I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 157
“We didn’t catch a single fish in the end.”
“Yeah.”
“What a shame.”
“Next time.”
Sarubia’s plan to have dinner with the fish they caught had gone up in smoke.
Rufus was a man who didn’t know how to stop once he started. Sarubia had told him multiple times to stop and go back to fishing, but it was no use. Rufus only let her go once the campfire had died down and their wet clothes had dried.
“Are you mad?”
Rufus cautiously observed Sarubia’s reaction.
Sarubia burst out laughing at his worried expression. He looked just like a puppy afraid of getting scolded by its owner, with its tail already between its legs.
“You did well, so I’ll forgive you.”
“What did I do well?”
“You know.”
Sarubia tightly held Rufus’s hand. The ring on her left ring finger sparkled red.
“Welcome back.”
When they returned to Prince Tarek’s palace, the servants greeted Rufus and Sarubia.
The treatment was no different from the past few days they had spent at the palace. They were greeted with deep bows and polite behavior as the hero Rufus and the Saintess Sarubia, who had saved Prince Tarek’s life.
But something felt off.
The servants who made eye contact with Rufus quickly lowered their heads and avoided his gaze.
Rufus sensed something was wrong. There was an unusual tension in the air.
‘Something must have happened while I was away.’
Noticing the silent tension, Rufus sent Sarubia to her room first. He firmly instructed the maids to take good care of her so she wouldn’t get tired.
“What happened?”
After confirming Sarubia was far enough away not to hear, Rufus asked.
“W-Well…”
The scribe held by Rufus hesitated and couldn’t easily open his mouth.
“Speak quickly. What happened while I was away?”
Under Rufus’s urging, the scribe hesitated for a moment before carefully starting to speak.
“The truth is…”
The scribe revealed everything to Rufus about what had happened in the morning.
Prince Camus had come with knights. He had yelled, demanding to know where Saintess Sarubia was. He had also insulted Baroness Inferna.
Rufus abruptly stood up before the scribe could finish. He couldn’t listen to the end.
“Sir Rufus!”
The scribe hurriedly followed him.
But Rufus didn’t stop.
“Grandmother!”
Bang, the door to Baroness Inferna’s room burst open.
“Oh, my ungrateful grandson has returned. Did you have fun and eat well?”
Baroness Inferna, sitting on the sofa, looked up indifferently.
“Brother!”
Edel, who was sitting at the desk solving arithmetic problems, ran over to him. Rufus lifted Edel up and approached Baroness Inferna with quick strides.
“Baroness, is it true that Prince Camus came here?”
“Yes.”
“What happened? Are you alright?”
“My body isn’t made of sand. I won’t die from being pushed once. I was healed with magic and am fully recovered.”
Baroness Inferna’s calm response was her way of trying to calm the overly excited Rufus.
However, it was not enough to quell Rufus’s anger.
“How could you just take it?”
“So what? Should I have drawn my sword and beheaded the prince right then and there?”
You should have. Why did you endure such humiliation?
Rufus swallowed those words.
They were still in the palace. There were too many ears listening.
‘These detestable royals.’
Rufus bit his lower lip hard.
He wanted to storm Prince Camus’s palace immediately. He wanted to cut off his head. But he couldn’t.
He didn’t want to make Sarubia sad.
“Brother… stop biting your lip. It’ll hurt a lot if it breaks.”
Edel, watching Rufus’s expression with worry, muttered in a small voice.
“…Alright.”
Rufus put Edel back down and let out a deep sigh. Watching him, Baroness Inferna clicked her tongue.
“You foolish thing. Why can’t you control that hot temper?”
“Isn’t this the temper I inherited from you?”
“Hah, blaming your elders again.”
Baroness Inferna clicked her tongue and poured herself a glass of water.
“Rufus, did I raise you like this? Did I teach you to live controlled by the anger that rises to your throat?”
Baroness Inferna paused, giving him time to think, then drank the water.
“No matter how rude they are, a royal is still a royal. You can grind your knife in secret, but never show that hostility on the surface.”
“…”
Who was it that beheaded the king in the last life?
“Are you saying I should endure such treatment for the rest of my life just because they are royals?”
Rufus, with a hint of rebelliousness, asked Baroness Inferna. She frowned.
“No, why would you do something so foolish? Who told you to live submissively and accept injustice?”
“But you just said…”
“Rufus, you can grind your knife. You can keep it hidden. But remember just one thing.”
Bang!
Baroness Inferna put down her glass.
“You only stab someone with that knife once.”
“…”
“And it’s boring to swing a knife over such trivial matters.”
Baroness Inferna’s eyes gleamed coldly.
“People say you should pay back what you’ve suffered. So if you’re going to suffer, endure more and repay it all at once. Wouldn’t that be more beneficial?”
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
