touchnovel Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Hurried footsteps were heard.
Lark wasn’t able to control his reason, lost in confusion, embarrassment, and anger for a very long time.
‘I heard about the future where the 2nd Prince Nathan would assassinate me and ascend to the throne, but honestly, I did not worry about the well-being of the 1st Princess Bella.’
If Lark died, the next heir would be the 1st Princess Bella. This meant that in order for the 2nd Prince Nathan to become emperor, she had to be set aside.
However.
‘Because Bella is Nathan’s biological sister...’
Nathan and Bella were siblings born to the same mother and were famous for loving each other terribly.
‘Nathan can become emperor without killing Bella. With the agreement between the imperial family and the parliamentary aristocrats, the order of succession can be adjusted.’
Bella was weak from birth. She often vomited blood and it was hard for her to get out of bed.
‘No one will be happy with the succession of Bella, who’s not even healthy...’
So Lark had guessed that he was the only obstacle for Nathan. After removing him, Nathan would’ve easily replaced the succession ranking through an agreement with his sister, Bella.
That was what he’d thought.
‘No, I was complacent. Wasn’t he the kind of guy who assassinated blood kins and worked behind the scenes? I should’ve thought he was also capable of doing inhuman things.’
The regret that came later flowed out with a sigh.
‘If the future that the princess saw had changed...’
Asto Palace.
The bedroom of the 1st Princess, Bella van Rashmach Descarde.
For some reason, the door was wide open. And, the servants who always surrounded the bed on which Bella was lying were noisy.
Shrak. Shrak. Shrak.
When he showed her presence, the maid, who had been weeping with concern, turned and greeted Lark.
“Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince-”
“Your Highness.”
The aristocratic maids were familiar faces who had been taking care of Bella from an early age. From their facial expressions alone, Lark could guess.
‘It has changed.’
His sister, as if asleep with a carefree face, with her dark gray hair messed up on the pillow.
Bella.
‘It changed.’
The future that Rubette saw had changed.
A tragedy that should have taken place in the distant future was unfolding right before his eyes.
“... Brother.”
A familiar voice.
Lark lifted his head slowly.
The owner of the voice was standing at the other end of Bella’s bed...
‘Nathan.’
The culprit behind all of this.
With heavy wet eyes, he looked as if the world had collapsed.
The sunlight shattering over his gray hair made Nathan look even more pitiful.
‘Maybe it’s my fault that the future has changed.’
After hearing about the future from Rubette, Lark concluded that he was the biggest variable.
Soon over the pyramid-shaped pile of cards, I made eye contact with Wishit.
“I will not act as Juliet Karenina, but as Rubetria Diollus.”
“...”
“I always think, what would it be like if it was Rubette who knew the future? She must have felt sorry for what had to happen.”
Having absorbed all of Rubette’s memories and emotions from moment to moment, I had felt it instinctively.
What she was hoping for, and how she would behave if it was her.
“There was an indifferent father all her life, but Rubette loved him. She would’ve done something somehow because she felt sorry for him to die at the age of 39.”
And so Juliet Karenina tried to save her father, with whom she had no bonds.
“Also, if she had had a chance to meet the crown prince, she would have announced the future without thinking twice. You are doomed to die, so be careful.”
Knowing the secret of Lark’s tragic death, she couldn’t have ignored him.
“And now, the choice that touched the future has left the innocent Lizbett in a situation where she is falsely accused.”
I asked Wishit, who had been silently listening to me, looking straight ahead, “What about the Rubette you used to know? Would she have pretended not to know Lisbeth and lived comfortably?”
“...”
“A lot of the choices I’ve made so far, in fact, there are a lot of things I wouldn’t have done if I had been ‘Juliet Karenina’.”
However.
“But because I was determined to live a happy life for Rubette.”
“...”
“I want to make a choice that doesn’t deviate too much from the life she wants as much as possible.”
“Like a fool...”
“I know what you are worried about. You don’t want me to get involved in something that doesn’t make sense and put me in danger.”
“...”
“But I don’t jump into anything that will harm me or put me at risk in the first place. So, I’m going to think and act.”
“...”
I got up over the silent Wishit.
“You’ve seen me well, Wishit.”
Then I walked past him and said,
“I am a person who can be cold to others. I will never feel heartbreak for anyone, but if there’s anyone that makes me unable to keep my cool, it’s-” Before opening the door, I looked back at my Wishit and said, “Rubette. So take a look.”
***
When I left the room, I headed straight to my father’s bedroom.
“Dad.”
“...”
Dad, who was sitting by the sunny window, reading a book, leaned against the door and looked at me with his eyes wide open at the low call I uttered.
“I’m here to ask you something.”
“And what is that?”
He spoke indifferently like his personality, but his voice was a little friendlier than when we first met.
Feeling that small change, I relaxed a bit.
“You see.”
“...”
Seeing me hesitating while holding the doorknob, Dad tilted his head slightly.
“If I make an accident, how far can you handle it...?”