I Became The Younger Sister Of A Dying Woman - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: “Joji”

It was an odd feeling.

She hadn’t been married before possessing Linzel, and even after, she had never been married.

Linzel tried to think of something concrete, just in case.

She tried to remember if she had ever really been married, and if so, who was the groom, and what was the wedding like…….

But she couldn’t remember anything.

‘Oh well, that makes sense. I couldn’t have been married.’

She must have been confused due to exhaustion from wedding preparations. It wasn’t a big deal.

At that moment, a soothing voice distracted her from her strange thoughts.

“Linzel. Are you okay?”

The owner of the voice was Hernan. Linzel took a deep breath and composed herself once again.

She needed to calm down for the surprise event they were going to do today.

“Phew. I’m fine.”

The voice of the wedding’s officiant, the bishop, could be heard from the podium.

“We will now proceed with the holy marriage of Prince Hernan and Lady Linzel.”

The bishop, with his outstretched arms, was quite impressive.

The Kleman Empire was a free religious state and had no state religion, which was why one wouldn’t see many churchgoers.

“Today’s bride and groom, please come forward and receive your blessing.”

It was time to step forward. It was time to show the negative people who had judged their marriage the error of their ways.

Linzel stepped up onto the Virgin Road and declared, “Everyone, there is something I want to confess.”

The guests were restless at her serious tone. There wasn’t a single person who wasn’t paying attention to her.

This is what Linzel had hoped for.

Continuing her speech, she said, “I have a nickname for His Highness Hernan that I normally keep to myself…… and since today is a special occasion, I thought I’d reveal it to you.”

The murmurs grew louder. Even Hernan was looking puzzled.

Linzel smiled slightly at Hernan, reassuring him not to worry.

“The nickname is ‘Joji’. That’s what I call His Highness Hernan all the time, in my heart.” 

(T/N: This is the romanization of the Korean writing of “George” – it’s slang used when someone is so cool that you can’t help but have a crush on them. They make you feel like someone is actually ‘crushing’ your heart with their coolness. It appears to allude to George Bush, who is apparently popular in South Korea.) 

She glanced at Letty.

There were times when her sister could understand her without words.

Linzel had a feeling Letty would do what she wanted, even though they hadn’t spoken beforehand.

It was a strange kind of confidence.

Letty raised her hand to express a question.

“I want to know the meaning of the nickname!”

‘Letty, very nice. This is the exact question I was hoping for.’

Linzel smiled, clearly touched, and answered passionately.

“It’s because His Highness Hernan is always squeezing and crushing my heart! I want to tell you how wonderful and sweet he is…… but whenever I’m in his presence, there’s no more room left in my heart.”

Before Linzel could finish her sentence, the room began to erupt in rumbling laughter.

Despite her boldness, the mood was not bad.

“Perhaps that’s a bit of a stretch, but there’s no way to describe His Highness’s wonderfulness without overdoing it……. I hope you will understand me and my heart as well…….”

It was a great speech, and she was about to continue.

But was it because she was talking too much?

Or was it nerves?

Linzel could feel her airway narrowing, and it became uncomfortable to breathe.

She knew what it felt like. A sign that unexplained shortness of breath was coming.

“Oh, what a wonderful nickname…… it is.”

Linzel froze in place, feigning to be emotional to hide her pain, lowering to her knees and bowing her head to gasp for air intermittently.

‘Please…… please don’t let me faint,’ Linzel begged desperately to a god she didn’t even believe in.

If she fainted, not only would her speech be in vain, but the wedding would be a mess.

As she regained her breath, the guests continued to laugh. Everyone seemed to be pleased with her speech.

Now all she had to do was finish it perfectly in the arms of Hernan. That way, people would at least acknowledge her relationship with Hernan.

Sadly, Linzel didn’t have the energy to lift herself up.

“Haa…….”

The laughter was fading.

If she didn’t get up soon, people would notice something was wrong.

At that moment, a large shadow began to fall over her head. When she managed to look up, Linzel was face to face with Hernan.

As soon as she saw his face, the tightness in her throat lifted all at once, almost unbelievably.

Breathing became easier. Hernan felt like a savior.

“Linzel. I can’t come up with a nickname as wonderful as yours,” he rumbled as he reached out and tried to help her to her feet. Linzel took his hand.

“But I will always try hard……. to break your heart for you,” Hernan finished.

‘Wow. I couldn’t have asked for a better confession.’

Hernan tightened his grip and slowly pulled Linzel to her feet. By the time she was back on her feet, her breathing had returned to normal. She smiled as if nothing had happened.

“I think you’re trying hard enough already,” she responded warmly.

He stole some of Izekiel’s clothes that he wasn’t interested in….. No, actually, he was interested in her enough to wear them.

“Thank you.”

At that moment there was a voice that shattered their little mood.

“This is so sweet it’ll make my teeth rot.”

It was Izekiel, who was standing near them, who said it with a sigh. He stuck his lips out in a pout as if he was offended by something.

“We’re coming through!” Linzel shouted, and she and Hernan stepped onto the Virgin Road.

All the guests were smiling, except for Izekiel. Even the knights, who had been glaring at me, were wearing faint smiles. 

Apparently, her confession of affection was a selling point for the knights. Linzel was glad.

She didn’t have another breathless moment until the ceremony was over. But she made a mental note to herself after what had happened earlier.

Tonight, when she was alone with Hernan, she would ask him a favor. Something she’d been wanting to do ever since she became Linzel.

She couldn’t put it off any longer.

* * *

A reception without Hernan and Linzel, the stars of the wedding. Instead, it was Izekiel who was the center of attention.

As a social butterfly, Izekiel was constantly approached by people trying to strike up a conversation.

‘If only Hernan and Linzel were here, my surroundings wouldn’t be so crowded… it’s a bit annoying.’

Due to Linzel’s poor health, they left early to retire to Hernan’s room. Hernan’s room was decorated as their honeymoon suite.

Izekiel thought back to Linzel, whom he saw at the wedding venue. Her skin was so pale that the white wedding dress suited her perfectly.

When talking about Hernan’s secret nickname, her frankness and straightforwardness were truly Linzel-like.

Wasn’t it cute, rather than off-putting?

That’s probably what everyone at the wedding thought.

Perhaps everyone who attended the wedding felt that way because the atmosphere was full of harmony.

There seemed to be something about Linzel that was different from other women.

Was it because she had a special charm that he couldn’t resist?

Izekiel had even imagined a scene in which she and him were getting married.

In a beautiful wedding venue adorned with roses, he held Linzel’s hand, and he would be the one who had broken her heart.

If only it was him who could break her heart.

‘My heart can’t survive Izekiel’s kindness. It’ll shatter!’

“Pfft.”

Having imagined it that far, Izekiel chuckled.

“……Your Highness?”

Jackson, the deputy commander of the Olive Knights who had been talking to Izekiel, questioned his random chuckle.

“Sorry, sir. I suddenly remembered the confession that young Lady Linzel made at the wedding venue.”

“Ah, that confession was amusing to the rest of the Olive Knights as well.”

“Right? Lady Linzel is quite the entertaining one.”

“I would think so.”

Jackson felt bad for misunderstanding Linzel. Of course, he needed to observe her a little more, but Linzel didn’t seem as malicious as he had thought.

At that moment, the chatter of the nobles increased.

Izekiel turned to look at the source of the sudden commotion. 

His eyes quickly settled on a tall man. A handsome man with lush blue hair and sea-like eyes. Izekiel knew him. He was well known for his good looks, though not as much as Izekiel was.

Izekiel’s gaze on the man was too intense. Their eyes met.

As the man approached him, Jackson quickly stepped aside.

“Your Highness, Izekiel. It’s been a long time.”

“Yes, Marquis Miller. Have you been well?”

The man’s name was Miller Hawkins. The man was the young lord of the Marquis of Hawkins.

“Thanks to Your Highness’s concern, I have been living safely.”

“Yes,” Izekiel replied briefly.

Despite his tidy appearance, Miller didn’t give off a good impression, so Izekiel didn’t become friendly with him. Izekiel wished he would just disappear out of sight.

But Miller spoke nonchalantly, unaware of Izekiel’s discomfort.

“……Your Highness must be disappointed since Prince Hernan got married first.”

“Why would I be upset by my brother’s marriage?”

“…….”

“On the contrary, I am grateful to Lady Linzel, who accepted someone as blunt as Hernan.”

“But now that Hernan is married, doesn’t that increase his chances of being named as crown prince?”

It was not a wrong statement. Getting married meant a higher chance of succeeding the throne.

In the palace, lineage was crucial, so it could only be evaluated positively.

But marriage was an optional condition, not a requirement for becoming a crown prince.

The appointment of a crown prince was solely the emperor’s decision.

And Izekiel would be able to marry tomorrow if he so chose. Proposals were coming in every day.

There was no reason to be upset about Hernan’s marriage.

‘Though…. I am a little, very little, jealous of him for marrying Lady Linzel……’

‘Jealous? I can’t believe I’m thinking that.’

He rubbed his chin, which was smooth without a single trace of a beard.

“If you’re going to talk nonsense, please leave. I have more nobles to greet.”

It was a clear message to leave now. But instead of leaving, Miller said what he wanted to say.

“I want to help you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean to support you so that Your Highness can become the crown prince.”

Izekiel furrowed his brow. He had no idea what scheme this man had concocted. But he was certain of one thing, there was a stench of something shady in that proposal.

“That smells fishy. I’d like to hear about it.”

Nevertheless, he decided to listen to Miller.

Because he also wanted to become crown prince.

Becoming emperor was the only motivation and desire he had left.