The Executed Saint Reincarnates as a Princess and is Loved by Her Older Brothers - Episode 42

“Mother, why did you raise me as a princess?”

“I’ve never even considered not raising you as a princess.”

There was no hesitation in Josephine’s firm answer. She must have undoubtedly overridden the emperor’s opposition to grant Angela the status of a princess.

“Because you are real siblings with my sons. I want to show you how much Michel, Raphael, and Gabriel rejoiced when you were born.”

Yes, I was shown.

I can’t say it, but──I wanted to.

I know that the three older brothers doted on the newborn Angela, competing with each other to shower her with love.

I remember all the kindness you showed me, the compassion you poured into me, and the love you gave me.

Not just the brothers. Josephine also cared for Angela.

I was never resented as a child of injustice. I was never cursed with words like “the baby doesn’t understand anything.” On the contrary.

“Angela, my dear daughter. Please grow up healthy and strong.”

Josephine whispered so gently and placed a kiss on my forehead.

“I’ve only had boys for so long, it was no fun decorating. I’m so happy Angela was born.”

Saying that, she had a large amount of fabric spread out and had it all made into clothes for Angela.

“Clean your hands before touching Angela. I won’t allow you to touch her with dirty hands.”

He sternly scolded his brothers and took care of Angela’s health.

Because Josephine took the initiative to acknowledge Angela… that’s why the princes treated her as a sister, and everyone else treated her as a princess.

Angela’s eyes filled with tears.

“I… I know how much you cared for me, Mother…”

Anna died during childbirth. There must have been voices cursing Angela as the ill-fated child who took her mother’s life.

Josephine accepted Angela just as she was.

They gave me a name that connects me to both my biological mother and my brothers.

They raised Angela, who was an illegitimate child, as a legitimate child──as a princess.

I can painfully understand how profoundly filled with love that action was.

As Angela was shedding tears, Josephine narrowed her elegant eyes.

“The first word you ever spoke was ‘mama.'”

The first words. It was the day of the picnic held in the palace garden.

While her three older brothers eagerly wished for her to call their names, Angela’s first word was “mama.”

“I will never forget the sight of you crawling towards me with an angelic, adorable face. You are my daughter.”

Josephine’s gently blooming smile was like a large flower, just as it was on that day when she said, “If you grow up healthy, I want nothing more.”

Angela wiped her wet eyes.

“I am grateful to Mother Anna, who risked her life to give birth to me…… but”

With tearful eyes, I gazed straight at Josephine.

“But my mother is Madame Josephine. My beloved mother.”

“Angela…”

“Mother!”

The mother and daughter hugged tightly.

Just like on that picnic day long ago, when the daughter first called her mother “Mama” and the mother was called “Mama” for the first time.

“Mother… why did you tell me about Anna Mother now?”

“Because it has been decided that you will go to the Coral Kingdom.”

While holding Angela, Josephine answered.

“You are the daughter of His Majesty and me. While you are in this castle, that will suffice. But if you were to go abroad… there might be situations we can’t prevent, you know?”

In the castle, everyone treats Angela as the empress’s daughter. However, if you go outside, you might unexpectedly learn about her birth.

Josephine, rather than letting others expose it, revealed the truth herself.

“Thank you very much, Mother…”

Angela deeply thanked her mother’s boundless love.

“Mother, may I ask you one last question?”

Anna was Josephine’s maid.

A maid can be from the common people, but a lady-in-waiting is a high-ranking position held by daughters of noble families. Especially if she is attached to the empress, she should come from a distinguished family.

“Could it be that you, Anna, are somehow connected to the Kingdom of Koryu?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Josephine nodded gracefully.

“Anna’s family, the Baron Sharon family, were nobles of the Koryu Kingdom. Although Anna was born in the kingdom, she fled to this country when she was young.”

“To the Empire… exile…”

I heard that about thirty years ago, there was a large-scale civil war and purges in the kingdom. Many houses were defeated in the power struggle and were forced to flee to other countries.

Viscount Shalon, who fled the kingdom with young Anna, sought refuge with the ducal family of the empire with whom they had a close relationship. This ducal family is Josephine’s family.

Even though her family has fallen from grace, Anna’s lineage is undeniable. The honest and earnest Anna was cherished by the people of the ducal family and served as Josephine’s maid.

“My real mother… was a noble from the Kingdom of Coral…”

Until now, Angela had always believed she was a pure citizen of the Sapphire Empire.

However, Angela’s biological mother was a noble of the Koryu Kingdom.

The current emperor also has the bl00d of the Koryu Kingdom. This is because an emperor from several generations ago took a princess from the kingdom as his consort.

If that bl00d happened to manifest strongly in Angela, then even though she was born in the Empire, her bl00d might be closer to that of the people of the Coral Kingdom.

Angela shuddered in surprise.

Maybe, wasn’t Juliet like that too?

It wasn’t just the House of Viscount Shalon that fell from grace in the civil war thirty years ago. Several other noble families were also ousted from their positions.

Thirty years ago—just when Juliet was born.

Anna was taken to the empire by her parents, but the exile after losing her title was a harsh journey even for adults.

If there were a newborn child, it might be better to entrust them to an orphanage to protect their life.

The orphanage where Juliet grew up was located at the edge of the kingdom and was also close to the port that connected to other countries.

Juliet too… could she have been a girl of noble bl00d?

There’s no way to confirm it, but I felt like I finally saw the answer to the question that had been repeatedly told to me in my past life: “Saints are only born into noble families.”

Juliet was probably the daughter of a fallen noble. Like the previous saints, she came from the noble class of the kingdom.