The Extra Wants To Live

Adrian fled from that place.

It never even occurred to him that he should plan to capitalize on this huge event.

It seemed as if Adrian could not think of anything, as if it were a lie that he had always calmly planned for the future, seeking a way to kill his brothers and father and become the emperor.

Soon, the cries of a child who had lost his mother reached his ears as he ran away.

It was impossible to even imagine it in his usual appearance, but the beautiful and majestic appearance he had seen at the ceremony just a moment ago seemed like a lie, and he cried like a wounded animal.

It was the cry of 'Han Chang-in,' who had lost the only precious person who allowed him to put down roots in this world as 'Carl.'

And at the same time, it was also the cry of Adrian, who had lost his mother in the same way as Carl that day, and had cried while holding his mother in his arms.

Adrian covered his ears and ran away.

But no matter how much he ran, the sound lingered in his ears.

There was no escape from the past.

No matter how hard he tried to bury it, the past did not disappear.

It was not Carl's scream that was chasing and tormenting Adrian, but his own scream that he had let out the moment he lost his mother, whom he had hidden with his cruel and ruthless appearance.

The banquet to celebrate the victory was canceled.

The sad sound of crying shook the palace, and no one dared to participate in the banquet.

Carl closed the door.

No one was allowed into the room, and no one was granted access.

He just spent time alone in his room, holding the corpse of his mother, Lilly, who had died a long time ago.

Inside, only the sound of crying could be heard.

Knock, knock.

Late at night, someone came to Carl's room.

When there was no one there—no, after directly blocking everyone's gaze and ensuring there was no one there—Carl hugged Lilly's cold body, ran his fingers through her hair, caressed her face, and cried.

He didn't care who came, and he couldn't even hear the knock.

"Your Highness," Orten's subdued voice was faintly heard.

"I came to deliver a letter from your mother."

"… … ."

But Carl couldn't help but react to those words.

The crying stopped, and a heavy, suffocating silence hung over the room.

"… … Come in," Carl's voice was faintly heard.

All manner of etiquette was thrown aside, and even the majestic voice collapsed under tears.

With Carl's permission, Orten opened the lock with the key given to the chief chamberlain and quietly went inside.

In a dark room where the only light was the starlight streaming in through the window, Carl's back appeared as if it were sinking into a shadow, holding Lilly in his arms.

"It was your doing," Carl said.

"… … ."

"By order of Azgoth."

"…yes…."

Orten couldn't move his body or breathe.

The best he could do was to answer faintly, with all his might, through his breath.

"Where is Azgoth?"

"… … ."

"Answer me."

"He is in the bedroom."

Orten tried not to speak, but strangely and horribly, he answered Carl's command against his will.

Like a lamb whose soul was held in the hands of the devil, Orten, the Imperial Chamberlain, was nothing more than a helpless human being, stripped naked and thrown into the wilderness before the enraged Carl.

"… … ."

Carl's body moved as if swaying.

As if handling a delicate piece of glassware, he carefully laid his mother Lilly's body, now limp and slack from rigor mortis, on the bed.

Even though she should no longer feel any discomfort, Carl laid her in the most comfortable position possible and carefully adjusted her posture.

To straighten her head, which kept tilting to the side, he brought a pillow to support her head, gently patted away any hair that was tickling her eyes with his fingertips, and gathered her sagging hands neatly on her stomach.

Then, he gave her the dried flower arrangement she had been looking at until the end.

Carl rose silently, as if he were not alive, like darkness floating, and slid out of bed like a shadow.

In the pitch-black darkness, only a pair of eyes cast an eerie light.

Who would have thought that the beautiful greenery that suited that spring could burn with such a terrible light?

"…flaw...."

As if a shadow were seeping into the darkness, Carl naturally reached out and grabbed Orten's neck.

A slender and elegant, yet large and strong hand lifted Orten's body, holding it with such tremendous force that it seemed as if it might break his neck at any moment.

"Ugh… … ."

As Orten gasped, Carl held up his index finger in front of his lips and told him to be quiet.

His mother was sleeping, so they had to be quiet.

Even as Orten slowly suffocated, he could not avoid Carl's eyes that pierced through his soul.

"Haa…!"

Because that's the only thing Orten could do for Lilly.

Not for Carl, but for Lilly, whom he respected and admired, Orten needed to stop Carl from going to kill Azgoth and dying.

If, disappointingly, Carl lost control of himself and rushed to kill him, Azgoth would kill him.

Orten was already prepared for this.

If Carl went now, he would definitely die.

And Orten held the only key to stopping Carl.

Orten lifted his still hand and held the letter in front of Carl.

Even though his neck was on the verge of breaking, his hands were very careful not to crumple the letter.

Carl's eyes slowly lowered and looked at the letter Orten held out.

Lilly always sewed and sealed the letters she wrote to Carl with her own hands.

There was no way that Carl would not notice Lilly's traces.

Carl took the letter and quietly put Orten down.

Orten staggered back, covering his mouth with his hand to keep himself from gasping.

"… … ."

Carl slowly ran his fingertips over his mother's letter.

The envelope his mother always used had the stitching she always did on it.

Sadly, Lilly didn't even wear perfume, so Carl couldn't smell his mother's scent.

He had to read the letter, but he didn't know what to do because even the traces of stitching were too precious to bear.

Bam… .

In the darkness, something unseen cut the thread for the hesitant Carl.

It was very sharp, and there was no trace on the envelope. Even the thread was cut cleanly, so it seemed that if he tidied it up properly, it could be made neatly like the original.

Carl remained silent for a long time, then carefully opened the envelope so as not to damage the shape of the thread and took out the letter paper.

He couldn't see anything in the dark room.

Carl knelt in front of the window, in front of the bed where his mother was sleeping, holding the letter in his hand, and placed the letter on the bed, looking at it in the starlight.

Carl's eyes traced the lines of his mother's handwriting, his breath catching in his throat as he struggled to find the courage to read the words she had left behind. The letter, delicate in his hands, seemed heavier than anything he had ever held. The room was thick with silence, save for the faint rustling of the letter as Carl opened it fully.

Orten, standing cautiously a few steps behind Carl, could see the tension in Carl's frame. He knew that any wrong move or word might set off a storm, yet he also knew he had to speak. Clearing his throat softly, Orten began, his voice trembling but determined.

"Your Highness… this letter… your mother wrote it for you, knowing that… knowing what might happen." Orten's voice broke slightly, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. "She wanted you to know… that she loved you, more than anything in this world."

Carl's grip tightened on the letter, his knuckles white as he stared at the words, still unread. His breathing was shallow, his eyes unblinking as if afraid that the mere act of reading might shatter the fragile remnants of his sanity.

Orten took a cautious step closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "Your Highness… Lilly wanted you to live. She wanted you to carry on, not to let the past or the pain consume you. She… she knew that if anything were to happen, you might be tempted to… to seek revenge."

Carl's eyes flicked up from the letter, finally meeting Orten's gaze. There was an intensity in those green eyes that sent a shiver down Orten's spine, but also a deep, unbearable sadness.

"She was all I had," Carl whispered, his voice hoarse and raw. "And they took her from me… they took everything."

Orten nodded slowly, his own eyes filling with tears. "I know, Your Highness… I know. But if you go after Azgoth now, you'll be playing right into his hands. He's waiting for you to make that move. He wants you to lose control, to rush in blinded by anger… so he can kill you."

Carl's expression hardened, his jaw clenching as he looked back at the letter. "And what would you have me do, Orten? Just stand by while the man who murdered my mother sits comfortably in his chambers, unpunished?"

Orten hesitated, knowing that his next words could determine everything. "I'm not asking you to forget, Your Highness. I'm asking you to be patient. There will be a time for justice, but it must be on your terms, not his. You have to be smarter than him… for Lilly's sake."

Carl remained silent, the battle between rage and reason waging within him. He looked down at the letter again, his mother's words now blurry through his unshed tears.

"I want to read letter, so please be quite."

Carl said in whisper voice, he didn't answer to Orten words...And Orten knew that he won't get any answer from Carl.

"As you wish, Your highness."

Orten said as took few steps back to give Carl some pirecey.

Taking few breath, Carl finally began to read the last latter, that Lilly, his mother left for him.