I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 53

‘I have no thoughts. Because I have no thoughts.’

I blinked with a desolate expression, mimicking a phrase I’d once read. No matter how I thought about it, things were going horribly wrong. With a sour face, I stared at the items laid out before me and spoke up.

“Hey.”

“Here you go.”

Suddenly, something was placed in front of me.

[The Adventures of Hero Valparo]

It was a novel that had recently gained popularity. I stared at it for a moment, then glanced at the maid who had placed it there as she moved to water the potted plant by the window. The plant was an herb said to be good for the lungs. It hadn’t been there until yesterday.

“Not this.”

“Oh, was that not it? Then how about this?”

When I spoke again, someone else came over and handed me something. It was a snack I often enjoyed.

The maid, as if comforting a child, said kindly, “It’s almost mealtime, so please make do with this for now.”

“Oh, thanks. Wait, I wasn’t asking for a snack.”

“I forgot the tea to go with it. I’ll prepare it right away.”

I tried to stop her, saying that wasn’t what I meant, but the maid had already moved away.

On the other side of the room, I saw Luna handling a large ornament. She was holding a statue from the East, said to ward off misfortune.

“Where did you get that? No, wait, that’s not important.”

I trailed off, shaking my head in disbelief. What mattered now wasn’t the increase in random trinkets around me. Giving up on complaining about the overprotectiveness surrounding me, I leaned back against the headboard of the bed.

Just thinking about my current situation was enough to make my head ache. The side effects of Estelle—the red powder I had ingested—had completely disappeared over time.

However, I still couldn’t be sure if it had truly helped me. Honestly, Estelle seemed to have no effect on me. The heat in my heart remained, and my body just felt lethargic.

I had tried to test if the effects might appear later, but even that yielded no changes.

With Laroche gone, too many problems had arisen, and now I was already dreading what might come next or how to handle any new issues.

‘I wish Laroche were here at a time like this…’

I wanted to grab her by the collar and demand answers, but Laroche still showed no signs of returning. She had been out of contact for so long that, despite my anger over Estelle, I couldn’t help but worry about her. Expecting such attentiveness—to at least let me know she was doing okay—from someone as reckless as her was apparently too much to ask.

“Ha…”

A sigh escaped me as I stared into the dark void ahead.

“Lady Lindel?”

A maid called out to me.

“What’s the matter?”

When she asked, tilting her head, I brushed it off, saying it was nothing. However, she didn’t seem convinced.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Luna, who had put down the ornament and wiped the sweat from her forehead, quickly approached me. Her stern gaze seemed to say, ‘Don’t even think about lying.’ Somehow, all the other maids’ eyes were also on me.

I smiled awkwardly. “No, I was just sighing…”

“I’ll call the priest.”

“I told you, I was just sighing!”

It felt unfair. If they were going to react like this, why even bother asking me? As I watched the maid heading for the door, I hurriedly got up from the bed.

“I’ll just go myself instead.”

“What?”

The moment I stood up, all the maids flocked around me. I answered them firmly, looking at their nervous expressions.

“I’m tired of lying around all the time. I’ll go for a walk and meet the priest myself. I just need to prove that I’m fine, right?”

“No, you can’t! What if you collapse again on the way?”

“It’s alright. I’m really fine now.”

I wasn’t walking to my death, yet their reactions to stop me were almost desperate.

Finally freeing myself from their grasp, I took one step at a time until I reached the door. I wasn’t about to let myself be discouraged by such responses anymore. Though it was disheartening to have gotten used to this, I’d grown tired of stressing out and causing a fuss every time.

Determined not to be shaken by anything anymore, I calmly opened the door—only for that resolve to crumble instantly. The sight beyond the door delivered a new shock.

“What is this?”

“Ah! The knight is out!”

I had expected the hallway to be empty, but there were people—familiar faces belonging to the knights of the palace guard. I could understand them being there. They might have come out of concern for me or to protect me—there were many reasons.

But the “something” next to them was something I could never understand. They always managed to exceed my expectations.

With a trembling hand, I pointed at the “something.”

“…Why is this here?”

“We specially prepared it to assist you!” came the booming response. The person who answered was a trusted talent of the palace guard—someone who, in other words, shouldn’t be engaging in such nonsense here.

With a bright voice, he asked me, “So, where shall we take you?”

My last shred of patience had run out.

“Where do you think?! You idiots!”

I pointed at the palanquin. Yes, incredibly, the six knights had proudly brought a “palanquin.” Once again, let me emphasize—this was the hallway of the empress’s palace.

“Who brings this indoors?! Not even His Majesty would use something like this!”

The six knights—or rather, the crazy palanquin bearers—began whispering amongst themselves.

“Oh! Right. I hadn’t thought of that. What should we do?”

The fact that they were just realizing this was even more shocking. As I barely managed to swallow my sigh, I heard something that made me doubt my ears.

“Since it’s come to this, let’s send some to His Majesty. Hey, someone bring the remaining palanquins.”

“Oh, great idea. It’s fair, and it’s perfect.”

It seemed like there wasn’t a single sane person around me.

“Why is that the conclusion—cough, cough!”

My throat had already been sore, and shouting only made me cough. As I started coughing, the people around me panicked.

“Lady Lindel, please come this way!”

They naturally pushed the palanquin towards me, which was infuriating. It was clear they didn’t understand what was wrong. It was an everlasting regret of mine that people like them were considered elite members of the palace guard. I refused to get in that palanquin, no matter what.

Twisting my body in an attempt to escape, I noticed several eyes, including Sionel’s, watching me from nearby. Without thinking, I made a desperate expression.

“Sionel!”

“Don’t run. You’ll fall.”

A gentle voice received me. Like a child reporting a wrongdoing, I pointed at the palanquin behind me. I hoped the emperor’s authority would remove that horrid thing from my sight.

“Please do something about that! Everyone’s lost their minds! I’ve tried to be patient, but this is too much!”

“We did it for Lady Lindel’s sake, Your Majesty!”

Sionel’s brows furrowed slightly as he looked at the palanquin. Everyone anxiously awaited his response.

“That’s a bit much.”

His words fell bluntly, causing mixed reactions.

“Right? I’m not the strange one, right?”

The knights looked crestfallen, but that wasn’t my concern. Like a child, I told Sionel everything that had happened. I strongly emphasized that I couldn’t even go to the restroom in peace, and soon a large hand was patting my head.

“Calm down.”

Only then did I realize how agitated I had been. As I panted heavily, Sionel addressed the knights.

“I understand your intentions, but she doesn’t like it, so put it away.”

His voice, while polite, held a slight chill, unlike when he spoke to me.

The knights glanced wistfully at the palanquin, but I firmly nodded. As the palanquin made its pitiful exit, I smiled triumphantly—only to feel a sudden warmth holding my hand.

“Where were you headed?”

The familiar voice gently caught my attention.

“I was going to see the priest for a checkup while taking a walk. It’s not because I’m feeling unwell; I just wanted to do it before people started fussing over me again.”

“You must be quite bored.”

His eyes curved softly, as kind as his voice. Enchanted by his beautiful smile, I spoke without thinking.

“More than boredom, it’s honestly uncomfortable—oh, no! I mean, I’m grateful for their concern, of course! But it’s just a bit too much sometimes…”

I waved my arms in panic to clarify, and Sionel laughed. His expression was peaceful, as if to say he hadn’t misunderstood.

“I just thought everyone was overreacting a bit. I’m grateful, but their worry is too much.”

Sionel watched the retreating palanquin. He seemed lost in thought, staring after it for quite some time. Then, he turned back to me.

“Should I get rid of it?”

“Huh?”

“If it bothers you, I’ll make sure it’s gone.”

His tone was casual, as if discussing something trivial. I didn’t quite understand why he would bother to remove something that was already being taken away.

“The palanquin?”

“The palanquin, and anything else too.”

Sionel’s response came with a slight pause. Somehow, it didn’t seem like the palanquin was the only thing he intended to remove.

Seeing my awkward expression, Sionel added lightly, “Yes, just the palanquin.”

His gentle smile suggested it was my own misunderstanding. His playful response made me smile along with him.

“Let’s go.”

He tugged on the hand he was holding.

His skin felt cool against mine. It wasn’t unusual, considering his naturally low body temperature.

As I walked alongside him, I noticed something strange. The people who had followed Sionel earlier were still standing in the same spot. When I looked at them and stopped, Sionel also halted beside me.

“I told them not to interfere. You dislike having too many people around.”

“Oh.”

I nodded. I did vaguely remember mentioning my discomfort.

As I turned my head slightly, I caught sight of the stiff expressions at the edge of my vision. When I turned back, those who had been watching me were now bowing deeply.

The cool hand holding mine gave a gentle shake.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I must have imagined it.”

I brushed it off casually.