CH 22

After the incident of falling off the cliff, I became “seriously ill” and ended up bedridden.

My opinion that there were only scratches and I had no problem with moving around was readily dismissed by the family doctor’s diagnosis.

“There is no major injury on the outside, but there may be aftereffects–”

The Duke quickly cut the doctor off, insisting, “It’s serious. Refrain from going out for a week and rest.”

What?

‘Is it serious?’

Despite the diagnosis that it would be roughly okay to rest, which is what doctors usually said, the Duke left a strict order to rest without moving.

And apparently, that wasn’t enough; they even deployed guards inside and outside the annex.

And that wasn’t all.

On the night that I returned to the mansion, Carlot suddenly hugged me and cried out of nowhere.

I couldn’t understand this new situation at all! I was dumbfounded, so I stayed up all night with my eyes open. To top it off, the Duchess came to my room in the morning.

A visit from the Duchess! I wondered if she would ask how I was doing, but I was a little surprised because I didn’t know she would come to the annex herself.

‘Because the annex is where my birth mother stayed. Well…. I guess it’s because my ability is too useful for me to die like this.’

It was enough if my power helped the Duchess and gave her even a little less reason to hate me.

‘But why….did you come with these two guys?’

At my questionable gaze, the Duchess glanced behind her and smiled.

“I ran into them on the way here. Because I was on my way to visit you.”

“Yes….”

Perhaps because of the Duchess, they didn’t come forward and talk to me, but it was quite burdensome to see them standing behind her.

I felt suffocated by instinct in their presence, even if they didn’t say anything….

Jansi was looking at me with a smile as usual, and Carlot looked at me with a piercing intensity. As if he wanted me to acknowledge him. 

‘Yes. Let’s ignore it.’

I was busy talking to the Duchess, so I didn’t have time to pay attention to these two.

The Duchess asked me how I was doing.

“How are you feeling? I heard you should take a week off.”

“It’s okay. Father said that for no reason.”

“No, Elodie. You are a child with a weak body, so you should rest well so you don’t get sick later.”

Although my body was on the weak side, I’ve been eating and sleeping well since I regained my memory of my previous life, so I’ve gotten much better.

I wondered if the causes of my weak body were irregular eating habits, sleeping patterns, and stress. So, perhaps my constitution became so poor because of my sensitive personality. 

“Come to think of it, you couldn’t even say goodbye to your benefactor. A mercenary named Ian who happened to be passing by the cliff saved you, right?”

Elodie: “That’s right. If it weren’t for Rae–or, Ian– I wouldn’t have survived. I was lucky.”

As soon as I said that, their gazes towards me became more intense. When I made the mistake of looking at Carlot, he looked at me with teary eyes as if he were going to cry.

‘Ugh.’

Why is he doing that?

Trying to ignore it, I refocused on my conversation with the Duchess.

“That’s a relief. I need to pay a big tribute to that mercenary.”

“He decided to stop by the mansion soon.”

“Yes, you can’t just let the benefactor go.”

I had something to say to the Duchess, so I cautiously brought it up.

“Well, what the Duchess gave to me…. The gifts. I accidentally used them all up.”

The “gift” I was talking about was poison. 

During the assassins ‘attack, the samples for the antidote disappeared because I threw the poison at them that the Duchess gave me.

To put it bluntly, the quick-witted Jansi might notice our secret partnership, so it was necessary to turn it around so that it could not be understood.

Fortunately, the Duchess answered with an elegant smile, as if she had managed to understand my code-like words.

“I understand, Elodie. I’m glad you used it well. Do you need more?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, I’ll send you more. Try them out and tell me they’re okay.”

Telling her the answer means making an antidote quickly.

Elodie: “Yes, madam.”

As soon as my answer was over, the Duchess rose from her seat.

“Then I should get going. It seems that the siblings need some friendly time.”

‘……I don’t need it!’

Although she was an uncomfortable Duchess, I desperately wanted to hold on to her so that she wouldn’t go, leaving just the two of them behind, but I endured it.

“Thank you for coming, madam.”

“You saw me off. Get well soon, Elodie.”

Just as she did when she came in, the Duchess left the bedroom with a refreshing walk.

Now the problem I have left was one, no, two people.

‘Why on earth are these humans doing this?’

I looked at the two men alternatingly, as if I had just noticed them.

“Why did you two come all the way here?”

It was Jansi who answered first.

“Lili, I’m worried about you. You’ve been through a lot. Of course I should come here, because I’m your brother.”

Seeing Jansi’s face smiling affectionately, I also looked at him and smiled.

Other people may fall for it, but I’m not fooled by that pretentious face.

It was obvious that he was thinking to himself, “She’s not dead, her lifeline is tougher than I thought.”

Due to his gloomy personality, he must have come to see what kind of condition I was in.

Jansi was a human being who was different from the inside and outside, so setting that aside, I really couldn’t understand Carlot’s visit.

“Carl. Isn’t it time for training?”

“I don’t care. Even if I miss a day.”

Oh my gosh.

Carlot, who was crazy about swords, said it doesn’t matter if he missed a day of training.

When I looked up at Carlot in surprise, he avoided my gaze and added a word.

“Because none of that matters.” 

“Ah, you’re tired of swordsmanship…!” I floundered to redirect this awkward conversation. 

“No, that’s not it-!” He continued stubbornly.

Ugh. Carlot, who had been shouting, came in front of me and took a deep breath.

When I shrank back without realizing it due to the reckless approach, Carlot took a half step back.

Bright amber eyes stared at me.

Soon after, Carlot spoke in a low voice.

“It means there’s something more important.”

“What’s that?”

“Sister.”

I froze. “…What?”

“Sister. Sister Lili is the most important.”

What did I just hear? 

I think my hearing was damaged from falling off that cliff.

Carlot’s face turned red as if it would explode when I repeatedly patted my hands over my ears in disbelief.

“Geez, what are you doing?”

“You sound silly, Carlot.”

“………”

“I need to see my doctor. Can you both leave?”

I asked them to leave in a serious and courteous manner, but they both stood motionless.

Instead, Carlot knelt on the floor next to the bed and looked up at me.

“Sister Lili.”

“…..Ahh!” I shouted and blocked my ears again.

I got goosebumps. 

While looking at Carlot with a fed-up face, I peeked back and saw Jansi smiling, covering his mouth with his fist.

‘You’re laughing right now? Your one and only brother is out of his mind, so you shouldn’t laugh!’

“Carl, your injury seems serious,” I muttered.

“I’m not hurt at all.”

“It’s not up to you to judge. You’re……really.”

“What?”

“Cr….”

I couldn’t bring myself to say that he was crazy, so I opened my mouth and just smiled uncomfortably.

“I’m not crazy. I am sane.”

As if he had read my mind, Carlot replied deftly.

But, I was sure.

Carlot was crazy, too.

Jansi seemed to be a bit out of the ordinary, and now I thought Carlot would go crazy, too.

That’s right. It was this Carlot who hated me until yesterday.

He was a guy who hated being my escort and he even got attacked when we went out.

Rather, he was the sort of guy who would argue that he was attacked because of me, so I should take responsibility.

Since people can’t change overnight, it was reasonable to conclude that he was crazy.

Otherwise, it was clear that there was something wrong.

‘Is this a new way of revenge?’

I thought it was too much of a way to torment yourself for that.

Ignoring his pride, Carlot would call the person he hates as his sister?

But I wasn’t someone who could stand still.

“If you have any complaints about me, stop doing this and tell me, Carlot.”

Carlot’s expression hardened at those words.

“….It’s not like that.”

“Then what’s wrong with you?”

“…..Brother, go out for a second. I have something to say to my sister.”

Carlot, who had been quiet for a while, seriously tried to kick Jansi out.

Jansi, who was just smiling, shrugged his shoulders and went out without a word.

Click. The door closed.

It was awkward when there were three of us, but it was even more awkward when there were only two of us. I felt like I was going as crazy as Carlot.

“Are you unhappy that I came back alive in the end?” I finally aired my firmest suspicion.

At that time when all kinds of assumptions were filling my head, Carlot’s words were unexpected.

“I’m sorry.”

“…What?”

“Sorry. It’s all my fault. The things I said, and the way that I ignored you, that I called you an illegitimate child, that I quarreled with you over everything, it was all my fault….”

I could only blink my eyes as Carlot lowered his head and spoke.

Carlot, he apologized to me.

“Actually, I’ve been wondering what kind of person you are…. I was such a mean child that I only acted on my own stubbornness. I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”

“…….”

As I blinked without saying a word, Carlot looked up at me pitifully with his eyes like a wet puppy left in the rain.

“……Am I that disgusting?”

“Did I ever say that to you?”

I didn’t like Carlot, but I never thought that he was disgusting. There was no reason to like someone who hated me, so I didn’t like him.

So, knowing how much Carlot hated me made this change even more strange.

Carlot, who was hesitant, raised his head slightly. At the end of that gaze, was my fidgeting hand.

Carlot: “……because Sister didn’t hold my hand.”

“Hold your hand?”

“On the cliff…. my hand….”

“You told me not to touch you because I was dirty,” I replied matter-of-factly. 

At my words, Carlot’s face went blank in an instant.

“Ah.”

His brows furrowed slightly as if he was thinking of something.

Is Carlot also recalling the time I remember?

“Sorry, it’s not dirty. You’re not dirty at all,” he said in a quiet, broken voice. 

The one who had been trying to smile just moments ago changed his expression. As if he was about to cry.

I don’t know what changed Carlot’s mind, but there was no reason to be mean to him if he didn’t hate me anymore.

It would be okay for us to remain in a good relationship until I leave Perdia.

“All right. All right–” I started.

“Are you going to forgive me?”

“………”

It would be a lie if I said that, so when I kept my mouth shut, Carlot quickly shook his head.

“No! I won’t ask you to forgive me. Just don’t push me away.”

“Okay.” I conceded.

Carlot smiled brightly as if he was relieved by my answer.

“I will escort my sister for the rest of my life.”

Absolutely not. 

“No,” I said firmly, “I will refuse.”

“I will protect you.”

“No, you don’t have to keep doing that.”

“From now on, I will be your dog.”

“No, you’re a human….”

I felt like shaking him. 

Wake up…!