Chapter 109

A hazy view slowly cleared. The person in front of her looked just like her. Unconsciously, she looked around, and this place was the same bedroom she’d been lying in before she fell asleep.

“Who are you?”

“I am you, but not you. I’m Edelis Brill, not Edelis Cronad.”

“What does that…”

The person who looked like Edelis tapped the book that Edelis had been reading right before she fell asleep.

“Edelis Brill.”

“The Edelis Brill from the book?”

“Yes.”

First, the emperor’s memories from the book were given to Lehan, and now the empress herself appeared before her eyes.

“…Are you going to take my memories?”

“If I had been close to the saintess, I might have tried, but I’m not close to her, so you can relax.”

“That’s a relief…”

Edelis was relieved that this other version of herself, who appeared just when she thought everything was over, wasn’t here to take Lehan away. Even so, she couldn’t understand what was happening. As Edelis glanced at the other her, the woman chuckled.

“You don’t need to be so cautious. I’m just traveling around to see how the other Edelises are doing.”

“Other Edelises?”

“Yes. Other Edelises.”

“What do you mean…?”

The existence of just one other Edelis was confusing enough. What did she mean there were more? This was absurd.

“Do you know who wrote this book?”

“…No.”

“Elaine Ryned. That bitch wrote it. I don’t know what’s so great about stealing someone else’s man that she had to leave a book like this.”

Everything she said was surprising. The other Edelis explained that the saintess fell in love with Lehan at first sight and used every trick in the book to steal him, despite her title as the saintess. It was said that history is written by the victors, and this was a glorified version of events left behind in a book.

“After I died, I felt so wronged. What did I do wrong to deserve death at His Majesty’s hands? The one who was truly at fault was Elaine Ryned, so why did that bitch get to enjoy the happiness I couldn’t?”

“So?”

“As I was dying, and even after I died, I prayed to God. I asked if God had done this for the saintess, His messenger and daughter, and if it was right for Him to do so.”

“…”

“And then.”

“And then?”

“He said he would grant me one wish.”

“A wish.”

“Yes, a wish. I don’t know if you know, but that bitch committed all sorts of wrongs while pretending to be the saintess, didn’t she?”

She listed how Elaine Ryned framed her, manipulated Berman Pasis, and tried to get the emperor to kill her. Her anger was still palpable, as if the memories were still vivid. But she soon calmed down, smiled sweetly, and continued.

“So, I don’t know if God felt sorry for me or if it was just His amusement, but He said He would grant me a wish.”

“What did you wish for?”

“At first, I was going to ask to turn back time, but I was afraid of failing. I only had one chance.”

“…So.”

“I asked Him to add a few lines to the book the saintess wrote.”

The book the saintess wrote wasn’t a ‘history book’ but a ‘novel’ filled with lies. So, it wouldn’t be strange for a few lines to be added as the story was passed down. So, she added the line, “Edelis found the book, <The Fate of the Flower>, written by the saintess, and read it in her library.”

“But with just one line added, countless endings appeared, perhaps because it touched upon reality.”

“What kind of endings?”

“Well, you defeated Elaine Ryned. There are a few people who reached this ending, but you seem the happiest.”

“What about the others?”

“Hmm, maybe because they were so wary of Ryned, one of them stabbed and killed her the moment she saw her.”

Edelis’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t close her mouth.

“So what happened?!”

“The Holy Empire started a war, and Edelis was exiled. I remember she was stoned to death by the faithful.”

“…Still, that must have felt good.”

“I was impressed that such a method existed.”

“Any other stories?”

She told her about the endings of several other Edelises. Some married a young count of a similar age early on, while others became the empress and were stabbed to death by the emperor’s sword. There were those who scarred their faces and lived in seclusion in their territory until they died, and others who attempted to assassinate the emperor before he could kill them, only to be put on the gallows. There were also those who tried to flirt with the emperor, thinking if the female protagonist could do it, so could they. One Edelis even pretended to be the saintess and got rid of Elaine Ryned by sacrificing her to God.

“I almost died of a heart attack watching the one who got along with Ryned.”

“How?!”

“Elaine Ryned became the empress, and before that, she married Sir Frache.”

“…Sir Johannes Frache?”

“Yes. He’s a pretty good guy. He really cherished her.”

“Well, if it’s Sir Frache, I guess that makes sense…”

“Ryned also tried to flirt with Sir Frache, but His Majesty completely cut off any contact between the two.”

“Lehan would definitely do that.”

Edelis unknowingly nodded, and the other her agreed.

“Anyway, that’s how it turned out, so Ryned gave up on Sir Frache, and they all lived happily together.”

It was good that they were happy, but she couldn’t even imagine marrying Sir Frache. And peace with Elaine Ryned was even more unimaginable.

“There were all sorts of stories.”

“Yes, and because of you, even more stories came out.”

“Me?!”

“Yes, you.”

She nonchalantly rattled off Edelis’s past thoughts, one by one.

“You once ran away before marrying the emperor and were caught.”

“It’s a good thing I didn’t run away…”

“There was a time when you succeeded in running away. I watched you for about five years after you escaped, but I don’t know what happened after that.”

“Wow… that’s incredible.”

“Right? But you were the most interesting. I’m satisfied because Ryned struggled more than usual before she died.”

“O-Okay.”

“His Majesty also likes you. Why did he never give me even a sliver of his heart, when he can love an Edelis so much?”

She lowered her eyes and smiled sadly. A deep sadness emanated from her shadowed face.

“…Edelis.”

“Oh, no. You don’t have to pity me. I’ve seen so many endings that it feels like someone else’s story now. It’s a relief that you’re happy!”

“Thank you…”

“For what!? I’ve been cheering you on all this time, so I’m glad it worked out well.”

“It’s all thanks to your support.”

Edelis beamed. If it weren’t for her, ‘Edelis’ would have met a miserable end, stabbed by the ‘saintess.’ But thanks to her, she had countless opportunities, which led to this happy ending.

“You made good choices. If you had gotten along with Ryned, I would have wanted to burn the book.”

Edelis giggled at her playful words. The other Edelis, who had been laughing along, suddenly stopped.

“Ah, Lehan is calling you.”

“Lehan?”

“Yes, he seems worried about you.”

“I don’t hear anything?”

She looked around, but there was no change. She even opened the door slightly, but she heard no sound and saw no one. It was unbelievable, but then again, having another version of herself in front of her was also unbelievable, so she figured it was possible.

“That’s because you’re talking to me. I really have to go now.”

“Ah… I wish we could talk more.”

“Then Lehan might go crazy. Instead, I’ll give you a gift.”

“What gift?”

“You’ll know when you wake up.”

With those words, ‘Edelis Brill’ waved her hand and slowly disappeared. Edelis’s vision became hazy again. Complete darkness fell, and slowly, she heard Lehan’s voice calling her name.

“Del…is! Ede…lis”

She should have answered, but her lips wouldn’t move. She painfully lifted her eyelids to see Lehan looking at her with a worried expression.

“…Lehan.”

“What happened? I was worried when you wouldn’t answer me.”

“Oh, that’s… I had a strange dream.”

“What kind of dream was it that you wouldn’t wake up even when I shook you?”

Lehan had been truly surprised. He had ordered a nutrient-rich lunch for her, thinking she needed to eat well to regain her strength, but she wouldn’t even budge. He had gently kissed her a few times, but she didn’t move. He called her name several times, but the situation didn’t change. Only then did he get alarmed and called the imperial doctor, while continuing to shake her. It took a while for her to finally respond.

“In my dream, ‘Edelis Brill,’ a character from the book, appeared.”

“Pardon?”

Edelis briefly told him the story she had heard: the events from the book, and how she had worked to change them.

“…So, thanks to her, I can be this happy now.”

Lehan picked up the book, savoring the feeling of happiness, when suddenly, a light spread from the book. He was flustered because it was the same light that appeared whenever the story of the book began.

“I thought it was all over!”

Startled by the sudden light, Lehan dropped the book and hugged Edelis to protect her.

“The things written in that book will never happen.”

Lehan said in a firm voice with a determined look, and Edelis nodded. She herself would never let that happen, just like the many other Edeliss. As Lehan was about to kiss Edelis, the pages of the fallen book began to turn one by one. At first, they turned slowly, page by page, but soon they flipped rapidly. And as the pages turned, the many events that Lehan and Edelis had experienced appeared and disappeared in a flash.

“…What is this?”

“You and I…”

Then, the scene from last night, of Lehan kissing Edelis, appeared.

‘No way? It’s not going to show what happens next, is it?!’

Fortunately, as if it sensed Edelis’s concern, the scene of the two of them faded to black. And then the light from the book completely disappeared.

“What happened to this…?”

Edelis mumbled in a state of confusion, but it seemed there was no one who could answer her. But when she picked up the book that had fallen on the floor and opened it to see if anything was wrong, she found something that had definitely changed.

***

That day was no different for Edelis. It was a day of receiving education on noble etiquette from her tutor and reading a few books in her study during her break. She asked a maid to bring her some simple refreshments and was pondering what book to read as she looked around her study. She thought she had read most of the romance novels in the study, but she found a book she had never seen before. The spine of the book seemed to shimmer, as if begging to be noticed. Edelis, curious, called for the maid. But since the maid hadn’t returned from the kitchen yet, there was no answer. The fact that she hadn’t seen the book before drew her in, and she took it from the shelf.

<The Fate of the Flower>…?

***

The book originally began with the saintess’s childhood. But that content was gone, and it had been completely changed to the story that they had experienced. She flipped through the pages to check the contents, but it had truly and completely changed.

‘Then what about the end?’

She couldn’t help but be curious. The story had originally ended with Edelis’s death. How would it end after the change? The story of the two of them ended like this:

“They lived happily ever after…”

“They will. Because I’ll make it so.”

“Yes, if it’s a future like this, maybe a future set by a book isn’t so bad?”

Edelis was touched, feeling as if the book had also approved of her. In response to her question, Lehan nodded and kissed Edelis on the lips, who was smiling happily.

“I’ll make you much happier than the book says.”

‘Even if it costs me everything I have.’