How To Survive As a Villain on the Verge of Death

Blood and fluid were seeping through the bandages. Even his face and eyes were bandaged. It felt like his whole body was on fire and he couldn’t even move.

 

“Oh my god…! Father…!”

 

When she saw that, I burst into tears and sobbed. Maybe because she practiced so much, she actually cried at this moment. It was because she practiced acting a lot after coming here and my skills improved greatly. Now that she was a professional actor, she might be able to play a supporting role in a small theater company.

 

Terence, who was next to her, comforted her and hugged her.

 

“How on earth did this happen?”

 

Terence asked in a shocked voice, even though he knew what had happened. Arentine let out a long sigh in response to his question.

 

“There was a sudden fire accident last night. His Majesty couldn’t escape…”

 

“What were the servants doing?”

 

Arentine did not respond and avoided her gaze. He looked like he didn’t even want to talk. The middle-aged chamberlain standing next to him answered on his behalf.

 

“That is… His Majesty was not in the palace… He was in the abandoned palace.”

 

There was silence in the room for a moment. She sobbed for a while and then raised her head, wiping away her tears.

 

“How could this happen…?”

 

Of course, she knew this would happen. She was confident that it would be successful. She had already seen the vision several times at the mansion. As if they were running a prediction simulation, they checked the future with Terence every time they changed the plan. Among them, she chose the plan that would lead to the most successful future. It was successful as expected.

 

One of the ministers spoke cautiously.

 

“Perhaps Her Highness can heal him with holy power…”

 

At those words, not only the subjects who were loyal to the emperor, but even Vilos looked at her passionately.

 

“Me? What about Sorel?”

 

When she asked while wiping away her tears, Arentine answered for her.

 

“Sorel is sick and she cannot move. She said that if she did something wrong, her life could be in danger. Sorel herself refused, saying she couldn’t do it.”

 

“Well…”

 

At those words, an astonished expression appeared on the ministers’ faces. She had treated countless people so far, but they couldn’t understand why she couldn’t come here because she was sick at a time like this. In fact, even if your body hurts, you can still use your holy power.

 

It seemed like everyone was sternly understanding that she couldn’t do it because she didn’t want to do it.

 

‘Of course, Sorel may really be unable to do so because she lost her holy power.’

 

On the other hand, she accepted right away.

 

“Then I’ll give it a try.”

 

She approached the emperor with expectant gaze. The emperor’s appearance up close was even more miserable. He had burns all over his body and seemed to be barely breathing. He still had his mind left, so he would be suffering as was.

 

She put her hand on his face and focused. A golden light seeped out of her hand. She could feel the skin wrapped inside his bandage healing a little. The burned skin from the right side of his face to his neck recovered completely. But before his shoulder could be completely healed, the golden light faded. She desperately squeezed her strength, but the remaining holy power in her body was already almost depleted. She was sweating coldly, trying to muster up all her strength, and ended up stumbling while sitting down.

 

“Eve!”

 

Terence hurriedly hugged her. She cried sadly while leaning in his arms.

 

“Well… I can’t do it with my skills.”

 

Of course, if she had more holy power, she would have been able to cure him enough to save his life, even if she couldn’t completely cure it. The subjects looked disappointed, but they did not doubt her.

 

Unlike Sorel, they hadn’t seen her use her holy power much. Moreover, since they saw with their own eyes that she was breaking out in a cold sweat and exerting all her strength, they had no choice but to believe that she did her best.

 

“What will happen to Your Majesty?”

 

A man who appeared to be the imperial doctor lowered his head with an embarrassed expression.

 

“I apologize, Your Highness the Grand Duchess. The burns were so severe… It looks like it will be difficult to revive him in this condition.”

 

At first glance, it seemed like his entire body was burned and there was virtually no hope of survival. Even at a time when medical technology was advanced, it was difficult to treat burns of this magnitude. She didn’t know if there would be any hope if she poured some healing power into it, but she had no intention of doing that.

 

“Ugh…”

 

At that time, the emperor let out a painful groan. Before that, he had almost lost his mind, but she guessed he came to his senses vaguely because she treated his head and face a bit. She covered her face with both hands and cried again.

 

“Hmm, father…”

 

“Eve, calm down.”

 

Perhaps because she cried so bitterly, Arentine helped her up.

 

“Let’s leave for a moment so that His Majesty can rest.”

 

So they went out, leaving the Emperor behind. Even if they just walked away, they couldn’t go do their own things in a situation like this. Everyone moved to the office attached to the emperor’s palace. As they left the emperor’s bedroom, people’s faces were filled with mixed emotions. Half of the nobles had gloomy faces, while the other half had faintly happy faces. Perhaps the former were people close to Vilos, and the latter were people who were on the side of Arentine and Terence.

 

“I don’t understand why His Majesty couldn’t come out alone. This matter needs to be investigated in detail.”

 

One of the nobles belonging to the latter group raised his voice, saying that this incident was suspicious.

 

“My mother was so surprised when she saw the fire that she ran out. Isn’t His Majesty’s affair an unfortunate accident?”

 

Vilos protested with angry eyes. Arentine ordered, ignoring those words.

 

“Bring in the knights guarding the bedroom.”

 

Soon after, two young knights came inside. Both of them had gloomy, gray-faced faces. It was natural that the emperor burned to the ground while he was away for a moment.

 

“Why did you suddenly leave? You would have had to guard the bedroom all night.”

 

“Her Majesty the Empress has asked us to come and have tea downstairs. We thought the two of them were asking us to leave, so we deliberately took our time. Then we realized there was a fire and ran upstairs…”

 

The knight who was explaining his words trailed off. The person next to him took over and continued the explanation.

 

“The door to the inner room was locked. I think the bedroom door was also locked.”

 

“Where was Empress Dowager?”

 

“Your Majesty the Empress… No, Empress Dowager was alone in her upstairs observatory.”

 

Everyone looked dumbfounded when they heard the word “observatory.”

 

“Why did she go up there?”

 

“It is said that when she saw the fire, she fled upstairs with His Majesty the Emperor.”

 

Everyone looked absurd at those words.

 

“Didn’t you say that His Majesty the Emperor was in the room? Are all the doors locked?”

 

“Yes, that’s right.”

 

“Who had the keys?”

 

“It was originally kept by the Empress Dowager, but immediately after the fire, it fell into the hallway.”

 

After the knight’s final answer, there was heavy silence in the room again. The Empress came out safely, but the Emperor was trapped in a locked room and burned. Moreover, she was said to have had chases the knights downstairs, so they could not respond quickly to the fire. The key to lock the door was always with the Empress, and was left in the hallway after the fire. It was a suspicious situation for anyone to see.

 

Gayren hid his embarrassed gaze and made an excuse.

 

“It seems that Her Majesty was so surprised that she misunderstood.”

 

“She was mistaken when she came out and locked the door?”

 

Arentine asked back in a voice filled with anger. Gayren couldn’t answer. His gaze slowly returned to her. Was he doubting her? Of course, it was a valid suspicion because it was she who made the Empress see her vision and showed the Empress’s vision to the knights.

 

“To sum up, the Empress sent out her knights before the fire broke out. The Empress was startled and rushed out, but the doors to her inner room and bedroom were locked. So, His Majesty the Emperor was burned.”

 

She spoke slowly, receiving everyone’s attention.

 

“If anyone looks at this, doesn’t the Empress look suspicious?”

 

“Why would my mother hurt father?”

 

Arentine asked back as if he was shocked by Vilos’ words.

 

“Then who could do something like this?”

 

Vilos’ gaze turned to the knights. Given the circumstances, the only people near the bedroom were the emperor and his wife and those knights, so they were probably trying to frame the case. She thought that would be the case, so she chose in advance only children from prestigious families. In particular, they were children of a family close to Vilos, and she heard that they were also quite close to Vilos. So he couldn’t accuse them of being suspicious. Because the fact that those knights planned this on purpose would mean that Vilos himself ordered it to happen.

 

When Vilos could no longer resist, Arentine gave an order to the young knight next to him.

 

“Take the Empress to the Ministry of the Interior and have her thoroughly examined.”

 

“You’re going to send my mother to prison?”

 

“The Empress Dowager left His Majesty unattended and locked the door, so it is natural that she should be investigated.”

 

At that time, another knight came inside. He was a familiar person. It was Arentine’s attendant whom she had seen before at the temple.

 

“Did you investigate the bedroom where the accident occurred?”

 

“Yes, Your Highness. When we looked closely, we saw that a piece of glass had fallen where His Majesty had been lying.”

 

“A piece of glass?”

 

“It appears to be a piece of glass from the bedroom. It was a lamp filled with oil. However…”

 

The knight paused for a moment and then spoke.

 

“There was a faint trace of gunpowder on that piece of glass.”

 

The word gunpowder created a tense atmosphere in the office.

 

“Who brought that?”

 

The knight turned his head and looked at the pale man. It was Vilos.

 

Vilos shouted with a pale face.

 

“That can’t be possible! I just sent her something similar to the one used in the empress’ palace! There was no gunpowder in there!”

 

He was truly aggrieved, but now that this evidence had come out, there was no one who could take his side.

 

‘The gunpowder was just buried a little bit.’

 

It was the remnants of gunpowder contained in a gift Mikhail had previously given. After an explosion occurred in the Duke’s House, knights from the Grand Duke’s House retrieved some gunpowder powder from among the fragments. Ater it burned down, Bayan sprinkled a little gunpowder between the pieces of glass before leaving for the last time.

 

Arentine ordered his knights at his side.

 

“Arrest the second prince and take him to the palace prison.”

 

“Older brother!”

 

Vilos looked back at him and his nobles with a bewildered look. Of course, no one took his side. The abandoned Empress locked the door and escaped, and there was gunpowder on the glass sent by Vilos. Because it was proof that it was difficult for anything to escape. Vilos glared at Arentine and then turned his gaze to her. She said calmly.

 

“If there is any injustice, it will be investigated and revealed.”

 

He was dragged outside, glaring at her as if he were going to kill her.

 

Arentine turned his arrow at Gayren this time.

 

“The Imperial Knights are also greatly responsible for this matter. The knights were unable to properly protect His Majesty and left. You, the knight commander, take responsibility and resign.”

 

Gayren looked aggrieved, but he couldn’t say anything. Even if it was an ordinary accident, it was natural for the Knight Commander to resign after something like this happened. When the two people went out, the atmosphere in the office became darker.

 

At that time, a servant came in and asked for an audience.

 

“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the High Priestess has arrived.”

 

“High priest?”

 

A moment later, the old priest came hurriedly inside.

 

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, something very urgent has come up, so I have come to give you a report.”

 

Everyone looked dumbfounded at those words. A little while ago, the emperor was burned to the ground and the palace was devastated, and he came rushing to the high priest to say he had urgent business.

 

“What on earth is going on?”

 

The high priest answered while breaking into a cold sweat.

 

“The sacred tree of the Great Shrine burned down last night.”

 

“Oh my god…!”

 

She covered her mouth with her hand as if she was in extreme shock.

 

The ministers all looked shocked. It was shocking that the emperor burned to the ground in one night, and that the sacred tree also burned black. Arentine also had a bewildered expression on his face and belatedly asked a question.

 

“I heard that tree doesn’t burn?”

 

“That’s true, but for some reason the tree fell and burned black last night. When we found it in the early morning, it had already burned down.”

 

In response to the minister’s confused answer, a heavy silence once again filled the office. It was shocking that such tragic incidents happened one after another in one night. She shouted in a trembling voice amidst the ominous silence.

 

“For that to happen at the same time… Maybe that sacred tree foretold a tragedy that would happen to His Majesty?”

 

People’s eyes turned to her. Some people seemed to agree with what she said with confused looks in their eyes. But if the tree was going to predict something, shouldn’t it have done it a long time ago to avoid an accident like this? They looked skeptical.

 

The High Priest enthusiastically agreed.

 

“That’s my opinion too! This is a revelation from the Heavenly God about a tragedy that will occur in the imperial palace!”

 

The old minister tried to persuade the ministers with an enthusiastic voice as if he had received a revelation. Well, the sacred tree that was part of the empire’s history burned down and collapsed. If he failed to insist that it was the will of the Heavenly God, he would lose his status as a high priest and be punished. So, he probably wanted to do whatever she said.

 

She glanced back at Terence.

 

He was quietly watching the proceedings unfold, as if he were a spectator to this farce. Then, when their eyes met, he smiled faintly. The person who destroyed the tree was looking at her and smiling as if it was fun. There was nothing she could do about it. 

 

In order to destroy the sacred tree that was part of the empire’s history, the best way to do so was to disguise it as an unfortunate prophecy.

 

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Translator Note: