In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 25

“No, I won’t die.”
I said firmly, without a hint of hesitation.
“You won’t die? But…”
Perez’s gaze instinctively darted towards the direction of the Empress’s palace. Even as a young child, he must know, right? That the Empress was the one who killed his mother, took everything he should have had, and was now slowly killing him as well.
Perez looked at me with surprised eyes for a moment, then shook his head again.
“No. Everyone who helped me has either died, been injured, or disappeared. So you should go too. You shouldn’t be here.”
A lump formed in my throat. This time, I truly felt a surge of emotion. Shouldn’t he be grabbing someone, anyone, and begging for help, begging to be saved?
With a surge of emotion, I rather roughly opened my handbag. And from it, I took out the bottle of medicine I had brought. I could feel his red eyes intently watching it.
“Don’t worry. No one can touch me.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
Angry, harsh words threatened to spill out, but I tried my best to soften them for the child in front of me.
“Because my grandfather is a hundred times stronger than the person who’s tormenting you.”
“Grandfather?”
“Yes.”
“That’s nice…”
Perez said, wiggling his small fingers. I wondered if I had brought up the topic of grandfathers unnecessarily to a lonely child, but instead, I casually patted the Second Prince’s shoulder and said, “And I’m going to help you. So don’t worry about me, just drink this.”
I hurriedly poured the amount of medicine Estira had told me into the cap of the bottle. Since it was a concentrated extract, it needed to be diluted with water to reduce the bitterness, but for now, this was the best I could do.
Perez silently watched the small cap I offered him, then obediently took it and drank.
“Hey, Perez.”
“Why?”
He didn’t even wince, though it was clearly going to be unbearably bitter.
“You shouldn’t just eat whatever people give you. No, I’m fine, but… how can you accept it so trustingly?”
The Second Prince’s complete lack of caution genuinely worried me. Even though I knew Perez’s past, present, and future, making me feel as if I had known him for a long time even though we just met today, the Second Prince was seeing me for the first time.
At my scolding, Perez tilted his head and replied, “I’m already dying. It wouldn’t make much difference if what you gave me was poison.”
Ah, this kid truly knows everything. I had wondered if he might not yet know that the Empress was poisoning his food. I just wished he didn’t know.
“And you said you’d help me.”
At Perez’s words, the soft fabric of my handbag twisted in my tightly clenched hand.
“There haven’t been many people who said they’d help me so far. But even if that wasn’t the case… Ugh!”
I shoved a hard candy into the mouth of the boy who was about to say something dark again. It was something I had packed in my bag along with the bitter medicine.
“Kids shouldn’t say such things. Just eat the candy.”
It would have been better if he was a budding scoundrel like my cousins, Bellesac or Astaliu. Seeing him huddled in the darkness like this was agonizing for me.
As I grumbled, Perez asked me, “You’re a kid too.”
Well, yes, I am a kid.
“I’m eleven. How old are you?”
“I, I’m… eight.”
“You’re a kid. You eat candy too.”
But I extended the whole handbag to the Second Prince and said, “Even though you’re older, I know more than you do, so it’s okay.”
The boy’s cheek bulged with the candy in his mouth.
“I don’t have much time today, so I’ll be brief. From now on, take this medicine twice a day, every day. Take the same amount I just gave you each time.”
Perez quietly accepted the medicine bottle and handbag I offered.
“That medicine will detoxify the poison and make your body healthy again.”
“This medicine?”
The Second Prince peered into the shimmering golden liquid and asked me, “Can I… can I live?” His voice lacked conviction, as if he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to.
“Mama told me to live. She said to survive. But it’s too hard.”
Perez seemed exhausted. His body, too thin for a child, trembled at the slightest breeze. I felt like I should comfort him, but I intentionally spoke in a calm tone.
“What’s there to worry about? Of course, you have to overcome everything and survive. Your mother said so, right? Then that’s what you do.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, really.”
The Second Prince was silent for a moment. Then he suddenly asked me, “You? Do you want me to live? Do you think I should live?”
“Yes. I want you to live. No, I think you must live.”
Because you are someone who will soar more splendidly than anyone else. Even though you are now a pathetic sight, like a larva hiding in the damp earth. When the time comes, you will fly higher than anyone, become the Crown Prince of this empire, and finally achieve your righteous revenge.
“I have to go now. There are a few things you need to remember until we meet again.”
I stood up, dusting off the grass from my bottom, and said, “First, even if you take the medicine, it’s still better not to eat poisoned food. However, that might make them suspicious. So, for now, eat it.”
It felt unsettling. Telling a child to eat food that I knew was poisoned. But the Empress needed to believe her plan was working. That way, she wouldn’t try other things to eliminate Perez that I couldn’t stop.
“And the maid who brings you food?”
The Second Prince nodded.
“When she comes, you always have to lie down and pretend to be sick. You don’t even need to act. Just show her that you’re lying there weakly, as if sleeping.”
“Okay.”
“And… do you happen to have a wooden sword?”
At my question, Perez brought over a wooden sword that was placed a little distance away and showed it to me.
“Nanny gave it to me for my last birthday.”
It seemed quite precious to him, as a wistful longing flickered in his red eyes.
“Good. Even though you don’t have a proper teacher, you should still practice with the wooden sword every day.”
The Second Prince had accomplished something incredible by graduating at the top of his class in martial arts, even though he learned swordsmanship late, after entering the Academy. So, if he practiced consistently from now on…
Swoosh— Swoosh—
“Like this?”
At my words, Perez picked up the wooden sword and swung it a few times. But the sound was unusual. I wasn’t an expert in swordsmanship, but would an eleven-year-old usually make such a sound when casually swinging a sword? And a sick child? With a wooden sword?
Unlike my surprise, Perez swung the sword a few more times with an expressionless face.
Whoosh— Whirring—
He seemed to be playing with the sword without much effort. Each time the blunt wooden sword cut through the air, a heavy thud resonated. Even I, a layman in swords, could tell. Something more powerful than human strength was moving along with the sword he was casually swinging.
“Isn’t this a complete cheat code…”
An eleven-year-old who had never received proper swordsmanship lessons and had even been poisoned possessing such monstrous abilities. I knew that the Second Prince had grown like a fish in water once he entered the Imperial Academy, beyond the Empress’s reach. But I had no idea he possessed such monstrous abilities even as a child. I thought he was just a strong person, but was he actually a monster?
“Have you ever learned swordsmanship before?”
I asked just in case, to confirm.
“No.”
“Then did you have another wooden sword before you got this one?”
“No.”
It’s true. He really is a cheat code. Perez tilted his head, as if my constant questions were strange.
“Am I wrong? Is this not how you do it?”
It seemed he didn’t even realize what his own abilities were, as he had no basis for comparison. I thought for a moment, then replied, “No. It’s not bad. I think you’ll do well if you keep practicing!”
I even considered telling him the truth. That he seemed to have an incredible talent. But if I did, Perez might make a different choice than in the previous life. A single word from me could awaken that immense desire for revenge lurking somewhere inside him.
At my words, he replied quietly that he understood.
“Tia! Where are you!”
Just then, I heard my father’s voice calling me. Oh, right. I had to go back quickly.
“Alright, I’m going. See you next time.”
“Mmm.” Perez’s shoulders slumped, as if he didn’t want to be left alone again.
“…I’ll try my best to meet you again as soon as possible. In the meantime, take your medicine well and do as I said.”
His deep red eyes stared at me intently. I had come to give the future Crown Prince what he needed and to build trust in advance. But I suddenly felt like I had become a guardian to a child. However, after seeing the Second Prince’s terrible state, I couldn’t just give him some medicine and leave.
“I’m leaving. Goodbye.”
“…Goodbye.”
Well, he would become Crown Prince on his own even if I left him alone anyway. Would anything happen if I just helped him a little so he wouldn’t be sick as a child? As I turned away, leaving Perez alone in the forest, I truly thought that. I had no idea what changes this kindness of mine, born from the compassion a human would naturally feel, would bring about. Or that he would engrave every single word I said into his mind. Or what my outstretched hand would mean to Perez. I truly had no idea.
***
I burst out of the bushes and called out to my father.
“Dad!”
“Tia!”
My father, his face surprised, rushed towards me.
“Where did you go? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Fortunately, I hadn’t been gone for long, so my father didn’t seem too surprised, but his eyes were still full of concern as he examined me.
“Did you find her?”
The two knights who had been searching for me in another direction hurried over.
“Even though we’re in the Imperial Palace, you shouldn’t just disappear like that. I was worried.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Why did you suddenly get out of the carriage?”
“Well, those men told me to get out… I thought I had to…”
At my words, the knights’ shoulders twitched.
“So I got out, and I saw a cute squirrel over there, so I followed it…”
It was the moment the Second Prince instantly became a ‘cute squirrel.’ My father looked at me, sighed softly, and let out a helpless, exasperated laugh.
“We apologize…”
“We were just following orders,” the two knights said, scratching their heads awkwardly, when—
“What are you apologizing for?”
There was a flamboyant woman accompanied by several maids, laughing as she watched us, as if she were out for a leisurely stroll. It was Empress Lavini Angenas Durelli of the Rembru Empire.