I Became The Younger Sister Of A Dying Woman - Chapter 47

Or, Maybe, It’s Because…

 

“I’m warning you not to touch either Linzel or Hernan. This is the second warning.”

 

 

 

Again, Miller dismissed Izekiel lightly.

 

 

 

“If you change your mind, call me back. Your Highness appears to be in need of some peace of mind, so I will leave you to it.”

 

 

 

Damn it, Miller. He didn’t even pretend to listen to what he said.

 

 

 

Izekiel didn’t stop Miller as he left the reception room. His headache was too intense.

 

 

 

As soon as Miller left, Izekiel collapsed onto the sofa. He couldn’t stand any longer. He was at his limit.

 

 

 

Izekiel swept his hair that fell over his forehead and let out a long sigh.

 

 

 

“Haah…….”

 

 

 

Scott had said he’d been torturing him to get back at his father.

 

 

 

But why would Miller want to torment him and those around him for no apparent reason?

 

 

 

As the throbbing headache worsened, Izekiel felt as if he was about to lose consciousness.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

According to what Hernan had said yesterday, the Marquis of Hawkins, a man of commerce, valued information the most.

 

 

 

‘If we provide them with the information they want, they will immediately acknowledge us.’

 

 

 

The information the Marquis of Hawkins wants.

 

 

 

What kind of information could they be seeking?

 

 

 

‘How harmonious Hernan’s face is, how attractive Hernan is… I can provide detailed information on those,’ Linzel mused.

 

 

 

Or maybe she could show them how kind he is?

 

 

 

“…… but I don’t think that’s what he wants.”

 

 

 

Linzel pushed herself up from where she’d been lying all morning. Lying there and thinking about it wasn’t going to change anything.

 

 

 

“Mini!”

 

 

 

“Yes, Lady Linzel.”

 

 

 

“Let’s get ready for an outing!”

 

 

 

“Yes!”

 

 

 

Perhaps it would be best to visit the Marquis of Hawkins in person. If not, it wouldn’t hurt to visit the Information Guild somewhere in the capital.

 

 

 

While going out, Linzel thought she should also meet Letty and Father, who might be worried about her because of the incident yesterday.

 

 

 

Mini and the palace maids quickly attended to her, dressing her up efficiently. They thoughtfully took into consideration that Linzel couldn’t sit for long periods of time.

 

 

 

The makeup was done in no time.

 

 

 

Linzel was pleased with the light make-up that emphasized her natural beauty and the moderately fancy dress.

 

 

 

“Mini! Let’s first go meet His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness Hernan.”

 

 

 

She had to inform them about her outing, and it would be easy to notify both at the same time during their daily morning meeting.

 

 

 

Linzel began walking towards the office where they would be discussing state affairs.

 

 

 

The palace where Hernan resided was called the Eastern Palace among the various palaces in the imperial palace. When viewed from the Central Palace where the emperor resided, it could be considered the palace located to the east.

 

 

 

Similarly, the Southern Palace to the south was where Izekiel resided, and the Western Palace to the west was Illiya’s palace.

 

 

 

The office where Hernan and Delta held their meetings was in the Central Palace, fortunately not far from the Eastern Palace.

 

 

 

As she walked with a sense of urgency, Linzel arrived near the office relatively quickly.

 

 

 

On the way, she bumped into a maid who was hurrying out of one of the rooms.

 

 

 

“I- I’m sorry.”

 

 

 

“It’s okay.”

 

 

 

The maid, who lowered her head deeply, was holding a damp towel in her hands.

 

 

 

“But what’s with the towel?”

 

 

 

“Oh… It’s a towel for wiping the sweat of His Highness Izekiel, who has a fever.”

 

 

 

Izekiel? Was he unwell?

 

 

 

“Is His Highness feeling unwell?”

 

 

 

“While on the way to the office, he collapsed, so he’s resting in a nearby place close to the office.”

 

 

 

‘Ah, I see.’

 

 

 

That’s the situation. Linzel wondered if she should pay a brief visit to Izekiel.

 

 

 

He had visited her twice before when she was unwell, and he also helped her and Mini when they got lost during the hunting competition.

 

 

 

Since he was right in front of her, she couldn’t just turn away from him when he was in pain.

 

 

 

“I should check on the condition of His Highness Izekiel as well. Could you guide me to him?”

 

 

 

* * * 

 

 

 

Izekiel’s condition lying in bed was not good.

 

 

 

His cheeks were flushed from the fever, his breathing was labored, his lips pale in contrast to the rest of his face, and the pale eyelashes above his closed eyelids trembled ceaselessly.

 

 

 

At that moment, something caught Linzel’s attention, making her eyes widen.

 

 

 

“Oh.”

 

 

 

It was his sweaty skin visible through the few undone buttons of his shirt.

 

 

 

‘A delicate, yet handsome man… so sexy…’

 

 

 

No, this isn’t the time for such thoughts.

 

 

 

If his condition wasn’t too severe, Linzel had thought of having a conversation with him, but it seemed unlikely now.

 

 

 

She quietly tried to turn around.

 

 

 

At the same time, she thought she should tell Letty that Izekiel was sick. It would bring them much closer together if she took care of him.

 

 

 

As she took a step away, someone firmly grabbed her wrist.

 

 

 

“……!”

 

 

 

As soon as Linzel turned her head, she met Izekiel’s gaze.

 

 

 

His beautiful silver eyes seemed even more transparent today.

 

 

 

“Don’t go.”

 

 

 

His hoarse voice, tinged with urgency, weakened her resolve.

 

 

 

She was someone who knew pain better than anyone else. How agonizing it was to suffer alone…… and things like that.

 

 

 

That’s why she couldn’t coldly turn away from someone in pain.

 

 

 

Linzel didn’t have that kind of disregard.

 

 

 

“I won’t hold you for long,” Izekiel added weakly.

 

 

 

“…Okay.”

 

 

 

Linzel sat down on the corner of the bed.

 

 

 

Sensing that she wouldn’t leave, Izekiel released her wrist.

 

 

 

“Do you hurt that much? Enough to grab onto someone who isn’t even close?”

 

 

 

“I guess so. So, stay with me a little longer. And why aren’t we close?”

 

 

 

“Then are we close?”

 

 

 

“I don’t know,” Izekiel chuckled like a fool.

 

 

 

Why was he like this? Linzel wondered if the fever had affected his brain.

 

 

 

“Was it because of the hunting competition that you strained yourself?”

 

 

 

“Yeah. I exerted a lot of effort taking care of lost lambs.”

 

 

 

Belatedly, Linzel expressed her gratitude.

 

 

 

“I appreciate what you did yesterday. I couldn’t say it then because of His Highness Hernan’s presence.”

 

 

 

“I understand what you mean.”

 

 

 

Linzel had already thanked him for helping her yesterday and even hinted at his visit during her illness, so she had nothing more to say.

 

 

 

‘Now, can I leave…?’ 

 

 

 

She was just deciding to, but Izekiel continued the conversation.

 

 

 

“To be honest, it might be because I’m not in a good mental state that I collapsed.”

 

 

 

“What is it that troubles you?”

 

 

 

Izekiel retorted with a scoffing tone.

 

 

 

“Even if I tell you, you won’t understand.”

 

 

 

“But sometimes just talking about it can make you feel better.”

 

 

 

“Is that so?”

 

 

 

“Yes, it is. That’s why I tend to be open and honest about things. If you keep things inside for a long time, they fester in your heart.”

 

 

 

“You’re quite peculiar.”

 

 

 

“And you’re insulting someone who came to visit you when you’re sick.”

 

 

 

Linzel expected Izekiel to retort sharply.

 

 

 

Something like, “Then don’t come to visit me,” or “I never asked you to come for a visit.”

 

 

 

However, the response that came back was completely unexpected.

 

 

 

“…I’m sorry.”

 

 

 

“What?”

 

 

 

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. You said you wanted me to be honest with you, so I just told you the truth……..”

 

 

 

“…….”

 

 

 

“Well, I told you the truth, and now you’re offended. What am I supposed to do?”

 

 

 

“What? Why are you being like this? It’s not like you.”

 

 

 

“What’s being ‘like me’ supposed to mean?”

 

 

 

Linzel replied immediately.

 

 

 

“Arrogant, but secretly a warm-hearted fashionista?”

 

 

 

“That’s stupid,” Izekiel muttered.

 

 

 

But there was no better way to describe him perfectly.

 

 

 

“…I hardly think about my late mother. She passed away when I was young, so…”

 

 

 

The conversation took an unexpected turn in its flow.

 

 

 

Linzel thought he might tell me something like that. She tried to recall Izekiel ‘s birth.

 

 

 

In short, Izekiel was not the offspring of the current Empress, Angel, but rather the child of the previous Empress, who died shortly after giving birth to Izekiel.

 

 

 

There was a reason why Izekiel and Hernan looked slightly different.

 

 

 

“But there’s one thing I vaguely remember. My mother was happiest when she dressed me in pretty clothes.”

 

 

 

“…….”

 

 

 

“I’m sensitive to fashion for that reason. Even though my mother can’t see me now, I still want to dress well.”

 

 

 

The story related to fashion was not mentioned in the original work.

 

 

 

However, there was a story related to his birth and his biological mother in the original.

 

 

 

‘She was a big part of the reason why Izekiel wanted to be a crown prince and eventually an emperor.’

 

 

 

His mother’s last words to him were to grow up to be a great crown prince and then an emperor.

 

 

 

Izekiel’s mother resented her early death. She wanted him to grow up to become great in his own way.

 

 

 

Izekiel willingly accepted her wishes. However, her wishes also became chains that consumed him.

 

 

 

He believed that if he couldn’t become the crown prince, his life would be over.

 

 

 

It was Letty who helped change Izekiel ‘s perspective. Letty released Izekiel from those chains.

 

 

 

‘…… Izekiel ‘s life hasn’t been easy for him either.’

 

 

 

At a young age, losing his mother, gaining a stepmother and a younger sibling soon after his mother’s passing, and enduring abuse from his uncle.

 

 

 

Izekiel experienced many difficulties in his childhood.

 

 

 

When Linzel read the original, she didn’t really care about Izekiel’s situation.

 

 

 

She only felt sorry for Letty, who died unable to fulfill her love.

 

 

 

However, after meeting him in person, having conversations, and even facing his pain, her heart became uneasy.

 

 

 

She blurted out loud.

 

 

 

“You dress so well! It’s very admirable!”

 

 

 

Izekiel was taken aback by her sudden outburst.

 

 

 

“Huh?”

 

 

 

“…..Wouldn’t your mother think the same? She would surely admire you. So, stop making that sad face.”

 

 

 

A smile began to appear on Izekiel’s face, which had been gloomy all along.

 

 

 

“What’s that? You seem to be the bigger fool.”

 

 

 

Although Linzel heard the word “fool,” she didn’t feel bad because it felt like she had successfully comforted him.

 

 

 

“Somehow talking to you makes me feel better. Maybe it’s because I know you from before?”

 

 

 

“Or, maybe, it’s because I…”

 

 

 

Izekiel pursed his lips. His cheeks were redder than before.