episode_0059

Late at night.

John had finished his work and was heading to the Perbace mansion in his carriage.

To be exact, I didn’t finish the work completely, but put it off until later because I just couldn’t get my hands on it.

He kept thinking of Rudel’s face, looking up at him with a sad and sorrowful look as the snowflakes fell on him.

Rudel’s sincerity was burdensome and yet left a strange resonance. She was ready to give up everything for herself.

But accepting that sacrifice meant abandoning his relationship with Francia.

But I couldn’t forget her appearance. I couldn’t forget her. It was the first time I felt this way, so I didn’t know how to deal with it.

‘What the heck is this…?’

It was difficult for John to accept that he was attracted to Rudela, whom he had always rejected and kept his distance from.

Francia was the first to open her heart, including in her past and present life.

It was even more confusing because I had never felt such a sad feeling before.

To be honest… it was good. My heart was pounding and my mind was racing. My face was blushing. I thought I would never feel like this again.

I think it would be correct to say that it is halfway over.

‘…This is driving me crazy.’

There was no need to think about it further since nothing had been decided yet, but if Rudella was successful in persuading him, he would end up with two women.

In this world, it is not a problem for men of high status to practice polygamy, but John was not of such high status.

Although he has the aura of the Duke of Pervace, he is only a son-in-law, and the only position he has gained through his power is that of a special magician in the civil service…

‘What a sight.’

John found himself wavering indecisively. The sight of it… seemed a bit odd to him. No, he didn’t like it at all.

There is also an ambiguous attitude that is self-centered and makes it difficult to sort out the relationship even though Francia is there.

John frowned and looked out the window. It was snowing so heavily that it seemed as if he was looking at a painting.

The road was completely frozen and slippery, so the carriage couldn’t move quickly.

‘…It’ll take quite some time.’

The public office and the Pervace mansion are quite far apart. This is because the grounds are quite large, so they had to go out to the outskirts.

It would take a long time to get back, but it wasn’t so bad. I needed time to gather my thoughts before meeting Francia.

‘I have a lot to think about.’

From repairing the cracks in the cave to Rudel’s work. Although it’s been quiet recently, there is also the Crown Prince who is eyeing this place.

If Francia were to allow her relationship with Rudella… it would be unlikely, but if it really were to happen, the burden on Johan’s shoulders would be even heavier.

‘What can I do? I have to work hard.’

It is the result of your own decisions and you are responsible for them.

John didn’t want to run away from there.

Of course, I may not be able to do it well. However, since I started, I was careful to do my best.

* * *

At that moment, Francia was looking at the front door from the window of John’s room, waiting for him to come.

As I looked at the scenery of pure white snow falling, I suddenly remembered a time that had now disappeared. The words he had said back then were still engraved in my heart.

“If I don’t remember, you remember.”

That’s why Francia went to see Johan right after she returned, and why she began to feel true to him.

“Huh huh…”

Francia smiled slightly as she recalled that day. At the time, it was really painful and she wished everything would end as soon as possible…

‘Who knew it would turn out like this?’

After meeting John, her plans meshed together like cogs in a wheel.

Of course, other than meeting him, Francia’s plans were going smoothly.

The first of these was to eliminate the men who were obsessed with her.

Cassis Lenokhonen sank himself before he could do anything. It was no surprise, as his ignorant behavior was no different from before his return.

Next up is Crown Prince Fedelian Rosino, a man who was not easy to bring down and was a headache. Evidence gathering was also not going well.

Still, time would tell. The Fedelian behind the mask was a heinous criminal, and he would inevitably be caught someday.

‘Here the Qing’s Ma-tap-ju and the Archbishop of the Holy Country remain…’

You don’t have to worry about that since you won’t be involved with those two in this life.

Here’s her second plan.

It’s about skyrocketing John’s value.

‘It was faster than I thought, but it went as planned.’

The outbreak of war with Sanburg was a variable that even she had not anticipated. It was a new incident that arose when Johan became involved.

However, the variable worked more positively than expected, opening up a big path for her plan.

Because John was able to close the cave.

She had a vague, if only partial, knowledge of the secrets of this world.

Because I had been to the Celestial Magician’s library when the seemingly strong Perbache was destroyed by those men and was running away.

It was then that I obtained the Book of Regression.

Of course, I didn’t just get the magic book there.

‘If I have the energy of purification, I can close the cave.’

Healers are extremely rare, but Francia is known as a master of healing magic, thanks to the purifying properties of her constitution.

However, the celestial wizard said that if you pour magical power containing the energy of purification into the cave, the crack can be repaired.

That is, the reason John was able to close the cave was because the purifying energy that Francia possessed had seeped into him.

There was one reason why Francia did not repair the crack herself but instead handed it over to Johan. She did not have the same vast magical power as Johan.

Repairing the rift in the cave required both vast magical power and the energy of purification.

So now John was able to close the cave.

The most important condition for the energy of purification to permeate the target was to have a lot of relationships with them.

Not just a kiss, but a communion where we share each other’s breath…

“Ahem…”

Francia felt her face flush as she remembered the relationship she had with Johan, and she hid her emotions with a cough.

anyway…

I only knew that the mana blade used by John before his return had vast magical power, but I didn’t expect it to be of such high purity.

In any case, thanks to that, the energy of purification was able to seep in more quickly. Naturally, this was good news for Francia.

‘Could it be that John and I were destined from the beginning?’

Francia smiled and thought, There was no room for doubt at this point. An unshakable conviction settled in her heart.

‘And… I think pretending not to know worked well.’

It was perfect, from the fact that it could close the cave to just giving a hint.

It would have been easier if they had told me from the beginning… but the celestial wizard said that I must never let anyone else know that I had returned.

Rather than giving detailed information for no reason and making Yohan suspicious and ask questions, it would have been better to pretend not to know and just drop a clue.

‘There’s not much left.’

She clenched her fists and swallowed, her throat feeling heavier than usual as anticipation built up.

“Your Highness, Harsen Youngsik has arrived.”

While Francia was lost in thought, a servant came in and announced that Johan had arrived.

She smiled and got up from her seat.

* * *

When John returned to the mansion, Francia greeted him with a bashful smile.

“You came earlier than expected?”

“Ah.”

John looked away and smiled awkwardly, unable to meet her eyes.

“…I postponed the work until later.”

“Uh, why?”

“I can’t concentrate at all…”

“Hmm?”

Francia noticed something strange about him, but didn’t bother to ask about it. Johan looked quite tired.

“You must be tired from working late. I’ll tell you to prepare a meal, so rest.”

“Yes.”

Johan smiled lightly and went upstairs. When he saw Francia, his mind was quite complicated. She didn’t know about his relationship with Rudella.

If Rudella were to tell this first, she would feel a considerable sense of betrayal.

‘I guess I should say something.’

What happened with Rudella before, how did it come to this, and what he wants to do.

I have to let everyone know.

After a quick shower in the bathroom, John changed his clothes and headed to the restaurant.

On the table was a warm soup prepared for the cold winter.

“Eat it!”

As we sat down at the table, Francia, sitting across from us, picked up her cutlery.

The quiet restaurant was filled only with the sound of dishes clinking.

Before John could speak, he opened his mouth first.

“Francia.”

“Yes?”

“I have something important to tell you.”

“What is it?”

Francia put down the moving dishes and looked at Johan.

“That’s…”

John hesitated for a moment. He couldn’t dare to predict how she would react when he brought up this topic.

But I had to say it.

“Lady Bismark came to see me.”

“That guy?”

“…He confessed his feelings to me.”

“What is that…?”

She blinked and tilted her head as if she didn’t understand English.

“Lady Bismark has confessed her love to me. She has cut ties with the family and broken off her engagement to the crown prince.”

“No, no. Wait a minute.”

Francia, her eyes wide open, waved her hand. Johan stopped talking.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? I’m honestly really confused…”

Francia couldn’t follow the story. She felt something was off, but a sudden confession of love? And that Rudela Bismark?

“Why on earth is that guy…?”

She took a breath without realizing it. For a moment, she felt like her breathing had stopped.

Memories of the past flashed through my mind.

Rudela Bismark had always been perfect and cool. It was unbelievable that she would break off her engagement with the Crown Prince.

Even falling for John…?

“…When on earth? Surely not today?”

“Today is the day, but it was the day before too.”

“Uh…”

Looking at the confused Francia, John continued his explanation.

“What happened─”

John tells Francia about the first time he met Rudela on an escort mission, the time they were stuck in a cave after the bridge collapsed, and what happened afterwards, as well as her circumstances.

I told everything.

“Oh my god.”

Francia covered her mouth with her hand in disbelief. Her red eyes trembled violently. Her breathing became ragged.

Silence fell. Francia felt a mixture of emotions, mixed with anger and inexplicable anxiety.

My mind felt like it was going completely blurry.

“…John.”

She spoke calmly, but her insides were churning.

“What do you want to do?”

But soon Francia’s expression hardened and she asked. Her voice was trembling.

“I want to help Lady Bismark.”

“Because you are a person who changed because of John?”

“Yes.”

John’s expression hardened. His deep blue eyes stared intently at Francia.

“If I turn away, if I don’t help, Lady Bismark might die.”

In fact, this was the biggest reason.

He didn’t want to see the person who had shown sincerity to him, the person who had changed because of him, die.

“So.”

Francia continued asking questions with a cold, hard face.

“What do you want to do after helping?”

“…I don’t want to hurt you.”

Francia, staring at him intently, asked again.

“Is that sympathy and pity?”

Her voice was calm, but there was an unknown anxiety within it.

“That’s how it started, but now it’s different.”

“…So you’re saying you ended up liking her?”

Francia’s voice trembled. Her red eyes pierced John.

“That’s right.”

John spoke honestly.

She showed that her heart was true and made the decision to give up everything she had as a noblewoman and future crown princess.

She was foolish and pitiful, but she couldn’t hold back her feelings of missing him, so she came all the way to the civil servant’s office.

However, she was worried that he would hate her, so she couldn’t call him easily and just looked at him with sad eyes.

She told me that she liked him not only because of his appearance, but also because of the person Johan Harsen was.

I developed a crush on her.

“…I’m really confused and embarrassed right now.”

“I know.”

“I don’t even know how to take it.”

Francia sighed and closed her eyes, trying to hide her trembling pupils.

A hot feeling welled up inside her. Jealousy, anxiety, and conflicting feelings of trust shook Francia’s insides.

John just waited silently for her mouth to open.

“…But I will try to talk to her. If Lady Bismark can convince me, she will surely be of great help to us.”

To be honest, I didn’t feel like it, but I had no intention of denying John’s feelings. Strictly speaking, I didn’t have the right to do so.

In a way, Francia was no different from unilaterally taking John and forcing responsibility on him.

So, if one day he finds someone he truly wants, he is willing to accept polygamy.

Of course, assuming you are the first.

“John, will you respect whatever choice I make?”

When Francia asked in a deep, low voice, Johan answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Of course.”

“Even if I refuse?”

“Yes.”

“…Okay then.”

Francia nodded her head slowly with a bitter smile.

“I know for sure that John’s feelings toward me will not change.”

Francia decided to at least have a conversation.

If she, the future crown princess, could help, things would be easier in the future.