I Became The Younger Sister Of A Dying Woman - Chapter 63

63. Consolation was hypocrisy

Rosa Penellope. It was the central library of the imperial palace, surrounded by magnificent rose vines.

This place, housing tens of thousands of books, was spacious even by palace standards.

Category B-600. A man wandered through this place filled with art-related books.

He found a certain book and couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

Behind his glasses, his eyes gleamed with intensity.

‘Found it.’

The book’s number was B600666.

It had been handed to him by ‘them’.

As soon as he opened the book, a section flipped open.

A small note was wedged into that section.

With a familiar touch, the man opened the note.

What he saw were brief words.

⌜A real fox has appeared next to the tiger.

Crafty, cunning, and wicked.

She’s a fox mimicking a hyena, which is no match for a tiger.

Please help.⌟

After confirming the content, the man put the note in his pocket.

‘A real fox next to a tiger.’

A slow smirk formed on one side of the man’s mouth.

He had a strong suspicion of who that fox might be.

In his mind, the pale face of a certain woman appeared.

A woman with a pale complexion, hoping to enter the <Royal Archive>.

She looked at his face with eyes that were both wary of him and strangely relaxed.

…When she looked at his face with that kind of expression, it felt eerie without words.

It wasn’t as if he was being threatened.

It was truly a strange situation.

Her name was Linzel.

She was the most interesting person he’d met in a while.

‘But seriously, these guys. They’ve been quite harsh on a woman who recently entered the palace.’

The man wasn’t particularly pleased about this fact, but on the other hand, he found it somewhat enjoyable.

Conquering a challenging opponent who is difficult to subdue is more satisfying than dealing with an easily manageable one.

‘I should find out what exactly happened.’

The man became curious about what Linzel had done.

It was a complaint he would never have been able to listen to if it had been the tiger, that is, the clueless Hernan.

At that moment, a rustling sound came from behind the man.

He immediately turned to look at the source of the noise.

Almost simultaneously, his two eyes narrowed like a bow.

“You’ve come.”

There was no immediate response.

The only sound that broke the silence was the chirping of birds coming in through the open window.

* * *

In a corridor near the bedroom, Mini was crouched down and crying.

I slipped out of Hernan’s arms and ran to her.

“Mini! What happened?”

Mini looked at me with tear-streaked cheeks.

My heart ached. My nose tingled, and I felt like tears might well up in my eyes.

“What happened? Did someone bother you? Are you okay?”

Mini stammered as she pointed somewhere with trembling fingers.

There, a kitten lay dead.

It seemed to have been dead for quite some time; there was no sign of life.

“Ugh, it looks like it ate some poison. Poor thing.”

It was a cat I had never seen before, but considering how often Mini frequented the corridors, there was a chance she knew this cat.

I gave Mini a hug.

“…….”

I wanted to offer words of comfort.

However, when I opened my mouth, my words got stuck in my throat.

Death.

The word that had some connection to me sealed my lips shut.

“It’s okay. It must have gone to a better place.”

I hesitated to say those words. It felt like consoling the living for the sake of the dead as if I wasn’t considering the feelings of the departed.

Who knows if it went to a better place?

Isn’t it just the end when you die?

Unjustly or prematurely, death meant there was nothing left anymore.

Perhaps it was the realization of my impending mortality, but I couldn’t bring myself to offer comforting words to the living.

Consolation was hypocrisy.

I merely stroked Mini’s back until her crying subsided.

In the process, I stared absentmindedly at the lifeless kitten that had met its demise.

I felt a sense of kinship with it.

Would I meet a similar fate soon? Would I perish like that, utterly helpless, just as if I had consumed poison…..

My mouth felt dry.

The reality of my unaddressed negotiations with Miller felt pitiable and suffocating.

My usually resolute disposition, always striving to think positively, had weakened.

I held Mini tighter.

It was an embrace meant to console her but also to find solace for myself.

If I put in a little more effort, I could still enter the royal archive. I shouldn’t crumble now.

I needed to muster my strength and find a way to keep living.

Besides, I had people around me who were willing to support me.

I regained my composure.

Hernan just stood there, looking down at us.

It was night when I entered my bed chamber.

I wiped my face with a towel the maids had brought and prepared to sleep.

‘I have absolutely no strength left.’

Even breathing felt like an effort.

It was a series of unfortunate events for Hernan, but I felt like we wouldn’t be able to do things like a married couple again today.

Maybe this will happen again and again until I get healthy.

“…… Are you feeling a bit better?”

Hernan asked after he washed up.

He had just finished washing up and lay down beside me on the bed, looking at me.

“Yes. I’m okay. I think I felt a bit down because Mini was crying. She’s always loved animals.”

Even when Mini lived in the ducal’s residence, she used to feed the stray cats.

“What about you? Don’t you like animals?”

“I don’t dislike them, but I’m not particularly interested.”

“…….”

“It’s hard enough to take care of my own health. How can I afford to focus on another precious life?”

If I had been in better health, I might have taken a greater interest in animals. In the end, this conversation circled back to “my health.”

Hernan seemed to share the same sentiment.

“Let’s make sure we see the Miller matter through to the end.”

“Yes, absolutely. We must.”

“We should make a pinky promise or something.”

“Would you like to?”

Hernan hesitated for a moment.

It was only a brief pause. He extended his pinky finger towards me.

I placed my pinky finger against his.

“Your Highness, please pretend not to know even if you hear that His Highness Illiya’s door is broken tomorrow.”

“Even if you were to destroy the palace, I would pretend not to know.”

“Pfft. How would I even destroy the palace?”

“If you wanted to, I would do it for you.”

I giggled.

My gloomy mood had improved considerably.

“I plan to visit the astrological shop tomorrow. I’ll also have Jackson stick with you tomorrow, so you can go anywhere you want with him.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I found myself closing my eyes unintentionally.

My eyelids felt heavy like they were soaked.

“Instead of nightmares…”

Hernan paused for a moment and continued.

“……take over my, my dreams…….”

Even though I was on the verge of falling asleep, I burst into laughter.

With my eyes closed, I was one hundred percent sure that Hernan’s face had turned red.

I responded with a laughter-tinged voice.

* * *

“Ahh-choo!”

It was really strange.

I couldn’t see a flower garden near the palace, but every time I came near this place, I kept sneezing.

Did I explore the palace less than I thought?

“Are you okay?”

Are you okay? This was the question I was tired of hearing.

The one who asked the question was Jackson, who was accompanying me.

“Yeah. It’s just because of my pollen allergy, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

I replied casually as I looked around.

A day had passed since our previous visit to the palace, and there didn’t seem to be any notable gardens in sight.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“By the way, did you prepare what I asked for?”

Before setting off for the palace, I had instructed Jackson to prepare something specific, handing him a sealed envelope.

Jackson glanced briefly at the hundred men in white following behind him.

“Yes, Your Highness. I have prepared it without any mishaps.”

He replied, swallowing hard.

I followed his lead and cleared my throat.

Part of me wanted to break up Illiya’s door right now.

But being the Prince Consort came with certain social standings, so today, I had prepared limited strategies.

“Jackson, today is the day we finally meet Prince Illiya.”

“If you need, I can kick down the door for you, Your Highness!”

Right, right.

I liked that answer.

Jackson and I walked briskly, pledging our resolve. The West Palace was just around the corner.

Mercy guided us to Illiya’s chambers once again.

He was still gorgeous today.

No, maybe a little more colorful.

His nails were tinged with a reddish color I hadn’t seen before.

I liked that odd shade of red.

‘Mercy. it seems our tastes oddly align.’

It was when we reached the third floor.

Out of nowhere, my legs began to tremble.

I called out to Mercy, who had taken the lead.

“Aide Mercy. what did you use for your fingernails? Hehe.”

I did ask that question because I wanted to catch my breath.

“Your Highness, are you feeling unwell?”

Mercy seemed to have somewhat understood my true feelings. His question was straightforward.

“I think I might be feeling unwell. Can we rest for a minute?”

“Yes.”

I leaned on Mini. A trickle of warm sweat ran down my neck.

“I dyed them with rose petals.”

Mercy reached out to show me his fingernails more clearly.

But this man, his hands were truly beautiful.

His fingers were long and pale, and not a single callus was in sight.

They were so different from Hernan’s rather calloused hands, which were more like those of a warrior.

I couldn’t take my eyes off his slender hands and said.

“Are there roses nearby? I haven’t seen any. Phew.”

“I dyed them with roses I grow myself.”

“Growing roses. That suits you well.”

From Mercy, there was a fragrance that somehow resembled the scent of roses…

I looked up at Mercy’s face.

Backlit by the window, Mercy’s face had a soft glow. Shadows cast under his high nose were intense.

It was a moment when I found it astonishing.

A faint ringing echoed in my ears.