Regressed Villainous Omega Dreams of Running Away chapter 59

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Joel’s dishonorable death was quickly forgotten by the public.

Instead, the focus of the people shifted toward the Crown Prince’s upcoming grand wedding.

The newly selected bride for the Crown Prince was Princess Josephine of the Kingdom of Palain.

Born of noble blood, she was a flawless match for Crown Prince Carlyle.

The people of the court exerted every effort to erase any trace of Joel, who was seen as the Crown Prince’s only blemish.

One day, amidst the busy wedding preparations, the Crown Prince secretly slipped out of the palace under the guise of a private inspection.

This was to attend Joel’s funeral.

Since it was obvious that public knowledge of the Crown Prince attending the funeral of a criminal who had insulted the Imperial family would cause an uproar, he had to move in secret, accompanied only by a very small number of guards.

A heavy silence flowed inside the carriage carrying the Crown Prince.

His eyes had long since lost their spark.

He felt a deep sense of helplessness, unable to do anything for his deceased lover.

He was in a position where he couldn’t even mourn the death openly.

After traveling day and night, the Crown Prince finally arrived at Lord Bennett’s estate.

By then, it was nearly midnight. At last, Joel’s funeral, which had been delayed for so long, began.

He was the only guest at the funeral.

Lord Bennett, who had devoted his life in loyalty to the Imperial family, did not resent the Crown Prince or the Emperor.

Instead, he suffered, blaming himself entirely for why Joel had to meet such a miserable end.

While reciting a long, drawn-out eulogy, he regretted over and over his choice to accept Count Lucas’s proposal of adoption in the past.

Lord Bennett, whose love for his son was profound, had aged decades in just a few days. His once bear-like, rugged physique was now reduced to skin and bones.

The Crown Prince wanted to promise the self-reproaching Lord Bennett that he would eventually restore Joel’s honor no matter how long it took, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

He couldn’t even offer a word of comfort.

He had failed to keep any of the oaths he made before Joel’s body; with what face could he make another promise to Lord Bennett?

Lord Bennett, exhausted to the point of having no strength left to cry, eventually fainted before he could finish the eulogy.

Only a few days ago, it would have taken three or four strong men to move the collapsed Lord Bennett, but now the Crown Prince alone was enough.

After laying Lord Bennett on the bed, the Crown Prince hurriedly summoned a physician.

The physician, showing no surprise, informed him that Lord Bennett had been fainting frequently due to his deep heartbreak over Joel’s death.

The Crown Prince felt the responsibility for the tragedy that had swallowed the Bennett family was entirely his own.

To forget the pain that was suffocating him, he drank and drank.

As the night grew deep, he relied on the intoxication to head toward Joel’s bedroom.

Had it not been for the alcohol, he would never have been able to step foot in that room.

He knew it was shameless, but he wanted to see the place where the last traces of Joel remained.

As he opened the door, a familiar scent washed over him. Immersed in deep sorrow, the Crown Prince sat down on the sofa in the bedroom.

Running his hand over the armrest worn down by Joel’s touch, the Crown Prince thought about how much Joel must have resented him in the dungeon that day.

The image of Joel’s thin back—never showing his face until the very end—flickered before his eyes.

Not only had he let him die in agony, but he hadn’t even kept the vows he made too late before the corpse; Joel’s soul surely resented him even now.

Was it right to delay personal revenge for the sake of the “greater good”? Should he have executed Count Lucas even if it meant ignoring his father’s last wishes and risking domestic instability?

As he was blaming his own indecisiveness, a voice suddenly came from nowhere.

“I really wanted to meet you, and finally, such an opportunity comes.”

“Who’s there!”

Startled, the Crown Prince immediately looked around.

There was certainly no one else in Joel’s room.

But in the next moment, unbelievably, a middle-aged man walked through the wall like a ghost.

The Crown Prince rubbed his eyes hard at the impossible sight.

He thought he was seeing things because of the alcohol.

However, even after blinking several times, the middle-aged man stood before him in a clear, solid form. The Crown Prince immediately reached for the sword at his waist.

“What are you? A ghost? A demon? Or a fraud trying to deceive people with tricks?”

“I shall not lie before the brilliant Crown Prince. Yes, I am a demon… My, my. Why don’t you put that sword down for a moment and listen to what I have to say? Do you think an opportunity like this comes to just anyone?”

Toward the Crown Prince, who still held his sword with wary eyes, the middle-aged man spoke in a smooth, oily voice.

“Whether you cut my throat or not is a decision you can make slowly after hearing my story.”

As he said, the old, portly man’s body didn’t look threatening at all—especially not to the young, agile Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince sheathed his sword and asked boldly, “Fine, let’s say you are a demon. Then why have you appeared before me?”

“It is because I saw that your young and beautiful face is filled with sorrow. The reason you, who will soon be Emperor, have such a face must be because you lost the being who was like your light and salt—your partner.”

The man smiled craftily, seeking agreement.

‘A being like light and salt.’

The Crown Prince smiled bitterly and agreed.

It was an undeniable fact that the lovely Joel had brought him unparalleled joy and happiness.

Since he had killed such a lover with his own hands and driven the family to misery, he would never be happy again.

“But… how would you feel if I had a secret method to take away your pain? Doesn’t it sound tempting?”

The man whispered as if making a grand proposal, but the Crown Prince maintained an indifferent face.

He already knew a way to take away his pain.

It was to expose Count Lucas’s crimes before the entire nation and execute him.

“Hmm, do you really think that’s the answer? That taking revenge on the Count will free you from pain? Even though your poor lover already met an insulting and miserable death?”

“But that is something that cannot be helped… The guilt for that child is a burden I must carry for the rest of my life.”

“No, it is not something that ‘cannot be helped.’ You just have to bring that being—who was like light and salt—back into your arms.”

The man’s words sounded as if he could revive the dead.

The Crown Prince was momentarily stunned, but soon became furious, thinking he was being mocked.

Naturally, it was impossible to bring the dead back to life.

This stranger, claiming to be a demon, seemed to have appeared only to poke at his wounds and ridicule him.

As the enraged Crown Prince drew his sword, the man spoke hurriedly, “I—I can bring your lover back to life. Truly. If you wish, I will show you proof that I have such power. Follow me.”

The man led the Crown Prince to the basement of the Bennett estate.

Walking behind him, the Crown Prince soon found himself walking inside a deep earthen tunnel.

It was a suspicious situation in many ways, but the Crown Prince couldn’t discard the hope that he might see Joel, so he kept walking.

When they reached the end of the tunnel, a magnificent mansion entrance appeared before them.

The Crown Prince stood with his mouth agape at the surreal sight.

Toward him, as he pinched his cheek to see if it was a dream, the middle-aged man said triumphantly, “Now do you believe my words?”

Only then could the Crown Prince believe that the man before him was truly a demon.

But rather than feeling fear at meeting a demon from legends, his heart began to pound with hope that he might truly be able to revive Joel.

That was how desperately the Crown Prince wished for a second chance with Joel.

The demon, who introduced himself as “John,” demanded two million gold coins in exchange for reviving the dead Joel.

This was a massive amount, equal to the empire’s entire annual national revenue, but the Crown Prince accepted the offer immediately.

No matter how much money he had to pay, it wasn’t a waste if he could bring Joel back.

If Joel returned to life, he could personally apologize and seek forgiveness for the numerous wrongs he had committed.

The fact that he didn’t believe him, the fact that he stood by while people insulted and mocked him, and the fact that he poured out words like daggers in the dungeon—all of it could be undone.

While the “Leader John” gleefully drafted the contract, the Crown Prince thought with an excited heart about what to do first once Joel was alive.

It was the first hope he had felt since Joel’s death.

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