I Became The Younger Sister Of A Dying Woman - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: This Is an Opportunity!

“Linzel’s dancing skills are very good, Your Highness, and you can look forward to it.”

It was Letty’s voice, and Linzel turned around to face her beautifully dressed sister.

When did she get so close to them?

Letty smiled with a face that sought agreement, saying, “Isn’t that right?”

It felt like Linzel shouldn’t disagree with Letty’s words.

“It seems like it will be a great banquet.”

And Hernan was genuinely delighted as well.

In the end, Linzel was the one who gave in.

“Yes…… I’ll try not to make it the worst banquet ever.”

Dancing… she could just follow along roughly and move her legs.

Above all, if she was with Hernan, it would be enjoyable.

If she enjoyed it, things would somehow work out, right?

* * *

‘……It doesn’t seem to be working.’

That was the conclusion Linzel reached by around the twelfth time she stepped on Hernan’s shoes.

“Oops. I stepped on them again.”

“It’s okay.”

And not long after, Linzel uttered the same words.

“Again…!”

“Just let my shoes be under your feet. So that you can step on them comfortably.”

“Are you teasing me right now?”

“Interpretation is free.”

“Your Highness!”

Hernan chuckled softly. It was as if he found her truly adorable.

Although there was no sign of Hernan being in pain or mocking her, it still felt awkward.

Dancing… It wasn’t something Linzel could figure out through guesswork. She was certain of it.

During the moment when she worried that her clumsy movements would tarnish the reputation of the Duke of Valencia, the music suddenly changed.

The lively and rhythmic music suitable for dancing turned into a slow melody.

Linzel didn’t miss the opportunity.

“Your Highness, this girl’s legs are trembling.”

“You know, I think my feet are beginning to ache.”

This man. Apparently, he had finally decided to make fun of her. Linzel stared at him with a reproachful gaze.

“It’s just a joke. Take a break. I pushed you too hard.”

“It’s not Your Highness’s fault.”

Linzel knew that she had no one to blame but herself for her lackluster dancing skills.

The newlyweds left the dance floor and sat down near a table with some light refreshments on it.

Linzel picked up a glass of wine from the table, trying to catch her breath. She felt relieved that her condition didn’t worsen despite the considerable movement.

As her breathing calmed down, Linzel realized something.

The surrounding gazes were unusually focused on them.

Not only at this moment, but also when they entered the banquet hall and greeted the imperial couple, it felt the same.

The nobles in the hall couldn’t easily approach us; they only observed us from afar.

It felt like being an animal trapped in a zoo.

“There are so many curious gazes today. Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

Hernan seemed to notice that their attention was drawn to us. Linzel looked around, and every time she did, she met the gaze of faceless nobles.

“If it’s bothering you, let me know. I’ll make sure they never look at you again.”

Hernan created an atmosphere of protectiveness.

At that moment, a scene from <Don’t Love Me, Since I’m dying> came to mind. The incident where Hernan, who married Letty, gouged out the eyeballs of men who stared at her.

Linzel quickly intervened before the ballroom was covered in gutted eyeballs.

“But that doesn’t mean we should actually gouge out their eyeballs.”

“As if I would gouge out the eyeballs of nobles.”

…It’s hard to believe you would say that.

Linzel changed the subject.

“Rather than feeling uncomfortable, I’m curious about the reason.”

“The reason is quite simple.”

“What is it?”

“It’s because they haven’t seen much of us.”

“….”

“I rarely attended banquets since I was out on the battlefield. Even when I stayed at the palace, I didn’t go to banquets.”

He added that he disliked being in crowded places. And then…

“…Of course, there are also many people on the battlefield, but in the end, half of them end up dead….”

Linzel suddenly  recalled that this man was nicknamed ‘Killer’.

A chill ran down the back of her neck.

“You’re probably the same. As far as I know, Linzel, you rarely attended banquets.”

Since she hadn’t attended any banquets since becoming Linzel, it seemed that Linzel hadn’t attended them before either.

His words seemed reasonable, so Linzel nodded. Then, a sudden question came to mind.

“But Your Highness, how do you know about my circumstances? You spent most of your time on the battlefield.”

“Hmm, hmm. Well, I…”

Hernan hesitated to say something – no, he seemed embarrassed.

“Did you perhaps do a background check on me?”

“I was curious about what you liked, and in the process of finding out, I ended up knowing other things as well.”

“But it seems like I’m the one who made you uncomfortable.”

Linzel lightly tapped Hernan’s arm with my shoulder.

“Next time, ask me directly. Whatever you ask, I can answer.”

Whether it was because Linzel wasn’t originally her true body or because she wasn’t someone who took things too seriously, she didn’t feel bad about being investigated.

Truth be told, the fact that Hernan was curious about her was somewhat delightful.

Linzel wondered how much Hernan had come to know about her.

“You’re telling me the same thing as Gatt.”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing.”

That’s when it happened.

Linzel felt the surroundings suddenly become noisy.

She stopped talking to Hernan and looked at the culprit who caused the commotion. Numerous nobles were muttering while looking at two blond men.

The blond men were approaching them.

At that moment, Linzel recalled the famous blondes of the Kleman Empire that Hernan had told her about.

‘Didn’t he mention that the Duchy of Sevilla is famous for having blond hair for generations?’

Were they members of the Sevilla family? 

The one who first greeted them was a young man with impressively long, golden hair.

“It’s an honor to meet the hero of the country. It’s been a long time.”

“It has indeed been a while.”

The man and Hernan seemed to have a formal acquaintance.

Linzel felt the man’s gaze on her. She politely greeted him.

“It’s an honor to meet you in person.”

They must be meeting for the first time, right?

“You are as beautiful as rumored, Princess. I am Ramon, eldest son of the Duke of Sevilla.”

Ramon calmly spoke words that could be felt as a compliment. A faint smile was etched on his lips.

Ramon was different from Hernan and Izekiel in terms of his aura.

Perhaps it was because of his odd-eyed irises, giving off a mysterious atmosphere. Or should she say, an air of a noble hero.

Wait… How did this character appear in the novel?

Linzel tried to recall what she knew about Ramon, but since he was an extra, nothing really came to mind.

While she was lost in her thoughts, a cute little gentleman standing beside Ramon also greeted them.

“I’m Leal, second son of the Duke of Sevilla.” 

The boy, who appeared to be around seven years old, imitated an adult in a childlike manner.

Rather than finding his serious expression amusing, Leal… no, he seemed quite mature.

The way he imitated his older brother was impressive.

Unconsciously, a smile formed on Linzel’s lips.

“Young master Leal is really dignified.”

” ……Huh?”

“Hehe. I mean, you imitate a gentleman well.”

“Thank you for recognizing that.”

And with that, he snorted.

If it were someone who valued decorum, they might have pointed it out, but Linzel found the child simply adorable.

If she could, she would gladly bite into those plump cheeks that still had traces of baby fat.

After the introductions were over, they continued their conversation.

At one point, Hernan subtly mentioned his desire to enter the “Royal Archives.”

To this, Ramon replied, “Receiving recognition from our family is not something I can decide at my discretion; it is a matter determined by my father.”

He slipped away like a slippery eel. He could have made a more diplomatic statement.

That man, despite his delicate appearance, was clearly not someone easily manipulated.

‘Typical scheming mastermind style,’ Linzel concluded and then started looking for Letty.

Since entering the banquet hall, each of them had gone their separate ways.

Linzel hoped she was having a good time with Izekiel. However, Letty was nowhere to be found.

‘Where could Letty have gone?’

On the other hand, Izekiel, who was popular among the ladies, was surrounded by various young women.

One peculiar thing was that Izekiel’s attire today was completely different from Hernan’s.

Why didn’t Hernan dress like Izekiel today?

As Linzel continued to search for Letty, her attention was drawn to another person.

The person who captured her gaze was none other than Leal, whom she had exchanged greetings with earlier.

Not far from where she was, the young boy was struggling to grasp a glass placed on a table.

The difference between his height and the height of the table allowed this to happen.

It was nice to see a child trying to do something that could have been done by a maid.

Unintentionally, she found herself cheering for the child.

But did she watch too intently?

The child glanced at Linzel, who had been stealing glances at him.

Almost simultaneously, something happened. The child’s fingertips lightly touched the glass.

The glass lost its balance and began to wobble. It seemed like it would fall right above the child’s head.

‘Help him – don’t let it happen!’

Linzel hesitated but ended up taking a step forward, and just as she did, her foot slipped on her long dress and her body swayed.

She continued to stumble forward.

In an attempt to regain balance, Linzel reached out her hand, unintentionally pushing the child.

“Oh!”

As the child was pushed away, the glass fell onto her head.

There was a loud clang sound.

Fortunately, the glass didn’t break, but Linzel did end up in a ridiculous state, drenched in the beverage.

It took her a whopping two hours just to do her makeup, and now this.

“……Your, Your Highness.” 

The child, who had fallen on the floor, called out to her with a somehow touched voice. The child… seemed to mistakenly think that she had desperately saved him.

‘I just slipped, that’s all. Sigh.’

No, wait.

If she pretended that she had saved the child, could she gain recognition from the House of Sevilla?

‘This is an opportunity!’

Linzel purposely made a distressed expression, as if she were in pain from being hit by the glass.

Then she said, “Oh no…….”

‘Screw it, I’m dying.’