By Zephyria 
The study door burst open.
The attendants who rushed in upon hearing the commotion were left speechless at the sight of the limp Cecile and the Crown Prince holding him tightly. They froze, mouths agape.
“Why is everyone just standing there?!”
Alexis shouted in a voice filled with rage. Only then did the attendants begin to move hesitantly.
But they had no idea what to do or how to act. The head attendant, Leo, stepped forward and began to give calm instructions to the other attendants.
The personal physician, Ethan, hurriedly made his appearance. He had been waiting nearby since after midnight. Though he had mentally prepared himself, the moment had come, and he felt dizzy.
Ethan knelt beside the sofa, examining Cecile’s condition under Alexis’s watchful gaze.
He lifted Cecile’s eyelids, checked his breathing, pulse, and heart rate. As expected, there were no signs of life. Cecile’s body was growing colder and stiffer by the moment.
Ethan barely managed to swallow the sob that threatened to escape his throat. He was a doctor. It was right to make a diagnosis before letting emotions take over. He removed his hands from Cecile’s chest and straightened his back.
“Your Highness, Cecile has already….”
But he couldn’t bring himself to tell the Crown Prince the truth. The expression on Alexis’s face as he looked down at Cecile was too heart-wrenching for him to speak.
“Save him.”
“…Your Highness.”
“I said save him.”
“I am sorry.”
“Isn’t Cecile not breathing? Why are you just standing there!!”
“…….”
Alexis grabbed the collar of the Court Physician. His blue eyes, filled with anger and fear, trembled violently.
“Do you not hear me?”
“I apologize, Your Highness. He has already passed away.”
In the end, Ethan delivered the final verdict. Faced with the truth he had tried to deny until the end, Alexis let go of the collar.
“…No. That can’t be.”
Alexis embraced Cecile tightly. He rubbed his cheek against the cold body, pressed his lips to him, and tried to breathe life back into him.
Despite these efforts, Cecile remained lifeless. His head kept drooping back weakly. Nothing worked. Ultimately, Alexis had to support the back of Cecile’s head and bury it against his shoulder.
“This is nonsense… Why. Why you. …Cecile, can you not hear my voice? Please… open your eyes.”
Alexis wept as he held Cecile. The arms that should have been wrapped around Alexis hung limply. He kept trying to hold Cecile’s weakening body tighter, only to confront the fact that Cecile was slipping away from him.
“I will… step outside for a moment.”
Under the heavy atmosphere, Leo took the lead, and everyone left the room. The only sounds left in the room were the desperate sobs that lingered for a long time.
After a while, when dawn began to break, the attendants returned to the study.
They found the Crown Prince sitting on the floor, slumped beneath the sofa. He had laid Cecile down gently and was sitting weakly on the floor, clutching Cecile’s hand tightly.
Even though the study was filled with a dim light, his face was dark as if trapped in hell.
His eyes were red, and he had lost all expression, overwhelmed by an unfathomable sense of loss. His blue eyes stared blankly at the floor.
Leo cautiously knelt before him. He too could not tear his gaze away from Cecile lying on the sofa. He couldn’t afford to break down. He had to hold on tightly to keep the promise he made to Cecile.
“Your Highness, the day has broken.”
Alexis sighed heavily and wiped his face. The skin around his eyes was rough and parched from dried tears.
“…Begin preparations for the funeral.”
The back of the hand that held Cecile’s hand twitched.
Just saying those words was painful. Alexis swallowed his sorrow and tightly closed his eyes.
He did not want to accept Cecile’s death. But he could not leave things as they were.
There was no warmth left in his body, and he could feel his fingers stiffening. Alexis intertwined his fingers with Cecile’s rigid hand.
“And call for the coroner. …We must determine the cause of death.”
“…Your Highness, please take a look at this.”
The head attendant of Peridot Palace pulled a letter from his bosom. His voice was calm, but his hands, which he offered respectfully, trembled.
“If you read it, you will understand the circumstances. Moreover, I humbly request that you… let Cecile go peacefully. Please allow him to have a proper funeral in his complete form.”
“…….”
Alexis looked at Cecile in silence. Even with the color drained from his skin, Cecile was still beautiful. He knew that the only way to determine the cause of death was through an autopsy, but he did not want to harm Cecile’s body. He quickly covered his heated eyes with his palm.
“Take him carefully… and everyone else, please leave.”
In the room left empty by everyone, Alexis clutched the paper in his hand and exhaled trembling breaths repeatedly.
He had never expected that Cecile had left a will. The realization that he had been contemplating his own death pushed him to the brink.
But he could not turn away from it. After a long time had passed and he had finally gathered his thoughts, he was able to open the letter.
–
To my dear Alexis.
If you are reading this letter, it likely means that I have died.
Unlike me, who has long prepared for this, I believe you must have been greatly shocked by the sudden turn of events. Therefore, I wish to ease your troubled heart through this letter.
I do not know where to begin or how to explain. I had long contemplated what to write in my will, but now that I am actually writing, it feels like I have hidden too much from you.
My death was already predetermined. I am someone who has died once before. It was I, not my mother, who was imprisoned for selling the Empire’s secrets, and I sought to atone for my sins by taking my own life.
The Gaia Goddess took pity on me and granted me a thousand days. Thus, I was able to return to the past and live another life.
What I desired was only one thing. I wanted to help you. I wanted to correct all the mistakes I had made and make you the Emperor. It was a difficult journey, but I ultimately achieved it, and my heart is at peace.
So please do not grieve for my death.
I have truly been able to close my eyes peacefully. I was happy to be able to give you the feelings I had kept deep inside. I was happy to love you until the end. The future I dreamed of with you will not be forgotten even in death.
Do not mourn for me, nor long for me.
My role has ended here.
You already have good people around you. They will support you and share your burdens. I earnestly hope that you do not get caught up in the past and move forward. That is the path for me.
There is one more thing I ask of you.
Please do not punish the attendants of Peridot Palace or the Court Physician.
I hope you will distribute my possessions equally among those who have devoted themselves to a lacking master. And please ensure that they can continue to work in the Imperial Palace.
You once asked me when I started to like you.
I believe it was from the day I first encountered you upon entering the Imperial Palace.
In my previous life, I realized my feelings too late and could not convey my heart, but this time I am glad to be able to give you everything.
Alexis.
I do not think I will meet a death as liberating as Johannes. I am very sorry that I will not be able to witness your coronation. It will surely be solemn and beautiful.
As someone who has lived before, not through prophetic dreams or divine revelations, I have one request: please be careful with the wine. The people who would harm you are now gone, but there may still be unforeseen circumstances. This is the last future I can share with you.
May you have many children who resemble you, meet a loving partner, and live a happy life.
When a long time has passed and you come to the side of the divine, I will come to greet you. At that time, I promise to serve you for a long time.
Please become an Emperor who will be remembered in the history of the Empire. I look forward to the proud stories you will share.
To my shining sun.
I was happy to be with you for a thousand days.
Thank you for loving me.
Please grieve just a little.