“…………”
Shoko—or rather, Queen Dowager Frederica Aiwood—had just laid bare a tragic, blood-soaked past.
(The stories said her family and fiancé were murdered, and she was forced to become a consort to a tyrant. I knew the history, but...)
I never imagined I would hear the truth directly from her own lips.
As I watched her in silence, Shoko took the lollipop from her mouth and held it up toward the blue sky.
“Honestly, I thought I had a winning hand. I was born a noble daughter with a loving family and a fiancé, and I could even see the future. I was exactly the type to get overconfident and believe I was guaranteed a happy ending this time. That’s why... I underestimated it. The sheer depth of human malice.”
“……I see.”
“I’ve always been a bit dense about things like that. I was good at making men fall for me, but that just meant I ended up being hated or hurt just as often. Even in my previous life, I felt like someone pushed me from behind right before the accident. I bet I really was murdered. Maybe that guy Yamada I rejected was the one who did it?”
“I wouldn't know... but couldn't you have used your future prediction to avoid it?”
“That ability is active, you see. It doesn't work unless I intentionally try to use it. I had zero interest in what that King was doing, so I never bothered to look.”
Shoko let out a heavy sigh and popped the lollipop back into her mouth.
“But... I should have looked. I shouldn't have told myself that reading the future would make life boring. I should have kept a closer eye on things. If I had, Papa, Mama, Da-chan, and Ru-kun wouldn't have died. Ru-kun was only ten years old, you know?”
“…………”
“So, I went for some major payback. I made full use of my foresight, played the seductress without a hint of hesitation, and eventually... I killed that King.”
She bit down, the candy shattering with a loud crunch. She tossed the plastic stick toward a nearby trash can.
“He was universally loathed, so it was actually pretty easy. My vengeance was complete. And they all lived happily ever after... not that it really felt that way.”
“…………”
“And that’s the end of my story. Man, it feels good to finally get that off my chest.”
“……Wait, you’re not done.”
“Hm?”
“You haven't told me yet—why did you spoil Rodel? Why did you let him fall so far?”
That was the one thing I absolutely had to know. Rodel had been a piece of work, but if he hadn't been so corrupted, perhaps he could have been an ally—maybe even a friend. During our final battle, I had felt a brief, flickering moment of connection between us.
“Tell me. I need to know why.”
“Ah... right. I guess I have to talk about that too.”
Shoko gave a troubled smile, twirling a lock of her wavy hair around her finger.
“Making a fool out of Ro-chan was... revenge.”
“Revenge? Against the tyrant?”
“No, no... revenge against this unreasonable world.”
“……?”
I couldn't help but look at her with confusion. Revenge against the world? I couldn't grasp what she meant.
“Well... back then, Frederica was a little broken. Everyone I loved was gone, and the man I hated was dead. All I had left was a child I’d been forced to bear by a monster. The boy wasn't to blame, of course... but I still couldn't bring myself to love him. Regardless of his personality, his face looked exactly like that King’s.”
“…………”
“I had collaborators, sure, but no one who actually understood my pain. Yet they all leaned on me, expecting me to be this grand, dignified Queen Dowager. It was enough to drive me insane.”
Shoko sighed listlessly and shifted her crossed legs.
“That’s why... I gave in to temptation. I listened to those people—Takfir Kahen.”
“Tak... what?”
“Takfir Kahen. They’re another group of reincarnated people, and they’re hostile toward the Council of Sages. They’re a bunch of people who want to see the world end.”
“A group like that exists? They want to destroy the world...?”
It sounded absurd—like some cartoonish secret society of villains.
“I figured you’d react like that. Those people believe that our reincarnation into this world—and specifically our unfair deaths in our previous lives—is all the fault of this world's God. So, they’ve decided to destroy the world as a way of getting revenge on Him.”
“That’s madness...”
“Well, they’re basically a massive gathering of Chunibyo. Still, Frederica fell for their smooth talk and did some pretty terrible things.”
Shoko laughed self-deprecatingly and pressed her palms together.
“I corrupted Ro-chan, who was supposed to be a hero and save countless people in the original future, and raised him like a tyrant. I left ticking time bombs like Eiger-san scattered throughout the country. I made Celes-chan, who was destined to be the perfect Queen, Ro-chan’s fiancée specifically so she could never take the throne... I planted so many landmines in the Aiwood Kingdom.”
“…………”
“The Council of Sages probably defused a few of them. It’s hard to read the future of other reincarnators, so I don't know how it all played out.”
Shoko stood up and walked away with a brisk stride, stopping to look out at the sea from the bus stop.
“I pursued my revenge exactly how I wanted, all for my own satisfaction... and once I realized my end was near, I spent my final days at this villa. I found this place by chance during an inspection tour, and it looked so much like my hometown from my previous life. I spent my time watching the ocean and painting, and then I died. I asked Ver-chan to be the one to see me off.”
“Ver-chan...?”
“A classmate from my school days. He was my fiancé's best friend, and he always took care of me because of that. He’s the one who put my Residual Thought into that box. I believe he’s a teacher at the Royal Academy now?”
“A teacher at the Royal Academy... You don't mean Verloid Hahn!?”
The Academy Director. Verloid Hahn was a member of the Council of Sages. If it was the man known as the greatest mage in the kingdom, it was entirely possible he could seal a person's memories inside a box.
“I got what I deserved, but... the idea of dying and falling into Hell was a little scary. At the very least, I wanted to leave behind the version of me that was still pure—the girl from my old life. It’s just more self-satisfaction, really.”
Shoko stared out at the sea, her expression growing melancholic. She let out a long, weary sigh and slowly shook her head.
“In my old life, I hated the countryside. I couldn't wait to leave and move to the city... but ever since I reincarnated, I’ve missed my hometown so much I can hardly stand it. I really am selfish, aren't I?”
“...I see.”
“Anyway! That’s officially the end of my story! Thank you all for listening!”
Shoko clapped her hands together with a sharp crack.
Immediately, the scenery began to shimmer and warp, as if everything around us had turned into a mirage.
“Wha—!”
“Thanks for everything. I appreciate you listening to my rambling... Here, take this as a thank-you gift.”
“Mmph...!?”
Something was shoved into my mouth. It was sweet... a lollipop. The tart, sugary flavor of strawberry flooded my senses.
“Well then, Uppi, make sure you live a life that doesn't end in regrets like mine did. Until next time!”
Her farewell was final. A moment later, the world around me completely collapsed.
“Ah...”
When I came to, I was standing back in the study, exactly where I had been before.