I Don't Want To Do a Romantic Comedy With a Villain! - Chapter 146

Episode 146

The body moved first.

With tears streaming down his face, Vehen approached the wailing Ceteran.

Min-joo was surprised and tried to hold him back, but Vehen gently removed Min-joo’s hand and stood in front of Ceteran.

“Your Highness.”

Vehen spoke firmly yet affectionately.

He had been pondering for a long time. Why did Ceteran feel betrayed by him? Why did he find Ceteran repulsive?

Despite endless regressions, Vehen had faith that Ceteran would never betray him.

Even if he betrayed and turned his back on him, Ceteran was always there.

So he arrogantly thought he knew him well, as a friend, because they had been through a lot together.

‘How foolish of me. Even after living for a long time, I’m still not wise.’

If he had been wise, he wouldn’t have left Ceteran alone or made him feel betrayed.

Perhaps he wouldn’t have lost Min-joo in the first place and stopped the regression by finding the sorcerer.

He felt pathetic for his foolishness, yet that’s why Vehen didn’t care about the surrounding eyes and could face Ceteran, his friend.

Ceteran staggered when he saw Vehen’s face as if his strength had left him.

Vehen held onto his collapsing longtime friend and patted his back.

“Please calm down, Your Highness.”

Ceteran called for his mother in anguish. Vehen sensed fear in his cries.

What was he afraid of? What on earth?

Vehen reassured him repeatedly while firmly holding Ceteran to prevent him from collapsing on the ground.

In this state, a proper trial was impossible, and there was nothing good about showing the collapsed prince for too long.

So Vehen quietly supported Ceteran and left the courtroom. He entrusted the matter of the trial to Min-joo, believing in her.

Min-joo silently watched the two leaving the courtroom.

‘I don’t understand what’s going on at all. Was even the funeral a show?’

Just by hearing Nelsie’s words, it was undeniable that she was a victim.

Administering poison to the empress, faking her death, and kidnapping and imprisoning her were already serious crimes.

But seeing Marquess Trimidri defend herself aggressively made Nelsie not just a victim.

‘So, in my opinion… ‘

Nelsie betrayed Marquess Trimidri and appeared in court.

Was it because Marquess Trimidri was too reckless? Trying to seize power without understanding the situation? Dare to use her own son?

Certainly, the fact that Marquess Trimidri became unnecessary was a major reason.

Faking her death is not a trivial matter, so unless there’s a compelling reason, betraying her would be a burden.

‘If it’s one-sided betrayal, then what’s the empress’ goal?’

Of course, it would be to make Ceteran the emperor, but what kind of actions are taken to achieve that?

“Your Majesty the Empress Consort has murdered reactionary nobles! I tried to stop her!”

Min-joo organized her thoughts as she listened to Marquess Trimidri’s outcry. 

Tap, tap, her fingers tapping on the chair were fast.

If Nelsie has harmed the reactionary nobles, her intention would likely be to remove obstacles to Ceteran’s ascension.

In that case, if Nelsie were to regain her position as empress, there would likely be a massacre. Many nobles would probably resign from their positions.

It would be difficult to attempt a revolution. The empress, who has already shed much blood, how fair would the lives of commoners seem?

“After this, we will reopen the trial. Today’s trial ends here.”

The judge hastily concluded the trial, seeming troubled.

Marquess Trimidri was remanded to some place due to fears of escape, while Nelsie smoothly exited the courtroom.

When Nelsie stood before the court, reporters who had been waiting for the trial’s outcome rushed toward her.

“Empress?!”

“Is Her Majesty the Empress really alive? Please tell us what happened, even briefly!”

Nelsie, protected by her guards, got into her carriage without showing any signs of confusion.

Every moment was so astonishing that there was no time to process it.

Min-joo hurriedly searched the courtroom to find Ceteran and Vehen.

As she was passing through the corridor, a man who seemed to be a guard approached and spoke to Min-joo.

“Are you Park Min-joo?”

“Yes.”

The guard guided Min-joo, saying that Vehen had requested her presence.

The place the guard took her to was a lounge used by court staff, located in a secluded area with the guard controlling the entrance, so there were no passersby.

Thanking him as she entered through the opened door, Min-joo saw Ceteran, who was crying miserably, as if letting out all his sorrow.

Min-joo stood at a distance, watching Ceteran’s sobbing.

Then she realized what she could do and reached for a teacup.

“Your Highness, it’s okay. Marquess Trimidri will pay for her crimes. Your Majesty has returned safely.”

Vehen patted Ceteran’s back tenderly, offering comfort.

It must have been a consolation that came after much deliberation. Careful and affectionate sincerity.

“Your Highness, please have some. If you cry too much, your throat will hurt.”

Min-joo poured tea and placed the cup in front of Ceteran and Vehen.

Knowing Min-joo’s skills well, Vehen hesitated to take the teacup, but couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

“…Why are you here?”

Ceteran, who had been crying with all his might, wiped his tears with a cautious expression when he saw Min-joo.

Perhaps he felt embarrassed about showing himself crying.

Min-joo sat down in front of Vehen and lifted her teacup. Despite learning the manners of tea-making from Chichen, she wasn’t as good as before.

“Vehen called me here. And I was worried about Your Highness too.”

“…You don’t need to worry.”

Ceteran sniffed and wiped his face with a handkerchief.

Seeing him like that, so childlike, Ceteran also realized that there wasn’t a big age difference between them.

“You must have been surprised.”

Min-joo said with a gentle smile.

Vehen hesitated as he brought the teacup to his lips, but he didn’t push it away, suggesting that it didn’t taste bad.

“…Yeah, that’s right.”

She still understood Vehen’s cautious attitude. At most, she was just Vehen’s lover.

If the scenario had continued to appear in her dreams, she would have quickly found a way to rectify it, but now that she couldn’t see it anymore.

So, as much as she could. To the extent of her abilities.

Min-joo raised her eyebrows and turned towards Ceteran.

“Your Highness, as I mentioned before, we’ve never betrayed you. We wanted to help.”

Vehen grabbed his shoulder and turned Ceteran to face Min-joo, who was unwilling to listen.

Ceteran pushed Vehen away with a trembling body, but he was too weak to resist.

“You’re a good person. You’re just and warm-hearted. I support you, and I worry about you. Vehen does too. Neriant as well. I’m not someone who likes someone easily, so the reason I like you must be because you deserve to be loved.”

Thanks to the letter from Neriant, Min-joo was able to understand Ceteran to some extent.

He had low self-esteem and wanted to be loved. He was always depressed despite wanting to accomplish something.

To persuade Ceteran, a strong belief was needed more than a logical plan.

And above all, Min-joo understood and empathized with Ceteran. She had a lot to say.

Min-joo closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them.

“You must have been through so much. Losing your family is terrible. Moreover, you must have been scared when it seemed like even Vehen betrayed you. If it were me, I would have just left everything behind and run away. Just the fact that you didn’t do that shows how amazing you are.”

Ceteran listened quietly to Min-joo’s empathetic words.

His swollen eyes, and puffy nose.

She could somewhat understand why Neriant found Ceteran cute.

Min-joo cautiously held onto the table. She was careful about holding his hand.

“It must have been confusing and very difficult for you. You’ve endured well.”

Ceteran breathed slowly, calming his rough breath due to crying, and slowly closed and opened his eyes.

His swollen eyes stung each time he blinked.

This was the empathy Ceteran had hoped for. After receiving the news of his mother’s death, from Vehen, and every night when he lay alone in bed.

He couldn’t sleep at night because of the fear of being left alone in the world.

He didn’t want to show Neriant any weakness either.

What Ceteran had longed for was recognition, trust, and the affection he deserved.

“…Yeah, it was tough. I was angry and scared. I doubted whether my choices were right every moment, and worried if I was ruining everything.”

He had made countless decisions and deliberated for the sake of the country, despite harboring many fears and worries.

While some benefited from his choices, there were also cases where the opposite was true. Ceteran hoped that the weak wouldn’t suffer.

However, Marquess Trimidri had the cunning ability to subtly manipulate Ceteran. She had a knack for making Ceteran reluctantly accept the right choices in unavoidable situations.

“I was eager to lay the foundation for the throne. I thought I could do it alone. Even without my mother’s pressure.”

As Ceteran spoke, he seemed anxious, like a frightened child waiting for a scolding.

Ceteran wiped his face with his palm, his breath warm.

“…During the trial, I caused such a commotion. Mother must have been disappointed. I wanted to show her that I was doing well, but what if she’s disappointed again? If she still thinks poorly of me….”

He didn’t seem like a son appealing to his mother. He felt more like a pleading child desperate for approval, fearing punishment.

The presence of Nelsie seemed burdensome and cumbersome to Ceteran.

“Your Highness, if it’s not too intrusive, I have a question.”

Min-joo needed to know the reason.

Was Nelsie not a good mother to Ceteran?

Did Nelsie even behave harshly towards her son to make him an emperor?

Was the protagonist, once likened to a flower garden, actually seeking validation through abuse?

Min-joo looked at Ceteran firmly as she opened her mouth. It was a cautious attitude, but she asked directly without beating around the bush.

“Your Highness, were you subjected to abuse by Her Majesty, the Empress?”

“…What?”

Ceteran furrowed his brows in disbelief.

Although his attitude was dismissive, he averted his gaze and reconsidered the time he spent with Nelsie.

He already knew. Since he felt something was amiss, there must have been something unusual.

Min-joo was just the trigger.

“Did Her Majesty ever physically discipline you or subject you to emotional abuse?”

Vehen, who had been listening silently, also furrowed his brows.

“Min-joo, that question is not appropriate.”

In this world, questioning someone’s parenting methods was considered rude. Physical discipline was considered a form of education, and emotional abuse was also considered a form of education.

It was a world where as long as the child was well-fed, well-slept, well-bathed, and well-dressed, the parenting was considered successful.

It was a parenting style that Min-joo could never understand.

Min-joo stared at Ceteran with her black eyes.

“What good does it do to keep the problem buried? Your Highness, how do you feel when you think of your mother?”

“…I, I…”

Ceteran couldn’t easily open his mouth. It was not easy to express complex emotions in words.

Even he couldn’t understand these complicated emotions.

Thinking of his mother brought forth feelings of affection, fear, tension, shame, and a desire for recognition.

How could he describe this?

If even this was considered love.