Will You Cry for Me If I Die? - Chapter 23

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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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Chapter 23

“Very blatant.”

Blatant?

That means they have no intention of hiding it.

Why?

Then Demian, who had been wearing a strange smile, took out the pendant.

His fingertips were careful.

“Shall I read it?”

He handed me the folded paper from inside.

His voice continued low.

I read clearly.

Snow melts.

But spring does not come.

I chewed over the sentence.

Rolled it slowly in my mouth.

The meaning is off.

The lines don’t match.

When snow melts, spring comes.

The flow continues.

But it doesn’t come.

It’s cut off.

I raised my head.

My gaze went up.

“A threat?”

I asked briefly.

Demian didn’t answer immediately.

His eyes sank for a moment.

Theodor asked anxiously.

His hand gripped the doll tighter.

“Is it something bad?”

I spoke slowly.

I lowered the pace.

“A warning.”

“What kind of warning would it be?”

Demian’s gaze turned toward me.

It continued gently.

I pointed outside the window.

My hand moved slowly.

“Snow.”

Then I pointed to my wrist.

My skin was exposed.

“Melts.”

Theodor had a face that didn’t understand.

His eyes opened wide.

“Why is the snow you?”

I took a short breath.

My chest rose slightly.

Snow is cold.

I was raised coldly.

Snow breaks when stepped on.

I died several times.

Cut off and reconnected.

“Snow is winter.”

I said.

Spoke clearly.

“Winter is us.”

Demian’s eyes narrowed.

The light diminished.

“And spring does not come.”

He added in a low voice.

The words continued quietly.

I nodded my head.

Moved briefly.

Spring is the Ryu Family.

A different flow.

Mother who is sealed.

She doesn’t move.

She hasn’t opened her eyes yet.

I stared intently at the pendant.

And Demian told me about their sealed mother and the second prince Yurahel, who protects the Spring Clan as one who inherited mother’s power in place of mother.

“Yurahel?”

I asked briefly.

“You think that demon is doing this!”

Demian reacted immediately.

His head moved right away.

“It’s too early to conclude that.”

He gently blocked it.

“No.”

I shook my head.

I denied it immediately.

“It’s not that person.”

“Why do you think that?”

Demian asked.

His words continued low.

“I saw the eyes.”

I answered briefly.

“The eyes?”

I recalled the black cloak.

The form was clear.

Eyes that appraise value.

The lines moved.

Those eyes calculate.

They measure numbers.

This letter has no emotion.

The flow is dry.

The sentences are the same.

They’re cut off.

“An experiment.”

I muttered.

The sound was low.

Theodor’s eyes widened.

His breathing quickened slightly.

“Another experiment?”

I didn’t answer.

No words came out.

Demian picked up the pendant.

His hand slowly rose.

“It would be better not to wear this.”

His words were smoothly arranged.

I nodded my head.

A short movement.

“Right.”

Then urgent footsteps echoed from the corridor.

The rhythm was fast.

The aide entered, catching his breath.

His shoulders rose slightly.

“The Lord is looking for the young master.”

Demian stood up from his seat.

The chair slid quietly.

“Rumel.”

He looked at me.

His gaze lowered.

“Let’s go together.”

His words flowed smoothly.

I stood up immediately.

My body moved first.

“Going.”

Theodor jumped up.

The chair swayed slightly.

“Me too!”

His voice burst out.

Demian hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

His eyes went down briefly, then back up.

“Let’s go quietly.”

He said softly.

“Yes!”

Theodor answered immediately.

We headed to Millayen’s office.

On the way, Demian spoke to me.

“Rumel. Did you hear that father has registered you in the noble registry as Ikaros’s youngest?”

“Noble registry?”

“Yes. It’s necessary because of the holy relic, and we wanted it too. But there wasn’t much time, so it seems he couldn’t ask if you wanted it.”

Snowman leader Millayen is busy.

I understood only that there was no time because of that. That was all.

“Noble? I am.”

“There was some noise from a rather tactless family, but we covered that part appropriately to hide your identity. We said we found a lost child.”

Demian grinned.

“Now I should call you Rumel Ikaros.”

“I’m No. 1! And Rumel!”

“Of course, when calling you, I’ll call you Rumel.”

The corridor stretched long.

The overlapping footsteps became amusing for no reason.

When I hummed, Demian laughed softly.

When the door opened, there was an unfamiliar man standing inside.

The atmosphere changed.

Black uniform.

The lines were sharp.

Royal insignia.

Light reflected off it.

I held my breath.

My chest stopped briefly.

He bowed his head.

The movement was precise.

“I am an Imperial Envoy.”

His voice was polite.

On the surface, the flow was smooth.

But his eyes were different.

Something moved beneath the surface.

As soon as I saw those eyes, I knew.

It was faster than expected.

Those eyes I saw at the market yesterday.

They weren’t blurry.

The same.

The same lines.

The same calculation.

The speed of measuring value was the same.

The same expressionlessness.

No emotion attached.

I grabbed Demian’s sleeve.

My fingers pressed against the fabric.

“That guy.”

He tilted his head slightly.

The movement was small.

I whispered low.

I reduced my voice further.

“Eyes.”

Millayen’s gaze swept over me.

For a moment, he said nothing.

The Imperial Envoy spoke.

“Before the founding festival, I have come to extend an official invitation to your family.”

The sentence continued at length.

I observed the movement of his lips.

Unbroken.

Invitation.

Official.

The framework was set.

He continued the sentence smoothly.

His breathing was steady.

“Especially to Miss Rumel Ikaros.”

My name came up.

The air suddenly became thin.

I drew in a breath.

My chest rose slightly.

“Why?”

Why would he call me Rumel ‘Ikaros’? Why?

The air in the room suddenly solidified.

Movement stopped.

The messenger smiled briefly.

Only his lips curved upward.

“His Imperial Majesty has shown great interest in that strange ability to track sacred objects.”

The words were softly wrapped.

I narrowed my eyes.

I reduced my field of vision.

Interest.

Strange.

Appraisal.

Classification.

He looked me over again from top to bottom.

His gaze slowly descended.

I stood there as I was.

I didn’t move.

I didn’t run away.

I didn’t hide.

I didn’t conceal anything.

“I am No. 1.”

I spoke clearly and distinctly.

I delivered each word separately.

“Not a spectacle.”

The air in the room became even colder.

An invisible line was drawn taut.

Millayen slowly stood up.

The chair was quietly pushed back.

His shadow stretched long.

It blocked the light.

“Our child is not a spectacle.”

His voice was low and firm.

There was no wavering.

Hearing those words, I gripped my wrist once more.

My fingers pressed into the flesh.

Snow melts.

But spring does not come.

That sentence echoed in my head again.

It repeated.

I organized my thoughts internally.

I aligned the flow.

The invitation would be a trap.

* * *

After Millayen’s words fell, the Imperial Envoy’s smile froze very thinly.

The line wavered slightly.

He bowed his head even deeper.

The angle dropped further.

“Of course. Not a spectacle, but the center of blessing.”

The words were wrapped again.

I disliked those words even more.

My insides reacted first.

Blessing was always used like a blade at the Research Institute.

A bad tool wrapped in good words.

Make them come close, then bind them.

Demian took half a step to shield me.

His body moved naturally.

From behind his back, I continued to watch the messenger’s eyes.

I didn’t break eye contact.

The messenger didn’t avoid my gaze.

He didn’t waver.

Those eyes spoke.

The message was conveyed without sound.

You have already been calculated.

Your value has been determined.

Millayen asked in a low voice.

His voice stuck to the floor.

“Did you only come to deliver an invitation?”

The messenger raised his hand and took out an envelope.

His movement was precise.

It bore the Royal House emblem.

Gold light spread thinly.

I caught a very faint scent of cold wind from the envelope.

My nose reacted first.

Cold.

A dry smell.

I twitched my nose.

It moved briefly.

The messenger placed the envelope on the desk.

There was almost no sound.

And then he spoke.

His breathing was steady.

“This invitation is not directed only at this family.”

The sentence stretched long.

When Millayen stared without responding, the messenger continued.

His gaze didn’t waver.

“All direct descendants of your family, and also those under your family’s protection.”

Those under protection?

The word immediately caught my ear.

The meaning quickly attached itself.

As soon as I heard that word, my heart sank slightly.

My insides dropped once.

Theodor opened his eyes wide and asked.

His mouth opened slightly.

“The people we protect have to come too?”

The words burst out quickly.

The messenger smiled and nodded.

The movement was smooth.

“That’s correct.”

Millayen’s finger tapped once on the desk.

A short, solid sound.

A rhythmic echo.

“Why did the Emperor set that range.”

His voice dropped low.

The messenger didn’t hesitate.

He continued immediately.

“He wishes to confirm the power your family possesses.”

The sentence didn’t waver.

I exhaled.

It escaped briefly.

Confirmation.

Confirmation again.

The same word.

A word the Research Institute loved.

A word that determined endings.

Demian spoke in a low voice.

His voice came down quietly.

“Can we refuse?”

The words flowed smoothly.

The messenger smiled.

“If you wish to, of course. However, you should keep in mind that public scrutiny might become a bit sharper.”

It was a very polite yet arrogant statement.

—————
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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