I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 22

“Are you out of your mind?”

The priest shouted so loudly that the veins in his neck bulged. Before him, two men stood with their heads bowed—men who were far too high-ranking to be in such a position.

One was the emperor, and the other was a dragon.

“Fighting in front of a patient who regained consciousness after three days! How does that make any sense, huh?”

The priest’s booming voice filled the room, and I had to glance nervously at the two men.

Though the priest had been calm and diligent while treating me, ever since he learned that Sionel and Melaine had fought, he had been fuming.

“I thought it was an earthquake when the ground started shaking! But it was a fight? How could anyone fight so fiercely that the ground trembled like that?”

Hearing the priest say something sensible for once left me with mixed feelings.

But that wasn’t what was important right now.

‘One of them isn’t even human! Please stop, old man!’

I signaled with my eyes for him to stop, but the priest paid me no mind.

“Hmph! Unbelievable!”

His scoffing coughs conveyed just how baffled he was.

Watching this unfold made me uneasy, but the priest, unaware of the gravity of his actions, remained terrifyingly confident.

It’s true what they say—ignorance is bold.

The priest pointed accusingly in all directions. “And magic, too! You shouldn’t even be arguing here, let alone fighting so hard the ground cracks! If you wanted to fight that badly, you should have taken it outside! Fighting with Miss Lindel right next to you, really!”

The priest’s scolding was reminiscent of an old man chastising his grandchildren for fighting.

This time, his finger pointed directly at my neck, his gaze fixed squarely on Melaine.

“And you!”

Melaine’s shoulders flinched at the priest’s sharp rebuke.

“What kind of treatment leaves bruises like that on someone’s neck, huh?”

The priest looked like he was ready to hit Melaine at any moment.

Given the state of the half-destroyed room, it should have been obvious that Melaine was powerful, but the priest didn’t seem scared in the slightest.

“I’m sorry.”

I had expected Melaine to snap back with something like, How dare a mere human speak to me that way!, but to my surprise, he apologized quietly.

No one noticed my shocked expression.

“If Miss Lindel hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve beaten you to a pulp! Got that?”

The priest was likely the only person who could say such things to a dragon—though, of course, it was only because he had no idea who he was dealing with.

After thoroughly scolding them, the priest finally seemed to be winding down. His breath had become labored, but his sharp gaze still held the force of a seasoned commander.

“Anyway, both of you, be more careful from now on.”

With one last glare, the priest turned to leave, saying he would prepare to go.

Once the priest was gone, a heavy silence fell over the room. The first to break it was Sionel.

He poured water into a cup that a knight had brought earlier and helped me drink it.

It wasn’t until the cool liquid flowed down my throat that I realized just how thirsty I had been.

Though I hadn’t been awake for long, so much had happened in that short time that I hadn’t even noticed.

As I drank, Melaine, who had been watching me nervously, finally spoke up, “Can you tell me about the curse?”

Both Sionel and I turned to look at Melaine.

He frowned slightly, his expression sad as he cautiously continued, “Earlier, the priest mentioned that your condition was because of a curse.”

“That’s nonsense,” I responded firmly, without hesitation.

Thanks to the priest’s treatment, some of my strength had returned, and I could move a little. I could feel Sionel’s gaze on my cheek, but I didn’t turn to look at him.

Melaine glanced at Sionel before speaking again, “But you said you took the curse in place of that human.”

“I’m telling you, it’s all nonsense.”

Although I still felt cautious around Melaine, ever since I had coughed up blood, he seemed to have lost much of his bravado. It didn’t seem like he intended to attack us anymore, so I spoke more freely.

“Besides, you know my soul is fine. The priest said my soul was twisted because of the curse, but look, you didn’t mention anything like that,” I responded confidently.

Since Melaine had confirmed that my soul was intact, I figured this misunderstanding would be cleared up soon.

But that was a mistake.

Melaine looked at me with sorrowful eyes. “I can’t tell if a soul is twisted or not.”

“What?”

“I can only sense the presence of a soul in a body—I can’t see its exact form. I can’t visually confirm it; I just feel it.”

Seeing my confusion, Melaine fidgeted with his hands as he explained further, “When I checked you, aside from being weak and exhausted, there didn’t seem to be any problems. But as you know, there’s no way someone in perfect condition would cough up that much blood.”

For a crazed dragon, he was speaking quite rationally. I couldn’t help but be baffled, but Melaine didn’t seem to notice.

After a brief pause to collect his thoughts, he continued, “I can’t see the precise state of your soul. So right now, the priest’s explanation that your soul is twisted is the most plausible. A damaged soul can destroy the body without leaving any trace.”

I quickly shook my head. I wanted no part of this speculation. “That doesn’t make any sense. A soul can’t just twist like that.”

“It can.”

With those words, my last hope was shattered. Melaine refuted me without hesitation, “I’ve heard of someone with a twisted soul before—just once.”

Melaine’s eyes darkened, and his voice dropped to a hesitant whisper. “And that person’s end was death.”

The atmosphere turned morbidly grim. I wondered where on earth he had heard such a thing.

“Where did you hear that?”

“From a friend of the owner of a tavern I used to frequent.”

For a moment, I thought I’d misheard him. The source of such a serious story was so unreliable that I couldn’t hide my disbelief.

“That’s really a trustworthy tale.”

The fact that he was treating such a rumor so seriously was almost comical. It really felt like a joke.

But it seemed I was the only one who found it funny—Sionel was listening intently to Melaine’s words.

‘Why is he taking this so seriously?’

As the mood in the room darkened, I found myself feeling increasingly out of place.

“So, tell me. What’s this curse you received?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Maybe it can help.”

I remained silent for a moment. I couldn’t understand why Melaine was so eager to help me.

“Why do you care?”

“……”

Melaine had tried to kill me. He had even threatened Sionel with strange words afterward. And now, he claimed he wanted to help me? It was laughable.

My voice came out sharp, and for some reason, Melaine’s face looked a little hurt.

“I’m sorry.” Melaine lowered his head without offering any excuses. “I’m sorry for trying to hurt the human you care about. I know you don’t trust me, but this is the truth—I really want to help you.”

Melaine stood up weakly. “I’ll leave for now. I’ll come back later.”

Melaine’s form began to fade into the air, just as Laroche had disappeared. I considered telling him not to come back, but I decided to hold my tongue.

Even if he was acting docile now, he was still a dragon. I had no idea why he was behaving this way, so I didn’t want to provoke him unnecessarily.

“I’m sorry, Lindel.”

With those words, Melaine left, as if fleeing.

After he was gone, I turned my gaze to Sionel. He met my eyes in silence.

Throughout the conversation with Melaine, Sionel hadn’t said a word.

I didn’t know where to begin. But my frustration soon found its way out of my mouth.

“How did you know he was a dragon?”

“I knew from the beginning. I knew Melaine Crostan was a dragon.”

He knew him so well that he even knew his full name. Hearing this calm response made me frown.

“And you left me alone with a dragon?” I asked, and Sionel pulled one of my hands toward him, gently holding it between both of his.

Though his expression remained indifferent, his voice was incredibly careful.

“He wouldn’t hurt you.”

“He tried to kill me the moment you left.”

Sionel’s face contorted sharply.

“I didn’t think he’d be that stupid. That was my mistake.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t need to understand. It’s not important.”

I wanted to ask what was important, but before I could, Sionel answered as if reading my thoughts.

“Melaine Crostan is necessary to save you. That’s all that matters to me.”

Sionel lifted my hand and placed a gentle kiss on my palm. The gesture was solemn, almost as if it were part of some sacred ritual.

But it didn’t ease my complicated feelings. Even though I stared at him with a frown, Sionel only gazed at me with an unreadable smile.

“I’ll do anything to save you.”

“Save me from what?”

“You’re never honest with me. So I have to do this.”

Even though he was speaking the same language, I couldn’t understand a word he was saying. I sighed deeply, trying to gather my thoughts.

Sionel didn’t seem inclined to explain any further, so I decided to ask something else instead. “What did you mean earlier when you said you know more than I think?”

“I meant exactly what I said. Unfortunately, I’m quite smart and have an excellent memory.”

“That’s unfortunate?”

“Yes, very much.”

“I’ve always known Your Majesty to be brilliant, but I didn’t realize you hated it so much.”

My words came out more sarcastic than I had intended. His cryptic answers were starting to annoy me.

But instead of being offended by my impudence, Sionel smiled, his eyes crinkling with amusement. His laughter only made my expression sour even more.

For some reason, Sionel found this whole situation highly entertaining. It was the first time I had seen him laugh so freely since arriving here.

Even after that, I continued to ask Sionel more questions, but his answers remained as cryptic as ever. He didn’t tell me when he had grown so powerful or why Melaine was necessary to save me.

By the time the carriage was ready to take us back to the palace, Sionel was still holding my hand tightly, with that faint, unreadable smile on his face.