My Past Life is Riddled With Many Sins - Chapter 26
“Fathom, if I suggest we give that girl a lift in our carriage…”
“Just try it. If we load that massive luggage of hers, we’ll have to squeeze ourselves into tiny balls. Our carefully pressed uniforms will get all wrinkled.”
While Fathom grumbled, the carriage had almost reached her. It was too late to stop now. Darien was about to withdraw his gaze, resigning himself to the situation.
In the brief moment the carriage passed her by, he caught a glimpse of her.
“Your Majesty?”
“Hey, I told you to stop with the past life stuff and live in the present, didn’t I?”
“No, just now…”
Darien started to object but then stopped himself. It was too fleeting to be certain. Besides, she was wearing the academy uniform. Since they were headed to the same place, they were bound to meet again.
There was no rush.
He forcibly suppressed his twitching hand that wanted to stop the carriage and ask her to join them.
* * *
“What’s with all that stuff?”
“Did she carry that all by herself? Unbelievable.”
“Despite appearances, could it be not that heavy?”
“Look at that pathetic sight. Did a peddler enter the academy or what?”
Ignoring the murmurs around her, Regina checked the dormitory room assignment posted on the bulletin board and blinked.
“Yekarna Hall… Room 210.”
What was this about? Out of all the dormitories, why one with that name? Was this some sort of foreshadowing that she could never escape the karmas of her past life?
The dream from the night before made her feel even more peculiar.
The dream, of course, was related to the atrocities committed by Yekarna. It was set shortly after the conclusion of a conquest war. At a time when Yekarna’s debauchery was reaching its peak.
“Your Majesty! Why did you not kill the prince of the fallen nation but instead spared his life completely intact?”
“Do you really not know why?”
“Ah! Perhaps there is a greater purpose that I have failed to grasp?”
“Indeed, there is.”
“Please enlighten this foolish servant.”
“Look at this face. What do you think?”
“Yes? Uh… Well…”
“Beautiful, isn’t it? To kill such a beauty would be a continental loss. Thus, I spared his life and brought him here.”
The expression on the minister’s face in the dream, upon hearing that response, still haunted her. Yekarna’s self-satisfied attitude, like ‘I just said it but it was really cool!’.
As she woke up, she wanted to bang her head against the wall. She realized just how formidable the karma of her past life could be.
‘Hopefully, that dream isn’t some sort of omen.’
Like, perhaps, soon encountering Prince Iskanda…
Even the thought made Regina shiver.
Prince Iskanda, known commonly as the First Concubine, had every reason to harbor a deep grudge against Yekarna among the ‘Seven Guardians’.
After all, Yekarna had killed his entire family without leaving a single one alive and then, instead of granting him death, took him as a spoil of war to become a concubine. Imagine the agony of being forced into being the concubine of the very person who murdered his family and ravaged his homeland.
Of course, even if given a chance to redo it, Regina, as Yekarna, would likely make the same choices… Nonetheless, she truly did not wish to encounter him in this lifetime.
‘God, please let that dream not be a prophetic dream of meeting him in the future, but a nonsense dream… But if I pray for that, knowing my luck and your sense of irony, you’ll make it happen for real, won’t you? Prayer canceled.’
This is why one should never do things to incur God’s wrath.
With a sigh deep enough as if the ground had sunk, Regina set off with her luggage towards ‘Yekarna Hall’. As she passed, students parted ways left and right, like a miracle. It was because of everyone’s cautiousness to avoid being hit by her massive luggage.
Arriving at ‘Yekarna Hall Room 210’, she was pleasantly surprised. The room was quite spacious and even a single room.
“They give single rooms to commoner students too? Must have a generous budget.”
Any foreboding sense of doom she felt about her future was seemingly just a figment of her imagination. Regina Heather’s future seemed bright.
“Time to head to the entrance ceremony then.”
* * *
“Valedictorian Regina Heather, as the representative of the new students, please come forward.”
It was a mistake. Regina Heather’s future seemed anything but smooth.
At first, she thought she had misheard. Even after her name was called again, she couldn’t believe it and pointed at herself silently asking, ‘Me?’ The host on the stage nodded affirmatively.
It was indeed her.
Resigned, Regina stood up and walked to the podium. The students start to murmur.
“Isn’t that the girl who was carrying that huge load around like a merchant?”
“What? The merchant is the top student?”
“That’s ridiculous. A commoner who doesn’t even have a servant and carries her goods around like a peddler is the valedictorian?”
It seemed she already had a nickname. Judging from the crowd, ‘merchant’ narrowly edged out ‘peddler’ for the top spot.
“As the representative of the new students, please share your thoughts and future aspirations.”
The host instructed and offered her a magic tool to amplify her voice.
Regina looked at it blankly.
‘Shouldn’t they give you a heads up for this sort of thing to prepare?’
Yekarna never attended the academy. She had already mastered all the subjects before reaching the eligible age for enrollment, showcasing the virtues of the imperial family. So, naturally, she wasn’t familiar with how an entrance ceremony was supposed to proceed. Was it normal for it to be this hasty and unprepared?
Holding the magic tool, Regina tested its volume by saying ‘Aahh’ a few times to gauge the appropriate loudness. Then, with an indifferent expression, she spoke.
“To think I am the valedictorian, it seems the empire’s future is bleak.”
She couldn’t think of anything else to say on the spot. She could only speak out what was on her mind.
Originally, Yekarna was never known for her eloquence. During official events, she relied on speeches prepared by experts. They were skilled at making even the dullest of statements in the most engaging way possible, so she was able to imitate an eloquent speaker at the least.
Without their help, historical records might have remembered her as an Empress deficient in oratory skills. According to those around her, her manner of speaking was too direct and seemed indifferent, something like that.