The Regressed Tyrant Princess Rewrites Her Dark History - Chapter 2.4

A month had passed since Ariadne first contacted the underground guild. During that time, she had woven numerous schemes.

One of those schemes involved publicly announcing her intention to attend the upcoming Magic Academy Exhibition.

At her request, Arnold had made it known that the two of them would be attending together.

It wasn’t uncommon for royalty and nobility to visit such exhibitions.

If the Holy Kingdom of Avellia was defined by its devotion to religion, then the Kingdom of Granheim was defined by its dedication to magic.

Even so, their announcement was enough to pique the interest of those keeping a close watch on their movements.

The sharp-eared members of the Second Prince’s faction immediately began speculating—there had to be a deeper reason behind this deliberate declaration.

And so, the day of the exhibition arrived.

Ariadne made her way to the colosseum in the capital.

It was a venue that regularly hosted various events, and today, it was the stage for the Magic Academy’s exhibition.

Students took turns demonstrating their magical skills and presenting new magical tools and research projects.

From the VIP seating area, Ariadne observed these displays with keen interest.

Seated beside her was her fiancé, Arnold.

A little further away sat Siegbert and Carla.

Their presence made it clear—they had come to counterbalance Ariadne’s attendance.

This was different from her past life.

Exactly as she had planned.

Now, all she had to do was wait for the right moment.

As she prepared for what was to come, she continued watching the exhibition.

(Are there any promising students here?)

One of her objectives was to recruit talented young magicians.

That was the official reason she had given for attending, but it was also an urgent necessity.

A mage could wield both offensive and defensive power without carrying a weapon—an invaluable asset for someone like Ariadne, who often found herself in places where weapons were forbidden.

However, in her previous life, every magician she had recruited had belonged to the Second Prince’s faction.

Hiring an untrustworthy mage could put her in even greater danger.

Thus, ensuring their loyalty was a crucial factor.

“I’d like to recruit a few mages…”

“Are you planning to create new magical tools? If so, I can lend you some of my subordinates.”

“No, I wouldn’t dream of poaching talent from you, Prince Arnold. Besides, I expected that finding ideal candidates wouldn’t be easy.”

She turned her gaze toward one of the students presenting their research in the colosseum.

To the onlookers who were secretly monitoring her, it must have seemed as though she was willing to compromise and hire mages even if they weren’t perfect matches for her needs.

Of course, that was a complete lie.

Regardless, Ariadne continued watching the presentations, mentally noting any students with potential.

Then—

Sybilla approached, escorting two students.

One was Ashley, wearing her Magic Academy uniform, and beside her stood a male student.

“It is an honor to greet you, Princess Ariadne.”

“Ashley, that uniform suits you well.”

Ashley, a strong-willed girl with twin tails of pink-gold hair, was one of Ariadne’s most trusted attendants.

She was technically still on leave from the Magic Academy, but she had once been recognized as a gifted magician.

Her reason for wearing a student’s uniform today was simple—she had temporarily re-enrolled to participate in the exhibition.

That was merely a front, of course.

“Thank you for allowing me to participate in the exhibition.”

“Think nothing of it. Your success benefits me as well. I saw your presentation—you’ve improved your magical skills significantly.”

“It’s all thanks to your guidance, Princess Ariadne.”

Ashley beamed with innocent enthusiasm.

She had once been openly hostile toward Ariadne.

Now, she had the adoring reverence of a disciple toward her mentor.

But Ashley’s presence here was not just a coincidence.

“By the way, weren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”

Ariadne prompted.

Ashley immediately responded, “Yes, I have a student I’d like to introduce.”

She turned toward the male student standing beside her, prompting Ariadne to do the same.

A boy with brown hair and eyes, his features were deliberately unremarkable.

But that was intentional—a disguise meant to make him blend in.

His true identity?

Prince Oscar of Avellia.

Ashley had befriended him after re-enrolling.

She had then brought him to Ariadne under the pretext that she was searching for talented mages to recruit.

Thanks to the groundwork she had laid earlier, the nobles eavesdropping on their conversation would find nothing suspicious about this introduction.

“Allow me to introduce him, Your Highness. This is Oliver. Though he was born a commoner, he is a highly promising magician.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Princess Ariadne. I… um… my name is Oliver. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Ashley’s introduction was smooth.

But Oscar’s voice carried a faint tremor of nervousness.

As royalty, he should have been accustomed to formal greetings.

And yet, he was clearly tense.

Why?

Because he knew—Ariadne had already seen through his disguise.

Ashley had warned him just before their introduction.

(As expected, he couldn’t completely hide his nerves. But that worked in our favor—now he just looks like a humble commoner overwhelmed by the presence of a princess.)

Had he remained too composed, someone might have suspected something was amiss.

But his nervousness made it perfectly natural—no one would question a commoner being uneasy in front of royalty.

“Ashley has told me about you. She says you show great promise as a magician. I’d like you to visit my residence sometime—I have something to discuss regarding your future.”

To the onlookers, it sounded like a recruitment offer.

But to Oscar, it carried an entirely different meaning.

To make that clear, Ariadne lifted a pendant—engraved with the emblem of the Restour Empire.

“With this, you’ll be able to meet with me whenever you wish.”

She subtly nudged Oscar to take it.

And the moment he stepped forward—

“I’d like us to get along, you and I. Not just you, but your sister as well. Would you be willing to deliver a message for me?”

With that single sentence, Ariadne extended a silent invitation—not just to Oscar, but to the First Princess of Avellia as well.

The game had begun.

Ariadne whispered, ensuring only he could hear her words.

Oscar’s eyes widened as he realized he had been entrusted with a message for his sister, the First Princess of the Holy Kingdom of Avellia.

But before he could react further, Ariadne stepped away, signaling the conversation was over.

Ashley, understanding the intent, guided Oscar away.

From this moment until the assassination attempt on Carla and Ariadne, Ashley was tasked with keeping him occupied.

As Ariadne watched them leave from the corner of her eye, a new voice called out to her.

“Princess Ariadne.”

Recognizing the speaker, Ariadne immediately rose and inclined her head.

“Queen Carla, it has been some time.”

“Indeed. Not since your engagement ceremony.”

It was just a brief exchange of pleasantries.

And yet, the air around them grew noticeably colder.

To the onlookers, the two appeared to share a surprisingly cordial relationship despite belonging to opposing factions.

But beneath the surface, they relentlessly sought each other’s downfall.

That was the reality between them.

“I overheard a bit of your conversation—you seem to be looking for magicians. If you’d like, I could introduce you to some of my contacts.”

“Oh? Your Majesty’s connections?”

Ariadne feigned interest.

Of course, she had no real intention of accepting.

Allowing a magician handpicked by Carla into her inner circle was equivalent to inviting a spy into her ranks.

But rather than outright rejecting the offer, she played along—to further mislead Wilfried.

She wanted him to believe that she and Carla were secretly working together.

Unaware of the misinformation being spread at her expense, Carla simply tilted her head slightly before retracting her offer.

“…I was joking.”

(As expected, Queen Carla… you truly are a formidable opponent.)

If there was anyone capable of disrupting Ariadne’s plans, it was her.

She possessed a keen intuition that made her dangerously unpredictable.

As they exchanged smiling glares, another figure stepped forward—

Siegbert.

This was their first direct encounter since she had orchestrated his downfall.

Ariadne subtly tensed, uncertain how he would react.

At the same time, Arnold, standing beside her, visibly braced himself.

The air between them grew heavy, and the knights at their backs stiffened in response.

But before the tension could escalate, Siegbert raised a hand, signaling his men to stand down.

“…Ariadne, I misjudged you. First, I must admit that.”

“Oh, Brother, whatever do you mean?”

Feigning innocence, she smiled sweetly.

But that pretense no longer worked.

“I never imagined your demeanor was an act. You fooled me completely. But now that I know… let me say this—I won’t lose next time.”

A declaration of war.

She had expected a confrontational response.

Yet, what truly caught her off guard was what lay beneath his words.

By saying “I won’t lose next time,” he had implicitly acknowledged his defeat.

In this timeline, Siegbert was still young and inexperienced.

But in the past, he had matured into a ruler so capable that even Ariadne had once wished to see him on the throne.

And now—

The aura surrounding him had begun to resemble the man she once knew.

Losing to her had forced him to grow faster than before.

If left unchecked, he would only become more formidable.

But Ariadne’s revenge wasn’t as simple as killing him.

She intended to drag him into the depths of despair—to break him so completely that, in the end, he would beg her to kill him.

Only then would her vengeance be complete.

There was no turning back now.

The moment he had executed her in the past life, they had crossed the point of no return.

Either Siegbert would be destroyed, or she would be.

Ariadne scanned her surroundings.

(The pieces… are all in place.)

Keith’s men were positioned.

The assassins targeting Oscar were prepared.

Everything was set.

With a subtle gesture, she gave the signal.

Immediately, the attackers she had arranged burst onto the scene.

The moment Carla’s guards turned their attention toward them—

poisoned daggers were hurled straight at Ariadne and Carla.

“Watch out!”

Without hesitation—

Ariadne lunged forward, shielding Carla with her own body.

The plan was in motion.