My Past Life is Riddled With Many Sins - Chapter 12

Regina subtly brought up the topic of forgiveness but quickly changed her course upon seeing his twisted expression. It was an attempt to elicit the answer he wanted, he seemed satisfied with her reaction as he touched his chin. Then, he lowered his voice as if sharing a confidential story.

“So, should I seek revenge after all?”

“What? Yes. If that’s what the Young Master wanted…”

“How much?”

He continued with a strangely affectionate and gentle tone, which contrasted with the harsh subject. It felt as if he was sharing a romance with a lover. However, to Regina, it sounded like a threat, implying that she should determine how many times she’d be struck in the future.

If she suggests too little, she might face even more punishment. Regina nervously responds.

“I, I don’t know. Until the Young Master is satisfied?”

“Until I’m satisfied.”

As he repeated her words, Regina prayed hard in her mind. She hoped that some remnants of Friedrich’s compassion still remained in this man.

‘Even though the bodies have changed, hasn’t the soul remained the same? Where has that personality gone?’

“I don’t think I’ll be satisfied even if I torment them until the day they die.”

Doomed.

Regina shivered as he smiled, then continued.

“Then I guess you’ll have to be by my side for the rest of your life. How about that?”

Seeing his satisfied expression, like a content beast, sent shivers down Regina’s spine. Did he find amusement in just the thought of tormenting her next to him? And he mentioned a lifetime.

Regina knew her sins from her past life were not small, but she had finally been given a chance at reincarnation. She didn’t want to spend her life just dealing with the aftermath of Yekarna. It might have been selfish, but she had no other choice.

There’s a saying ‘new wines must be put in new wineskins’. She had a new body so shouldn’t she live a new life?

She hoped so for Friedrich, or rather this man. She wanted him to live in the present and not be tied down by the past now that he was reborn.

‘Why hold onto unpleasant memories instead of forgetting them?’

Remembering one’s sins was the sinner’s burden, after all.

If the remnants of Yekarna were to disappear from his mind, he could finally break free from the past. It seemed like the best course of action was to not get involved with each other.

Escape. Escape using any means necessary.

‘If only a suitable opportunity would come.’

Regina took one last sip of the remaining cerise juice and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. He suddenly asked.

“What are you thinking?”

“I hope the Young Master will be happy.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Regina gazed directly into his eyes. She sincerely swore upon her past and present names

His expression turned strange.

“Then, why…”

He started to say with his brows furrowing. But he suddenly stopped and stood up abruptly. His attitude was so cold that it felt like a chilling wind blew even his clothes.

Although Regina found his sudden change of behavior puzzling, she decided not to follow him and ask. Once they parted ways, there would be no reason for them to be involved with each other anymore and they would live as strangers.

Regina finished the remaining jerky in her mouth and stood up.

“Where are you going?”

One of the knights stopped her and questioned her.

“I’m going to wash it and return this cup. I’ll go to the nearby stream.”

She waved the cup as proof and walked away. As she strolled along, her gait resembled that of an elderly man taking a leisurely walk in the neighborhood. Watching her, one of the knights belatedly had a question in mind.

“How did you know there was a stream nearby when you couldn’t even hear the sound of water?”

If it were a knight with specialized training or a seasoned mercenary, or perhaps a commander skilled in the terrain, it might make sense. But how could an ordinary common girl know such things?

“It’s a woman’s intuition, I suppose.”

The knight, who had never been in a relationship, found this excessive fantasies woman acceptable and let it slide.

Regina returned after washing the cup and was greeted by the same rope. Regina had grown accustomed to being tied to the horse like a piece of luggage, and she accepted her restraints without resistance.

“I don’t have any intention of causing harm for your Young Master.”

“I understand it’s uncomfortable, but it can’t be helped for the safety of the precious person. I hope you can understand.”

The man who appeared to be leading the group of knights responded gruffly.

“No problem, fine.”

“I’m sorry.”

Regina mumbled it without much thought, but when the reply was an apology, she felt even more uneasy.

“No, I didn’t mean for you to say that.”

“I can’t go into detail, but we have our own reasons for doing this. I hope you can understand.”

The serious explanation from the man who seemed to be the commander of the knights left Regina feeling troubled. Even though her background was uncertain, they were being overly aggressive towards a mere commoner girl. It seemed there were complex circumstances at play.

‘It seems like this life’s Friedrich has his share of enemies.’

Was it a dispute over the inheritance of power? Issues related to property distribution? Or perhaps a conflict between man and woman…. The likelihood of an individual with power on par with the Empress of the Empire chasing after Friedrich’s reincarnation seemed improbable unless there were compelling reasons to do so.

Of course, such events were not entirely strange. But the current Emperor of the Empire is a man. While it was possible that the Emperor had preferred men, Regina did not wish to contemplate scenarios where her descendants and her previous life’s husband transcended gender boundaries in passionate romance.

In any case, it was up to him to handle his responsibilities.

‘He’s still him, and I’m still me in this lifetime.’

The loyal knights were willing to give their lives to protect him. Why would a commoner like her have to worry about him?

She was no longer the powerful Empress Yekarna. In this life, she was just Regina, a commoner who saved up 30 staters to take the Imperial Academy entrance exam.

It was like a mouse worrying about a cat.

‘I should focus on my own future.’