How to Live as the Terminally Ill Younger Sister of the Villain - Chapter 125

She was enduring with medicine bought on the way, but having never properly controlled this power before, she felt quite uneasy.

“The fog will confuse your senses. But……”

Blake looked at where Angelina was pointing.

It was a place where the fog was particularly thick. So dense that it appeared purplish.

“It does feel like the fog is especially blocking that direction.”

Because of the magic cast on the fog, Blake couldn’t trust his eyes and ears.

But the moment Angelina mentioned ‘danger,’ his instincts told him which way they should go.

With a clear purpose, his intuition activated properly.

“Right? It’s like it’s shouting ‘absolutely not this way,’ isn’t it?”

“Certainly……”

“Then let’s go this way.”

“What?”

“I want to see and experience everything that someone doesn’t want to show me, everything they hope I won’t go through.”

If they really didn’t want to show her, they would appear in person to stop her.

If they sent an unmanageable beast to make her give up and turn back, that would be fine too.

Angelina had no intention of yielding this time, no matter what.

Blake felt very uncomfortable guiding her toward danger, but her gaze was so resolute that he couldn’t stop her.

“Don’t let go of my hand.”

All he could do was keep her close to him.

***

Despite heading toward what seemed dangerous, the two didn’t encounter a single monster until sunset.

They faced the night without any results and had no choice but to prepare for camping.

Since they had anticipated camping in the Dark Forest from the beginning, they had brought everything necessary.

After setting up a makeshift sleeping area and lighting a fire, the two finished their meal with ready-to-eat food and sat in front of the fire.

Due to the thickened fog narrowing their visibility, the two sat close together, afraid of losing each other.

They were within arm’s reach.

After staring blankly at the fire for a while, Angelina broke the silence.

“Your Grace.”

When Angelina turned her head, her eyes met his directly.

He had been watching her for quite some time before she called him.

“Yes.”

He flinched like someone caught stealing when their eyes suddenly met.

But he responded calmly.

“What do you think about Catherine?”

“Miss Catherine?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Blake let out a dumbfounded groan, “Umm……”

“I don’t think there’s been any further contact since I heard she would be coming to the duchy as a maid.”

“Oh, did you receive direct communication from Catherine?”

“She sent me a letter saying it would be proper to inform me directly since she was coming to the duchy.”

“I see.”

Angelina turned her gaze back to the fire.

There was no deep meaning behind her sudden question about Catherine.

With the original story in shambles now, she wondered if the romance line between the male and female lead could be maintained.

Seeing that Catherine had sent him a letter, it seemed that fate was indeed inevitable.

‘Somehow they still connect.’

Well, that’s why they’re the male and female lead, after all.

“Did you reply?”

Though she felt oddly deflated, Angelina ignored it and asked.

Her voice came out quite gruff, however.

“It didn’t seem like a letter that required a response, so I didn’t……”

Since it was quite clear that Angelina was upset, Blake spoke carefully.

“You didn’t?”

But she asked again, quite surprised.

“Should I… have?”

He asked while watching her reaction.

Hearing that he hadn’t replied, Angelina turned to look at him again, somewhat surprised.

Wasn’t the romance supposed to build up again, starting with letters?

Then why didn’t he reply? How would the narrative develop?

It was behavior that deviated from the theory of fate she had been thinking about.

But why was her previously bad mood gradually melting away?

“Well….. If it were me, I might have felt sad if there was no reply.”

“If it had been a letter from Miss Flaubert, I would have replied.”

When she spoke as if making an excuse out of embarrassment, he answered without hesitation.

“But Miss Flaubert doesn’t write me letters.”

“T-that’s because……”

Hearing what seemed like disappointment in his voice, this time Angelina responded in a flustered tone.

“I can see Your Grace often….. So I can say what I want to say face to face like this.”

At that, a smile spread across his lips.

“I prefer this to letters as well.”

The disappointment had disappeared from his voice.

Seeing his comfortable smile illuminated by the campfire, Angelina felt the tingling in her chest that she had experienced several times earlier today.

Feeling her face flush, she rubbed her cheek awkwardly and changed the subject.

“By the way, how is the duchy these days?”

“If you’re asking about that basement from before, I’ve changed the security system and had a thorough cleaning done.”

It was undoubtedly his fault that a traitor had emerged and the people of his territory had suffered at the hands of the Order because he hadn’t properly taken care of his domain.

“I apologize for showing such a shameful side.”

“No, you don’t need to apologize to me. And that’s not what I was asking about……”

Having tried to change the subject, but instead touched on his weakness, Angelina felt bad.

“I think it’s all just a passing shower before the day clears. People will soon realize what a dependable leader Your Grace is.”

Out of guilt, she added a bit of comfort with a small apology. That time would resolve things.

At her words, Blake, who had been resting his arms on his knees lost in thought, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“The traitor who sold out the people of the territory said something.”

As he brought up the traitor himself, Angelina showed a pretense of surprise.

But she quietly listened to his story.

“He said to close your eyes unless you intend to face the typhoon.”

“……”

“So I naturally thought he was referring to the Imperial Family. But you said it wasn’t the Imperial Family, didn’t you?”

“It’s not a certainty. One should always be careful of betrayal.”

“But there must be a reason you spoke so decisively. I heard you recently visited the palace to see His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Angelina nodded.

There was no need to hide it, and it wasn’t strange that the news of her, the Marquis’s sister, meeting the Crown Prince had reached the ears of the Duke.

“Did you discuss related matters then?”

“Your Grace, my meeting with His Highness was……”

She was about to say that it was to try to make him an ally since she was convinced he wasn’t an enemy.

However, Blake added somewhat hastily.

“I wasn’t going to ask.”

As if making an excuse for why he was curious about such things.

“Whoever Miss Flaubert meets, that’s Miss Flaubert’s personal business, and I have no right to interfere.”

There was no reason to pry, as she would tell him if she thought it necessary.

“But… I don’t know if you’re aware, but His Highness has marriage with Miss Flaubert in mind.”

“……”

“So when I heard that the two of you went boating……”

His mind had gone blank.

That day, he had been in a daze all day and couldn’t focus on work.

Aiden’s question about the difference between interest and curiosity had circled in his mind, making his head feel like it would split.

His visit to the Marquis’s mansion was not solely to meet Ante Flaubert.

It’s true that he wanted to meet him to probe about his relationship with the Empress and to ask questions related to Zeplictus.

But more than that, he had come because he wanted to see Angelina.

That’s why he had said without hesitation that he would see Angelina when told Ante wasn’t there, and why he had willingly agreed when she asked him to ‘kidnap’ her, despite the damage it might cause him.

“Miss Flaubert.”

The desire to monopolize.

He could no longer hide it.

How much satisfaction it had given him to see her relying on him throughout their journey here.

He was unbearably pleased to have all her time to himself.

“Do you have thoughts of marriage with His Highness?”

He was anxious.

He hated the idea of this monopoly ending.

The thought that her telling him to think of the Imperial Family and the Empress separately might be because marriage discussions were taking place between her and the Crown Prince wouldn’t leave his mind.

“The reason I went to see His Highness was……”

He anxiously waited for her to speak.