Second Life, I’m Dying Soon Chapter 100

Chapter 100

 

Two days later, Cecil visited the underground prison.

Standing at the entrance of the gloomy dungeon, he took a moment to steady his breathing. Then, as if resolved, he stepped into the dark underground world.

The rough stone floor was riddled with cracks, and dirty water pooled everywhere. When Cecil stepped carelessly, the guard assigned to guide him kept glancing back nervously.

They soon passed through a narrow corridor and stopped at the very end, in front of a solitary cell.

Looking through the bars, Cecil let out a hollow laugh.

His mother was imprisoned in the same cell he had once been confined in. Only the person had changed; the cruel cycle of fate repeated itself without fail.

A sudden cold draft slipped in from somewhere, making the torch flicker.

Empress Elizabeth was curled up in a remote corner. Shivering in the filth and biting cold, she buried her face in the hem of her dress.

She was not even wearing black mourning clothes. As always, she had on a vividly colored dress, but after the brutal interrogations, it had long since become rags. The jewels adorning it were all scratched, having lost their original luster.

Cecil tried, if only for a moment, to feel compassion for his mother. His visit to the dungeon had been partly impulsive. At the very least, he didn’t want to leave behind any regrets. He didn’t know what the final judgment would be, but he was certain this would be their last farewell.

The guard opened the door. Creak— the rusted sound rang out eerily. Before stepping inside, Cecil made a request.

“I’d like you to step away for five minutes.”

Five minutes was far too short for a farewell, but the guard hesitated, bound by duty, and made no move to leave.

Cecil swallowed a sigh. He rubbed his wrist once, then reached out to the guard. As their palms met in what looked like a handshake, a bracelet was discreetly passed over.

“I received permission from His Highness the Crown Prince. If there’s a problem, I’ll take responsibility. Please step away.”

“…I’ll be nearby.”

The guard pocketed the bracelet while glancing around. Only after his presence faded did Cecil finally step into the cell.

Even when Cecil stood right before her, the empress did not lift her head. Her filthy appearance was exactly the same as in his previous life, and Cecil silently clenched his fists.

“…One last time.”

At his first difficult words, the empress’s shoulders twitched. As her face slowly lifted, her eyes were filled with blazing fury. Cecil met his mother’s vicious gaze with calm eyes.

“Do you have anything to say to me?”

“What is there to say to a traitor?”

“Nothing at all?”

“You see the state I’m in, and you can still say that? It was you, wasn’t it? You reported me.”

The empress continued to blame Cecil until the very end. There was not even the slightest trace of regret.

Strangely, that was better. Cecil began, little by little, to set down the guilt that had weighed on him like indigestion.

“I warned you.”

“Who abandons their own parents! You’re a child who betrayed heaven’s law! You drove your own mother to death—do you think you’ll ever be happy? Do you think the goddess Gaia will forgive someone like you? Not a chance! You’ll live in hell for the rest of your life!”

The empress screamed with eyes wide open. The hatred directed at Cecil was so vicious that the whites of her eyes reddened with burst blood vessels.

Yet even in the face of this, Cecil did not lose his composure. His fists were clenched tight, but his expression did not change in the slightest.

“Yes. Then let’s meet in hell.”

“What did you say?”

“Neither you nor I will ever find rest by God’s side. So let’s finish the fight we couldn’t here—down in hell.”

Cecil barely swallowed the grief rising to his throat. He was about to turn away, leaving behind the mother who continued to curse him to the end—

“Cecil!”

The empress urgently reached out and grabbed his ankle. She had dropped to her knees, desperately clinging to him as though afraid he would truly abandon her.

“Save me. Please, just once, save this mother of yours!”

“…….”

“You—you can do it! Go and beg Alexis! Please, tell him to spare me… go and plead for me!”

Cecil tried to pull his leg back, but the hand clung like a leech. The empress screamed even more violently.

“Can’t you hear me? I said save your mother’s life!”

Her wild eyes looked like those of a madwoman. The empress was nearly insane. Once elevated to the highest position, now dragged down to an underground dungeon as a traitor—it would have been difficult for anyone to remain sane.

“What good is that body of yours! Go right now and spread your legs for Alexis! Tell him to take your body in exchange for saving me!”

She shrieked, gripping his slender ankle as though she would crush it. Cecil froze at the sight of his mother’s madness. He was too shocked to move.

“Elizabeth Rose Adrian!”

At that moment, a commanding shout echoed thunderously through the cavernous prison. Alexis was striding into the cell, long sword drawn, its sharp tip aimed beneath the empress’s chin.

“If you want to live, let go of Cecil.”

The empress had no choice but to release his ankle. She retreated, groping the floor with her palms, backing away as if to return to her corner. Even as she pressed herself against the moldy stone wall, the light in her eyes did not fade.

She could only glare stubbornly at the platinum-blond figure shining even in the filthy dungeon.

“Why are you so desperate to devour Cecil? Do you even deserve to be called a mother!”

“How ridiculous. Since when did you care so much about Cecil?”

The empress sneered up at the two figures before her. Seeing Alexis shielding Cecil, the corner of her mouth twisted even further. Sharp as she was, Empress Elizabeth instantly grasped the relationship between them.

“So the future emperor is bewitched by a man! The fall of the Verka Empire is only a matter of time!”

“…….”

“You have quite the appetite, Alexis! How can you bear to be with Cecil, who looks exactly like me?”

“You’re rushing toward death. It seems you’ve truly lost your fear.”

Alexis released a quiet killing intent. In the chilling atmosphere that felt as though flesh might be carved away, Empress Elizabeth fell silent, gripping her tattered dress instead. Perhaps sensing her impending fate, cold sweat poured down her body, and her fingers and toes curled inward.

Alexis stared coldly at the pale-faced empress and spoke.

“The sentence has been decided.”

Behind him, Cecil sharply inhaled and clutched Alexis’s sleeve. A large hand covered Cecil’s hand. Without wavering, Alexis continued.

“Traitor Elizabeth Rose Adrian is stripped of her title. At six o’clock tomorrow morning, she will be exiled from the empire.”

Cecil’s eyes widened. He jerked his head up, but all he could see was Alexis’s broad back.

“Exiled? Where to… Your Highness, you promised me—”

At that, the hand covering his tightened. Still facing forward, Alexis said,

“The criminal shall take nothing from the imperial palace, shall be stripped of royal status, and shall live her entire life branded as a traitor.”

The unexpected sentence shocked Empress Elizabeth as well. She had assumed she would be executed—yet exile? A flicker of light spread across her dirt-stained face.

Seeing that, Alexis narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t harbor false hope. The sentence will be posted throughout the empire, and every citizen will know your crimes in full. The moment you set foot in the empire again, you will be executed on the spot.”

“…….”

“Not executing you is the last mercy I can offer. Be grateful to your son for the rest of your life—it is thanks to Cecil’s plea.”

With that, Alexis turned and strode out of the dungeon. Cecil was dragged along by his hand.

Only after chasing his swift steps up the stairs did they finally emerge outside. Confronted by the open air and pitch-black night sky, Cecil’s legs gave out and he collapsed to his knees.

Instead of simply supporting him, Alexis knelt as well, lowering himself to Cecil’s eye level. His eyes, now much gentler than before, carefully examined Cecil’s strained face.

“Cecil, what’s wrong?”

“…I thought my heart was going to fall out.”

“Were you afraid I’d kill her?”

Cecil shook his head, his face buried in his palms.

“No. I thought you were going to exile her to the Black Forest.”

“I promised you.”

“…The council of elders must have opposed it fiercely.”

“It took quite some time. Convincing each of them, one by one, that she should be executed immediately was no easy task.”

Cecil slowly lowered his hands from his face. Large tears pooled in his wide eyes. It was a wonder they hadn’t fallen yet. Alexis brushed his thumb over Cecil’s eyelids, and moisture soaked his fingertips.

“Paying for her crimes with death would have been just. But because she is the mother who gave birth to you, I could not do that.”

“…….”

“I don’t want even a trace of resentment. I only want your love.”

Cecil wiped away the remaining moisture with the back of his hand and nodded. When he lifted his flushed face, he saw Alexis smiling brightly at him.

“Not even going to thank me?”

“…Thank you.”

“Just words? That’s not very sincere.”

Though Alexis spoke jokingly, Cecil willingly reached out and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. His knees pressed into the ground, and his upper body leaned into Alexis.

“I want to serve you tonight, Your Highness.”

“…….”

“Please allow me to serve you.”

Alexis’s chest rose sharply against his own as he inhaled deeply. The hand around Cecil’s back tightened.

“Can you keep that promise?”

“It has to be tonight.”

Cecil held onto his shoulders even tighter.

One day left.

It was time, now, to say farewell to Alexis.