It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 103

“A deal?”

Erich scoffed.

“A deal is only possible between equals. And you dare propose one to me?”

He looked at me with contempt. His attitude toward Yoon Seha, not Arne, was utterly merciless.

Suddenly, I thought of Rosadel and Xenia, who had vanished into the mist of the execution ground. They had endured that same gaze from Erich while surviving in the imperial palace. Yet they persevered—for themselves, for their families, for their houses.

I had to endure too. I lifted my chin and said,

“I can. I dwell within Arne’s body.”

Erich spoke ominously.

“If you so much as leave a scratch on Arne’s body, I’ll bind you with shackles you’ll never escape from.”

He meant it. If I even grazed Arne’s finger, I’d be condemned to eternal darkness. Had I been dragged away by the imperial guards, I’d already be living that fate.

I swallowed hard.

“I won’t do anything like that. I just wanted to talk to you slowly.”

“There’s nothing I want to talk to you about.”

Erich cut me off coldly and firmly. He was nothing like the man who had once treated Arne with kindness.

The man before me wasn’t the gentle Erich who had cared for Arne. He was the emotionless, ruthless emperor who made everyone kneel and ruled from above. To him, I was nothing more than a thief who had stolen the body of the woman he loved. No emperor is merciful to a thief who covets what is his.

If things continued like this, I’d be dragged to the palace and imprisoned for life, and the Edelheit family, including Giscal, would fall into ruin.

I couldn’t let that happen.

“You’ll want to talk once you see this.”

I looked at Erich’s twisted expression and brought my hands together. I focused, gripping my fingers tightly. In the next moment, I was staring at the red cloak draped over Erich’s back.

When I vanished from his sight, Erich looked around in surprise and quickly turned around. His blue eyes widened to their limits.

“You! Just now!”

“Now do you want to hear my proposal?”

As I watched the wrinkles form between Erich’s brows, I savored the sensation again. The realization came in a flash.

The moment Giscal confessed his feelings, the sensation I felt while praying with him, surrounded by wolves, resurfaced.

That strange feeling was connected to the soft, warm emotions of that moment. I didn’t need anyone to explain it or read a book to understand.

Elliot hadn’t lied. But the desire he spoke of—just wanting to go somewhere—wasn’t enough. A deeper, more fundamental longing was needed. Now I understood what that was. And now, I could go anywhere. To any continent in this world, even back to the world I originally came from.

Suddenly, I had a feeling.

“I can escape to anywhere now. Then Your Majesty’s wish will never come true.”

“If you can teleport, why are you still here?”

“As I said, I wanted to make a proposal. If you accept it, I’ll do my best to help fulfill your wish.”

Erich stared at me coldly, then asked mockingly,

“You think you can bring Arne back? Someone like you?”

“Then can you?”

Erich’s lips stiffened for a moment.

“No matter how many Motus artisans the empire employs, bringing back Arne’s soul from another world is impossible. You know that well. You’re just clinging to a faint hope because doing nothing would drive you mad.”

Erich said nothing. Because I was right.

“But I can go to that other world—my original world. I’ll meet Arne there. I’ll deliver your wish to her.”

Erich, unlike before, quietly listened. He stared into my eyes, as if trying to discern the truth.

“Looking at you now, it’s definitely not Arne’s gaze…”

He muttered to himself, lifting the corners of his mouth.

“So, what’s the price?”

Of course, Erich quickly saw through my intentions. This was the critical moment. I swallowed and spoke slowly.

“Leave Giscal and the Edelheit family alone. Let them continue living as they are.”

Erich raised an eyebrow, clearly confused.

“Ha, unbelievable. You’re asking me to spare the ones who tried to deceive you?”

His reaction was understandable. Even I hadn’t expected to say such a thing. But the moment I heard Giscal’s confession, my view of this world changed. More than the fact they tried to deceive me, I remembered how they tried to protect me. How could I turn my back on that?

“Yes. And don’t take out your anger on the Edelheit servants who know nothing, or the soldiers who risked their lives for the empire.”

“The more you speak, the more absurd it gets. Are you really in a position to worry about others?”

I ignored him and continued.

“Oh, and I trust you’ll protect Marian, Elliot, and Perlo too. They’ll reveal secrets of Motus that were previously unknown.”

Erich let out a short laugh.

“That’s really what you want?”

“Yes. I’ll find Arne and return to my world. I’ll risk my life to deliver your message to her. So please, don’t harm the people who cared for me.”

Erich lifted his chin arrogantly.

“You’re asking for too much with such a crude and uncertain skill.”

“But I’m your only chance. No matter how slim, without me, you have nothing. If you truly want to reach Arne, you’ll have to grab even the thinnest thread.”

I extended my hand. Erich looked down at it with an unreadable expression.

“Fine. I won’t personally harm them. If you can truly reach Arne.”

“You want proof?”

“Of course. How do I know you didn’t just flee to another continent? I won’t wait long. Didn’t you say time flows differently between worlds?”

“So if I don’t bring proof, you’ll carry out your threats against Giscal?”

Erich nodded indifferently.

“Don’t think I won’t. The hostages meant for Giscal will become hostages for you.”

It wasn’t going to be easy. I had tried to secure the safety of Giscal and the Edelheit family, but Erich wouldn’t back down easily. Of course, if he were the type to back down, he wouldn’t have brought so many knights. To him, lives other than Arne’s were worthless.

“Alright. I’ll bring proof.”

I nodded. But Erich looked even more doubtful.

“How can you be so sure?”

“What do you mean?”

Erich stared at me, then parted his lips.

“What if Arne…”

I leaned in to catch his increasingly hushed words. But he stopped speaking and closed his mouth. I urged him with my eyes, but he shook his head, as if trying to dismiss the thought.

He didn’t want to say it, but I knew what he was thinking.

“What if Arne…”

It wasn’t Erich who said it. I repeated his words and added what he couldn’t bring himself to say.

“What if Arne is already dead?”

Erich’s blue eyes trembled slightly. I was right. For someone obsessed with Arne, that was the most terrifying thought.

Time flows differently between worlds. If fifty years had already passed in that other world, would Arne still be alive?

I finished the question he couldn’t.

And I answered in his place.

“You’re wondering how I know? Because I’ve worried about the same thing. Even if I can travel to another world, if Arne is dead, I can’t meet her. My proposal wouldn’t even stand. But don’t worry.”

I smiled.

“Arne is alive.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Well… I can’t explain it. I have no proof. It’s just a feeling. Like someone familiar yet unfamiliar is calling me from beyond a thick wall. I’ve felt it ever since I awakened the sense of teleportation.”

I met Erich’s gaze.

“I believe that presence is Arne.”

I spoke as honestly as I could. Erich just listened.

“But we don’t have much time.”

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