After I died, Everything Changed - Chapter 59

“How’s your body holding up?”

Once again, Grandfather had called for me.

Three days in a row, without fail.

“I’m fine. It wasn’t a serious injury.”

The hallway we walked through, papers in hand, was unusually quiet today.

The attendants who usually flocked around Chloe and her faction were nowhere to be seen.

And without them, the space felt calm—almost peaceful.

“If you want to reach a position were getting sick or falling apart isn’t an option, effort alone won’t be enough. You must take care of yourself.”

“…”

Lately, Grandfather had started using phrases like if you become the next head of Mergen.

Did he really believe I could become a good head of the house?

“Do you… trust me?”

What I felt wasn’t some deep loyalty to Mergen.

In fact, it was probably the opposite.

“I don’t care what feelings you carry in your heart.”

A strange answer.

Could he possibly know something about how I truly felt?

“You’ll be a good heir. Just like Deborah was.”

Hearing that name come from his mouth caught me off guard.

“You never used to speak of her with such pride.”

I could’ve just replied with a simple yes, but…

In that moment, I realized I wanted to question him. At least once.

“Deborah… How could I not trust her? If she were still alive, she’d have made a far better head of the family than I ever could.”

For a moment, a faint smile flickered on his face, just ahead of me.

Why? Why now?

The man who had always been nothing but strict toward us—

“I realized too late that my way of doing things… was wrong.”

His voice was filled with regret.

“Deborah is the burden I will carry.”

“…”

This wasn’t what I wanted.

Even if he spoke with remorse now, I had already chosen my path. My convictions wouldn’t shift because of a few words.

“Why were you so indifferent to me?”

The question wasn’t just aimed at him.

It was for me, too.

Why didn’t we ever truly love Irene?

Why did we let that frightened girl carry so much pain alone?

And now, no number of apologies would ever undo it.

We had been just that cruel.

Grandfather stopped walking.

So did I.

“…Become the successor. Grow strong enough that no one will ever treat you carelessly again.”

“…”

I couldn’t see his face from behind.

Maybe it was better that way.

“Help Mergen remain Mergen.”

He was asking this of me.

The so-called fool of the house. The burden. The broken child—Irene.

“I will become the next head, Grandfather.”

That was all I could say truthfully.

It wasn’t enough to change my heart.

If Deborah was his sin, then Irene was mine.

He began walking again.

And I followed.

It was a quiet, heavy walk—one that stirred too many thoughts.

As the family head and Irene turned the corner and disappeared, Chloe appeared silently behind them.

Her gaze lingered on the space they had just vacated, as though she could still see them there.

Help Mergen remain Mergen.
I will become the next head, Grandfather.

She replayed the words she had just overheard, her hands tightening into fists.

She didn’t even notice when her nails dug into her skin.

“…Mergen.”

Chloe bit down hard on her lip.

Once again, Mergen refused to give anything—to her, or to her son.

All she could feel now was bitter certainty.

When the situation is finally tipping in your favor, the only thing left to do is strike—
and strike big.

I had to make it clear to everyone who was truly protecting Mergen—
only then could I claim the title of heir as my victory.

The mood among the Mergen residents, the tone within the family, and even subtle signs from the Imperial Court…

Everything was aligning.

Now was the perfect time to pressure the retainers and push to be named successor.

So I was moving fast—doubling down, pressing the advantage.

“No activity today, ma’am!”

It had been three days since I arrived at the Hecla border to help control the monster outbreaks.

Even the soldiers who once followed Abel without question had started to rally around me.

“Good. I heard another supply of weapons is being delivered this afternoon.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The way people looked at me had changed.

They say only the vile benefit from tragedy.
But I was reaping the full rewards—and my conscience barely flinched.

Why hasn’t Abel shown up?

No matter how I tried to rationalize it, Abel remained a formidable opponent.

If he had chosen to rally the soldiers and push me out, he absolutely could have.

But oddly enough, since I arrived, he hadn’t appeared at all.

Could something has happened?

Whatever the reason for his absence, something about it gnawed at the back of my mind.

In the distance, an explosion rang out.

Another monster had been taken care of, quickly and efficiently.

As the Grand Duke’s weapon became more refined and powerful, the number of injuries and deaths among the soldiers had plummeted.

“Well then, I’m stepping out for a while.”

“Yes, ma’am! Leave this to us!”

After three days rolling in dust and blood, I was finally leaving the Hecla border.

I’d done enough to make an impression. It might be time to let Elliot take over from here.

There’s a lot to clean up back at the estate.

Many of the retainers still sided with Chloe, but most of them were weak-willed opportunists.

I’d need them—at least until the successor was formally named.

After all, the final decision rested on a vote by the family retainers.

Aside from a few of Chloe’s diehards, the rest were manipulable prey.

The kind of people who’d sell out their own families for money or power.

I rolled my shoulders, stiff from tension, and stepped out of the main tent.

And the moment I did, I came face-to-face with someone I never expected.

“Your Highness?”

Henry, atop a white horse, smiled down at me.

“It’s been a while, Lady Irene.”

What is he doing here?

I scanned the area around him—but he was alone. No guards, no entourage.

A personal visit, then.

“You suit the armor well,” he said, noting my leather gear.

“Are you here to inspect the border?”

“Partly. Mostly… I came to see you.”

“You must be very free with your time.”

“You keep putting off our little issue, after all.”

“….”

I had no rebuttal. Because he was right.

The matter of Deborah’s broken engagement remained unresolved.

I hadn’t deliberately ignored it.

Other things just kept taking priority—and Henry, with the way he always made things uncomfortable whenever we met… well, it was easier to avoid him.

“I’ve heard the rumors. Seems your alliance with House Bahel has paid off.”

From his height on the horse, his voice came down calmly—but his eyes were sharp.

From where he sat, it seemed Henry had a good view of the desert beyond—
and of the monsters being taken down.

“His Majesty the Emperor was quite pleased, you know.”

“That’s… an honor.”

“Well, for now, at least.”

Henry’s gaze returned to me.

His eyes slowly swept over me from head to toe.

“You looked like you were heading somewhere.”

“Ah. I was thinking of returning to the estate.”

“Then I arrived just in time.”

“Usually in situations like this, it’s called bad timing.”

If he’d come to snoop around through me, then yes—he’d picked a terrible time.

“But if you go with me, your trip might be a little less lonely?”

I had a hunch—and of course, Henry confirmed it with that line.

“You really did come just to see me.”

“What other grand reason could I have?”

I didn’t buy it.

This man—so sly and calculating—didn’t come all this way just to “see me.”

Far more likely, he was here to sniff out the weapons created by Mergen and Bahel’s alliance.

“If there’s anything you still want to see, feel free to look around. I’ll tell the soldiers—”

“When you make it that obvious you’re uncomfortable, it makes me want to insist you ride with me even more.”

“Then lead the way. I’ll go get my horse.”

And so, I found myself riding alongside Prince Henry, back toward the Mergen estate.

“Making secret deals without me… now I’m feeling left out.”

“Does it look fun to you?”

Apparently, my fate was just a bit of entertainment to him.

Some people walk through fire—
others just sit back and call it interesting.

“How did you and my dear uncle grow so close, anyway?”

I kept my eyes ahead, but I could feel Henry’s stare from beside me.

“Eyes on the road, please.”

“Don’t tell me you two are sharing some deep feelings I’m unaware of?”

I turned to him at that.

Surprisingly, the smile he always wore—like a mask—was gone.

“What are you even—”

I barely got the words out before it happened.

Neighhhh!

My horse, which had been steady until now, suddenly reared and lost balance, pitching forward.

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