Chapter 3

Cecilia tried to organize the memories of her past life that had resurfaced, along with the memories of her current life as Cecilia.

The resurfaced memories were so vivid that it seemed to have overshadowed the consciousness of the current Cecilia.

Until now, Cecilia had always felt guilty, wishing that she could just disappear, and was a shy and timid girl.

This was because she was not born as a prince who could become the heir, but as a princess.

She blamed herself for not being born as a prince and thought everything was her fault.

"…This is too much of a blame. What kind of true love is this? It collapsed so easily."

However, with the resurfaced memories of her past life, it seemed that Adeline's personality was becoming stronger, allowing her to see things differently from before. She could now believe that she was not at fault.

After Adeline's death, Crown Prince Logan and Baroness Helena, despite opposition, eventually got married. Logan was finally recognized by the king on the condition that he would love her alone for the rest of his life. Divorce was not allowed, and even if they were widowed, remarriage was forbidden. Concubines were also not allowed. At the time, the two agreed without hesitation.

Soon, their first child, Princess Cecilia, was born. There was a slight disappointment that she was not a prince who could become the heir, but there was optimism that the next child might be. As a result, Cecilia was loved like any other child at the time.

However, the former baroness Helena, now the Crown Princess, gradually fell into a mental illness. The free-spirited upbringing she had did not suit the court's culture of hiding true feelings behind a smile. Her carefree smile, which was her charm, gradually faded, and her appeal diminished. As a result, Logan's heart slowly drifted away, and their relationship grew cold.

In this situation, Crown Princess Helena gave birth to a second child, a prince, and it was hoped that this would improve their relationship. Logan was initially happy that they had an heir, but the prince died after just a few days. Moreover, this was due to a difficult labor, and Helena was left unable to bear children again.

"…I vaguely remember this."

Cecilia sighed with a bitter smile. Helena, in her distress, lashed out at three-year-old Cecilia, saying things like, "You should have died instead. Why are you still alive?" This repeated over time, and Cecilia began to believe that she was unwanted, retreating into her shell. Helena's verbal abuse escalated, eventually leading her to claim that the prince's death was Cecilia's fault.

Logan turned a blind eye to this. He neither protected the young Cecilia from the verbal abuse nor advised Helena to stop. Whenever Helena's outbursts began, he would quickly flee. Perhaps he was glad that his anger was directed at someone else, his daughter.

Cecilia genuinely believed that her brother's death was her fault. She had been bound by this curse until the memories of her past life resurfaced today.

"Really, there are no good memories at all…"

Cecilia sighed in exasperation. Her grandparents, the king and queen, were still alive, and her father, Logan, remained the Crown Prince. However, her grandparents were also cold to her. The queen, in particular, disliked Helena and seemed to view Cecilia with disdain.

"Even before, we didn't have much interaction… and now, there's no interaction with the second prince either."

The second prince, who was Logan's younger brother and Cecilia's uncle, and his family treated her as if she were air. They did not actively mistreat her, but there was no warmth either. Comparing this to the memories of her past life, it seemed that the second prince had married his fiancée, a marquise's daughter who had looked up to Adeline as an older sister. She was from the same noble family as the current queen mother, who had since passed away.

"The second prince has a son… I wonder if he was my fiancé…"

The next king was Logan, and the one after that was expected to be the second prince's son. Logan had told Cecilia that she would marry him and eventually become queen, but her impression of her cousin was vague, and it was likely the same for him.

"What should I do from now on… No, wait…"

Among the memories of Cecilia, there was also information about her past life as the duchess's daughter, Adeline. The duchess's daughter Adeline, who was Logan's fiancée, had bullied female students who approached him. However, this only pushed Logan further away, and he turned to the kind and supportive baroness Helena. Then, to win Logan's attention, Adeline approached a prince from a neighboring country, digging her own grave. She was said to have repented for her actions and thrown herself from the tower of penance.

"…This is completely different from the truth… Why did it come to this…"

Cecilia groaned, holding her head. She felt a surge of anger at the fact that her past self had been completely vilified. The content Logan had told her and the rumors from the maids had likely spread this version of events.

Helena, a baroness from a noble but low-ranking family, was not of the same status as the Crown Prince. To officially make her the Crown Princess, it was not wrong to denigrate the former fiancée. However, it was impossible for the wronged party to accept this.

"I can't forgive this… After taking everything from me, they live so carefree… And to be such a terrible parent… What kind of person is that…"

Cecilia felt a boiling anger rising from the depths of her heart, almost driving her mad. She did not know who had pushed Adeline from the tower, but Logan and Helena were the most likely suspects. Even if they did not act directly, if they had ordered their subordinates to do it, it was the same thing.

"Eventually, I will expose their crimes…"

For the sake of her past self and for her future, Cecilia clenched her fist and vowed to reveal the truth.