Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 190: Suspicions

Chapter 190: Suspicions

Arabella also learned from their thoughts that since what Blanca knew about humans was several hundred years ago, she was also set to be re-educated about humanity.

Blanca would also learn about how the current society functions in Valeria and beyond so she would not commit mistakes and implicate Arabella and Ferdinand if she was ever brought with them outside the Empire.

"We will also pretend that I am his fiancée," Blanca said and Arabella was surprised. She glanced at Alwin and he was no longer trying to run away from Blanca.

’Oh, did they get to know each other and got closer the past few days?’

"Pretend?" Arabella asked.

Blanca and Alwin explained that they would pretend to be engaged to drive off their admirers or at least make them think the two were in a relationship and already had marriage plans.

It was a proposition from Blanca and she somehow managed to convince Alwin to agree with it.

Arabella learned from Alwin’s thoughts that for him, it was to stop Renee from following him around every time she catches a glimpse of him.

The times Renee stalked him, he usually turned to a corner and teleported so she wouldn’t see him.

Alwin had apparently even begun disguising himself as someone else when he roams around the palace to avoid Renee.

’Oops. My bad. I think that was my fault,’ Arabella felt bad and just turned silent.

She couldn’t possibly admit she made Renee see Alwin so the maid would be obsessed with him instead of her.

Moreover, there are other maids who had also seen Alwin’s face and had taken a liking to him. So apparently, it wasn’t just Renee. There are other maids who follow him around every time they see him.

As such, when Blanca suggested they could just pretend to be engaged to drive off admirers, Alwin agreed after some time of convincing from Blanca.

On Blanca’s part, she didn’t want to be pursued by humans since she didn’t want to fall in love with one. She didn’t want to become like Esmeralda who keeps loving someone who was no longer there.

Arabella learned that the long-lived races can indeed share their life force to prolong the lives of the people precious to them.

However, that also depends upon the situation because sharing their life force meant sharing their own lifespan.

Blanca wasn’t sure she was willing to share hers when she had barely lived her life due to sleeping for several hundred years because of injuries inflicted by humans.

Arabella understood that it might indeed be hard for Blanca to fall in love with a human due to what she experienced so sharing her own life force would be even harder.

Moreover, the more they extend the life of their beloved, the more their lifespan is shortened.

Arabella was wide-eyed when she heard this from Blanca’s thoughts. It meant Ferdinand’s life would be shortened if he shared his life force with her.

She wanted to know more about how that works. If it would take much of Ferdinand’s years ahead, she doesn’t mind dying in her human years.

After all, Arabella would be content as long as she meets Fermin again, was able to atone for her sins, and treat Ferdinand well this time.

Arabella wanted to learn more information from the two but they soon left since Blanca’s education and training were set to begin.

. . .

Blanca visited Arabella almost everyday to apply what she learned. She tried to greet her as dignified as she could and would get corrected by Alwin and Eunice once she does it a bit wrong.

However, Blanca staying in the palace would someday prove to be somewhat troublesome due to Renee and Alwin’s other admirers. But that story was for later.

In the meantime, Arabella was under Alwin’s watchful gaze.

They were having tea in her office after working hours and Alwin visited with Blanca. He was suddenly observing her more than usual.

Arabella wondered if she did anything that triggered it.

Alwin stared at her with scrutinizing eyes as she spoke with Blanca. When it was a bit too much, Arabella pretended to be focused on eating a snack instead and slowly chewed on it.

[She’s treating Blanca like another normal human being. She didn’t even ask any more questions about her.

[Is this simply because I explained to her last time about Esmeralda?

[I was too occupied then so I didn’t think about it. But could she really easily accept that a winged horse transformed into a human girl right in front of her? And now, the same girl turned into an adult and was trying to learn manners and etiquette.

[Is she simply that open to the thought of the existence of other races or she’s just being gullible again?

[Or there’s something else I’m missing?]

Alwin pondered about Arabella who looked so amazed at the sight of Blanca back in the caves in Safiro, instead of getting horrified, that a pegasus transformed into a human.

’Is he being suspicious of me right now?’

Arabella thought about the things she had been doing recently and wondered if Alwin was being suspicious because she had been acting so different from how she was in her previous life.

’My circumstances have changed from before. And, Ferdinand had changed too.’

If it was her in the past life, she would be easily charmed by this new Ferdinand who speaks a lot and was more expressive of his feelings. She would have probably changed because of his behavior and would have communicated with him a lot as she formerly did with Andrew.

[But then again, as long as she accepts His Majesty once he informs her of the truth, it should be fine whatever it was. Still, it would be best if she was indeed open to other races since she would give birth to a half-dragon. Now that I thought about it, isn’t it high time she gets pregnant? In the past, by this month, we knew she was pregnant.]

Arabella almost flinched at this. She looked away after hearing Alwin’s thoughts.

’Because your lord and I haven’t consummated yet,’ she wanted to say.

[Did something go wrong? I thought His Majesty had been so eager for her. I have to ask His Majesty about this. Maybe something changed. After all, she was supposed to just be revived after all the set conditions and trials were met and passed by His Majesty. But the gods returned us to this time instead. Did they meddle with something else?]

’Set conditions and trials?’ Arabella frowned.

She learned that Ferdinand had to agree with several conditions and pass through a trial before Arabella could be revived.

But instead of reviving her, in Alwin’s understanding, the gods had turned back time instead.

Arabella learned that while she was confused in her room the day she was reborn, Alwin was as confused as well in the Magic Tower since no one said anything about turning back time. The agreement with the gods was supposed to be Arabella’s revival.

Still, Alwin thought this was for the best since Ferdinand didn’t have memories of the past and was no longer hurting from all the memories of what his marriage with Arabella had become.

Moreover, they have the chance to change the future. And thus, Alwin was trying to help their relationship to be better this time despite how much he disliked and hated Arabella.

Alwin wanted Ferdinand to be happy.

Thus, Alwin told Raymond to educate Ferdinand more on the aspects of love since he realized that his lord may have also failed in various ways which was why his marriage did not work, unlike Raymond whose marriage was a success.

[That maid is also still roaming free. I had her watched but she still hadn’t been in contact with anyone suspicious.]

Renee was also on Alwin’s watchlist. A magician from the Magic Tower was assigned to watch her. In a way, he was also getting her stalked for a different reason than why Renee tried stalking him.

[That girl. I also have to go to her origins. It probably won’t happen until several years from now but I have to take action as early as possible. But it means I wouldn’t be around here for a while. I have to find the right timing. I can’t leave yet while things are unstable. A lot of things had changed so I have to tread carefully.]

’Where does he have to go?’ Arabella wondered.

As far as she knew, Renee was adopted by a Marquess in Valeria.

In the past, Renee said her true parents were commoners and they were already dead.

The Marquess that adopted Renee had other children so she would unlikely inherit anything if the marquess dies.

Thus, Renee said she was just a nobody which was why she wanted a lot of money so she would still be able to survive on her own.

But Arabella knew now that all those were probably lies that Renee used to get her sympathy and trust.

’Hm... Maybe I should try to ask Renee. Maybe I’ll discover something from her thoughts.’

Arabella decided to speak with Renee later and she learned something far from what she knew as the truth. It was rather too unbelievable to believe. She would likely not believe it if this was not her second life.

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A/N:

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. . .

Spoiler:

Look forward to more revelations in the future Chapters as the yearly Assembly in Medeus commences. . .

...

I will release more Bonus Chapters later too since I haven’t had enough sleep for a while. I look like a panda now so Imma get some sleep first.