I've Suffered for Five Years, Now It's Your Turn. ~The Crown Princess Has No Intention of Forgiving~ - Episode 32

The inquiry was held in the grand hall of the royal castle.
Under the weight of sharp, piercing stares, Erik confessed everything.

“I was wrong. I should have believed in you…”

Tears fell from Erik’s eyes as he spoke, his voice trembling.
Each word carried the weight of his regret and despair.
But all I could do now… was look at him with cold eyes.

“Admitting you were wrong doesn’t erase everything.”

“…I know. But please, tell me… if I had leaned on you back then—would things have turned out differently?”

“—!”

Hearing that, the anger I’d kept buried surged to the surface.
Fueled by that emotion, I stepped forward and slapped him across the face.

The sharp sound echoed through the silent inquiry chamber.

“I always intended to fulfill my role—as your wife, and as the crown princess!
That question… is an insult to every single day I stood by your side!”

“…I… I’m sor—”

“It’s too late.
This is where our marriage ends.
Goodbye, Erik.”

With those words, filled with resolve, I brought my five years of suffering to a close.
I announced our divorce—an ending—and walked out of the inquiry chamber.

“Wait, please wait! I need to apologize… Filia, Filia!”

“…”

“I should have faced you. Even in those painful days, you were the only one who stood by me…”

“I don’t need your apology.
I don’t want it.”

“Filia… I’m sorry…”

Leaving Erik, still muttering apologies, behind, I walked away from the inquiry.
My five years of pain were finally over… and I had reached the ending I’d wished for.

“As of this inquiry, sentences will now be passed down to those who committed crimes.”

That voice rang out as I left the chamber.
The sound of judgment reached me through the silence, mixed with the echo of my footsteps.

“Rosalined Telmonde. Your affair with the crown prince has damaged national trust, and your repeated acts against foreign powers are unforgivable.
We find you guilty and sentence you to fifty years of imprisonment.”

“Queen Camilla… in addition to an affair similar to Rosalined’s, your crime of defaming a foreign princess is especially grave—”

The sentences that followed were all long terms, as if to declare that these crimes would never see the light of day again.
As further charges were investigated, some were warned they could even face execution.

“His Majesty King Harvin shall abdicate and take full responsibility for betraying the trust of the royal family.
This is not something a simple prison term can settle.
The nobility will soon deliberate on his harsher punishment.”

“As for Crown Prince Erik, since his actions sparked this international crisis… the nobility must also consider the many voices calling for a sentence equivalent to death.”

I could hear the downfall of the royal family—the ones who had caused me so much pain.
Rosalined was crying and screaming, Camilla wailed at King Harvin…
The king kept making excuses, and Erik was still calling out apologies to me.

But… it’s all over now.

“My suffering is over.
Now… it’s your turn.”

As I left the inquiry chamber, I quietly whispered those words to no one.

With the judgments delivered and the divorce finalized,
there was no longer any reason for me to stay in the Kingdom of Harvin.
My homeland’s representatives would take care of the remaining formalities.
As I packed my things—

“Lady Filia, you have a visitor.”

I looked up at Ryug’s voice.
It was Luans who came to the princess’s chambers, his usual gentle smile gone.
He stood before me and quietly bowed his head.

“Princess Filia—no, I suppose I should just call you Lady Filia now. Since we’re no longer family by marriage.”

“Luans… shouldn’t you still be at the inquiry?”

“I asked for permission to leave briefly.
There’s something I had to tell you.”

“Something you had to tell me?”

“The pain this royal family caused you is beyond words.
We don’t expect to be forgiven—not even a little.”

Luans looked at me with sincere eyes and continued.

“But the people of this country are different.
Please believe that.
Many of them regret what happened to you… and they are angry at the royal family who caused it.”

“I felt that during the inquiry.
I don’t intend to blame anyone except those directly responsible.”

“Thank you.
Because of this scandal, the scrutiny from other nations will only grow.
And our royal family will face even more difficult times.
I won’t be spared from that either…”

“…”

“But still, Lady Filia.
Thanks to your judgment, this country has finally started moving in the right direction.
I promise, the nobles, the people, and I will prove it through our actions.”

So that’s what Luans came to say.
He wanted to make sure I knew—this kingdom’s downfall wasn’t my fault.
And to show his resolve.

“My father, mother, and brother left behind a mountain of problems.
They’re more than I can carry…
But I won’t let what you taught us—the pride a royal should have—go to waste.
I’ll live up to it.”

“I believe you.
I truly hope this country—the one that made me suffer—can rise again.
So that I can look back and feel I was right to pass judgment on the royal family.”

“Absolutely.
I’ll work tirelessly so we can offer not just you, but the Kingdom of Sylvan, a true apology.
I swear it!”

“I’m leaving it to you, Luans.”

With those final words, I picked up my belongings and left the castle.
Night had fully fallen, and under the moonlight, I boarded the carriage returning to my homeland of Sylvan.
As the wheels turned and the carriage rolled into the darkness, the sound echoed into the empty night.

“…I’m counting on you.
To make sure all my suffering was worth it.
Prove that correcting the royal family—as the former crown princess—meant something.”

Who were those words meant for?
I didn’t know.
But as the carriage swayed, I slowly closed my eyes.