I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 4

“Crazy!”

The words burst out of me uncontrollably, filled with raw emotion.

Sionel said he loved me. Sionel—the Sionel Woodburgh—loved me! My head spun, and my heart pounded as if it would explode. The idea of Sionel loving me was something I’d never even dreamed of.

This couldn’t possibly be true, something so unbelievable that I had never once imagined it. Part of me wanted to throw myself at him, to roll around this vast bed and scream out loud in joy.

‘Sionel Woodburgh loves me!’

A thrill shook me from head to toe. I had spent my whole life loving him, and now to hear that he felt the same? I couldn’t possibly stay calm.

If I could, I would shout to all those who had mocked my one-sided love, “See! Nothing is impossible if you dream big enough!”

In my imagination, angels blew trumpets, and flower petals rained down in celebration of my triumph. My entire body trembled with joy, as if I were about to float away.

“Do you hate it so much that it makes you shudder?”

I vaguely heard Sionel ask something, but in my excitement, his words barely registered.

“You said you love me!”

“Yes.”

That was all I needed to hear, and I savored the moment. But then, Sionel’s voice dropped, becoming somber.

“I know it’s hard to believe, coming from me all of a sudden.”

‘All of sudden?’

It was then that my thoughts started catching up. His confession had indeed come out of nowhere. I should be more skeptical than overjoyed.

‘Is he playing a trick on me?’

But that didn’t make sense either. Sionel wasn’t the type to pull such pranks, and there was nothing for him to gain by deceiving me like this.

So, was he serious?

‘Wait, if that’s the case, does this mean my wish…’

As soon as my thoughts reached that point, my expression turned serious. The reason I had wished for something was because I thought he hated me.

As my face shifted with every new realization, Sionel’s expression began to harden too, though I was too lost in thought to notice.

‘But if he likes me, then…’

My heart pounded in confusion, my mind racing to decide what to ask him first. Just then, Sionel spoke again.

“It’s fine if you don’t believe me. It’s all my fault, anyway.”

“No, it’s not that I can’t believe—”

“And nothing’s going to change now, either.”

I smiled shyly as I tried to answer, but Sionel cut me off with a resolute voice.

When I came to my senses, I found him staring at me with dry eyes. Though they had been filled with tears just moments ago, now his once-beautiful blue eyes looked dark and gloomy.

Something was wrong.

He wiped his tear-streaked cheeks carelessly, the soft skin turning red from the friction. No more tears fell.

“I’m going to make you my empress soon.”

“What?”

The euphoric high I had been riding screeched to a halt, and the smile that had been twitching on my lips froze in place.

“You are going to do what?”

Did he just say what I think he said?

I was certain I had misheard him.

But Sionel kindly repeated it for me, though it wasn’t the kind of kindness I appreciated.

“Lindel, you’re going to be my empress soon. Then you won’t be able to leave, no matter what.”

My face went pale.

Sionel remained expressionless as he met my gaze.

Empress? Empress?!

“No way!”

My shocked voice came out as a scream.

For a split second, Sionel’s face twisted with bitterness, but it quickly disappeared behind a cold mask.

“W-Wait! You can’t just decide something like becoming the empress so easily—”

“It’s already decided.”

“The nobles won’t stand for it. The position of empress is a matter of national importance! No matter how powerful you are as emperor, you can’t just—”

“Who can stop me from choosing my own empress?”

He was calm, in stark contrast to the person who had been shedding tears moments earlier.

I, on the other hand, was frantic.

“Your Majesty!”

Being empress? Absolutely not.

‘Not a concubine, but an empress?!’

There was a reason I was so horrified by the idea of becoming empress. The empress was the one person who could stand by the emperor’s side, wielding immense power. And with that power came immense responsibility.

Nobles—people in power—didn’t live carefree lives, contrary to popular belief. The higher you rose, the more the work consumed you.

I loved him, but I had never once considered becoming empress.

‘I just wanted a simple, carefree life!’

When I was a knight, I had been buried under so much work that I’d dreamed of quitting and becoming a layabout. Now, I was being told to serve the nation as empress for the rest of my days?

“I refuse!”

Besides, becoming empress would mean I’d never be able to leave the palace without Sionel’s permission.

It would be impossible to leave the palace and complete the contract.

And that was the real problem.

As I shouted, my panic evident, Sionel’s cold expression faltered, and he bit his lip.

“Even if staying by my side is unbearable for you, I have no choice.”

“No, it’s not that!”

It’s not you, I just don’t want to be empress!

“Give up on the idea of dying alone. I won’t let you do as you please.”

“……!”

Right. That was the issue.

In the end, the problem was this misunderstanding.

I should have never let him see me coughing up blood, but it was too late now. He was trying so hard to keep me confined in the palace because he believed I had accepted death.

A cold sweat ran down my back.

“I’m not going to die! I’m perfectly fine!”

Sionel didn’t respond.

A bitter smile tugged at his lips, and I could see the disbelief in his eyes.

His sorrowful expression only made me more frustrated.

“I’m telling you, it’s a misunderstanding!”

“Even if you’ve grown to hate me, it’s too late. Call me selfish if you want, but I won’t let you go.”

There was no reasoning with him.

“You’re going to be my empress.”

Sionel’s smile was pained, his eyes dry and weary.

“Even if you come to despise me.”

With that, Sionel left the room without waiting for my response.

I sat frozen on the bed, staring blankly ahead, completely at a loss for what to do.

Once again, I was left alone in the vast room.

“Damn it, seriously!”

I rolled around on the bed in frustration, but it didn’t change anything.

At this rate, I was going to be trapped in the palace, forced to work as empress until I died.

“What do I do?! What am I going to do?!”

My hair became a tangled mess, but I couldn’t be bothered to care.

As I muttered to myself like a madwoman, I felt a strange vibration in the air.

I immediately knew what it meant.

“You damn dragon!”

“Oh, for crying out loud! You scared me!”

A black figure materialized in the air, and I grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at the intruder.

The woman with black hair, who had been descending gracefully, tumbled to the ground in an undignified heap.

The pillow smacked into her, and she grumbled as she struggled to right herself.

“What’s with the temper? Throwing a pillow out of nowhere—”

“Hey!”

I jumped off the bed and grabbed Laroche by the collar. Her eyes went wide, but I was already too consumed by fury and confusion to care.

I shook her by the collar, venting my frustration. “Take it back! Cancel this contract!”

“I-I’m dizzy! Wait! Let go of me for a second—”

“There’s no time for waiting! Fix this now!”

“I just got here—”

After a long, heated back-and-forth, we both finally calmed down.

Having barely escaped my grasp, Laroche glared at me from a distance.

“No violence!”

When I glowered at her, she flinched and looked away, pretending she hadn’t said anything.

Her attitude infuriated me, and I slammed my fist on the ground. Why me?!

“Ahem! So what’s the problem? Didn’t the emperor just confess that he loves you? Isn’t that a good thing?”

From her words, it was clear she had been watching the whole situation.

“So what? If things keep going this way, I’ll fail the contract.”

“Just sneak out! Once you unseal me, you can come back, no problem.”

“But I can’t sneak out.”

I pointed out that I was trapped by the magic barrier surrounding the palace.

Laroche shrugged her shoulders. “Oh, that’s easy. I can break the barrier.”

“This is the imperial palace. No ordinary magic will work here.”

When I shot her a doubtful look, Laroche puffed out her chest with confidence.

“You keep underestimating me, but I’m a dragon! The strongest of all magic users. How could I not break a barrier created by mere humans?”

“You mean the same dragon who got tricked by human magic and was forced into a contract with me?”

“T-That was a special case! Just watch me!”

Laroche started stretching her arms dramatically, full of bravado. Her performance made me feel a sliver of hope.

She waved her hand elegantly.

“Something like this, I can break with just a flick of my—”

But nothing happened.

Laroche, clearly flustered, stopped flicking her fingers and resorted to swinging her entire arm.

Still, nothing happened.

Her face turned pale.

“I-It’s not working.”

“I can’t believe I was foolish enough to dream of wealth and glory with you…”

I beat my chest in despair.

I thought I had matured through life’s challenges, but clearly, I was still a naïve fool.

It was humiliating to have been tricked by such a dumb dragon.

“Why… why isn’t it working?”

“This is the imperial palace. The emperors of this empire have been part dragon for generations. They’ve strengthened the magic here over hundreds of years. There’s no way you, with your powers sealed, can break a barrier like that.”

That was why no one could use magic inside the palace. Aside from pure human strength, only the priests could use divine power.

Dragons, as creatures made of pure mana, reigned supreme as the strongest beings in the world. But inside the imperial palace, they were powerless.

Especially a half-sealed dragon like Laroche.

“So, what do we do now?”

It seemed Laroche finally understood the gravity of the situation. The dragon’s pale face turned to me for help.

This was absolutely maddening.