I Became The Younger Sister Of A Dying Woman - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: You Won’t Disappear

The only one who understood what Hernan’s call really meant was Gatt, who stood behind him.

He thought about all the cloaks and clothes he had helped to get recently.

‘I remember how much I panicked when I was asked to bring back His Highness Izekiel’s cloak…….’

Gatt looked at Jackson, who clearly looked flustered, and felt sympathy for him.

Hernan continued.

“There’s this girl I’ve been seeing lately, and I’m going to marry her very soon.”

“What?!?!”

Jackson wasn’t the only one who gasped.

Everyone’s lips were hanging open in disbelief at Hernan’s bombshell confession.

“That’s why I need uniforms and capes for you to wear at my wedding,” Hernan paused and then decided to brag. “Believe it or not, my bride fell in love with me at first sight.”

“Heuk……!”

“And she’s an incredibly beautiful woman, too.”

“……!!!”

During the civil war, he sometimes envied the knights who talked about their love lives. He wondered if they were envious of him today. He was loved by a beautiful woman.

A triumphant smile tugged at Hernan’s lips.

For some reason, he felt prouder than he had since he’d put an end to the civil war.

His shoulders lifted a good five centimeters, but the response he anticipated didn’t happen.

The knights shouted in chorus, as one.

“It’s clear she has no good intentions!”

“She’s just trying to take advantage of you, isn’t she?!”

“Of course not,” Hernan insisted. “She is the Young Lady Linzel of the Dukes of Valencia. Her family is too good for her to use me.”

This explanation didn’t quell the members’ protests.

“There could be political scheming!”

“Your Highness Hernan, you are a pure-hearted war hero, and it is unacceptable for your innocence to be taken advantage of.”

It was a matter of right and wrong. To the untrained ear, it could be taken as an insult to the Duke of Valencia.

But Hernan understood.

They weren’t trying to undermine the Duke or Linzel, they were just worried about him.

Nevertheless, Hernan’s tone was harsh.

“Why are you guys…… suspicious of her?”

The smile on his face faded. He knew his parents did earnestly congratulate him, and he assumed that the other knights would also immediately congratulate him on his marriage.

Therefore, he even felt a slight sense of betrayal.

“Captain ……!”

The knights who were shouting fell silent like mute fish

Everyone was thinking the same thing, but they were hesitant to say it out loud.

“Say it.”

“…….”

“Those who do not tell me why, will not sleep tonight.”

It was an unspoken command.

If they did not tell the truth, it was a warning that they would have a grueling training day.

In the end, it was Jackson who took the lead.

“There is a rumor circulating in society that noble ladies are reluctant to marry you.”

“Why?”

“Well, for one thing, the captain avoids women, is not very expressive, and only enjoys martial arts, so everyone is hesitant to approach him.”

“So, you’re saying she doesn’t like me because I don’t like women, and I look unlucky and ignorant?” Hernan pressed.

Jackson was silent. There was nothing wrong with what he said.

Not that Jackson thought of Hernan that way, of course, but that was the way unmarried ladies of the aristocracy thought.

As a result, despite his good looks, Hernan was not popular at all.

Hernan tilted his head back.

“Gatt. Do you think so too?”

“Well, Your Highness, at least I know very well how affectionate you can be.”

The stiffness in Gatt’s voice betrayed his true feelings. There was a certain amount of agreement with Jackson’s words.

Hernan sighed heavily.

* * *

Between their two families, they had one dinner at the imperial palace.

It could be called a formal introduction, but the main purpose of the meeting was to set a wedding date with Hernan.

The imperial couple graciously allowed Linzel to choose the date, as if they thought there would be trouble if they didn’t give her the decision-making power.

Although she didn’t fully understand their motives, Linzel didn’t refuse their kindness.

“I want to marry His Highness in a week!”

Since it was going to be a small wedding, she figured that was enough time for preparations.

The Emperor and Empress agreed wholeheartedly.

“Let’s do that.”

It was decided that the wedding dress would not be tailored.

Partly because there was no time, and partly because Linzel had heard that the Duchess’s wedding dress was in good condition.

The one who recommended the wedding dress was Letty.

The two sisters went to look at the dress together, which was still in her room, the same room the Duchess had used until shortly before her death.

The dress Mini brought out was beautiful. Despite its age, it wasn’t tacky, and there were no traces of fading.

Surprisingly, it was already exactly the right size. It didn’t need any alterations.

Linzel stood there in the mirror, looking pretty and pale in her white wedding dress.

Just then, Mini approached and placed a veil over her head. She said that only the best quality veil should be used, and that she had purchased it from a high-end shop.

“With the veil on, you look really beautiful.”

And Mini wasn’t exaggerating.

Linzel stared at her. Mini knew immediately why Linzel was looking at her.

Mini brought her hands together and made a face that looked like she was deeply moved.

“I think you’re making my heart pound like raindrops,” she fluttered.

“What kind of pounding?” Linzel rushed to question her.

Mini placed her hands on her chest and replied, “A heart attack.”

Linzel clapped a couple of times and mouthed, “Wow.”

It was the perfect compliment. The kind of beautiful tribute that only someone like Mini could give her.

Linzel pulled her most trusted maid in for a hug.

“Come live with me in the palace,” she murmured while Mini was wrapped in her arms.

And Mini said, as if she had chosen to stay with her until Linzel’s hair was as white as an onion root, “We’ll live a long and healthy life together.”

At that moment, Letty, who had been watching the two silently, joined the conversation.

“Linzel, what about me? Give me a hug, too. I almost had a heart attack, too.”

“Of course. You deserve a hug too,” Linzel soothed as she pulled both lovely women into her arms.

The dusky evening light streamed in through the window, a few candles lighting up the room. Two lovely women in her arms, and Hernan, who wanted her to believe in him.

‘Everything around me is perfect,’ Linzel thought contentedly. 

“I am a happy person.”

She hoped this happiness would last for a long time.

Tomorrow was the day that would make her even happier: her marriage to Hernan.

* * * 

That night, Linzel once again shared a bed with Letty. It was the last time she would sleep with her before she got married.

Once Linzel was married, there would be little chance of sleeping next to her sister.

Linzel felt terribly sorry for Letty. It was the one regret she had about getting married.

She wished that Letty could live with her in the palace.

It would be perfect if Letty married Izekiel.

The Duke of Valencia may favor Hernan, but it was clear that if Letty wanted to marry Izekiel, he would reluctantly grant her permission.

Their father, who loved his daughters dearly, never opposed their decisions.

If two princes, both aspiring to the crown, were to marry into the same ducal family…….

‘Wouldn’t the matter of crowning a prince be decided solely on the merits of the princes, regardless of external pressures?’

Then the matter could be simplified. Since it was based on merit alone, there would be no complaints.

Even if Hernan didn’t become a crown prince, Linzel anticipated that he would still accept the outcome.

Anyway, that was something she could think about later, because her immediate concern was the health of Letty and herself.

Speaking of health…….

Linzel stroked Letty’s back gently.

“Letty. There’s been a lot of people at the ducal residence lately because of my wedding.”

Letty let out a half-sleepy voice.

“Mmm.”

“Everyone has been busy; they don’t look sick, they look happy.”

“Huh? Aren’t you happy? You’re supposed to be the happiest.”

“I’m happy right now, but I’m a little jealous of their health.”

“…….”

“Because I’m the kind of person who needs to rest after ten steps, and then after another ten steps.”

“……Mmh.”

“Because I was looking at healthy people, I’ve been thinking about it.”

“Thinking about what?”

“I think about the fact that tomorrow I might be dead and gone,” Linzel murmured and then paused. “That people,” she continued after a shaky breath, “will still be busy when I’m gone.”

The room was so quiet that even their breathing felt raucously loud. 

“That it wouldn’t matter if I was one of many people who disappeared,” Linzel finished. As she quietly finished voicing her deepest fear, Linzel’s hand slowly came to a halt on Letty’s back.

They were only human. When humans aren’t feeling too well, it’s easy to get caught up in negative thoughts.

It was the culmination of thoughts that healthy people would never really know. Thoughts that only someone with a time limit would understand – thoughts that had nothing to do with the happiness Linzel felt.

In the dimness, Letty patted Linzel’s hollow chest in slow, regular intervals.

“You won’t disappear. And… I remember you.”

There was a pause in the conversation before Linzel could reply. She stared at the blue wallpaper on the ceiling, then said promisingly, “You know what, Letty? We’re going to get well.”

Letty didn’t answer. Her hand on Linzel’s chest had also gone motionless.

Was she sleeping?

Linzel didn’t ask for an answer, so the silence didn’t bother her. She closed her own eyes and then tried to envision their healthy future.

She hadn’t seen Hernan in almost a week due to the wedding preparations, which happened as quickly as lightning strikes.

But they continued to write to each other, mostly about things wedding-related. For example, the wedding venue, the number of guests to invite, the reception, etc……..

There was nothing pretentious or empty in the messages; he was just sending her what he wanted to say.

Sometimes, at the end of the letter, he would write something that was not like him.

Something like…….