I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 24

Luna’s loud scream caught the attention of the knights outside the door, and they rushed inside, grabbing the door just before it closed.

“Damn it!”

The knight at the front, his eyes trembling as he looked at me, cursed under his breath. Without hesitation, he ran straight toward me.

“What are you waiting for? Move!”

At his urgent command, everyone snapped into action. Luna came to my side, following the knight, while the others dashed out to perform their duties. Soon, they would return with Sionel and the priest.

“Luna, calm down for a moment.”

Despite Luna’s obvious agitation, my voice was calm. After all, this was not the first time I had experienced this situation.

While I had grown used to it, Luna had not. Tears welled up in her eyes as she clung to me, trembling.

As she hugged me, I slumped against her, and her small body shook under my weight. The knight quickly caught us both, but even he wore a hardened expression.

“Again, like this!”

Luna’s voice was thick with emotion, her words shaking.

“It’s alright, don’t worry.”

“It’s not alright at all!”

Her frustrated reply came as tears spilled from her eyes, her frustration clear. She had been alarmed to the point of crying, and here I was, acting calm—it must have felt unfair.

She wiped her tears roughly with her sleeve, looking almost angry.

“Why are you so…!”

“What?”

“Never mind, Miss Lindel.”

Luna bit her lip, as if holding back more words. Her expression looked so troubled that I couldn’t bring myself to ask what she had been about to say.

Instead, I tried to soothe her a little. “Well, at least I didn’t hurt myself this time,” I answered brightly.

There were times when I fell and hit the ground badly, resulting in bruises that worried everyone even more. But today, I had managed to fall gently, simply sinking down, which was a relief.

Even though I tried to make light of the situation, Luna didn’t smile. Her sunken eyes carefully scanned my face before she pulled out a handkerchief from her maid uniform. Without a word, she gently wiped the blood from my lips.

Once most of the blood was gone, the knight took me from Luna and lifted me into his arms. I had grown so accustomed to being carried like this that I barely reacted. But when my limp arm fell down, the knight’s brow twitched.

“You can still speak. Why didn’t you call for us?”

His mouth was set in a hard line, his expression showing his frustration, just like Luna’s.

“Well, why would I call you when I look like this?”

The knight carrying me paused briefly.

“Miss Lindel.”

He called my name in a stiff voice.

“I’m sorry,” I immediately apologized.

Not wanting to get scolded, I smiled sheepishly, and the knight, seemingly at a loss for words, quietly placed me on the bed.

“…I wasn’t asking for an apology. Next time, please call us.”

“I will. I promise.”

Even though I had no intention of keeping that promise, I nodded like a well-behaved child.

The knight sighed deeply, knowing full well that I wouldn’t follow through.

Over the past few days, this had become a familiar routine.

If I were in the knight’s position, I would probably find the situation incredibly frustrating.

Feigning remorse, I savored the feeling of the soft bed beneath me.

‘This is definitely better than the floor.’

Though the floor had a thick rug, sitting on it for too long was uncomfortable. I decided that from now on, I should consider where I might fall when practicing Aura.

‘I wonder when Sionel will arrive.’

One silver lining to this whole ordeal was that I had grown accustomed to the gloomy atmosphere. I wasn’t sure if that was really a good thing, though. Either way, I now felt at ease even amidst all the tension.

As I lay there, waiting for Sionel and the priest to arrive, I heard footsteps approach and the door creak open.

Turning my eyes without moving my head, I saw that it was indeed Sionel who had entered. He was dressed in full ceremonial attire, suggesting that he had rushed over in the middle of a meeting.

“You’re here?”

Just as I had greeted Luna, I welcomed him with a bright voice. My cheerful tone didn’t match the heavy atmosphere, and Sionel’s face twisted in displeasure.

His heavy footsteps quickly brought him to my side. He cupped my chin with one hand, his thumb brushing away the faint traces of blood left on my lips. His gaze swiftly scanned over the bloodstained clothes and the small scratches I had gotten from falling.

“What excuse do you have this time?”

His voice held a faint growl as he glanced at the stand lying on the floor.

“That thing on the floor—were you using it for some kind of strength training?”

His voice was filled with disbelief and a hint of a derisive chuckle. But his words gave me the perfect excuse.

“I was doing some arm exercises today.”

I had been wondering what excuse to use, but Sionel had kindly given me one himself.

“Are you playing with me?”

“You know I can’t practice swordsmanship indoors. That stand was the best thing I could find to swing around.”

Sionel’s face hardened, but I pretended not to notice and smiled innocently. This back-and-forth had become a regular occurrence lately.

It had all started the first time, back when Sionel still believed there was a misunderstanding that needed to be cleared up. The problem arose when I collapsed to the floor after using Aura.

First, anything I had been holding—or anything nearby—would fall, leaving the room in disarray. Second, my body would sometimes get injured when I fell. Sionel, seeing the mess and the small injuries, had jumped to a wild conclusion.

“Was there an attack?!”

I had been utterly baffled when he first said that.

There had been no sign of an intruder, yet he had assumed I had been attacked. He pointed to the scattered furniture and the bruises on my body as evidence.

“If it wasn’t an attack, why were you holding that sword from the wall?!”

At the time, I had taken down one of the decorative swords hanging on the wall to test my Aura. I hadn’t expected to collapse immediately after picking it up, so I had planned to return it after testing. But, of course, I lost strength, vomited blood, and the sword clattered to the floor.

The fallen sword, the disarrayed room, and my injuries had all convinced Sionel that I had been attacked during a fight.

“I just wanted to practice with the sword for a bit!”

With no better excuse, I had given him a half-truth, which only made things worse. We ended up having a small argument over whether or not there had been an attack.

There were no signs of an intruder, and the two high-ranking knights stationed outside hadn’t noticed anything, so his theory was dismissed. But the real problem came afterward.

To avoid a repeat of the situation, I stopped using real swords for my practice. Still, I continued dropping whatever I was holding and collapsing in a heap, which only made Sionel’s suspicions grow.

When I tried to explain that I had simply fallen, he began pointing out the locations where I had collapsed.

“You were always near the bed or the couch—why were you in front of the bookshelf this time?”

I had been near the bookshelf that day, practicing with the glass vial Laroche had given me, and ended up falling right in front of it.

“I was reading a book.”

“Lindel, you expect me to believe you were reading a history book? Come on.”

The memory still made me angry.

Just because I didn’t usually read history books didn’t mean he had to rub it in like that! Even though I hadn’t touched a history book since graduating from the academy, it still felt unfair.

But anyway, because I couldn’t come up with a good answer, Sionel’s suspicions only deepened, and I eventually gave up trying to explain myself. Out of sheer rebellion, I started giving him random excuses.

And so, our battle continued.

“The room has been thoroughly checked—no signs of an intruder,” one of the knights reported after inspecting the room.

‘Of course, there wouldn’t be any.’

With all the extra security around the palace, it was impossible for anyone to sneak in. The number of guards at the doors and on the palace walls had increased significantly, and the protective spells had been strengthened. Not even an ant could get through.

Yet, they still suspected an intruder. Sionel’s face was as grim as ever, but I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ah, it’s a perfect day for a workout.”

I was so full of rebellious energy that I started teasing him, and Sionel let out a heavy sigh.

“This can’t continue. From now on, the maids will stay in your room to watch over you.”

“I’ve told you many times—I don’t want that. I’m already stuck in this room; I don’t need constant surveillance. And no shadow guards either.”

Sionel ruffled his golden hair in frustration.

He had already tried several times to place maids or shadow guards—hidden knights—in my room to watch over me. Of course, I had adamantly refused.

Not only did I hate the idea of being watched, but I also couldn’t practice Aura in front of them.

“Fine. This is your last chance.”

Sionel’s eyes gleamed.

“Explain why you’ve been collapsing so often lately, and why it’s always objects perfect for swinging that end up on the floor.”

“I’m just trying to stay healthy.”

“Lindel!”

I felt guilty for making Sionel come rushing to me every time, but I had no intention of losing this battle. If anyone thought my smile looked a little wicked, that was surely just their imagination.