of those unverified people!”

The duke was shouting with reddened eyes that it wasn’t true, but it looked rather unsightly.

His frantic denial without any basis or logic didn’t look very good, to say the least.

I watched that spectacle for a moment and then stood up.

Among those three people, Duke Valois was the most difficult to establish crimes for.

That’s why I had stayed up all night trying to create evidence and witnesses, wasn’t it?

The other two had enough evidence and such secured to establish their crimes no matter what, so I thought I didn’t need to watch till the end.

“Are you going in first, Amelia?”

As I was about to leave, Leoprick looked up at me with gentle eyes.

I nodded and lightly grasped his hand.

“I’m a bit tired. Please let me know the results later, Your Majesty.”

“Of course. Go and get some rest. You haven’t been sleeping properly for days.”

Leoprick looked at me with a worried face and pulled my hand to kiss the back of it.

I smiled at him and then left my seat.

“Are you sure you don’t want to watch till the end?”

Betty asked, following behind me.

She said it looked like Lloyd would be found guilty today too, asking if I really didn’t want to see that.

I shook my head lightly.

Perhaps if it had been a while ago, before I knew about Leoprick’s, my own, and Lloyd’s regression, I might have wanted to see him receive his sentence.

But now that I was firmly convinced he would never change, I wasn’t very curious about that outcome.

Before, I was also curious about what kind of ending he had met before the regression, but well.

Did I need to be curious about that even in this gift-like life?

“Yes. It’s fine. I’m just tired now.”

More than that, the fatigue that was washing over me now was more important.

To be honest, I was really very tired.

If I had stayed there a little longer, I might have dozed off while sitting.

I dragged my limp body and barely made it back to my room.

“Rest well, Your Highness. I’ll wake you when His Majesty arrives.”

“Mm. Thank you, Betty.”

Betty must have noticed that I was much more tired than usual, as she arranged the bedding without saying anything else and adjusted the bed so I could sleep comfortably.

As I lay down on the bed following Betty’s gestures, I couldn’t have felt more comfortable.

It felt like I might just sink in and disappear like this.

I fell asleep feeling genuinely relaxed, which was quite rare for me.

When I came to my senses, it was already dark around me.

At first, I thought Betty might have drawn the curtains, but there was nothing covering the windows.

“…My goodness. How long have I slept?”

To sleep until it became this late.

Even after that, I still didn’t feel like my fatigue had completely disappeared.

I got up from the bed hurriedly with a bewildered face.

Everything around was pitch black.

I could barely make out the silhouettes of objects right next to me.

At this rate, it meant I had slept for almost half a day straight.

In my confused state, I was about to pull the cord but thought I should check what time it was first.

If it was the middle of the night, I’d feel bad about waking Betty.

As I got up from the bed and approached the door, I could see light seeping in from outside.

Seeing the light on, it probably wasn’t the middle of the night yet?

Thinking that, I was about to open the door.

“Then Bia is still sleeping… Amelia?”

Suddenly the door opened, and Leoprick came in.

With a very puzzled face, and Betty with a worried expression beside him.

“Your Highness! You’re awake!”

Seeing my face, Betty approached me with an expression like she might cry at any moment.

I did sleep longer than usual, but it wasn’t something to cry about, was it?

As I nodded with an awkward face, Leoprick also let out a sigh of relief.

“We were worried, Amelia. Betty said you wouldn’t wake up no matter how much she tried.”

“…Me? Did you try to wake me, Betty?”

“Try, you say! I really tried my best to wake you up, Your Highness.”

But she said I just kept sleeping without the slightest movement, so she suspected something might be seriously wrong.

She said she left me alone since my breathing and pulse were normal, but she kept worrying and checking on me frequently.

Then when I still wouldn’t wake up, she called for Leoprick.

“When Betty looked like she might cry, how could I not worry? Are you really alright? Does anything hurt?”

“Um, yes. I’m fine. I must have been extremely tired.”

But I just couldn’t grasp the reality of the whole situation.

I thought I had slept soundly without any dreams, but to think I hadn’t woken up even when they tried to wake me.

And I had slept more than twice as long as usual.

No, it was surprising that I, who rarely take naps, had slept this much in the first place.

“Did the trial end well?”

“Ah, yes. It concluded well. It took a bit longer as there was much to reveal.”

I was a bit late too, organizing and approving things.

Leoprick apologized, saying he didn’t know I was sleeping because he was working.

“Your Majesty has nothing to apologize for. I didn’t notify you separately.”

“Still. You might not have been feeling well.”

“That’s right, Your Highness! You should get a check-up just in case, okay?”

“What check-up? I’m really fine, I tell you.”

Apologizing when there was nothing to apologize for, and making a fuss about a check-up when there was no need. It was overprotection, plain and simple.

I kept waving my hand saying I was really fine, when suddenly I frowned at a subtle smell wafting from somewhere.

What is this smell?

It smelled like food, but somehow the odor was unpleasant…

As I was looking around trying to find where the smell was coming from, I saw the maid Jen, whom I had sent to Arianna, coming up the stairs carrying a tray of food.

…To smell that from this distance.

That was strange enough, but even though all the food on the tray was clearly dishes I enjoyed eating, I felt my stomach turning.

As my gaze remained fixed in that direction, Betty and Leoprick also turned their attention that way.

“Ah, right. Look at me. Aren’t you hungry? I had them bring something from the kitchen just in case.”

“Your Highness! I heard you might be hungry so I brought some food. Are you feeling a bit better?”

Jen’s clear voice rang out after Betty’s words.

Usually, I would have at least asked how she had been doing, but I wasn’t in a situation to do so now.

“J-Jen. That…”

“Yes? Your Highness?”

“Amelia. Are you alright?”

Please, just take that away!

Swallowing a silent scream, I covered my mouth and fled into the room as nausea rose from within.

I hated that smell so much.

Not only that, but my churning stomach felt horribly like I might throw up.

I covered my mouth and dry heaved, clutching the sofa as I sank down.

“Amelia!”

At that sight, Leoprick rushed over in a panic, and I could hear Betty and Jen shouting something in confusion.

And all of those things seemed just like watching from atop a violently shaking horse…

And with that, I lost consciousness.

When I opened my eyes again,

The bed was surrounded by people.

Father, His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, Leoprick…

Betty and Jen, and even the imperial physician – seeing them all here, it seemed I really was sick.

After blinking a couple of times, my blurry vision gradually became clearer.

As I opened my eyes, everyone present turned their attention to me in a fuss.

Voices asking if I was alright, how I was feeling, how my body felt – they all mixed together, making my head buzz.

Though it quieted down quickly when I waved my hand.

“What, what’s going on?”

I frowned, wondering why they were all gathered like this, and the physician beside me cleared his throat softly.

“Your Highness. Have you felt any unusual symptoms recently?”

“Symptoms? Why…”

I became worried, thinking maybe something really was wrong with me.

I had been feeling tired lately, and had no appetite…

Just as I was about to worry that maybe I had caught some serious illness.

“Well. Even if I explain the rest slowly, I should tell you this first.”

The physician cleared his throat softly and glanced around at the several pairs of eyes focused on him.

And then.

“Congratulations. You are with child, Your Highness.”

…I’m what?

For a moment, it felt like the room had frozen.

Along with everyone in it.

In that frozen space, people stood with their mouths open, unable to utter a word.

And then, suddenly. In an instant.

“Oh my, Your Highness!”

“Congratulations, Amelia!”

“How grateful we are!”

Like a round, inflated ball bursting with a pop, laughter erupted all at once.

Laughter, emotion, surprise…

And behind all those emotions, Leoprick…

“Thank, thank you, Amelia. Thank you…”

He held my hand tightly, his eyes glistening with tears.

Thank you, he said. Really, thank you. You’ve worked hard, he said.

“There couldn’t be a better ending than this, Amelia. Ah…”

A statement that, more than anything else, brought reality home to me who still couldn’t properly grasp the situation.

I smiled as I placed my hand over his.

“Do you like this ending that’s different from before?”

“…Very much. It couldn’t be more perfect.”

“…Me too.”

Leoprick nodded, smiling as if he might cry in response to my question.

While everyone was busy sharing congratulations and joy among themselves, paying no attention to our conversation, I spoke to him emphatically.

“But this isn’t the ending. It’s just the beginning.”

Our real life is just starting now, I said.

Remembering this moment, now completely different from before, I smiled like that.