If I Were Reborn, I Wouldn’t Marry You - Chapter 142

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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 142
After sending my family ahead, I remained at the Imperial Palace, saying I had matters to discuss with Leonhardt.
Upon arriving at the Prince’s Palace, now quite familiar to me, I whispered in a deliberately loud voice for all to hear.
“I want to be alone with you.”
Outwardly, I offered the excuse that circumstances had simply conspired to delay us, though no one with sense would believe it. The Imperial Court had made their disapproval of my marriage to Leonhardt abundantly clear, whether through subtle hints or blatant displays.
The combination of my grave expression and petulant tone made the Royal Attendants realize something had transpired at today’s formal dinner, and they tactfully withdrew.
Once I confirmed we were alone, I immediately questioned Leonhardt.
If I spoke at length, it might appear as something far graver than a typical lovers’ quarrel, and in the Imperial Palace where countless eyes and ears lurked, rumors of discord could spread like wildfire. Time was not a luxury I possessed.
“Do you sense anyone nearby?”
“No. There’s no one.”
Leonhardt answered carefully, observing my unusually serious demeanor.
Nevertheless, I leaned close to him and spoke in a hushed voice.
This was information that would cause tremendous trouble if overheard by anyone else.
“Before the regression, wasn’t this around the time Prince poisoned His Majesty the Emperor?”
Since the regression, we had altered events so favorably in our direction that I had scarcely needed to open the notebook I’d written in during childhood.
Yet certain events, as if inscribed upon the soul itself, occurred at the same time and in the same manner as the first cycle, regardless of our intervention.
From trivial matters like Lester’s and Angela’s romantic entanglements to grander events such as foreign rebellions.
‘And perhaps the poisoning incident will be no exception.’
Leonhardt, grasping my intent, fell silent and contemplated, his eyes moving thoughtfully before he nodded.
“That’s true.”
Leonhardt had always possessed superior instincts in such matters compared to me.
Once given a clue, he swiftly deduced the situation.
“The bribery incident that served as the catalyst never occurred, but Prince is in a far more desperate position than before the regression, so we must certainly keep that in mind.”
Prince’s fate, entangled with ours through bitter karma, had changed considerably, yet human nature does not transform easily.
“In fact, the probability of him acting recklessly has only increased.”
Leonhardt corrected himself with a cautious expression.
Prince was not the type to meekly accept defeat and withdraw, even if he witnessed his own downfall with his own eyes.
Rather, he was the sort to reveal his true nature and thrash about desperately when cornered.
“You’re right….”
Setting aside the human sentiment that I disliked seeing acquaintances die, the Emperor’s death would be catastrophic.
The true chaos that befell the Empire had begun only after the Emperor’s demise.
Just before his death, the Emperor briefly regained consciousness and revealed that his cause of death was not a simple heart attack but poisoning—an artificial condition—and that Prince was the culprit.
The Chamberlain, who constantly attended the Emperor’s side, and the Empress Dowager and Empress, who had rushed over upon hearing the Emperor had regained consciousness, all heard these words.
The Empress Dowager, who had already endured one succession war marred by fratricidal bloodshed, immediately sent the Chamberlain to summon Leonhardt.
As the rightful heir under imperial law, Leonhardt moved with swift decisiveness.
While the Emperor lay unconscious, Prince, who had been acting as regent under his authority as Crown Prince, was arrested at the Crown Prince’s Palace without any chance to prepare.
He had never imagined the Emperor would awaken at that final moment.
He was then imprisoned in the deepest Underground Prison beneath the Imperial Palace and executed.
…or so it was reported.
In reality, he had bribed the executioner and guards to fake his death, escaped, rallied his remaining forces, and launched a civil war.
“My wedding day.”
There were hundreds of reasons to despise Prince, but if I had to rank them, the one I’d place at the top was his uncanny ability to commit his worst crimes on the days that mattered most to me.
Not that I was suggesting he commit atrocities on other days, of course.
‘Though I suppose personal grudges do tend to accumulate.’
I was only human, after all, and it was impossible not to let a bit of resentment settle in.
‘Come to think of it, he did the same thing at my debutante ball.’
The bastard.
I forced a bright smile to hide my internal cursing, but Leonhardt suddenly stiffened beside me.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Leonhardt shook his head and continued naturally.
“This won’t be easy to monitor.”
We’d had our eyes on Prince for a very long time.
But given his status, our options were limited.
And given how many crimes he’d committed, he was meticulous about controlling everything around him—which made it even worse.
So our surveillance had been reduced to watching whether Prince appeared near the Underworld and stationing spirits around him to observe his movements.
But the people in the Underworld had lost their usefulness once Prince stopped appearing there, apparently aware of the trouble he’d caused, and while the spirits could maintain close surveillance, their inability to communicate meant we couldn’t discern these subtle schemes.
“What about tracing the raw materials for poison?”
Just as we’d traced back the importers of the Salamander Lizard during the Annex fire incident and caught him by his tail, we could also trace the poison’s ingredients and monitor Prince that way.
I thought it was a good approach, but Leonhardt shook his head with a bitter expression.
“The poison Prince used has an unknown recipe.”
“That’s possible?”
Poisons used for assassination must be colorless, odorless, and tasteless, leaving no trace on the body.
Since poisons meeting all these conditions were extremely rare, the types actually used were quite limited.
‘I thought it was Crimson Heart because of the heart attack symptoms, but…’
I widened my eyes in question, and he continued his explanation.
“When His Majesty the Emperor suddenly collapsed despite being in good health, the Imperial Palace physicians naturally suspected poison. But they found no signs of poisoning whatsoever. It’s an unknown poison.”
“Where did Prince even obtain such a poison?”
“I suspect he may have created it himself.”
True to his cruel nature, Prince enjoyed the sight of blood.
It wasn’t an unreasonable assumption that he’d also have an interest in poisons.
“We should first check whether the Crown Prince’s Palace has been allocating funds for alchemy or pharmaceuticals.”
With appropriate cover, he’d committed more than one or two misdeeds, so digging there would likely turn up something.
I spoke as if speculating, but I was nearly certain.
Leonhardt nodded in agreement, then added as if remembering something belatedly.
“But there’s also been mention that the materials are likely quite easy to obtain and of a common variety.”
Just when I thought I’d found a thread to pull, we were back to square one.
“…This is troublesome.”
If the materials were that common, then surely only Prince knew the poison’s recipe.
Prince had surrounded himself with loyal subordinates who would pretend to die at his command, yet even they he didn’t fully trust.
He must have created and kept it hidden entirely on his own.
Without someone of Viscount Perington’s caliber handling his affairs, the odds were high that no one would even know poison had been made.
“Still, we have to try something.”
Cast multiple baits into the water, and you never know which direction the bite will come from.
Speaking with such determination, Leonhardt smiled faintly.
And as it turned out, the goddess of justice was indeed on our side.
The moment we began investigating Prince’s surroundings, crimes that had previously gone undetected came to light.
“I thought we’d managed to bind the hands and feet of a madman murderer….”
It was nothing of the sort.
Prince had simply redirected his impulses toward those he could manipulate without consequence.
…Palace servants of the Crown Prince’s Palace or those among his inner circle deemed expendable.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, we managed to save one person who had been pushed to the brink of death for offending Prince’s sensibilities.

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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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