Chapter 41
I stared into his eyes, unable to look away.
It seemed like there were no emotions in them at all.
I couldn’t understand. How could he be so calm when he was on the verge of losing the throne and possibly his life?
“Are you really going to wait until the coronation? At this rate, it might become dangerous for you.”
“I don’t care. I’m not afraid of dying. There’s no real reason for me to live.”
“Why are you saying that? Has your mind become weaker because of your illness? I told you I could cure the mana poisoning. That’s why we made the contract.”
His dark eyes calmly met mine.
He lowered his gaze slowly, and after a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice as dry and indifferent as his expression.
“Even if you cure me, I’ll die in the end. I have to die for all of this to be over.”
His voice was so emotionless that it pierced through me, sending a cold shiver down my spine.
I couldn’t find the words to reply.
I just stared at him, thinking of how his life had been filled with constant assassination attempts.
At fifteen, he had witnessed the poisoning death of his mother and the brutal stabbing of his younger sister, Princess Flora.
I couldn’t even begin to understand how it felt to be constantly targeted for death from the moment of birth.
But still… Why was he giving up without even trying to fight?
My heart felt like it was suffocating.
Aselin clenched her fists, trying to hide her frustration with a smile, as she always did. But this time was different.
This foolish prince must have decided to die just like he did in his past life, without even trying to survive in this one, too.
“Why did you make a contract with me if you’re just going to die? You asked me to cure you,” I said, my voice shaking.
His red eyes seemed to burn with intensity.
After a long silence, he answered in a voice that sounded almost indifferent.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t know why I did that.”
“…”
“I know the disease is hard to cure. So, you don’t have to try too hard.”
“Try too hard? What does that mean? Stop dodging and explain clearly.”
“It means that everyone wants me dead. I’ll just leave it to them.”
My heart sank.
In his past life, Prince Claude didn’t die because of the Second Prince, Brefni, or Alex. He died because he had no will to live.
The same person who had been so calculating, creating the R. Wade Law and leaking it to the press, as soon as I accepted the contract…
Did he really not know that the house doctor was a spy? Did he not know the poison Rachel had given him?
As I thought about it, a wave of frustration and anger welled up inside me.
Why had he asked me to cure him if he was going to die anyway?
Why did he even accept my offer?
There was no clear answer, and his words drove me mad.
The nights I had spent tirelessly working to cure Prince Claude’s illness flashed before my eyes.
Healing a patient who has no will to live is almost as impossible as resurrecting the dead.
My head spun, feeling dizzy as though I had just downed a bottle of strong liquor.
At this rate, Brefni would become the Emperor, and the first thing he would do is have Prince Claude executed for treason.
Then, if Alex, filled with resentment, attacked me…
The end would be inevitable.
I had died once in my past life, and now Alex was going to kill me in this life too?
No, I couldn’t let that happen!
I bit the inside of my cheek.
Prince Claude and I were already in the same boat.
If this ship sank, we both die together.
[If you’re engaged to someone, you should know at least where, who, and what they’re doing, right? Naturally, the thread follows the needle.]
Suddenly, Prince Claude’s words echoed in my mind.
That’s right. If you’re the thread, then I’ll become the needle from now on.
I’ll create a reason for you to live, a reason for you to exist.
Even if it takes my everything, I’ll survive. I’ll make sure of it.
I exhaled a short breath, clenching my fists tightly.
Then, I stood on tiptoe and cupped Prince Claude’s face in my hands.
His sharp eyes, like a well-sharpened blade, were briefly filled with surprise.
His handsome brows furrowed slightly, so I quickly pressed my lips to his cheek.
Chook!
It was supposed to be a soft kiss, but I must have been too tense, and it came out too hard.
The awkward silence made me exhale a hot breath.
Claude’s eyebrows shot up briefly in dissatisfaction before relaxing again.
“Explain. What did you just do?”
I hadn’t expected this kind of reaction.
Trying to boost his will to live had probably backfired.
I nervously fiddled with my fingers, glancing at him cautiously.
His face remained stiff like a statue, but his eyes seemed to hold a faint spark of life that wasn’t there before.
I considered pushing forward a little further.
“…If you didn’t like that, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. The most important thing for a patient is the will to live, you know? I thought this would be a way to implant that will.”
I laughed awkwardly to ease the tension, but then I heard his deep voice from above.
“Aselin.”
My name, rolling off his tongue, felt almost like a sweet melody.
I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of warmth, scratching my neck in response. His large finger lightly tousled my hair.
“You confuse me,” he muttered, as his gaze slowly swept over me.
His intense red eyes seemed to trap me, pulling me into an endless abyss.
It felt like I was sinking, unable to breathe as the pressure of his gaze pinned me down.
His eyes, which seemed to hold something deeper beneath the surface, suffocated me just by looking at them.
The next thing I knew, he was leaning closer, his lips brushing against mine.
And then…
The door to the room suddenly burst open.
***
Brefni carefully lifted the golden crown, his eyes gleaming with ambition.
The crown reflected his snake-like gaze.
Becoming emperor was easier than he thought.
He smirked, realizing he had wasted too much time waiting for the old man to die.
Brefni turned toward the desk where the imperial decree proving his right to the throne lay.
[Prince Brefni, sometimes you don’t just wait for things to happen. You make them happen.]
Not long ago, Alex had come to me with some cryptic words, and I thought he was just trying to get more investment. But the person he brought with him was none other than Duke Rondinella.
Everyone knew about the rumors that Duke Rondinella’s cousin sister was engaged to Prince Claude.
He had spent a lot of money spreading those rumors across the empire.
At first, I thought Duke Rondinella would naturally support the First Prince, but…
To my surprise, he wasn’t supporting him. In fact, he was so desperate to kill the First Prince that he promised to bring a dark wizard to help him.
It was hilarious. The brother was so obsessed with killing his sister’s fiancé.
