1. It’s Okay to Refuse

Rustle.

Each time a page turned, it made a lovely sound like dry leaves crackling.

Inside the indoor garden where all windows were opened to allow breezes from every direction.

Catherine, who had been deeply absorbed in her book, suddenly raised her head and looked at the scene beyond the window.

The once-blazing sunlight had subsided to a pleasantly brillant afternoon.

Though the sunlight wasn’t piercing her vision, she felt dazzled nonetheless.

As always, the afternoon scenery felt so perfectly natural.

Catherine quietly observed the view beyond the window with serene eyes, then slowly turned her head to look at the person sitting before her.

The breeze that brushed past her hair mischievously reached toward the beautiful man sitting across from her. His neat golden hair instantly became disheveled, obstructing his vision.

Beneath the hair he casually swept back, she could see focused blue eyes, a straight forehead, and a prominent nose bridge casting long shadows.

His firmly closed lips appeared stubborn, and his smooth jawline boasted a clean yet masculine line.

He was quite beautiful. That face, which emanated a cold and strong energy, amazed her every time she looked at it.

Catherine, who had been quietly staring at him, called out his name.

“Michael.”

Her voice flowed naturally and calmly as usual, but her heart was different from normal.

“Hmm?”

Michael responded gently without taking his eyes off the book he was reading.

Gulp.

Catherine swallowed dryly and spoke carefully.

“I’ve made up my mind.”

At her voice, which somehow conveyed determination, the blue eyes fixed on the book moved. That smooth movement rippled like waves, mesmerizing.

“About what?”

Michael asked, meeting her eyes.

“I’ve really made up my mind this time.”

Instead of answering, Catherine repeated the same words, and a faint blush rose over her cheekbones.

One of Michael’s neat eyebrows rose crookedly.

His gaze was suspicious, wondering why Catherine had such an expression.

“I want to do something, Michael.”

Michael Heimdall’s brow furrowed slightly.

That look, that expression, that tone of voice from Catherine was somewhat dangerous.

It was the face she made when about to make an outlandish statement that would surprise him, or when she was about to embark on some unknown challenge far beyond her physical capabilities.

Hmm.

Michael closed the book with his long finger marking the page, then rested his chin on his hand propped on the armrest as he stared at his friend of twenty years.

A slender young lady with curly reddish-brown hair, a white face, and thin shoulders.

Though glasses covered her pretty green eyes due to poor eyesight from reading too many books, she still had a rather cute face in Michael’s eyes.

Perhaps he cherished Catherine even more than Count and Countess Notrisha did.

Catherine had been particularly weak since childhood, especially her lungs, and would be bedridden for two days after catching even a slight chill.

Because of Michael, this same Catherine had once been bedridden for ten whole days, wandering between life and death.

That small, white face had turned deathly pale, gasping for breath as if she might die at any moment.

Yet despite this, as soon as she opened her eyes, she smiled at Michael without resentment or hatred.

Even though it was because of him, because of him, for his sake that she had nearly died.

From that moment, Michael felt a strong sense of responsibility toward Catherine.

Catherine was someone who must be protected, a small friend he needed to shield with his own hands.

So, that dangerous look in her eyes now, as if she wanted to play some risky game, was simply unacceptable.

He reached out and flicked her nostril gently, saying:

“No.”

Ungh, she grabbed her stinging nose and scrunched her eyes in displeasure.

“Without even hearing what it is?”

“I don’t need to hear it. It’s still no. I don’t know what you’re planning, but if you catch a cold, you won’t be able to go outside for another month.”

“That…! That was because I suddenly got caught in the rain. If I hadn’t gotten rained on, I would have been fine.”

Last summer, boisterous traveling gypsies had come to the capital.

The gypsies, who stayed for exactly one week, held a small party, and naturally, Catherine wanted to go.

She received permission from her parents and headed there with guards and Michael, but the crowd was much larger than expected.

When Catherine briefly lost sight of Michael and got lost, she unfortunately got completely soaked in a passing rain.

It was only for about thirty minutes.

Because of those thirty minutes, Catherine was sick for a full week. It took ten days just to recover her strength. It took a month before she could go out normally again.

The ridiculous part was that the one who issued the ban on going outside wasn’t her father or mother, but Michael.

‘How strict!’

Catherine glared at him with displeasure for bringing up that story.

Her deep green eyes narrowed peevishly behind her slipping glasses.

Despite Catherine’s dissatisfied gaze, Michael remained completely unfazed. He let out a light snort-like sigh and focused back on his book.

‘Ah, this isn’t going to work……’

But Catherine had anticipated this reaction. She knew that he would initially oppose anything she wanted to do. He was especially strict about going out during seasonal changes.

However, she couldn’t simply back down at this level of resistance. As she had said, this time her resolve was as firm as it would ever be.

Although his attitude suggested he wouldn’t listen to her words, his ears were open, so he couldn’t help but hear.

After taking a short deep breath, she blurted out quickly so he couldn’t interrupt:

“I’m going to have s*x.”

“…Pfft.”

The crimson tea Michael had been sipping immediately sprayed from his proper mouth.

“Cough, hack! Kack!”

Michael’s unusually white face turned as red as the tea.

Seeing that cold, pale face colored in a way she’d never seen before gave Catherine an unusual but pleasant feeling. At least she had succeeded in surprising him.

But she still had more surprising words left…….

Catherine smiled sweetly and spoke the words she had been saving with an excited heart.

“Preferably with you, Michael.”

Flinch.

Catherine watched with delight as Michael’s surprised eyes widened.

⁕⁕⁕

So… Catherine’s newfound interest in “s*x,” which she had shown absolutely no interest in until now, was precisely because of something that happened a week ago.

In the reception room where she went to find her mother, who was having her regular check-up with Dr. Allen, Catherine unintentionally overheard their conversation.

— Oh dear… Then I should slowly prepare myself mentally.

— It’s not something that will happen tomorrow or the day after, but as you know, she has such a weak constitution…….

At Allen’s words, her mother’s voice faded, and the sound of sobbing could be heard.

— What should I do, that poor thing….. Still a naive child who doesn’t even understand this world.

— My lady…….

Both the conversation and her mother’s voice sounded ominous.

Catherine’s heart sank, and she held her breath.

‘Not something that will happen tomorrow or the day after……’

In this mansion, the only person with such a weak constitution was Catherine.

Then it seemed reasonable to suspect that her mother and Allen were talking about her.

‘No. It might not be about me. I’ve been extremely healthy lately……’

Although her lungs were weak, she could lead a relatively healthy life if she avoided strenuous exercise and was careful not to catch colds.

So there was no reason for her to suddenly hear talk about “today or tomorrow.”

Yet something felt unsettling in a corner of her heart, so Catherine held her breath and listened to their conversation.

After sighing sadly, her mother eventually muttered reluctantly:

— I’ll… have to tell Catherine myself.

— My lady…….

— I hope the child won’t be too shocked.

Upon hearing this, Catherine quickly turned and moved away as she heard the footsteps of maids coming to clean the room.

Her heart pounded heavily as she hurried down the stairs. Her mother’s voice, filled with worry, kept ringing in her ears.

— What should I do, that poor thing…..

— I’ll… have to tell Catherine myself.

Whose story could it be? Could it really be about me?

Not immediately, but… could they be talking about me dying in the near future?

It might not be, but it could be.

She pondered carefully for several hours.

‘But……’

Looking at the situation objectively, it seemed more likely that it wasn’t about her.

First, her mother was an honest person.

She was especially honest about her own feelings, making it nearly impossible for her to hide anything.

So if something serious were to happen to Catherine, it would inevitably show on her mother’s face.

Minor matters might be concealed somehow, but how could she hide something as grave as her daughter possibly dying?

Second, Dr. Allen hadn’t examined Catherine recently. In fact, no one had examined Catherine at all.

She had been genuinely healthy lately.

Michael deserved much credit for this, with his intimidating aura whenever Catherine overexerted herself even slightly.

“…Hmm.”

By this point in her thoughts, her sunken heart had calmed somewhat. The worry that had been plaguing her for days also lightened considerably.

Then suddenly, Catherine thought:

‘But what if I really do have a terminal illness? After all, you never know what might happen to a person……’