I, the Female Lead, Ruined the Original

Agnesia took a hired carriage straight to 17 Edellun Street. In other words, to Benichi Tea Salon. Even though it was late at night, the office on the top floor was lit, true to the workaholic nature of Doloret.

“…Doli!” Agnesia dashed up the stairs and burst through the door.

Unlike usual, the desk, which was always piled high with documents, was clean, and Doloret sat in front of it. Her hands were clasped together, and her forehead rested on them.

Seeing her in such a somber and dark mood, Agnesia felt unusually timid. Considering what she had done last time…

Even though they were friends, the sense of betrayal must have been huge. Agnesia herself felt betrayed by her actions at that time. So, the first thing she had to do was apologize.

“That, sorry… But, you see.”

“Nesia, you don’t have to make excuses.”

“Well, just, that… I didn’t mean to do that.”

“Nesia….” Doloret slowly lifted her head. There was a subtle anger in her expression.

Just as Agnesia was about to blurt out of her usual impulsive words, something felt off. Doloret had gone to great lengths to apply makeup? Come to think of it, her clothes were unusual too.

Like herself, Doloret was dressed in an uncomfortable gown like an ordinary Nepelsian noblewoman, like a doll. This is, so to speak….

“We’ve experienced something strange, haven’t we?”

Doloret, realizing her friend had grasped the situation, smiled bitterly.

Soon after, Rosalli and Michi appeared one after another. They too realized they had been acting out of character. They immediately headed to their hideout.

“When I came to my senses, all the servants who usually attended me were with that Eirene, that wench. I had to change clothes myself, so I’m late.”

“I had to pry myself away from that damned prince who kept hitting the wall and grabbing my wrist to keep me from leaving….”

Michi, who had been crying for a long time upon hearing that Selleana had been imprisoned for insulting the imperial family, had swollen eyes and was grinding her teeth. As a bonus, she boasted about how she had inflicted sudden pain on the prince’s precious parts to escape.

“What exactly happened to Lea?”

“Considering she was charged with insulting the imperial family, Lea must have stayed in her right mind…? If she had been like us, she would’ve been vying for selection…”

At that point, Michi started sobbing again. The other friends’ faces were no better.

It had only been yesterday that Selleana had visited them. Each of them had driven a nail into Selleana’s heart.

“I’ve sent the kids away for now. They were late reporting back because they took a few days off….” Doloret couldn’t hide her displeasure.

Everything was unsatisfactory. Even the plain water in front of them was a problem. The tea salon’s operating hours had been shortened, so there was no one to make drinks. It had been days since Doloret stopped working overtime, and there was no secretary to serve tea.

Doloret had come running to the office after realizing what was going on while spending time with her family. She didn’t know why, but she was really angry.

“Let’s wait for the guild members, assess the situation once we get their reports, and head to the palace.”

* * *

“Lea!”

“Hey! Are you okay?”

When Theonis and Peredo burst into the room, the scene was a complete mess. The fourth prince, with his mouth and front covered in blood, lay limp in Pavellian’s arms. The empress, barely recognizable under her sky-blue hair, lay face down on the floor. And there was Selleana, holding a sword. There was only one possible scenario they could imagine.

“H-How did you know to come here?”

“You reckless girl, did you finally…!”

“Lea, don’t tell me…”

Selleana, who was initially happy to see them, soon realized their faces had turned pale with misunderstanding.

“No! I didn’t kill any imperials! And they’re still alive! I… think?” Selleana’s eyes rolled towards Pavellian.

The crown prince, who had been in shock, slowly nodded as he noticed her gaze. At least, the faint breath of Eonel in his arms indicated he was still alive.

Theonis and Peredo’s eyes darted around the room, carefully inspecting it. With Arshilla’s power dissipated, the mist-like smoke and shattered mirror fragments had vanished without a trace, leaving the space empty. Although the room was dim, Rakrensius had lit it with magic, making it easy to see the condition of those who had fallen.

“If they had been stabbed with that sword, it would be normal for blood to pool.”

“Like I said, I didn’t use the sword!”

“Then, perhaps….”

The two brothers’ eyes turned towards Rakrensius.

“Those people are indeed my doing.”

Rakrensius pointed to the opposite side of the empress and the fourth prince. There, six unconscious paladins lay with the handles of their broken swords gripped in their burnt gauntlets.

“And if we had really done something, the crown prince would have already summoned the guards.”

That’s true…. Theonis swallowed his casual reply.

“This situation…. I will explain it.” Rakrensius took Di from Selleana and stepped forward. “This is my holy relic. As you can see, it is not for killing.”

Di’s blade was blunt as usual. Although it could be honed by resonating with the wielder’s consciousness, that wasn’t relevant now. Only Pavellian, who was barely conscious, had witnessed it in its honed state. Peredo, after receiving Di from Rakrensius, nodded in confirmation.

“Her Majesty was using divine power to control many people, but my holy relic has the ability to neutralize divine power.”

“

, so that’s why she was wary of you.”

“Yes…. I severed the empress’s influence over others by some means, and the crown prince has just regained consciousness and is still disoriented.”

“I see….”

Pavellian was the one who replied. He was still trying to grasp the situation, only vaguely aware that the empress had plans to place Eonel on the throne to conquer the continent. He had only just realized that he had been controlled by her as well.

“No wonder people were acting strange earlier….”

“Did that happen to you too? The people from the empress’s faction suddenly stopped attacking me. It was creepy.”

Recognizing the timing they were talking about, Selleana and Rakrensius exchanged glances.

“And the fourth prince…. The empress did this to him.”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

The two brothers reflexively looked at the crown prince. He showed no sign of denial.

Could it be true that the empress attacked her own son?

Rakrensius’s story was missing many details, but it wasn’t a lie. Theonis and Peredo filled in the gaps with their imagination, looking horrified.

“And…” Rakrensius placed Di on Arshilla’s back and then on Eonel. “The empress’s divine power is almost depleted, so there’s no immediate danger… But the fourth prince is in a critical condition.”

“

, that….”

The report was directed at the crown prince. Despite his confusion, he was still the second-in-command of the empire, with the most significant authority in the room.

Pavellian’s eyes, wandering in a daze, finally found focus. “Firstly, Sir Peredo.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Peredo was now the picture of a loyal imperial guard.

“Take Eonel to see the imperial doctor. Immediately.”

“Yes.”

“And on your way, send the guards to this room.”

“Send the guards….”

“The empress… No, arrest the saintess.”

The crown prince’s deep blue eyes rolled slightly towards the fallen empress, who showed no signs of movement. She seemed either unconscious or too exhausted to move.

“…Understood.” Peredo carried Eonel out of the room swiftly.

“

, Your Highness?”

In the meantime, Selleana, who had been fidgeting with her back turned, suddenly pulled something out.

“Did you just pull that out here…!”

Only Rakrensius, who knew where that item came from, could feel the urge to grab the back of his neck.

“This contains all the conversations I’ve had with His Majesty and Her Majesty after being imprisoned in the dungeon.”

Selleana pulled out an automatic recording magical device that Rakrensius had created earlier today.

“You plan to charge Her Majesty with the attempted assassination of the fourth prince, right? Use this as a reference material, and if you have any questions, you can ask me or the master of tower.”

“

, really…”

It was a small notebook tied under Selleana’s chest to avoid being caught during a body search.