Second Life, I’m Dying Soon Chapter 74

Chapter 74

 

Kilian was approaching at an unhurried pace.

It looked as though he had just woken up—his hair was completely flattened, and drowsiness clung heavily to his face. A robe hastily thrown over his half-bare body dragged along the floor with every step he took.

At the sight of him, Larisa’s expression twisted. Her pleasant mood, which had lasted until now, plunged straight to rock bottom at the disgraceful sight of her own kin.

“Why don’t you look at yourself first? Honestly! Did you really have to behave like this even after coming all the way here?”

“Why so surprised? I’ve always been like this.”

Kilian laughed as he tightly gripped the waist of the woman beside him. He had no intention whatsoever of hiding his insolent behavior.

“It wouldn’t do to neglect the woman Her Majesty the Empress sent me. I made sure to repay her by loving her wholeheartedly.”

Cecil, who had been staring at the tabletop the entire time since Kilian’s arrival, lifted his eyes at those words. The woman in Kilian’s arms looked strangely familiar.

“……”

When her eyes met Cecil’s, the woman flinched like a guilty child and hurriedly averted her gaze.

She was unmistakably one of the maids who attended the Empress. Unable to restrain herself, the Empress had already slipped someone into his bed. Cecil scoffed in disbelief at her astonishing speed.

Kilian gave the woman’s backside a light smack, signaling for her to leave. Then he slowly swept his gaze around the area. Unfortunately, there were no empty seats.

“Please, take my seat, Your Highness Kilian.”

One of the men, reading the room, quickly stood up. Of all people, it was the man seated closest to Cecil.

“Well then, I won’t refuse.”

Kilian confidently claimed the vacant spot. He dropped into the chair with a thud, slung an arm over the angular backrest, and leaned at a crooked angle.

As a result, the gold-embroidered collar of his robe fell wide open. With his bronzed chest fully exposed, Kilian leisurely surveyed the group gathered there.

“How fascinating. You somehow picked out nothing but men Larisa would like.”

After his brief assessment, he let out a soft, air-leaking chuckle.

In the chilling silence, Kilian was the only one laughing. Larisa glared at him sharply in protest, but he seemed entirely unconcerned that he had ruined the pleasant atmosphere.

Kilian’s wandering gaze finally settled on the person beside him. His thin lips split into a wide grin. Cecil, who stiffened coldly whenever he was looked at, was endlessly entertaining.

“I hear you like men too.”

“…….”

“So that’s why you’ve gathered all the Empire’s pretty faces?”

Kilian asked as though genuinely curious. Cecil replied without blinking.

“Stop taking an interest in me.”

“That’s cold. Couldn’t you smile at least half as much as you do for Larisa?”

The sheer absurdity of it made the irritation surge. When Cecil ignored him sharply, Kilian let out a quiet snort of laughter.

“Well… I suppose that frosty attitude suits your face.”

Kilian’s upper body leaned farther and farther askew. He rested his chin on his hand, giving Cecil his full attention.

Cecil felt his patience nearing its limit. At this rate, he might end up hurling insults at Kilian. He couldn’t afford to let his plans fall apart, so retreating was the wisest option.

“I still have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave for now. I’ll see you again later.”

Dragging his chair back with a scrape, Cecil finally stood. Watching him disappear in haste, as though fleeing something, Kilian wore a knowing smile.

He lifted his teacup to his lips. The excess saliva that kept pooling in his mouth was swallowed down along with the bitter black tea.

After a suitable amount of time had passed, Cecil returned to Princess Larisa, just as he had said he would. Fortunately, Kilian seemed to have lost interest and was nowhere to be seen, allowing Cecil to proceed with the rest of his plan at ease.

The more bored the princess became, the more likely she was to seek out Alexis. That was why Cecil attended to her attentively, redirecting her attention elsewhere.

He showed her rare sights within the imperial palace, let her watch the knights during training, and even took her through the bustling streets of the capital by carriage.

He always brought handsome attendants along, and without giving Larisa even a moment to regain her senses, he continuously supplied diversions she would enjoy. Cecil devoted every waking hour solely to her.

Perhaps thanks to his enthusiastic efforts, the frequency with which she mentioned the Crown Prince dropped sharply. Even when she did bring him up, it was negligible compared to before.

Up until the day before the birthday celebration, Cecil’s plan proceeded smoothly.

On a night when a full moon hung round in the sky, Princess Larisa—enjoying a dinner banquet with handsome men—suddenly seemed struck by a thought and lightly slammed the table.

“Come to think of it, there’s a birthday eve event tonight, isn’t there? I heard there’s some kind of performance.”

“…Yes. There’s an opera.”

Cecil replied while blinking heavily beneath tired eyelids.

“An opera? I’m curious! Can we go see it?”

“…Hmm.”

Cecil hesitated briefly. By all accounts, Alexis would undoubtedly be present. Searching for a way to avoid an encounter, he spoke carefully.

“Even if we go now, the performance has already started, so we likely won’t be able to enter the main hall. If you wish, we might be able to watch from the balcony seating on this floor… But wouldn’t it be difficult to see properly?”

“Not at all. It sounds like a unique experience, actually. Oh—and we can drink wine while watching, right?”

Princess Larisa seemed quite fond of the Empire’s specialty—fine wine. She had already polished off two large decanters. Faced with her remarkable tolerance and impulsive decisions, Cecil let out a troubled sigh.

‘Just one more day. Endure this for just one more day, and it will be over.’

As expected, the opera hall was already deep into the performance.

The seated audience was captivated by the soprano’s enchanting voice singing on stage. The song echoing through the space rang out long. The opera was reaching its climax.

Velvet curtains enclosed the darkness on all sides, with only soft candlelight illuminating the aisles. Leading the way, Cecil suddenly came to a halt upon spotting someone already seated in the upper gallery.

The person sitting in a plush-looking golden chair was unmistakably Alexis. Alexis, who had been watching the opera with his long legs crossed and his upper body sunk into the backrest, sensed their presence and turned his head. His bright hair, shining even in the pitch-black darkness, scattered softly.

The moment their gazes met, Cecil clenched his fists tightly. This is bad. He absolutely must not let her see Alexis like this.

But contrary to Cecil’s hopes, Alexis was already rising slowly to his feet. Having noticed guests, he couldn’t very well ignore them.

“Oh!”

Following behind, Larisa also spotted Alexis and let out a short exclamation. Though she quickly covered her mouth at the involuntary outburst, her eyes were already wide as saucers.

Immersed in the sweet indulgences Cecil had provided, Larisa had forgotten one crucial fact. No handsome man could ever compare to the Empire’s Crown Prince.

Seeing him in person was like waking from a dream and facing reality. Princess Larisa immediately stepped forward and approached Alexis.

“It’s been so long, Alexis. Have you been very busy? I was terribly disappointed that we couldn’t meet.”

“It has been a while, Princess Larisa Ortega. I didn’t expect to encounter you here.”

Conscious that the performance was still ongoing, Alexis greeted her in a low tone. His deep, nearly whispering voice was low and soft, tickling the listener’s ears.

As expected, Princess Larisa was utterly captivated by the Crown Prince’s charm and couldn’t regain her senses. She clung to him almost as if embracing him, showering him with active affection.

Watching all his efforts rendered meaningless in an instant, Cecil let out a long, hollow sigh.

“Princess Larisa, perhaps it would be better to enjoy the performance first and speak later?”

Cecil approached discreetly and tried to restrain her. But the willful princess refused to listen. She clung even tighter to Alexis’s arm and shot Cecil a sharp glare.

“What’s so important about the opera right now? I want to talk with Alexis more than watch the performance. Why are you so tactless?”

Cecil ground his teeth. Harsh words rose to his throat, but he couldn’t raise his voice here, so he swallowed them down painfully. Even so, Larisa’s behavior was beyond tolerable, and his gaze grew colder.

Alexis, watching Cecil from the side, smiled to himself. It was painfully obvious what Cecil was thinking.

Seeing him endure it all with that temperament was nothing short of pitiful—and adorable. Enough to make one want to pull him aside and coax him gently, all to himself.