I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 221
The King’s face flushed red, then pale with anger. His fists clenched and trembled with fury.
“Hold that insolent tongue, Viren! How can you, the heir to the throne, speak so recklessly?”
“Your Majesty, you must listen to me. We must immediately track down Prince Erius—”
“I will hear no more!”
Bang!
The King’s fist slammed down on the armrest of his chair.
“How shortsighted you are, Viren! Yes, in the short term, improving relations with the Empire is important, but in the long term, the royal family’s authority is paramount! Only with a firm royal authority can this kingdom thrive!”
“Your Majesty, what’s important right now isn’t that—”
But the King had already closed both his ears and his mind.
“Silence!”
The King roared at Viren once more.
“Viren, you are royalty! And for royalty, honor is everything!”
Viren clenched his teeth inwardly.
Honor, honor. What use was it? Something so utterly meaningless in death—how could they cling to it so stubbornly?
Of course, Viren, too, held pride as a member of the royal family. He had an ambition to elevate the name of the royal house, himself included. But after witnessing the deaths of his two younger brothers, he had come to a realization.
Why should he care how future generations would remember him?
In death, one’s eyes close, one’s ears shut, and one’s hands fall limp. No matter how much one frets over the world left behind, what use is it once the soul has departed the body?
The King’s words cut through his thoughts.
“Once the mourning period is over, I intended to pass the throne to you, but now I see that will not happen. You are far from ready to be King.”
“……”
Viren pressed his lips together tightly. But what he swallowed wasn’t silent resignation. It was bitter defeat.
Viren, who usually complied with the King’s orders without complaint—even when he disagreed with the policies—could not simply let this go.
“Your Majesty, please reconsider this matter.”
The Crown Prince knelt before the King, pleading earnestly.
“If relations with the Empire deteriorate, our kingdom stands to lose much. There will surely be another opportunity to rectify this, so I beg you to issue the order to capture Prince Erius alive…”
But the King’s resolve was already hardened, impenetrable.
“Viren!”
The King’s shout rang out like a piercing cry, reverberating through the royal office.
“You insolent fool, how dare you defy my royal command? Begone from my sight at once!”
Expelled from the King’s presence, Viren had no time to wallow in despair. He understood his father’s nature all too well.
The King was as rigid and unyielding as a plank of wood, especially after the emotional shock of losing two sons. It only made him more inflexible.
“His Majesty has no means of improving relations with the Empire.”
The King would likely stay in his office, barking orders at the aides to come up with solutions, but there would be no effective options.
“I must act quickly.”
Viren hurried back to his quarters. As soon as he arrived, he summoned the scholars he trusted most.
“Review the trade transactions with the Empire over the past ten years. Then, provide a detailed report on what would disappear from the kingdom first if trade with the Empire were to cease immediately.”
“Understood. By when do you need the report?”
“As soon as possible.”
“I’ll have it ready by tomorrow morning.”
The scholars, tasked by Viren, promptly headed to the archives. Without even seeing them off, Viren turned his attention elsewhere.
“Summon the royal mage immediately.”
The royal mage, who resided in Viren’s palace, arrived swiftly.
“I need to send a message. Create a messenger bird with magic.”
“Please provide an item recently touched by the recipient and their approximate location.”
“It will head to the Inferna Barony.”
Viren handed over a thick cloth to the mage. It was the fabric that had wrapped the sword when Rufus presented Queen Echinacea’s enchanted blade.
‘Technically, the recipient is not Rufus but Saintess Sarubia, yet I have no item touched by her.’
Although it was improper to send a letter meant for one person through another, the urgency of the situation left him no choice.
Soon, the messenger bird took flight, soaring into the vast sky with Viren’s letter in its grasp.
‘I must find him.’
Viren’s tightly pressed lips remained unmoving as he watched the bird shrink into a small golden speck.
Prince Erius. Cowardly as it may seem, winning the Empire’s favor required finding him.
Even though Prince Erius had narrowly escaped the Empire’s siege, no one could guarantee his safety. His whereabouts—and even whether he was alive—remained unknown.
‘The aide I sent to monitor Prince Erius lost contact the moment the coup broke out.’
That aide had likely been detained in the Empire, undergoing interrogation and unable to return.
‘In hindsight, sending someone to watch him may have only worsened the situation.’
From the Empire’s perspective, this was the perfect scenario to fuel suspicion. A royal envoy from Hevania, dispatched by the Crown Prince himself, had been seen with a traitor—how could they not be suspicious?
‘Saintess Sarubia…’
The Saintess who foretells death. If anyone could confirm whether Prince Erius was alive or dead, it would be her.
Holding onto that faint hope, Viren had dared to send her the letter, even if it risked offending her.
‘If this goes wrong, the kingdom will plunge into irreparable ruin.’
So, please. Help me, Saintess Sarubia.
The Crown Prince’s silent prayer swirled within his heart, filling him with desperate resolve.
