I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 18

The man’s gem-like eyes were mesmerizing. They sparkled in multiple colors, looking almost inhuman. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the beauty I had never seen before, and the man gave me a faint smile.

‘Hm?’

It was certainly a beautiful and gentle smile, but I felt as though he was mocking me.

“I understand that you find me unpleasant, but aren’t you in need of my help right now? You know very well what will happen to the lady in your arms if you cut my head off.”

The man’s tone remained insolent.

“The order is reversed. If she dies, you die. If you want to live, it would be wise to fix that arrogant attitude of yours.”

Sionel’s voice was calm, yet the words he spoke were terrifying.

Though everyone in the room was tense, the man continued to smile with a nonchalant face.

“How frightening,” he said in a soft tone, completely unphased. “But who else can save the young lady if not me?”

The man briefly shifted his gaze to the priests nearby. As soon as his eyes fell on them, the priests flinched and took a step back. He walked toward one of the younger, more awkward-looking priests, who had been backing away.

Before the young priest could retreat any further, the man seized him in an instant.

Unlike his previous confident strides, the man’s movements now were subtle as he grabbed the priest’s chin.

The priest’s pupils shook wildly, as if mesmerized by the man’s beauty.

With the same beautiful smile he had shown me earlier, the man said, “What could these foolish priests possibly do?”

His voice was soft, almost like a song, but his words were full of mockery.

The priests’ faces flushed red with anger. They clearly didn’t appreciate being mocked by the man in black.

Relishing their reaction, the man released the priest’s chin and stepped back.

I didn’t know exactly who this man was, but I was certain of one thing—he was a handsome lunatic.

He was exactly the type of person I wanted nothing to do with.

The man’s gaze returned to me once more.

“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I?”

I didn’t care to know who he was now that I had realized he was crazy, but it wasn’t like I could tell him not to introduce himself.

I was already surrounded by enough madness, so I had no desire to add another lunatic to the mix.

But my wish was in vain, as the man introduced himself anyway.

With a graceful movement reminiscent of a peacock spreading its tail feathers, he bowed to me. His movements were practiced, as though he was used to being the center of attention.

It was an elegant and polite gesture on the surface, but the more formal it appeared, the more it felt like mockery.

“Nice to meet you. I am Melaine Crostan, servant of Lute.”

‘So, he’s a priest of the god of death.’

The man turned out to be a priest.

I had only ever seen elderly priests of Lute, so it was my first time encountering one as young as him. Not that I often saw priests of Lute in general.

Still, this wasn’t anything too unusual. What I did find strange was that such an obnoxious man could be a priest in the serene temple of Lute—even if it was dedicated to the god of death.

Apparently, character wasn’t a requirement for becoming a priest.

“So, you’re the one who saved me?”

“That’s correct.”

“Thank you for your help.”

“You’re welcome.”

Priests and temple priests were fundamentally different. While both served gods and wielded divine powers, temple priests specialized in healing, while priests typically used other types of divine power.

But that distinction was more relevant to Ursilla’s followers; I didn’t know how things worked with Lute’s priests.

“Did you use healing powers?”

“Like these priests here, I cannot use healing powers as I serve Lute. That falls under the jurisdiction of priests.”

“So, you’re not the ‘black priest’ then.”

“Haha. I’m afraid not. I’m not the one you’ve been searching for.”

Since the man was dressed entirely in black, I had wondered if he was the black priest, but it turned out he wasn’t.

Not understanding how he had ended up being the one to save me, I looked to Sionel for an explanation.

But Sionel was frowning as he gazed at me, his handsome brow creased in displeasure.

Seeing his expression made me nervous.

‘What’s wrong?’

I mouthed the question to him, but he only shook his head in response. Instead, he looked up and spoke to the man.

“Put your hood back on.”

Sionel’s voice was icy.

The man finally looked confused for the first time, perplexed by Sionel’s sudden command. I was just as confused as he was.

But Sionel ignored our reactions and spoke again in the same cold voice. “Put your hood back on. Unless you wish to die.”

Everyone in the room fell silent.

The man looked genuinely baffled.

No one knew why the emperor was suddenly so fixated on the man’s hood, but the threat in his words was clear.

Although the man seemed to find the situation absurd, he didn’t bother to argue. He put his hood back on, covering his face until only his chin remained visible.

Once the man’s face was hidden again, Sionel’s sharp expression softened slightly.

Maybe he just didn’t like seeing the man’s annoying face.

With the conversation suddenly interrupted, I awkwardly asked again, “Anyway, how exactly did he end up saving me?”

“As I said, your breathing had stopped, and we couldn’t wait any longer for the black priest to be found.”

I fell silent at the mention of my stopped breathing. Sionel’s face showed how painful it was for him to explain.

“We summoned every priest in the Imperial Palace, but none of them could help, so we came to Lute’s temple. Since the priests of Ursilla don’t have the power to heal you, I decided it would be better to rely on Lute’s connection to the soul.”

Sionel’s voice was heavy as he added, “By the time we arrived, you had been without breath for quite some time, so ordinary methods wouldn’t have worked.”

He paused.

“When we reached Lute’s temple, we met him. He was the closest thing we could find to the black priest and was best suited to your situation.”

The black priest was said to be someone who could interact with souls, making him the only one capable of healing my twisted soul—though I found the whole idea absurd.

But it was surprising to learn that this man possessed a similar ability.

Noticing my gaze, the man gave a playful shrug. “The power I wield allows me to hold a soul in place. When you arrived, your soul was already separating from your body.”

“Separating?”

“Technically, it hadn’t fully separated yet, but it was about to. That’s why your breathing had stopped.”

I couldn’t tell if I had misheard him or if the people around me had all lost their minds.

Since I didn’t believe I had misheard, I had to assume the latter.

But it was hard to believe everyone here had gone mad, given how serious they all looked.

I glanced at Sionel, who was biting his lip. “Wait a minute. That can’t be right. My soul wouldn’t just separate from my body.”

At this point, I began to wonder if there was any truth to what they were saying.

I had only coughed up blood due to the aftereffects of the contract, but otherwise, my health had been fine.

Sure, my strength had diminished as a side effect, but that was mostly because I hadn’t been eating properly and had spent most of my time lying down.

Yet now, they were suddenly talking about my soul separating.

And the fact that they claimed I had stopped breathing for three days was enough to confuse me.

‘There’s no way something this absurd could happen out of the blue.’

As I was trying to deny reality, a memory surfaced in my mind.

“Take it if something goes wrong while I’m away.”

“What do you mean ‘if something goes wrong’?”

Laroche’s voice echoed in my head, and I suddenly felt all the blood drain from my body.

‘If something goes wrong!’

This might be the very “something” Laroche had warned me about.

‘How was I supposed to take that powder when I wasn’t even conscious?!’

I thought of the red powder I had hidden away, careful not to let Sionel find it. As I trembled with anger toward Laroche, the man’s voice reached my ears again.

“Well, regardless, I’m the one who saved you.”

The man spoke in a light tone, as though enjoying himself. His cheerful voice was a stark contrast to my dismal mood.

As I stared at him in disbelief, the man seemed to find even more amusement.

“And since you’ve woken up, it would be wise to reinforce the bond between your soul and body. So, if everyone else could please leave the room for a moment?”

The atmosphere in the room grew tense at the man’s request.

I had no idea what it meant to “reinforce the bond” between my soul and body, so I looked around nervously.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for one person’s response.

Sionel, feeling the weight of their gazes, looked at the man in silence. I expected him to refuse, not wanting to leave me alone.

“Don’t try anything foolish,” Sionel said as he stood up.

Surprisingly, Sionel followed the man’s suggestion.

The man smiled as though he had expected this, while the priests quietly followed Sionel’s lead and exited the room.

Everything was happening so quickly that I called out to Sionel in alarm.

“Sionel!”

“It’s alright. I’ll be right outside. I’m not going anywhere.”

Sionel’s eyes softened as he gazed at me, his voice gentle. He must have thought I was anxious because he reached out and gently stroked my cheek.

“I’ll be right here. There’s nothing to worry about, Lindel.”

Unable to stop him, I nodded reluctantly.

The white door closed behind him, leaving just me and the man alone in the room.

“His Majesty seems to care for you more than I expected,” the man said as he turned to face me, his tone light and chatty.

When I looked at him, he tilted his head and turned his body toward me.

“Since your life is in my hands, he couldn’t make a move against me.”

His mocking tone irritated me, and my expression hardened.

Sensing my displeasure, the man’s demeanor suddenly shifted.

He removed his hood as he slowly approached me.

“But I wonder what he’ll do when he finds out that the thing he cherishes most isn’t human.”

“What?”

I looked at him in disbelief.

Not human? What in the world was this man talking about?

“What are you saying all of a sudden?”

“Still pretending not to know?”

The man’s speech became shorter and more informal. Gone was the feigned politeness, and he now sounded no different from a common thug.

As I frowned and tried to push myself up, the man suddenly appeared right in front of me.

In the blink of an eye, his large hand was around my throat.

“Urk!”

“Enough with the act.”

“W-What are you talking about, you…!”

His grip tightened, making it hard for me to breathe.

The man who had been smiling the whole time was now glaring at me with cold eyes. His previously mysterious demeanor had turned dark and sinister.

With my throat in his grasp, the man spoke again, “When a human’s soul separates from their body, they die. It’s impossible for someone like you to have survived for three days.”

“T-That’s—!”

“And this scent.”

The man leaned in closer, his gem-like eyes gleaming as he stared me down.

“You’re a dragon, aren’t you?”

I should have known better than to get involved with a lunatic like him.