TMHLBQ_ARCHIVE_CHAPTER65. The Sick Person Will Fall.

 

65. The Sick Person Will Fall.

It has been several years since I started living with Marianne.

These have been the happiest days of my life.

The duties of the Prime Minister were originally undertaken only to secure a life with Marianne, but they have become, over time, my purpose for living. I am truly proud that I, a man like me who has lived by deceiving, manipulating, and leading people astray, can now do something for the people of the nation. Moreover, as the Prime Minister, I have been given the right to propose bills at the Legislative Council initiated by Queen Rosa herself. The bill I proposed, as someone from the lower class, was something only I could offer, and it has become a means of saving the lower class, reducing the number of those dying from hunger and poverty. There could be no more rewarding work than this.

Though I possess the power of immortality through my special abilities, I genuinely wish to spend my life serving the country as Prime Minister. Over the years, I have often expressed this to my true friend, Prince Albert, and each time he would humorously reply, "I'll feel at ease when you're gone."

Before I was appointed as Prime Minister, I had already mastered the use of my special abilities to the point where I could even manipulate the physical age of others. But that only affected their appearance. Unlike me, I could not extend or shorten anyone else's lifespan. Eventually, I knew that both Albert, my dear friend, and Marianne, the one I loved, would ultimately die before me. But, if that was the case, I wished to leave behind their footprints, to preserve them for future generations. That was the least I could do to honor the woman who had saved me from the mire, and it would also give meaning to my own life.

I bought a house where Marianne and I could live together, assisted Albert with his duties as consort in the palace, and returned home each day to be greeted by Marianne. I was fulfilled beyond measure.

...I was engaged to her, but we had not yet married. I was reluctant to take that final step, so she stayed in our house. I loved her deeply, with all my heart. However, even as Prime Minister, I was from a lower class, and I couldn't bear the thought of intertwining my bloodline with hers. The Edwards family, though their members' characters varied, was an esteemed noble family. My lineage, although it was not publicly known, would inevitably attract public interest if I were to marry her. I couldn’t bear the thought of her being subjected to the prying eyes of society, much less being tainted by my own origins. She assured me that she wouldn't mind the opinions of others and would choose me over anyone else, but I couldn’t accept the idea of tainting her. I was content just to be with her.

That was before she fell ill.

An illness with an unknown cause.

Shortness of breath and a persistent chill clung to her.

Even after calling every doctor in the country, no one could identify her illness.

The only people who knew the full extent of it were Albert, my sole true friend, and Queen Rosa, who had become my friend as well. Through their arrangements, they allowed Marianne to secretly stay at the palace.

Her illness was still a mystery. I could have left her with our servants to care for her at home, but if her illness were exposed and rumors spread, people might assume it was an infectious disease, causing unnecessary panic. This would endanger her life and my position as Prime Minister. We had no reason to fear infection, as the maids and I could confirm that it wasn't contagious, but the spread of rumors would have dire consequences. Thanks to their help, I could continue my work at the palace while caring for Marianne.

In the first year, we tried every possible treatment, but none had any effect. The only remaining option was to find a special ability user who could heal her illness, someone I had only heard about in rumors. I, too, was a rare special ability user, and it wouldn’t be surprising if there were someone in this vast kingdom who could heal such ailments. In secret, soldiers were dispatched throughout the kingdom under the authority of the queen to search for such a healer. Normally, it would have been best to openly seek help, but doing so would imply that a member of the royal family or someone of high rank was gravely ill, which could never be publicly acknowledged. For the sake of Marianne’s safety and the royal family's reputation, it had to be kept secret. Therefore, I proposed a law at the year’s legislative council to enforce the "Mandatory Special Ability Registration Act" to track all special ability users in the kingdom. However, neither Albert nor the queen could support it, as it conflicted with the current laws and the rights of special ability users.

By the second year, no special healer had been found. But two significant events occurred.

The first was that the first princess, Pryde, developed a prophetic ability, which marked her as the heir to the throne.

The second was that the carriage of Prince Albert, the consort, had two major defects in its wheels. When I investigated the cause, it turned out to be a careless mistake made by several servants—neglecting regular maintenance, incorrectly marking the damage, and carelessly replacing the wheels without proper inspection.

At that time, the queen had urgently descended to the city, and shortly thereafter, Prince Albert had ordered the carriage to be prepared in haste, causing confusion at the scene. If anyone had paid proper attention, or if the situation hadn’t been so chaotic, this could have been avoided.

In the end, the carriage with Prince Albert was almost sent out, but it was stopped at the last moment by eight-year-old Princess Pryde. Had she not intervened, the carriage would have likely met disaster.

Those responsible for the oversight were punished and dismissed, but it was ultimately a series of unfortunate events. Yet, some in the palace didn’t view it that way.

There were whispers of an assassination attempt on Prince Albert. Some members of the upper echelons of the palace didn’t think highly of him. Of course, it wasn’t because of his character. Though he wasn’t originally from our country—he was the second prince of a neighboring nation—his work as consort was seen with disdain by those with nationalistic tendencies. While I thought it was a baseless rumor, at that time, something darker was beginning to stir within me.

I began to wonder if I could rally support among those who opposed Albert and push the "Mandatory Special Ability Registration Act" through at the next legislative council meeting.

Ultimately, the queen held the final say. But if enough of the upper echelons supported the bill, she would have to agree to it.

It was a foolish thought—betraying my dear friend’s daughter and plotting something so beneath me. After all, only a small faction of the palace opposed Albert. His integrity was well-known to everyone in the castle, and despite any rumors, I didn’t believe they could garner enough support. Still, I silently suppressed the dark impulse rising within me.

But it didn’t end there.

With Princess Pryde's newly awakened ability, she effectively became the heir to the throne. Everyone in the palace who knew her for her arrogant ways was far from pleased. I could hear the voices of those who felt she was unfit to rule, which made me feel that I could, at least in part, rally support among the upper echelons.

Additionally, there was the search for the ideal consort for the first princess... the boy who should become her future husband. Prince Albert had immediately ordered the search for a rare special ability user, a male under the age of eight. After two years of searching for a healer for Marianne, it took less than two days to find this boy.

I knew it was difficult to find a specific special ability user. But I had already been gathering information about various special ability users for two years, so it wasn’t surprising that we were able to find a suitable candidate for the princess so quickly. All thanks to the search I had conducted for Marianne.

As I walked through the corridors of the castle, I found myself thinking about how much hatred I had come to feel for Princess Pryde, someone I had barely interacted with until now. Was it simply that I wanted to justify fitting someone convenient into the situation? Or was it jealousy of her, having everything handed to her with her spoiled ways? No... probably both.

Still, I wrestled with it. To act against her would be to dishonor Albert's daughter, to betray my dear friend. Moreover, if this were made public, it would be a grave offense, even punishable by charges of insult or disrespect. It would tarnish not only my position but also that of the queen, who had appointed me as Prime Minister, and of course, Albert. No, I couldn’t do it.

But...

"Jill..."

I turned at the sound of Marianne’s voice. It seemed like quite a bit of time had passed. I had finished my duties early and came to check on her.

"...What’s wrong, Marianne?"

I quickly adjusted myself, offering a smile, careful not to let her see any of the turmoil in my heart. Her frail, pale hand reached out toward me. She told me that her limbs felt heavy lately, likely due to lying in bed for so long. I cupped her hand in both of mine, and she turned her head slightly toward me, her breath labored as she spoke.

"...Don’t push yourself anymore... for my sake."

I was shocked by her words. It seemed like she already knew that I was planning something.

"...Jill, I have one request... promise me."

She looked up at me with tearful eyes, and without hesitation, I nodded. I wanted to grant her any wish, no matter what. She smiled at my answer and slowly opened her mouth.

"...If I die... live for me... please, promise me."

At that moment, I felt like something within me shattered.

Her words about death... I finally understood that she stood on the brink of it. More than that, she had already come to terms with it.

"Promise me," she smiled softly, and I could only nod in a daze, unable to hide my unease.

"Jill... I’ve already... had more than enough happiness..."

"I don’t want to hear that..."

I cut her off, unable to bear it.

I gritted my teeth, struggling to hold back the tears.

"I still haven’t made you happy."

I said it firmly, wiped my tears, and kissed her forehead. She whispered softly that it wasn’t true, but I chose to ignore her words.

"I want to hear that after you’re cured... until then, I don’t want to hear it."

I conveyed that message and, feeling like I was running away, I left the room to leave it to the maid.

She was dying... though it was just a possibility. With her illness having no cure, she suffered daily. It was no wonder her spirit had grown weak. But I couldn’t accept it.

I had failed to make her happy. Even though I had promised her I would come for her.

Until now, I had been the one to receive happiness.

It was because of her that I had risen from the mud, that I had come so far. Without her, I would still be a person who deceived, sweet-talked, manipulated, and used others.

"Without her, I am nothing..."

I murmured as I walked down the hallway of the castle, the words slipping from my mouth.

Yes, it was because of her that I had come this far. So, why not use everything I had, even my old methods, to save her?

I will save her, no matter what it takes.

Using everything at my disposal, I will use my position as Prime Minister, my power, and my abilities.

I’ll deceive, manipulate, and use anyone to help me.

Without her, I would have fallen. Now, I will rise again for her.

For her, I will do anything.

---

The small factors, when combined, will lead to a great crisis.

With newfound resolve, I continued walking. There was still much to be done. First, I would need to make contact with those who opposed Albert... No, with those who opposed the consort.

It was like the carriage, I thought.

It was more than just that, though. Soldiers alone wouldn’t be enough. I would need to reach even deeper, into the shadows. As a Prime Minister, I had plenty of opportunities to meet those involved in underground dealings. I could make deals with them, using money as bait to gather information on special ability users. It wasn’t a problem, just buying information with money. There was no line being crossed.

— The carriage, burdened with multiple factors, would inevitably collapse. The cracks in its wheels would widen, and the poorly constructed wheels would fall off…

Eunie here: If you guys were GILBERT, what would YOU do?

 It's not the right thing to do but are you willing to do anything for your love one?

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