Chapter 14

“Khuhp.”

As Cecenia stepped outside, she started laughing like a madwoman. Lisbet, who had been waiting outside the room, looked at her with deep concern.

“Miss… A-Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine. I’m fine. It’s just… too funny.”

She laughed openly in front of the room. There had never been a moment as entertaining as this for Cecenia. Even when she learned of her family’s curse and returned to the past, or when her father, the marquis, provided her with investment funds, she hadn’t felt this way.

‘It’s really… really too funny. Could it be that God is on my side? Otherwise, how else would my sister be sent away at this exact moment?’

And yet, she was still foolish.

‘If it were me, I wouldn’t have revealed it like that.’

Tears welled up as she laughed, but soon, Cecenia’s expression hardened.

In a way, this was an opportunity. Unlike before, Elzer would be more on edge now. And since her opponent knew what she knew, she would have to use a different strategy. The sudden surge of tension was almost welcome.

‘I don’t know how she came back… but now I know something new.’

It was proof that anyone could return from death.

“Let’s go back now.”

“Ah… Y-Yes!”

Cecenia glanced at Lisbet beside her. The situation was so favorable for her that it felt like she was a child blessed by the gods. But then, her expression stiffened.

‘I don’t believe in gods.’

Gods were fickle. At any moment, the tide could turn against her.

No, the situation was already disadvantageous. In the end, just as Elzer had said, capital was the key to any business. And Elzer had far more capital than Cecenia.

“Miss, are you really okay?”

She looked at Cecenia with a worried expression.

“Of course, I’m fine.”

“But… the cotton business…”

Cecenia shook her head firmly, as if telling her to stop talking. Only then did Lisbet fall silent and follow her. Once they were back in the room, Cecenia whispered into Lisbet’s ear.

For a long time. And gradually, the worry on Lisbet’s face lifted.

“Ah…”

“My sister will never succeed.”

“If she’s simply copying your business… then yes, that makes sense.”

“So don’t worry.”

Lisbet still looked concerned, but Cecenia was certain. There was no way Elzer could make this business succeed.

**

After Cecenia left, Elzer clenched her fists tightly.

“Why… why! Everything was perfect, so why was she the one to return first? I knew something felt different from before… So this is why?”

She began throwing things around the room in a fit of rage.

“Aaaah!!! This is infuriating! So frustrating!!! I should have known when she suddenly abandoned the marquis family and asked for money to start a business. What should I do… what should I do… No. No. In the end, the marquis family will be mine. No matter what she tries, it won’t work. In the end, I will be the one to save the marquis family with cotton. I will take the marquis family for myself…!”

After her outburst, Elzer finally stopped panting in frustration.

Elzer. She, too, had returned to the past. She, too, had been killed.

Remembering that, her hands trembled violently.

“This time… this time, I will succeed. Everything will be mine. Yes, what can Cecenia do? In the end… she won’t be able to do anything. Only I can make this happen. This time… I won’t let that emperor get away with it.”

Overcome with emotions, Elzer clutched her chest and staggered toward the bed.

“Ha… My chest… it hurts.”

Lying down quickly, she took deep breaths. The memory of the time she thought everything had ended came rushing back. Elzer felt anger bubbling up again, but she knew that if she let herself get too worked up, she might faint. She forced herself to close her eyes.

And then, that moment resurfaced.

[Everything had been perfect. After Cecenia’s death, the world moved exactly as Elzer had planned.]

The current emperor, Rashidel, began to suspect her. Because of the things Cecenia had said before her death, strange rumors spread among the people. They whispered that the child Elzer had given birth to was not the emperor. The gossip escalated, even claiming that the child wasn’t of royal blood at all.

Despite this, Rashidel kept Elzer by his side. No, he had no choice but to.

He had caused the death of his wife, the empress. If he abandoned Elzer now, he would become a laughingstock. Because of this, his reputation crumbled, and other princes started eyeing the throne.

But that was as far as it went. There was an unexpected obstacle. After Cecenia’s execution, their father, the former marquis, returned to reclaim his title. Elzer had assumed that with Cecenia gone, the marquis family would naturally fall into her hands, but she was caught off guard.

Moreover, their father remained wary of her because of the words Cecenia had spoken at her execution.

‘Father, you are getting old. Let me take care of the marquis family. You should rest.’

‘No. This is my family, and I must lead it.’

‘But I can do it well.’

‘You have given birth to the emperor’s child. Soon, you will be empress, and an empress must focus on the affairs of the nation. Besides, when the marquis family’s successor was originally decided, you found it overwhelming. So let me handle it. Don’t worry, I am still strong.’

No matter what she said, he wouldn’t listen. She needed to wait for the emperor to become more vulnerable and then overthrow him. For that, she needed the wealth and influence of the marquis family, but her father refused to budge.

‘Then, Father, there is someone I have been observing. Please support him.’

‘Hmm? Who is he?’

‘He is a prince…’

‘The empress’s family supporting a prince? That is unthinkable. If you do that, you will become entangled in terrible rumors. An empress must always be cautious.’

‘Ah… Father, but please. Just this once, trust me…’

In the past, the marquis had always been on her side. But no matter how much Elzer pleaded, he refused to listen. Even when she visited him daily, nothing changed.

After a week of this, her father began to suspect her.

‘I don’t understand why you’re acting like this.’

‘Father, please, just this once, do as I ask.’

‘No. No matter what happens, I will not do it. In fact, the more you insist, the more suspicious it seems. Cecenia’s last words keep echoing in my mind…’

Realizing that her father now distrusted her, Elzer devised a plan. If he died, the marquis family would fall into her hands. Just like she had done with Cecenia, she poisoned him.

Over the course of several days, she gave him small doses of poison, until finally, he died.