TBCPA 07

Chapter 7

“Seriously…!”

“You really read it, didn’t you!”

If it were me, I would’ve never admitted it.

I smirked and held out the potion.

“For now, I’ll show you the contract conditions as a preview. Try this potion.”

“What kind of potion is it?”

“It reduces the pain of the curse.”

Strictly speaking, it didn’t actually reduce pain—it merely shared it.

I still didn’t have enough time to fully research a real pain-reducing potion.

Instead, I had tried something that split the pain equally between the user and myself.

‘Judging by how energetically he moves around, it doesn’t seem like he’s in unbearable pain.’

It required quite a lot of mana, but I needed to show Kadelos my ability.

I watched confidently as Kadelos shook the potion-filled orange juice bottle in his hand.

“What makes you think I should drink this?”

“I’ve said it many times—I’m a genius. Even His Majesty the Emperor acknowledged it. Trust me!”

I pounded my chest proudly.

Kadelos narrowed his eyes and studied me carefully before slowly opening the bottle.

I watched excitedly as he brought it to his lips and swallowed—

Then—

“Ah?”

Suddenly—

A sharp jolt.

It felt like my body was collapsing inward!

“AAAAAAH!”

What is this?! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!

My vision blurred from pain.

“Hey, what the—damn it!”

Kadelos’s face looked hazy.

I rubbed my eyes with trembling hands and realized my face was completely soaked with tears.

‘It hurts too much.’

That was the last thing I could think.

Imperial Palace

“…What on earth.”

A low sigh and a bitter voice reached my ears.

My eyelids felt too heavy to open, but I still wanted to comfort him somehow.

Yet the burning sensation inside my body made it hard to move.

‘Tell him I’m okay.’

I struggled to lift my eyelids and barely managed to open them.

A lavish ceiling came into view.

“You’re awake…!”

A relieved voice came from beside me.

I slowly turned my head and saw Kadelos letting out a sigh.

“…How was it? It worked, right?”

I asked weakly with a small laugh.

Kadelos raised an eyebrow sharply.

“The potion worked perfectly. My body feels lighter than it has in a long time. But thanks to you collapsing, things got chaotic.”

“You’re still enduring that kind of pain every day…? You’re still hurting right now, aren’t you?”

I tilted my face to one side, tears naturally rolling down my cheek.

Kadelos’s pain was absurdly severe. Even split in half, it was still unbearable.

And he endured this every single moment, every single day.

‘So I’m the only one who knows this.’

Now I understood why his face always looked so strained.

Was this even the kind of pain a person could endure?

‘It’s horrifying.’

I had only wanted to solve my own situation, but thinking about Kadelos enduring this until age twenty made my chest ache.

His curse would only be lifted when he turned twenty and met the heroine—the Saintess—whose “true love’s kiss” would break it.

“Exactly what kind of potion is this? It’s related to you collapsing, isn’t it?”

“…Please don’t be angry. I still hurt.”

Kadelos’s face was full of anger as he questioned me.

But when I spoke weakly, he flinched and closed his mouth.

“It is a pain-reducing potion. It just splits the pain between the creator and the user.”

I explained properly.

His lips tightened further.

But when I looked closer, it wasn’t anger—it was sadness.

“Why would you make something like that?”

“I haven’t finished developing a proper pain-relief potion yet… But it worked, didn’t it?”

“The curse is my burden. You shouldn’t be involved in this.”

His eyes were still filled with sadness.

I reached out and grabbed his hand resting on the bed.

“You’re kind, Your Highness.”

“What…?”

“How have you been enduring this pain every day? It must have hurt a lot.”

I gently brushed the back of his hand.

Even if this didn’t erase his suffering, there was nothing else I could do.

Since it was curse-related pain, doctors couldn’t help, and there was no choice but to endure it.

Even painkillers would have been useless.

“…You.”

“You can say I don’t understand, but it won’t matter. I’ve experienced half of it myself.”

I smiled softly.

Kadelos flinched.

I felt sorry for this boy who couldn’t even say he was in pain.

‘I used to think my first priority was survival, and my second was preventing massacres.’

But now… I wanted to erase his pain just as much.

I wanted to stop him from becoming that cold, distant emperor from my past life.

So he could have a slightly less painful childhood.

So he could grow into a happier adult.

‘Eight years of waiting in pain just to meet the heroine and break the curse… That’s too cruel.’

Even if happiness awaits at the end, the distance is too long.

“So I’m serious. I really will become the Crown Princess. I’ll make you happy, I promise.”

Hold my hand. I’ll find a way somehow.

I reached out toward Kadelos, who seemed to be holding something back.

“…Pick someone else. I can’t make you happy.”

“I’m the one who’s saying I’ll make you happy.”

“I’m not someone worthy of happiness.”

Kadelos stood up with a dark expression.

Who doesn’t want to be happy?

I couldn’t understand him at all.

I had lived trapped in endless abuse.

Every day I imagined: if my parents were alive, if someone treated me kindly, if my uncle’s family liked me…

But I had become too numb to even escape.

Still, I had eventually decided to live only for my own happiness when I returned to the past.

To protect myself.

‘Maybe Kadelos needs that kind of trigger too.’

A reason to believe he can escape. A desire to protect himself.

“It still hurts, so rest a bit more before going back.”

His dim red eyes swept over my face once.

Then he left the room, ignoring my call of “Your Highness!”

I stared at his disappearing back and suddenly realized.

‘Kadelos hates himself.’

That’s why he doesn’t want happiness or safety.

He’s alive, he talks, he even smiles faintly sometimes—but it feels like only his shell is moving.

‘I want to convince him. I want to know why he thinks this way.’

Even though I got rejected again… I didn’t feel bad.

Instead, I felt more determined to observe him properly.

After that

My confessions continued endlessly.

One day, I brought a hundred roses.

The next day, I delivered a love letter and ran away.

The day after, I created a magical light display saying “Please marry me.”

But every attempt was blocked.

“…His defenses are really strong.”

I muttered.

Emilia, my maid following behind me, widened her eyes.

“There’s no wall here, young lady.”

“It’s nothing.”

Emilia was the Emperor’s personal maid assigned to me.

‘Total privilege.’

Since I spent so much time in the palace, I even had a private guest room.

It was clear the Emperor was paying attention to me.

‘Ah… Kadelos is really hard to understand.’

His emotional defenses were absolute.

Even after a month of coming to the palace like clockwork, I kept getting rejected.

But he didn’t exactly kick me out either…

‘I don’t think he hates me.’

Still, I couldn’t give up!

“Let’s go!”

“W-where?!”

Emilia looked nervous every time I suddenly made decisions.

“I’m going to spy on him!”

I left the room with burning determination.

Crown Prince’s Palace

When I arrived, I was stopped before even seeing Kadelos.

“The Crown Prince is currently in class.”

I had come prepared.

I quickly pulled out cotton candy wrapped neatly as a bribe.

“Where is he?”

“His study is that way.”

The servant looked at me like I was adorable and pointed to an open window.

Nice!

“You accepted this, so we’re partners in crime. If you report me later, you’ll get in trouble.”

I threatened him seriously.

Even so, he didn’t seem offended and kindly stepped aside.

I told Emilia to wait and carefully approached the window.

‘This is exciting!’

Is he diligent in class?

Or the type who just goes along with everything?

I crept closer, heart racing like I was on an adventure, and slowly peeked inside through the window…