I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 29

“Have you truly never considered becoming emperor?”

“I have no intention of becoming either the empress or the emperor.”

I firmly rejected the idea, and Julia clicked her tongue softly in disappointment. The regretful sound left me dumbfounded once again.

“Oh, what a relief. If you had agreed, I would’ve had to think about how to deal with His Majesty.”

“…In that case, shouldn’t you be thinking about how to stop me, not how to deal with His Majesty?”

“But I must say, you would suit the role of emperor quite well.”

Cassius’s bright smile was accompanied by hearty laughter, and I felt like I was losing my mind.

“I have absolutely no intention of doing that,” I replied as I rubbed my aching temples, trying to calm myself. This sibling pair had now become frightening to me in a completely different way.

“Time has passed so quickly. Since His Majesty is neglecting state affairs, I must work hard to keep things in order.”

A thought crossed my mind—was that why they were talking about replacing the emperor? Perhaps I had misunderstood Cassius Areta until now. And Julia, too.

“Miss,” Julia called out to me before she left. Her expression was still unreadable. “May I ask you one last question before I go?”

“Go ahead.”

“Are you really alright?”

Cassius, who had been preparing to leave with a smile, and the maids who had entered the room to assist him, all froze like statues. Everyone’s movements halted awkwardly, and all eyes were on me, waiting for my answer. They were waiting for my response.

“I’m fine. Truly.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

For the first time since her arrival, Julia smiled. In fact, it was the first time I had ever seen her smile in my entire life. Her bright smile was so dazzling that I almost forgot her usual cold impression.

“Then may I ask one favor?”

“…Yes.”

Still astonished by her smile, I nodded blankly. I didn’t know what her request was, but I felt as if I had to agree. Then Julia dropped another bombshell.

“Please take pity on His Majesty.”

I was taken aback, and the maids around us also struggled to hide their shock, their mouths hanging open in surprise. Only Cassius seemed calm, though his expression was bitter.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It is wrong for His Majesty to simply imprison you. That is undoubtedly a terrible thing to do.”

Julia didn’t hesitate to criticize the emperor.

“But the fact that holding onto the one he loves is all he can think of—that desperation makes me feel pity for him.”

No one spoke. I was frozen by her unexpected words.

“You may think His Majesty’s sudden change seems like a whim. But having watched him for a long time, I can tell.”

Julia slowly approached me.

“He has always been watching you.”

Just like I did.

Julia added softly, as if speaking to herself. Her delicate hand, which had never held a sword, gently enveloped my rough one. Her touch reminded me of a different hand—one that was strong and far more desperate than hers.

“His expression may be wrong, but His Majesty holds you in high regard.”

“…Why are you telling me this now?”

At that moment, Cassius spoke up, “I’ve heard strange things have been happening around you lately, Miss Lindel. But no one seems to know why.”

Cassius was referring to my Aura practice. It was something I had to do for the sake of my health, and though I couldn’t explain it, I had a clear reason for it. But—

“Miss Lindel, you always keep your thoughts to yourself. But if you don’t say anything, we can’t know what’s going on.”

That was obvious to me, but it seemed like common sense to him.

“Please, just tell the truth!”

I recalled the frustration on Sionel’s face earlier that day. His voice had risen as if he couldn’t stand it anymore, but I hadn’t been scared at the time. That was because I knew Sionel wasn’t truly angry at me. He was simply desperate.

“Everyone is worried about you.”

The atmosphere in the room became somber. It wasn’t just Sionel. Everyone in the room was looking at me with sorrow and concern.

Why had I acted so childishly, enjoying their unease? I had to admit it—I had been behaving immaturely.

“Without knowing the facts, all we can do is imagine and fear the worst.”

I had never given them any explanations. Whenever something strange happened, all I did was say I was fine, never making an effort to truly reassure them. Only now did I realize that.

“So please, don’t resent us too much.”

“……”

“Our request for you to become empress was merely an act of desperation. We are just like children, afraid of losing you and clinging to unreasonable demands.”

Though Cassius admitted they had been unreasonable, I had to acknowledge that I had been just as childish as they were.

“I’m sorry we brought up the empress position without considering your feelings.”

“……”

“It’s difficult to go against His Majesty’s will, but if you wish it, we will support you, no matter what decision you make.”

With those words, the two siblings left. I remained seated in the room for quite some time after they had gone. The maids approached, concerned for me, but I couldn’t move.

“What have I been doing?”

I felt utterly ashamed of myself.

***

“How was the hunt this time?”

As soon as the office door opened, a voice eagerly called out. Sionel passed by the person who had taken up residence in his space without permission, without even bothering to scold him.

Cassius watched Sionel silently walk to his desk, letting out a small sigh as he did so. A faint scent of blood clung to Sionel, carried on the early morning breeze.

“Why do you keep doing this?”

There was a mix of hidden warmth and frustration in Cassius’s reprimanding tone.

“The knights are more than capable of handling this. I’ve told you many times, Your Majesty, you shouldn’t be out there yourself.”

“If you’re going to nag, then just leave.”

Though this tiresome exchange had repeated itself for days now, neither side showed any sign of backing down. As a result, only Cassius, who had to assist the emperor, was left feeling utterly exhausted.

“Miss Lindel will be safe.”

“Safe?”

Sionel’s sharp gaze turned icy.

“In a situation where we can’t even guess who’s responsible or what’s going on, you call that safe?”

“But wiping out every potential threat is simply unreasonable. How can you even think of such a thing?”

“And why can’t I?”

—Clang.

Sionel carelessly tossed the sword he had been holding to the floor. How many necks had that sword severed during the night?

Ever since strange things had started happening to Lindel, Sionel had begun hunting. More specifically, he had started hunting humans. Since he didn’t know who or what was threatening her, he had decided to eliminate everything that could possibly pose a danger.

It would have been better if he had only talked about it, but the emperor Cassius knew was not one to make empty threats. And the emperor before him was steadily following through on his words.

Sionel snapped his fingers lightly. The faint trace of mana moved, and the lingering scent of blood quickly vanished.

Cassius was no longer surprised by Sionel’s ability to use magic without incantations. Instead, he asked with a weary expression, “Yesterday, you canceled all the meetings and went hunting, didn’t you?”

“It was similar. A hunt, and I also put a leash on the dragon.”

“A dragon now?”

Without answering, Sionel sat down in his chair, sinking deeply into it.

Even with the scent of blood gone, Sionel still dominated the space with his lethargic atmosphere. The scene was so chillingly perfect that Cassius couldn’t help but hold his breath. Sionel exuded a primal fear that made him seem inhuman. After finishing a hunt, he was even less like a human being.

“You seemed busy yesterday. I heard you visited Lindel.”

“I went to beg her to make you stop, Your Majesty.” Cassius forced a gruff tone, trying to suppress his fear. “You can’t continue like this forever. The nobles are starting to push back because of all the canceled meetings.”

“Are you whining now?”

Sionel dismissed Cassius’s anger as mere whining, which only made Cassius’s eyes narrow with frustration.

“This is no small matter.”

“Enough. Just gather the evidence of the drug smuggling and bring it to me. I’m tired of chasing after these rats. I’ll deal with them all at once before things get out of hand.”

“Your Majesty, if you escalate this further, the nobles will notice!”

“And since when do I need to care about what they think?”

For the first time since the conversation began, Sionel reacted, his cold eyes glaring at Cassius with sharp intensity.

“Don’t waste your time.”

Cassius felt as if an invisible blade had been pressed to his throat. Instinctively, he looked away in fear.

‘I can’t handle him when Miss Lindel isn’t around.’

People had once gossiped that the emperor hated Lindel, but those who knew Sionel well understood how false that was.

‘Now that we can’t rely on Miss Lindel, what should I do?’

When Cassius had met Lindel in Sionel’s absence, he had seen how much weaker she had become. Though her strong spirit remained, her pale complexion made it seem as if she could collapse at any moment. She had said she was fine, but no one could truly believe that.

At that moment, there was a knock at the office door. Cassius turned at the unexpected sound. The young knight standing at the door looked troubled.

“What is it?”

“Um…”

The knight hesitated, unsure of how to proceed, which caused Cassius to furrow his brows in confusion. Sionel also glanced indifferently at the knight.

Caught between the two powerful men’s gazes, the knight seemed even more flustered.

“Lady Bodebachne has arrived.”

“What?”

At this hour?

Cassius’s startled voice echoed in the air. It was an entirely unexpected visitor.