Now that she thought about it, there were too many strange things. Edward was never the type with a strong sense of justice. Yet, opposing Damon for the peace of the empire?

That made no sense at all.

Moreover, Edward, to her knowledge, wasn’t harmed in the Logan Empire so there was no need for him to return to the Caesar Empire to confront Damon.

“How did Armando… meet Edward again?”

No matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t recall the details.

All she remembered was that their meeting wasn’t particularly memorable. Many readers couldn’t understand why those two fell in love in the first place. Most were charmed by Damon, the villain, rather than the male lead, Eddy.

It was understandable, considering Eddy lacked the elements that made a character appealing as a male lead. It was almost questionable if the author really did set Eddy as the male lead.

Damon overshadowed him in appearance, abilities, and personality. Without him, Edward might have been celebrated as a genius wizard and enjoyed popularity. Nonetheless, Damon was almost monster-like in his capabilities.

“I can’t remember…”

Elysia tried to piece together her fragmented memory.

Sierra must have found Edward in the Logan Empire. They had a chance to meet there, and somehow, Edward ended up in the Caesar Empire. She couldn’t understand how Sierra knew to find Edward. She couldn’t just believe it was a coincidence.

The Sierra she knew didn’t leave things to chance.

It must have been planned.

The question was how she knew. And even if they met, it was strange for Edward to so readily side with Sierra. Edward wasn’t the type to easily trust people, yet he would follow someone he just met?

“It’s too strange.”

Furthermore, they were now planning to marry.

In the original story, Edward and Sierra didn’t rush into marriage. Their partnership remained professional, partly due to Edward’s lack of status. Was it because Edward hadn’t abandoned the County this time? Or because the County hadn’t yet gone extinct?

Despite the questions one after another, no clear answers came.

“One thing’s for sure… Sierra knew about Edward. She went to him because she knew of his abilities.”

That much was certain. The question was how Sierra had recognized Edward’s ability to use magic, an ability he had hidden even from his own family.

Her head was overloaded with thoughts and throbbed with pain.

Elysia touched her temples and lay down on the bed, feeling slightly feverish. This made sense, given the recent relentless forces around her. Apart from physical endurance, her resilience in other areas wasn’t her strong suit.

“Wait a moment…”

What if Edward had confessed his abilities first? That would make everything clear. Given his cautious nature, he wouldn’t have immediately revealed his secret. That meant the situation had been orchestrated…

Initially, Sierra wouldn’t have approached Edward, thinking he possessed significant powers. So, why approach him?

To deliberately create such a coincidence by going to the Logan Empire…

“Ah…!”

It was foolish of her.

The answer had always been with her. She had just forgotten it.

* * *

The answer was her.

Initially, Sierra probably went to Edward without much expectation. With the Emperor dead, no one would likely oppose Damon, but she aspired to the highest position. Knowing that the Grand Duchess’s position was unattainable, what remained was the Empress’s seat.

To claim even the Empress’s seat, she had to push Damon aside. Of course, he would probably die young anyway, but she knew the chaos that would ensue.

From a young age, Sierra understood better than anyone what it took to seize power.

“So, that was it… She approached Edward because she knew he was my brother.”

Sierra needed a clear ally, someone who would never side with Damon. It made sense to seek someone with a deep-seated hatred for Damon—the greater the anger, the better—to ensure loyalty to her, no matter what.

“Edward would have hated Damon more than anyone.”

One thing about Edward remained unchanged, even as he seemed to have changed: the strong bond between him and Elysia. That was one aspect that never changed. His visit to her, even while allied with Sierra, confirmed as much.

If she had died at Damon’s hands?

“Edward must have wanted revenge and was building his power for it.”

Otherwise, there would be no reason to stay in the Logan Empire. It was clear that the Logan Empire would have been a more conducive place for Edward to grow his power. Amidst this, Sierra’s sweet proposal would have been hard to refuse.

It was a matter of aligning interests.

Whether love blossomed between them, she couldn’t be certain…

Truthfully, if asked whether Elysia believed they truly loved each other, she would say she didn’t know. Sierra was that obsessed with Damon. Although she didn’t show it, every reader could feel it.

“It wouldn’t have been any different this time…”

Still, Elysia hadn’t died yet, so she didn’t understand how Sierra managed to pull Edward to her side under these circumstances, especially with such strong trust…

“It won’t work.”

Elysia suddenly got up and rushed to open the door.

She couldn’t just stay put. She needed to find out what Sierra was using to keep Edward with her.

And… the most troubling aspect was the flow of the original storyline. Her existence had already changed so much, and the plot wouldn’t allow these changes to stand. It seemed to be forcefully trying to revert everything back.

Indeed, things had become twisted, but Sierra became the heir, and she met Edward… and now, they were on the same side.

“Madam? Where are you rushing off to?”

“Ah… I must go to Duchy Armando right now.”

Driven by the urgent need to go, she ran out without a second thought. She had to see Sierra to find out how she managed to draw in Edward and why she revealed the existence of the information guild to her.

“Excuse me?”

“Please prepare the carriage.”

“But you said you weren’t going out today…”

“I need to go, quickly.”

It was natural for Julia to be taken aback. Nobles usually informed each other before visiting due to protocols of courtesy. But now, she was insisting on visiting the Duchy outright without even knowing whether Sierra was there.

“Your, Your Grace, please calm down.”

“I have to go now. It’s not far from here, is it?”

Despite the fact that she knew rushing off like this was wrong, she was beyond seeing reason at that moment. She needed to uncover Sierra’s intentions.

Was Sierra really using her and Edward to fulfill her ambition of becoming the Empress?

“Your Grace!”

Elysia ran blindly, driven only by the thought of meeting Sierra. While she knew she shouldn’t, she couldn’t help herself. She kept biting the inside of her cheek in anxiety. A bit more, and she might draw blood, and then she’d panic at the smell of her own blood.

“Stop.”

“….”

“Stop biting.”

Feeling a hand cupping her cheek, Elysia stopped biting. It made sense for Damon to appear after such a commotion.

“I’ve said it before. The wife’s body is important.”

Seeing him, the heat in her head cooled off.

Blinded by the need to confront Sierra, she had noticed nothing else. If he hadn’t intervened, she might have collapsed before even reaching Sierra.

“Where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?”

“That… That’s…”

“Going alone like this, you might get hurt.”

Indeed, her condition was far from normal. It couldn’t be helped. The thought that all this turmoil was because of her was unbearable. She wanted to set things straight immediately. She had a rough idea of how Sierra might have lured Edward.

“No, I’m fine… I just got a bit worked up.”

“Madam!”

Chloe and Rachel, who were following her, hid upon seeing Damon. It was always the same. Whenever something happened, he would appear out of nowhere as if he knew everything about her.

“I was going to Duchy Armando. I thought I should see Lady Armando.”

“Lady Armando?”

“We’ve become close recently… I forgot something I had to tell her…”

Even to her, the explanation sounded like a rambling mess.

Who would believe such a story? But she couldn’t go with Damon since that might only increase Sierra’s antagonism. If her suspicions were correct, she still harbored feelings for Damon. She had backed down, knowing it was impossible.

“….”

“So, I shouldn’t go.”

Elysia nodded slightly. It was best to avoid unnecessary resistance.

“All right then. Go ahead.”

“Yes, yes…?”

“Take care.”

Elysia’s eyes widened. She was not expecting him to give up so quickly. She had at least expected some objection…

“Didn’t I tell you? Whatever you do is okay.”

Was the firmness in the touch as he stroked her cheek her imagination?

“As long as you don’t leave me.”

__