51
「I don't think it was just because of
the drool……!」
「To tell that His Majesty the Emperor
that his face was scary!」
「Although it's certainly incredibly
scary.」
「It's a miracle that Imperial
Princess-sama is alive!」
「Th-That's right, isn't it. Hugo
said so too. Apparently, normally I would have been killed……」
「「You were lucky this time, weren't
you!」」
Seeing
the reaction of the two who were shedding tears while clasping their hands,
glad that Candice had returned safely, Candice disciplined
herself while thinking that was the case after all.
（As I thought, it really is true that
if you are always kind to people, God will watch over you……!）
Even
though Candice's actions were extremely dangerous, she didn't know the reason
why she was forgiven, but it was a relief for now.
A
month and a half had passed since she was executed and time rewound. Still
completely unaware that her own destiny was greatly changing due to the hastily
thought-up Exact Opposite Strategy and
her grand misunderstandings, Candice asked Rose to call Arthur
and Jeanne to her room.
After
that, she showed Arthur, Jeanne, Eva, and Rose the
cake she had received at the Violet Palace. And she proposed that they
eat it together.
（I'm sure everyone will say it's
delicious too!）
Spending
time with people like this, the desire to share her joy gradually emerged
within Candice, and she began inviting others as a matter of course.
Jeanne, Eva, and Rose were
hesitant at first, but they ate the cake because Candice insisted she
wanted to eat it together no matter what, and because no one was watching
inside the room. Eating delicious things with everyone is the best.
However,
it goes without saying that because they became unable to eat lunch and were
scolded by the chef, and for the reason that "I cannot afford to lose to
the chefs of the Violet Palace!", a cake made by the chef was
served for dinner.
That
evening, to reflect on the situation she was placed in, Candice opened
the window in her loungewear and looked up at the sky. It was a little chilly,
but the stars were twinkling and beautiful.
（Stars were this beautiful, weren't
they.）
Perhaps
because she had memories of being inside the dungeon the whole time, trivial
things made her unbearably happy. Because she was called the Evil Imperial
Princess up until now, she was executing the Exact Opposite Strategy to become a good Imperial Princess,
but honestly, she still didn't know if it was going well. However, it was
certain that she no longer felt the helpless loneliness or indelible suffering
she did before.
（Am I becoming a good Imperial
Princess, I wonder……?）
Until
she escaped the Empire, there would likely still be trials waiting that she
must slip through.
After
all, Candice was still a five-year-old child. Only, on the inside, she
possessed the memories of having once lived as the Evil Imperial Princess,
Candice. She had regained her memories by hitting her head, but the path
she had traced as the Evil Imperial Princess would not be in vain.
Otherwise, she probably would have followed the same path again.
In
the life before she died, Candice constantly felt suffocation and a
sense of entrapment, but now her chest was always warm. There was a sense of
security, and getting angry or irritated had also decreased. Rather, she felt
refreshed, as if freed from something.
（I have to somehow survive for
another eleven years……! If I become a "Good Imperial Princess",
the path to the death penalty should distance itself.）
Her
relationship with Arthur, whom she had previously oppressed, was far
from just going well; he was becoming an indispensable existence for Candice.
Getting along was supposed to be a strategy, yet an abnormal situation occurred
where, unexpectedly, Candice was the one won over.
It was hard to say she was close with Luca, but compared to before, the distance had closed just a little bit, making for a slightly different relationship. In her childhood, Candice rarely went in and out of the archives, so she only had points of contact with Luca after he became completely shut in the Blue Palace.
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