I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 7

Schrein seemed to be sulking over my bragging, as he didn’t say another word after that. I, in turn, remained quiet, sensing his discomfort. An awkward silence settled between us, but it was soon interrupted when the door suddenly swung open without a knock.

Though startled by the loud noise, I was glad someone had come to break the tense atmosphere. The ones who entered were Luna and a knight.

However, my relief was short-lived. Luna’s face was soaked with tears.

“Miss Lindeeeeel!”

As soon as Luna spotted me, she burst into sobs, wailing loudly. While I expected her to be worried, I hadn’t anticipated her crying this much.

Even the maid who had cared for me since childhood didn’t cry this pitifully. Then again, that maid had never liked me, as she worked for my father. But Luna, on the other hand, didn’t have any particular reason to care for me, so her concern was surprising.

I figured her young age made her more emotionally sensitive.

“Luna, stop crying. I’m fine.”

“Don’t tell me you’re fine! How could this possibly be fine?!”

I had only opened my mouth to soothe her, but she suddenly yelled in response, leaving me taken aback. Then Luna collapsed onto the bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Our poor Miss Lindel! What are we supposed to do? Coughing up blood like this… it’s too much…!”

Her words trailed off into incomprehensible wails, leaving me feeling overwhelmed. Even though I was perfectly fine, Luna’s sobbing tugged at my heartstrings.

Though I hadn’t known her for long, her sincere concern for me was touching.

‘Luna…!’

I had been too preoccupied with my own troubles to pay much attention to her, but now I was determined to treat her well from now on.

But that warm sentiment was quickly shattered by what she said next.

“Why do you always insist that you’re fine? I already know everything!”

“You know? Know what?”

“I didn’t understand it at first. I was foolish, just like you intended. I didn’t realize anything.”

I was completely baffled by her words. What did she mean by ‘what I intended’? Since I arrived here, all I’d done was eat, sleep, and laze around.

Raising herself from where she had been lying on the bed, Luna dramatically exclaimed, “I used to think you were just an idle noble, a loafer! Like a fool, I thought that of you, Miss Lindel!”

“A loafer?”

“You always moved so lazily, picking at your food and staring blankly into space. I was disappointed that you were nothing like the rumors about the tragic genius.”

Every word Luna spoke hit me like an arrow.

Was I really that pathetic in her eyes? I began to feel a bit of self-pity. But something else she said bothered me.

The tragic genius? When did I ever get such a weird nickname?

“What do you mean, ‘the tragic genius’—?”

But Luna wasn’t finished yet.

“But!”

“No, really, that nickname is a little—”

“But now I understand everything!”

Luna looked at me with an overly intense, sorrowful gaze.

***

Luna Valentine was an imperial maid who had been recognized for her competence at a young age. Her role was to attend to Lindel Bodebachne personally.

She had been assigned to this position partly due to her abilities but also because Lindel had become reclusive, avoiding people. Luna, who had no prior relationship with Lindel, was chosen as her attendant.

Lindel Bodebachne was a famous figure, having become the youngest deputy captain of the Imperial Guard and raising a powerless prince to the throne.

Everyone in the empire knew of her, but it wasn’t just for those reasons.

Lindel was also known for her unrequited love.

The genius knight, respected by so many, was famous for her hopeless love toward the emperor. But Lindel’s misfortunes didn’t end there.

She was afflicted with an incurable disease.

The strong knight gradually grew weaker from a mysterious illness until, unable to even hold a sword, she tried to leave quietly, without telling anyone. People pitied the tragic knight who remained dignified to the end.

When Luna first learned that she would be attending to this unfortunate woman, she was bewildered.

In the palace, where survival depended on constant vigilance, being assigned to someone who attracted so much attention was unnerving. Moreover, Lindel was a noble.

After becoming deputy captain of the Imperial Guard, Lindel had been granted the title of count by the emperor—a rare honor. Receiving a title through merit rather than inheritance was no small feat, and even more so as a count, rather than a mere baron or viscount.

Luna was intimidated by her for this reason.

However, when she met Lindel in person, she was not what Luna had expected.

“Give me your hand.”

“W-What?”

“There’s no need to be so nervous. Just give me your hand for a moment.”

This happened while Luna was helping Lindel with her meal.

Lindel was always quiet and rarely spoke to Luna.

Usually sitting with her pale face, Lindel finally spoke to Luna for the first time during this moment.

Nervously, Luna extended her trembling hands.

Usually, when someone asked for your hands like this, it meant a whipping was coming. Luna was terrified.

But instead of a whip, Lindel wrapped her wrist gently with a soft cloth.

“You’ve injured your wrist. If you keep using it like this, it’ll only get worse.”

With gentle hands, Lindel bandaged her wrist, smiling faintly.

“You’ve done enough for me. Now take a rest. I’m grateful for all your help.”

That morning, Luna had been shoved by other maids on her way to collect the laundry. Being from a commoner background, she was often bullied by the noble-born maids, so this wasn’t anything new.

But when she fell, she had injured her wrist. No one else cared about the injury of a lowly maid.

Yet Lindel, with her distant demeanor, had noticed Luna’s injury right away.

Luna was flustered.

From that day on, Luna paid closer attention to Lindel.

Until then, Luna had thought Lindel seemed like a bit of a loafer.

She always moved lazily, waking up late, picking at her food, and sitting idly in silence.

Though her face was pale, she didn’t seem that sick.

Luna was confused.

Lindel had shown concern for her injury and seemed kind, but she didn’t match the tragic rumors surrounding her. Despite what people said, she didn’t seem like someone who was about to die. There was no sorrow in her demeanor.

But one night, Luna saw Lindel staring quietly out the window.

Her blank gaze fixed on the stars in the night sky, the same detached look in her black eyes as always, but somehow it seemed sad under the cloak of darkness.

Unconsciously, Luna had opened her mouth to speak.

“Do you need anything? If you can’t sleep, I could bring you some wine.”

“Need anything?”

Lindel responded softly, without taking her eyes off the stars.

“I’m not sure.”

At that moment, Luna had the strange feeling that Lindel might disappear.

Though Lindel was standing right in front of her, it felt like she was somewhere far away, unreachable.

“The night air is chilly. You’re not well—you should rest.”

“I’m not sick.” Lindel sighed softly. “How could I be sick?”

“Miss Lindel?”

“Luna. People only hear what they want to hear. They don’t want to know the truth—they only believe what they see. It’s foolish, but I can’t blame them.”

Lindel smiled faintly, her expression filled with pain. “Because it’s all my fault.”

“That’s not true. I don’t know what’s going on, but everyone is worried about you, Miss Lindel.”

“I know. They’re good people.”

Lindel’s voice was as faint as her smile.

“I’d be happy if I could stay with them longer.”

At that moment, Luna realized something.

Lindel was preparing to die.

Her vacant expression, which Luna had thought was simply detached, was filled with sadness upon closer inspection. The eyes that seemed to be staring into space were likely thinking of her loved ones.

She didn’t seem sick because she had been trying not to look sick. She had been hiding her pain to keep those she loved from being sad.

Luna felt her throat tighten. Tears welled up as she realized Lindel was preparing to leave.

“Miss Lindel, you’ll be okay.”

Luna’s voice trembled, filled with uncertainty.

Why was the sky so cruel as to take someone so kind? There were so many bad people in the world—why did it have to be Miss Lindel?

Despite Luna’s wavering voice, Lindel answered kindly, “Yes, I’ll be fine.”

With a face that said otherwise, Lindel smiled.

***

“You weren’t moving much because of the pain. I can’t imagine how much you must have suffered. Your stomach must be in terrible shape if you can’t even eat. You’ve been pretending to be okay this whole time just so I wouldn’t worry.”

In truth, I had been lazy. After quitting as a knight, there wasn’t much to do. As for the food, it wasn’t fair to blame me for that. The bland, tasteless meals for the sick were enough to kill anyone’s appetite.

“You weren’t eating because your stomach was ruined?”

Schrein, who had been silently listening, finally chimed in, sounding remorseful.

I couldn’t help but respond with a hint of sarcasm. “No, it was just tasteless.”

Schrein looked at me with a sad expression, as if he didn’t believe me. I had no idea why he was looking at me like that when I was telling the truth.

“You were always staring into space, but you were really thinking of your loved ones, weren’t you?”

No, I had just been zoning out.

With nothing to do, I often found myself lost in thought.

The knight standing nearby tried to stifle a sob, covering his mouth.

“It wasn’t anything like that, so don’t cry.”

“And yet you always pretended to be fine.”

Tears rolled down Luna’s cheeks once more.

“You only ever cared about others.”

“Ugh!”

As if in response to Luna’s words, the knight turned his back and let out a sob, his shoulders shaking pitifully.

“What are you all talking about? I never did any of that. You’re misunderstanding things, Luna.”

Realizing this was getting out of hand, I quickly refuted Luna’s words. The knight was already crying, so I turned to Schrein, hoping to clear things up with him.

But his eyes, too, were filled with tears.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

My voice came out sharper than I intended.