As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover Chapter 221

“So, you will never meet him even after you die. That b*stard will be thrown into the depths of hell for daring to defile a noble lady, while you, as the daughter of a noble family, will ascend to heaven.”

 

“…What did you say?”

 

“Besides, with all the offerings I’ve given to the temple, how could I end up in hell? Speak sensibly. You’ve been to the temple with me often enough to know this.”

 

“…”

 

“That filthy commoner must surely be in hell. He’s probably screaming in the fires of hell right now, regretting what he did to your body.”

 

“No…”

 

Ellena collapsed to the ground. But no one dared to approach her.

 

* * *

The baron started visiting the temple more frequently. Whenever he had money, he would donate to the temple, pretending to be a devout believer. Then, when Ellena gave birth, he bought holy water capable of restoring her body to its pre-pregnancy state.

 

“I wish they would all just die…” Ellena murmured with empty eyes. It was her first time outside since being forbidden from going out. To her, who had been locked up like a beast, the light of the outside world felt as painful as violence. In a world without Terion, the light only served as a torturous reminder that he was no longer there.

 

Ellena, who had come to the temple with the baron, slipped away while he was conversing with a high priest and wandered aimlessly until she got lost. She had deliberately chosen deserted alleys so no one would stop her.

 

Creak—When she heard movement nearby, she instinctively hid in a room that caught her eye. She wanted to hide in a place where the baron couldn’t reach her.

 

The place Ellena entered was a prayer room off-limits to regular believers. Someone was praying inside, but Ellena’s gaze was drawn first to the object of their prayers. Her eyes slowly moved upward, settling on the statue of the supreme god. Beneath it was a statue of the white dragon, curled up as if sleeping. Then her eyes met those of the supreme god, who seemed to be gazing down at her.

 

“…Ah.” At that moment, as if she had found all the answers, she smiled. “So that’s how it can be done.”

 

A strange light flickered in Ellena’s eyes. As she looked at the statue, surrounded by the aura of dark magic, she thought of a perfectly ideal solution.

 

“Then, what’s the most powerful dark magic?”

 

“Magic that turns back time or revives the dead. There’s no record of the former, but someone succeeded at the latter a long time ago. Our village even has a secret manual for it. But it requires the lives of ten thousand people, so no one dares to try. Such magic is bound to bring disaster. Don’t even think about it, Ellena.”

 

If he was dead, she just needed to bring him back to life. To revive him, she needed an enormous amount of life force, and to gather that, she needed power. Great power.

 

Duke, grand duke, emperor… As she thought of the powerful figures in succession, a satisfied smile appeared on Ellena’s lips. Conveniently, the crown prince had the same black hair and green eyes as Terion.

 

“Are you a believer? How did you get here?” The high priest Sariel, who had discovered her belatedly, looked at Ellena with a shocked expression.

 

“I came because I was called by god.”

 

Ellena smiled brightly at him. Yes, it didn’t matter if the revival failed. Even if she failed, they could be together in death. Ellena was determined to die and follow him into hell.

 

* * *

Ellena succeeded in persuading Baron Dayelon to lure the crown prince to their estate. The rural estate had many places suitable for hunting, and those who visited usually enjoyed hunting late into the evening before spending the night and returning to the capital. She drugged the crown prince’s drink, causing him to lose consciousness.

 

“Ugh. This hangover is terrible… Why am I naked?”

 

“Your Highness…”

 

Ellena, feigning embarrassment, pulled the blanket over herself to hide her body. This level of acting was nothing to her. The crown prince, Edin, was shocked by that.

 

“If Your Highness wishes to forget what happened, I will act as if nothing occurred. But if… if, by any chance, a child results from tonight’s events, please take good care of that child.”

 

“…Very well.”

 

As she watched the crown prince leave the estate, Ellena gazed at the vial of blood she held. She had drawn it while he slept, using dark magic.

 

Her plan was going smoothly. The following year, a boy with black hair and green eyes, just like Terion and the emperor, was born. Though his eyes were a deeper green than the emperor’s, no one would dare question it. Fortunately, he resembled her in most other aspects.

 

“Why don’t you head to the imperial palace immediately?”

 

“The crown prince and princess consort are too close. We need to create a rift between them. Do you think my child could survive alone in the imperial palace?”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“Father, when I become empress, you will stand at the pinnacle of the empire. Just wait a little longer.”

 

After persuading the baron, Ellena joined forces with Sariel, who she had already sweet-talked.

 

“God has given power equally to all. We can become closer to God through dark magic.”

 

“…Indeed.”

 

Thirsty for power and driven by ambition, Sariel quickly fell under Ellena’s influence.

 

The temple, isolated from the outside world, was a place where life and death intersected, making it perfect for hiding those dying from dark magic and storing power. While waiting for an opportunity to enter the imperial palace, Ellena studied dark magic, even visiting Terion’s village for information.

 

“In a village as isolated as this, it’s perfect for experiments.”

 

After all, if Terion wasn’t there, it didn’t matter what happened to the villagers.

 

Ellena conducted experiments, killing and reviving the villagers. If Terion awoke, she could just say that a plague had wiped out the village. She cast numerous spells, trying every variation of the magic Terion mentioned that might bring him back, but nothing succeeded.

 

Time passed, and when the opportunity arose, Ellena executed her plan. She killed the empress and, using dark magic, manipulated the emperor’s grieving heart. Eligos was confirmed as the crown prince after being verified with Edin’s blood.

 

“Mother, why didn’t you have them prick my finger for verification? Am I…?”

 

“Crown Prince, do not question my orders.”

 

On the day she entered the imperial palace, Ellena killed Baron Dayelon. As he had taught her, it was best to leave no loose ends. Now, only she knew that Eligos was not the emperor’s biological son.

 

She continued to collect Edin’s blood through dark magic until the day he died. As long as she had his blood, they could remain in the imperial palace indefinitely. Even if the emperor mismanaged the empire, they would still be revered as imperial family members with that blood.

 

* * *

Ellena committed every act that could be labeled as a sin.

 

“They say it’s a grave sin to harm this rose.”

 

Snap. She deliberately broke the imperial treasures and crushed small creatures in her spare time. Not satisfied with just humiliating the imperial family, she neglected state affairs and left her wayward son unchecked, sacrificing countless lives to dark magic.

 

If where Baron Dayelon was now was heaven, then Ellena decided she would rather fall into hell where Terion was. After all, living in the present was already like being in hell. What worse hell could exist in the world?

 

Nobles go to heaven. So, she searched for a way to strip herself of her noble title.

 

“If I reveal all the truth just before I die, the emperor will be dethroned, and I will be executed with him. Then I’ll truly fall into hell.”

 

If she failed to revive Terion or if he died again, she planned to end her life by this method. Unfortunately, her plans were exposed before she could revive Terion, leading to her execution, but this was acceptable too. And…

 

“…Or there’s another way.”

 

Ellena opened her left palm. As she looked at her hand, a red magic circle, as if drawn with a knife, appeared there, oozing blood. She had hesitated to use it because there was no mention of the caster in any of the books, but regressing was also a very viable option. So, she won.

 

The day of execution for Ellena and Eligos dawned. Key figures of the imperial family, including Luize and Edward, gathered on the platform.

 

“…Thus, the execution of the criminals Eligos and Ellena will now be carried out.”

 

Eligos’s neck was first placed on the guillotine. As the blade fell and his life ended, his body turned to black dust and vanished.

 

“W-What is this…! Wicked dark wizard! What have you done?!”

 

Panicked, the knights surrounded Ellena. Among them was Fin, the knight she had failed to use in her plans.

 

“Kill me.”

 

“What…”

 

In an instant, Fin’s eyes lost focus. He plunged his sword into Ellena’s heart.

 

It was truly the end. Her vision darkened.

 

* * *

Ellena opened her eyes again. The ceiling was unfamiliar, yet she knew it well. She had regressed. She had really regressed into the past.

 

“It’s… success. What time is it now?”