Will You Cry for Me If I Die? - Chapter 41
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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 41
“Are you okay?”
He asked.
“I’m fine.”
I said.
Firmly.
My ears grew a little hot.
Heat rose upward.
I hate being embarrassed.
I hate it even more in front of others.
So I walked even straighter.
Straightening my back, taking large steps.
Lermiel walked beside me, not in front.
His pace matched mine.
That distance was also a little different from yesterday.
Too close feels suffocating, too far feels anxious.
Right now it was in between.
Far enough that hands couldn’t touch, but not distant.
I made note of that in my mind.
The middle is good.
Breathing is comfortable.
At the end of the corridor, perfume came rushing in.
The air suddenly changed.
Sweet flower scent.
The inside of my nose reacted first.
But underneath that, weak metal powder.
A very thin layer of metallic smell.
I wrinkled my nose.
The bridge of my nose crinkled slightly.
Nobles were gathered ahead.
People were clustered in one place.
Large dresses, long cloaks, sparkling decorations.
They glittered in the light.
From my height, I saw legs first.
Above the waist wasn’t clearly visible.
Skirt hems swept the floor, and golden shoes sparkled.
Light bounced off every time toes moved.
Someone bent down toward me.
Coming down from above.
“Is this child that Rumel?”
I raised my head.
My eyes turned upward.
It was a lady whose eyes sparkled excessively.
That sparkle wasn’t from joy, but from hunting.
Her pupils glistened in the light.
She was smiling but it wasn’t a smiling face.
I didn’t draw out my words.
“That’s right.”
The lady smiled.
Her lips parted softly.
“Your words are quite sharp.”
I tilted my head.
I thought about the words once more.
“Sharp is good.”
I said.
But without stopping.
The lady paused briefly then burst into laughter.
The sound bounced lightly.
“Cute!”
I scowled.
My eyebrows drew together.
The word cute came out again.
It keeps repeating.
Theodor stepped forward in front of me.
His body blocked my front.
“Don’t call him cute!”
He got angry on my behalf.
His voice rose.
I looked at Theodor.
I turned my head slightly to the side.
Theodor, who cries at the drop of a hat, was shouting for me.
Yesterday his eyes were wet.
Now his eyes are firm.
It was strange.
Shouting for me was something that never happened at the Research Institute.
No one spoke on my behalf.
The lady glanced at Theodor, then looked at me again.
Her gaze came back down.
“That child must be the 3rd Prince.”
When he spoke, his lips curved up thinly.
The smile wasn’t long.
It felt sharp.
Lermiel quietly stepped forward.
His steps didn’t break.
“We’re moving to the place where the ceremony will be held.”
He said.
His voice was gentle, but the end was firm.
It finished like drawing a line.
The lady extended her hand regretfully.
Her wrist bent lightly.
“Then good luck.”
I avoided that hand.
I pulled my body back slightly.
Small powder was stuck to her fingertips.
It sparkled in the sunlight.
Crystal powder.
I instinctively stepped back.
My feet went one step backward.
Lermiel’s gaze swept over those fingertips.
But he didn’t miss it.
He blocked my path without saying a word.
His body moved in front of me.
I disliked it, yet felt somewhat relieved.
When my view was blocked, I felt less breathless.
A large door appeared at the end of the corridor.
The door grew larger and larger.
The royal crest was embedded above the door.
Gold gleamed brightly.
Light gathered there.
I thought to myself.
Briefly adding.
‘Behind this door is the stage.’
The stage is where people show their prettiest faces.
They make their surface shine brighter.
Then their real faces fall beneath their feet.
They drop down below.
I’m going to look at what’s beneath those feet.
I’ll keep my eyes downward.
The door opened.
The door panels slid to either side.
The ritual chamber was wider than the banquet hall.
The space opened up vastly.
The ceiling was higher, and there were more columns.
Columns stood in rows.
In the center was a circular dais.
The floor was hollowed out in a circle.
Patterns were carved into the dais floor.
Lines overlapped each other.
Sacred ritual patterns.
As soon as I saw them, my stomach felt a bit tight.
The inside of my chest narrowed.
It was because they were familiar shapes.
Similar lines existed on the Research Institute floor.
My breath caught in my throat.
The air wouldn’t go all the way down.
I unconsciously clenched my hands.
My fingers dug inward.
Theodor took my hand.
His hand immediately covered mine.
“Does it hurt?”
He asked.
His voice lowered.
“No.”
I answered, but my palm became damp.
Sweat rose up.
Four-year-olds sweat from their hands when nervous.
It’s hard to hide.
Disliking that, I quietly rubbed it on my sleeve.
I wiped my hand on the fabric.
The Priesthood stood in rows around the dais.
Black clothes formed a single line.
Their eyes pretended to look at the sky, but were actually scanning us.
Their gazes stayed above then dropped down.
I felt that scanning.
The feeling of skin being lightly scratched.
Invisible yet touching.
Millayen slowly walked forward.
His steps were steady.
His footsteps weren’t heavy.
The sound wasn’t loud.
Yet the floor became quiet as if acknowledging him.
The surrounding sounds settled down.
Demian followed behind him.
He matched the spacing.
Nina, Vladimir, and Yurahel also moved to their respective positions.
People whispered.
Sounds layered low.
“All four seasons have gathered.”
“Something will happen this year.”
I didn’t dislike those words.
Something stirred inside my chest.
Things happening are scary, but nothing happening is scarier.
Being stopped makes me suffocate.
If nothing happens, yesterday’s events keep hiding.
They keep moving in places unseen.
The Emperor stepped onto the dais.
His steps slowly ascended.
The Empress beside him.
Her clothes caught the light.
And behind them, Sekiel was visible.
My eyes found him first.
Splendid clothes.
There was too much light.
An unpleasant smile.
The corners of his mouth were thinly raised.
I had seen that smile at the Research Institute.
A familiar shape.
The smile that appears when viewing people as toys.
Eyes that look lightly and discard easily.
I narrowed my eyes.
I reduced my field of vision.
Lermiel stood below the dais, in the shadows.
A place where light doesn’t reach.
His position is always ambiguous.
Neither front nor back.
That ambiguity keeps him alive.
Makes him inconspicuous.
The Emperor raised his hand.
His hand went up.
“The Founding Festival ritual begins.”
His voice rang out loudly.
It filled the space.
My ears hurt.
The sound pushed its way inside.
Still, I didn’t cover my ears with my hands.
I hate acting like a baby.
I opened my eyes wider and endured it.
The High Priest stepped forward.
His steps were slow.
His hair was white, and his eyes were black.
The colors were starkly divided.
Those eyes were so black, they looked empty inside.
It felt like light couldn’t enter them.
He spoke.
His mouth barely moved.
“The sacred relic will stabilize the Empire.”
I muttered to myself.
Connecting the thought.
‘The word stabilize is usually a binding word.’
A word that makes things unable to move.
The High Priest lifted the crystal cup.
The cup caught the light.
Inside the cup was clear water.
On the surface, it was transparent.
But clear water has no smell.
It originally has no smell at all.
That water had a smell.
The inside of my nose reacted first.
A scent rose faintly.
It started like something sweet, then metal powder at the end.
Metal was thinly layered underneath.
I whispered immediately.
Only my lips moved.
“That thing.”
Theodor asked.
His eyes turned toward me.
“What?”
“The mark is in the water.”
I said.
I didn’t make my words long.
Theodor’s face hardened.
His mouth closed.
“Again?”
He asked quietly.
I nodded my head.
Definitively.
The High Priest slowly poured the cup over the pattern on the dais.
His hand tilted.
Water droplets scattered, sparkling.
They seemed to pause in mid-air for a moment.
The pattern darkened as if absorbing light, then brightened again.
Light went inside then burst back out.
I swallowed my breath.
My throat caught once.
Because my body is small, these changes in light feel bigger to me.
They come closer to my eyes.
Big people would just think it’s sparkling.
They’d think the light is pretty.
I know.
This isn’t sparkling, it’s attaching.
It sticks invisibly.
The Emperor spoke.
His voice rang out again.
“The heir of each family, step forward.”
As soon as the words fell, people moved.
Gazes gathered all at once.
People’s eyes moved.
They focused toward the front of the dais.
Summer came out first.
Vladimir stood in front of the dais with a smile.
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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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