My Past Life is Riddled With Many Sins - Chapter 63

Skyler was considered one of the best swordsmen in the empire. Just as someone deeply knowledgeable about art could recognize a painter from the brushstrokes, Skyler could definitely recognize Yekarna’s sword techniques. Moreover, he had often sparred with Yekarna. He was the one who had pointed out habits she didn’t even know she had.

‘I absolutely cannot be discovered.’

With this single thought powering her, Regina had relied only on basic movements to get this far. The plan was to forfeit immediately upon entering the final stage, thus concluding the swordsmanship tournament without any mistake. It was fortunate to not give Bliss, who only had suspicions, any solid evidence.

“All this fuss over just 1 Mina…”

To Yekarna, 1 Mina was hardly any money at all.

The change in her situation was real now. She hadn’t noticed it much while serving at the tavern in her small village.

Suddenly, Regina wondered if it would have been better if she had never stepped foot in the empire. Then she wouldn’t have met Friedrich, Skyler, or Prince Iskanda. The problems with the demon realm… someone else would have handled it.

‘I should have just attended the royal academy without getting greedy.’

As these mixed feelings surged within her, Regina climbed onto the stage after hearing her name called. An official approached and placed a white armband to her left arm. A fitting symbol as she was about to raise a white flag.

“Here we are at the final! Who will be the winner of the first-year category? Regina Heather with the white armband versus Glen with the black armband….”

As Regina opened her mouth to declare her forfeit, she was suddenly overwhelmed by a fierce murderous intent.

Before her mind could even react, her body instinctively swung her sword.

Clang!

A sharp metallic sound echoed across the arena.

Before the match could even start, there was a noise like swords clashing, causing the spectators to murmur in confusion.

“What happened? What’s going on?”

“Did someone attack?”

“Did something fly in here?”

In an instant, the audience section turned chaotic. Undisturbed by the surrounding uproar, Regina focused on identifying the object that had fallen to the ground.

The knife was designed for throwing. Thin, long, with minimal air resistance, and perfectly balanced with its weight centered for symmetry. It was crafted solely for that purpose, making it useless for anything else.

This wasn’t an impulsive act. Someone had planned this, waiting for the right moment to strike. It was highly unlikely for such a weapon to just fall from the sky. Someone had prepared it with murderous intent.

The problem was that Regina had no idea who could be targeting her. As Empress Yekarna, she was accustomed to assassination threats, but Regina Heather was just a commoner. She was not in a position for people to target, and her death wouldn’t seemingly benefit anyone.

‘Could there possibly be a secret about my birth?’

Perhaps her mother Melissa was a noblewoman who eloped with Henry, a commoner, and Regina was born from that union. Now, Regina turned out to be the sole heir to that noble family, and an envious uncle wanting the family’s wealth and status had arranged her assassination.

‘But Melissa’s demeanor was anything but noble.’

Henry was no different. No matter how she looked at it, they were quintessential commoners. She dismissed the possibility of a secret birth story.

So, was it someone from her past life? Someone unable to forgive Yekarna and seeking revenge through her?

Regina’s first thought upon seeing the thrown knife was of Skyler. Could he have orchestrated this attack to test her skills? It would be typical of Skyler to do something like this. But the direction the knife came from wasn’t his.

‘Could it then be Friedrich or Prince Iskanda trying to kill me?’

Regina clenched her fist slightly, feeling a sting in her heart. There was no reason to be shocked, it was her own doing after all. Still, she wasn’t ready to die just yet.

Which of them could it be?

Friedrich’s reincarnation did not seem to have intentions to kill her. If he had wanted, he could have had his men dispose of her quietly before she even enrolled at the academy, but he didn’t. Instead, he wanted to take her alive.

As for Prince Iskanda’s reincarnation….

According to Fathom’s claim, he wanted revenge on her. He had even publicly confessed to making her life difficult. But would he go as far as to kill her? That Prince Iskanda? The Prince Iskanda she knew wasn’t like that.

In her previous life, if she was going to describe Prince Iskanda; he was akin to a newborn, scruffy lamb. The idea of harming others simply didn’t suit.

Then Regina recalled the end of Yekarna’s life.

Yekarna was assassinated in her own bedroom.

The people who had free access to Yekarna’s bedroom at that time were the seven individuals later known as ‘The Seven Guardians’—Yekarna’s spouses and lovers.

The Emperor’s quarters weren’t accessible to just anyone; at that time, being allowed there was proof of her support. Hence, they were called ‘The Seven Guardians.’ In other words, these were people whom Yekarna had held in high regard…

‘One of them killed me.’

Who the perpetrator was, she didn’t know. She only remembered going to sleep as usual, and when she opened her eyes, she was starting life in a new body.

And the world told her that one of the seven had murdered her.

That theory was probably correct.

If Yekarna had been killed by someone, it was because she was careless. It might sound arrogant, but at the time, there was no one on the continent who could kill Yekarna by force.