The Obsessive Male Lead Is Obsessed With Me! - Chapter 143

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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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Episode 143

‘I must meet with him today.’

For the past six days, the Pope had continuously tried to meet with the Emperor, but he was unable to meet with the Emperor due to the excuse that the Emperor’s health was poor.

The promised week would end today. If he couldn’t persuade the Emperor today, he wouldn’t be able to bring Nicole to the temple.

Therefore, the Pope set foot in the Imperial Palace with the determination that he would not return to the temple today unless he saw the Emperor’s face.

“I apologize, Your Holiness the Pope. It’s not an excuse, but truly His Majesty the Emperor’s health is poor…”

“Has he been unable to regain consciousness all day?”

“That’s not the case. However, he cannot get out of bed.”

“It’s fine even if he’s lying in bed. I just have something I want to ask His Majesty the Emperor briefly, so please go and ask him.”

“It might take a long time. Would that still be alright?”

“Yes. I can wait until nightfall.”

As if it wasn’t empty words, the Pope began burning incense he had prepared in advance and started praying with a rosary wrapped around his hands.

The Maid Manager, who had come out to greet the Pope in place of the Emperor, watched this scene with a somewhat troubled expression before returning to the Emperor’s bedchamber.

Right after the Former Empress exposed the truth about the rebellion, Nicole had made an antidote, but Cayen refused to take the medicine she made, saying he couldn’t trust it.

So today as well, he had coughed up blood and collapsed from morning, and had barely regained consciousness just a moment ago.

“Your Majesty the Emperor. Please excuse me for a moment.”

“What is it?”

The Emperor’s appearance, having visibly lost weight over the past few days, had become so emaciated that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was just skin and bones.

Even so, only his eyes remained fiercely alive, which somehow made his presence feel unsettling.

The Maid Manager bowed his head deeply, avoiding his gaze to hide such personal impressions.

“His Holiness the Pope has personally come, saying he has words to convey to Your Majesty the Emperor.”

“He came again?”

“Yes… It seemed like he wouldn’t return today unless he could see Your Majesty.”

To the Maid Manager asking what to do, Cayen let out a snickering laugh.

“After daring to humiliate the Imperial Family by joining hands with Nicole, now he has something to say? Why? Does he want to kneel before me and apologize?”

“I don’t know that much. He just said he absolutely must see Your Majesty.”

“What reason could the Pope have for absolutely needing to see me…”

The only thing that came to mind right now was something related to the oracle. With all this chaos in the capital, surely word had reached the Pope’s ears that there was someone else who was the real owner of the oracle.

Perhaps the Pope had known that fact from the beginning and had smuggled Cecilia away while pushing Nicole into the Imperial Palace.

‘…Right. There’s no way the Pope, of all people, wouldn’t have known who the real owner of the oracle was.’

The moment he reached that conclusion, anger surged to the top of his head.

If it weren’t for them, his Empress would have been Cecilia!

‘No, wait. Hold on.’

“You said the Pope is waiting for me right now?”

“Yes. He said he absolutely must see Your Majesty today and that he could wait until nightfall.”

“Until nightfall…?”

One corner of Cayen’s mouth curled upward.

“Even though she’s not a priest, the fact that she’s receiving long-term care at the Central Temple means she’s under His Holiness the Pope’s protection.”

“Sending Imperial Knights to bring someone under His Holiness the Pope’s protection without clear reason has a high possibility of developing into a conflict between the Imperial Family and the Temple.”

So, the Pope being here meant there was no one at the temple right now to protect Cecilia, didn’t it?

“You, go and tell the Pope this. I’m not feeling well right now so I can’t meet immediately, but I think I can spare some time, even if briefly, in a few hours.”

“But to make His Holiness the Pope wait that long…”

“Wasn’t it he himself who said he would wait first? If he says he wants to return early, you must detain him by any means necessary. Understood?”

‘By any means necessary.’

At the Emperor’s emphasized words, the Maid Manager swallowed his dry saliva. If he failed to properly carry out what the Emperor ordered, he would face severe punishment.

“I will obey your command.”

After the Maid Manager, who had bowed deeply, went outside, Cayen summoned the Imperial Knights this time.

“This is an imperial command. You are to go immediately to the Central Temple and bring back Cecilia who is staying there.”

“Pardon?”

“But at the Central Temple…”

“Currently, the Pope is not there. So there will be no one who can stop you from following the imperial command.”

Cayen kept his gaze fixed on an ambiguous spot next to the Imperial Knights, not on them directly, as he pulled up the corner of his mouth.

“Understood? You must bring her here. Without a single injury, gently.”

“…Yes. We understand.”

Not following an imperial command issued by the Emperor was tantamount to treason.

The Emperor said to bring her, but what they had to do was drag an innocent noblewoman to the Imperial Palace.

‘The real owner of the oracle… Even if she’s a Grand Duchess now, it’s right for her to become Empress.’

There was no way the Imperial Knights wouldn’t know the rumors that all the people in the capital knew. They rationalized the command they were about to carry out in this way and went outside.

And the Emperor called the maids to prepare a room for the new Empress.

“A new Empress… do you mean?”

“Yes. Since she was originally a Duke’s daughter, ordinary things won’t satisfy her eyes. Fill the room with the most expensive, highest quality items. Understood?”

The maids showed noticeably bewildered expressions, but they didn’t enter Cayen’s field of vision. His eyes were fixed elsewhere.

‘Cai.’

The hazy apparition was smiling at him.

He knew this was an apparition. Nevertheless, Cayen could smile.

Soon he would be able to hold the real Cecilia in his arms.

* * *

It was also the seventh day of staying at the temple.

In other words, today was also the last day promised to His Holiness the Pope.

‘It seems like he’s been going to the Imperial Palace all week…’

I didn’t go ask separately, but His Holiness the Pope seemed to be turned away at the door every time he went to the Imperial Palace.

Actually, it wasn’t such a surprising thing.

The capital was already bustling with talk about who the real owner of the oracle was, and then the bomb of a false rebellion dropped, so there was no way the Imperial Palace that threw that bomb would be peaceful.

“What do you think, Lionel?”

“About what?”

The small garden in front of His Holiness the Pope’s prayer room.

Thanks to His Holiness the Pope’s consideration, this place had somehow become our exclusive space for just the two of us, and I was giving Lionel, who was lying straight on a mat we had spread, a lap pillow.

“Do you think His Holiness the Pope will really succeed in making the Emperor and Empress divorce?”

“It would be impossible.”

Lionel’s answer came immediately.

I blinked in surprise at his words spoken without any consideration.

“Why do you assert that so definitively? Maybe it could be possible.”

“My brother hates following other people’s words. For example, if someone tells him to wear black clothes, he’s the type to wear white clothes. Even if he had been thinking of wearing black clothes himself until then.”

In other words, he was like a contrarian. Thinking he was really an unpleasant type to deal with, I frowned.

“Then wouldn’t it be better to tell him to live happily ever after with Her Majesty the Empress, and he’d divorce immediately?”

“He might divorce, but conversely, he might also kill the Empress.”

“Ah.”

“His Holiness the Pope will ultimately fail to achieve what he wants.”

That calm voice contained certainty.

“Then why did you give His Holiness the Pope a week?”

If he was certain the Emperor wouldn’t divorce, he would have known from the beginning that this week was just a waste of time, right?

“Because I needed time to prepare for the one-in-a-million chance.”

“One-in-a-million chance…”

I thought I knew what he meant.

It must be preparation of force in case the Emperor didn’t step down quietly.

‘I had monitored and tracked his location so closely because I was worried this person might secretly prepare a rebellion behind my back.’

In the end, the day came when he would boldly prepare a rebellion right in front of me like this.

I thought I really never knew what would happen in life.

“So if His Holiness the Pope returns today without any results…”

“The preparations are all finished. There’s no need to waste time meaninglessly anymore.”

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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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