I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 6

When I looked at my clothes that were ruined with blood, I sighed. If we were caught now, there would be another round of chaos.

It would be even more surprising if Luna, a weak-minded person, found out, because it was the first time I threw up blood since being trapped here. Of course, being caught by others was also a problem.

I got up from my seat to wipe off the blood on my hands and chin.

“Do you want me to help you?”

“It’s okay. It’ll be better to wash it off in the bathroom. Please clean up here while I wash up.”

The room was a mess because of the beautiful contract that was brought up. The curtains were loosened, the flowers were being blown by the wind and small ornaments were rolling around the floor.

In addition, the bedsheets and pillows were also scattered because of Laroque.

Laroque nodded and laughed awkwardly as I pointed at the mess.

“And put the contract back on the table.”

“Uck! Are you really going to read it all?”

“Of course.”

Laroque loathed it when I replied with a straight face. I was sick of looking at it, but I was willing to force myself to read this fraudulent contract the swindler gave me.

Laroque looked embarrassed when he realized that my words were not empty words.

“How would you be able to read it all?”

“I’ll stay up all night reading it, so give it to me. If I find anything strange, it’ll be the day of your memorial service. So look forward to it.”

Laroque avoided my eyes. He muttered that he was a strong being, but eventually took out the contract.

I didn’t go to the bathroom. I looked at him and asked,

“You’re able to take the contract out like that?”

I was wondering if it could only be taken out by flying out and filling the air, but this time the contract that was taken out was neatly organized.

“Yeah, but it’s a lot easier to take it out with the method used before.”

Laroque said this with a very shy face. I had a lot to say, but I didn’t bother to. He wasn’t normal either.

I was about to leave Laroque behind and head into the bathroom when I heard a knock from outside the door. We stared at the door frozen on the spot.

“Lindel, it’s me. Can I come in?”

“Commander?”

The person knocking was Shuline.

Laroque and my eyes met. Shuline’s sudden visit forced us to panic.

If he came in, he would see Laroque. There was no way to explain who he was and why he was here.

“Lindel?”

“Wait a moment!”

I tried to tell Laroque to leave, but he was already gone.

As expected, since the only thing he loses is a contractor. For a moment of relief, I caught sight of a thick bundle of paper lying on my bed.

‘Why would you leave it there?!’

Shuline would never ignore such a suspicious bundle of paper.

As I took the contract and looked around the room, the sound of knocking on the door urged me.

“Lindel?”

“Just a moment, please!”

I got down and laid down on the floor to tuck it under the bed. As I was hiding the contract, I heard Shuline’s voice again.

“What’s the matter?”

“Ah. No, it’s- Argh!!”

I got up in a hurry, worried that Shuline would come in. But at that moment, I felt a terrible pain in my feet.

‘Oh my gosh! M-My toe!’

My small toe banged the edge of the bed

Thanks to that, I couldn’t stand the pain and leaned forward and groaned.

As I grabbed my foot and shook it lightly without making a sound, Shuline opened the door and came inside.

“Lindel! What happened-“

Shuline, who threw open the door with a bang, somehow couldn’t speak.

Thanks to that, I held my feet and whimpered then forced my head to look up.

“O-Oh… You came in?”

I wonder how stupid I look.

I expected to see Shuline speechless and look at me like I’m pathetic.

But the face I saw wasn’t what I expected.

“…Why are you doing that?”

Shuline looked shocked rather than looking at me like I’m pathetic.

Is this your first time seeing someone hit their toe?

When I heard Shuline’s voice then, I had a strange look on my face.

At that time, I didn’t understand his intermittent trembling voice.

“Lindel…?”

“Yes?”

I must have given him such a stupid answer.

* * *

If there was anything Shuline Emfester regretted the most in his life, it was taking Lindel to the Imperial Palace.

He regretted and regretted that due to his carelessness, Lindel met the current Emperor.

And now, the regret overwhelmed him.

“Lindel.”

I couldn’t hide my trembling voice. When I opened the door, Lindel was breathing heavily and leaning against the bed.

The child’s face and clothing were covered in dried, dark, red blood. Cold sweat was all over her pale face. But it was Lindel’s trembling eyes that looked at me that pained me the most.

Lindel’s eyes showed him that she was afraid of having revealed her situation to me.

Fear. I was devastated by the fact that Lindel was afraid of me.

“You came in?”

Lindel asked me in a cautious voice. A faint smile appeared on her pale face but I was not pleased with it.

Then I heard the sound of breathing behind me. The knight who opened the door also seemed to have witnessed the current situation.

Instead of the frozen Shuline, the knight shouted that he would call the priest.

However, Shuline had to look at Lindel’s face stained with despair at that moment.

“It’s alright. Don’t call him.”

“But the blood…”

“Even if the priest comes, nothing will change. You know that, too.”

Her awkwardly smiling face was begging him not to call the priest. The two men couldn’t call the priest because of her desperate appearance.

‘Nothing will change.’

Just… How much hope had been trampled on for those words to leave Lindel’s mouth?

Many priests have looked at Lindel’s disease, but no one has found the cause so far. In the process, Lindel seemed to have been hurt. Seeing that she was afraid of even showing her condition to the priest, I couldn’t understand her feelings.

What the hell made that kid like this? I struggled to keep my distorted face expressionless.

The knight left the room saying he would bring a maid to help her instead. Only me and Lindel remained in the room.

I captured the image of Lindel with my eyes without saying anything until the knight “left.

“Lindel.”

I wanted to ask if it hurts a lot, how much, and where it hurts.

However, I couldn’t even ask her such a thing.

It was because he found the corners of Lindel’s mouth trembling slightly as soon as I opened my mouth.

“No. It’s nothing. It’s better to lie down while the maid is coming.”

Lindel stumbled as I approached to help her.

When I looked at her limping leg, Lindel looked away and tried to make excuses.

“I hit my foot on the edge of the bed.”

“Yes, I see. You did.”

What a funny excuse. I nodded forcibly, as the always confident child couldn’t even meet his gaze.

Lindel, who refused to lie down, saying she was fine, sat down on the bedside and looked at me. Which allowed me to have a glimpse of her condition.

Her pale face had thinned a lot within a week, and the amount of blood on her clothes was extraordinary.

“Does this happen often?”

TL/N: He’s asking about the blood

I tried to make my voice as calm as possible because I wanted to ask.

I wanted to shout out why this child, this poor girl, could be so sick.

“This is the first time. It’s not usually like this.”

Lindel smiled, hiding the blood on her sleeves behind her back. As if to reassure him, she pretended to be okay with an innocent face.

“It only looks bad. I’ve told you this many times. I’m really fine.”

Lindel smiled bravely.

The child was still more worried about me than her pain. In order to resist the soaring cry, I had to shut up again.

As I turned my head to hold back crying, I noticed the messy room.

Lindel, who could barely walk, couldn’t have done this.

My face hardened because I knew who was responsible for this.

‘The Emperor…!’

Before I came, I was told that the Emperor had visited Lindel’s room.

The Emperor used to treat Lindel recklessly, but I didn’t expect him to do this.

His anger left him distraught to think that perhaps the Emperor had been treating Lindel like this all along.

I didn’t want to believe that he would lock up an ill person and visit only to commit atrocities. However, the evidence before my eyes was all too clear.

Lindel quickly began to make excuses when she realized I was looking around the room.

“I-I’ve been here a long time, and I’m so tired. The room is very messy, isn’t it?

Lindel was protecting the Emperor even at this moment.

I couldn’t hide my distorted expression. This isn’t a one-sided love. This is an underdog and master relationship.

“You don’t have to hide it. You can tell me the truth.”

When I asked in a stiff voice, Lindel eventually lowered her head.

The sight forced me to bite the flesh in my mouth. Otherwise, I probably would burst out in anger right away.

I was angry at the Emperor who made Lindel like this. But I was even angrier at myself for failing to protect her.

“Lindel, are you still in love with His Majesty?”

“Yes. He is the one I cannot help but love.”

Despite being treated like this, Lindel smiled. The appearance of a child smiling at the mention of the Emperor pained me.

“But I’m not alone anymore.”

I was surprised by her following words.

“His Majesty loves me too.”

Lindel’s pale cheeks had a slight reddish tint.

When I failed to answer her unexpected remark, Lindel smiled as if she understood.

“His Majesty said that earlier. He said he loves me. It’s amazing, isn’t it, His Majesty loves me.”

Lindel raised her voice as if she was bragging. But what’s strange is that her face didn’t look just as happy.

“I’m so happy. I can’t believe he loves me.”

Lindel’s face did not look pleased. Her eyes that were fixed on the floor seemed sad.

The child seemed to think that she was smiling properly even though her forcibly lifted lips were trembling.

“Why now?”

A very small voice came out like a sigh, almost impossible to hear. These words, which she muttered to herself, were probably Lindel’s sincere feelings.

The sighing whisper made me realize. That Lindel can’t be happy.

The child was thinking that there wasn’t much time left.

I felt my feet crumbling under my grim face.

My little child was really dying.

* * *

I laughed as soon as I heard the mention of Lionel because the sudden visit of Shuline made me nervous.

It was right after I learned about Lionel’s feelings.

The situation where Lionel confessed to me wasn’t very good, but if I only looked at the climax, my heart raced. Of course, I was bound to be happy.

“His Majesty loves me too.”

I bragged to Shuline that Lionel loved me.

Speaking of which, I remembered that Shuline was a lone man who had never even been in a relationship.

‘I shouldn’t be too happy in front of you, right?’

I had very excellent social skills. I shouldn’t have sounded too boastful because I managed my facial expressions and pretended to be as calm as possible.

But I couldn’t hide my joy and bliss. My lips twitched as if I was going to burst into laughter.

But right away, Laroque’s contract came to mind.

“Why now?”

Come to think of it, this isn’t even a situation to brag about.

When I thought about Laroque and his ridiculous 1,700 paged contract, it made the back of my neck ache. My mood darkened immediately.

‘What is there to even brag about?’

It was ridiculous for me to forget reality and cheer so happily.

I sighed and raised my head in a depressed mood. My eyes met with Shuline’s, who was looking at me.

“……”

Shuline’s face was so distorted.

‘Are you upset because I bragged?’

He seemed offended by my boasts. How unlucky he was, now he was staring at me.

Shuline was angrier than I thought, glaring at me for showing off that I had been confessed to.