I Became The Younger Sister Of A Dying Woman - Chapter 52

52. We Aim For The Bottom of The Lamp

Yes. The seals of the two Duchies were easily obtained.

But maybe it’s because entering the Archive doesn’t hold much significance for them.

Miller seemed to feel the same way.

He also had referred to the Royal Archive as ‘old-fashioned’.

‘Seems like he’s trying to give us a hard time.’

Linzel recalled what Izekiel had told her, the information she had received from him during her visit.

‘Marquis Miller wants to turn Hernan into a useless person. So, he might be threatening you, someone precious to Hernan.’

Was Miller out to get them because he hates Hernan? The Miller they’d seen thus far seemed extremely stubborn.

Even if they were to threaten him here, he seemed unwilling to hand over the seal.

Then…….

“Fine. I’ll give it a try.”

Linzel might not like it, but she had no other choice.

She had no room to back down now.

She had received the seals of two ducal families, and she couldn’t afford to let Miller get in the way of getting to the Royal Archive.

“Linzel……!”

Hernan called loudly. She grabbed his hand to calm him down.

“Marquis Miller, please keep your promise… Ah, ah, achoo!”

‘I was about to finish with a cool tone, but why did I have to sneeze right now?!’

Damn sneezes.

Linzel rubbed her itchy nose. Then, it dawned on her too late.

Her saliva had splattered on Miller’s face across from her. 

“…Your Highness, is this saliva baptism… a result of ill feelings toward me due to my unreasonable request?” 

Honestly, Linzel was somewhat relieved to know he, too, referred to it as an unreasonable request.

Following Miller’s response, she retorted, “Oh, not at all. I have no ill feelings toward Marquis Miller, but at the same time, I do have allergies.”

Then, she opened her mouth again.

“Achoo!”

Her saliva splattered on Miller’s face again.

“…….”

Miller crumpled up his face in horror.

“Oops, sorry. I’ll make sure to cover my mouth next time, I can’t help myself with those sudden sneezes.”

‘Of course, that last sneeze was completely intentional. Heh.’

* * *

“Linzel. I have a mind to accept whatever you do…. But I think you’re being hasty on this one.”

Those were Hernan’s words as soon as they were in the carriage heading back to the palace.

No, maybe it was a reprimand?

“I couldn’t help being hasty.”

But she had nothing to say in return either. Linzel’s health was deteriorating day by day.

She felt it, but the doctors couldn’t even figure out the cause.

The only solution to this frustrating situation had to be somewhere in the Royal Archive.

She wanted to enter there before death approached any closer.

In other words, she didn’t have much time to persuade and placate Miller. Moreover, the possibility of convincing someone as resolute as Miller was slim.

Direct confrontation. That was the only option.

“…..But there’s no other way. Marquis Miller is so stubborn.”

Instead of answering, Hernan let out a long sigh.

“Ha.”

He must have known that there was no other way.

“Your Highness Hernan, let’s meet Prince Illiya together. He’s still Your Highness’s family, so maybe we can find a solution somehow?”

“If it were as easy as that, I wouldn’t have said a word against you.”

Hernan made a troubled face.

Illiya Kleman.

Someone Linzel honestly thought would never come into her life.

She knew that the youngest prince, Illiya, lived in one of the palaces, but she didn’t really care.

There must be a reason for that.

Linzel thought it was not a big deal, but when it mattered most, he was getting in her way…….

How did Illiya even appear in the original?

She pondered over it.

Perhaps he was something like a supporting character.

Still, since he is somewhat related to the male lead, it wasn’t that he wasn’t mentioned at all in the original work.

Illiya, however, was a bit of a loner in the original, so he was rarely seen.

Linzel thought there were maybe a couple of scenes where he met Letty, who became Hernan’s bride…….

‘Darn it. I can’t remember.’

It was understandable.

She didn’t remember much of her past life. And it had been a long time since she’d been possessing Linzel.

It was impossible to recall the original in detail.

In that case, Linzel had no choice but to confront the situation head-on this time as well.

“Your Highness Hernan, I’d still like to try.”

“…….”

Hernan stared at her wordlessly, but his eyes were full of messages.

“I don’t want to give up without even trying!”

“My family has already made many attempts. Still, we couldn’t bring Illiya out.”

“But I wasn’t there at that time.” Linzel clenched her dry hand into a fist. “If I’m there, maybe things will be different.”

It wasn’t an entirely baseless claim.

After all, she had changed the major plotline of the original work.

And Hernan didn’t become a villain either.

After a moment’s silence, Hernan let out a sigh, and his face softened.

“…… Yeah. Maybe you’re right.”

Hernan spoke as if he had made up his mind.

“Let’s give it a try.”

“Your Highness! Thank you!”

“I almost broke the vow to make sure you can enter the Royal Archive by any means necessary.”

Hernan spoke as if to correct himself, who had become weak for an instant.

“I will find out the truth even if it means twisting his limbs.”

Well… He’s your younger brother, so wouldn’t it be a bit too aggressive to twist his arm?”

“That guy not only made my parents sad but also now stands in the way of our future.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Anyway, this is a chance to firmly correct his behavior.”

Hernan… It seems like he’s quite determined…

Well, it should be fine, right?

If Linzel intervened, there wouldn’t be any arm-twisting involved with Ilyana’s limbs.

“So, for now, can you tell me about His Highness, Illiya?”

Hernan began to share what he knew about him.

* * *

In Linzel’s bedchamber, absent from Hernan, who was away on official business, Linzel laid in bed thinking about what Hernan had told her about Illiya.

Illiya Kleman.

A boy with silver hair like Izekiel’s and red eyes like Hernan’s. He was the same age as her, eighteen years old this year.

He had been quiet since he was young, and ten years ago, just before going to the academy, he locked himself in his room.

That was….. all the information she had.

“I’m screwed.”

She regretted her earlier optimism towards Hernan a few hours ago.

Why is there so little information?

“And he’s family, yet he knows so little about him?”

Linzel had only known Letty for a short time, and yet she knew her so well.

“Hey, Miss Linzel! Do you need someone to talk to?”

As Linzel mumbled to myself, Mini chimed in.

“Hey, Mini, come here,” she gestured to Mini.

“Yes!”

Mini hurriedly walked over and stood beside the bed, looking down at Linzel.

“Bring a chair and sit next to me. It’s tiring to look up.”

“Yes, yes!”

‘She doesn’t seem to know how to say no to me,’ Linzel thought fondly before speaking to Mini, who was sitting on the chair.

“Mini, have you gotten used to life in the palace?”

“Yes! Fortunately, the servants here are mostly kind, so I’m comfortable.”

“Then, have you talked to the maids in the West Palace, who serve Prince Illiya?”

Mini shook her head.

“The West Palace is quite far from the East Palace, so I haven’t had a chance to talk to the maids there yet.”

The East Palace was where Izekiel resided. Linzel had no personal interest in the affairs of his Palace. It was unnecessary.

“Hmm. I see.”

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“Yes! There is.”

“What is it? Miss Linzel.”

“You should get to know the maids in the West Palace starting today.”

“…Huh? The West Palace?”

“Yes, give treats to the maids in the West Palace. I’ll give you the money.”

Mini’s head tilted, clearly not understanding the reason behind the command.

“May I ask why?”

“Of course. You know who the owner of the West Palace is, right?”

“Yes! Isn’t it Prince Illiya?”

“That’s right. I need to find out why Prince Illiya doesn’t engage in external activities.”

“Ah, I see. You want the maids serving Prince Illiya in the West Palace to find out about his situation,” Mini replied in her typical Mini fashion.

“Exactly! You’re smart.”

“Hehe, I’m just a maid.”

“Smart people understand each other well.”

The pair laughed together, feeling a little silly.

“This Mini! Will give her all for you, Miss Linzel!”

“Great! I trust you. How about naming this operation ‘We aim for the bottom of the lamp’?”

“That’s a very clever name, Miss Linzel, and I love it.”

Alright, then.

“And when you enter the Western Palace, say that you came to deliver a message for me.”

“What kind of message?”

“Well… since we won’t actually meet anyone, say you came to arrange a meeting with Prince Illiyah.”

He wouldn’t meet his family, and there was no way he would meet Linzel.

However, if he did take the bait and arrange a meeting, it’s a total win for her. 

She had nothing to lose.

“Sure! If there’s nothing else you need, I’ll head to the Western Palace right away!”

“Off you go!”

Mini sprinted away.

Linzel watched the adorable and loyal Mini with pride.

‘Who needs a thousand soldiers? I have a cute, loyal Mini over there.’

If there was no information, then she would create some. That’s when Mini returned.

“…Mini? What’s wrong?”

Mini shyly smiled and held out both hands.

“Miss Linzel. The snack money you mentioned earlier…”

One of the best ways to quickly become friends with someone you don’t know is to give them gifts or treats.

There was no better way. Linzel gave Mini more than enough money.

“I’ll be back soon!”

“Sure, be careful not to trip.”

“Y-Yes!”

As Mini hurriedly left, Linzel found herself alone in the bedchamber.

While she was talking about Illiya, she remembered something she hadn’t told Hernan.

“Ah…… I should have told him about that.”