Although I had fled from the Karlua Empire, I was now officially Ascan’s lover, and my mood was soaring with joy.

It was then that I had a vague thought—if I could just find the right opportunity to safely return to the Arwen Empire, everything would end happily.

Someone sent by Dekain came to visit me at my lodging.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss. My name is Kevin. The guild master said to inform you that a reply has arrived.”

A reply?

Apparently, it was sent by the Brellof family after receiving my letter.

I was quite satisfied with how swiftly they had delivered my letter and brought back a response.

What surprised me was that, given Dekain’s personality, I expected him to come in person—sending someone else suggested he was extremely busy restoring his status as a prince.

I looked at Kevin, who had a composed appearance, and accepted the letter from him.

Since I had read the novel, I already knew Kevin. He had grown up alongside Dekain since childhood and was a trustworthy person.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed the white envelope was sealed with red sealing wax bearing the Brellof family crest, ensuring no one else could open it.

At first, I casually opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.

Given that I had written to inform them I was doing well despite rumors circulating, I expected the letter to contain reassuring words.

But the more I read, the more my expression involuntarily hardened.

Fearing Kevin might glimpse the contents, I quickly refolded the letter and spoke in as casual a tone as possible.

“Thank you for your efforts. Please tell Dekain I received his reply, and ask him to deliver another letter I will write back to the family.”

“Understood. I will inform the guild master and return to see you again.”

“Alright.”

Kevin bowed politely and left the room.

I took a deep breath and, with trembling hands, reopened the letter written by Orland.

[Through interrogating the mercenaries you sent, we discovered the person who ordered them to steal the documents that day may have been someone from the Karlua Imperial Court.

Based on their testimonies, we reinvestigated the documents that disappeared over twenty years ago and confirmed they concerned a miraculous new medicine that causes no harm to humans.

It seems highly likely this is connected to the human weapons experiment conducted long ago by the Karlua Empire, and upon further investigation, we found additional witnesses and evidence.

It is now certain that the Karlua Imperial Court was involved in Charles’s death—specifically, it was an order issued by the late Emperor.

Punishing the late Emperor himself will be difficult, but the problem is that countless vested interests are entangled; eliminating him alone cannot be called the end of our revenge.

As I swore, I cannot live under the same sky as the culprit.

If necessary, I intend to bring down the Karlua Empire with my own hands.

What was done to you is also unforgivable—I, your father, will avenge you.

I wish to use the magical engineering weapons you created—will you grant me authorization?

For now, I intend to do everything possible to protect you and help you safely reach the Arwen Empire—please inform me if you have any plans.]

Orland’s letter continued beyond this, but the crucial point was the confirmed connection between Charles’s death and the Karlua Imperial Court.

‘Why didn’t I suspect this sooner?’

Cains, who had intruded into the villa that day, was from the Karlua Empire—and Andro, who was close to him, was likewise.

Since the intruders at the villa on the day Charles died were from the Karlua Empire, it was highly probable the one who ordered the attack was also from the same nation.

Naturally, the most powerful entity within the Karlua Empire was the Imperial Court.

I should have anticipated this might be connected to the Karlua Imperial Court.

“…Haa.”

I took a deep breath to calm myself.

Now that Orland knew of the connection between Charles’s death and the Karlua Imperial Court, he would absolutely never abandon his revenge.

My own mindset had also changed. I had intended to thoroughly repay Helsion, but I hadn’t anticipated preparing for war, as mentioned in the letter.

But now, I had to consider even the worst-case scenario.

‘The Karlua Empire must pay for my mother’s death.’

It didn’t matter how powerful the Karlua Empire was—if they were connected to Charles’s death, no one involved could escape revenge.

Though this was originally a world from a book, it had now also become the world I lived in.

Whether these were memories left in Tanashia’s body or not, my mind held recollections of Charles.

In fact, I could recall not only Charles but everything that had happened before my possession.

At first, memories surfaced sporadically and confused me, but over the past ten years, the memories of the original Tanashia’s life had become complete.

Now, I was Tanashia—and Tanashia was me.

That meant Orland, Charles, and Noxia were already family to me, an orphan from my previous life.

Learning that the culprit behind Charles’s death was connected to them, I couldn’t possibly remain emotionally detached—deep anger boiled within me.

Thinking back, Helsion forcing me into marriage had been terrible enough, but if Ascan hadn’t rescued me, I would have nearly married my enemy.

Realizing this anew made it feel even more horrifying.

‘What kind of ending would the story have reached if it had followed the original plot?’

In the original novel, Ascan’s Karlua army destroyed the Arwen Empire—consequently, the Brellof family was also annihilated.

Because of this, Noxia encountered many male supporting characters from the Karlua Empire. Naturally, since the novel’s keyword was “beloved saintess,” this made sense.

I didn’t know how the story would have unfolded if Noxia in the novel had learned of the connection between Charles’s death and the Karlua Imperial Court.

‘Did she succeed in her revenge?’

Perhaps that hidden storyline was why the male protagonist wasn’t someone from the Karlua Empire, but Prince Rohel of the Arwen Empire.

Since this was a question with no clear answer, I shook my head and dismissed these useless thoughts.

No matter how much I pondered, I couldn’t know the ending of an unfinished novel.

What mattered was the situation immediately before me.

‘Even if I deploy all the magical engineering weapons I created, can I truly guarantee victory in a war against the Karlua Empire?’

In the original story, the Arwen Empire didn’t lose for no reason—the power gap between it and the mighty Karlua Empire was simply too vast.

Even without Ascan, that fact remained undeniable.

‘I also doubt whether the Arwen Imperial Court would agree to war.’

Though the Brellof family held great influence, it was still merely a family.

War is waged between nations. Without the Arwen Imperial Court’s consent, victory through our strength alone was impossible.

Though I couldn’t fully grasp Orland’s thoughts from this brief letter, I had to proceed cautiously—I couldn’t start a fight I couldn’t win.

From the beginning, I believed uncovering and resolving Charles’s death was how I could repay Orland and Noxia. That was why I had devoted myself to tracking down the true culprit until now.

The Karlua Imperial Court was no easy opponent—but I had to find a way to succeed in revenge while minimizing harm to the Brellof family.

First, I summoned Zen.

Since I had reestablished contact with Orland after a long silence, I needed to inform him, as he was surely worried.

“You called for me, Miss?”

Fortunately, Zen was nearby, guarding me.

Without preamble, I showed him Orland’s letter.

It was far too sensitive to show just anyone, but having read the novel and shared so much time together, I trusted Zen.

Zen’s eyes widened in shock as he read Orland’s letter.

He quickly refolded it and respectfully handed it back to me.

“How could you show me such a confidential matter?”

“Because I know you also wish to avenge your mother.”

“…!”

Zen stared at me, astonished.

Having read the novel, I knew Zen’s past—Charles, whom he had met as a child, was a special, mother-like figure to him.

“How… did you know?”

I couldn’t honestly answer that I knew from the novel, so I vaguely deflected.

“I can tell just by observing you.”

Though Zen still looked puzzled, he didn’t press further—this wasn’t the time for such questions.

“If you have any orders for me, please speak.”

Actually, I hadn’t shown him Orland’s letter solely because he held Charles in special regard.

Currently, having fled the Karlua Empire, I was separated from the Brellof family—Zen was the only person I could trust and entrust with tasks.

“How did you know? I was just thinking of asking you for a favor.”

“Please command me.”

“Gather as much information as possible about the Arwen Empire—specifically, the Imperial Court. I’ll decide our next move based on what you find.”

“Information… about the Arwen Imperial Court? Is that all?”

Zen, who had been gazing at me with resolute eyes, suddenly looked deflated.

Curious at his reaction, I asked,

“Why? Was this too different from what you expected?”

“To be honest… yes, exactly. I thought you’d order me to assassinate the late Karlua Emperor.”

His response caught me completely off guard.

“That’s absurd. Even if he’s the late emperor, you alone couldn’t possibly succeed. And if your identity were exposed, the Brellof family would be interrogated—we’d need solid preparations for that.”

“Don’t worry about that. If the assassination failed, I wouldn’t even consider returning alive.”

That meant he intended to commit suicide if he failed—so he couldn’t reveal who ordered it, ensuring the Brellof family’s safety.

I involuntarily hardened my expression—anger surged within me.

“Don’t say such nonsense. Even Father would never permit it. No one in our family would stand by and watch you walk to your death.”

Zen closed his mouth, wearing a complex expression—he clearly hadn’t expected to hear such words.

I didn’t want to waste time on pointless arguments, so I spoke firmly.

“Consider this a warning—never say such things in front of me again. How we take revenge will be decided through discussion between Father and me. Right now, understanding the Arwen Imperial Court’s intentions is most important.”

No matter how renowned I was as the continent’s greatest arms dealer, or how prominent the Brellof family, without the Arwen Imperial Court’s support, we faced too many restrictions.

To prepare for any contingency, I needed to know how the Arwen Imperial Court viewed the Karlua Empire—and whether they harbored any willingness toward war—before I could formulate a plan.

Zen bowed his head and replied,

“Understood. I will gather as much information as possible about the Arwen Imperial Court, as you command.”

“Good, I’m counting on you. It won’t be easy to obtain information here—even small details matter, so report everything.”

“Yes, Miss.”

With a precise bow, Zen left the room. Even without words, I knew he had gone to investigate the Arwen Imperial Court.

My emotions, which had been floating since beginning my romance with Ascan, settled—as if the time had come to awaken from a pleasant dream.

From that day on, Zen began reporting information about the Arwen Imperial Court to me. Thanks to him, I learned much within a short time.

My new dilemma was whether or not to share the contents of Orland’s letter with Ascan.

It wasn’t that I distrusted him—I simply didn’t want him to face further danger because of me.

Moreover, we hadn’t yet properly discussed his desire for world destruction. I wasn’t sure if now was the right time to mention we might go to war against the Karlua Empire.

My hesitation didn’t last long.

If something kept nagging at me regardless of what I chose, I resolved to be honest.

Perhaps he, who had prepared for world destruction for so long, might suggest a good solution I hadn’t considered.

“Ascan.”

At my cautious voice, Ascan turned his head.

Somehow, I noticed he was looking at me with an expression full of expectation.

“Speak.”

Though I had resolved to honestly reveal everything, when the moment came, I felt lost about where to begin.

“Um, I have something to tell you.”

Seeing me hesitate, Ascan smiled mysteriously.

“Have you finally decided to tell me?”

“Huh, how did you know?”

I was startled by his knowing tone—had he guessed something even without me speaking? I stared at him nervously.

He chuckled lightly and replied,

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice something was wrong, seeing you constantly wearing a troubled expression?”

“Oh, I see.”

I laughed with a slightly deflated expression. Come to think of it, as he said, I’d been lost in thought frequently lately due to my tangled mind.

“Now tell me—what has you so troubled?”

“Well, actually…”

I explained everything, starting from Charles’s death over twenty years ago, to how the mercenaries captured with Ascan’s help had pointed to the Karlua Imperial Court.

Then I showed him Orland’s letter directly and honestly revealed that, now that the Brellof family’s enemy had been confirmed as the Karlua Imperial Court, I intended to take revenge.

Ascan listened to my story seriously for a long time.

When I finished, I asked him with a relieved voice,

“That’s everything I had to explain—now I’d like to hear your thoughts.”

Ascan didn’t answer immediately. His expression darkened as he sank into thought, then slowly opened his mouth.

“To be honest, even with the magical engineering weapons you created, the Arwen Empire cannot win the war.”

…Why?

I had expected it would be difficult, but I wondered why he was so certain.