Second Life, I’m Dying Soon Chapter 64

Chapter 64

 

“This is definitely Cecil’s. Where is the marquis?”

“Well… he hasn’t been seen for some time now.”

While everyone was focused on searching the estate, the marquis had vanished without a trace.

Alexis barely managed to suppress the rage boiling inside him. His clenched teeth slowly parted, and a calm voice followed.

“Gather everyone currently inside the estate. Immediately.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The knights moved swiftly, combing through the vast mansion and dragging out every last member of the marquis’s household who had been hiding inside.

Roughly twenty people were assembled in the central hall—all of them servants who worked there.

Alexis’s blue eyes swept over their frightened faces.

“Did Cecil Adrian come to this mansion?”

“…….”

The mansion was filled only with trembling breaths. For most of them, this was their first time standing face-to-face with the Crown Prince, and they were frozen stiff, unable to answer.

The knights barked at them to respond, but it only deepened the servants’ fear.

Alexis raised a hand to stop the knights, then pointed to the maid who appeared to be the oldest.

“You. Answer me. Have you seen Cecil?”

“Y-Yes. Y-Yes, Your Highness.”

The head maid, her chin quivering uncontrollably, explained everything she knew in detail.

From how Cecil had arrived late at night in the marquis’s carriage, to how she had been instructed to prepare bathwater, to serving him dinner—she recounted it all.

“After that, I don’t know anything. Our Master told us that an honored guest had arrived and ordered us never to wander the estate. He told us to remain locked in our rooms.”

“So none of you know what happened to Cecil after that?!”

The head maid didn’t seem to be lying. Just as Alexis bit down on his lip, a knight approached, gripping an old man by the collar.

“Your Highness, we caught someone trying to flee. He appears to be the head butler of the marquis’s household.”

The head butler was thrown down at Alexis’s feet, flattening himself against the floor as though he were part of it.

“Y-Your Highness! P-Please, s-spare me! I—I only did what the marquis ordered!”

Alexis closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again. For a split second, his vision flashed white with fury, but he forced himself to remain composed—at least until Cecil was found.

“What did you do?”

“T-That is…”

“Where is Cecil?”

“I’ll tell you! I know where he is! Please—just spare my life!”

“Take me there. Now.”

The knights seized the butler by both arms and forcibly hauled his limp body upright. His knees trembled violently as he raised his head without thinking—and met the Crown Prince’s gaze.

The Crown Prince he had only heard of in rumors possessed hair bright enough to rival an angel’s, and a face both noble and beautiful.

But within those piercing blue eyes was a chill cold enough to freeze flesh and bone. That was unmistakably killing intent.

‘I’m definitely going to die.’

The butler swallowed hard. Never before had a premonition felt so certain. His limbs shook uncontrollably.

When the door leading to the basement opened, the butler picked up a single candlestick and carefully descended the stairs.

The deeper they went, the heavier the damp, musty stench became. Strange, grotesque adult implements hung along the walls as though on display. At the sight, the knights frowned, their stomachs turning.

The marquis had been hiding in the basement like a rat. In the deepest part stood nothing but a large bed. On it lay someone limp and motionless, with the marquis straddling them. 

His back was visible as he hurriedly pulled Cecil’s clothes back into place. He was desperately trying to conceal the perverse acts he had committed.

The knights moved to stop him, but Alexis rushed forward before they could.

The marquis was so engrossed he didn’t notice the approaching footsteps until it was too late. Before he could even turn around, a kick flew at him, and his massive body collapsed with a thud.

While the knights dragged the fallen marquis away to restrain him, Alexis immediately checked on Cecil.

“Cecil! Open your eyes!”

Cecil’s body lay slack in his arms. There was no response to Alexis’s voice.

When Alexis tapped his pale cheek, Cecil finally opened his eyes—but his pupils were unfocused, unable to recognize him.

“How… could this happen…?”

Alexis’s gaze slowly drifted downward.

Cecil’s clothes, left poorly adjusted, were completely disheveled. Red marks were visible on his exposed neck and wrists.

At the undeniable sexual marks, Alexis’s teeth ground together.

“Marquis, you’ve decided you want to die.”

At the thunderous roar that seemed ready to tear eardrums apart, the marquis swallowed dryly. In a desperate attempt to escape the immediate danger, lies spilled from his mouth—lies he couldn’t possibly contain.

“Y-Your Highness! Please, hear me out! The truth is, Cecil and I were lovers! Cecil sought me out first, saying he needed someone to amuse him. And—and he took too much medicine! He begged me to keep it a secret, saying it would cause chaos if the Imperial Palace found out!”

“Lovers?”

Before the marquis even finished speaking, Alexis laughed in disbelief. The smile vanished in an instant as he glared at him.

“Silence. You still have the nerve to wag your tongue? How dare you lie before me.”

“It’s the truth! Please believe me!”

“You expect me to believe Cecil would have interest in an old pig like you?”

“Th-That…”

The marquis’s eyelids fluttered as if in convulsions. Lies piled upon lies.

“We weren’t close enough to be called lovers, but we did share similar tastes! You know Cecil prefers men, do you not, Your Highness? He was curious, so I merely lent him my bedchambers! I swear I never laid a finger on him! Everything was done by my servants!”

Alexis no longer bothered to reply. He gently laid Cecil down, stroked his hair once, then stood.

He walked straight up to a nearby knight and drew the sword from his waist. The sight of him approaching with a longsword was so oppressive that the marquis scrambled backward on his backside.

Even that failed. The knights grabbed him again and forced him back to his knees. Standing before him, Alexis leveled the blade at the marquis’s thick neck.

“You will speak the truth. I do not possess much patience.”

“H-Hii—! P-Please, spare me!”

“Did you touch Cecil?”

The marquis, drenched in cold sweat, swallowed with difficulty. His bobbing Adam’s apple brushed dangerously close to the blade’s edge. Certain he would die, he forced his voice out.

“Yes… I touched him.”

Swiish— Alexis swung the sword lightly. The marquis’s right wrist was severed cleanly.

“Aaaaagh! AAAAAAAH!”

A scream bordering on madness filled the basement.

Blood sprayed like a fountain from the cleanly severed stump. The marquis thrashed in agony, but the knights held his collar tightly, forcing him to remain kneeling.

“From now on, answer honestly, and I will spare your life.”

The words sounded merciful, but Alexis’s eyes were as sharpened as the blade in his hand. Trembling, the marquis nodded.

“Did you see Cecil’s bare skin?”

“…Yes.”

“Did you kiss him?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Did you lust after him and attempt to violate him?”

“Yes—yes, I did.”

Tears streamed down the marquis’s face as he confessed everything. He knew well the price of laying hands on royalty. Still, promised his life, he clung to that hope.

He lifted his head, expecting mercy. What met his eyes were cold blue irises devoid of even the faintest emotion.

“Y-Your Highness… You promised… Please spare—!”

In an instant, the sword sliced through the air repeatedly.

The marquis’s lips, both eyes, and his remaining wrist were severed.

Thud. Thud. Chunks of flesh fell to the floor as dark red blood poured out. A horrific scream followed.

“You dare!”

Lastly, the blade swept across the marquis’s lower body. When the base of his manhood was half severed, he let out a choking sound and collapsed unconscious.

Bloody foam bubbled from his mouth. Vivid blood streamed from every severed part.

As his massive body collapsed, blood pooled beneath him. Alexis looked down at the convulsing marquis with the same indifferent gaze, flicking the blood from his blade as he spoke coldly.

“Keep him alive. If he dies, the responsibility will be yours.”

“Yes!”

The knights hurried to his side. Thanks to Alexis deliberately avoiding vital points, the marquis would likely survive if the bleeding was controlled.

But with half his face gone, he could hardly be called human anymore. The knights inwardly clicked their tongues at the Crown Prince’s cruelty, yet maintained neutral expressions as they worked quickly.

Meanwhile, Alexis approached the bed again and tended to Cecil.

He removed his own raincoat and wrapped it around Cecil’s body, then lifted him up. Unlike before—when he’d slung him over his shoulder like a sack—he now held him carefully, yet Cecil still writhed in reflexive spasms.

“Ugh… d-don’t… touch me. I’ll… kill you.”

Cecil’s eyes were still unfocused, but he seemed to recognize that someone was holding him. Feeling him weakly push back with all the strength he had left, Alexis shut his eyes tightly.

“It’s alright. I’m here… You’re safe now.”