By Zephyria 
Cecile quietly swallowed a sigh. Yet, he couldn’t back down here.
Reluctantly, he stepped forward and approached Alexis.
The tightly shut eyelids slowly opened. Alexis tilted his head slightly, and his blue eyes, resembling a sea of ice, gazed at Cecile.
Facing those cold eyes after such a long time made him feel as if his body temperature was dropping. Cecile exhaled deeply and clenched and unclenched his trembling fists. After putting on a firm expression, he spoke.
“Please reconsider your intentions.”
Alexis scoffed. His head, which had found its place, leaned back against the chair’s backrest. The prominent Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed his anger.
“You find my words amusing, do you?”
“It’s what everyone wants.”
“Everyone? Does that include you?”
Cecile nodded slightly. At that, Alexis couldn’t hold back any longer and slammed his foot down on the desk.
The harsh kick twisted the shape of the desk, and the chair was pushed away from its place. Alexis, rising abruptly, grabbed Cecile by the collar.
“No, Cecile. You should have opposed it. You should have begged me not to go, to take Kilian’s life instead.”
“I am not a child.”
Cecile shook off the hand gripping his collar.
“Why are you avoiding a way to end the war easily? It would be better to go as a hostage and meet Kilian. I have the confidence to persuade him.”
If he wanted, he could throw away his pride and kneel, and he was willing to offer himself to him. If he thought this was his destined end, then so be it. In 49 days, he would be dead anyway; saving himself would be of no use.
“Persuade?”
But Alexis was also seeing through Cecile’s impure thoughts. The mere thought of it made his teeth clench, and his breath was rougher than ever.
“Do you think Kilian will treat you kindly if you go to Kazazhan?”
“I said I don’t care.”
“I care!”
Cecile was at a loss for words at Alexis’s outburst. He had never seen Alexis this agitated.
“Don’t entertain foolish thoughts. I will never send you to that bastard. Do you understand?”
“…….”
“I mean you should help me think of a way to win the war instead.”
Alexis immediately opened the door and stormed into the conference room. The advisors, seeing his furious face, sensed that Cecile’s persuasion had failed.
“Inform the imperial army. Everyone should be on combat alert and wait for orders. A battle will occur soon, and this time, I will participate personally.”
He announced that it would be a significant battle. The room was filled with tense faces as they looked at Alexis, and soon a resounding response came forth to support the Crown Prince’s will.
Cecile secretly swallowed a breath. Once again, signs were showing that things were going differently from the future he knew. The fact that Alexis was participating in the battle was already a sign.
“It seems Kazazhan is also preparing for war. All the soldiers are gathering at the border.”
“It will be a fight to see who strikes first.”
The operation was being meticulously discussed. The two nations, which had briefly discussed a peace agreement, were once again stoking the flames of war as if nothing had happened.
Listening to the ongoing discussions, Cecile bit his lip in anxiety.
It would be the fiercest battle in history.
Kazazhan had hundreds of ships loaded with cannons, and they would gather them all to attack the Empire.
The battle would last for about a month, and both nations would be utterly devastated. The number of imperial soldiers and citizens who would die would be uncountable.
He couldn’t hide his despair. It would be easy to end this if he were the only one to sacrifice, but it was not easy to break Alexis’s stubbornness.
He thought about secretly crossing over to Kazazhan, but with Alexis’s current temperament, he wouldn’t just sit back and watch. He was a man who would trample Kazazhan at any cost.
Cecile did not know the outcome of this war.
It would be best to end the war while he was still alive. To do that, they had to win this battle decisively.
‘I was trying not to get involved this time…’
After a long contemplation, Cecile made a decision.
He returned to Peridot Palace and immediately took as many painkillers as he could.
Leo, the attendant, was horrified by Cecile’s sudden action, but by then, Cecile had already emptied a whole bottle.
“You can’t! If you take this much…!”
“At this time, just call Ethan. Tell him to wait in front of the operation conference room.”
“Cecile!”
“Hurry! Have you forgotten the promise we made?”
At the command, Leo took a cautious step back. With a face that was almost in tears, he looked at Cecile and rushed out to fetch the Court Physician.
Cecile headed straight for the operation conference room.
As he burst through the door, a strategy meeting was already in full swing inside. Alexis stared at Cecile, who had suddenly barged in.
With a somewhat resolute expression, he asked in a meaningful voice.
“What’s wrong? Do you have something to say to me?”
Cecile nodded. He tightly clenched the hand he had hidden behind him into a fist.
This was undoubtedly a crazy act. What kind of pain would he endure if he saved hundreds of lives?
It was not easy to endure the vague fear that was approaching.
But if this could lead to victory in the war, if it could bring victory to Alexis, then he had to do it. Cecile had no choice.
“Yes. I would like to speak with you privately for a moment.”
Cecile shared with him all the futures that would unfold. The map was filled with words and circles, and every time he drew a thick line, explanations followed about Kazazhan’s expected routes and their attack patterns.
“The enemy’s ambush will occur at two o’clock on Friday morning. We must move before that.”
Alexis remained silent for a while. He was thinking of the most efficient tactics based on the information Cecile had provided.
His gaze, which had been fixed on the map, slowly turned to Cecile.
“Kazazhan has an invincible fleet, but we have the divine messenger who can foresee the future.”
It would undoubtedly be a difficult fight. Alexis immediately took down the map that was pinned to the wall. He brought it out and spread it on the conference table, naturally drawing the advisors around him.
“What is the current situation at the garrison?”
“All troops are in combat readiness. They are prepared to move at any time.”
In a gathering of key advisors, Alexis shared the strategy he had just devised. The framework was set, and now they needed to adjust for any unforeseen variables and details.
About twenty minutes passed as countless opinions were exchanged. Cecile covered his mouth with his palm and took a deep breath.
Alexis occasionally asked him questions, which kept him in his seat. They had even set a date for departure. Now, he truly felt he was reaching his limit.
He could feel the pain beginning to creep in. His heart kept tingling, and his stomach churned as if he were seasick.
It felt distinctly different from usual. The nausea was worse than the constricting pain in his chest.
He might have been tense, waiting for the pain that could start at any moment, or perhaps he had taken too much medication, causing his stomach to protest.
Still, this was nothing compared to the pain. Honestly, he was prepared to collapse right there.
Even for saving just one life, he was suffering to this extent, so it was only right that he would face severe consequences for involving himself in a matter concerning hundreds of lives.
Cecile felt relieved that he had not shown any signs of distress and offered a brief prayer of thanks to the Gaia Goddess. Just as he resolved to slip away.
“……!”
Suddenly, his vision spun, and he instinctively leaned on the table. As a white hand covered a corner of the map, all eyes turned to Cecile.
Naturally, they expected him to say something. But Cecile, with his eyes tightly shut, was grimacing.
The way he covered his mouth made it seem as if he were struggling to hold back something vile.
“Cecile, what’s wrong? Are you in pain?”
“My stomach… a little.”
“Oh no! You’re bleeding from your nose! Please sit down for a moment!”
As red blood began to drip from beneath Cecile’s nose, the noble closest to him was startled and quickly pulled over a chair.
In the meantime, Alexis set aside everything important and approached Cecile.
“Are you okay? Let me see. What’s wrong?”
Cecile merely shook his head. He was too nauseous to even respond.
Suddenly, he felt the urge to vomit. He instinctively bent over, and with a retching sound, a thin substance spilled onto the floor.
Those who witnessed him vomiting were left speechless in shock.
“Cecile!!”
Alexis’s shout brought him back to his senses. Cecile was only thinking that he had made a dirty spectacle of himself in front of everyone.
But when he finally looked up, he saw that Alexis’s expression was strange. It was as if he had seen something terrible and frightening.
Only then did he look down. The vomit that had soaked the floor and his clothes was all a dark red color.
Seeing the sticky blood all over his palms, Cecile was engulfed in horror and could not say a word. No, more than that, he couldn’t find his voice.
It felt as if his esophagus was burning, and his insides were melting away.
Tears streamed down his face as the pain hit him late, and in the midst of it all, he felt the urge to vomit again.
“Ugh, bleh!”
He instinctively covered his mouth, but he couldn’t stop the liquid from spilling out.
His emerald eyes, filled with fear, stared at the person right in front of him. Blood splattered onto Alexis’s face, whose expression mirrored Cecile’s shock.
In that moment, as his chest tightened, Cecile had to lower the hand that was covering his mouth. Alexis hurriedly caught his collapsing body.
“Get the Court Physician! Bring the Court Physician right now!”