Then comes the trial. Mir explains that Jenna is the head behind the conspiracy. So Jenna is summoned. He denies everything, but several witness are brought in, and among them a royal doctor. Tia then understands the evil scheme : As the poison that was given to Ruve was not one who caused infertility but one that would change his character into the one of a mad tyran, if the poison plan had not be detected in time, and if Jieun had been empress and had produced an heir... it would have been possible for Duke Jenna to have grabbed the empire in his hands.

After driving out the tyran, he would have been able to exercise power as a young emperor's grandfather.

Nobles then vote, and Mir is found guilty, but as a thanks for his help in unveiling the truth, he's only demoted 5 ranks above his station and has his aristocrats rights removed for 10 years. Their possessions and territories are also confiscated by the crown. Mir humbly accepts and thanks everybody for their generosity. Then they vote for Jenna and they all declare him guilty. He's condemned to be beheaded, and his title, estate and possessions returns to the crown (same treatment as Tia in the 1st timeline).

All his descendants are also sentenced to be beheaded (this normally includes Jieun). Duke Jenna shouts to Tia "Aristia la Monique! How dare you betray me?!" (Jenna is the brother of Tia's grandmother (really? how shameless can this man be...))as he's dragged out by guards. Tia then worries for Jieun and asks what will happen to her to Verita.

Zena does get judged for his crimes and his whole household is beheaded and killed.

Ji-Eun saw herself as a protagonist in an isekai novel, thinking that she was the main character and Tia was the villainess out to steal her position and love, but realized in the end, she was actually the villainess.

This is why she saves Tia's life, because she wants redemption.

Jieun also regrets so much not taking Vita/God's offer to go back to Korea with her memories erased.

Ruve and everyone else in the Empire wants to kill Ji-Eun, since she is a co-conspirator and Zena's adopted daughter, but Tia begs them for mercy, however, Tia is overruled, just like first timeline Ruve was overruled when he asked for clemency for Tia.

Tia disguises herself and goes to Jieun's chambers late at night. There, she asks Jieun why she went so far as giving up her magic to save her life. Warning about the ambush would have been enough to get what she wanted (marry Ruve) after all. During the trial, Ruve asked the nobles what should happen to Jieun and they votes for her to be killed. They argued that no daughter of a traitor could be divine or sent by God. But rather than beheading, they suggested poison - a gentler and more honorable execution.

As Jieun stays silent and refuses to answer, Tia surprises herself by blurting her feelings out for the first time: "Actually, I hated you." Jieun flinches. "I didn't know it was hate at the time, but now I know it was. I pretended I didn't care about what was happening... but I hated you for appearing suddenly and taking everything. I didn't like your clueless laughing. I couldn't admit I had been robbed of everything I'd ever had."

Tia admits in herself that she felt Superior to Jieun, and she was jealous that Jieun had taken Ruve's love away from her. Those feelings were only able to exist between equals. But what annoyed her above all was that Ruve was someone who had always been rational, yet he chose someone unqualified to be his empress. So she asks Jieun "Did this happen in the past? Was the emperor poisoned?"

Jieun doesn't answer for a while then she says : "Headaches, dizziness, insomnia, extreme emotional changes... it was a condition he showed before he died." Tia is shocked and appalled : "He died?!" Jieun answers "When do you think I came back? Remember what I told you? I told you that for me, it had only been 4 years since you died. I died at 23, and he at 26. You know I don't know anything about politics. I've tried as much as I can, I studied, but there was a limit to what I could do. So I don't exactly know what happened. I just know that he couldn't sleep anymore and was always angry. He kept away from me. And one day he left the capital for an expedition and never came back. I didn't tell you everything. I noticed that his heart has left me little by little since your death, but by then he really hated me."

When Jieun says to Tia that she was in office (ruling the empire in place of Ruve), Tia understands that Ruve had been forced to abandon the capital to save his life. If an heir had been born, Ruve would have been dead at once.

Jieun says "I was desperate at the time. You had some supporters, but I was on my own. I gave birth to a daughter, and I had to run away with her as soon as she was born, with poor postnatal cares. Eventually we were caught. I resented him (Ruve) for promising me love then tossing me out in the end. I hated the God who had thrown me in this world. As I died, I cursed him (Ruve), vowing to take revenge on him for using me. And then when I opened my eyes he was there again, alongside the man who had stabbed me in the chest."

Tia cries out "You really don't know why he left the capital? How he cared for you?" (because the simplest way for Ruve to stay alive was to kill Jieun)

Jieun answers back "You know what? Actually, I've never liked you either. You say I took everything from you, but I've never really. You were pushed out of the position of empress, but were still supported by your faction. Everyone compared the two of us all the time, finding me lacking. I thought I had at least God's love and Ruve's heart... but they were all yours after all."

Tia is outraged. For when did she have God's love or Ruve's heart when she was living? And what if she did after her death? How is it comforting to someone who (unjustly - I'd like to add ) died? (edited)

Jieun carries on "In a world where I couldn't rely on anyone, I struggled alone to find my share. But everything was yours. No matter how I tried to catch up with you, I had to be crushed by your shadow. I was only a substitute for you. Nobody saw me, the real me. Even coming to this world was not my will. Why did I came back here? Well, you're not the only one who wanted to fix everything. The moment I closed my eyes, I realised that if I were to go back to my own world, I would live haunted by my memories. And if I erased my memories I would be the ultimate looser. That's why I wished to meet you again. I wanted to beat you at least once. I realised I could only be free once my feelings of inferiority is gone. I was so happy when people called me a saint (when she made the flowers bloom at the theatre). I knew I didn't deserve it. I knew better than anyone. Still I felt liberated for some reason. It was the first time I felt this in this world."

Jieun carries on "Do you remember what I said a while ago? There was the man who stabbed me next to Ruve. Do you know who that is? It's Duke Jenna. At first I wanted to get revenge on Ruve first. For promising to love me but abandoning me. So I tried hard to seduce him. I wanted to hurt him as much as he had hurt me. But you avenged me. (hohoho lol ^^)

Still Jieun : "Of course I was planning to get revenge on the one who killed me. That's why I became his daughter : to find his weakness. But it was harder than I thought. He didn't trust me at all. That's why I turned to the temple and tried to gather strength from there."

Tia asks "Why did you save me?"

"The day you were attacked, the man I saw (Ruve) was not the man I knew. He (1st timeline Ruve) never looked like that man. That tone of voice, that behaviour... When you said he was different from what he used to be, I thought it was funny. But you were right. He is completely different. He is not the man I wanted to get revenge on. I was so stupid. I don't know why I came back for anymore."

Tia then takes a box. Jieun begins to tremble as she realises what this is. She tries to be brave but her voice is quivering : "How does it work? I'm the daughter of a traitor. Is it death penalty then?"

Tia doesn't answer.

"So it is then" says Jieun with a shaking and fragile voice.

Tia bits her lips and opens the lid of the box and squeezes it. There is two bottles inside. One bloody red to kill instantly. The other one, a transparent one. Then she remembers Ruve's offer to her : "Let me give you a way (to save Jieun). This is a poison that would make her appear dead and we can sneak her out of the palace. However there is a condition attached. She must go on exile and never put a foot back on imperial lands ever again." Tia tries to protest but Ruve stops her : "My concession is already big. You know very well what will happen if she ever reveal that she's not dead (all the aristocrats will rebel against Ruve for going against their decree)." Tia answers "Yes your majesty" Ruve says "I will leave you the choice. But as far as I'm concerned, I would have preferred a way who could never backfire (kill Jieun)."

Tia hesitates. As Jieun saved her life, she deserves the clear bottle. But giving her the poison would completely free her and Ruve from the past. That's when she notices that under her veil, Jieun's hair has turned white. Tia then says "You have been sentenced to decapitation. However, You were offered the alternative of poison. There is no enforcement date, nor coercion. But when the Duke is beheaded, if you're still alive by then, you will be beheaded too. The Duke's execution is in ten days. And I'll tell you one thing. I don't want to see you die looking up at him and me. It would like the nightmare of the past is coming back. Of course, the choice is yours." Then Tia takes one bottle out of the box and puts in on the table in front of Jieun. And she leaves. (We're not told which bottle she chose.)

Tia tells Ji-Eun "this is your choice" and then walks away and you never find out what choice Ji-Eun chose but in side stories I think it says she chose to live.