If I Were Reborn, I Wouldn’t Marry You - Chapter 141

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 141
After that day, Leonhardt began preparing for another proposal.
Once I became aware of it, I could see far more clearly that Leonhardt was up to something.
But I decided that next time I would show genuine surprise and joy, so I deliberately kept my eyes clouded and unfocused.
‘I’m sorry. I won’t spoil it this time.’
Meanwhile, we also began wedding preparations somewhat earlier to drive a wedge in place, lest the Emperor change his mind.
Fortunately, this time the Emperor did not resort to his evasive tendencies.
He even showed signs of genuinely congratulating and supporting our marriage.
Just today, he sent a formal dinner invitation to our family.
“Please convey to His Majesty our gratitude for the invitation and our anticipation of the occasion.”
Leonhardt, who had come under the pretext of delivering the invitation personally, nodded lightly in response to Father’s courteous greeting.
“Is this a formal family meeting? Especially with the Empress attending?”
Lester muttered in a voice too loud to be mere musing.
Then, belatedly realizing all eyes had turned toward him, he laughed awkwardly.
Despite being in his mid-twenties, Lester still retained a youthful quality in his thoughts and actions, but he was aware enough that the Empress and Leonhardt were on extremely uncomfortable terms.
Leonhardt answered with a faint, practiced smile.
“Probably. It’s about time, after all.”
The rest of the family had maintained their silence out of concern for Leonhardt, who would surely find the formal dinner uncomfortable, so perhaps it was fortunate that the silence was broken this way.
‘We have to meet at least once, though….’
All the Capital’s nobility knew that the Empress and Leonhardt were a pair who even avoided crossing paths with each other.
It was not uncommon for families to sever ties over inheritance or titles, or simply due to incompatible temperaments, so it was not something that would draw major criticism.
However, avoiding even an occasion like this was bound to invite gossip.
‘It would be quite different from an official ceremony like the coronation.’
In those cases, they could simply treat each other according to protocol, but this was a rather private affair.
I stole a glance at Leonhardt’s expression.
Leonhardt, noticing my worried gaze, turned toward me and smiled.
It was a smile that said not to worry, that everything would be fine.
‘How could I not worry?’
I pouted my lips, feeling even more troubled.
My family, sensing my feelings, quietly slipped away, leaving only Leonhardt and me in the Drawing Room.
“Nervous?”
Unusually, Leonhardt was the one to tease first.
“Me? What about you?”
I accepted his teasing with all the bravado I could muster.
Leonhardt poked my cheek very gently with his index finger, then laughed with his eyes crinkled.
“You’re right, I’m the nervous one. You’re always so brave.”
I felt reassured by his willingness to face and acknowledge his own feelings, yet my worry did not entirely dissipate.
Among the Imperial family, the Empress and Leonhardt were the pair most uncomfortable with each other.
‘I know it’s unavoidable…. But still….’
I let out a long, quiet sigh.
The rift between the two of them had occurred around three days after Leonhardt’s birth, or so the story went.
The Empress, who came from a collateral branch of House of Perington and wasn’t particularly wealthy, had a modest disposition and apparently enjoyed caring for her newborn son directly.
On that day, as the Empress watched over her youngest son sleeping peacefully, her eyes suddenly met those of Leonhardt, who had opened his eyes.
Unfortunately, that was when it happened.
An ability that hadn’t even fully awakened burst forth uncontrollably, attacking everything around it indiscriminately.
‘An incident that would become the source of all the misfortune Leonhardt would ever experience.’
‘Oppression’ was considered a powerful and exceptional ability, and the greatest reason for this was its remarkable versatility.
‘Depending on how it was used, it could terrify an opponent, make them obey, or even kill them through shock.’
That was it.
The Empress, struck by the blindly manifested ability, experienced her heart stop momentarily from the shock before she regained consciousness, or so it was said.
Had the Imperial Palace physicians not acted swiftly, her life would truly have been in danger.
After that, the Empress came to view the crimson eyes she had glimpsed just before her heart stopped as ominous, and she grew to dread and fear Leonhardt.
‘The Empress had sought to find the source of that terror she felt, and what she discovered was that fragment of a prophecy that led people to call Leonhardt the cursed Prince.’
The misunderstanding and emotions that accumulated continued even after it was revealed that Leonhardt’s crimson eyes were merely evidence of his ability being born exceptionally strong.
The Emperor and Empress Dowager arranged for reconciliation between the two several times, but each attempt fell through before it could even properly begin.
Before the regression, and after it as well.
Being entirely on Leonhardt’s side, I would insist it was merely an accident, but I couldn’t say I didn’t understand the Empress’s feelings at all.
Leonhardt, who harbored little affection for the Imperial family, seemed to feel considerable guilt toward the Empress.
Both before the regression and now, Leonhardt consistently displayed an attitude of allowing the Empress to avoid him comfortably and even facilitating her distance.
Leonhardt would ascend to the throne, defeating Prince, his full brother who had long held the position of Crown Prince.
Having a good relationship with the Empress would certainly be advantageous.
‘I shouldn’t hold great expectations, though.’
But even in the first iteration, unable to reveal that the relationship with the Empress was irreparably damaged, they had encountered each other at official functions, yet their relationship never improved even slightly until the very end.
‘In fact, after Leonhardt became Emperor, the Empress even moved her residence to a Rural Small Palace.’
After the regression, nearly all of my and Leonhardt’s worries and concerns had been resolved.
The one thing that remained unresolved was Leonhardt’s relationship with his family.
I glanced at Leonhardt, who wore his usual expressionless face, and smiled bitterly.
It was a tangled knot far too complicated to unravel.
‘Trying to force it open would only give me a headache.’
Knots were always resolved faster by cutting them than by untying them.

* * *
To be honest, the formal meeting disguised as a dinner was profoundly uncomfortable.
‘Sharing a table and eating with Prince was already problematic enough.’
Despite my careful management of my expression, the Empress was equally troublesome—unable to hide her displeasure no matter how hard she tried.
Fortunately, the Emperor and Father, old friends, kept their conversation flowing seamlessly, preventing the atmosphere from becoming entirely awkward.
The Emperor, who had been exchanging light jokes and drinks with Father, suddenly turned to me with unexpected emotion, though I couldn’t discern the context.
“Long ago, when the Young Lady was this small—no, when my future daughter-in-law was this small—I already marked her as my daughter-in-law. How gratifying to see it come to fruition.”
The Emperor laughed, gesturing to a height around his calf.
‘I’m hardly a Chihuahua.’
I wanted to protest that I was considerably taller than that, but I merely smiled instead.
My cheeks were noticeably flushed—it seemed I was somewhat intoxicated.
‘So Leon inherited his weak tolerance for alcohol from His Majesty.’
Though I answered with a smile, the Emperor, unbothered, continued with a hearty laugh.
“Leon must have inherited my discerning eye for women. To have found such a beautiful, intelligent, and adorable companion.”
My family, doting on their youngest, was absolutely delighted by the endless praise directed at me.
Even Leonhardt nodded in agreement, as if to say, “That’s certainly true.”
The noticeably strained atmosphere visibly relaxed.
Considering we were nearly finished with the meal, it was rather late, but it was still far better than before.
“Why did you omit that his character is upright and his conduct is dignified?”
Even the Empress Dowager added her voice, and for the first time in ages, I felt embarrassed by praise.
As I averted my gaze, Prince, seated diagonally across from me, came into view.
Clearly uncomfortable with the attention directed toward us, he wore his usual gentle smile, but his eyes gleamed with something ominous.
‘Eyes that could devour a person whole.’
A chill ran down my spine.
I did not ignore my instinctive warning.
A critical incident from before my regression—something I had nearly forgotten in how much had changed—suddenly came to mind.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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