42. Now I Remember
“We invited Count Bardel, but he declined, saying there was an issue in his territory. He did say he would visit next time, though.”
“Really? If even Count Bardel couldn’t attend, it must be something serious, no?”
“Well, Your Highness, as you know, the eastern nobles rarely speak about their lands. Many of them never leave the East at all. It’s hard for us to know everything.”
The Marchioness of Perze shrugged as if implying “Surely you know this.”
True. Eastern nobles were notoriously closed off.
For some reason, their internal unity was unusually strong, and they often kept information about their lands hidden from nobles in other regions…
Wait—why hadn’t I thought of that before?
A memory surfaced.
Eastern nobles are inherently secretive.
Partly due to the geographical isolation of their territories, but also because of their peculiar, almost familial bond—an odd solidarity that made them fiercely protective of one another.
If a plague had broken out among them, they would’ve kept it hidden.
An outbreak itself would have been bad enough, but if word had spread across the Empire, the East would’ve been locked down completely.
The region was already barren and practically isolated. To seal it off entirely would have been the same as sentencing its people to death.
So they would have gone quiet, focused on gathering the resources they needed.
Just like back then.
They stayed silent until the plague spread throughout the East. Only when commoners and then even nobles began to fall did they finally send a message to the capital.
By the time aid and supplies arrived, most of the East had already perished from the plague.
The people had lost hope, and even some of the nobles were mourning family members, staring death in the face.
It was then that Lloyd arrived, riding a carriage loaded with supplies and medical personnel.
Of course he was treated like a god.
Yes, I remember now.
Why the Eastern plague occurred after the other events I had in memory.
I exchanged a few more pleasantries with the Marchioness of Perze, then slipped away under the guise of mingling with other groups at the party, and headed to a lounge.
I needed to send a message to Hailey through Betty.
She had to leave for the East immediately.
There was no time to wait for Daemar to respond.
The Eastern plague would claim over half the region’s population, and it would take years for them to recover.
Even the nobles who had once supported Leofric were executed or exiled to other territories.
Since then, no proper lord had risen in the East. The previous chain of command was never restored.
During the peak of the imperial succession conflict, neither Leofric nor Lloyd had the bandwidth to pay attention to the East.
And the people continued to suffer as the remaining nobles fought over the position of regional lord.
If not for the capital project Lloyd had spearheaded, people would have starved—or another plague might have emerged, destroying the East completely.
Maybe it did collapse after my death.
But this time, it’s different.
This time, I can save the East—and in doing so, elevate Leofric’s standing.
So the sooner we act, the better.
While looking for an empty lounge, I asked a passing maid to summon Betty.
As soon as she left, I entered the nearby lounge.
“…Amelia.”
And came face-to-face with someone I did not want to see.
＊＊＊
Before the regression, this ball had been an opportunity for me to win over the moderate Marquis of Perze to Lloyd’s side.
Despite the looming threats from surrounding nations, the current Emperor refused to act—even dismissing the idea of war entirely.
That night, I subtly criticized the Emperor’s passivity and coaxed the moderate Marquis into joining the noble faction.
Not just him—many moderates who were present that day also shifted their stance.
Had it been someone else speaking, they might have scoffed. But because I was the Crown Princess and the Chancellor’s daughter, they listened without doubt.
And so, I carefully introduced them to Lloyd and set the stage for him to be accepted.
It wasn’t strange that Lloyd was at this ball.
I just didn’t expect we’d end up alone like this.
“I didn’t know someone was here. Sorry to intrude.”
“No, Amelia. I just got here, too… You’re not intruding at all.”
Actually, I’m glad… to see you.
Lloyd smiled brightly.
As if he truly was happy to see me.
In the past, I would’ve smiled back, glad to see him too. I would have tried to enjoy the moment.
“Thanks for saying that. Then…”
But not anymore.
I no longer had feelings for him. There was no attachment, no lingering affection.
I offered a brief farewell and reached for the door.
“Wait, Amelia, just a moment—”
He jumped up from the couch, something in his hands, and quickly closed the distance between us.
He moved so fast that I froze before I could step out.
He looked like he was about to grab me to stop me from leaving, and I instinctively reached for the door again—but he was faster.
“Can we talk? Just for a minute.”
He took a bold step forward and grabbed my hand.
I stared at our joined hands.
In the past, I would have blushed and nodded. But now… this felt unpleasant.
I said nothing and just looked at him.
He stared back at me for a moment, then quietly let go and stepped back, shutting the door behind him.
Click.
The sound echoed through the room.
I didn’t know why it sent a chill down my spine, but I tore my gaze from his face and walked further into the room.
“If you have something to say, please make it quick. I need to return.”
It’s always smarter to maintain some distance in these moments.
I mentally calculated the shortest path from where I stood to the door—ready to bolt if necessary.
Even if everyone saw us together, it was better than giving him more leverage over me.
As I weighed my options, I noticed the watch in Lloyd’s hand.
Did he always wear accessories like that?
It was a small detail, but even that caught my attention—just like the old Amelia, who didn’t want to miss a thing.
But I had more important things to think about.
I hadn’t even noticed what expression Lloyd was wearing.
“…You look unfamiliar, Amelia.”
When I finally looked up, his face was filled with an expression I had never seen before.
In the past, I would have been hypersensitive to every twitch of his features.
Now? I couldn’t care less.
His emotions were his responsibility—not mine.
I looked away and replied flatly.
“Isn’t it true that we always know less than we think?”
How ironic.
Lloyd always knew less about me than he believed.
I shrugged, like it was nothing new.
“So? Was that all you had to say?”
At the same time, I found myself wanting to leave more than ever.
This was a waste of time.
There was no need to analyze his expressions or try to interpret their meaning anymore.
Even if he did have something important to say—so what?
I turned to leave—
“Amelia, I…”
Knock knock.
His voice overlapped with a knock on the door.
“Your Highness, are you inside?”
It was Betty. The maid did her job well.
I looked at Lloyd, who had opened his mouth to speak.
He hesitated, unsure if he should continue or give up.
I looked at him, then spoke first.
“Whatever you were going to say… I’m not interested anymore.”
It was Lloyd, after all.
If I didn’t shut him down now, he’d keep finding excuses to approach me—to talk to me.
Whether it was important or trivial, I didn’t care.
I didn’t need to hear it.
“So don’t try to corner me like this again. After all, we’re legally family now, aren’t we?”
If someone sees a sister-in-law alone with her cousin-in-law, they’ll misunderstand.
I said every word slowly, deliberately, staring him in the eyes.
His face paled.
There were only two reasons he made that expression:
He felt insulted, or he was too shocked to respond.
But either way, I didn’t care. I turned to leave.
“Oh, and by the way. I’m the Crown Princess now. I’m not the Lady of Vermeria you could toy with anymore.”
As he stood there, his gaze clouded with complicated thoughts, I gave him one last sentence.
And then I opened the door and walked out.
