I, the Female Lead, Ruined the Original Chapter 129

“Conversations were recorded…?”

 

Pavellian took the notebook from Selleana, looking stunned. When he opened it slightly and glanced at the text with suspicious eyes, he saw that it was filled with small, neatly printed letters.

 

[-To be honest with you, Lady… I don’t exactly know what the empress’s intentions are right now.

-Didn’t Your Majesty authorize the house arrest order with your seal? Wasn’t that your will?

-That was part of the political marriage arrangement. To not question what she does as empress.]

 

Pavellian’s pupils widened as he read the contents, quickly shifting his gaze between his half-brother and the notebook. “No, this is… how is this possible? No, it must be possible since it was made…”

 

“Check the very last page.”

 

In a daze, Pavellian did as Selleana instructed, quickly flipping to the last page.

 

[-Conversations were recorded…? No, this is… how is this possible? No, it must be possible since it was made….

-Check the very last page.]

 

“Gasp, I mean…!” Pavellian gasped in shock as if he’d seen a ghost when he saw his own voice being recorded in real-time.

 

[Gasp, I mean…!]

 

His eyes froze as he witnessed his words being recorded live.

 

“This is truly, a-amazing….”

 

“Now that you’ve confirmed it works perfectly, you can use it freely as evidence.”

 

Selleana clapped the notebook shut in his hands.

 

“The speakers aren’t identified, but since it’s an imperial trial, you don’t need to prove the precision of the evidence to the court. As long as His Majesty approves, that’s enough, right?”

 

“Well, that’s… true.”

 

“Moreover, during the trial, both the accused and witnesses will swear on the bible, so the truth will come out. This evidence is just to convince His Majesty to hold an imperial trial; it’s not needed during the trial itself, right?”

 

“That’s right….” Listening to Selleana’s flowing words, Pavellian’s face turned awestruck. “…But, was Lady always this knowledgeable about administration?”

 

“Yes.” Selleana chuckled. “I’ve always been quite smart. Right?” She smiled brightly, linking her arm with Rakrensius.

 

* * *

The turmoil surrounding the imperial palace subsided as the night deepened. The abrupt end to the conflict, manipulated by the saintess, left those who had been in confrontation inside and outside the palace in confusion.

 

“Huh? So, His Majesty has withdrawn the decree?”

 

“Your Grace, I’m sorry…! It’s true the imperial family treated us unfairly, but I didn’t realize I was spouting nonsense…!”

 

“But… why were we out here? Mo-Mother…! Were the ladies also out here?”

 

The crown prince took charge of the situation. After leaving the Rose Palace, he first sought the imperial doctor to check on the fourth prince’s condition.

 

“He seems to have internal injuries, and he’s lost a lot of blood.”

 

The fourth prince’s condition was as serious as it appeared.

 

The crown prince immediately went to see his father and reported the events at the Rose Palace based on what he witnessed and what the empress had said. First, the empress had left the fourth prince in a near-death state.

 

“Listening to what she said, she also intended to harm me. Perhaps even His Majesty.” He revealed that the empress had plans to assassinate both the emperor and the crown prince. The recorded words on the magic recording device confirmed this.

 

“In that case, what’s the reason the empress ended up like that?”

 

“Well… Didn’t Your Majesty also issue an unexpected decree earlier?”

 

“…”

 

“I was also in a state of lost will, almost attacking the fifth prince.”

 

Tashur III’s hand, gripping the armrest, trembled. Pavellian couldn’t understand that this was an expression of affection for the child born from the only woman Tashur III had loved. It was because Tashur III had ignored Rakrensius for so long.

 

“So, you’re saying the empress also tried to attack the fifth prince.”

 

“Yes. It’s likely that overusing her divine power led to her current state….” Pavellian presented the recording device made by Rakrensius as evidence.

 

[-Why don’t you become the crown prince, huh? Yes. I’ll acknowledge your existence. Pavellian’s fate is almost fulfilled, so it’s fine to get rid of him now. If you want, I can hand over the throne to you immediately]

 

Considering the empress’s usual tone, it was hard to believe the words written there. But since the crown prince vouched for it, there was no room for doubt. Moreover, the recording device was made by Rakrensius, the master of the Magic Tower.

 

“I see….” The emperor sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead.

 

“Then, shall we proceed with the imperial trial as planned?”

 

“Yes. Crown prince, you have suddenly had to endure much hardship….”

 

“It is nothing.”

 

The saintess’s downfall was primarily due to the fifth prince’s holy relic nullifying her power and the backlash from the divine power she had implanted in the leakers. But Pavellian couldn’t know that. The concept of ‘leakers’ wasn’t mentioned in the secret history of the Nepelsian imperial family or the non-canonical texts of the Orot religion, and it would never be publicly discussed.

 

Even without such additional controversies, the situation was clear. The empress had controlled others’ consciousness using her divine power and attacked several imperials, including her own son. The undeniable evidence was the empty shell she had become after losing all her power.

 

The saintess was dragged to the tower of the main palace, where she had imprisoned Selleana for a while by the very guards she had manipulated.

 

* * *

“Le-Lea…!”

 

Rakrensius and Peredo stayed in the palace to assist Pavellian, while Selleana and Theonis went to the main gate. With the confrontation over, only a few people, including Duke Elard and a minimal number of guards, remained outside the gate. At the forefront to greet Selleana were her friends from the Transmigrators Club.

 

Michi, sobbing, rushed to Selleana. “Sorry, sorry…!”

 

“No, you have nothing to apologize for.”

 

“You must have hated us… and you even got captured by the palace. What’s with these clothes….”

 

“It’s okay. It’s all over now. It’s okay….”

 

Michi, who had cried so much her eyes were swollen without her glasses, clung to Selleana, continuing to sob. The other friends slowly approached.

 

“Oh my, all the female leads are here?”

 

Selleana’s playful tone made her friends, who almost became the female lead of regret, healing, and family regret stories, laugh painfully.

 

“I’m really sorry…. You must have been shocked because of me.”

 

“Yeah. It was so strange to see our upright and gentle Nesia using such polite language.”

 

“…Even when I am trying to set the mood for an apology, geez.” Agnesia awkwardly patted Selleana’s shoulder. Her attire, arranged by Gotenfrid’s maids, clashed with her rough language.

 

“Lea, you’re not really going to reclaim your investment, right? I haven’t fixed that yet… I forgot because I was fooling around.”

 

“You must have been so frustrated because of me! I’ll stock up on soda in my apartment for you guys whenever you visit.”

 

Doloret and Rosalli added their words, making Selleana laugh heartily.

 

The underlying feeling was trust greater than relief. Trust that her friends were the same as she knew them. They were merely manipulated by Arshilla’s tricks, but they hadn’t changed over the nearly ten years she had known them.

 

According to Mr. Sword, the burden of messing with them was so great that it turned the saintess into a downfall.

 

She felt proud of her friends’ strong will. Her resentment towards the god who tried to control her fate and force her friends into lives they despised turned into a sense of satisfaction.

 

“Ah.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Selleana gently detached Michi from her embrace and stretched her arms wide to gather her friends in a big hug. “Guys, I’m sorry….”

 

“Huh.”

 

“Why would you….”

 

“What happened to you guys…. It was all because of me. The saintess did that to you to threaten me since I wasn’t complying with her will.”

 

The dry term ‘saintess’ made her friends understand the situation. They each recalled their encounters with the empress.

 

“Do you know what she said in the end? She said she’d make the tower master rise to crown prince, so I should become the crown princess that way. Isn’t that hilarious?”

 

“What?”

 

“No way.”

 

“Damn.”

 

“What the heck is that…”

 

“So, guys.” As Selleana tightened her arms around her friends, they also hugged each other closely. “We’re finally, truly free from this wretched original story.”