Marie thought to herself.
(I—up until now, I've only ever leaned on Bro.)
Marie, who in her previous life had caused her older brother's death, was filled with regret.
If only she hadn't gone on that overseas trip that day.
If only she hadn't forced the game onto Leon—wouldn't there have been a different future waiting for him?
(Because I pushed Bro into a corner.)
Marie was standing in front of the capsule in which Erika slept.
Inside the capsule filled with liquid, Erika was being watched over by the robots that were Cleare's subordinates.
To protect her daughter from her previous life, she had relied on Leon.
(I—I couldn't do anything for this child.)
In her previous life, Marie had been anything but a good mother.
She understood that herself.
And that was precisely why.
This time for sure, she had thought.
And this was the result.
"I'm sorry. Bro—I'm sorry."
The Lost Item "secret medicine" that she had recovered for Leon's sake was a powerful doping drug.
And Leon was trying to readjust it for his own use, to make it even more potent.
It could be used three times.
After a single dose, a neutralizing agent had to be administered or it would put one's life at risk—that was the kind of drug it was.
"I—I never meant for things to turn out this way!"
Pressing her forehead against the capsule where Erika slept, she slumped down onto the floor.
Tears spilled out in big drops—and then, Marie raised her face.
She looked at the sleeping Erika.
"Erika, I'm sorry. —I have to pay back what I owe Bro."
Standing up, Marie steeled her resolve and took a deep breath.
She slapped her cheeks with both hands, and it stung more than she expected, leaving them bright red.
"All right! I'm fired up now. Fine, if it's come to this, I'll do whatever it takes. Even I can get things done when I try—probably."
Her second life.
Just what on earth had she done with it?
When she looked back over her life with that question in mind, there weren't any decent memories.
The house she had been born into was a noble one.
But it was a bad noble house that cared only for appearances, and she, the youngest daughter, had been treated terribly.
Living a life where she couldn't even eat properly, she had spent her childhood working hard, vowing that one day she would use her game knowledge to flip her life around.
Fortunately, she had a talent for healing magic, and she had polished that skill, intending to one day take the place of the saint.
After enrolling in the academy, she had snatched Olivia's position away and at first enjoyed herself.
Yes, only at first.
"—Looks like my second life turned out to be nothing much either."
Marie gave a bitter smile and bid farewell to Erika.
"Erika, I'm sorry."
(The me of right now should be able to use that, too. If it's for Bro—)
Leaving the room, Marie hurried off toward where Julius and the others were.
◇
The first thing Marie did was—.
"Up until now, I've been deceiving all of you. I'm truly sorry!"
—a dogeza.
It was one of the rooms in the academy.
It was one of the rooms where the boys had once invited the girls for tea parties, but currently few students used it, so it was a bit dusty.
Standing before Marie, who was prostrating herself in such a room, were—Julius and the others.
"Marie, what on earth are you doing?!"
Julius, flustered, tried to make her stand, but Marie refused to budge from her spot.
Jilk knelt down on the floor and spoke to Marie.
"Marie-san, there's some reason behind this, isn't there?"
Greg, arms folded, felt awkward at Marie's stubbornness and let out a sigh.
"You must have made up your mind about something. —You'll tell us, won't you, Marie?"
Chris turned his gaze toward the tables and chairs covered with sheets.
"Marie, you can't talk in that posture."
Brad spoke as he prepared the tables and chairs together with Chris.
"Let's get some tea ready. Let's talk this over slowly. We have to hear the whole story properly about how you've been deceiving us."
Marie, with Julius and Jilk supporting her under each arm, stood up while shedding tears.
"I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you, so—please, please save Bro."
Julius, listening to Marie's plea, looked troubled.
"Marie's brother? You mean the one in the Lafan Viscount family?"
"No. Listen. Leon is my—my brother from a past life."
Hearing that, Jilk put his hand to his forehead.
"It seems we need to hear this in more detail. Then, I'll go prepare the tea."
◇
Six people sat around the table where tea had been prepared.
Marie, head bowed and eyes hollow, told them everything that had happened up until now.
The fact that she was a reincarnated person.
The fact that Leon was her older brother from her past life.
And then—that originally, Marie was never supposed to have anything to do with Julius and the others.
"It's my fault. I deceived everyone—the saint was supposed to be Olivia, but I let greed blind me and called myself the saint."
Julius and the others' original partner was supposed to be Olivia.
Marie told them so honestly.
(I'm sure everyone is going to curse me out.)
Marie laid bare her feelings without holding anything back.
She hadn't actually loved them.
She had only wanted to be with them because of their status, fortune—and good looks.
Marie thought to herself.
(I really am a hopeless woman, aren't I?)
Tears welled up at her own ugliness.
And it was pathetic of her to be asking for help from the very people she had deceived.
But if she didn't do this—Marie couldn't forgive herself.
At the same time, if it was to save Leon, she was prepared to throw everything away.
The scent of tea, neither particularly good nor bad, filled the room.
Julius, having drained his black tea, opened his mouth once Marie stopped talking.
All five of them had listened to Marie's story to the very end.
"—Jilk, your tea is bad as ever."
But what came out of Julius's mouth was a complaint directed at Jilk.
"Huh?"
Marie raised her face, surprised that he would say something like that at a time like this.
Jilk narrowed his eyes as he looked at Julius.
"Your Highness simply cannot appreciate subtle flavors."
Brad was laughing.
"No, it really is bad. Compared to this, isn't Bartfort—I mean, brother-in-law's, better?"
Marie's mouth opened and closed wordlessly.
Greg and Chris had at some point taken off their jackets, even their shirts, and instead of drinking the tea were reaching for the tea sweets.
"I see—so Bartfort's our brother-in-law now. Hey, what should we call him from now on?"
The one Greg was consulting was Chris.
"This is a problem. The Bartfort of now is both our superior and our brother-in-law."
Chris, glasses gleaming as he frowned in earnest, couldn't come up with an answer.
Marie planted both hands on the table and shot to her feet.
"E-everyone, I'm not joking, I'm serious!"
She figured they didn't believe the whole past-life thing.
Thinking that, Marie tried once more to tell them in earnest.
But Julius placed his index finger against Marie's lips.
His expression was smiling.
"Marie, it's not that we don't believe what you've said."
"Julius?"
Pulling his index finger away from her lips, Julius made Marie sit down and put on a serious expression.
"It is certainly a hard story to believe."
Marie hung her head.
Even so, she had no choice but to have them believe her.
To save Leon—just as she was thinking that, this time it was Jilk who opened his mouth.
"But, we believe you, Marie-san."
"Jilk?"
This time it was Greg.
"Marie is appealing to us this seriously. It's not manly to disbelieve that. Right, you guys?"
The one nodding as Greg let his gaze travel across the faces of the assembled men was Brad.
"I agree. And besides, Marie—we told you, didn't we? That we'd absolutely make you look our way."
Chris had taken off his glasses.
"The reason Marie didn't tell us until now was probably because we weren't reliable enough. But the fact that you've told us like this now—right now, I'm truly happy."
Marie wore an expression of disbelief.
"Why would you believe me? Why are you being kind to me?! I—I'm a horrible woman who deceived all of you!"
Julius bowed his head and smiled sadly.
"It's certainly a horrible story. —We couldn't understand Marie's suffering. Marie, it must have been painful all this time, hasn't it?"
Marie shed tears.
"Why? Why, after I've told you all this—are you being kind?"
When Marie shook her head before the five of them, Julius stood up and gently embraced her.
"—What's wrong with believing the woman I've fallen for? I don't believe Marie would tell lies in a situation like this. And you've relied on us. To answer that feeling of yours—that's our role."
Jilk, Brad, Greg, Chris—all four of them stood up as well.
"Well then, in that case, we don't have time to be lazing around drinking tea."
"That's right. War with the empire—or was it a struggle for survival?"
"It's war for real this time. We'll lend Bartfort a hand too."
"Then, why don't we all head back to our families once. —If we're going to lend Bartfort our strength, we have no choice but to use the power of our houses."
To fight against the mighty empire, each of the five was about to begin taking action.
Marie hung her head and wept within Julius's chest.
"Th-thank you. Truly—thank you—so much. I'll do anything. Whatever atonement I can offer—I'll do it."
Crying made it hard to breathe, and her voice wouldn't come out properly.
Julius gently stroked Marie's back.
"No atonement is necessary. Marie, we're doing this because we want to. We'll lend our strength for your sake, and for Bartfort—for Leon's sake."
◇
The Redgrave Ducal residence in the royal capital.
Inside were Vince and Gilbert, who had come to the royal capital to deal with the empire.
Standing before the two of them, Angie felt a cold sweat running down her spine.
Facing their daughter and younger sister, the two men had very cold eyes.
Vince spoke in a gentle voice, but there was a thorn-like edge to his words.
"I didn't expect you to come here. Or are you going to come crying to us again?"
With the empire about to invade, had she come to lean on the power of her family? That was what he was saying.
Gilbert was even colder than Vince.
"Have you already forgotten that you betrayed us?"
To prevent civil war, Leon had Angie betray her family.
She had no regrets about that.
And besides—.
(Looking back on it now, forcibly averting the civil war was the right call.)
—If a civil war had broken out, the kingdom would easily have been defeated by the empire.
Angie took a single small, deep breath.
Then, she looked at Vince and Gilbert.
Showing a posture of not yielding even a step, she squarely faced the two and—.
"Father—no, Duke. I will make your grandson king."
—she said.
Upon hearing those words, Vince narrowed his eyes.
"Earlier you quelled the civil war for your own convenience, and at this timing—no, so that's what it is."
When Vince quickly caught on, Gilbert openly displayed his anger.
"It's far too late now! Can't you understand that you missed your chance?!"
If she was going to make a move, it should have been earlier.
Vince stopped Gilbert with a hand as he shouted those words.
"Father?"
When Gilbert showed his surprise, Vince showed a smile.
It was a combative—a ferocious smile.
"I see. So that's how it is."
Angie spoke to the two of them in a composed tone.
"Before the empire invades, the kingdom must unite as one. For that purpose, the Redgrave Ducal house will cooperate."
Gilbert started to step forward at her thoroughly overbearing way of speaking.
"The nerve of you!"
"Stop! —Very well. Our house promises its utmost cooperation."
"Father?"
While Gilbert stood there unable to understand, Angie let out a small breath and, turning her back on the two of them, walked out of the room.
"You have my thanks. —Duke."
Vince, seeing off the daughter who no longer called him father, murmured.
"Give my regards to the new majesty."
◇
Once Angie had left, Vince explained the situation to the indignant Gilbert.
Hearing it, Gilbert was shocked.
"You can't be serious?!"
Vince looked amused.
"That very serious matter, indeed. Even I'm surprised. But isn't it an amusing story? After all, my grandson is going to become king."
Gilbert was hanging his head.
Seeing that, Vince offered some words of comfort.
"I couldn't make you king. Forgive me, Gilbert."
Gilbert showed a smile as if he had let go of something.
"No, it was my own lack of strength. Truly—if Angie had been a man, I would have handed the position of heir over to her."
Vince was surprised at Gilbert acknowledging that his sister was more capable than himself—and then, after a pause, he burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Gilbert, don't you understand?"
"Wh-what is it?"
"If Angie had been a man, at best she'd be your equal, or perhaps slightly less. Listen, Gilbert—it's precisely because she is a woman that the girl is strong."
Told that, Gilbert tilted his head.
"—Just what do you mean by that?"
Vince closed his eyes, and then smiled.
"I mean—it's for the sake of the man she loves."