I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 61

If Ursilla symbolized life, then Lute symbolized death.

People sought Ursilla for blessings and Lute to honor death. But the dragons were different. They didn’t seek Lute to honor death. They wanted even death to be fulfilled under Ursilla’s blessing, as if dreaming of eternal life.

And yet, amidst that fanatical belief, a child loved by death was born. Misfortune had already been predicted.

On the day he broke out of his thick egg and let out his first cry, Melaine realized that he should not have been born. The elders of the dragon clan screamed at the sight of him.

“We can’t raise a creature like this with our children!”

They shouted at the newborn, still covered in the mucus of the egg. They feared incurring Ursilla’s wrath.

“Why should we take on what even his parents abandoned?!”

He was abandoned the moment he was born.

Even though dragons were symbols of wisdom, there was no way a newborn could understand such words.

Melaine felt only one thing at that moment.

There is no warmth to embrace me.

It’s so cold.

Naked, Melaine shivered for a long time in the conference hall filled with shouting. In the end, no one embraced him.

Time passed.

The black irises with two white pupils were always conspicuous. Since they couldn’t be covered, they couldn’t be hidden. Melaine grew up feeling raw hatred every moment.

With even his parents abandoning him, there was no one to protect him.

And then it happened.

Disaster came without warning. Using the convenient excuse of “divine will,” they committed unspeakable atrocities without a second thought.

Even though Melaine’s world turned to darkness because of it, no one felt the slightest remorse.

For the first time, Melaine felt hatred instead of despair. No one heard his desperate cries.

Melaine hated his parents who had abandoned him, hated his kin, and hated the selfish Lute who loved him on a whim.

And lastly,

Melaine could only hate his own weak self.

***

“Living like that, I came across an ancient dragon on the verge of death. That guy, unlike other dragons, decided to help.”

The ancient dragon, who was skilled in healing, created new eyes for Melaine. He used up the last traces of his magic to do so, which made him a great benefactor to Melaine.

However, it was said that the act was closer to a momentary whim than a gesture of warmth from the ancient dragon. Since his life was ending anyway, he thought he might as well do something good. It was just a fleeting act of charity.

That was how Melaine obtained the most beautiful eyes anyone had ever seen. He still bore Lute’s mark, but outwardly, he could now appear normal.

“Not long after, he died. It turned out he had been betrayed by his mate.”

“……”

“Do you remember? The story we heard at the tavern about the dragon’s mate? It was about that ancient dragon. He died miserably.”

Melaine spoke as if mocking, but his face was rigid, making his attempt to sneer appear even more foolish.

Without even realizing it, Melaine was forcing himself to smile.

“Anyway, talking about this while eating is pointless. Doesn’t it ruin your appetite because it’s disgusting?”

Melaine finally made eye contact with me.

There was nothing wrong with what he’d done in the story, yet why did he look like a guilty man avoiding my gaze?

“Lindel?”

As our eyes met, Melaine’s forced smile broke for the first time. He looked at me, clearly flustered.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Those bastards!”

I slammed my hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

The wooden table cracked, and the glass of water on it tipped over, but none of that mattered.

“Those goddamn bastards!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, veins bulging in my neck. I was too angry to hold back.

“L-Lindel?”

“How dare they do that to you? Just because of some divine mark?! How could they do that to someone who did nothing wrong…!”

Melaine’s eyes wavered.

If I had known that such painful memories were held within those beautiful eyes, I would never have called them beautiful.

Even without those eyes, you would have been beautiful. You would have been more lovable than anyone.

I hated those who turned away from him just because of some divine mark.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

My voice trembled, unable to overcome the sadness. Seeing his dazed expression, I couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Those… those sons of bitches!”

Swallowing the sob that threatened to escape, I yelled even louder, “Those bastards deserve to be dragged out! If I ever meet them, I’ll make sure they pay! Those miserable pieces of—”

Melaine’s mouth dropped open in shock.

Seeing his innocent face, my agitated hands moved on their own. Without thinking, I grabbed Melaine by the collar.

“L-Lindel?”

“You just let them do that?! Huh?! You should’ve given them a beating!”

“B-but…”

“What do you mean, ‘but’?! You should’ve bitten their noses off!”

I shook Melaine by the collar, and he swayed helplessly.

“Tell me what they looked like right now! I’ll make sure they eat through their noses for the rest of their lives!”

-Bang!

My fist slammed down on the table again.

-Crack!

-Thud!

The old wooden table couldn’t withstand the force and collapsed to the floor, and only then did a faint sense of rationality return to me.

I was out of breath from shouting so much. As I panted, Melaine stared at me, his beautiful eyes wide open.

Silence hung between us.

And after a moment, I realized we weren’t the only ones in silence.

Everyone in the restaurant was staring at me.

As I looked around in embarrassment, I made eye contact with a waiter.

The timid-looking waiter dropped the beer glass he was holding.

-Crash!

The sound of glass shattering echoed sharply.

I realized something.

Since Melaine had been startled by my outburst, his magic had worn off.

Meaning,

Everyone here had heard my colorful language.

The man who had earlier been spreading rumors about us being thugs pointed a trembling finger at me. With his mouth that couldn’t stay shut, he spoke again:

“See? I told you, she’s the boss.”

***

The outing was a disaster.

We—or more accurately, I—were reported to the guards for property damage and promptly escorted to a cozy cell.

We were suspected of being a violent gang and almost faced a harsh interrogation, but fortunately, a guard who recognized us arrived, and we were released.

Of course, it wasn’t fortunate for me at all. I still couldn’t forget the shocked face of the guard who had looked at me.

And naturally, this news quickly made its way to the imperial palace. Which meant it had undoubtedly reached Sionel.

I might as well just die.

Staring blankly at the sky like someone who had lost everything, the rest of the group kept glancing at me.

“Um, Lady Lindel…”

“Don’t say anything.”

“Yes.”

In the heavy silence, we waited for Hasina. And for some reason, when she finally arrived, Hasina’s condition wasn’t good either.

She returned to us looking utterly drained, her soul seemingly sucked out. The others seemed puzzled by Hasina’s state, but I could easily guess why.

“…Did you lose?”

“…Yes.”

Hasina looked genuinely miserable as she lamented that she shouldn’t have believed in such a foolish dream.

“I see.”

“What about you, Lady Lindel? Why do you look like that?”

“…A lot happened.”

Hasina blinked and then nodded roughly. “It sure looks that way.”

“Haha.”

“Hahaha!”

We burst into hollow laughter with similar expressions.

People avoided us for reasons different from when we had left the palace. Specifically, they avoided Hasina and me.

“Mom, why are those ladies like that?”

“Shh! Don’t point. Let’s go quickly.”

***

After returning to the palace,

Melaine sent Lindel, who seemed to be in a daze, back and remained alone in the corridor. He turned into a deserted corner, avoiding the eyes of the humans.

He didn’t want anyone to see him in such an embarrassing state.

The events from the restaurant kept replaying in his mind. He remembered Lindel’s angry face and her fierce voice in vivid detail. Thinking about it made his face flush red once more.

‘Why… why am I so happy?’

Melaine understood his emotions more clearly than he’d like to admit.

He was happy.

He couldn’t contain his happiness.

Seeing Lindel get angry for his sake filled Melaine with overwhelming joy. At the same time, an inexplicable sadness gripped him, almost as if he were about to cry.

The two contrasting emotions overwhelmed him, so he fled to this place.

Wiping his tear-streaked face roughly, he tried to hide his expression. He was afraid someone might see his weakness.

‘I thought she’d pity me.’

Melaine already knew that Lindel wouldn’t mock or hate him.

She was a good dragon.

Lindel was the kindest and most gentle of all the dragons he had ever met. Though she was sometimes very strange.

That was why Melaine had been able to tell her about his eyes.

He had even dared to predict,

You will comfort me, won’t you? You’ll pity me.

There had been times when overly kind people would do that.

There had been those who felt sorry for Melaine and offered him a helping hand.

But honestly, he hated that kind of charity. He let it slide because it was still better than contempt and scorn.

It was both the best and the least worst option.

But today, Lindel hadn’t comforted him.

“Why would that be your fault!”

After “pity,” the words that usually followed were, “But you must endure. One day, things will be okay.”

That was always all there was.

No one had ever told him not to endure, that he should get angry.

No one had ever said that.

No one had ever told him it wasn’t his fault.

The words he’d buried quietly in his heart, Lindel spoke aloud.

“It wasn’t my fault.”

It made him endlessly happy, and equally sorrowful.

The understanding he received for the first time was so gentle, contrary to its appearance, that Melaine cried quietly.