Translator: thursdays Editor: Yahiko PR: LightBrin
I’m happy to be with you.
It would be an exaggeration to say I lived this life just to meet you, but it isn’t a lie to say I’ll live for you. What a relief. I could say that without a single lie.
“Are you crying again?”
I could be that sort of person.
“Let’s make a promise.”
I could be a person who cares for someone.
“Say it. I want to hear you.”
“When the other person is obviously crying, don’t ask if they’re crying. Truthfully, Your Ladyship, you’re just asking that to tease me, aren’t you?”
“Mm. There’s something about you that keeps surprising me. You’re unexpectedly clever, but you obviously can’t keep your wits around me. There aren’t many people who are so fun to tease…”
“Please make the promise.”
Ah. I liked it when Her Ladyship told me no.
-Aaaagh! Argh! Ack! My eyes! Ack! Keuaagh! My eeeyyyeees!
Bae Hu-ryeong rolled around agitatedly.
-Save me! Save this soul! Why must I suffer this misfortune instead of ascending to the heavens after I croaked?! Why do I have to see your mug blush in real-time?! You bitch, my eyes! Spare my life, you fucking embarrassing zombie!!
‘Ah, Sword Emperor. I pity you for not knowing the awesomeness of love.’
‘Raviel Ivansia, master of my heart…’
-S, stop it. Just stop it…!
Strangely, Bae Hu-ryeong’s voice sounded more distant than usual. His blaring foghorn of a voice felt a little quieter.
‘Is he having a delayed reaction?’
It wasn’t only Bae Hu-ryeong who started to react.
The ballroom had frozen when the Lady of the Silver Lily and I kissed. That frigid air finally began to thaw.
“L-lady of the Silver Lily. Right now, w-what are you…?”
Who knew that ramen noodles could talk?
Or, looking at it again, it looked like garbage.
“I apologize for causing a commotion.”
The Lady of the Silver Lily softly leaned her head against my shoulder.
“I shouldn’t have done something in public, Your Highness.”
“On a small scale, I’ve ruined Sormwyn’s ball, and on a larger scale, I’ve tarnished the honor of the nation’s foundation. My crimes are great.”
The Lady of the Silver Lily spoke in a whisper. She didn’t need to speak louder; her cool voice had a force that grabbed people’s attention. Everyone in the ballroom stared blankly at the Lady of the Silver Lily.
“Please discipline me, for my crimes are great. I am resigned to accept my punishment.”
“Do you find it difficult to determine my punishment? Of course you do. Then I shall decide the punishment in Your Highness’s stead. Starting today, I shan’t dare to attend the academy and attract further negative attention. I shall quietly reflect on my wrongs. And—”
The Lady of the Silver Lily took out a small envelope from her bosom. The crown prince was still out of it and meekly accepted the envelope.
The Lady of the Silver Lily slowly opened her mouth.
“This is a request for my withdrawal from the academy.”
Another blizzard struck the ballroom as the air was about to thaw. The ladies and gentlemen, especially the blond trash, looked shocked.
“I shall remain on probation until my withdrawal is finalized. I will not receive personal visits. Your Highness, please approve of this punishment.”
“I am much obliged by your permission, Your Highness.”
The Lady of the Silver Lily, still leaning against my shoulder, bowed her head to the prince. A closer look made it seem more like a nod than a bow.
‘But she must still feel something for the prince because of the sword in the mirror…’
Was this okay? I thought about it for a moment.
But actually, didn’t the Lady of the Silver Lily catch the prince’s spies by the neck with this move? So it was all right. This much was nothing. And above all, it didn’t matter since Raviel seemed happy.
The Lady of the Silver Lily grabbed my hand and pulled.
After making the ballroom fall into shock and fear… we left.
No matter how or why, no one could stop us.
Maybe they could have stopped me or the Lady of the Silver Lily individually, but it wasn’t possible when we were together. If we wanted to leave, we left. If they still stood in our way? Fuck ’em. How could they stop the regressor couple?
“Death King! Death King!”
Only the Heretic Questioner tried to catch us. He followed us out of the ballroom.
“What about clearing this stage? And what did that smooch just now mean? I don’t get it at all!”
The Heretic Questioner was in the faction that called kisses “smooches.” That was surprising. I knew there were people in the world who used that word, but I didn’t expect the Heretic Questioner to be one of them…[1]
“Heretic Questioner.”
“Yes, Death King! Ah. Just so you know, my heart area keeps thumping when I see you with that lady, Death King. Hmm, what could this mean…?”
“It’s a heart attack. You should be careful.”
“I see. So it’s a heart attack.”
“Yes. Also, I’ll be working on this stage separately. You can go on vacation, Heretic Questioner. I’ll call for you if I need you.”
The Heretic Questioner laughed innocently.
“Understood! I’ll freely act as I wish!”
The endless sunshine of his was disturbing.
“…Heretic Questioner.”
“You can’t kill people.”
“You can’t torture them, either.”
“Nor can you kidnap or imprison people to dig for information.”
The Heretic Questioner looked at me like he was troubled.
“Then there’s nothing I can do?”
“I’ll handle it, so just stay in the corner of your room and read a fairy tale.”
“Mm. Okay. I understand…”
The Heretic Questioner became pouty. He looked just like a sad Welsh corgi with drooping ears. I sighed and patted him on the shoulder.
“You’ll get something to do later. Just lie low until then.”
The Heretic Questioner looked up at my face. He tilted his head three times then opened his mouth.
“Death King. I just heard that my immersion rate has gone up. What’s that?”
“It’s a heart attack.”
Just lie low. Please.
“The whole empire will become rowdy starting tomorrow,” the Lady of the Silver Lily said calmly as we stormed out of the academy.
“It’s because I’m well-known.”
We were riding in a carriage that belonged to the Lady of the Silver Lily. Her Ladyship had said, ‘Since I decided to live recklessly for a change, I want to leave the academy,’ and I, of course, had no reason to object.
“To start with, around 200 letters from the social circles in the capital will come pouring out. Twenty will come from the social circles in my hometown, and ten of those will be from my father. Lastly, His Majesty the Emperor may also send an emissary. Gongja, suggest some solutions.”
I was about to speak when I paused. Wait a moment. Did Her Ladyship call me [Gongja] instead of [butler]? This was the first time she called me by my name.
The Lady of the Silver Lily looked up.
“Your face is red. Gongja, have you caught a cold?”
“The nights are cold in the spring. Gongja. Even if your body temperature runs high, you must be cautious. So, won’t you quickly answer my question, Gongja?”
I had to counter, even if it’s just a little.
“W-when did you write your request for withdrawal? You wrote it in secret when I wasn’t around, even though we’re going to repeat this day. Wow. That’s a little cute.”
“Cute, Gongja? Did you think I’d be flustered if you called me cute? Gongja, were you trying to counterattack? Now, that’s cute. Did you want me to call you cute, Gongja?”
“I’ll take that as your surrender.”
Today as well, milady won.
This was my future now. On the other hand, wasn’t I the winner if my future involved being beaten by Her Ladyship? That thought ended me.
“It’s small,” the Lady of the Silver Lily said suddenly. She was staring through the window at Sormwyn Academy, which was becoming smaller and smaller.
“Sormwyn Academy was established to strengthen the empire’s power. Children of nobility and influential families from across the empire are somewhat forced into one location. By sharing the same education, language, and schedule, we become the citizens of [one empire].”
“I’ve been there for too long,” murmured the Lady of the Silver Lily. “Past that small gate lurks jealousy, vanity, arrogance, exclusivity, love, lust—everything, barely hidden under the name of tradition and order. In the end, the empire that we have to govern is not inside there. It’s outside. Does His Highness even know that fact…”
The Lady of the Silver Lily paused.
“You can worry about the empire later. You’re pushing yourself too hard.”
“For now, please think of me and me alone. I’ll blow your mind.”
The carriage rattled.
“If you break my heart, I’ll kill you.”
“Tell me what you understand.”
“Never. No matter what happens. I won’t scar your spirit. If I ever hurt you because of genuine ignorance, I’ll apologize.”
“You need to understand it a little better.”
The Lady of the Silver Lily stood up and sat beside me.
She placed her palm on the back of my hand. My heart jumped, but the back of my neck was still cold. The one I fell in love with had fire in her eyes and ice in her voice.
“If you ever betray me, Gongja.”
“I’ll make you strangle me with your own hands. Don’t use aura or anything like it. Only use your own hands to kill. Kill me again and again until this world where you and I have met is erased. It doesn’t matter if it takes hundreds or thousands of days. I will sentence you to my death.”
The Lady of the Silver Lily held my hand gently. She put my hand on her neck. White skin. Coldness. In the center of her neck, I could feel her icy vocal folds.
“And live forever remembering that I will never forgive you.”
“If it’s you, you can live forever. If that’s what you want.”
“Know that the moment you betray me, you will be banished to an eternal hell.”
The Lady of the Silver Lily whispered, “Do you understand?”
“I understand, Raviel.”
“If you have any secrets to tell me, confess them now.”
“I have a skill called the Hundred Ghosts Reincarnation.”
I confessed without any hesitation.
“Someone who dies by my hand can be summoned by me after their death. The summoned person may not have the powers they did in life, but if I want them to, they’ll inherit their former appearance and memories.”
“I see. So you will be able to summon me, too.”
“You’ve died with me nine times, so I can summon nine different Raviels.”
I never intended to summon the Lady of the Silver Lily in the first place. No matter what the circumstances were. But her voice and words cut off the possibility for good.
Love was a sacred promise and a contract.
We were writing our own laws, rules for just us two.
“I’ll add one more thing to your punishment should you betray me. Dispose of that skill.”
Then, I chose my next words. She was the one I loved. She was the one who would love me. She was the person I had to treasure and treat cautiously the most in the world.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”
“If you promise me something else, I’ll forgive you.”
“Don’t kill yourself without my permission.”
“Don’t die even when it’s an easy escape. You are my lover. You can’t be someone who throws away his life carelessly. Even if you don’t think you can escape death, struggle until the end.”
I was engraving the promise I made with her in my heart.
“Tell me what you want from me.”
“When I ask you to trust me, please believe in me.”
“I will always trust you.”
The carriage rattled. Using that slight vibration as an excuse, the Lady of the Silver Lily and I drew closer. Our lips met.
We became each other’s love.
[1]: There are several ways to say “kiss” in Korean. Gongja uses ?? which is just a transliterated “kiss” whereas the Heretic Questioner uses “??,” which is onomatopoetic and cutesy.