Time-Limited Saintess, You’ve Been Caught by the Tyrant Once Again - Chapter 104

Chapter 52.2

“Y-Your Highness, the Princess, I offer my greetings.”

Charlotte nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Her crimson eyes studied Viscount Timothy, who flinched and averted his gaze.

“Who are you?”

Her clear, graceful voice carried through the air.

Even though Ellin had educated her, the princess’s composed demeanor sharply contrasted the rumors of her being wild and uncontrollable. The realization made Viscount Timothy’s expression stiffen.

“My name is Gawain Timothy.”

Charlotte gave a slight nod, though it seemed as though she barely acknowledged his presence.

“And why were you speaking to my governess?”

“I-It’s nothing. I’ll take my leave now, Your Highness.”

Terrified, he quickly excused himself.

Charlotte watched him walk away before turning back to Ellin with a wide grin.

“Did I do well?”

“Pardon?”

“That man was bothering you, wasn’t he?”

“….”

Charlotte smiled as she gently wiped away the blood from the corner of Ellin’s lips.

“Should I punish him for you?”

“No.”

Ellin forced a smile, lifting the corners of her lips. Even though Viscount Timothy’s words still echoed in her mind, she pushed the thoughts aside and maintained her composure.

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“What’s with that look?”

In the evening, after finishing her report on Charlotte, Ellin raised her head at the sound of Arkan’s voice. As she met his red eyes, fixed intently on her, she began to speak.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Well… for my expression…”

“I’m asking for the reason.”

He set down the pen he had been holding between his long fingers.

His large, steady hands twitched slightly.

Realizing that he wasn’t going to let her off without a response, she let out a quiet sigh and answered. She had already cleaned her face, and since Arkan wasn’t the type to notice small details, he hadn’t seen the injury on her.

“It’s just… I have something on my mind.”

“….”

“What is it?”

His question caught her off guard. It seemed like he intended to continue the conversation.

“Well, it’s a personal matter…”

“Aha, a personal matter. I see. So what?”

It was clear he didn’t care whether it was personal or not.

‘What should I do?’

She stood before Arkan, hesitating for a long time.

Their relationship wasn’t as strained as it had been in her past life, and the misunderstanding that had once made him furious when she left the palace had long since been resolved. For the past year, there hadn’t been a single major conflict between them.

She looked at Arkan.

This man had nothing to gain from a commoner like her. His curiosity must have been genuine.

Then, with a sigh, she began to speak.

“It’s about a concern of a friend of mine… Her parents reclaimed a piece of land, and it turned out to be incredibly fertile.”

“….”

“As you know, under imperial law, reclaimed land belongs to the one who cultivates it. But then her parents passed away suddenly, and the lord tried to seize it.”

“….”

“But apparently, the lord wasn’t the only one involved in taking that land. What do you think that means?”

“How large is that territory?”

“No, it’s just a small one…”

“How many people live there?”

“I’m not entirely certain… Maybe around two hundred?”

She told the truth without embellishing anything. It wasn’t as though he would realize that this was about ‘Elena’s’ situation.

Even though the topic of land had come up unexpectedly, Arkan was listening intently. To an emperor of a nation, it must have sounded like a rather absurd story.

“I’m sorry, I…”

“No.”

He fell silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. He let out a low sigh, his gaze shifting to the warm glow of the setting sun spilling through the window.

After a long pause, he finally spoke.

“The answer is so obvious, it actually caught me off guard.”

“Pardon?”

“Isn’t it obvious that all the people in the territory are complicit?”

“Yes?”

Ellin blinked in disbelief.

There was no way. Those people were nothing but kind and good-hearted. The viscount’s territory was so small that everyone knew each other’s faces. It was a nice place where everyone was friendly to one another. And yet, he was saying all the territory’s residents were involved?

“It can’t be. That’s impossible.”

“Do you really think the lord was tilling the land himself? Obviously, he would have had tenant farmers.”

“….”

“If the harvest increased significantly, they wouldn’t have had any trouble paying the rent. They likely made some arrangement on that front.”

“But that doesn’t mean they’re accomplices…”

“You’re too naive about the world.”

His tone was mocking as he gestured toward the papers on his desk.

“Do you have any idea how many lords have killed their own people just to claim developed land for themselves? This is all documentation of those cases.”

Arkan, sounding indifferent, motioned to a pile of documents in the right corner of his desk.

Ellin’s fingertips trembled slightly.

“…They were killed?”

“Of course. Isn’t it suspicious that they all died at the same time? Do you really think it was just an accident? Don’t be foolish. You have to eliminate them all; only then can you avoid future troubles.”

Arkan let out a quiet chuckle. Ellin’s lips quivered before she bit down hard on them.

“So, that’s why you…”

“What?”

Startled, she quickly shook her head.

After Erich destroyed Viscount Timothy’s family, Arkan razed the village completely. Could it have something to do with that?

“I…”

Arkan wouldn’t lie.

Ellin felt as though she had been struck when she heard his words. The people of the territory had pitied Elena, yet they also urged her to give up the land as quickly as possible.

Even after living this second life, there were still things she could never forget.

It was the memories of her parents.

They had been warm, loving, and had always cherished their daughter, Elena. The thought that they might have been murdered made her chest ache. Could they truly have been murdered? If that were the case, had she spent all these years mourning them without ever knowing what had really caused their deaths?

Tears spilled from Ellin’s eyes.

She couldn’t control her emotions.

Through her tear-soaked gaze, she searched for Arkan, but he was gone. Then, all of a sudden, thick fingers that had been holding a pen touched her face. The faint smell of ink tickled her nose as she tried to stifle her tears.

“You’re really clumsy.”

What could he mean she was clumsy at? Managing her expressions? Or her thoughts?

Arkan’s hand rested gently on her shoulder as if consoling a close friend or family member. Even though it wasn’t meant as comfort, it ended up being just that.