CH 3

Chapter 3: Izekiel’s Cloak Looks Good

The first thing Hernan did when he returned to the palace was to call for his aide, Gatt.

“Gatt.”

Gatt had served Hernan since he was a child. He even spent 24 hours with Hernan on the battlefield.

So, Gatt was proud of his abilities as an aide. Just by looking at Hernan’s eyes, he could tell what he wanted.

At once, Gatt approached Hernan and bowed his head.

“Did you call, Your Highness?”

Gatt raised his head and checked Hernan’s condition. Tall enough to look up to, a clean face, a perfect body without unnecessities.

Hernan, the poster child for a perfect master whose only flaw was that he couldn’t fall in love, had a hardened face.

Hernan spat out a word with a frighteningly serious face.

“It’s an emergency.”

An exclamation mark flashed through Gatt’s head.

‘Is it the civil war……?! Did the civil war, which I thought we had wiped out, break out again?!’

Gatt straightened his posture.

He wasn’t afraid at all to follow his trusted master onto the battlefield again.

“I have something I really need.”

Gatt immediately replied, “What is it? What kind of armor should I get this time?”

What Hernan needed usually was armor, so Gatt thought it would be the case this time too.

Hernan replied without changing his expression, “I want the finest cloak in the empire. Go, get it. Right now.”

“Yes! The finest armor in the empire…? Eh, you mean a cloak?”

Hernan nodded. There was not a moment of hesitation.

In his ears, Linzel’s words echoed. ‘The cape of Prince Hernan, who was leading the troops at the forefront, was so cool.’

On the other hand, Gatt felt as if he had been hit in the back of the head with a heavy blunt force. Hernan, who was not interested in clothes, was suddenly talking about a cape.

Gatt asked cautiously, “Your Highness, you have been poisoned……?”

“Poison? Didn’t you know that there’s no poison that can harm my body?”

“Then you had the wrong breakfast……”

“I didn’t eat breakfast.”

“Then a hypnotic spell……”

Hernan held up a firm hand to cut off Gatt’s words, but then he remembered Izekiel’s cloak that he had seen a few days ago.

“Never mind. Izekiel’s cloak looks good.”

***

It was when Linzel laid on the bed and exhaled a thin breath. She felt a tingling pain somewhere in her leg.

There was a maid in the room, but she didn’t care and raised her legs straight up into the air.

The hem of her leisure dress, which normally came down to her Achilles tendon, slid down to her thighs, revealing her smooth bare legs.

Her skin was white enough to reveal wispy veins, and there were black bruises on the legs that were as thin as dry branches.

“Ha. When did I get another bruise?” She muttered.

The bruises were all over Linzel’s body, not just her legs. This frail body was prone to bruises from a slight bump or even the slightest stress.

Anyone who saw that would think she was being abused. What abuse? She was loved by quite a few people here.

“Ah, Miss! Do you feel uncomfortable?”

The maid in the room ran up to me, almost crying.

This child’s name was Mini.

As Linzel’s exclusive maid, she was a cute little girl with a small body just like the name she had.

“No, I’m okay. I just got a little bruise on my leg.”

Mini finally found the bruise on my leg and became restless.

“I’ll get some medicine that’s good for your bruise!”

“Yes, go ahead.”

As soon as her master’s permission was given, Mini left the room. She was such a good maid.

‘When I get the medicine, I’ll have to pinch your cute cheeks to the fullest.’

It was absolutely not because Mini’s cheeks were swelling up in a tempting way.

As soon as Mini left, the door opened wide again. It was a visit from Letty, from whom Linzel had been separated since morning.

This time, Letty jumped at her like the heroine of an unfortunate incident. Letty, who was sitting on the bed, was crying.

Everyone wanted to cry in front of her today…it felt so strange.

“Linzel, you lied to me!”

She knew why Letty was crying, and thought of the lie she had been telling. Linzel slowly raised her upper body and leaned her back against the headboard of the bed.

A few dry coughs escaped her throat.

“Cough, cough.”

Linzel felt her lungs throbbing every time she coughed.

“Letty. You noticed it so quickly. I wanted you to know about that later.”

She seemed to realize that Linzel was going to marry Hernan in her place. Did she hear that from their father?

Well, the source of the information wasn’t that important. What mattered was that Letty noticed it. Letty’s small white hand came over and landed on the back of her hand.

Linzel reached out her other arm and hugged Letty. Letty’s slender shoulders were trembling.

“You know, Letty. You know that you probably won’t make it past the age of 20.”

“……..”

“Did that sound cruel? If so, then I apologize. But I didn’t want to beat around the bush.”

“……..Yes.”

“You don’t have much time left……so it’s too sad to have an arranged marriage with someone you don’t like.”

Letty’s eyelids trembled sadly as she retorted, “But you’re sick, too.”

“At least I’m healthier than you.”

Letty began to make a mournful sound. The chest side of my dress was damp. Letty was crying again.

What made her sad?

That Linzel was getting married instead of her?

That she will die soon?

Linzel didn’t ask why. She just patted her back gently.

That’s what she thought.

Death.

A weight too heavy for a small, fragile girl to bear.

To keep someone from loving to their heart’s content? Having to die before something monumental happens?

That was supposed to be Letty’s life?

The only thing this fragile girl wanted – to fall in love to her heart’s content.

Linzel knew she was capable of engraving something monumental. Polarized words of cruel fate may have dictated many things to Letty, but–

Linzel wanted her to live.

Linzel wished desperately for her life.

In order to do so, she had to set food in the Imperial Records Room as soon as possible.

“Letty, listen.”

Letty didn’t answer, but she continued her story anyway.

“Do you remember that day? The day we saw the victory ceremony from the highest point of the duke’s residence?”

Letty answered in a low voice this time.

“…….Yes, I remember.”

“Actually, that day, I fell in love with Hernan at first sight. All his surroundings seemed to shine.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course. I can understand when you said Izekiel’s cloak was cool.”

But actually, Linzel had been focusing on Letty rather than Hernan that day.

Letty’s long hair, which was fluttering in the gentle breeze, and her fragrant smell carried in the wind. The fancy dress with frills that Letty was wearing.

‘Linzel, look!’ 

Letty’s lovely red lips saying, ‘Aren’t they really cool?’

When she smiled, a thin smile lingered on Letty’s lips as well.

If she had been a man, if she wasn’t a sister to Letty, she might have fallen in love with Letty that day.

And she would have suffered for a long time from the love she felt in an instant.

That day was terrifyingly clear. As if she truly had experienced it herself. It was strange. All of that was before she possessed Linzel’s body…..

“So, don’t cry because of me. Because I didn’t sacrifice myself. I’m more selfish than you think!”

“Linzel…….”

“It means that I also want to marry the person I like.”

“I like Linzel much more than Izekiel.”

“Obviously.”

Letty repeated many times that she liked her sister more than Izekiel. Linzel patted her on the back like an answer.

Letty’s fingertips gripped her back tightly. The tingling on her back…..maybe tomorrow, she’ll have a big bruise there as a result.

But it was fine. The lump Letty engraved on her seemed warm.

There seemed to be no pain in it.

***

That night Linzel slept in the same bed as Letty. It was because Letty said she wanted to sleep with her sister.

In fact, they slept together almost the whole time since she had become Linzel.

Her bed was as wide as the open sea, so she could sleep with ten Lettys comfortably.

They fell asleep talking about what they would do tomorrow….. what the weather would be like, what dress they were going to wear tomorrow.

Naturally, she couldn’t tell who might have fallen asleep first.

Just before dawn, she woke up thirsty. It was quiet, except for a small sound that seemed to ache in the dim room.

A low sob could be heard cutting through the silence.

The owner of the cry was Letty.

She was crying, softly.

Linzel pretended to be asleep and hoped that she would stop crying. She felt helpless, and couldn’t figure out how to appease her.

Fortunately, the sobbing soon died down.

Letty took her sister’s defenseless hand and whispered brokenly, “Linzel, I really want to live.”

It was Letty’s earnest wish, which she couldn’t bear to confide to her sister in the cruel light of day.

This time Linzel was the one crying, but she pretended to be asleep. Until Letty fell asleep again.

***

The next day, there was a visitor to the Duke of Valencia’s residence early in the morning.

“……..What? Prince Hernan came to the duke’s residence?”

Mini nodded vigorously.

“Yes, yes! Please, he is waiting in the drawing room.”

“You said he came to see me?”

“Yes! That’s right! Miss, you don’t have time to be like this. We have to get you ready quickly!”

Mini took Linzel’s hand, as she had lounged on the bed until the sun was up in the middle of the sky.

Linzel followed her as if she couldn’t win. Eventually, when she sat down in front of the dressing table, Mini skillfully began to decorate her.

“Where’s Letty?”

“She got up early in the morning and went back to her room,” Mini answered.

“Is she sick or anything like that?”

“No, she looked very good.”

Linzel wondered if she could be okay after crying so much last night. She decided to look for Letty after meeting Hernan.

After sitting in a chair and dozing off for a few minutes, Mini victoriously shouted that her make-up and hair were done.

Linzel opened her half-closed eyes. Her face in the mirror was really beautiful.

When she was wearing make-up, her rather pale face seemed to have been revitalized.

She didn’t like Linzel’s fragile body, but she really liked her appearance. Pretty is the best.

There was no time to rest. Mini started dressing Linzel up in a dress. What she wore was a little uncomfortable, but it was a mermaid dress that accentuated her body.

“Wow! You’re so beautiful. Prince Hernan may fall in love with the Miss at first sight.”

“You’re so good at flattering.”

Linzel patted Mini a couple of times on the cheek.

“Mini, go to the kitchen and get a cheesecake with me as an excuse. It’s an award for your flattery.”

“Miss. I’m not flattering, I’m serious……”

Linzel leaned over and whispered in Mini’s ear, “If you’re sincere, you should get an even bigger prize – can you handle it?”

Mini answered loudly, “Yes! I can handle it!”

How cheerful. Cute.

“But I think cheesecake will suffice for today.”

“Okay.”

Linzel turned around and waved at Mini as she walked towards the drawing room.

It was just one cool gesture.

“I’ll be back.”

But anyway–

Why had Hernan come to see her?