I Became The Younger Sister Of A Dying Woman - Chapter 48

48. Something Familiar That Can’t Be Familiar

“From before, you say…. Are you talking about the incident when we met at the banquet hall in the past?”

When Linzel asked a clarifying question, Izekiel immediately responded.

“Yeah.”

“When I admired your earring?”

“I remember.”

“I see…….”

When she was knocked out by the broken glass, she remembered the moment she coveted Izekiel’s earrings.

That memory was not an illusion or imagination. It seemed like the real memories of the original Linzel had seeped into her.

Somehow, it felt more realistic than just imagination.

“After that day, I thought it was strange how you pretended not to know me.”

Maybe it was because she was possessing Linzel’s body?

“I thought we had some sort of connection. But now you’re pretending not to know me.”

Linzel was lost in thought while Izekiel looked at her expectantly. When she didn’t respond, he quipped again, impatiently. 

“Well, at least you’re answering. Cough, cough.”

“Do you need a break? You’ve been talking a lot, and it seems to be causing you to cough.”

“Just one more thing before that. The threat to your life… it could have been because of me.”

“What? Tell me more,” Linzel requested. 

Izekiel began to confide in her about his circumstances, including the events related to Marquis Miller.

‘Marquis Miller…… seems like a villainous character. And in the original work, he wasn’t given much attention.’

In the original, it was Gatt whose terrible advice made Hernan the villain.

But now that she was married to Hernan, he would not be playing the role of a villain.

He’s just a cute and blushing sweetheart.

“As Your Highness mentioned, there is a high possibility that he had something to do with the harm I faced.”

If Hernan’s vassals were the ones who had threatened Linzel, she could have at least extracted more money from them.

It was a shame, somehow.

She just hoped there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings.

It wasn’t because she didn’t care about her well-being; it was simply because the interior decoration costs seemed significant.

Of course, if there’s any money left over, she could use it for herself… Ahem.

“I think we need to find out what Marquis Miller ultimately wants.”

Why, exactly, does Marquis Miller wish to make Izekiel a crown prince?

Miller claimed he was pushing Izekiel because Hernan wasn’t fit to be crown prince……. But for some reason, that didn’t make sense.

And why would Hernan be unfit to be crown prince? There’s no one else as reliable as him.

“How would you find that out? He’s also someone you can’t read.”

Izekiel replied with a question, and Linzel confidently replied.

“Using my beauty?”

Then she slightly pouted her lips. Today, she really liked the shade of lipstick she was wearing.

Izekiel immediately frowned.

‘Geez, how embarrassing,’ Linzel thought sheepishly.

“It’s just a joke, hahaha. You’re frowning so seriously, Your Highness. You don’t even know how to take a joke.”

That’s too much. It wasn’t just a joke.

“Linzel. No, Your Highness. Please don’t do anything dangerous.”

“Nope. Nope.” Linzel let out a high-pitched sigh. “I’ve learnt my lesson, and I won’t risk it.”

Her life was precious, and she didn’t want to hurt Hernan’s feelings.

“Then may I leave? Actually, I was on my way to meet His Highness Hernan and His Majesty.”

“Mhn. And if you insist on doing something dangerous, do it with Hernan.”

“Yes.”

“Or… I’ll help too. If there’s anything I can do to assist.”

As Izekiel said that his cheeks turned red again. Was the fever causing his temperature to rise and fall in an instant?

“Thank you,” Linzel said politely. 

“And Linzel, there’s one last thing I want to ask.”

This person. It seemed like he had a lot to say today.

“What is it?”

Izekiel had a rather serious expression on his face.

“Are you…… really not being abused?”

Linzel called out loudly, “Oh, stop it! Your Highness!”

When was he going to dispel that misunderstanding?

“Why do you keep thinking on your own and making such misunderstandings?”

“I’m a sick person. Your shouting hurts my ears. It gives me a headache,” Izekiel whined.

Was this the only response she’d get?

“When you get better, let’s meet again. I need to uproot that damn misunderstanding.”

“I feel good about meeting again.”

“Don’t say strange things. Aa, achooo!”

Startled, Linzel suddenly sneezed.

Linzel failed to cover the corners of her mouth, and her saliva splashed onto Izekiel’s face.

“……It’s the first time I’ve received a saliva baptism.”

Oh no.

Linzel roughly wiped his face with her sleeve.

“I’m, I’m sorry. I really should go.”

Linzel left the room hastily. There was no response from Izekiel.

* * *

In the vast office, a long table with about ten chairs had only two people sitting at it.

It was the Emperor and Hernan.

“……The most likely suspects for targeting Linzel at the hunting tournament are those working for the Duchy of Cardis. Probably to provoke us.”

Delta nodded in agreement to Hernan’s words.

“They have grievances against imperial authority, so it’s understandable.”

“Furthermore, I believe they might be the masterminds behind the civil war.”

Hernan handed Delta documents that had been monitoring the movements of the Duke of Cardis for several months.

Delta scanned the documents with a serious expression.

Even to him, the Duke of Cardis’s behavior seemed suspicious.

“But, Hernan, this is not enough. We need more solid evidence to bring them to justice.”

“……I know.”

Hernan clenched his large hand into a fist.

He knew it, and he had his men investigating the Duke of Cardis from every angle. But they hadn’t found much evidence.

Civil war aside, he wished he could find evidence of a threat to Linzel.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be doing my own quiet research.”

“Yes, Father.”

As the conversation was drawing to a close, Hernan suddenly had a question.

“Father, may I ask you one more question on a different topic?”

“Tell me about it.”

“I know that you entered the Royal Archives of the Imperial Palace. What were you trying to find out by going there?”

Delta looked surprised by Hernan’s question, as if it was unexpected.

“The Royal Archives… It has become a distant memory of the past for me.”

The focus disappeared from Delta’s eyes as he looked into the distance. He seemed to be recalling the past.

The answer came unexpectedly.

“It was to save Izekiel’s birth mother.”

“…Huh?”

“She died at a young age, and I felt sorry for her. I went there to see if there was any information related to necromancy, which can bring back the dead.”

“Was there?”

“If there was, she would still be alive. But there was nothing like that.”

Delta wiped his face as if he was washing it.

“You can’t bring back the dead…”

For some reason, those words struck Hernan’s heart deeply.

In Hernan’s mind, he saw Linzel, who couldn’t find a cure, floating without a remedy.

‘I want to…… live.’

And even the sorrowful message she uttered came to mind, causing cold sweat to break out on Hernan’s back.

Because it painted a dreadful conclusion that Linzel might die.

Hernan had witnessed the deaths of countless people. To him, death was something familiar. He believed that people were born to die, so it wasn’t strange to die at any time.

But when he heard Linzel’s confession of “I want to live,” he felt an overwhelming desire to embrace her.

When he embraced Linzel, his heart ached.

He couldn’t accept Linzel’s death as indifferently as he did with others.

Death had become something familiar that couldn’t be accepted as familiar any longer.

Wishing for her to live. Being scared when he learned that she was in danger. Shedding tears.

It was at that moment that Hernan realized that he genuinely liked her. It was the first time he felt that someone’s death and pain were unfair.

On the other hand, Delta, who had finally overcome the longing for the one who had left first, opened his lips.

“So, Hernan, why did you suddenly ask about the Royal Archives? Were you planning to go there too?”

“Yes. I was wondering if there might be a method to restore Linzel’s health….”

“Hmm. While there may not be a way to bring back the dead, there might be a way to improve the health of someone who is alive.”

Despite the hopeful message, Hernan let out a sigh. It was merely hope, not a confirmed fact.

“So, you’ve obtained the family seals from all the noble houses?”

“We have the seals of the Duke of Seville and the Duke of Cardis. All that remains is the Marquis of Hawkins.”

“Hawkins.”

“Father, do you know what kind of information they are currently seeking?”

“Well… that’s a difficult question. If anything comes to mind, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way, how is my daughter-in-law?”

“She’s doing well. She’s been fine. However,… I’m worried because her pollen allergy hasn’t improved much.”

Although she was much better than on the day of the hunting competition, Linzel still continued to sneeze.

‘Because of that, I haven’t been able to kiss Linzel.’

Every time he tried to kiss her, Linzel would start sneezing, so for several days, he had only been able to sleep by her side.

He dared not touch her for fear of harming her health. He worried that his large hands and strong grip might hurt her delicate body.

If only Linzel had desired him first, so he could have pretended to give in to her desires….

Linzel fell asleep as soon as she took the allergy medicine. According to the Palace Physician, it was a medication that could induce drowsiness.

He previously didn’t really expect any physical intimacy, so he wondered why he had changed so much.

‘It must be because ……I’m falling in love with Linzel.’

At that moment, he suddenly remembered the confession she made on their wedding day.

‘It’s because His Highness Hernan is always squeezing and crushing my heart!’

Hernan’s lips curled into a gentle smile.

‘I wonder if she knows that it has become fashionable in social circles to refer to each other as ‘Joji’ and ‘break’.’

And he wondered if Linzel knew that she, too, was toying with and breaking his heart.

He missed Linzel… The thought crossed his mind.

At that moment, he heard the sound of someone announcing a visitor outside the office.

“Your Majesty, Princess Linzel has come to visit.”

A deep smile formed on Hernan’s lips at the mention of her name.

“Now that our discussion seems to be over, let Linzel in.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Let her in!”

At Delta’s command, Linzel began to enter the office.

Today, she looked exceptionally well.