Skip to main content

TMHLBQ_ARCHIVE_C66:CHAPTER 66 THE WOUNDED HEART DROWNS

 

Chapter 66 – The Wounded Heart Drowns



…When did this hell begin?


 

"Enough, Gilbert!!"

It had been seven years.

Seven years of pushing the same law through the Legislative Council—the Special Ability Registration Act. And with each year, I had gathered more supporters.

The negative rumors I’d spread about my former friend, the Prince Consort Albert, and his beloved daughter, First Princess Pryde, had done their job.

 

The more I fueled suspicion toward Pryde, the easier it became to sway those who feared for the kingdom’s future.

 

And yet… the law still hadn’t passed.

 

Maybe I should have spread slander about Queen Rosa, Princess Tiara, or Lord Stayle as well.

 

But Queen Rosa’s reputation was stellar—respected as the very founder of the council.

 

Stayle, a once-in-a-generation genius, had forged deep connections among the nobility and the social elite.

 

Princess Tiara was known not only for her beauty and grace, but for her kindness and compassion, evident even from childhood.

 

No… it wasn’t hesitation.

 

It wasn’t because Rosa was Marianne’s friend.

 

It wasn’t because Tiara reminded me of a younger Marianne.

 

It wasn’t because Stayle’s rise from commoner to regent mirrored my own.

 

Absolutely not.

EUNIE: I KNOW I SHOULDN'T BUT WOW. WHAT A SCUMBAG!! SURE PRYDE BEFORE REMEMBERING HER PAST LIFE AND THE CONTENTS OF THE GAME WAS BRATTY BUT I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS THE RESULT OF THE QUEEEN PUSHING A YOUNG CHILD AWAY....BUT WTF GILBERT!!!!!!  

“Why are you always targeting Pryde?! Ever since she made that subordination contract with Stayle—you’ve been relentless!”

Pryde was eight at that time.

And not long after, she had grown into a princess worthy of her title.

 

She had earned the trust of her step-siblings, Stayle and Tiara, and even the knights. Rumors of her being a queen-in-waiting had begun to spread—even Stayle helped foster them.

But that was exactly what made things inconvenient for me.

Shortly after I made my decision, Pryde began pestering Albert daily.

She begged for permission to write to Stayle’s birth mother—an act strictly forbidden under the law.

And yet, under the guise of “special circumstances,” both the Queen and Prince Consort granted her request.

The same people who refused to approve my law on nearly identical grounds.

For seven years, I’d quietly spread rumors about Albert and Pryde.

 

The more I pushed, the more people listened. The more they agreed.

 

And somewhere along the way… that manipulation turned into real hatred.

 

The more I repeated the lies, the more I began to believe them.

 

Pryde became, in my mind, a symbol of everything wrong. A tyrant princess. An obstacle.

But everything changed two years ago.

 

It was a trial—her first.

 

Pryde had steadily earned trust from those around her, growing into the role of future queen through diligent study and effort.

 

And then, she was entrusted with her first official court duty.

 

Not only did she preside over a trial, she performed the Queen’s duty of forming a subordination contract with the accused—and delivered a ruling that earned the approval of both Queen Rosa and Regent Vest.

From that moment, her growth as a ruler became inevitable.

I knew I had to change my approach.

If I could win over Pryde—future queen, beloved of the royal family, the knights, the princes, and the people—
If I could secure her support for the law… then surely, this time, it would pass.

I couldn’t undo the rumors I had already spread.
But if I played both sides—keeping the anti-royalist faction close while gaining her trust on the surface—

 

Then maybe next year… maybe then…

“…Gilbert, I understand your pain. Rosa and I—”

"You understand nothing!!!"

I roared with all my strength—at Albert, the man I had once called friend.

My rage swirled like a storm. My vision blurred.

“You think you understand?! You—you think you know what I’ve suffered, Albert?! You think you understand her suffering? Ours?!"

How long had it been since I called him by name?

I seized him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Books crashed from nearby shelves with the impact.

Still, he didn’t resist. He never looked away.

I knew.

Time was running out.

I could see it in Marianne’s fading strength.
She was weakening with each passing day.

So why—why not declare a national search? Why not use the kingdom’s full power?

 

If her life meant anything, then what good was hiding? If her title must be sacrificed to save her, so be it.

Let them condemn me.

 

Let them reveal my low birth and label this the madness of a desperate man.

 

It would protect the royal family. And it might save her.

Arthur Beresford once told me there were rumors of a special ability user—someone who could heal.

 

If that was a lie… then tell me.

Tell me what else I can do.

Tell me what hope I have left.

I’ve betrayed my friends. The Queen. Her daughter.

 

What more must I sacrifice to save her?

I clung to Albert, gripping his shoulder like a lifeline.

I knew. I knew he and the Queen were doing everything they could.

But still—still—

“Seven years…!” I choked. “It’s been seven years, Albert!”

I slammed both hands into the wall beside his head, leaning in, forcing him to meet my eyes.

Seven years.
Seven years Marianne had been confined to that bed.
And still, she endured. Still, she lived.

But I had seen the signs. I had watched her every day.

Her breathing, once shallow, had become frighteningly silent.

 

Each inhale, each exhale, was a battle.

Her body trembled constantly. Her hands—once warm in mine—were like ice.

Half a year ago, she lost the ability to move her limbs. Her arms and legs hung limp, lifeless.
Even when I held her hand, she could no longer grip mine in return.

She had endured pain for so long—seven years of it.

And now… her spirit was fading too.

 

She no longer smiled.

 

She barely spoke.

 

And this morning—she didn’t even respond to my voice.

“She… Marianne is… she’s about to break.”

The moment I said it, my legs gave out beneath me.

I collapsed to the ground, powerless.

Albert knelt beside me, his hand resting gently on my shoulder.

He said, “Pull yourself together,” his voice soft with concern.

Even after I’d raised my hand against him.

Even though I had betrayed him for five years.

"Still not found...? Why can't we find one?" I whispered.
"There are so many with similar abilities… why not this one?!"

No matter how hard I tried. No matter how much I gave.
She was still suffering. Still fading.

Tears streamed down my face.

Albert called my name.
"Gilbert…"

But I didn’t deserve it.

Why can’t I save her?

I swore I would make her happy.

Why, after seven years, has no one been found?

There has to be someone.

Not a fairy tale. Not a dream. Not fiction.

Someone real—because someone like me exists.

If a man with power over time can exist—
Then surely…

“Just one…” I begged. “Just one… is all I need…”

“One person… with the power to heal…”


Please.

Please, appear.

Take everything. My power. My life.

Save her.

Answer this desperate prayer.

If there’s a god—then bring her to me.

Bring me the one who will save her.

The one who will save Marianne.



EUNIE: HI! I FIXED THE HORRIBLE "INDEX" AND MADE SURE THAT ALL THE LINKS ARE WORKING AND IN ORDER. 


PREVIOUS    INDEX      NEXT


PAYPAL



Comments

Post a Comment

Thoughts....