Chapter 161-162 – The Will of the Princess
"Huh… Huh… Goddess!"
Iril hurried back and found the goddess still in her room. The goddess had not yet disappeared.
"You're here, princess. What did you see?"
"Well, Dayke and Kiella were together…"
Iril spent most of her days studying, learning about her royal duties and the skills a future queen should have.
Still, her knowledge of human sexual culture was nonexistent, as her mother, the Queen, had completely excluded it from her education.
Yet the princess instinctively understood. The secret acts between Dayke and Kiella were said to be why her mother hated humans.
"I see. What did you think the Supreme Court Justice judge looked like?"
Unlike the goddess's calm voice, Iril's words trembled with worry.
"Well… She called herself a slave… made strange noises… Something felt wrong."
"That's unfortunate."
"Really… Is what the Queen said true?"
Before Iril left her room, the Queen warned her that Dayke was trying to corrupt the elves of the kingdom.
The princess said she could see proof if she went to the Supreme Court Justice's office now.
She wanted to witness it with her own eyes.
But even after seeing it, the shock made it hard for her to accept.
"It's not that I doubt the goddess… But I still don't believe it. Why would Dayke—"
She couldn't believe the kind and sincere image she had of him was false.
As the princess covered her head in confusion, the goddess's voice remained calm, like a still stream.
"It may be hard to believe, but he has a clear purpose and motivation."
"What is it?"
"It's revenge for his past life. Dayke seeks to avenge the humiliation and betrayal he suffered then."
"Revenge from a past life…"
The goddess's words unsettled Iril, filling her with fear.
"Dayke's revenge as Hero Alvin."
"…Huh? Dayke is Alvin?"
Whenever the princess saw Dayke, she unknowingly thought of Alvin.
She saw him enduring unfair treatment from those around him. But she never expected it to be anything more than coincidence.
"But Alvin defeated the Demon Lord and even sacrificed his life for the elves…"
"No. You only know that he threw himself into the sea of fire with the Demon King, but that's not the full truth."
"Yes…?"
In that moment, Iril learned truths she had never known before.
Alvin's life was far more painful than she imagined.
Due to Agnes's harsh training and Kiella's exploitation, he had suffered deeply.
Though he sacrificed himself fighting the Demon King to gain elf recognition, he was stabbed to death by Agnes's sword on the queen's orders.
He was then reincarnated as Dayke and, after realizing his betrayal, planned revenge.
The revelations were too shocking for the princess to imagine.
"Momma gave the order to kill Alvin…"
"Yes. Now, Dayke is trying to corrupt the elves as part of his revenge. He has reached not only Chief Justice Kiella, whom you saw, but also Agnes, the Knights' leader, and Rize, the vice-leader."
"Agnes and Rize?"
The figure wrapped in white light nodded.
"That's right. Now Dayke will aim for his final target—the queen. The princess must stop him."
"How can I do that?"
"Warn Dayke. If he doesn't stop now, you will reveal his plans to everyone. Then he won't be able to carry out his evil intentions."
"…"
"Also, I am not allowed to reveal myself to anyone. Please keep our meeting a secret."
"Yes, goddess…"
"That's all I can give you. I hope Elora's future is peaceful."
The light filling the room vanished, leaving Iril alone.
Her body froze as she could not move due to the dark secrets she heard.
'Dayke is Alvin…'
With difficulty, she moved her trembling legs and sat on the bed.
The moonlight through the window seemed to urge her to sleep, but Iril stayed lost in thought for a long time.
…..
…..
[MC POV]
The next day dawned after spending time with Kiella in her office.
It was my third day as a legal assistant.
Full of energy and enthusiasm, I thought, 'Starting today, I'll properly investigate the castle's interior.' But the plan remained just a plan.
The reason? Princess Iril.
For some reason, she appeared everywhere I went, preventing me from researching in peace.
'…There's more.'
By the fifth time I noticed her, I realized she was tracking me, pretending to be nearby.
In fact, I suspected it the first time and was certain the second time.
She was always watching from the corner of the hallway, peeking out. She often wore the same mask and white robe, unaware that I had discovered her presence.
'What on earth…?'
'Why had she been secretly following me all morning?'
Normally, she would have run up calling my name, but instead, she kept her distance and just observed.
She was such a mischievous elf that I decided to let her be, curious about what she wanted. But her persistence grew too much to ignore.
I approached and spoke to her.
"Hey?"
"Yes?"
"Are you following me because you want to say something?"
"Oh, isn't that obvious? I was looking for a place to study magic. I'm a forest witch…"
Wearing the mask and robe made it clear that was her current disguise.
"After all that, you're still watching me?"
"Eh, no! I didn't even know Dayke was here!"
Her frantic waving and weak excuses only made her look more suspicious.
"It's okay. You can talk."
"It's really nothing. Don't worry about me. Just keep doing what you're doing!"
There had been a few times when she came to see me dressed like this, but today felt different.
Before, she disguised herself so the other elves wouldn't know she was meeting me. But today, it seemed she was trying to hide her identity even from me.
Something about that felt off, so I decided to ask directly.
"Princess."
"What? … What? What?!! I'm not a princess, but a forest witch…!!"
"There's no point in beating around the bush. I knew you were a princess a long time ago."
"...Really?"
"Yes."
She looked at me wide-eyed, as if she had never considered it.
"So you knew everything but just pretended not to?"
"Yes. I was afraid that you would feel embarrassed. I'm sorry."
"…"
"Anyway, if you have something to say, just say it."
"I'm sorry! I have urgent work to do, so I have to go. Talk to you later, Dayke!"
She left with a lie so transparent that even the innocent Fine wouldn't have been fooled.
I could only watch her run away, puzzled by her strange behavior.
...
...
After that, I continued my investigation inside the castle but couldn't focus. The princess's unusual behavior weighed heavily on my mind.
'Could it be that she caught me in the room fucking Kiella…?'
I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that, despite her innocent appearance, the princess was hiding something serious.
Then, a chance to confirm my suspicion came.
A few hours later, the princess who had run from me earlier sent a secret sign that she wanted to see me in her room that night.
When the time came, I went to her room with the intention of asking what had happened today.
"…Welcome, Dayke."
I climbed through the window as usual, but the princess's voice was weak.
"Princess, you look tired. What's wrong?"
"…"
Her lips were tightly shut, and her gaze was fixed on the ground.
Even a child could tell she was troubled.
"It's okay. Just tell me. I'll help if I can."
"…"
She still couldn't speak.
After a long silence, her words came unexpectedly.
"…I went to the Supreme Court Justice's office last night."
"Yes?"
"And then I saw it. Dayke with Kiella…"
I never thought she had witnessed that scene. Now all of her strange actions made sense.
"Oh, that's…"
As I was wondering what to say, she said something even more shocking.
"…Alvin."
"Huh? What now…"
"Alvin… Right?"
"What do you mean?"
"I know everything. I know that the dead Alvin came back as Dayke… And what Dayke's purpose is."
It felt like lightning had struck my head.
My mind felt scorched, unable to process anything.
I shouldn't stay frozen like this—I need to find a way out of this situation. But my mind was trapped, unable to move.
....
....
"How… how could the princess say such lie…??"
My voice trembled as I spoke. I could feel the heat rising to my face—frozen somewhere between embarrassment and disbelief. I was sure Iril had never seen me like this before.
I had tried to calm myself several times before coming here, but my heart wouldn't stop pounding.
'And yet… I am Alvin.'
I had returned from the dead, but instead of relief, the princess looked at me with bitterness.
I wasn't the hero she remembered. I was a man consumed by the need for revenge—revenge born from the injustice I had endured.
The goddess had warned me. She said if I didn't let go of my vengeance, she would reveal my secret to everyone. And if that happened… what would become of me?
If I kept going, if I followed this path to the end, the queen would eventually learn the truth.
And knowing her, she wouldn't hesitate—she'd execute me for treason.
But if I listened to the princess, if I turned away now, I might be spared.
Still, the resentment burning inside me from my past life would never find peace.
I knew Iril didn't want either of those fates for me. She didn't want to see me die… or see me live with wounds that would never heal.
Back then, in my past life, I was sincere—maybe more so than anyone else. And despite everything, I hadn't changed.
Just like when I found out the forest witch was actually a princess. I had already known.
But I pretended not to. Again and again.
"Princess… well, that is—"
I spoke with anxious eyes, unsure and vulnerable.
Seeing this, Iril made her choice—to follow her own will and not the one the goddess told her.
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."
"Are you sure?"
"But I have a favor to ask instead."
"What kind of favor…?"
"What you did to Kiella and the other elves… please do the same to me."