I Became The Younger Sister Of A Dying Woman - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Rare Tears

After Hernan found out the reason why Linzel walked into the forest alone, he was furious.

“Never make such a decision again. Whether it’s Letty, Izekiel or anyone else, whatever they do, you have to put yourself first “

Linzel glanced down at the bed she was resting in. Experiencing the danger firsthand made it seem necessary to protect herself.

Even now, Linzel found herself agreeing with him.

“Yes.”

Despite her clear, affirmative answer, Hernan sighed heavily. The room seemed to fill with his sighs. 

Eventually, Hernan lowered his head. 

Linzel sat up and closed the distance between them.

“Your Highness…… what’s wrong?”

No response came. Only Hernan’s shoulders twitched slightly.

Achingly, what made her choke up were the tears staining the white sheets.

Were they Hernan’s tears?

‘No way.’

“Your Highness Hernan…….”

Linzel reached out to him, who was still unresponsive. His cheeks that softly slipped into her hands were warm and damp.

She lifted his face.

In the reddish eyes that met hers, there were faint traces of tears. When he blinked, a single tear pooled and then streamed down.

It was an unbelievable sight, even witnessing it firsthand.

“…..It’s horrible,” Hernan murmured. It seemed as if he didn’t mind the fact that he shed tears. “I wasn’t afraid of anything in this world. But the thought of losing you…”

“…….”

“……I was so scared.”

Seeing Hernan’s tears made Linzel feel like crying herself.

She shifted forward and held him tightly. Her large, warm husband leaned quietly against her.

“How long has it been since you shed tears?” she asked, her voice tight with emotion.

“I don’t know. I can’t remember the last time I shed a tear.”

It was a rare tear from a man who seemed like not a drop of blood would come out, even if he was pricked with a needle.

It made Linzel realize how much he cared about her. If Hernan were in danger, would her eyes also be filled with tears for him?

“I promise I won’t let tears fall from your eyes again, Your Highness.”

Linzel said it as if making a vow. It was a promise that she wouldn’t do anything dangerous anymore.

“I trust you.”

Linzel let go of Hernan, releasing him from her arms.

He was no longer shedding tears.

With the desire for him to smile, she playfully teased him.

“But you know what, the tears of a handsome man…… are really beautiful.”

 (T/N: I strongly agree. And I wished so hard in this chapter that there would be a picture of that^^

E/N: Right there with you… I love it when we get to see a beautiful man cry 😉 )

Linzel was half serious.

The handsome face and the tears. There was a touch of vulnerable beauty there.

Hernan smiled faintly, like someone who didn’t know the consequences of crying and then laughing.

“Then I should cry for you sometimes.”

He even made his own joke.

“Thank you!” Linzel enthusiastically accepted.

Hernan wiped his eyes and completely dispelled any trace of tears. Then he quickly shifted the flow of the conversation.

“But back to the Royal Archive. For the Duke of Cardis, it’s just a library. Nothing more, nothing less.”

It was to Linzel and Hernan’s advantage if they thought so.

“Of course, they wanted to know why we wanted to go in there,”Hernan continued.

“What did you say the reason was?”

“Linzel’s thirst for knowledge is exceptional… cough.”

Hernan looked embarrassed to treat Linzel as someone with a thirst for knowledge.

“Well, it’s not entirely wrong to say that, right?”

“Hmm. I’m worried about raising suspicion.”

“No! You’re not wrong.”

“I’ve never…… seen you read a book before.”

‘Your Highness, indeed. You’ve been watching me too closely, I’m ashamed to say.’

“I used to read a lot of books myself!”

Of course, that was before she was possessing Linzel.

Back then, she was captivated by romance novels and read countless of them.

The one she was currently possessing a character in, <Don’t Love Me, Since I’m Dying>, was one of her favorites.

‘And my next favorite novel is…….

Favorite novel…….’

“…….” Linzel blinked blankly.

‘….Huh? What was it?’

Strangely enough, she couldn’t remember anything.

Not only the contents of the novel, but she couldn’t even recall the characters.

It felt like her mind was blank.

It was a familiar feeling.

Suddenly, she realized that she had completely forgotten her original parents, siblings, and even friends.

The past still didn’t come to mind. She felt increasingly uneasy for some reason.

“…Linzel?” Hernan called, as he noticed that her expression had changed.

“Oh. It’s nothing, I was just worried about my books I left at the duke’s house…….”

She couldn’t confess to Hernan that her memories were messed up.

He might treat her like a madman.

“If you wish, I can order Gatt to bring back all your books.”

“No! You don’t have to. The palace library is filled with books, after all.”

And there were no book-like objects in Linzel’s room at all. The chance of Gatt going there for nothing was a hundred percent.

“I see.”

Before Hernan could delve further into the topic of books, Linzel changed the subject.

“Your Highness, speaking of which, now only Marquis Hawkins remains… How should we gain his recognition?” 

“That place…”

Hernan’s face became complicated, his words trailing off.

***

The South Palace, where Izekiel resides.

In the reception room where everyone had left, only Izekiel and one man remained.

Izekiel roughly threw down the sword she had been carrying and immediately grabbed the man by the collar.

“Is this your doing?”

“Your Highness. I’m still a marquis. It’s a bit… well, when you become the crown prince, then I’ll turn a blind eye to informal speech.”

The man adjusted his fallen wire-rimmed glasses. He had been smiling all along, but the gaze behind his glasses was as sharp as ever.

The man’s name popped into Izekiel ‘s mind.

“Marquis Miller. I asked if you shot an arrow at Linzel.”

“Do you think I would do such a thing? Besides, I’m not skilled with a bow.”

“But wasn’t there something the Marquis said like this in the banquet hall?”

Izekiel recalled the event in the banquet hall a few days earlier.

That day, Miller had made a suspicious proposal.

‘I will support you so that you can become the crown prince, Your Majesty.’

And his subsequent plan was as follows.

‘To make His Highness Hernan a cripple. Since a cripple cannot be crowned as the crown prince.’

‘…….’

‘It’s pretty simple to make him a ruined man: destroy something he holds dear, whether it’s his knighthood, his woman, or whatever.’

‘Even the most hard-hearted of men, His Highness Hernan, will lose his sanity if something precious is destroyed.’

Having said that, Miller had looked at Linzel.

As if Linzel was the target he wanted to ruin, among the things Hernan cherished.

There was nothing more to hear or accept from such a despicable proposal, so Izekiel ridiculed him to the fullest.

‘I do not wish to become the crown prince through despicable means.’

And he had issued a warning.

‘And if you touch my family, I will not stand idly by.’

He did not love Hernan desperately. Instead, he felt inferiority and rivalry toward him.

But Hernan was still family in the end.

He didn’t want Hernan to be a broken man.

That was the end of Izekiel’s conversation with Miller. He turned away from him.

But…….

Today, Linzel was threatened by a stranger.

It was as if it laid the foundation for Miller’s plan to, as he had said, ’destroy what Hernan holds dear’.

“I’m not going to say I didn’t say what I said.”

Miller retorted confidently.

“Do not touch Linzell.”

“Do you like …… Her Highness?”

Izekiel was taken aback by the sudden question.

Seizing the opportunity while Izekiel was surprised, Miller removed Izekiel ‘s hand from his collar.

“…Don’t say ridiculous things. She is my brother’s bride.”

“But it seems like you’re reacting excessively. As if you like her.”

“That’s not the case.”

Izekiel denied Miller’s words, but his heart was pounding rapidly. As if he were caught in a lie.

Izekiel decided to change the topic.

“Marquis Miller, What do you gain from doing all this? Making me the crown prince… no, going even further, making me the emperor. What benefit do you have?”

“…….”

“Even if I were to accept your help, I would not give you credit.”

Miller gracefully retorted as if stating something he had long-since considered.

“I simply don’t wish for His Highness Hernan to become the emperor.”

“What is your reason?”

“He is aggressive, ignorant, and knows little about politics. That’s the only reason.”

“In contrast, Your Highness Izekiel, you are intelligent. I want to invest in a good prospect. For the sake of this country!”

If he were less belligerent, ignorant, and politically illiterate, he might have taken Miller at his word and aligned himself with him.

However, Izekiel ‘s sentiments were different, and he had a reason not to trust Miller’s eloquence.

Because he had experienced such manipulative tactics, taking advantage of the inferiority complex he held towards Hernan before.

Methods that seemed to be for his own benefit but, in reality, would lead him to a dead end.

After a long time, Izekiel thought of that man once again. The man who made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end just thinking about him.

The man who made him break out in a cold sweat.

Scott, his father’s younger brother and Izekiel’s uncle.

Izekiel recalled Scott’s words that had deceived his young self.

‘I’m punishing you for your own good, Izekiel. Because I want you to do better. Can you understand my heart?’

Scott often said that Izekiel must not fall behind Hernan.

He rationalized his own actions, stating that harsh discipline, including cruel punishment, was necessary to surpass Hernan.

The memories of the past were terrifying, and Izekiel ‘s temples throbbed.

Even though over ten years had passed, he felt discomfort whenever those unforgettable words resurfaced.

Izekiel furrowed his brow.

“…If you won’t sympathize with me even after I’ve said this much…,” Miller said as he looked directly at Izekiel. “I’ll handle it alone.”

“Don’t do anything. I’ll take care of becoming the crown prince.”

“Haha. I wonder if you’ve had any harvests on your own.”

“Marquis Miller. Don’t cross the line.”

“You cannot do it alone. Everything I do is for you. Don’t you truly understand my heart?”

It was a similar remark to what Scott had said when he pushed himself onto Izekiel.

Even though Izekiel knew that Miller’s words were absurd, a ringing sound echoed in his ears.

The tremor that spread from his temples covered his entire forehead.

He even saw Miller’s figure as if it had split in two.

“Stop… Please stop. If you don’t want to be like your relative.”

In the midst of his mental anguish, Izekiel finally uttered the last desperate words.

“My relative.”

At that moment, Miller showed signs of wavering for the first time. Miller’s expression became unpleasant.

“Do not compare me to such a person. I do not torment Your Highness Izekiel.”

Miller was a distant relative of Scott, who had tortured Izekiel and met his deserved execution over ten years ago.