Hopefully, at Your Mercy - Chapter 10

Chapter 6.1

Her heart began to pound harshly against her chest. Thump, thump, thump. It echoed throughout her body, sending a shiver all the way down to her toes.

What on earth is this feeling?

Though she couldn’t fully understand it, she was sharply aware of the emotions stirring inside her. It definitely felt like fear.

But it wasn’t just fear. It felt more like… sadness?

“Who… who is Iskan Anagrok?”

“Are you serious?”

“Rose, I told you two days ago. Do you really not understand that I’m asking because I really don’t know―”

“He’s the second prince of the Barkyan Empire! His Highness, Grand Duke Iskan Anagrok!”

She was about to snap back again, just like last time, asking if Rose didn’t realize she genuinely didn’t know. But Rose finally gave Delinda the answer she needed, looking exasperated.

“Aha, right. His Highness the Prince…”

Delinda struggled to recall any fragments of information. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.

It was like something was blocking the memories from surfacing.

The princes of the Barkyan Empire.

Delinda sifted through her memories, laying out anything she could remember.

The empire had two princes.

One was the crown prince, son of the current empress, Rozanne. The other was Prince Iskan Anagrok, the son of the late former empress.

The emperor had initially married the mother of the second prince, Iskan Anagrok, but after she passed away, he quickly remarried to the current empress.

And soon after remarrying the current empress, he brought along a young boy. That boy is the current crown prince.

The crown prince was born while the emperor and the current empress were having an affair. In other words, the emperor had been cheating on the late empress while they were still married.

That explained why the crown prince was older than Iskan Anagrok, the son of the former empress.

‘…The second prince, Iskan Anagrok, must’ve had it rough with a crown prince suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Everyone knows how that goes. The son of the first wife is always cruelly mistreated. And it looks like the emperor’s true love wasn’t Iskan’s mother, but the crown prince’s mother.’

After washing her face, Delinda sat down as Rose helped her brush her hair.

“What was the crown prince’s name again?”

“It’s His Highness, Kislin Lu Crozan…”

Rose whispered, as if even speaking the name required extra caution.

Delinda’s eyes widened in realization.

“Oh!”

Kislin Lu Crozan!

The Crown Prince of the Barkyan Empire.

As for the second prince, Iskan, had been given the title of Grand Duke and now carried the surname Anagrok, no longer bearing the imperial family’s surname, “Crozan.”

In other words, he had been cast out of the imperial family. It was safe to assume that he had been completely pushed out of the fight for the throne.

As soon as she heard the crown prince’s name, a flood of unfamiliar memories began to surface. Information that had been deeply buried suddenly burst forth, popping like popcorn and bouncing around in her mind.

Crown Prince Kislin Lu Crozan.

His jet-black hair, as dark as the night sky, and his beautifully sparkling eyes. His charming dimples that appeared when he smiled.

The warmth of his hand when he held hers tightly.

And…

[Ruyan.]

The affectionate way his voice softened whenever he called her name.

“…”

Delinda’s arm went limp as she was putting on her dress.

“My lady?”

Goosebumps formed on her arms, and she wrapped them around herself.

She had suddenly remembered her name from her first possession.

‘My name was Ruyan! And I knew the crown prince of the empire!’

Even though the crown prince’s face didn’t come to her clearly, fragmented pieces of memory did. He was a beautiful young boy with black hair and a sweet smile.

Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.

Her heart began to race in a way that made her uneasy. The sudden rush of memories were like pieces of a puzzle that finally came together, and it felt more confusing than comforting.

What was my relationship like with the crown prince? Why was he holding my hand and calling my name so affectionately?

And based on what I’m remembering now… Crown Prince Kislin is the male lead of this novel!

Delinda quickly resumed dressing. Rose, standing behind her, urged her in a slightly impatient tone to hurry up and finish.

As Rose fastened the buttons on her sleeves, Delinda sank back into deep thought.

Delinda had a strong inkling that she wasn’t the female lead during her first possession. This world seemed like the kind of romance fantasy she’d read about, and while she had been sucked into it, she definitely wasn’t the main protagonist.

But somehow, the male lead of this novel, Crown Prince Kislin Lu Crozan, had been calling her name so affectionately.

So then, what about the female lead?

Who on earth was she?!

She tried to remember, but nothing came to mind.

Seriously, what kind of possession is this? If I’m going to possess someone for a second time, at least let me remember what happened the first time!

Grumbling to herself, she finished putting on her dress and styling her hair.

As she finished getting ready, noise began to stir outside the window. After putting on her gloves, Delinda walked over to the window and looked down.

About twenty knights riding on black horses were approaching the mansion’s entrance.