I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 25

After the priest arrived, Sionel left the bedroom, closing the door behind him. His face was twisted in frustration. The ongoing situation was becoming more unbearable by the day, and his mood reflected that.

As he struggled to hold in his anger, the knight who had earlier helped place Lindel on the bed approached him.

“Did you feel nothing again this time?”

“I’m sorry.”

It was clear that something had happened, yet strangely, there were no traces to be found.

If there had been an intruder and Lindel had fought them off, the knights should have noticed. But none of the high-ranking knights on guard had detected anything. All they ever found was Lindel, collapsed. And, most importantly, there were no signs of forced entry.

At first, Sionel had wondered if he was overreacting, thinking Lindel’s condition had worsened, causing her frequent collapses. That was a dreadful thought, but in a way, he found himself wishing it were true.

‘At least that would be better than worrying about an enemy whose existence we can’t even confirm.’

It all started with the sword. When Lindel had taken the decorative sword off the wall, Sionel had sensed something was off. After that, all the items found near her were similar in shape to swords—objects that could be used for defense or attack. Moreover, they all showed signs of wear.

“The stand had similar marks again this time.”

“I checked as well. There were no signs of a fight when I first entered the room.”

“Damn it.”

The items Lindel had used always had signs of wear, the kind that only appeared when objects were coated in Aura and swung.

“But Lindel can’t use Aura right now. What on earth is happening?”

The knight’s words were true. In her weakened state, Lindel shouldn’t have been able to use Aura. What’s more, coating ordinary decorative items with Aura was a skill that even advanced practitioners struggled with. It was impossible for Lindel to do such a thing in her current condition.

Thus, they had been leaning toward the theory that an intruder had attacked with Aura, or at least mana. But even that theory had its flaws.

“Using ordinary objects to block attacks infused with Aura—how is that possible?”

No matter how fine a sword was, it couldn’t withstand an attack powered by Aura. Yet the items used to block the attacks remained intact, without shattering into fragments as they should have.

“And on top of that, they fought in a way that only slightly disturbed the furniture? That’s laughable.”

When questioned, Lindel had confidently claimed she didn’t know what had happened. Her frequent coughing up of blood, her fainting, the traces of what seemed to be Aura, and the strange circumstances—all of it was suspicious.

“What is she hiding?”

Sionel felt like he was losing his mind. In truth, he was already on the verge of madness, barely managing to keep a facade of calm. But Lindel refused to reveal anything.

If he could watch her every moment of the day, he wouldn’t have to worry like this. But she had firmly rejected that. Lindel strongly insisted on having time alone, and she would never yield on that point.

Sionel pressed his throbbing head in his hands, just as Luna walked out of the room. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying, but she didn’t seem to care as she rubbed them with her sleeve.

With a determined look on her face, she approached Sionel. “Your Majesty, I have something to tell you.”

“Go ahead.”

“Something’s wrong with Miss Lindel.”

“We all know that,” Sionel responded coldly, curling his lips into a sarcastic smile.

But Luna shook her head. “That’s not what I mean. I’m talking about her behavior.”

“What do you mean?”

“Recently, Miss Lindel has been smiling a lot. Before, she always seemed tired, and her smiles were faint. But now, she smiles brightly.”

Luna bit her lip before continuing, her voice trembling, “It feels like she’s doing it on purpose, like she’s forcing herself to smile more.”

“Forcing herself?”

“Miss Lindel has always said she’s fine, that nothing is wrong. But recently, it’s different. Her tone is more defensive, almost defiant, when she says it.”

Both Sionel and the knight had noticed this change as well. Lindel had become more rebellious lately.

“Continue.”

“Every time she smiles, it feels like she’s trying to provoke us.”

The knight looked momentarily startled by Luna’s dangerous choice of words, but Luna had already started crying again.

Wiping her tears with shaking hands, she spoke, “But I’ve noticed that every time she smiles like that, she’s always checking to see if anyone is watching. It’s like she only smiles so brightly when people are looking at her. When no one is watching, her face returns to its usual expression, and she looks sad. That’s when I realized something.”

Even as her tears streamed down her face, Luna’s eyes were filled with a determined resolve. She felt it was her duty to convey her thoughts to Sionel.

“She’s doing this because she doesn’t want to worry anyone.”

“She doesn’t want to worry us?”

“When a dog is in pain or danger, it avoids its owner, acting distant and cold. Just like Miss Lindel is doing now.”

Luna’s comparison hit the knight. He recalled something Lindel had said earlier.

“Miss Lindel told me, ‘Why would I call you when I look like this?'”

Sionel’s gaze shifted to the knight. “What?”

“When I asked her why she didn’t call for us, she said, ‘Why would I call you when I look like this?'”

The knight’s voice trailed off, his face troubled.

Luna continued where he left off, “She’s pushing people away for a reason. There must be something she’s hiding from us.”

Everyone, including the knights standing guard around them, listened intently to Luna’s words.

“Could it be because she’s in danger? Something too dangerous, so she’s hiding it from us?”

The youngest knight, his voice trembling with fear, timidly shared his thoughts. He was half terrified.

“Maybe none of us noticed because the intruder is so powerful—”

“But there’s no evidence! There’s no sign of an intruder, and no evidence of a fight anywhere!”

An older knight quickly refuted the younger one.

“But there are traces of Aura everywhere!”

“Even so, there are too many strange things that don’t add up!”

“Even if it wasn’t a fight, it’s still suspicious!”

The room grew noisy as everyone started debating their theories. Through it all, Sionel remained silent, his expression unreadable.

Speculation flew around, and just then, the door opened again, and the priest emerged. He looked startled by the chaotic scene outside.

“Priest.”

Sionel’s voice cut through the noise, his tone cold.

“Explain Miss Lindel’s condition to me.”

Sensing the tension, the priest quickly began his explanation. “Her body is weak, and she has lost a lot of blood. But…,” the priest hesitated, his face filled with confusion.

“The strange thing is, when I examined her with divine power, her body seemed perfectly healthy. Her heartbeat is normal, and aside from a few bruises and scratches, there’s nothing wrong. The most puzzling part is that despite all the blood she lost, she’s not anemic.”

The young knight spoke up again. “Could the blood belong to the intruder?”

“No, the blood definitely came from Miss Lindel.”

“She lost that much blood, but she’s not suffering from blood loss?”

“That’s what’s strange. The previous times she collapsed, it was because of the rapid blood loss. But this time, that doesn’t seem to be the case, and yet she’s still fainting. However, she remains conscious.”

The priest looked deeply troubled. “I apologize, but I don’t understand what’s happening.”

The confusion on everyone’s faces deepened. At that moment, Sionel’s expression hardened, and he suddenly turned and strode off in a hurry.

The knights watched him in confusion, unsure of where he was going.

“Your Majesty!”

“Send someone to the Temple of Lute immediately.”

“But why—”

“That priest. Bring him to me.”

Sionel ordered them to bring Melaine. His icy tone left no room for questions. One knight immediately sprinted past him, while the others followed closely behind.

“Where are you going, Your Majesty?”

“The late Empress Dowager’s tomb.”

Sionel’s eyes flashed dangerously.

“Go to the council chamber and inform them that all meetings are canceled until further notice.”

“Understood.”

The tension in the air grew even more palpable, as if something monumental was about to happen.

***

“Why is it so noisy?”

Lindel lay alone in her bedroom, scowling at the door as she listened to the commotion outside. Through the thick door, she could hear the murmur of voices, though she couldn’t make out the words.

It was clear that something was happening out there.

Thanks to the priest’s divine power, Lindel’s strength had recovered somewhat, and she could move if she tried.

She considered going outside to see what was going on, but quickly decided against it. It was probably nothing important.

Instead, she shifted from the stiff, proper position the knight had left her in and sprawled comfortably—albeit a little lazily—on the bed. As she scratched her thigh absentmindedly, she yawned.

“Ah, it’s quiet again.”

Not long after the priest left, it seemed that everyone else had gone too, as the noise outside died down. Lindel quickly lost interest in whatever was happening.

‘They should have done this sooner. It’s much better when I get to do things my way.’

She felt a little guilty about making everyone worry, but her stress had decreased significantly. A satisfied smile spread across her face.

‘Maybe next time I’ll go all the way to the kitchen.’

Lindel’s thoughts drifted to the idea of having a bowl of warm, salty rice, and she smiled to herself in pleasant anticipation.