How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending

For several days now, my head has felt hot and dizzy. Thirst crawled up and down my throat, growing into a pain that became harder and harder to endure.

‘What a pathetic body with such trash stamina….’

When I recalled some of the keywords from the status window the System had shown me, a sigh escaped on its own. The other sailors were still holding on, however painfully. At this rate, I would be the first one to collapse.

‘Maybe I should at least get some air….’

I carefully laid the sleeping Constantine down on the bed and quietly left the cabin. I meant to head up to the deck, but even climbing the stairs was difficult, so I had to grope along the wall and move one step at a time. Panting heavily, I finally reached the deck, where the sailors turned to look at me with drained faces and bowed their heads slightly.

The sea below the railing was excessively clear and transparent, so much so that I could see straight into it. Yet the sight of there being no trace of life all the way down into the deep abyss made dizziness wash over me and sent a chill down my spine. Only then did I truly realize it once again.

This was the Sea of Death, where nothing could live.

At that moment, my stomach suddenly lurched violently.

Pain twisted through my gut, my legs trembling as my vision warped, spun, and faded into a whirl. I hurriedly grabbed onto the railing. My throat burned so badly that I could hardly breathe.

“Wa, water…. Water….”

My body kept pitching forward. Below the railing, deep blue seawater sloshed gently. If I drank just a little, just a tiny bit, it felt like this dizziness and thirst would disappear at once.

“Please…. Just a little will be enough….”

Not even knowing what I was saying, I reached my hand forward. My upper body tilted far out beyond the railing. An irresistible desire tightened around my throat and pressed down on me. The surface of the water, shimmering under the sunlight, was unbearably seductive.

Then, a large hand seized my shoulder and roughly yanked me backward.

“Get a hold of yourself, Ruellin!”

An urgent voice rang in my ears, but I could not even tell whose voice it was. I struggled to push him away, crying out desperately.

“Water…. Please, just one sip…. Let me drink some water…!”

“No, Ruellin. Let us go back to the cabin.”

Strong arms pulled me tightly into an embrace. I thrashed weakly in his hold. My mind felt completely consumed by thirst and pain, my vision dim and distant. Broken cries kept spilling out.

He descended the stairs at a quick pace and laid me down on a bed somewhere. The soft warmth of the bedding pressed against my back. Instead of soothing me, it stirred my thirst even more. Unable to endure it, I flailed my limbs and let out a pained scream.

“Hic…. Ah, hic, water, please….”

“Ruellin.”

A sorrowful voice brushed my ear, then faded away. After that, I could hear and see nothing. It felt as though my entire body were engulfed in enormous flames, burning fiercely. The clear seawater I had seen earlier wavered before my eyes. Someone kept whispering in my ear. Do not drink the seawater. If you drink it, you will die. Just a little longer, please hold on just a little longer….

Then, a soft and refreshing fragrance slowly began to spread throughout the bedroom.

The faint scent that tickled my nose gradually grew deeper and clearer. A crisp, cooling citrus fragrance gently wrapped around my body. Like a fresh breeze blowing through a cool summer forest, it lightly brushed the back of my neck.

My clouded consciousness swayed softly and slowly began to settle.

“Ah…. Huh, mm….”

A sob slipped out through the gap between my clenched teeth. My body, which had been tightly curled up, gradually loosened as the tension began to release. The burning thirst still tormented me, but I was slowly finding some stability. At some point, a sweet scent of lemon and lavender began to seep fragrantly from my own body as well.

“Tri…. stan?”

Only then did my vision begin to focus little by little, and Tristan’s face came into view. The gaze looking down at me trembled with anxiety and unease. Perhaps because he was so close, I could feel his breath right beside me. A warm hand gently brushed my cheek.

“Ruellin. Are you a little more conscious now?”

“Yes….”

When I answered in an utterly exhausted voice, a look of relief spread across Tristan’s face. At the same time, the refreshing, cooling scent grew a little stronger as it enveloped me. In place of the agony that had made me want to die, a faint tension and a gentle trembling began to rise from deep within my chest.