I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 15

There didn’t seem to be any point in making excuses. No explanation would change the situation. I couldn’t think of any way to get out of this.

At that moment, my rational mind was completely gone, and all I wanted was to escape.

“Miss Lindel!”

As I recklessly ran out the door, those who had reacted late began to chase me in panic. It felt almost exactly like the moment I was about to be locked in Sionel’s chambers.

I sprinted through the hallway like a madwoman, while people behind me rushed to catch up.

“Miss Lindel, stop!”

“Calm down!”

The noise of them chasing after me was loud, but I had no intention of stopping.

I hadn’t been eating properly, and I hadn’t been moving much either, so my legs were weak. Still, I ran forward with all the strength I had. Unlike before, I didn’t feel any sense of elation from being outside in the fresh air. I was simply running with the thought that I couldn’t afford to be caught.

The more I moved, the more my breath came in gasps. I ran past countless people who stared at me in shock. I had no awareness of the fact that I was barefoot, wearing nothing but my nightgown, as I sprinted across the Imperial Palace.

Along the way, more people joined in trying to catch me, and now there was a whole group of them chasing me.

“Miss Lindel, stop! You’ll hurt yourself if you fall!”

“Stop following me!”

My breath was growing heavier by the second. My legs were shaky, and the soles of my feet ached from pounding against the smooth marble floors. Realizing I couldn’t keep running for much longer, I decided to hide in order to shake off my pursuers.

I darted through a thicket and quickly slipped out of sight behind a large pillar.

“Where did she go?”

“Just keep running!”

“How is she so fast?”

They ran right past me without noticing where I had hidden. As I finally exhaled the breath I’d been holding, an overwhelming sense of fatigue crashed over me. With my strength drained, I felt like I couldn’t move another inch.

Leaning forward, I grasped my trembling knees and gasped for breath. It was only then that the reality of what I’d done hit me.

‘I’ve lost my mind! What was I thinking?’

I had definitely lost it. Escaping from the emperor’s people like this—this wasn’t something a sane person would do. To make matters worse, this time I hadn’t run away to meet Sionel, so I had no excuse.

As I sank to the ground in dizziness, my body felt too weak to move. When I thought about how to fix this mess, I almost wished I could just stop breathing right there and then.

Even as regret filled my mind, my breathing wouldn’t calm down. I was panting so hard that my chest ached. I hunched forward, clutching my chest in discomfort, when suddenly I heard someone call out.

“You.”

It was a disaster.

I immediately looked up, realizing I’d been caught.

When my eyes met those of the person standing before me, my mind froze.

Standing there was the last person I wanted to run into in this situation.

“What are you doing here?”

Ascal Bodebachne.

In other words, my half-brother stood before me.

“Lord Ascal?”

Anyone could hear the shock in my voice.

I had no idea why he was in the Imperial Palace. Ascal, my half-brother, was a staunch supporter of the emperor and worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He wasn’t often in the empire due to his work, and at this point in time, he should have been abroad.

It was natural for me to be surprised to see him standing here. But Ascal also seemed just as surprised to see me. His usually composed expression was replaced with one of confusion as he stared at me.

“…Why are you here?”

His voice trembled. Unlike me, he had inherited our father’s cold silver-gray eyes, and those eyes swept over me with disdain.

It was then that I realized the state I was in. I felt a deep sense of shame, seeing how dirty my bare feet must have looked to him.

“Why, why…”

I wanted to ask why he was here, but I was still struggling to catch my breath, and speaking wasn’t easy. My lungs and throat burned from taking in too much air. As I gasped for air and couldn’t finish my sentence, Ascal said nothing.

An uncomfortable silence descended between us, broken only by my labored breathing. Ascal had been silently staring at me this entire time, but in truth, this was nothing new. He had always distanced himself from me, looking down at me with indifference no matter what I said or did. I was never of interest to him.

The silence between us wasn’t uncomfortable because it was unfamiliar, but because the situation was so dire. I couldn’t bear to meet his gaze any longer, so I lowered my head just as Ascal finally spoke.

“You look like you’re running away.”

It was clear to anyone that I was a fugitive. If there had been a mouse hole nearby, I would’ve crawled right in.

Too embarrassed to reply, I stayed silent. Ascal asked again, “What are you running from?”

Again, I remained quiet.

I couldn’t possibly tell him that I’d fled because of a crazy priest’s nonsense. I didn’t even understand my own actions, so there was no way he would.

What I had done today was a disgrace to the family name. Even though we shared a last name, we weren’t close enough to be considered family. Tomorrow, the entire palace would know that I’d been running around like a madwoman.

For Ascal, who would one day inherit the title of Count Bodebachne from our father, this kind of rumor would be an unpleasant issue. I couldn’t lift my head.

“I’m sorry.”

I managed to mutter in a small voice, but there was no response from him. I felt so ashamed I wanted to die.

I would’ve preferred it if he had yelled at me, but instead, he remained silent. That made it even scarier. People like Ascal, who quietly simmered in anger, were far more frightening than those who shouted.

His gaze burned into me. After what felt like an eternity of silence, I heard the sound of his clothes rustling. He was finally moving. I naturally assumed he was going to turn around and leave as usual.

But to my surprise, Ascal approached me.

He knelt on one knee right in front of me, his face tense with displeasure. It was clear he was in a bad mood, but for some reason, he wasn’t going to just leave me there.

“Have you been struggling a lot?”

Startled, I nodded. There was no point in lying about being fine; my condition was obvious.

I didn’t even have the strength to stand, my legs shaking too much from exhaustion. My face flushed in embarrassment.

“I see. That makes sense.”

Ascal simply replied and helped me to my feet. Startled, I looked up at him, but he ignored my gaze.

I swayed as my legs gave out again, but Ascal firmly held me upright. When I tried to push his hand away, he looked down at me with cold eyes and said, “Stay still.”

“O-Okay.”

I immediately withdrew my hands in defeat.

Though he was helping me, it was clear he found my touch unpleasant. So I stood awkwardly, half leaning on him, half frozen.

Then, Ascal spoke again, “Where were you planning to go?”

I had no answer. I had been running around like a madwoman with no destination in mind.

When I hesitated and couldn’t respond, Ascal sighed quietly. The sound made me shrink back. I was already upset at having shown such a pitiful side to my half-brother, who disliked me.

“Running away without thinking—it’s not like you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize.”

Ascal seemed irritated by my pathetic behavior, biting his lip in frustration.

“Let’s head back. His Majesty will be worried if he hears about this.”

“Yes.”

And just like that, my short-lived escape was over.

It had ended with nothing but humiliation and deep regret. Ever since I’d entered into that contract, nothing had gone right. As I furrowed my brows in dismay, Ascal spoke again.

“Even our family…”

“What?”

“Our family—or rather, Father—is also looking for the whereabouts of the black priest.”

I was utterly shocked by what he said. Count Bodebachne, my father, cared even less for me than Ascal did. I couldn’t understand why he would be searching for the black priest.

“Why?”

My response must have displeased Ascal, for his face darkened.

“Why, you ask?”

“Oh, I’m sure he has his reasons. I apologize for the impertinent question.”

I quickly backtracked, but Ascal continued to look at me with a furrowed brow. His gaze seemed oddly complicated, but I couldn’t make sense of it.

“You’re always apologizing,” he muttered quietly, but I didn’t respond.

It wasn’t because I had a reason for it; I simply didn’t know what to say. Ascal had always been a difficult person for me to understand, and I could never figure out his intentions.

“Let’s go.”

Ascal held my shoulders firmly. I was surprised because I hadn’t expected him to personally take me back.

I’d thought he would help me up and then leave, but it was clear that Ascal had no intention of going anywhere.

“Uh, um!”

“What is it?”

“Are you going to come with me?”

“Yes.”

Ascal looked at me, as if telling me to stop wasting time and start moving. But I couldn’t simply accept that.

The thought of walking back with him filled me with dread. I had caused such a scene when I ran away, and I was sure to run into the people who had been searching for me on the way back.

The idea of facing them and Ascal’s disapproving gaze all at once was unbearable. My legs were weak, and I could hardly move, but I would have preferred to crawl on my own than endure that humiliation.

“I-I can go by myself.”

“I’ll take you. No need to refuse.”

It was just my luck that he chose this moment to be kind. I shook my head desperately, but his hand remained firmly on my shoulder.

“I-I’m really fine—”

Just as I tried to insist once more, a wave of dizziness hit me.

‘Huh?’

As Ascal’s voice called out to me, I realized something was very wrong.