I Married the Terminally Ill Emperor - Chapter 2
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
I Married a Terminally Ill Emperor
Chapter 2
* * *
After passing through the white marble corridor and exiting through the back door, a vast back garden came into view.
Behind the back garden, tall trees that seemed to pierce the sky densely surrounded the Star Palace, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.
Her Star Palace was called the ‘Palace of Seclusion’ among the nobles.
This was because although a princess, the King’s younger sister, lived there, no one had seen her since childhood.
Those who could enter and exit the Star Palace with the King’s permission were only the maid Annie, the guard knight Cole, the Royal Physician, and a few servants who did odd jobs.
Childhood.
The day she realized that what she saw in her dreams actually happened before her eyes, a strange illness manifested as well.
An illness that made her suddenly collapse and fall asleep without any warning signs.
After the symptoms first appeared in front of her mother, Mother voluntarily chose to live in the Star Palace with her.
Though she disliked living far from the Main Palace at such a young age, after her mother’s sudden death, she chose to confine herself to the Star Palace.
Here, she didn’t need to worry about people’s gazes. She could live freely as just ‘Dahlia’ without being bound by her status as ‘Princess.’
Dahlia sat on the bench she usually favored and stared straight ahead.
The world was filled with everything she loved.
The blue sky. Fluffy white sheep-like clouds. The chirping birds sang beautifully, and the gentle breeze brushing her hair was soft.
Her spirits, which had been dampened by the long absence of outings, were gradually reviving.
If only she hadn’t had that dream, she could have lived peacefully enjoying the things she loved for the rest of her life.
The ‘future’ she was forced to see through her dreams.
After having a dream, the event would happen as quickly as the next day, or at most within a year.
* * *
Rumble crash. The sky made terrifying sounds as if it would collapse at any moment.
Though the ear-splitting noise should have startled her, she couldn’t move even a finger as if her entire body was crushed under something heavy.
She was in the same dream again.
It hurts. Every time she had this dream, pain surged from somewhere inside her body.
Dahlia tried to lift her eyelids, but her eyelashes only trembled.
“Kyaaaah.”
“Save me!”
“No. I’m scared…”
“Graaaah.”
Countless screams. Tearful pleas consumed by terror. The harsh sound of running footsteps. The roars of beasts following behind.
She wanted to cover her ears, but she had no strength to lift her hands.
Dahlia could only pray for time to pass while unable to turn away from those horrible sounds.
Then tears that had gathered in her eyes rolled down, and finally her eyelids slowly lifted.
Through her blurry vision, she could see the blue sky torn like paper.
Below it, thousands—no, what seemed like tens of thousands of pitch-black monsters were falling to the ground.
Hell.
The world was ending before her eyes.
She wanted to close her eyes again, but once opened, they wouldn’t close.
The time of destruction she had seen countless times in her dreams.
Even though it was just a dream, the helplessness of being unable to do anything was heartbreakingly sad.
If only she could know where this place was. She wanted to find some clue somehow, but only white pillars were visible in her sight.
But then it happened.
“Emperor Gray, Your Majesty…”
A man’s sobbing voice could be heard.
This was the first time she had heard words like this other than screams in the repeatedly recurring dream.
Dahlia was startled and wanted to turn her gaze, but the man’s voice she was hearing for the first time was outside her field of vision.
“If only Your Majesty had gotten married…”
Marriage? Gray—isn’t that the name of the Emperor of Ruusephon Empire?
What does the emperor’s marriage have to do with the world ending?
“It wouldn’t have come to this…”
Wait, wait. The world’s destruction is because the emperor couldn’t get married?
Why? What does the world’s destruction have to do with the emperor’s marriage?
Dahlia wanted to ask the person if she had heard correctly, but as always in dreams, she couldn’t move as she wished.
“Ugh. If only he had gotten married…”
* * *
“Hey there!”
Dahlia cried out desperately as she jerked her head up.
At the same time, white petals fell gently before her eyes like snowflakes.
With drowsy eyes still not free from sleepiness, she looked at the petals piled up on her nightgown, then raised her gaze.
Princess Rose’s dedicated maid stood there with an apologetic expression.
“Kyahahaha.”
The culprit who had placed petals one by one on her head while she slept on the bench burst into clear laughter from afar.
When she turned her head, Princess Rose’s round back looked adorable.
If there was a crystallization of loveliness, wouldn’t it be that child?
But if the world was going to end, what would happen to that child? What about that child’s future?
Tears welled up in her eyes as her breath caught. Her chest burned, and her palms became clammy with sweat.
Her dreams became reality.
After the day she failed to prevent her mother’s death, she realized she couldn’t change her dreams. So she had lived accepting them.
In truth, it was giving up.
But wasn’t the world’s destruction going too far?
For several days, she had locked herself in her room, denying the terrible future, despairing, and then reluctantly giving up and accepting it.
But today was different. She had heard it in her dream.
The words that if only the emperor got married, the world wouldn’t end.
Could she really change it?
“Dahlia Auntie, can’t you find me?”
Rose, hidden in the bushes, called out cutely.
Dahlia clenched her fists while looking at Rose’s back. If she did nothing and gave up like this, that child would have no future.
Dahlia’s purple eyes shone with determination. Let me try just this once.
‘Just this once, let me change it. Even if I can’t change other futures, please let me change at least the world’s destruction!’
Dahlia prayed desperately to God.
Rose peeked her head out from behind the bushes to steal glances at her, then quickly hid again when their eyes met.
Did she think that hiding just her face would conceal that protruding bottom?
Dahlia’s gaze, which had been warmly watching that adorable sight, hardened again.
She had to get the emperor married.
She didn’t know why or for what reason the emperor had to marry to prevent the world’s destruction, but she had to get the emperor married before finding out the reason.
At most, there was one year until the dream became reality.
At the shortest, it could be tomorrow.
“Dahlia Auntie. Hurry up and find me!”
When Dahlia didn’t come looking for her right away like usual, Rose pleaded in her adorable voice.
“Grroowwwl- Where is our Princess Rose?”
Dahlia spread both hands wide and imitated a wolf.
“Kyahehehe.”
Rose burst into clear laughter, then could be seen running away on her short legs with quick little steps.
Dahlia pretended to look around searching for Rose while taking in the sight of Rose’s cute little figure from behind.
Every time she woke from dreams of the world’s destruction, she felt despair day after day. She had holed herself up in her room, terrified of the future that was to come.
But for the first time, she had found a clue.
As Dahlia chased after Rose, her chest swelled with rising hope.
To protect the future that child would live in, she would accomplish anything.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————