I Became the Emperor’s Sleeping Pill - Chapter 54

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Lysei felt a pang of sadness at the thought of watching Edin fall in love with Luigia. Yet, she also yearned to place the urn, the very thing Edin desperately sought, into his hands. With this resolve, she decided to summon Luigia, the urn’s keeper, to the palace.

***

“How did you know?” Zerga’s face hardened as the word “urn” slipped from her lips—the same lips that had just moments ago spoken of the need for a new Nyxna.

“I can’t divulge the details. However, I can tell you with certainty that Baron Tione, who served the Emperor’s mother, hid the urn before his death, and his daughter now safeguards it.”

Zerga knew that Baron Tione had died at the hands of Marquis Benneretti’s faction. When they searched for the urn, they had thoroughly investigated the Baron’s estate, but it yielded nothing. To think his daughter had it all along… Zerga grew curious as to how Lysei had come by this information.

“She must enter the palace as the Emperor’s Nyxna before the Founding Festival. Luigia’s presence is crucial to preventing… unforeseen circumstances during the festivities.”

“…I don’t know how to interpret all of this.”

“…Divine prophecy.” Lysei finally resorted to the explanation most likely to be believed in this world.

“…What?”

“Let’s just say it’s a divine prophecy. Lady Luigia is the woman chosen by the gods to save the Empire.”

Zerga’s eyes widened in disbelief.

***

Lysei was deeply impressed by Zerga’s swift and cunning plan to bring Luigia to the palace. Since only one Nyxna could reside in the palace at a time, they orchestrated Lysei’s removal from the position, transforming her into the mistress of the Rose Palace.

While the Emperor’s bestowal of the Rose Palace upon Lysei lacked a truly compelling justification, sparking opposition from the Empress’s faction and several ministers, Zerga silenced them with the fabricated explanation of Lysei safeguarding Edin’s health.

Thus, Lysei unexpectedly became the mistress of the Rose Palace, remaining within the palace walls but no longer as the Nyxna. Luigia would fill the now vacant position.

On the day of Luigia’s arrival, Lysei threw herself into a frantic workout to quell her turbulent emotions. She tried to find solace in the thought that this was all for Edin’s sake. Yet, the news of Luigia’s arrival as Edin’s Nyxna brought an overwhelming wave of emptiness and anxiety.

Could she bear to witness Edin spending his nights with Luigia? In the original story, they were drawn to each other instantly—would it happen again? If Edin and Luigia fell in love, would there be any reason for her to remain in the Rose Palace?

A whirlwind of complex and troubling thoughts swirled in her mind. She pushed her body to exhaustion, running and running to escape them, but her mind relentlessly churned.

Finally, reaching the point of utter exhaustion, she dragged her weary body back into the palace. The moment she saw the exceptionally cute girl with pink hair standing before her, Lysei knew.

Ah, this is Luigia.

The heroine’s appearance was indeed enhanced by the “female lead buff.” The blend of beauty and innocence in her face made Lysei think that even she would fall for her if she were Edin.

“Lysei Orphe?”

Her voice, as melodic as chiming bells, was just as enchanting.

“…Yes,” Lysei softly replied, gazing at the doll-like girl who had spoken her name.

Suddenly,

“Oh. My. God!”

From the lovely, innocent lips of the heroine sprang words utterly out of place, slang that belonged in Lysei’s original world.

“The plot-breaking character is right in front of me!”

Luigia clapped her hands over her mouth, genuinely thrilled. Lysei’s face froze at being labeled a “plot-breaking character.”

What? Is she a transmigrator too? No way. Is that even possible?

“Perhaps…” Her mind raced, now even more tangled than before. Unsure how to broach the subject, her voice trailed off. Then, Luigia strode toward her, clasped her hands, and flashed the most adorable smile.

“I think we have a lot to talk about, Unnie!”

Lysei blinked, stunned, as the heroine, whose personality seemed utterly mismatched with her appearance, called her “Unnie,” the Korean word for older sister.

“A transmigrator, you say?” Lysei’s eyes went wide. She had suspected it, but to have it confirmed—that Luigia, like herself, was someone who had transmigrated—felt like an unbelievable coincidence.

“Yes. Aren’t you too, Unnie?”

“.…”

“Actually, I was supposed to become the next Nyxna after you disappeared. But rumor has it you’ve captured the Emperor’s heart and even received the Rose Palace!” Luigia’s eyes sparkled as she continued.

“I thought, ‘Wow, the original story is really getting messed up.’ I was worried about whether I’d even be able to enter the palace and stop the Empress and Marquis’s rebellion like in the original. Then, suddenly, someone from the palace came looking for me.”

“….”

“They started talking about some divine prophecy, and I thought, ‘How much more can this story deviate?’ But after entering the palace and asking Zerga, I found out it was you who heard the divine prophecy. And then it clicked. ‘Maybe she’s a transmigrator who read the original story, just like me.’”