My Past Life is Riddled With Many Sins - Chapter 126
After they dried her off, helped her into her pajamas, and settled her in bed, they took up positions on either side of her without even being invited.
“You’ve worked hard, Your Majesty. If it had just been the two of us, we could have spent some quality time together, but unfortunately, an unwelcome guest interrupted.”
She glared at Lennon who was slyly shifting all the blame onto Darien.
“Why is it suddenly ‘Your Majesty’ instead of ‘Miss Heather’? Consistency isn’t your strong suit, is it?”
“The Chancellor has no consistency, he’s always scheming.”
“And you’re consistently scheming yourself.”
She retorted at Darien who was attacking Lennon. One at a time, she might have managed, but two of them at once was just too much. She issued a firm order.
“I want to rest, so both of you, leave now.”
Her tone was commanding, and neither man objected. In fact, they were more used to this authoritative version of her. It felt oddly out of place when she acted casual like a commoner.
Lennon stepped back first.
“Rest well, Your Majesty. Contact me anytime you need.”
Knowing that Lennon had a knack for sensing her mood, Darien quickly followed suit.
“I’ll leave too, then. Rest well, Your Majesty.”
With that, both men left her dorm room. The relief of finally being alone made her sigh in contentment, but just then, the window shook slightly.
She frowned and moved to the window, wondering what it could be this time. A sealed envelope was tucked in the window frame. As she pulled it out and checked its contents, her expression turned serious.
[Beloved Client,]
The letter was from the information guild of the underworld.
Regina suddenly recalled the request she had submitted there almost three months ago. Life had been so chaotic that she had completely forgotten about it.
‘Well, this is late’
The initial deadline was two months, which meant the letter should have arrived before her group presentation.
As she opened the envelope, she noticed a brief explanation, almost as if they anticipated her displeasure.
[Due to the gravity of the matter, we took extra steps to verify thoroughly, which led to a delay beyond the original timeframe. We appreciate your understanding and invite you to collect the information at your convenience.]
After reading it, she burned the letter over the candle flame and left the window open for ventilation.
It looked like her weekend would be busier than expected.
* * *
When the weekend arrived, Regina took the opportunity to report the issue with the rift to the Crown Prince’s attendants, who unfailingly came to collect her every Saturday. Not long after, the Crown Prince himself arrived at the academy with his knights.
In front of the Crown Prince and the professors, she recounted the events of the previous night. Margarita, who had unwittingly triggered the incident, and the club members who had also seen the rift were there as well.
“There was this line in mid-air, and when I touched it, it felt like my finger slipped a bit. Startled, I pulled it back. But I couldn’t shake the urge to check it out again. So, I called over some club members that night, and then Junior Regina Heather showed up and asked us what we were doing…”
“…After shattering the demon stone, the rift’s interior began to collapse, so me and Senior Margarita hurried to escape.”
The Crown Prince glanced up at the sky where the rift had appeared.
“And now it’s perfectly clear, with no trace whatsoever.”
“We all saw the rift last night, and shortly after Student Margarita and Student Regina emerged, it simply vanished.”
The professors gave their statements with utmost seriousness. The eerie scene of cracks spreading across the night sky, with a menacing violet hue swirling within, was still vivid in their minds.
“I don’t doubt any of you. I just find it impressive how seamless it looks now. The records did say that destroying a rift restores the area, but I didn’t expect it to be this flawless.”
The Crown Prince raised his hand, gesturing as if touching the air, then turned to look at Regina.
“There’s one thing I’m curious about. As I understand it, a demon stone can only be destroyed by power akin to a Swordmaster’s mana blade. So how did you destroy it, Regina Heather?”
With the Crown Prince’s question, everyone’s eyes turned to Regina. Some had already wondered about this, while others only now realized it.
Regina reluctantly opened her mouth to respond. She was well aware that revealing this would complicate things, but there was no avoiding it.
“I destroyed it with a mana blade.”
“No way.”
“That can’t be true.”
There were shocked reactions through the crowd. Even the Crown Prince’s knights, academy professors, and students from the muscle club stared at her in amazement.
Becoming a mana user was nearly impossible for most, even after a lifetime of effort. And even if they had become a mana user, only a select few could bear the title of Swordmaster.
Only the most gifted could even dream of it, and it was a rank rarely attained, even by those who had been elite mana users in their teens even if they devoted their whole life to training.
The pinnacle of all swordsmen. The unparalleled genius, Great Empress Yekarrna, who had achieved this at twenty-one. To think that a common girl could reach the same heights!
It was an incredible claim. But there was no other way to explain how she had destroyed the magic stone and closed the rift without her being a Swordmaster.
The Crown Prince, watching the stunned crowd, finally spoke up.
“Regina Heather.”
The crowd fell silent, everyone waiting to hear what the Crown Prince would say next.
“Can you prove what you just claimed to be true?”
If she refused, she would be charged with deceiving the imperial family. Regina had only one choice.
“Please bring me a sturdy sword.”
At the Crown Prince’s nod, one of his knights handed her a sword.
Regina held the sword blade flat and pulled it to her front to show she meant no harm, then closed her eyes in preparation.
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