TSMMT Ch 85

Absurd Goodwill

Suicide? What on earth did that mean?

Dianna looked at Logaple standing before her. He squeezed his eyes shut as if struck by a wave of sharp pain. Then, his gaze flared with even deadlier bloodlust as he confronted Leonie.

[Logaple] "Why are you bringing up that tragedy here?"

[Leonie] "Because it looks like the exact reason you are acting like the Queen's lapdog."

He moved to unsheathe and swing his sword without restraint, but Dianna raised a hand to block him.

[Dianna] "Sir Logaple. Stop this instant. Do you intend to shed blood in my presence?"

At her command, rationality returned to his features. He glared at Leonie, sheathed his sword, and bowed deeply.

[Logaple] "Forgive me, Your Majesty."

Dianna turned her gaze toward Leonie, who stood in the background watching the display with a smirk.

[Leonie] "What is it, Your Majesty? I don't offer apologies."

[Logaple] "Lady Kragel!"

[Leonie] "The Queen is indeed behaving foolishly."

Logaple ground his teeth in fury. His face flushed bright red as he suppressed his rage out of respect for Dianna.

Dianna gestured with her chin, prompting Leonie to speak plainly.

[Leonie] "That fox is currently stripping away all of Your Majesty's authority! Do you intend to sit back and watch it happen?"

She huffed in exasperation. Dianna couldn't comprehend why the woman was so furious.

[Leonie] "If you actually have some grand plan, then I am profoundly sorry. I shall apologize when the time comes."

Dianna found the woman's behavior absurd, given Leonie claimed she never apologized only to promise one immediately after.

Of course, Leonie surely recognized that she possessed no hidden agenda. Understanding Leonie's underlying motives, she let out a soft chuckle.

[Dianna] "Lady Kragel. If I were still the proud daughter of Duke Brienne back in Panborough, none of this would be happening."

[Leonie] "……"

[Dianna] "I would never tolerate Saruvia stealing my authority piece by piece, nor would I spare a lady who uses her sharp tongue to insult me openly to my face."

Leonie flinched. Dianna remained unaware of her own expression, striving merely to speak in a flat tone completely stripped of emotion.

[Dianna] "Do you know why I address you all so formally, Lady Kragel? From the very moment we met, you accepted my low status with complete naturalness."

She didn't meet Leonie's gaze. Even in her past life, she had used formal, respectful language with these noble ladies. She had no idea why. No one forced her to do it, yet it became her habit. The same held in this life. Why did these women take the Queen's humble tone for granted?

Leonie shouted in protest, looking deeply wronged.

[Leonie] "Are you blaming me for that now? Your Majesty is the one lowering yourself excessively! Why lay the blame at my feet?"

[Dianna] "I am the daughter of a criminal. My cursed father brought the King of this nation into our home as a slave, inflicting unendurable humiliation upon him."

[Leonie] "……"

[Dianna] "No matter what I do, and even if I flee, the fact that I carry his blood never changes. I am a criminal's daughter, which means my rise to the throne lacks any absolute legitimacy."

Leonie bit her lip.

[Dianna] "Without a political foundation, what can I possibly accomplish? You claim I fail to distinguish between friend and foe? No, from the very beginning, I have been surrounded by enemies. The attention directed at me is nothing more than surveillance, a constant search for reasons to condemn me."

[Leonie] "……"

[Dianna] "In a conquered nation where I possess no faction, how can I oppose the House of Levian, one of the greatest noble families in this land?"

[Leonie] "……"

[Dianna] "It is equivalent to demanding an unarmed, helpless child fight a knight fully armored and wielding a sword."

Leonie spoke in disbelief.

[Leonie] "So that is your excuse? You should at least refuse to let them walk all over you like an idiot."

[Dianna] "……"

[Leonie] "Are all Panborough natives this pathetic? I have heard enough of your elaborate excuses."

Dianna couldn't comprehend why Leonie grew so furious and sarcastic with her.

Leonie scowled.

[Leonie] "Why are you shutting yourself away like the tragic heroine of a sad story? You claim you have no weapons? Everyone knows the King is completely infatuated with you! Are you blind to that?"

[Dianna] "……That is not real."

[Leonie] "Even if it isn't real, you should exploit whatever leverage you have."

Dianna pondered how to explain the nature of fate to Leonie. She had endured these exact struggles in her past life. The gods had delivered a prophecy stating that while details might shift, the outcome could never be changed—and that prophecy had been fulfilled to the letter. Dianna knew that certain things remained unalterable.

How could she explain this profound helplessness?

How could she voice this absolute isolation?

Dianna stood at a complete loss. Unless she revealed the horrors of her past life, no one could ever understand her actions.

Right then, Leonie spoke again.

[Leonie] "Your Majesty tolerated my insolence solely to use me as a shield against Saruvia, did you not?"

[Dianna] "……"

[Leonie] "You haven't completely abandoned hope, so why do you project such utter helplessness?"

Leonie recognized the truth. Until the very end, Dianna could never bring herself to dismiss her. That single act constituted Dianna's small rebellion, and she understood it perfectly.

No matter what Dianna attempted, no one here would offer understanding. This was a foreign land, a place filled with hostile eyes constantly searching for reasons to condemn her. Leonie grumbled in frustration.

[Leonie] "Seriously, staying by Your Majesty's side is so irritating I can barely tolerate it. I endured this position because that boy insisted you were a good person, but I can't stand this sight any longer. I am quitting."

She stormed out of the room, unable to contain her annoyance. Dianna let out a heavy sigh as the door slammed shut.

[Logaple] "Forgive me, Your Majesty."

Logaple, who had watched the entire exchange silently, offered a quiet apology.

[Dianna] "Why are you the one apologizing, Sir Logaple?"

His expression turned somber. At some point, he had stopped intervening to cut off Leonie's insolent remarks. Dianna deliberately ignored his lapse, adopting a brighter tone.

[Dianna] "You told Lady Kragel that I am a good person? I doubt I ever did anything to deserve such praise from you, Sir Logaple."

She spoke bitterly, but he shook his head.

[Logaple] "No, not at all! Your Majesty is a good person. I know the truth."

That isn't true.

Dianna had never bestowed any favor upon Logaple. Where on earth did this blind devotion stem from?

[Logaple] "I shall report Lady Kragel's conduct to His Majesty so she faces proper punishment, but... could you find it in your heart to show a little mercy?"

His softened tone surprised Dianna. Moments ago, he had brandished his sword with lethal intent, threatening execution; why the sudden shift?

[Dianna] "Are the two of you well acquainted?"

[Logaple] "Well... yes."

He lowered his gaze, his voice entirely drained of energy.

[Logaple] "The person Lady Kragel wanted to criticize was not actually Your Majesty."

[Dianna] "……"

[Logaple] "She wanted to vent her anger at my deceased sister."

[Dianna] "Your sister?"

At her question, Logaple raised his gaze and offered a bitter smile.

[Logaple] "Lady Kragel was a close friend of my late sister."

The sister who committed suicide.

Dianna resolved to pursue the matter no further. Anyone would want to conceal such a painful family tragedy.

As her features turned rigid, Logaple continued speaking.

[Logaple] "Furthermore, if I may speak boldly, Your Majesty currently resembles my sister perfectly. The similarity caught me completely off guard when we first met."

Resemble a sister who took her own life?

As she stared at him with a hard expression, Logaple spoke awkwardly.

[Logaple] "My sister was also forced into an unwanted union. She entered a political marriage, leaving behind the man she loved."

Virtually every noble family engaged in political marriages. Dianna prepared to cut the conversation short, but noting his desperate need to speak, she resolved to listen silently.

[Logaple] "After a fierce clash, our father threatened to execute the man she loved. My sister had no choice but to marry while weeping bitter tears."

[Dianna] "……"

[Logaple] "She eventually accepted her fate. However, her husband proved to be absolute trash and maintained a mistress. My sister endured unspeakable humiliation in the household before finally taking her own life."

She is exactly like me.

Dianna understood precisely why Logaple drew a parallel between her and his deceased sister. That woman had walked the same wretched path.

[Logaple] "I visited her a few times, and she always pretended to be perfectly fine."

[Dianna] "……"

[Logaple] "Had she asked for help, I would have supported her. No matter how stubborn our father was, he never would have abandoned her if he knew she suffered such torment. Even though I was the youngest and still a child, I would have done something……."

[Logaple] "She could have sought help from her friends, or at least confessed her suffering to her helpless lover……."

He spoke in a flat tone, entirely stripped of tears.

[Logaple] "She assumed our father hated her and would refuse to help. She never approached me because I was far too young. She refrained from reaching out to our older sisters because they belonged to separate houses now. She avoided asking her friend because Lady Kragel had opposed the marriage from the start. And she chose total silence with her lover, wishing to appear happily married. My sister's helplessness was driven by clear reasons."

Dianna recognized the true intent behind his words. She reflected on his deceased sister—a woman who, much like herself, had been forced into marriage only to wither away slowly until she broke. That fragile danger had evidently struck a chord within Logaple’s heart.

[Logaple] "I have witnessed numerous things while serving as your guard, Your Majesty. I know you overlooked the profound rudeness of the knights without laying any blame. Even if others remain blind, I recognize exactly how insolent Lady Levian behaves, watching you like a venomous snake to steal your throne. I know you accepted every ounce of unfair treatment with quiet resignation."

[Dianna] "……"

[Logaple] "But Your Majesty, terror grips me because I am terrified you will die exactly like my sister did."

[Dianna] "……"

[Logaple] "So, just like when we journeyed to the capital together—when you leapt from the carriage to escape the monster—could you please make a small effort to fight back?"

He spoke with desperation. Dianna opened her eyes wide at his plea. Could a mere resemblance to his sister spark such profound goodwill? Yet she understood the reality of the world. Just as some people harbor hatred for absurd reasons, others extend absolute goodwill for reasons just as arbitrary.

[Dianna] "I……"

I drove you to your death in my past life, so why……?

Staring at his face, her eyes wavered with conflict.

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