It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 116

It had already been three months since Giscal was moved to his barracks. The Empire’s victory was nearly certain, though rumors of small skirmishes still lingered.

Moreover, peace negotiations wouldn’t be concluded in just a day or two. More waiting was inevitable. I sat by the window of Arlin Palace, blankly staring at the rainy scene outside.

“Your Highness, shall I bring you a fresh cup of tea?”

A maid asked, noticing the long-cold teacup. It wasn’t Louie—she was at the Edelheit estate. I shook my head and dismissed the maid with a wave.

Many things had happened over the past three months, and on rainy days like this, I just wanted to sit quietly. That evening too, a light drizzle fell. It had been three days since I left Giscal alone at the war camp and returned to Arlin Palace. That evening, I realized the thread connecting my soul had snapped.

Since returning from the other world, I no longer felt Arne’s call. Yet the sensation of being connected to her had remained—until it was completely severed. I instinctively knew: Arne, who had been lying on a white bed in the other world, had finally closed her eyes. My emotions were too complex to be defined by the word “grief.” I felt empty, sorrowful, regretful—as if a part of my soul had gone hollow.

I didn’t bother telling Erich. He already knew that time flowed differently between this world and the other. Surely, he had estimated Arne’s remaining time.

Erich was doing things unimaginable for his usual self, all to fulfill the wishes Arne had written in her letter.

The first thing he asked of me upon my return to Arlin Palace was the secret document containing the truth of Arne’s birth. It was necessary to release me from the harem smoothly.

It wasn’t out of resentment for me impersonating Arne in her body. Arne had wished for me and Giscal to be together, and for that to happen, I had to be freed from the harem.

To unite the person he once despised—Giscal—with me, who had inhabited Arne’s body, Erich was willing to expose the secret Arne had tried so hard to hide. Without a moment’s hesitation.

To Erich, Arne’s wishes were paramount.

Once Giscal returned victorious from the war against the small kingdom alliance, Erich planned to announce that Arne was not of Edelheit bloodline upon his entrance to the imperial palace.

Naturally, this would tarnish Giscal’s achievements and force me out of the harem. The timing of the revelation wasn’t to vent resentment toward Giscal.

As things progressed, Erich came to see me.

“Did you tell Arne about what happened in this world?”

“Yes. Just as she shared her life with me, I shared mine with her.”

“Not just personal matters, but also the shifts in noble power and the continent’s political landscape?”

“Yes, she asked me in detail before writing her letter.”

“I see.”

Erich brushed his lips with one hand and asked:

“Will you go to the Kingdom of Zaren with Giscal?”

It was a sudden proposal, but it made sense. Arne had wished for me and Giscal to be together. For that, the truth of Arne’s birth had to be revealed, and I had to leave the harem.

The problem was that revealing the truth meant the Edelheit family would be held accountable for hiding Arne’s origins and placing her in the imperial harem.

Even if Erich had approved the marriage, imperial marriages weren’t decided by personal agreement alone.

Whether Giscal had known the truth beforehand or not, as head of the Edelheit family, he had to take responsibility.

The crime of insulting the imperial family was grave. Fortunately, Giscal had achieved undeniable military success—ongoing success, not just past glory. That would silence those demanding severe punishment.

“I plan to appoint Giscal as commander of the imperial garrison in Zaren. Normally, war heroes aren’t sent to occupy territories—it’s far from the capital and offers little chance for further glory. Ambitious men avoid it. But Giscal won’t mind.”

“Is this a decision based on both merit and fault?”

“Yes. Giscal already knows. He said he’d gladly accept, as long as you’re willing.”

Erich looked at me, seeking my opinion.

“Why ask for my consent instead of just informing me?”

“Arne asked me to respect you as I would her. Even if it’s for her wish, she insisted I ask for your opinion.”

Arne knew Erich Griezmann Zen Martania well. I pursed my lips briefly, then nodded.

“If Giscal is fine with it, so am I.”

“A wise decision.”

Erich resolved the matter and left immediately. He was no longer the man who once tried to keep Arne’s body close at all costs.

Was this also because of Arne’s request? Or had he finally accepted that Arne no longer existed here?

I watched his retreating figure with somber eyes.

“Arne, I’m going to Zaren too.”

After returning to Arlin Palace, I could freely meet Marian. The ban on outings was lifted, and she even visited the palace. I was grateful for her presence—especially after realizing Arne had passed. Talking to Marian about the other world helped ease my sorrow.

But I also worried. If I left for Zaren, Marian would be the only concubine left in the vast imperial palace.

Thankfully, I could teleport freely and visit her anytime. Still, I worried about her being alone.

Then Marian suddenly announced she would return to Zaren. She explained in a soft but swift voice:

“The current king of Zaren passed away last night from illness. He named me as his successor.”

“You, as the successor?”

“He was a distant relative of my father. I remember my father once said he was a man without ambition, which is why he gave up the throne to him.”

Marian bit her lip.

“I didn’t want to stay in Zaren anymore, so I handed the throne to someone I barely knew. But it seems he felt indebted to me. He even got the royal council to approve it beforehand.”

Marian was doubly shocked. Though she had abandoned her homeland, there were still people there who cared for her.

“What did the Empire say? What did His Majesty say?”

Regardless of the circumstances, Marian was an imperial concubine. A concubine couldn’t become the monarch of another nation. How the Empire would respond was crucial.

Marian glanced toward Berna Palace and said lightly:

“His Majesty said I could do as I pleased.”

“As you pleased?”

“Yes. Doesn’t he seem to have lost his drive since that day?”

She shrugged.

“Surprisingly, many nobles support sending me back to Zaren. There’s only me and Seha in the harem now. If I were to bear the Empire’s only heir, it wouldn’t benefit them. So they prefer I leave.”

“I see. With no heir, the minor nobles want to place their daughters in the harem. For that, it’s better if the current concubines are gone.”

I gazed into Marian’s golden eyes.

“You’ve already decided.”

She smiled faintly.

“Yes. I’m going back. To my homeland.”

“Will you be alright?”

Zaren was her homeland, but its palace held painful memories. Marian closed her eyes, recalling the past, and spoke slowly:

“I’ll never forget losing my parents to mages and the abuse I suffered as a child. But instead of locking those memories away, I’d rather paint over them with new colors.”

She clasped her hands tightly, as if making a vow. Then, with a playful smile and lively tone, she added:

“And now that my homeland is free from mages, I can’t let it remain under imperial rule forever. Back then, I was too focused on surviving to consider the people’s hearts. If I return, I must work for them.”

“I’ll help you.”

“Thank you.”

The agreement between Zaren and the Empire was reached quickly, thanks to minor nobles eager to reduce the number of concubines.

To welcome a princess-turned-concubine as queen, Zaren had to make sacrifices. But thanks to those nobles’ ambitions and Marian’s wise proposal, an unprecedented coronation took place.

Marian offered to share Motus’s efficient crafting techniques with the Empire for free. She had knowledge from the mages. Instead of shrinking from her traumatic past, she used their knowledge to benefit her homeland.

Of course, gold magic was excluded. It would vanish, and only the pure crafting techniques of Motus would spread across the continent.

Around the time Marian was crowned queen of Zaren, the peace negotiations between the Empire and the small kingdom alliance concluded. Giscal returned to the capital by imperial command.

Then, everything unfolded as scripted.

The imperial intelligence agency exposed Arne’s birth secret, and Erich pretended to be outraged.

Nobles rushed to petition for my removal from the harem and demanded Giscal be punished to seize the Edelheit family’s lands and wealth.

Giscal’s loyal knights immediately protested. Erich feigned deliberation before making his decision: I would be removed from the harem, and Giscal appointed commander of the imperial garrison in Zaren.

Though disappointed, the nobles accepted it. The harem was empty, and Giscal was far from the capital. Their attention shifted to the newly announced concubine selection.

I left Arlin Palace and returned to the Edelheit estate, where I welcomed Giscal holding his appointment decree.

In the busy estate, where servants packed our belongings, I led Giscal to the study where I had

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