It’s already been a year since my father announced my return.

‘My father said that even if it was a public announcement, it was all about letting the Imperial family know about it…’

The incident made noise in the capital. It was a fact that they had no idea that I had never left the Grand Palace.

For the past year, the Grand Palace has been very peaceful.

Regardless of whether it was noisy or not, tomorrow’s events were going as normal as usual.

“Hmm… What book are you reading today?”

As usual, I was choosing a book to read today in the library.

“Because I have class tomorrow with Sir Fern… ”

It’s already been a year since I came here. A lot of things have changed in the meantime.

One of them was getting to know the family members of the mansion completely.

Terban, who was mild but charismatic, Evan has a kind personality. My maids Mary and Marilyn.

Other than that, gardeners, knights, and many more. I used to talk to everyone I met often.

‘It can be said that this mansion was popular.’

Considering the awkwardness with the first servant, it was a great improvement.

The best change was that I have become closer to my family.

Unlike the first time I felt awkward, I was comfortable now.

‘But that doesn’t mean that I just had fun most of the time.’

A year was enough time to clear up my troubled mind.

Besides, I had a clear goal.

One year passed quickly as I prepared for various things.

“Oh… Light magic would be better this time.”

I picked up an old magic book from the bookshelf.

Although it was an old book, it was well preserved and it was easy to read.

[Light of the beginning of the world.]

“It’s a great title, though.”

All the wizards of the past must have had great bluffs.

Because I didn’t see anything that didn’t have a grand name after a magic search.

The burning fire, the power of the sea, the wind that cuts through the mountains, something like that.

After learning the basics of aristocrats, history, politics, etc., I was surprisingly talented in magic.

My father looked a little worried about it, but for me, it was something to welcome with open arms.

The number of weapons that can be employed in the future has grown by one, and it is not magic that appears as a common substance in the fantasy world.

Just hearing the name made me want to learn them.

Of course, there was no skill book or anything like that.

It was difficult because I had to study the runes hard and memorize formulas, but magic suited my aptitude more than I thought.

“I didn’t know, but studying was quite interesting.”

I looked like a child on the outside, but on the inside I was an adult, so the process of learning things I didn’t know was quite enjoyable.

Studying was fun.

‘If it was in Korea, it would have been a stone hit, but it’s true.’

There was also the virtue of being a good teacher.

Basic etiquette, study, and magic were all taught by Fern, but unlike his usual playful appearance, he was a great teacher.

Although it’s spartan, it’s not that difficult because it teaches you the main point and the basics.

“If you were born in Korea, would you have made a name for yourself as an academic teacher?”

I giggled slightly, imagining Fern taking a picture with his arms crossed with a confident look on his face for a moment.

The imaginary image suits him well.

“Lady, are you here?”

Then, I heard Mary’s voice looking for me.

In a library filled with bookshelves, it was much faster to make a noise like that to find someone.

A public library would be inconvenient, but since this is my home library, no one can complain.

“Mary? I’m here!”

I shouted that I was also present in the library, and after a moment Mary appeared through the bookshelves.

Mary, who held me and cried a year ago, was my best friend.

“Lady! You’re here.”

“Yes, I want to choose books. Why, what’s up?”

“Ahh. The master was looking for you.”

At that, I tilted my head.

“Huh? Father?”

“Yes. He asked me to find you and let you come to the office. It seemed like an urgent matter.”

Even Mary, who came to call me, didn’t seem to know what was going on.

We ate breakfast together an hour ago, what happened?

Right if I go to my father, this question will be answered.

“Mary, can you bring this to my room then? Please!”

“Yes! I’ll bring it for you.”

I left the book I had picked out with Mary and left the library.

The road to my father’s office was now familiar.

I’ve been going in and out almost every day for the past year, so it’s weird that I still felt awkward.

As I entered the door that had opened, the eyes of my father and brother turned to me at the same time.

The gaze that was previously embarrassing can now be accepted naturally.

“Oh you’re here?”

With my brother’s friendly welcome, I often walked up and sat on the sofa.

“I’m sorry for calling you all of a sudden.”

“It’s okay.”

Somehow I shook my head, at the words of my father, who didn’t have a very good expression.

‘But what was it that made you look so bad? I was suddenly worried.’

“What do you have to tell me urgently?”

My older brother asked, who had thrown in the rush, and at that I also turned to look at my father.

Seeing his face slightly darker than usual, it didn’t seem like a good thing.

…Is it a very bad thing?

My worries gradually grew in size. The past year has only been calm.

Father looked at us for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“I think I need to go to the Imperial Palace for a while.”

“…The Imperial Palace?”

My eyes widened at the sudden words.

It’s the Imperial Palace. It was an unexpected place.

My father was a high-ranking nobleman, so there’s nothing he can’t do, but…

Now that I know how the Empire works, I know that the relationship between the Imperial Family and the Grand Palace was not very good.

It was precisely because of the unilateral boundaries of the current Emperor.

There’s nothing more complicated than a power struggle.

Well, the Emperor doesn’t let father go to the capital anyway, and my father doesn’t really care about power, and he’s the Grand Duke…

Would you go to the Imperial Palace in such a situation? Did something important happen?

But the words I heard were more shocking than I had expected.

“The Empress passed away. It should be seen that a funeral will be held in the Imperial Palace.”

It’s a more reliable reason.

“…Rita. Erita?”

“Ye-yes?”

After being confused for a while, I came to my senses only after my father called me a couple more times.

“You must have been very surprised. If you don’t want to go with me, it’s okay to stay in the mansion.”

“Ah…”

“It’s not that necessary for you to come, so you don’t have to.”

I guess he asked if I wanted to go with him.

My father said softly, as if exhorting me, as I was lost in my thoughts.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

“The Empress’s Funeral…”

In fact, what I heard still hasn’t hit me properly.

Only I know that this situation is not normal.

I blankly chewed the insides of my mouth to come to my senses and then shook my head.

“It’s okay. I want to go with my father and brother.”

“Is that okay?”

I was surprised, but the reason was different from what my father thought.

It’s not that someone’s death was shocking, it’s that the death of someone who has died now was shocking.

Just because I’m going doesn’t mean I’ll know anything, but I still felt like I had to go.

To where the source of my anxiety was.

✿

The preparation was done quickly. After making a decision, we can leave any day soon.

An hour later, we were sitting in the carriage.

We moved to the vicinity of the capital by magic, and from there we rode a carriage to the Imperial Palace.

Even if the capital and the Grand Palace were not far apart, it would take several hours by horse, so we needed to move quickly.

Inside the carriage heading to the capital was so quiet.

My father and brother looked like they were thinking about something, and I was also busy working with my head thinking of the situation.

It was better to be quiet to organize complicated thoughts.

I looked down at my hand on my lap and bit my lips hard.

‘How can this happen? What has changed?’

The closer I got to the ecliptic, the faster my heart beat.

At least here, the original work, which I can be sure of in the future, was wrong.

That fact brought more anxiety than expected.

‘It’s clear if my memory’s not wrong, the death of the Empress was not in the original story. ‘

The Empress of the Empire, she was the mother of the protagonist. It’s not the main role, but she has a pretty important supporting role.

‘The Empress was alive from the original story to the end.’

In the original story, the Empress was a strong supporter of the male and female lead characters.

She was the person who supported them firmly so that the male lead could become the Emperor.

‘But why? Why did she die already?’

Without her, it was natural that the future would also change.

The situation that can be predicted right now is that there’s a high possibility that Calion will not have his own power.

It’s a situation I never wanted.

As far as I know, there was only one fact that has changed from the original.

‘My existence.’

Because it’s a fact that my existence itself did not exist in the original story.

No, to be exact, Aslan couldn’t find Erita in the orphanage.

I don’t know exactly what happened to Erita in the first place.

I’m just guessing that she probably died of a fever.

The fact that Aslan had a lost daughter in the original story was only one line of description.

The only thing that has changed since then was my existence.

Only one fact is that my father found me this time.

‘But is it really because of that?’

But what was the point of contact between the Empress and I?

Even if it’s a butterfly effect, how did this happen?

I wasn’t sure what was going on, so I couldn’t put my mind at ease.

I was terrified of the fact that the future I knew had changed even before the original work began in earnest.

Since I made a promise to change the future of my father and brother, I couldn’t keep my mind at ease.

Even a small variable I had to pay attention to.

The news I heard in such a situation confused me greatly.

‘…I feel like I have a stone stuck on my stomach.’

Complicated thoughts followed one after another.

The Empress’ death, I really don’t understand why it happened. Because, well, from the original.

An unpleasant anxiety fluttered around my ankle.

Thinking about it now, I think I’ve known vaguely since then.

I’m sure, I can feel it…

Sure that this will have a big impact later on…

…That it’s the beginning of a completely different story from the original.

The source of my anxiety that I did not know yet.

It was a fear of the future that would change due to the twisted original work.