"...Reincarnation?"
The crown prince, who nonchalantly dropped the shocking remark, nodded and continued speaking calmly.
"A thousand years ago, when the evil god was sealed in the Abyss, his soul was split in half. One part was sealed in the Abyss, and the other was born into a body and repeated the cycle of life and death."
"..."
"Because the soul was incomplete, the body was also incomplete, and the reincarnations of the evil god were all destined to have short lives. I am the same."
"...But Your Highness."
In the previous life, he had continued to live.
At least until I died.
"Thanks to divine power, I was able to sustain my life, but that was all. The previous me was alive but not alive. Until the Lady made a contract with the evil god."
Half a step.
The crown prince completely closed the remaining distance.
I looked up at him with trembling eyes.
"It's hard to explain exactly, but from the moment the Lady made a contract with the evil god and returned, my soul also grew stronger. The evil god's magic within my soul also grew stronger, causing side effects like being swallowed by magic last night."
I understood what he meant.
No, actually, I didn't understand.
So...
'The crown prince is the reincarnation of the evil god?'
That means.
"...You mean there are two existences of the evil god?"
The evil god trapped in the Abyss and the crown prince before my eyes.
They share the same soul.
"Correct, but different."
The crown prince answered ambiguously.
"The subject of the soul is the evil god. To be precise, I'm like a fragment that fell off from his soul."
"Fragment..."
His own existence is a fragment of someone else. The crown prince uttered the cruel words without a care.
"So, I can't turn back time like the evil god, but."
The crown prince smiled softly.
It was a pretty smile, but it felt somehow eerie.
"Instead, I'm here. In front of the Lady."
"...Have you been watching me all along? Because I'm the contractor of the evil god?"
"Correct, but wrong."
Again, an ambiguous answer.
The crown prince immediately gave the answer without hesitation.
"It's true that I watched the Lady, but not only because you're the contractor of the evil god."
"Then why?"
"I wanted to see if the Lady had changed. If you were being treated well in Rodbel and trying to settle there. What if my savior was such a disappointing human being?"
"..."
For a moment, I unconsciously clenched my fist at the sharp gaze that seemed to pierce through my soul.
Soon, the crown prince smiled brightly.
"But it was a useless worry. The Lady... was much more amazing than I thought."
"...There's still something I don't understand."
"Yes, tell me."
"If everything Your Highness said is true."
"Bedel."
"...If everything Bedel said is true, there's one thing I don't understand."
"What is it?"
"...Why am I Bedel's savior?"
It was the point that I couldn't understand while listening to the story.
That he is the reincarnation of the evil god, that they share the same soul, all of that aside, why call me the savior?
The crown prince stared at me for a while and answered quietly.
"Because only you can break the seal of the evil god."
"Pardon?"
"As I said, my soul has become stronger as the Lady made a contract with the evil god, but it is not yet complete. In addition, the evil god's magic has become stronger, so I don't know when my soul will be overloaded."
"Ah..."
"Therefore, my soul needs to be complete."
"A complete soul..."
"The way my soul can be complete."
The crown prince's eyes changed.
Like a hungry beast aiming for prey, he was looking at me but not looking at me.
That was...
"The evil god reviving."
He was seeing the evil god through me.
"The Abyss is suppressing the power of the evil god. The evil god freed from the Abyss will become a perfect being in itself. His soul will be complete, and then my soul will finally be freed from him."
He recited such an enormous story as if he were reading a book, without a care.
"So the Lady is my savior. The only being in the world who can make my soul complete, who can make me live like a human."
Smoothly.
Then the crown prince knelt down on one knee in front of me.
"...!"
I was startled by his sudden action and looked at him.
He looked up at me and said.
"Of course, I'm not asking for a one-sided salvation. Let's make a deal."
"...A deal?"
"The Lady releases the seal of the evil god. I will become the Lady's strongest power."
He took my hand and whispered softly.
"Become the Emperor."
"..."
"I'll give you anything the Lady wants. If you want an empire, I'll give you an empire, if you want a continent, I'll give you a continent, if you want Rodbel..."
He smiled softly as he looked up at me.
His appearance smiling under the sunlight was more than beautiful, it was even sacred.
"I'll give it to you. Even if it means starting a war. I'll become only the Lady's power and slave."
"..."
"So how about it? Making a deal with me. It will be a trade that you won't regret."
Certainly, is it because we share the same soul?
'You're just like a devil.'
The most beautiful devil in the world is seducing me with all his might.
How can I not fall for it?
It's not just that.
If I can have the Emperor as my backing...
There was no need to think for a long time.
Our interests were aligned.
"Okay."
I looked down at him with a firm gaze.
Putting the man who will become the owner of the empire in the future at my feet.
"I'll make a deal."
I said in a resolute voice.
The crown prince quietly looked up at me.
"Please take care of me in the future, my savior."
He placed his lips on the back of my hand.
Feeling the subtle sensation, I answered quietly.
"...Likewise."
At that moment, I was more nervous than ever, fearing that he would hear the sound of my heart pounding as if it would burst.
Hoping that he wouldn't notice this tension.
After finishing the deal, I hurriedly returned to my room in fear of being seen by people.
As soon as I came back, I collapsed on the bed.
"Ugh, I'm tired..."
So many things happened last night that I was on the verge of confusion.
And...
'In the end, I didn't know the identity of that butterfly.'
Before leaving the room, I asked the crown prince about the butterfly, but he.
'Well, I don't know much about it either. However, it only appears when the evil god's magic goes out of control and calms the surroundings. Thanks to that, I was able to avoid experiencing awkward situations.'
That means that butterfly wasn't sent by the crown prince.
'Then what is the identity of that butterfly?'
Ughh...
'I don't know!'
If I thought about it more here, it felt like my head would really explode, so I forcibly blocked my thoughts.
Instead, I raised my hand to the ceiling.
The feeling of his lips touching the back of my hand is still vivid.
"A deal..."
I gained an unexpected ally.
"He said he would become the Emperor."
He said he would become the Emperor and become my strength.
But...
"It won't be easy."
In the previous life, the reason he was able to preserve the position of crown prince was because he was scheduled to become the son-in-law of Rodbel.
Even so, he barely preserved the position, and I know that the pressure from the second prince's faction was considerable.
And in this life...
At this rate, it seemed like I would only keep thinking, so I just closed my eyes.
My whole body was too tired.
I thought my head would be more calm if I woke up after sleeping.
'Let's sleep...'
Let's close our eyes even a little.
Fortunately, I was able to fall into a deep sleep quickly.
How long did I sleep like that?
Suddenly, I slowly opened my eyes at the sensation felt on my forehead.
The room had already become dark, and someone was by my side.
"...Who...?"
I asked in a deeply submerged voice.
Could it be Ligrin?
Such a gentle touch could be Aen's.
Because I had just woken up, my vision was blurry, so I couldn't see who it was well.
"Ah..."
However, the voice I heard was a woman's.
"I think I woke you up. It seemed like your hair was poking your eyes, so I was going to move it, but... I'm sorry."
A kind and soft voice.
It was a familiar voice.
I asked reflexively.
"...Marin?"
"Yes, Miss."
It was a voice filled with warm warmth.
Raising the blanket up to my neck, Marin whispered.
"Sleep more. I'll stay by your side, Miss."
"Yeah..."
Taking the low voice as a lullaby, I closed my eyes again.
As I did so, I thought.
This is a dream.
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