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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: I Was Dead
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That's right. I had died.

Murdered by the schemes of my half-brother, Andrea, and his mother, Empress Cavalla, who coveted the throne.

Under the laws of the Arental Empire, the Emperor is legally permitted to have multiple wives. The rank of those wives, in turn, determines their children’s place in the line of succession.

Andrea, the son of the Royal Consort, was originally the Emperor's only child and was set to become the next emperor.

Had I not been born so late to the Empress, who had remained childless after frequent miscarriages.

‘When Mother gave birth to me, Andrea’s place in the line of succession was pushed back.’

To Andrea, I was the sole obstacle standing in the way of his claim to the throne.

But as a mere seven-year-old child, I knew none of this.

“Don’t be sad, Chloe. Your brother will protect you now.”

The day my mother was found hanging from a beautiful chandelier in her room, the imperial palace was in utter chaos.

The staff of the Empress's palace were arrested and interrogated, and all the faces I knew scattered and vanished without a trace. A grim atmosphere settled over the palace.

Amidst the breathtakingly rapid changes, the adults seemed to have forgotten my existence.

It was Andrea who came running to my side. He was eighteen at the time.

“It will be all right, Chloe. From now on, trust no one but your brother. Trust only me. That’s all you need to do.”

That warmth.

The gentle hand that patted my back as I trembled in fear.

So young, I had no choice but to cling to the warmth offered by my own flesh and blood.

Andrea soothed me with sweet words and comfort.

“You don’t need to know anything. You’re still too young to understand the affairs of adults, Chloe.”

Under the care of Andrea and Empress Cavalla, who stood behind him, my peaceful days flowed by.

Meanwhile, strange rumors began to circulate.

The Empress had suffered from a mental illness and had hanged herself.

And Princess Chloe, too, was going mad, just like her mother.

…or so the rumors went.

The royal physician claimed my mother had long suffered from madness. And he said it was likely hereditary.

It was the first I had ever heard of it, but my every protest was silenced with, “You’re too young to understand.”

“Chloe, sometimes I’m afraid you’ll lose your mind, too. But no matter what, your brother will protect you. You are my only sister. Just remember that.”

Andrea soothed me with his worry and concern. He was so dependable.

I didn’t dislike Andrea, who came to check on me so often.

So I kept him close.

“Aren’t you cooped up in your room for too long? You should go for a walk by yourself.”

“I’m saying this because I’m worried. Don’t take walks at night. It looks strange for you to be wandering around alone like that.”

“Who said you shouldn’t go for a walk? I said you shouldn’t go alone. Can’t you understand what your brother is trying to say?”

But strangely, after he visited, fears would overwhelm me. ‘Why am I like this? Am I really going mad like Mother?’, ‘What would I do without Andrea?’

At times like that, I couldn’t do anything.

“Don’t worry. I’ll always be by your side. Who else do you have but me? I’m the only one you can trust.”

I did my best not to worry Andrea. Because my brother was all I had.

“Just as the Prince said, it would be good for you to take walks in the sun during the day.”

The physician’s advice seemed to change subtly according to Andrea’s opinions, but I didn’t dare feel offended by it.

“It’s all because I’m worried about you.”

Yes, that must be it.

But whether I followed the physician’s words or not, my actions always turned out to be wrong in the end.

“The Prince was concerned that you might be neglecting your duties and only taking walks. Long walks can actually be strenuous.”

It was always like this.

I grew more and more confused, and without Andrea, I became unable to make any decisions on my own.

“Chloe, you weren’t always like this. Why have you become so broken? Are you still having a hard time?”

“You’re not having a hard time? No, from what I can see, you seem to be struggling a lot. How pitiful.”

Do I look like I’m struggling? Am I struggling? I see, I must be struggling.

“I’m just worried about you. Are you seriously getting annoyed with me? It’s not annoyance? Look, you’re contradicting me right now. You call this not being annoyed?”

Did I get annoyed without realizing it? Why am I like this?

“You seem so irritable and moody lately. Just like Her Majesty, the Empress.”

“You’re so frustrating.”

At some point, every word I spoke was labeled as irritation or a tantrum. Though I never felt angry, I was constantly being told I was.

“My poor sister… The grief of losing Her Majesty the Empress has finally made you lose your mind.”

And so, I became the mad princess.

Since Andrea and the people of the palace said I was mad, I believed I really must be.

It was all my fault. I vowed again and again that I had to do better.

It was then that the matter of my marriage became a major point of contention between Andrea and me.

“Chloe, why do you hate this marriage? Would your brother really introduce you to a bad match? If you act so selfishly, we can’t remain the loving siblings we once were.”

“Do you think I’m doing this for myself? As a member of the imperial family, you should be of help to the imperial family. Isn’t it time you started playing your part?”

A marriage proposal Andrea had abruptly thrust upon me.

It was all too sudden for me, as I was not at all prepared for marriage.

But it felt like if I didn’t accept Andrea’s demands, our relationship would be over.

So I accepted the marriage.

It was the beginning of a nightmare.

“How dare you look at me, your husband, with such insolent eyes! Are you looking down on me just because you’re a princess?”

“I never did. I never tried to look down on you.”

“So are you saying I’m wrong? You madwoman, you’re worse than a beast!”

“I’m sorry. I was wrong…!”

Viscount Felsus, the man Andrea introduced me to, was from a wealthy merchant family and had barely entered the ranks of the nobility by buying his title.

He suffered his entire life from a severe inferiority complex about his origins.

Viscount Felsus vented the rage born from his deep-seated inferiority complex by belittling and abusing me.

Since rumors that I had gone completely mad were already rampant, no one believed I was capable of rational thought.

I was debased by my husband in every way imaginable.

Every single day was a living hell.

Then one day, Viscount Felsus, who had been out, returned home blind drunk and sought me out, consumed by rage.

“You must have whispered some wicked words to that brother of yours! Why won’t he grant me the title of Count?”

I had been assaulted countless times before, but that day was different.

“He-help…”

As I begged for my life, unable to even breathe properly, Viscount Felsus mercilessly trampled on me.

I don’t know how I escaped him. When I came to my senses, I had somehow managed to flee from Viscount Felsus and was heading toward Andrea.

But Andrea, whom I had reached with all my might, was merely annoyed by my battered state.

“Ah, can’t you handle your own marital problems? Do I have to solve things like that for you, too? Is there anything you can do on your own?”

“Brother…”

“Stop being such a nuisance. What reason do I have to be responsible for you? You and I are practically strangers. No, that’s not right. You’re a disgusting obstacle in my life.”

To think that I was a stranger and an obstacle to Andrea, the only person I thought I could trust.

“What are you saying, Brother? How am I a stranger…? I’m sorry, Brother. It’s all my fault.”

“Do you even know what you did wrong?”

“What did I do wrong…? Tell me. If you tell me, I’ll fix everything.”

“Hah, what’s the point? You’ll never change, not even if you died and came back to life. You’re a lost cause.”

Then, his eyes scanned my bloodstained body as he spoke.

“You’ll die if you go back anyway, won’t you? Fine, since you’re going to die, just die a little faster. Hmm? If only you died, everyone would be happy.”

“B-Brother…”

“This is the last favor your brother will ask of you. For my sake, go and die quietly. This works out well. We’ll say you were murdered by Viscount Felsus.”

Andrea was right. If I went back, Viscount Felsus would kill me anyway.

I didn’t even have a final straw to grasp.

Andrea’s knight, who was ordered to kill me and dragged me into the forest, sneered.

“Your mother had the same expression as you when she died.”

“What… What do you mean?”

“What an irritatingly dull woman. The whole world knows that the Royal Consort and the Prince drove your mother to her death by branding her as mentally ill, yet you’re the only one who doesn’t know. Tsk tsk.”

“……!”

“Do you know why they kept you alive? Because it would have been troublesome if you had died too, when they were already under suspicion.”

Only in the moments before my death did I finally understand everything with stark clarity.

My mother had been murdered, and I had been used.

“It’s a relief someone as stupid as you didn’t become the Emperor.”

Hearing the knight’s mockery, I died. Or so I thought…

My fading consciousness snapped back, and I opened my eyes.

In my room in the imperial palace.

When I came to my senses, I had returned to a late summer day ten years ago. I was twenty-two, and marriage talks with Viscount Felsus were in full swing.