My Past Life is Riddled With Many Sins - Chapter 56

“Oh, woe is me.”

“That’s not something a child should be saying.”

Regina flinched at the voice that came from close by. It was Bliss, Skyler’s reincarnation who was smiling brightly.

“Dean.”

Though lost in thought, she hadn’t noticed him approaching until he was right in front of her. This meant he was at least a step ahead of her in skill.

This wasn’t a surprise. Skyler had been a swordmaster in their past life. Given that he reincarnated earlier, it made sense that he had fully recovered his past abilities.

Yet, confirming this fact left Regina feeling oddly unsettled.

‘I never lost to Skyler in our past life.’

Considering that Yekarna had died first, she should have reincarnated the earliest. So why was she younger than Skyler, Friedrich, and even Iskanda, who had been younger than her in their past life? It felt unfair and wrong.

“What’s bothering our young Regina?”

Bliss seemed to read her mind. Regina shook her head in denial.

“Nothing.”

“It sure looks like something is bothering you. It’s written all over your face.”

Bliss bent down, putting his eyes level with hers and whispered,

“Tell me. I’ll cheer you up, okay?”

The way he folded his large frame and looked up at her was so reminiscent of Skyler in their past life that Regina’s heart softened for a moment.

“How will you cheer me up?”

“Um, by being silly?”

“The Dean? Being silly for me?”

“I’m really good at it. In the past life, my Empress loved my antics.”

“Nonsense. The one who was good at being silly was…”

Regina caught herself just in time before she revealed too much. Cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck. That was close. She had almost blurted out that she was Yekarna’s reincarnation.

“Was?”

Bliss’s expression was teasing, as if he already knew what she was about to say.

Everything felt like a trap. She couldn’t trust anyone, not even him.

Feeling a surge of betrayal, Regina scowled and waved him off.

“Go away. I’m busy.”

“I’ll stay until you feel better.”

He was as persistent as ever. Regina sighed in exasperation. Skyler had been just as stubborn in their past life.

“So, what are you planning to do?”

“First, here, eat this.”

He pulled something out of his pocket. It was chocolate.

Regina felt a slight stir of excitement.

Tastes don’t change easily, it seems. Both in her past life and now, she loved chocolate.

The difference was that Yekarna could always have chocolate at hand, while for Regina, a commoner, it was an unaffordable luxury.

‘Is he trying to see if I’ll take it because Yekarna liked chocolate too?’

But that was a flimsy basis for suspicion. Few people dislike chocolate.

She stared at him, trying to gauge his intentions. Bliss smiled gently, and she took the chocolate with a skeptical look.

‘What if it’s drugged?’

What if she ate it, fell asleep, and woke up to find herself collared, shackled, and locked in a room?

Suspicious? Maybe.

But Skyler had a history. He had once tried something similar on Yekarna, though he hadn’t succeeded.

That day, Yekarna and Skyler had been kissing, and she had taken a drink he offered without suspicion. She remembered it tasting particularly sweet.

Caught up in the effects of the alcohol and their passion, they had made love as usual. Skyler was typically quite audacious in bed, so she hadn’t thought much of it when she passed out. But when she woke up, she found herself bound and being transported in a carriage. Even worse, the restraints were designed to suppress mana.

For a swordmaster like her, breaking ordinary restraints was no issue. But with her mana suppressed, she was just a person with average strength. She had the muscles to wield a sword effectively, but breaking iron chains with sheer physical force was beyond her. Even male knights focused on physical training would struggle with that.

That’s when Yekarna realized Skyler was serious. He truly wanted to depose her, imprison her, or something similar. Just the fact that he managed to smuggle the Empress out of the palace proved his capability and determination.

Of course, Yekarna had escaped from the carriage and returned safely to the palace, punishing everyone involved—whether they had helped Skyler directly or were simply too incompetent to realize the Empress was missing.

As Regina stared at the chocolate without eating it, Skyler smiled.

“What’s the matter? Worried it’s drugged?”

Bingo. Regina felt uneasy. Both Prince Iskanda and Skyler knew her far too well.

“In that case, should I melt it in my mouth and pass it to you? If we share it, you won’t need to worry about what’s in it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Dean.”

Was he trying to sneak in a kiss?

Frowning, Regina roughly broke the chocolate in half and handed a piece to him.

“Here, you eat it, Dean.”

“If that’s what you want, I’ll gladly play the part of the tester.”

Bliss, acting the part of a tester, ate his half of the chocolate. Once she was sure he had swallowed it, Regina put her piece in her mouth. It melted on her tongue, sending a rush of sweetness to her brain. A smile crept onto her lips despite herself.

Bliss watched her quietly.