Chapter 5: A Future He Still Fears
Time didn't stop.
No matter how much I prepared…
No matter how much I tried to change things…
The story—
Was still moving forward.
---
"I think… I'm in love with her."
The words slipped out quietly.
Alone in my room, I stared at nothing.
At some point… it had stopped being just fear.
Stopped being just pity.
Somewhere along the way—
She had become important to me.
Not as a threat.
Not as a way to survive.
But as… someone I didn't want to lose.
---
"…This is bad."
I let out a small, bitter laugh.
Falling in love with the person who might kill you someday?
There couldn't be anything more stupid than that.
And yet…
I couldn't deny it.
---
But love didn't erase reality.
The original story—
Still existed in my mind.
The emperor would die.
The princes would be killed.
The rebellion would happen.
And she—
Would stand at the center of it all.
---
"…But things are different now."
I leaned back slowly.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Convincing myself.
"I've changed things."
She wasn't alone anymore.
She smiled now.
She cared.
She stayed.
With me.
For years.
---
"…She won't kill me."
That much, I was certain of.
After everything we shared—
After everything I had done—
There was no way she would raise her sword against me.
Right?
---
But that wasn't the problem.
"…The problem is everything else."
I closed my eyes.
Imagining the future.
The rebellion.
The bloodshed.
The chaos.
---
Even if she spared me…
That didn't mean I would walk away unharmed.
"I'm still a prince."
A threat.
A piece on the board.
Someone who could be used.
Controlled.
Or broken.
---
"…What if she doesn't kill me…"
My fingers tightened slightly.
"…but cripples me instead?"
The thought sent a chill down my spine.
A broken body.
A useless existence.
Alive—
But not free.
---
"I'm not weak enough to be a puppet emperor."
That was the problem.
In the original story, the one who survived…
Was the weakest.
Easy to control.
Easy to manipulate.
---
But me?
I had changed too much.
Grown too much.
Even without trying to—
I had become someone noticeable.
Someone harder to ignore.
Harder to control.
---
"…That's dangerous."
Very dangerous.
---
I had never once thought about taking the throne.
Not even for a moment.
From the very beginning—
My goal had always been the same.
Survive.
Escape.
Live peacefully somewhere far away.
That was all.
---
Even now…
Even after falling in love with her…
That hadn't changed.
---
"I don't want the throne."
I said it clearly.
Firmly.
As if reminding myself.
"I don't want power."
"I don't want the kingdom."
---
"…I just want to live."
And maybe—
If possible—
---
But reality wasn't that simple.
Because she—
Was no longer just a lonely girl.
---
Her influence had grown.
Rapidly.
Overwhelmingly.
---
In war—
She was unstoppable.
Every battle ended the same way.
Victory.
Absolute victory.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
No defeat.
---
In politics—
Her presence alone was enough.
Nobles feared her.
Officials avoided her.
And those who opposed her…
Didn't last long.
---
"She's… becoming exactly like the story."
I muttered quietly.
Watching everything unfold.
Piece by piece.
Step by step.
---
The same path.
The same rise.
The same fear spreading across the empire.
---
"…But she's different with me."
That was the only difference.
The only thing I held onto.
---
"…Right?"
---
Later that day—
I met her again.
Like always.
---
"You're thinking too much."
Her voice cut through my thoughts.
I blinked.
"…Am I?"
"…Yes."
She was sitting closer than usual.
Our shoulders touching.
Her gaze fixed entirely on me.
"…Tell me."
"…It's nothing important."
"…It is."
Her tone left no room for refusal.
---
I hesitated.
Then smiled lightly.
"…Just worried about the future."
"…You don't need to."
"…Why?"
She looked at me—
Calm.
Certain.
Absolute.
---
"…Because I'll handle everything."
---
For a moment—
I felt relieved.
Safe.
Like I didn't have to think anymore.
---
But at the same time—
Something felt wrong.
---
"…Everything?" I asked.
"…Everything."
---
Her hand moved slightly—
Closer to mine.
Not touching.
But close enough.
---
"…So you don't have to worry."
---
I smiled.
"…Then I'll rely on you."
---
She didn't respond.
But her expression softened—
Just a little.
---
And yet—
I didn't notice.
---
The way her eyes lingered.
The way her presence tightened around me.
The way her words carried a meaning I didn't understand.
---
Because while I was thinking about escaping…
While I was worrying about surviving…
While I was trying to change the ending—
---
She had already decided hers.
---
I was planning a way to leave the kingdom.
She was planning a future where I would never need to.
No matter what it took.