I Won’t Accept Your Regrets

"Do not wake her up."

Ellie, who held Carlisle tight and cried, fell asleep with Carlisle.

Raymond looked at the two people who were embracing each other, and then looked towards the Imperial Palace.

"Can the Prince's condition now be considered out of danger?"

"Toxins recede quickly. If he continues to take medicine, everything will be straightened out without consequences."

"That's a relief."

When he breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly vomiting again asked to go out.

"Ugh!"

Raymond covered his mouth with his hand and turned away from the bed in haste.

"Your Majesty!"

The palace doctors approached him in surprise. Raymond spat out a ball of blood and hastily wiped his lips with his hands.

"Lower your voice."

He looked back in case he woke them up. Fortunately, Ellie has already fallen asleep with Carlisle.

"Your Majesty, this can’t be hidden. It was worth sharing the antidote for two,” said Duke Croft, who approached Raymond, unable to hide the horror from his face.

"It would be better to talk elsewhere."

If we make a fuss here, Ellie will wake up.

Raymond made his way to the living room farthest from the bedroom and plopped down on the sofa.

He vomited again the blood he had held back until now.

“Khuk!”

"Your Majesty!"

"…Don't make a fuss and bring back the medicine that slows the spread of the poison."

On Raymond's orders, the doctor hastily delivered the medicine. The pain gradually subsided.

"It's a little better if I take medicine."

Raymond took a deep breath and buried himself in the sofa.

The metallic smell of blood wafted through the room.

Duke Croft, looking at this action from the side bit his lip hard because there was nothing he could do.

“You should have injected that antidote by force,” Duke said in a voice full of guilt.

Emperor and Crown Prince.

If at once these two lives were in danger, according to the law of the country, first it was necessary to save the Emperor.

Duke Croft knew it too. But when he heard that the antidote was limited to just one serving, he didn’t intervene.

He couldn’t protest and declare that it was necessary to save Raymond instead of Carlisle.

At that moment, he was more Carlisle's grandfather than a loyal vassal of the Emperor.

Regret came with a delay, but even if such a moment comes again, he wasn’t sure that he will make a different choice.

He couldn't turn his back on Carlisle.

“It’s not your fault. Even if you insisted, I still wouldn't have taken the antidote,” Raymond said quietly when he saw Duke’s face clouded with guilt.

"I’ve committed a murderous crime. How dare I now…"

"Stop it, Duke. I'm still alive. And I'm not in the mood to die," Raymond's black eyes flashed.

He turned his head to the doctor.

"How long can I last with this medicine?"

"Well, you haven't taken a lot of the poison directly… The spread rate can be slowed down even more, but even in the best case it won't exceed three months."

The doctor's voice trembled as he announced the disturbing news.

"Three months… Make an antidote by analyzing the ingredients that the poison contains. Now it depends on you, if I live or die."

"Your Majesty…"

The imperial palace doctors shook their heads.

"I'll do my best."

The doctors withdrew, and Raymond saw that Duke Croft stood here.

"Don't tell the Empress."

“Your Majesty… You can’t cover this up just because you are hiding it.”

"I'll hide it. And even if the moment comes when I die… I don’t want to reveal the fact that I died because of poison."

Whether it is an accident or something else, my end won’t be from poison.

If Ellie finds out that I took poison and died to save Carlisle, even though she really hates him, guilt will gnaw at her for the rest of her life.

I have never made her happy, and I didn’t want to be a burden to her even in the last minutes.

After death, I just hope that Ellie can live comfortably, not oppressed by guilt.

"Your Majesty…"

"Duke, don't tell the Empress."

"Is this an order?"

"Yes."

Duke looked into Raymond's determined black eyes and bowed his head.

"…I will obey."

“So now you can go back and rest. I also want to rest."

"Yes. I'll go now."

As Duke left the living room, Raymond squeezed a bloody hand.

"Will I survive?"

A quiet voice, in which there was no hope, scattered in the frozen air.

* * *

It's been two days since Carlisle woke up.

And today was Lisa's trial day.

The day after the incident, Raymond made public all of her crimes.

It was announced that she was trying to poison the prince and that the First Prince wasn’t his child.

The empire was turned upside down. The newspapers were confused as if they did not know which articles to put on the front page.

The attempted assassination of the heir and the mystery of the birth of the First Prince was so shocking.

Fortunately, the Crown Prince was saved, and Edmund was stripped of his status as a prince.

That night, when all the facts were revealed, I visited Edmund.

This happened because he was in a terrible shock.

The child who had tried to protect his mother to the end was now pressing on my heart.

Edmund emerged from the prison and was imprisoned in a locked room.

If he got out of prison on his own, then Raymond will keep his promise to spare Edmund's life.

In the room I was greeted by the shadow of the former prince, who simply renounced everything and let go. I assumed that he might have gone crazy against the backdrop of the breakthrough changes.

As if he had already accepted his fate, Edmund stood there with a look unlike a boy his age.

"Father, I always… No, not like that. I always hoped for His Majesty’s affection, but I never could…"

"Edmund, this will never be your fault!"

“I think my very existence was sinful. And why did my father become like that? I would prefer that he turned out to be someone whom I didn’t even know at all…"

Deposed prince, the Emperor's enemy.

How cruel it was to throw Raymond a child from his enemy.

How desperate must it be that he, who grew up believing himself to be Raymond's son, like iron stones, is actually the son of his father's enemy?

I didn't dare gauge Edmund's state of mind. There was only one thing I could say.

“It doesn't matter whose child you are. All this is not your fault. Don’t forget about this, living in the future."

"His Majesty showed mercy."

"Because there are no sins behind you."

"There is no one by my side… What's the use that I survived?"

Edmund, who had been talking staring at the floor all the time, now raised his eyes and looked at me.

Black eyes were filled with immeasurable sadness.

“Your mother wanted you to survive. Edmund, you must live."

"Mother…"

Edmund's black eyes trembled.

It was a lie, but I think only such a lie could give Edmund the will to live.

"When everything is settled… We will send you across the seas. I will help you get settled there."

"Why are you doing this to me? There was a moment when I really wanted to kill Carlisle."

Edmund looked at me in bewilderment.

Seven years ago, when Lisa had just appeared in the Empire, I hated the very existence of Edmund.

Because her son would take the place of my child.

But I couldn’t kill an innocent child just because he had the misfortune to be born from Lisa.

And now Edmund, whose life had been sacrificed to the vain greed of his family, was simply pathetic.

I was worried about Edmund, who had never been cared for by his family because I had a son myself.

“The choices you made… I know it's not what you really wanted. So worry no more about the Crown Prince's case."

Edmund stared at me with mixed emotion in his eyes.

Edmund won’t be happy with my favor. After all, if not for me, his family would have remained in their place.

But what grudges can there be against me now?

In order not to sow confusion, I haven’t added such words.

"Then I'll leave now."

I checked that everything was okay and said everything I had to say.

The moment I turned to leave, Edmund's voice stopped me.

"My mother… can never be forgiven."

"…I can't do anything about it."

I had to muster my strength to ignore the muffled crying coming from behind.

"Mother, mother."

"Yes?"

Remembering my meeting with Edmund, I woke up from Carlisle's voice.

"Mom, I ate everything!”

Carlisle's silver bowl was empty, proving that he had complacently taken all the medicine.

"Good job."

I put Carlisle on the bed and stroked his head, as if paying a compliment for the fact that he took that bitter medicine without complaint.

I covered him with a blanket and said:

"I may not be there when you wake up later. Can you be alone?"

"Of course."

Carlisle smiled brightly.

Carlisle hadn't heard news of the First Prince yet.

He will be shocked to learn that the First Prince is no longer his brother.

My son was nothing more than a soft-hearted child, so I gave orders to people not to open their mouths.

Carlisle only knew that he had eaten something wrong and was being treated for it.

Carlisle’s eyes closed as if he was falling asleep after taking medicine.

After capturing this moment, I jumped out of bed.

"Let's go to court."