Chapter 37 A Glimpse of the Monster Eleanor clung tightly to the train carriage…

A chilling, bone-deep cold enveloped Eleanor.

For a moment, she felt as if she had stepped halfway into a flowing river of blood, only to be blown away by a gust of wind and returned to the dry air.

Kara Kara Kara.

The wheels bounced up and down the slope, and Eleanor opened her eyes and let out a long sigh of relief.

Phew... I'm back again.

She held her gold pendant and gently stroked the first petal: only three bloodstains remained on it.

He's only been back in this life for less than half a month and he's already used up half of his chances, and every time it's been a dead end.

So this is how dire my situation is? How come I never noticed it in my past life?

She leaned back in her chair with a wry smile.

Even though I was reborn, it felt like I was given a tragic script. If we're talking about being immersed in emotions, my past life was the one where I was deeply involved in the game of emotions.

Eleanor took a deep breath and began to eliminate distractions from her mind.

First, exclude Andra.

Although the biggest variable between past and future lives is Andra, in this life, my relationship with my mother involves life and death, which should not have much to do with her, this foreign princess.

Secondly, I will set aside my previous conclusion.

The changes in my relationship with my mother must have had some influence on how things unfolded, but they weren't the direct cause.

If the reason was "believing that her daughter had been replaced or possessed by a monster," the mother would not react this way, much less execute the "monster" in front of another daughter. She would most likely execute it secretly and then report it as an illness.

So the real reason is quite obvious.

Eleanor covered her face, her eyes icy cold through her fingers.

The battle for succession.

The names of Ophelia and Myrcella were highlighted on either side of her mind.

My mother in my previous life had no ill intentions towards me. Firstly, because we had a deep bond, and secondly, because I was always so affectionate with Andra and never paid any attention to Myrcella.

I never considered what kind of treatment my sister should receive in the capital, and even when she passed away, I attributed it to the war.

Even if I were to live my life again, my first suspect would still be Andra.

In this life, I didn't have the chance to build a truly deep relationship with my mother, and at the same time, my actions clearly sided with my sister.

From the mother's perspective, during the first regression, she believed that I would compete with Ophelia for the throne.

Even if I declare that I will not compete with Myrcella, it will be of no use, because Myrcella is not the crown prince in her heart.

During the third regression, my actions became about accumulating power for my sister Myrcella.

Manor, scholar, slave soldier... Mother must have thought I was weaving a wedding dress for my sister, and she wasn't wrong.

Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief; now her mind was clear.

This matter is easy to resolve. As long as we completely give up and stop caring about Mysella, she will have no conflict with Eva.

No, Eleanor shook her head.

She had to find a solution. She wanted the manor, the scholars, the soldiers—because—

"My time is running out."

time.

Eleanor shuddered and immediately dismissed the bizarre reason, "Can a mother rewind time?"

If Eva also had the ability to revert to her previous state, she certainly couldn't keep languishing indefinitely.

The king could do far more than a little princess in the early stages, and she would never show that helpless and disappointed expression after completely giving up.

So what exactly did Eva mean by that?

Is she implying that she, like me, foresees the enormous crisis that Norlana is about to face?

There should be, but not all.

Eleanor tapped the armrest unconsciously.

If her mother could truly see that far ahead, she would know that Ophelia was inadequate. Let alone dealing with Andra, even if she were to fight Aguno and Attila one-on-one, they could easily overpower her and beat her to a pulp.

Why did the mother choose Ophelia? Anyone with eyes can see that she is mediocre.

No time... I... I what?

Eleanor stopped tapping.

The mother's words may have been spoken literally. She knew she had a few years left to die; she knew exactly when she would die.

What was the reason for the death of my mother in my past life?

disease.

A terminally ill patient can indeed predict their death date, and it's not far-fetched to say it will come several months in advance, but the mother in this life clearly looks quite healthy.

If "I have no time" means that death is imminent and I have only a few years left to live.

So, the "me too" could mean "I'll come down and be with you in a few years," or it could mean "I'm in a similar situation to you," such as...poisoning.

Thinking of this, Eleanor broke out in a cold sweat. It was as if she had parted the fog of her past life and vaguely seen a monster's enormous claw through the cracks.

"I will lead you out of here, Your Highness."

Andra's phantom reappeared, the naive boy reaching out his hand to her, then transforming into a towering emperor.

Ah, I'm thinking of you again, Andra.

Eleanor's wildly beating heart gradually calmed down.

Even though she didn't reach out and grasp the phantom's hand, her fear of the unknown monster lessened considerably.

It seems that the entire logical line has been clarified.

However, there was one key point that puzzled her: why did her mother choose Ophelia?

If we exclude me and my older sister based on physical reasons, Mysella's mind and body are much better than Ophelia's, right?

Eleanor was starting to lose confidence.

Her opinion that Myrcella is better than Ophelia is perhaps purely subjective, given that she had just witnessed her sister's zero-point performance in front of Eva.

The mother did not have the ability to foresee the future.

Therefore, in Eva's eyes, Ophelia should be a somewhat quiet person who is average in her studies, likes to agree with others, but is very respectful to her teachers and sisters, and is very gentle.

On the contrary, Myrcella is a restless, lazy, playful, and unpredictable little girl who is always causing trouble. Even Eleanor dares not guarantee that Myrcella will be a good king after she ascends the throne.

No, these messages still don't lead to the truth.

If it were her or another king who knew his days were numbered, they would probably hesitate when faced with two heirs, both of whom had many flaws.

Even if she favored one of them more, she wouldn't kill her own daughter, who hadn't yet rebelled, for her sake.

The words Mother said to Myrcella before the third regression, "Didn't you want an army? I'll give it to you tomorrow."

It's like saying, "Because of your sister's death, I'll give you a chance to compete against Ophelia."

The fact that Eva could say that shows that, according to her original intentions, Ophelia was far more important than Mysella.

Why?

Eleanor was surprised.

From a rational perspective, mediocrity and being easily swayed are not characteristics of a good king.

Especially with the powerful military nation of Hetuya right next to Norlana, choosing an incompetent and weak monarch would be a recipe for disaster.

Eleanor's heart raced again. She felt as if she were standing before the mist once more, reaching out to the monster lurking behind the curtain.

"Andra, didn't you say last time the timing wasn't right?"

Memories of the past come rushing back.

Eleanor saw herself sitting sideways on the couch, leaning on Andra's shoulder.

The king, who was either serious or unrestrained in front of others, was now skillfully peeling fruit with a knife.

As she peeled, she smiled gently and said, "Yes, we just discussed it with Hudora and the others. If we can enslave the people in the defeated territories and hand them over to our citizens, the situation in the country will definitely improve quickly."

"Don't worry about management either. Grant remote and unruly lands to the soldiers who have made great contributions. They will take the initiative to help control and eliminate the most rebellious slaves and do all the dirty and hard work for us."

Apple peels fell in a string onto the silver plate.

"On the contrary, your idea of ​​equality for all is completely out of step with this era and will easily provoke a backlash from the nobles. Oh, by the way, who was that leader called again? I killed three whole groups of them, wiping out their entire families, just to barely suppress their arrogance. Tsk tsk, a powerful family~"

Apple chunks fell one by one, and Andra cut them into cute little bunnies.

"And there are those damned beasts spreading rumors about you from afar. They say that your abolition of slavery was a ploy to make everyone in the world your slaves. They claim that reducing taxes is a way to evade responsibility, and that you'll make up for it elsewhere. They've even secretly altered and distorted your decrees, calling you a brilliant but wicked villain!"

"Ugh, then why did you help me pass the test?!"

Eleanor's eyes reddened as she watched her lover put the knife aside and bring a slice of apple to her lips.

"Hmm? There's no reason why."

Andra smiled slightly, "Because I love you."

Eleanor hugged herself tightly in the carriage.

Love... if it's because of love, then it's the reason that needs no reason at all.

Does Eva love Ophelia? She certainly can't tell.

Indeed, some literary works depict kings deliberately setting up a target for their true love, allowing others to attack it, thus keeping their true love hidden.

Some monarchs would deliberately set up a seemingly decent competitor for their heir, using them as a whetstone for their children's growth.

But no matter how much Eleanor thought about it, she couldn't imagine that Eva had even the slightest affection for Ophelia.

The issue between the mother and daughter is no longer about cold stares or verbal abuse.

If ignoring someone is a sign of love, then they must be truly in love.

Could it be transference of affection, or a case of loving the house because of its owner?

Eleanor couldn't help but shake her head.

When she first transmigrated in her previous life, she was a little worried that she had transmigrated into some yuri palace intrigue novel, so she made a point of learning about Ophelia's mother and her own mother.

Both queens were of noble birth and came from their own families.

She and Mysella's mother are suspected to have died from postpartum illness, but their family remains active in officialdom, neither favored nor neglected.

Ophelia's mother died in confinement, and there were even rumors in the court that she had committed adultery with others, leading Eva to spread rumors that she had ruined Ophelia's entire family.

The first part of the rumor cannot be confirmed, but Ophelia's other family members are indeed reduced to only a handful.

Moreover, Eva directly strangled the core and tail of the entire family, leaving only a few leading officials to barely keep things afloat, a completely different approach from dealing with a rebellion.

After finding out about these rumors, my past self gossiped with Andra, and the two of them lay in bed chatting for a long time.

Eleanor was no longer worried about Myrcella's position as crown princess, but Andra was still resentful, saying in a muffled voice, "Anyone who dares to covet you, I will fight them to the death! It's a fight to the death!"

The sweeter the smiles were then, the more...

Ta-da, ta-da-da.

A rapid sound of hooves approached quickly; it was clearly not Andra.

Ah, it's Mysella.

Eleanor waited for the carriage to slow down, her expression a mixture of emotions.

She recalled how she had been happily tugging at her sister, explaining in detail the importance of the army.

If Andra hadn't been standing there, she would have pointed in Hetuya's direction and said, "Look at them, they all have wolfish ambitions. If you don't train your army well, your head will be hanging on the wall in a few years!"

As a result, Mysella pouted and said, "Okay, okay, I'll be patient," but then she had an emotional outburst in front of Eva. What a terrible teammate!

"Lily~"

As soon as the carriage stopped, Sister Wang happily lifted the curtain and called out, "You're back! Let's go play together!"

"I don't want trashy slaves!"

"I...I don't want the army anymore..."

Myrcella's two distinct faces appeared alternately before finally settling on her radiant smile.

Eleanor sighed helplessly: My little sister, what am I supposed to do with you?