People call me a Princess... In other words, they knew it as Letie.
They were sweating and desperately calling me a Princess for curing them, showing their gratitude.
In the past, I would have casually accepted that greeting.
I thought that living as Letie was a destiny that I could never escape.
But now, there was a strong sense of opposition.
How long will I have to live in that shadow?
How long will you hide your true self from others...
"I'm not a Princess."
As I muttered, the girl I had just thanked looked at me in bewilderment.
I looked her straight in the eye and said.
"I am the Grand Duchess."
"Your Highness... the Grand Duchess? Do you mean Her Highness the Grand Duchess Letie?"
I shook my head again.
And I revealed the truth that I had always kept inside.
"Elona. I'm the Grand Duchess, and my name is Elona. Empress Letie is my twin sister."
Not only the girl, but also the faces of those who were nearby were all dazed.
They knew that the Princess was Elona, and the Grand Duchess was Letie.
They would have believed it without any doubt.
I broke that belief without hesitation as much as I had endured.
"It is known to the public that Letie became the Grand Duchess. But you were wrong. It was Elona who married the Grand Duke. I'm the one who is treating you right now."
Naturally, there was an uproar.
They were embarrassed to accept the truth they had suddenly heard.
"Didn't Her Highness Letie become the Grand Duchess? Was that a false rumor?"
"But the imperial family announced that..."
"Shhh! She's not the Grand Duchess right now. Should we treat the words of the one who healed us as a lie?"
Even if I didn't add more, they seemed to believe me.
Thankfully, they decided that the words of those who took care of them were more trustworthy than the words of the imperial family.
The girl looked at me with a confused face and greeted me again. This time, she called me by my proper name.
"Thank you, Your Highness, the Grand Duchess!"
After that, I treated the others one after another.
They no longer called me Letie.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"Thank you, Elona."
"Thank you, really, very much."
Every time I heard that greeting, I felt a little liberated.
I was surprisingly relieved to take off the mask of Letie, who I thought I would live with my whole life covered, and finally reveal myself.
However, apart from that, I was not in good physical condition.
For some reason, I couldn't strengthen my limbs and felt dizzy.
I've never seen anything like this before.
I thought it was probably a side effect of using too much of the power of purification.
After purifying the seeds in the forest, I healed people nonstop.
'It wasn't an infinite springing power.'
Realizing it all over again, I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.
I looked at the people with slightly blurred eyes, and then asked Viscount Gottlief, who was nearby.
"Are there any more contaminated people...?"
"I think I found them all and brought them back. I think it will be over if we heal only those who are gathered now."
"Yes..."
There were only about fifteen people left.
Now I just need to treat them.
O was delirious, but I managed to stand up and continue to treat people.
Fortunately, the remaining fifteen people were also able to complete the treatment safely.
"Now Everyone is safe... You should go to Kishian..."
"Your Highness."
Before I could speak properly, my body tilted to the side.
Those who were cured had already evacuated, and a nearby soldier held my body.
Cold sweat soaked my whole body.
The soldier who helped me reported to the Viscount to check my complexion.
"Her Highness's condition is not good. I think you should take her to the mansion."
"Your Highness? Ahem, then hurry to the mansion..."
"No..."
Even my lips could not move, but I managed to stop the Viscount from speaking.
I stood up and faced the Viscount.
"I'm fine, so I'll go and clean up. Many of the people in the territory must have fled to the mansion. Go... Heal them and keep them."
"Your Highness..."
"I have a place to go."
Seeing that the Kishian hadn't appeared, it seemed that the monster treatment had not yet been completed.
He was fighting, and I didn't want to go to the mansion alone to rest.
If he had been contaminated, he would have needed my help.
The Viscount hesitated, wondering if he had cooperated with Letie's crazy plan and harmed the people of the estates, but he still had a little conscience.
"Then I'll give you an escort."
"Nope. Don't waste manpower. That's not the situation right now."
In any case, there were not even ordinary people left, let alone robbers or scoundrels.
All I had was a monster, and it wouldn't hurt me.
I checked it in the forest earlier, so it was clear.
'I'm going to go alone, so hurry up with the Viscount."
"Hmmm... Okay, then."
He hesitantly led his soldiers toward the mansion.
I also moved my steps.
It wasn't hard to find where the Kishian was.
The sound of something breaking and breaking was echoing all over the place.
It was hard to move, but I squeezed my strength to think that he was suffering.
I thought that if I went a little further, I would be able to meet him soon.
But before I could get to his side, I heard a voice I didn't want to hear.
"Can I help you?"
A voice that is unpleasantly identical to mine.
I realized who was talking to me, and I turned my head to look at Letie.
I thought she had returned to the mansion, but Letie, who seemed to have been wandering around, was standing in the shadow of the alley, dressed in the same muddy clothes as before.
I tried to ignore it, but Letie's pace was faster.
She came out of the alley and blocked my way
"...Get out of the way."
"It was amazing. Everyone thinks you're the real savior."
Is that still the sound? I was bored.
If she had seen me treating the contaminated, she would have known that there was no point in discussing who the real thing was.
The true savior has already been revealed.
It's just that Letie doesn't accept it.
I replied without hiding my laughter.
"So... Do you really want to stay?"
"..."
"Are you afraid that everything you have will be taken away from you?"
If I had nothing from the beginning, I wouldn't have been greedy.
But Letie has already enjoyed so much.
The affection, respect, and envy that she has received while pretending to be a savior...
It's scary to think that all of that will disappear like a mirage. But...
"But it wasn't yours in the first place."
"..."
"I was the one who was taken away. Not you."
The real thing was me.
Nevertheless, many things that I should have had were taken over by Letie.
When I realized that it was me, I was very sad and resentful, but now I don't even think about it.
Isn't it useless to regret what we have already lost?
Therefore, I wanted Letie to accept reality and put aside regrets.
Letie also had to accept that she might not be the hero of the world.
Just like I did when I was a child, in my father's eyes.
But Letie looked at me with pale blue eyes and shook her head.
"That's not true."
"..."
"Think about it, why were we born twins?"
The corner of my eye wrinkled at the somewhat out-of-context.
I didn't have time, but she was talking nonsense.
When I didn't answer, Letie spoke again.
"It is inhabited by an evil devil."
"...What?"
"When Mother embraces us in the womb, the devil inhabits us."
What the hell are you talking about?
I was tired of listening to nonsense.
Just as I was about to ignore it, Letie suddenly pulled something out of the back of the robe.
A metal object that flashes in the light...
The moment I realized what it was, I immediately retraced my steps.
"...You!"
"Originally, there was only one savior. Only one should have been born. But why..."
"What are you going to do? Get rid of..!"
Ignoring my cries, Letie raised her flashing dagger.
Then she slowly approached me.
'The devil has inhabited my mother's womb, imitating my face and taking away the power I should have had. To bring about the downfall of this empire."
"Letie...!"
"But she couldn't even imitate the white token. The devil is an ugly, dirty black!"
Letie's dagger swung in my direction.
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