I Married the Terminally Ill Emperor - Chapter 24
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I Married a Terminally Ill Emperor
Chapter 24
“Ah…”
Suddenly, an ominous premonition struck her. Fear settled in Dahlia’s violet eyes. Today shouldn’t be the day.
With an anxious heart, Dahlia hurriedly ran toward where Lemon was. As she pushed through the bushes, she heard a noisy sound from beside her.
Splash, splash.
When she turned her gaze to the lake, she saw white hands flailing in the water.
Today was… the right day.
Dahlia hurriedly turned around and looked in the direction where the Emperor had disappeared. Should she follow them now and ask the Emperor for help?
“Help me…”
But the child’s frail voice held her feet in place.
What about that child if she got lost while going to the Emperor? Could she catch up to them with her own steps when they had already disappeared far away?
The fear that someone might die before her eyes made her mind tangled like a mess of thread.
Dahlia shook her head vigorously and slapped both her cheeks hard.
Get it together. Focus on what you can do now.
She first examined her outfit. If she entered the water wearing this flowing dress, she would sink.
Dahlia quickly unfastened the dress buttons while looking up at the sky.
“Lemon, you know Emperor Gray, right? He just left here. Bring them back.”
Chirp chirp.
Lemon nodded as if understanding, then flew far away.
After taking off her dress, Dahlia took out Princess Rose’s letter that she always kept in her pocket and placed it under a stone so it wouldn’t blow away.
Then, wearing only her thin chemise, she quickly surveyed the surroundings and gathered fallen tree branches, tying them together with her dress.
Splash, splash.
The child was still repeatedly surfacing and sinking in the water.
Dahlia took a deep breath and moved forward, holding the tree branches tied with her dress tightly in her arms.
The cold lake water touched her toes. It was chilling and gave her goosebumps. Her body naturally stiffened.
So Dahlia slapped her cheek hard with one hand.
Smack!
A sharp pain rushed through her as if her mouth had burst. After forcibly suppressing her fear with pain, her feet began to move again.
The rippling blue water wrapped around her ankles. As she slowly moved forward, the water soon rose to her chest.
Dahlia tried not to look down, fixing her gaze on the child’s pale face.
But when her toes could no longer touch the bottom, her vision went dark for a moment.
Dahlia bit the inside of her lips painfully. She pushed away her fear with the sharp pain and the taste of hot blood spreading in her mouth.
Fortunately, as expected, the tree branches tied with her dress floated and kept her body afloat.
I just need to get these branches to the child.
Dahlia took a deep breath and focused all her attention on the face of the child who was still struggling.
She carefully moved one arm to push through the water. Her body remembered the swimming she had learned as a child, and she moved forward.
The sound of the child’s struggling gradually grew closer.
I can do this. I have to succeed. How can I save the world if I can’t even save one child?
Dahlia kept repeating to herself as she cut through the water.
Just a little closer.
“Help me…”
The child’s voice came from right in front of her.
Dahlia pushed the branches toward the child.
When the struggling child grabbed the branches, they sank deep underwater.
At that moment, her balance was broken as she held the opposite end of the branches.
Dahlia was startled and let go of the branches.
“Ah…”
In her momentary panic, she opened her mouth and swallowed water. Her vision went dark, and the fear she had suppressed deep in her chest began to rear its head and claw at her.
Caught in fear and struggling, she swallowed water more frequently.
“Ugh…”
She couldn’t breathe and her vision became dizzy. Her tensed body began to sink.
Opening her eyes slightly in the dark blue water, she caught a glimpse of the child hanging onto the branches.
Thank goodness. This time I can save them.
Dahlia felt as if she was sinking endlessly downward forever.
Deeper, even deeper.
It’s cold. Mother. It’s too cold underwater.
Dahlia slowly closed her eyes.
* * *
Emperor Gray walked with a thoughtful expression.
He had known that the Pink Flower Field Lady was afraid of water even before she revealed it herself.
The moment her purple eyes touched the lake, he could see her small shoulders trembling slightly. She clasped her hands tightly and tried her best not to look at the lake.
Why did she insist on going to the lake when she was so terrified?
Judging by how she busily looked around, her words about looking for something were true.
“Oh.”
Then, Oreon, who had been leading the way, suddenly stopped in place. It was because a small branch had fallen on his head.
Ethan clicked his tongue low as if wondering why he was making such a fuss over a branch.
Oreon walked again with an embarrassed expression, but suddenly a gust of wind blew and a leaf stuck right to his face.
“The trees really like me, don’t they?”
Oreon grumbled as he peeled the leaf from his face and took a step, but another strong wind blew.
The dry leaves on the ground rode the wind and spun around.
The wind and leaves circled around them, blocking their path.
As if telling them to stop.
“Why is the wind suddenly blowing like this? It’s as if it’s telling us not to go… Where are you going? Your Majesty!”
Oreon’s rambling changed when the Emperor suddenly turned back the way they came.
An ominous premonition flashed through him. He should have brought her along, even if he had to drag her.
Emperor Gray quickened his pace while chewing over his late regret.
He could feel Ethan quickly catching up beside him from behind.
Oreon also followed frantically, shouting loudly.
“Your Majesty! Why are you suddenly running? Huff, huff.”
Running? Me?
Emperor Gray questioned himself but didn’t slow down.
As soon as he pushed through the long branches and arrived at the previous location, he looked around.
No one was there.
Oreon, who arrived last, was breathing heavily.
“Huff, huff. Lady Hudran has already left-“
“Quiet!”
The moment Ethan urgently stopped Oreon’s words, Emperor Gray and Ethan, who had grasped the situation, locked eyes.
The two men rushed toward the direction of the sound.
Splash, splash.
When they looked toward the lake, they saw Viviana clutching the tied branches.
Next to her, they could see the Pink Flower Field Lady’s pink hair gradually sinking below the water’s surface.
Emperor Gray’s vision went dark instantly, his breath caught, and he clutched his throat.
“Princess!”
Gray, who barely came to his senses at Oreon’s shout, immediately threw off his jacket. Ethan was already throwing his sword and jacket together.
Gray and Ethan simultaneously jumped into the lake.
Ethan quickly headed toward the Princess, while Gray pushed his head underwater to find the young lady who had sunk below the surface.
Why? Why on earth? How could a woman who’s afraid of water enter the water?
He frantically searched for her but couldn’t see her.
Gray surfaced again to catch his breath, then dove down once more.
Deeper, much deeper.
In that moment, he saw someone floating alone in the dark water like the night sky, glowing white.
Gray stretched his hand toward her with all his might. Her small, white hand, pushed by the water’s pressure, seemed just within reach.
He caught her.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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