I Won't Accept Your Regrets

Chapter 161

"Don't get up."

Ellie hugged Carlisle tightly and began to cry.

Raymond looked at the pair, and lifted his gaze to the doctor.

"What will happen to the prince?"

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

"Good news."

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

"Uk!"

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

"Sire!"

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

"Quiet.

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

"Your Majesty, this cannot be hidden. It was worth sharing the antidote in two, "said Duke Croft, walking up to Raymond, unable to hide the horror from his face.

"It would be better to talk elsewhere."

If there is another noise here, it will awaken Ellie.

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.

"Sire!"

"Don't fuss and get me that medicine."

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

"It's okay if I take your 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, braced himself and spoke.

"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 did not intervene.

He could not protest and declare that it was necessary to save Raymond instead of Carlisle.

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

Regret came with a delay, but even if such a moment comes again, he is not 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 made such an assumption. 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 ... Learn the ingredients of the poison, and make an antidote. Now it's up to you to decide whether I will live or die."

"Sire..."

The imperial palace doctors shook their heads.

"Now do everything in your power."

As the healers retreated, Raymond turned to the frozen Duke Croft.

"Don't tell the Empress."

"Hah ... How can you just hide it?

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

Whether it is an accident or something else, my end will not be from poison.

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

I have never made her happy, and I did not 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.

"Sire..."

"Duke, don't tell the Empress."

"That's an order?"

"It's him."

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

"I will obey."

"I need to rest."

"Then I'll leave you."

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 the trial of Liza will take place.

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 was not his child.

Newspapers rushed to the sides, not knowing which article to publish 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 spared, 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 dungeon 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 the favor of His Majesty, but I never could..."

"Edmund, it's not 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 did not even know at all..."

Deposed prince, enemy of the emperor.

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

I dared not measure to judge Edmund's feelings.

I could only say one thing.

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

"His Majesty showed mercy."

"Because there are no sins behind you."

"There is no one next to me ... 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."

"Mom..."

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 calms down ... 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 take Carlisle's life."

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 could not 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 the family, was simply pathetic.

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

"I know it wasn't your will. So forget it."

Edmund stared at me with complex emotion in his eyes.

Edmund will not 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 have not added such words.

"See you soon, then."

I checked that everything was in order 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 scream coming from behind my back.

"Mother Mother."

"Hm?"

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.

"Fine."

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:

"When you wake up, I'll be gone. Will you sit alone?"

"Of course."

Carlisle hadn't heard news of the first prince yet.

Here he will be shocked to learn that the first prince is no longer his brother.

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

Carlisle only knew that something went wrong, and now he is being treated.

Now his eyes closed slowly. Each time he fell asleep after taking the medicine.

After capturing this moment, I jumped out of bed.

"Let's go to court."