I felt frustrated because she didn't immediately explain what was wrong. But I decided to hold back for a while. Fortunately, it wasn't long before Sylvia raised her head.
“There are traces of magical interference on this magic stone necklace.”
“Is this the magic of the person who cursed me?”
“This magic is pure magic, not related to curses.”
Sylvia muttered as if it were really strange.
"It's a magical force with exactly the same vibrations as the one who cursed Your Highness. The caster who cursed Your Highness is dead... So, there are two possibilities."
"Two things? Didn't you say that the caster who once cursed me died, and that someone else took his magic? Could it be that person is interfering with my powers?"
"Of course, that's more likely. But there's another possibility: the caster's magic remained in that place."
Sylvia didn't miss the flickering of my eyes.
“You guessed it. The Julia Flower Garden of Isaac Duchzan.”
"That's strange. Julia's flower garden was created 150 years ago. How could someone from 150 years ago put a curse on me?"
“Your Highness, isn’t there a concept of reincarnation and inheritance in this world?”
“Does that mean... this curse is something that came from my past life or my ancestors?”
"I think that's highly likely. Look into whether any of Your Highness's ancestors were cursed."
At those words, something flashed through my mind. Wasn't there, Evelyn? In my recurring visions, I always saw the world from Evelyn's perspective.
But I had never heard of an ancestor named Evelyn. If she had been a maid of honor in the Grand Duke's household, there would have been a portrait of her, but there was no such woman anywhere in the Earldom of Winsley.
Does that mean it's more likely that this is my reincarnation? The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became.
Is that ugly, disgusting woman really my past life?
I wanted to cover this up and pretend it didn't happen. But Sylvia was here to lift my curse. And...
'I have a baby in my stomach.'
I cautiously placed my hand on my stomach. I couldn't feel anything yet, but there was definitely a child inside. I needed to be as honest as possible about everything.
I looked around, creaking like a broken doll. The room was empty, just me, Sylvia, and Anna. I even sent Anna out, leaving Sylvia and me alone.
“...Don’t tell Julian.”
I hesitated for a long time. I told Sylvia repeatedly that she must never tell Julian.
It wasn't that I distrusted Sylvia, but I was terrified of what might happen. I opened my mouth with difficulty.
"I think I'm seeing my past life in the visions I sometimes have. The timing fits the conditions."
It took me a very hard time to admit this. But whenever I had visions, I was always a woman named Evelyn.
I spoke, moved, and thought as Evelyn. Eventually, I had no choice but to slowly admit it: I was Evelyn, the one who had been in that ugly love.
Sylvia, aware that I had barely managed to open my mouth, asked cautiously.
“Do you even know who that person is?”
I nodded with a pained expression.
“One hundred and fifty years ago, a woman named Evelyn was the head maid of the Duchzan family.”
“Evelyn... I’ve heard of her.”
“Really?”
I asked, startled. Sylvia searched her memory, then spoke with a confident expression.
“You probably know the name Belina Duchzan.”
“I know. She was Isaac Duchzan’s wife. But she was revealed to be a witch, so they divorced.”
"Yes. It's said that she cursed quite a few people before she died, but only a few are actually recorded. One of them is Evelyn, the head maid."
"Then!"
Everything falls into place. If I were Evelyn in my past life, that's why Belina cursed me... If Belina was the one who created the Julia Flower Garden, and that's why she's been interfering with my magical powers out of resentment towards me...
It was a time when I was both confident and trembling with fear.
“But something is strange.”
Sylvia opened her notebook and began scribbling down equations, just as she had once done on the Magic Tower. Even Sylvia, who seemed normal, suddenly showed signs of being a true wizard.
I waited patiently as Sylvia wrote down some unknown formula. I didn't think anyone would hear me if I interrupted.
Sylvia, who had been struggling with the formula for a long time, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and handed me her notebook. It looked exactly like the previous day. I pretended to look through the notebook before handing it back to Sylvia.
“I don’t understand this. Can you explain it to me?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. If you stay at the top of the tower...”
“You forgot how to have a conversation?”
Sylvia nodded with a rare, embarrassed expression. Then she handed me the note and began explaining to me.
“Let us assume that Your Highness’s previous life was Evelyn.”
It was a rushed response, as if I was listening to a professor's explanation, but I nodded quickly.
"Belina placed a curse on Evelyn. And Evelyn was reincarnated as Your Highness, Layla Duchzan. The curse was never broken, so you still hold it."
“It seems like there’s no problem.”
"No. Your Highness, you said you see past lives? From whose perspective do you see past lives?"
“Of course, let’s look at it from Evelyn’s perspective.”
Sylvia slammed her palm on the desk. My shoulders flinched at the loud noise, and Sylvia cupped her palm and hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry." But she didn't stop talking. In fact, her pace seemed to speed up.
“That’s exactly what’s strange.”
I couldn't understand what on earth was so strange about that.
"The one who shows Your Highness the memories of her past life is Belina. So, wouldn't it be right to view the past life from Belina's perspective?"
"Uh..."
“Was Evelyn a wizard?”
“No, it wasn’t.”
"So, who and how would magically record Evelyn's past life and show it to the reincarnated person? Evelyn doesn't have the magical power to extract her own memories!"
I stared at Sylvia, dumbfounded. She seemed confident, but I couldn't quite understand.
I was worried that asking this might be burning Sylvia's magic soul for nothing, but I wasn't a mature adult who knew how to suppress my curiosity.
“Is that not possible?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The wizard could have taken out the memories and shown them to you or something...”
Sylvia slapped her knee at my unsure words. Who would believe me if I told you her eyes, usually calm, were now filled with madness?
“Your Highness, magic is not omnipotent. Look.”
With that, Sylvia took out her notebook again and began scribbling down equations. This time, she wasn't looking at it alone, and she tilted the notebook toward me, as if she were teaching me.
Of course, I couldn't understand even half of the equations Sylvia was writing down, but I could only nod like a good student. If I said I didn't understand, this terrifying lecture would only get longer.
“Do you understand now?”
"Yes! It's a really strange phenomenon that I see visions of Evelyn."
I nodded sincerely. I didn't forget to offer a heartfelt apology to the baby, who must have had a hard time listening to this difficult story. Fortunately, Sylvia seemed satisfied, closed her notebook, and returned to her usual calm demeanor.
"My training is lacking, so I can't guess the reason. However, I'm slowly making progress in tracing the trajectory of the magical energy. If I compare the magical energy of Isaac Duchzan's tomb with that of the magical energy heir I discovered, I might find some clues."
"Please, Sylvia. I trust only you."
"I'll do my best. Do you have any further questions?"
Only after hearing that question did I remember something I'd completely forgotten while talking about curses. I clapped my hands briefly and then asked.
“Is the research on Lake Iris going well?”
Sylvia nodded with a very faint smile.
"Don't worry, I've left it in the hands of my trusted colleagues. They're working to expose the bottom of Lake Iris, and they've detected magical energy beneath it. Based on the circumstances, it's clear there's a portal beneath it."
“Is it true that the demon came out of that portal?”
“We’ll have to check across the portal to be sure, but I think so.”
Well, other than that, there was no other reason why the demon would suddenly appear.
“...Can we find a connection between that portal and Princess Abigail?”
“That seems surprisingly simple.”
I opened my eyes wide at Sylvia's cheerful words. They were exactly what I had been waiting for.
"Just compare Princess Abigail's magical power with that of the portal. The most difficult part will likely be getting Princess Abigail to submit to the magical wave test. Of course, I trust Your Highness will solve that problem."
Sylvia said it as if it were obvious, and I couldn't help but smile awkwardly. It seemed like I should think about that issue from now on.
“Oh, I brought a magical tool that can block curses more effectively.”
“There are traces of magical interference on this magic stone necklace.”
“Is this the magic of the person who cursed me?”
“This magic is pure magic, not related to curses.”
Sylvia muttered as if it were really strange.
"It's a magical force with exactly the same vibrations as the one who cursed Your Highness. The caster who cursed Your Highness is dead... So, there are two possibilities."
"Two things? Didn't you say that the caster who once cursed me died, and that someone else took his magic? Could it be that person is interfering with my powers?"
"Of course, that's more likely. But there's another possibility: the caster's magic remained in that place."
Sylvia didn't miss the flickering of my eyes.
“You guessed it. The Julia Flower Garden of Isaac Duchzan.”
"That's strange. Julia's flower garden was created 150 years ago. How could someone from 150 years ago put a curse on me?"
“Your Highness, isn’t there a concept of reincarnation and inheritance in this world?”
“Does that mean... this curse is something that came from my past life or my ancestors?”
"I think that's highly likely. Look into whether any of Your Highness's ancestors were cursed."
At those words, something flashed through my mind. Wasn't there, Evelyn? In my recurring visions, I always saw the world from Evelyn's perspective.
But I had never heard of an ancestor named Evelyn. If she had been a maid of honor in the Grand Duke's household, there would have been a portrait of her, but there was no such woman anywhere in the Earldom of Winsley.
Does that mean it's more likely that this is my reincarnation? The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became.
Is that ugly, disgusting woman really my past life?
I wanted to cover this up and pretend it didn't happen. But Sylvia was here to lift my curse. And...
'I have a baby in my stomach.'
I cautiously placed my hand on my stomach. I couldn't feel anything yet, but there was definitely a child inside. I needed to be as honest as possible about everything.
I looked around, creaking like a broken doll. The room was empty, just me, Sylvia, and Anna. I even sent Anna out, leaving Sylvia and me alone.
“...Don’t tell Julian.”
I hesitated for a long time. I told Sylvia repeatedly that she must never tell Julian.
It wasn't that I distrusted Sylvia, but I was terrified of what might happen. I opened my mouth with difficulty.
"I think I'm seeing my past life in the visions I sometimes have. The timing fits the conditions."
It took me a very hard time to admit this. But whenever I had visions, I was always a woman named Evelyn.
I spoke, moved, and thought as Evelyn. Eventually, I had no choice but to slowly admit it: I was Evelyn, the one who had been in that ugly love.
Sylvia, aware that I had barely managed to open my mouth, asked cautiously.
“Do you even know who that person is?”
I nodded with a pained expression.
“One hundred and fifty years ago, a woman named Evelyn was the head maid of the Duchzan family.”
“Evelyn... I’ve heard of her.”
“Really?”
I asked, startled. Sylvia searched her memory, then spoke with a confident expression.
“You probably know the name Belina Duchzan.”
“I know. She was Isaac Duchzan’s wife. But she was revealed to be a witch, so they divorced.”
"Yes. It's said that she cursed quite a few people before she died, but only a few are actually recorded. One of them is Evelyn, the head maid."
"Then!"
Everything falls into place. If I were Evelyn in my past life, that's why Belina cursed me... If Belina was the one who created the Julia Flower Garden, and that's why she's been interfering with my magical powers out of resentment towards me...
It was a time when I was both confident and trembling with fear.
“But something is strange.”
Sylvia opened her notebook and began scribbling down equations, just as she had once done on the Magic Tower. Even Sylvia, who seemed normal, suddenly showed signs of being a true wizard.
I waited patiently as Sylvia wrote down some unknown formula. I didn't think anyone would hear me if I interrupted.
Sylvia, who had been struggling with the formula for a long time, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and handed me her notebook. It looked exactly like the previous day. I pretended to look through the notebook before handing it back to Sylvia.
“I don’t understand this. Can you explain it to me?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. If you stay at the top of the tower...”
“You forgot how to have a conversation?”
Sylvia nodded with a rare, embarrassed expression. Then she handed me the note and began explaining to me.
“Let us assume that Your Highness’s previous life was Evelyn.”
It was a rushed response, as if I was listening to a professor's explanation, but I nodded quickly.
"Belina placed a curse on Evelyn. And Evelyn was reincarnated as Your Highness, Layla Duchzan. The curse was never broken, so you still hold it."
“It seems like there’s no problem.”
"No. Your Highness, you said you see past lives? From whose perspective do you see past lives?"
“Of course, let’s look at it from Evelyn’s perspective.”
Sylvia slammed her palm on the desk. My shoulders flinched at the loud noise, and Sylvia cupped her palm and hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry." But she didn't stop talking. In fact, her pace seemed to speed up.
“That’s exactly what’s strange.”
I couldn't understand what on earth was so strange about that.
"The one who shows Your Highness the memories of her past life is Belina. So, wouldn't it be right to view the past life from Belina's perspective?"
"Uh..."
“Was Evelyn a wizard?”
“No, it wasn’t.”
"So, who and how would magically record Evelyn's past life and show it to the reincarnated person? Evelyn doesn't have the magical power to extract her own memories!"
I stared at Sylvia, dumbfounded. She seemed confident, but I couldn't quite understand.
I was worried that asking this might be burning Sylvia's magic soul for nothing, but I wasn't a mature adult who knew how to suppress my curiosity.
“Is that not possible?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The wizard could have taken out the memories and shown them to you or something...”
Sylvia slapped her knee at my unsure words. Who would believe me if I told you her eyes, usually calm, were now filled with madness?
“Your Highness, magic is not omnipotent. Look.”
With that, Sylvia took out her notebook again and began scribbling down equations. This time, she wasn't looking at it alone, and she tilted the notebook toward me, as if she were teaching me.
Of course, I couldn't understand even half of the equations Sylvia was writing down, but I could only nod like a good student. If I said I didn't understand, this terrifying lecture would only get longer.
“Do you understand now?”
"Yes! It's a really strange phenomenon that I see visions of Evelyn."
I nodded sincerely. I didn't forget to offer a heartfelt apology to the baby, who must have had a hard time listening to this difficult story. Fortunately, Sylvia seemed satisfied, closed her notebook, and returned to her usual calm demeanor.
"My training is lacking, so I can't guess the reason. However, I'm slowly making progress in tracing the trajectory of the magical energy. If I compare the magical energy of Isaac Duchzan's tomb with that of the magical energy heir I discovered, I might find some clues."
"Please, Sylvia. I trust only you."
"I'll do my best. Do you have any further questions?"
Only after hearing that question did I remember something I'd completely forgotten while talking about curses. I clapped my hands briefly and then asked.
“Is the research on Lake Iris going well?”
Sylvia nodded with a very faint smile.
"Don't worry, I've left it in the hands of my trusted colleagues. They're working to expose the bottom of Lake Iris, and they've detected magical energy beneath it. Based on the circumstances, it's clear there's a portal beneath it."
“Is it true that the demon came out of that portal?”
“We’ll have to check across the portal to be sure, but I think so.”
Well, other than that, there was no other reason why the demon would suddenly appear.
“...Can we find a connection between that portal and Princess Abigail?”
“That seems surprisingly simple.”
I opened my eyes wide at Sylvia's cheerful words. They were exactly what I had been waiting for.
"Just compare Princess Abigail's magical power with that of the portal. The most difficult part will likely be getting Princess Abigail to submit to the magical wave test. Of course, I trust Your Highness will solve that problem."
Sylvia said it as if it were obvious, and I couldn't help but smile awkwardly. It seemed like I should think about that issue from now on.
“Oh, I brought a magical tool that can block curses more effectively.”
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