I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 176
He couldn’t let her leave. He had to stop her, make her his, win the favor of the people, and support Crown Prince Viren!
“Please, tell my fortune!”
Prince Camus shouted desperately at Sarubia as she turned her back to leave.
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks.
Seeing his opportunity, Prince Camus quickly continued.
“They say you can foresee death, Saintess. Please, tell me my fortune.”
“…Hearing one’s own death is a painful thing.”
Sarubia said, turning slowly to face him.
Her eyes gleamed like radiant gold as they met his.
“Do you truly wish to know your own death, Prince?”
“Yes, I do.”
Prince Camus replied firmly, meeting her gaze directly.
Although the request had been made in desperation, a part of him was genuinely curious. Who wouldn’t wonder about their own end? How would his life conclude?
Prince Camus could already predict the general course of his life.
As long as Prince Tarek didn’t make any major moves, Crown Prince Viren would ascend to the throne as planned. When that happened, Camus would enjoy a life of luxury and privilege, surrounded by beautiful women, living in absolute bliss. He would grow old, like most men, and die of natural causes. He didn’t know how long he would live, but surely, it would be long enough to indulge in all the pleasures the world had to offer before he passed.
With these thoughts, Prince Camus awaited Sarubia’s prophecy.
However, the words that fell from her lips were far from what he expected.
“Prince Camus, you will die tonight.”
* * *
Meanwhile, Iruel was having the worst time of his life.
‘I wanna go home…’
It had already been over an hour.
“I offer my heartfelt congratulations on your safe return, Prince Tarek.”
“Your Highness’s triumph in leading the victory against the demons is truly admirable.”
Like flies drawn to trash, nobles approached Prince Tarek in endless waves, offering brief greetings before moving on.
He felt like a doll on display. Standing rigid with perfect posture, maintaining the same position for so long was driving him insane.
‘I miss the cute demon cat back at the Demon King’s castle…’
Having seen far too many unfamiliar human faces, Iruel wanted nothing more than to bolt from the banquet hall.
As he worried absurdly about whether his backside might fuse to the chair from sitting too long, a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Tarek.”
“Your Majesty.”
Seeing the king approach, Iruel quickly stood up.
“How is the banquet? Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Yes, thanks to you, I feel all my fatigue washing away.”
Iruel gave his most polite bow, adhering strictly to etiquette.
“Haha, that’s good to hear. This celebration is for you, so enjoy it to your heart’s content.”
The king said patted Iruel on the shoulder.
Iruel’s eyes sparkled.
Now’s my chance!
“Ouch…”
Iruel swayed slightly, pretending to be in pain.
It wasn’t difficult. All he had to do was imagine Rufus smacking him on the back, and his body reacted instinctively.
“What’s wrong, Tarek?”
The king looked alarmed at his son’s apparent distress.
“It’s… nothing…”
“Nothing? You’re clearly in pain! Were you injured?”
Pain? Not that badly… Iruel realized, somewhat surprised at how terrified he was of Rufus’s ‘handiwork.’
But, unaware of the real reason behind Iruel’s behavior, the king pressed him for more information.
“Tell me quickly. Did something happen to you?”
“Well, the truth is…”
Iruel hesitated, drawing out his words.
“I’m… still recovering from what happened yesterday.”
“Yesterday…?”
The king fell silent.
He knew what Iruel was referring to.
The incident that had occurred at the palace the day before.
The king had been briefed by his scribes about it. Apparently, Prince Camus had shown up unannounced at Prince Tarek’s palace, causing a scene. Angered by Camus’s behavior, Tarek had gone to Camus’s quarters, where a physical fight had broken out between them.
‘My grown sons behaving so childishly…’
The king sighed inwardly.
Two princes brawling in front of everyone—how embarrassing for the royal family.
“Tarek, no matter what, you and Camus are brothers. You must reconcile quickly.”
“Your Majesty, I am reflecting on my actions. But it seems that Prince Camus will not give me the opportunity.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“This morning, I tried to meet with him to apologize, but he kept pushing me away…”
As he spoke, Iruel glanced deliberately toward Prince Camus, who was engrossed in a heated conversation with Saintess Sarubia. His face was flushed red with emotion.
‘Tarek tried to apologize to Camus first?’
The king found this surprising.
It was common knowledge, even to the king, that Prince Tarek and Prince Camus were bitter rivals, always at each other’s throats. For Tarek to make the first move and seek reconciliation was unexpected.
The king didn’t know what had prompted it, but he wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip by.
