How to Tame That Gentle Hero - Chapter 10.12

“You speak so beautifully, Resena. And I can vividly feel how much more energetic you’ve become than before. I’m truly grateful that you’ve matured.”

“It’s nothing, Father. I’m just doing what I can.”

For a while, the conversation at the table continued in a warm atmosphere. The Duke mentioned that the harvest coming up from the territory had increased, saying that this year’s yield was as bountiful as last year’s.

“All this is because you and Renard dealt with the black mages. Otherwise, all the perfectly good land would have been tainted by black magic. Your and Renard’s contributions are truly significant.”

“Hehe. If Renard were here, he’d probably say, ‘You’re only realizing this now?'”

“Hahaha. Renard is quite the prankster, too. By the way, Resena, who are you planning to spend the Founding Festival with?”

Resena hesitated for a moment but decided to be honest.

“I plan to be with His Highness the Crown Prince until this afternoon, but after that, I’m going to watch the fireworks with Vernas. Both of them occupy a place in my heart.”

“Hmm… It seems you’re not leaning toward either side.”

“Both of them hold considerable shares in your heart, is that right?”

Resena smiled softly at the Duke and Duchess’s words.

“Yes. Sometimes I wish the two of them were the same person. But such a miracle won’t happen. Their personalities are so contrasting that I can strongly feel they are different people.”

The Duke responded kindly to that.

“Even to my ears, Vernas and Crown Prince Eldis seem to stand at completely opposite ends. But I worry more about Crown Prince Eldis than Vernas. To become a good ruler, he sometimes needs to act politically for his own position, but he’s so honest that he’s not politically cunning enough.”

“That’s also Eldis’s strength. But sometimes it could be fatal. I worry that in situations where he needs to make difficult decisions to protect his loved ones, he might be helpless.”

The Duke cut a piece of steak and brought it to his mouth. While he tasted the dish, the Duchess continued.

“By the way, Resena. I heard from Del that you’ve been advising His Highness the Crown Prince. You said you were simply an advisor and executor to His Highness, but when you told me about your relationship with Vernas, it had progressed further than before, hadn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s different from then. Eldis is clearly showing that he has feelings for me. And I continue to be drawn to him as well.”

The Duchess wore a kind expression.

“I see. That’s fine then. Whoever you choose as your husband, if it’s someone you desire, we will welcome him. It’s also fortunate that Crown Prince Eldis seems so smitten with you that he accepts any advice you give.”

“…Actually, I have something to say about that.”

The Duke and Duchess waited for Resena’s words.

“Um, the reason Eldis visited the holy land was because of my advice.”

The Duke and Duchess opened their eyes wide.

“The holy land… I thought it was a place warriors who want to surpass their limits go to, and that His Highness the Crown Prince, dissatisfied with his own abilities, had volunteered himself.”

“Well…”

Resena slowly explained the situation.

“Actually, I had a prophetic dream before. It was a dream where I directly witnessed Eldis destroying the world. I dreamed this dream very long and vividly, as if my life was repeating. At first, I couldn’t understand why I kept having this dream. But no matter how hard I tried on that same path, I couldn’t prevent the imperial capital from reaching destruction.”

“….”

“After having such dreams of seeing the future so many times, and as reality began to match up with them, I realized that I wasn’t simply having nightmares. According to Alken, it wasn’t a dream but a regression. He said that turning back time isn’t possible without the power of the main god Sernaus, and I also became convinced that I shouldn’t ignore the dream.”

The faces of the Duke and Duchess turned to each other, then became serious.

Father put down his fork, and Mother took a sip of water. Then the Duke urged Resena.

“Tell us more. So?”

“So I decided to change reality. After regressing several times, I realized that unless I changed myself, and thereby changed Eldis too, I could never prevent the world’s destruction.”

“Wait, Resena. Just a moment.”

The Duke said that and looked around the dining room. Fortunately, there were only the three of them in the dining room. But the Duke rang a bell to call a servant.

“Make sure no one enters this dining room and don’t bring in any more dishes until I call again.”

“Yes, understood.”

The servant left, and the sound of the door closing was heard. After ensuring they were alone as a family, the Duke asked again.

“Alright. Tell us. What happened then?”

“I…”

Resena felt her throat dry and took a sip of water. The water with a piece of lime floating in it was slightly sour, but it moistened her throat just right. Resena continued speaking.

“First, I told Father and Mother that I had decided to cancel the plans I had previously arranged to carry out against Eldis and Lorona. Not stopping there, I actually went to the guild and canceled all the plans I had made. Of course, since they couldn’t be properly canceled… I monitored the planned locations to prevent incidents, and preemptively blocked them from actually happening.”

“I see. And then?”

“And not only that, but at my birthday ball, I directly advised Eldis. In the future, Eldis and Lorona would be together, but Eldis, who loses not only Lorona but all his precious people… couldn’t bear it and used Sernaus’s light to destroy the world.”

“Ah… So that’s why you changed.”

“Yes. I could no longer remain just an immature child. And when I thought that my schemes had contributed to the world’s destruction, it was a wake-up call. And I thought that through that, I might also lose my precious people. So thinking that I wouldn’t do that anymore… Even after that, I advised Eldis through another person based on the knowledge I gained through regression.”

The Duchess asked carefully with calm eyes.

“Is that other person Vernas?”

Resena nodded.

“Yes. Although Vernas is a commoner, he’s a high-ranking knight under Eldis’s command. And Eldis trusts him. My other advice was delivered to Eldis through him.”

“I see… What an interesting arrangement.”

“Hehe. A bit, isn’t it? But Vernas delivered my words without hesitation. He told me that Eldis had heard the advice. Of course, his actions also began to change.”

“I see. So that’s what happened. But…”

“Yes, Mother.”

The Duchess slowly asked.

“But even with all that, even while feeling that Crown Prince Eldis would not destroy the world… Why did you tell him to go to the holy land?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Resena took another sip of water before speaking.

“It’s because Lord Sernaus personally appeared in my dream.”

“My goodness. What did you say?”

The Duchess covered her mouth. The Duke, who was listening beside her, also looked surprised. Understandably so. Looking at the two of them, Resena slowly continued her explanation.

“I know you won’t believe me. But it’s true. Lord Sernaus appeared directly in my dream and told me that although Eldis had changed because of my advice, his actions to destroy the world were merely postponed, not that he himself had changed.”