It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 76

I blinked, and suddenly, Marianne was standing before me.

“……!?”

I’d experienced so many sudden teleportations that this kind of surprise barely fazed me anymore. But the person involved mattered.

It was Marianne—inside the imperial palace—who had appeared before me via teleportation.

“Oh? You’re not as surprised as I expected.”

“Are you a Motus artisan?”

“Yes, I am.”

Marianne admitted it without hesitation. She wasn’t just someone interested in Motus like me. She was a Motus artisan, which explained why she had been so persistent in observing the fourth-stage Motus crafted by Perlo, and why she possessed such vast knowledge that even I found astonishing.

“I had circumstances that required me to learn Motus crafting from a young age. It was tough, but I had a bit of talent, and now I’m confident in my skills. Enough to break through a teleportation-blocking barrier like this.”

Marianne gently snatched the white handkerchief I was holding and plucked out the bead at the center of the flower-shaped embroidery. Inside the white bead was a transparent one, like a glass marble.

“W-Wait! That’s a Motus?”

“Yes, it’s a Motus I crafted. I had to pretend to be down with the flu for over a month just to work on it—it was exhausting.”

“There aren’t any transparent Motus like that! Unless it’s the one from the Kingdom of Zaren!”

Perlo had told me: the Motus found in the body of a child from the Kingdom of Zaren was unlike any other—it had no stages and was transparent.

Marianne’s expression changed. Her honey-colored eyes split like a beast’s pupils, glowing bright yellow.

“You’ve studied quite a bit. That’s supposed to be a secret. How did you find out?”

I instinctively felt that dodging the question would be a mistake. So I explained what I’d heard from Perlo. Marianne listened without any change in expression, but when I mentioned that the child Perlo had rescued from Zaren was recovering, she smiled faintly.

“Well then, I have one more reason to save him.”

Marianne murmured, resting a finger on her chin.

“Save? What do you mean?”

“The reason I took the risk to come here is because of you and Perlo.”

“What’s going on outside? Did something happen to Perlo?”

Marianne rolled her honey-colored eyes thoughtfully, as if trying to find the least shocking way to deliver the news. But what she said couldn’t be softened, no matter how it was phrased.

“Perlo Shanaiyer has been sentenced to death. The execution is scheduled for tomorrow morning.”

“What……!”

My already confused mind felt like it had been struck by a massive hammer.

Death sentence? Perlo Shanaiyer is going to be executed?

“What’s the charge? Why would they sentence Perlo Shanaiyer to death?”

“Obviously, it’s because the suspicion of an inappropriate relationship between His Majesty and Perlo Shanaiyer has been deemed credible.”

“No! Sure, we met a few times in the library, but that was to research Motus. We never did anything improper! Perlo must have denied it too—why didn’t they ask me before sentencing him? Was it the Marquis of Parmati who forced this?”

Even thinking about it again, it didn’t make sense that the empire’s greatest Motus artisan would be sentenced so easily. Unless the powerful nobles were pressuring the court, there was no reason to kill him.

If it were Erich, even if he merely pretended to favor a concubine who had truly been involved with Perlo, he would have valued Perlo’s worth. He might even have exploited the situation to his advantage. After all, he only pretended to favor me.

But Marianne’s answer was completely unexpected.

“It’s the opposite. The high nobles are actually against Perlo Shanaiyer’s execution. The one insisting on it is none other than His Majesty the Emperor.”

“What did you say?”

“He didn’t respond at all to Rosadel’s accusations for days, but suddenly, at dawn today, he issued the order. He made no mention of you, only commanded that Perlo Shanaiyer be executed. The palace is in chaos because of it.”

My head spun. My legs gave out, and I collapsed into the nearest chair.

I didn’t want to think about anything. But there was one thing I needed to know.

“Do you know how my brother, Giscal, is doing?”

“Ah, the Marquis of Edelheit is still recovering from his injuries, but he’s been doing everything he can to save Perlo. He insists that His Majesty and Perlo Shanaiyer never had an inappropriate relationship. But it seems His Majesty isn’t listening at all.”

He should be resting properly at the estate to recover quickly… But he kept pleading to a deaf emperor and stood alone against the high nobles. Just thinking about it made my chest tighten.

Giscal hadn’t recovered, Perlo was sentenced to death, and Marianne turned out to be a Motus artisan…

Ha, after a week of complete isolation, the flood of shocking new revelations was overwhelming.

Most of all…

I stared at the transparent Motus piece in Marianne’s hand.

What in the world was that transparent Motus?

I wanted to ask Marianne, but I was afraid of what the answer might be. I didn’t even know what kind of answer I wanted. I never imagined such a thing would suddenly appear—not even in my dreams.

Marianne noticed my gaze and smiled subtly.

“You’re curious about this Motus, aren’t you? And of course, you want to save Perlo Shanaiyer.”

Marianne leaned in closer, lowering her upper body. Her golden eyes filled my vision.

“I’ll help you.”

…Why?

Even if Marianne and I had somewhat mended our relationship, she had no reason to help me. Yet she offered her help.

That must be why she came here. She wouldn’t have risked so much just to deliver news about Perlo.

“Why are you helping me?”

I asked directly, and Marianne chuckled lightly.

“I still like you, Lady Arne. People in the palace are usually twisted, but you’re not. I’m helping you because I want something from you in return.”

“What is it?”

“If we get through this safely, I want you to tell me how you ended up here. Honestly, and in full.”

My already tense facial muscles twitched.

“W-What do you mean? As you know, I came here by His Majesty’s command, as a concubine…”

“No, you know what I mean. Not how you came to the palace—but how you came to this world.”

Was she using “this world” as a metaphor for the palace? No, she had just clarified that she wasn’t talking about that.

So, the world she meant was…

I stepped back, shaking my head.

“I-I don’t understand…”

Marianne stepped forward as I retreated, grabbing my wrist as if to stop me from running.

“Don’t do that, Lady Arne. Of course, that’s not your real name, but you’re not from this world, are you?”

Time stopped. Marianne’s lips no longer moved, but her voice echoed in my ears.

—You’re not from this world, are you? …Aren’t you? …Are you?

I slowly closed my eyes and opened them again. But Marianne hadn’t vanished. She was still there, waiting for my answer.

I opened my mouth, but only a faint sound came out.

“W-What do you mean…”

“Oh, I startled you, didn’t I? I’m terribly impatient when it comes to things like this. I’m just so curious about your world.”

To Marianne, I was already someone from another world. She was certain. Her overflowing curiosity proved it—there was no hesitation.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I denied it. I had to. But Marianne wasn’t fazed by my firm denial.

“I was too hasty, I admit. But you don’t need to lie to me. I didn’t know the original soul in that body well anyway. But meeting you has been the greatest fortune of my life. To encounter a soul from another world! I’ll protect you—I’d never let you be in danger.”

“I-I… I mean…”

My words stumbled out. I tried to sound natural, but my body wouldn’t cooperate.

Marianne spoke gently, as if to soothe me.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you. I’ll be your help. And of course, I won’t tell anyone. Just think of it as satisfying my curiosity.”

I should’ve considered her true intentions from the start. But my mind was already blank, incapable of forming any thoughts. All I could do was keep my mouth shut to protect myself.

“It’s understandable that you don’t trust me yet. So first, I’ll save Perlo for you.”

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