I Just Wanted to Avoid Death - Chapter 59
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“I’m so tired…”
Yeshion staggered toward his room.
He had woken up in the morning, but by the time he was heading back, the sun was already setting. It was clear that the curfew bell would ring by the time he reached his room.
“That devil of a man…”
Yeshion muttered as he walked. Scratch that—no longer an angel. Definitely canceled.
Eldis had asked Yeshion if he was feeling well while he ate his soup. Fearing that Eldis would insist on another round of treatment if he said he felt unwell, Yeshion quickly replied that he was feeling perfectly fine.
That was the beginning of his downfall.
Eldis then decided to make up for the previous day’s unfinished lessons, holding Yeshion captive for a full 10 hours.
His reason? To ensure that Yeshion could properly fulfill his duties as a priest as quickly as possible.
“Why did I agree to follow him to the duke’s territory…”
Yeshion grumbled as he pushed open the door to his room.
But it didn’t budge. Surprised, he looked down at the handle. It was fixed, looking good as new.
“…..!”
Apparently, a repairman had come by while Yeshion was out.
Overjoyed, Yeshion twisted the knob. The weather had been growing colder, and he was tired of the drafty winds and sleepless nights from the noise outside. No more restless nights—finally!
Just as he stepped inside, a black shadow flickered before his eyes.
“…What was that?”
What?
Before Yeshion could fully process it, someone grabbed his hand.
His eyes widened in shock as the person yanked him toward the wall, squeezing his throat with brutal force.
“Ugh!”
Everything Yeshion had been holding scattered to the floor. Before he could react, the assailant kicked the door shut.
“Wh-Who… kuh…?”
Yeshion struggled, hitting the arm that was choking him. But the attacker didn’t budge, instead glaring coldly at him.
“You dare to think of betraying him?”
The grip on his throat tightened.
Yeshion writhed, scratching at the attacker’s hand, and finally, the assailant released him. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Yeshion collapsed, coughing violently.
With his airway cut off, his mind fogged over, and his vision spun.
“Cough, cough, cough!”
But the man didn’t give him any respite. He pressed the blade of his sword against Yeshion’s neck.
“Answer me. Did you betray him?”
“Betray… cough! Betray? What do you mean…?”
Yeshion’s throat was raw. Speaking and swallowing both hurt, and all he could do was cough.
The blade pressed closer to his neck, cutting into his skin and drawing blood. The sting made Yeshion freeze in place as the man spoke again.
“I asked if you betrayed him.”
Betray? Him?
Yeshion couldn’t make sense of what the man was saying. Shaking his head in confusion, he trembled as the man scowled at him.
“Don’t bother with the ‘I don’t remember’ excuse.”
The man leaned in, his cold, blue eyes locking onto Yeshion’s.
Fear coursed through Yeshion’s veins as he swallowed hard, the blade scraping more of his skin with each movement.
“Why did you try to get rid of the poison in the Crown Prince’s chamber?”
It felt like a hammer had struck Yeshion’s head.
“…What?”
“If you hadn’t intervened, we could have succeeded in killing him. Have you changed your mind after getting close to the Crown Prince recently?”
Yeshion’s lips trembled as he tried to respond. The first thing he needed to do was clear up his confusion.
“So… you’re saying… I’m involved in the plot to assassinate the Crown Prince…?”
“Answer me properly.”
“……”
“Did you betray him or not?”
Yeshion couldn’t answer.
He had no idea who this ‘him’ was or what he was supposed to have betrayed.
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
His voice trembled, laced with fear, as if he might burst into tears at any moment.
How could he possibly know?
Yeshion had no way of knowing the full extent of the original ‘Yeshion’s’ actions.
“The Red Rose.”
“…What?”
“The white powder.”
The man continued to spew cryptic words. When Yeshion simply stared at him, unable to respond, the man clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“…Tch, so it’s true your memory is unreliable. If you’re useless now, the only option is to kill you.”
At those words, Yeshion’s body shook violently.
He didn’t want to die.
He had fought so hard to survive.
He had endured, carefully navigating this world, trying his best to live—only to face death now?
‘And now I’m going to die?’
Not at the hands of Eldis, who he thought might kill him, but by someone whose face and name he didn’t even know?
It didn’t make sense.
