I Just Wanted to Avoid Death - Chapter 31
As soon as Yeshion finished speaking, he opened the window beside him and perched on the windowsill.
“You…!”
“If you come any closer, I’ll jump.”
Adelio, who had been about to rush over, stopped in his tracks, his face filled with alarm.
They were on the third floor.
While Adelio might survive, if Yeshion jumped, he’d surely break a limb—or worse, he could die.
“Don’t do anything reckless.”
“Isn’t it Your Highness who’s trying to do something reckless, not me?”
“…What?”
“I said I wanted to escape from the temple, not be trapped in the imperial palace.”
Yeshion’s words were laced with a clear warning.
His golden eyes gleamed sharply, exuding a determination that made Adelio nervously rake his hand through his hair.
If he made even the slightest wrong move, Yeshion might actually jump.
“…Come down first. We’ll talk.”
“I don’t want to.”
It was an unabated standoff.
Finally, Adelio sighed and relented.
“…Fine. I’ll prepare a separate room for you, so come down.”
“Really?”
“Yes, come down.”
At Adelio’s words, Yeshion’s tense expression eased. Though Adelio was a madman, he always kept his word.
Cautiously watching for any sudden moves, Yeshion climbed down from the windowsill.
But just then, his long priest’s robe caught on the frame.
“Oh…!”
As Yeshion stumbled, the two bottles he was holding slipped from his hands. The crystal bottles hit the floor with a loud crash and shattered.
He quickly thought, ‘It doesn’t matter if one of them breaks, right? One of them is an aphrodisiac, but I don’t know what’s in the other one…’
“Yeshion!”
Adelio rushed over in alarm, grabbing Yeshion before he could even respond and covering his mouth and nose.
In that brief moment, Yeshion caught a glimpse of something.
The liquid from the broken crystal bottle was eating away at the floor.
“You…!”
Adelio, about to say something, bit his lip instead. Realizing that now wasn’t the time for scolding, he sprinted to the door, shouting as he went.
“There’s poison in the room!”
Yeshion’s eyes widened, hearing the word ‘poison.’ Just as he looked up at Adelio, he saw him slam the door shut with such force that it seemed ready to break.
As Adelio strode quickly down the hall, he suddenly staggered, leaning against the wall.
“Mmph, mmm?”
Still unable to speak, as Adelio’s hand was firmly over his mouth, Yeshion pulled at his collar in frustration. Adelio barked sharply,
“Stay still. You were close to the poison… It might have gotten on your skin… poison…”
Adelio’s breath came out in ragged gasps. He told Yeshion to hold on a bit longer, that he’d get him out of here soon.
Muttering unintelligibly, Adelio picked Yeshion up and carried him to a large bathroom.
“We need to… wash the poison off.”
“…..?”
“I’m not… trying to pull anything inappropriate, so just stay calm this time, please.”
Though Yeshion didn’t fully understand the situation, he’d have to be stupid to not figure it out.
He could piece together what had happened. One of the two bottles he had dropped contained a deadly poison.
‘But why was something like that in Adelio’s room?’
His thoughts were interrupted as Adelio threw him into the bath.
Drenched and flailing in the water, Yeshion finally managed to lift his head and glare at Adelio.
“Don’t touch your face. Strip off your outer robes and get out.”
Though there was a hint of pain, Adelio’s tone was stern.
Startled by his seriousness, Yeshion quickly obeyed. It was the first time he’d seen Adelio, usually so laid-back and teasing, act like this.
Once he had stripped off his cumbersome priest robes, all that remained was a sleeveless tunic that reached his knees.
Yeshion stepped out of the tub, dripping wet, and Adelio immediately approached him.
“Are you alright? Does anything hurt… or is it hard to breathe?”
However, Adelio looked much worse. His breaths were labored, and his once-vibrant lips had turned a deep purple.
“Your Highness, I think I’m the least of your concerns right now.”
“…As long as you’re okay.”
Yeshion’s curt reply seemed to ease Adelio’s tension, and he let out a relieved sigh.
But Yeshion noticed something.
The tips of Adelio’s fingers were turning black. It looked like the poison had touched his skin when he was pulling Yeshion out earlier.
“Wait, Your Highness, your hand…”
Before Yeshion could finish his sentence, Adelio swayed and nearly collapsed.
As Yeshion moved to help him, Adelio waved him off.
“Don’t come near me.”
