Chapter 158
“Rather than a marriage proposal, which I could at least reject outright, this is…”
[…Therefore, I propose holding Miss Angelina Flaubert’s birthday celebration at the Kadenhart Duchy.]
“Anyway, cunning bastard.”
A birthday celebration at the Duke’s mansion.
From the Flaubert Marquis family’s standpoint, it wasn’t bad.
No, considering only the Marquis family’s interests, it was very good.
Even though it was all an act, he had publicly maintained close relations with the Empress.
But with the Empress meeting such a fate, it was inevitable that his political position would be greatly shaken.
The situation had improved somewhat as word spread that Angelina was the Saint, but even the Order itself was now in shambles, so honestly, the Flaubert Marquis family’s position was quite ambiguous.
Although the Crown Prince supported him, the Prince’s own position wasn’t very secure either.
Since his mother, the Empress, had committed such acts, he couldn’t escape suspicion either.
Even though he was the one who had captured the Empress.
As a result, the Kadenhart Duke currently held the strongest position.
A family that had always protected the Empire righteously and steadfastly.
That image was belatedly shining through.
Therefore, by holding Angelina’s birthday celebration at the Kadenhart Duchy and clearly showing the relationship between the two, the Flaubert Marquis family could also gain many benefits.
“He must have known I couldn’t refuse for Lina’s sake.”
If it were just his own problem, he could ignore it, but since the Flaubert Marquis family’s prestige was also a means to protect Angelina, he couldn’t act carelessly.
“Sigh… This is truly maddening.”
Moreover, there was another reason why Ante couldn’t resist him.
“Lina. Don’t be surprised when you hear this.”
It was a conversation he had with Angelina a few weeks ago.
“About your illness… It seems to be the holy sickness.”
“I know.”
“Since it’s caused by holy power, even the Magic Tower has its limits no matter how much research they do. If the Order hadn’t fallen into such a state, I would have immediately looked for a cure.”
“It’s okay, brother. I already know the cure.”
“You know? How?”
“Blake found it for me. In the Imperial Temple!”
How beautiful Angelina’s expression was as she said this with a bright smile.
“Besides, I think I’m already cured. Brother, I’m not going to die!”
How loudly his heart had pounded when he heard those words.
“…Bastard.”
In the end, it was that man who had cured his sister’s illness.
It was also thanks to that guy that Angelina’s eyes, which had always seemed somewhat empty, had become filled with a beautiful color.
Knowing all this, Ante couldn’t push away Blake’s advances.
“Haah…”
After rubbing his face, Ante picked up his pen.
***
The celebration was magnificent.
It was so splendid that some worried it might be even grander than His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday ball.
“Hmph. Was the Duke’s budget only this much?”
Of course, there was one person here who was still dissatisfied.
“If the Marquis hadn’t interfered at every turn, I could have prepared much more.”
“Are you pushing your incompetence onto me? No sense of responsibility. Ha! And you call yourself a Duke.”
“Fraud and forgery are illegal. Let’s stop before I dig deeper, Marquis.”
Angelina looked back and forth between the two bickering men.
“Dig deeper? Are you going to destroy the Marquis family?”
“That wouldn’t be impossible.”
“You have no filter in front of Lina.”
“I can just take Angelina with me.”
“Who said you could take her?”
“It’s Angelina’s decision.”
“Both of you, stop it.”
Angelina, who had been awkwardly caught between them with an embarrassed smile, finally intervened to mediate.
It was quite impressive how these two grown men could engage in such childish bickering.
“It’s my birthday party today, and you two are fighting?”
“What are you talking about, Lina? We’re not fighting.”
“That’s right. His Lordship and I were just having a serious conversation.”
“Who’s your ‘His Lordship’?”
“Then, would you prefer ‘brother-in-law’?”
“How about just ‘stranger’?”
“Pfft.”
“….”
“….”
At Angelina’s laughter, both men’s mouths clamped shut.
The fierce glares they had been exchanging disappeared as they turned to look at Angelina with puzzled expressions.
“What strange things are you both saying? Hahaha!”
She laughed so hard that tears almost formed in her eyes.
Behind them, Haley and Mason wore incredulous expressions, while Laura and Sean shook their heads with small sighs.
“Kyuu…”
Even Pudding, cradled in Jake’s arms a few steps back, looked at them with contemptuous eyes.
“Puhaha.”
Angelina laughed even more at the bewildered faces of the two men.
The villain and the male lead.
Would she have imagined these two standing side by side like this two years ago?
From the sudden discovery of her terminal illness to her desperate struggle to save her brother, it had all led to this moment.
“What is everyone gathered here for?”
Turning her head at the voice coming from behind, she saw the Crown Prince ascending the stairs.
Catherine was with him.
“Oh, Saint! Are we late?”
“No, not at all. Besides, I don’t like that title. I have no intention of accepting the Saint’s duties.”
“Haha, then I’ll have to work hard as your substitute again.”
“Weren’t you supposed to be helping me with my palace duties?”
“Isn’t working as the Saint’s substitute also helping Your Highness?”
Two years ago, she couldn’t have imagined Aiden, whom she thought was the villain, and Catherine, whom she considered the female lead, becoming so close.
“By the way, Marquis. Why haven’t you replied to my letter? Surely you’re not deliberately ignoring me.”
“Did you send a letter? Lately, there have been so many useless ones that I often dispose of them without checking.”
“Why did you hide that you were the Magic Tower Master! Do you know how much humiliation I suffered because of that?”
“Oh, that? I didn’t hide it. No one asked.”
“That’s not an explanation…!”
“Oh, Your Highness. Please calm down. You’re getting caught up in the Marquis’s words again.”
As Angelina was quietly observing Ante and Aiden’s frivolous conversation and Catherine trying to calm them down, Blake tapped her shoulder from behind.
When she turned her head, he smiled and extended his hand.
“Shall we go in first?”
He whispered quietly so the others couldn’t hear.
Angelina glanced at them once more, then smiled and took his hand.
As she took his hand, she felt herself being lifted.
She landed lightly on the same step as him.
He bowed before her and kissed the back of her hand, then smiled beautifully again.
“Angelina. There’s something I’ve wanted to say for a while.”
“What is it?”
“Thank you for coming into my life.”
“Thank you?”
“Meeting you in that forest was the greatest fortune in my entire life.”
That was probably the only fortune in my life, which was otherwise filled with misfortune.
“Would you still be grateful if I said I’m going to stick to your life like this?”
“It’s always the case that you can enter freely, but you can’t leave freely.”
Angelina smiled at his words, implying he had no intention of letting her go.
She stepped closer to him and raised herself on her tiptoes.
Smooch. Their lips met briefly.
“Alright. Then you take responsibility.”
She whispered to the surprised Blake.
“You gave me, someone with a time limit, the hope of a future. So you take responsibility for my hope.”
At this, Blake’s eyes crinkled into a smile.
“Gladly.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.
Their lips overlapped.
As Angelina tightly embraced Blake’s neck and clung to him more, he also held her waist more firmly and kissed her deeply.
“Th-that crazy bastard! What does he think he’s doing in front of me?!”
“Marquis, please calm down! No, you can’t use magic here! Your Highness, stop him!”
“Marquis! Wipe them out! There’s a limit to disrespecting the royal family!”
“That’s not it~!”
“Kyuu…”
“…We’ll be taking our leave now.”
As the surrounding people became noisy, Angelina thought:
She was happy.
She was glad to be alive.
Although her desperate attempt to save her brother had ultimately become a way to save herself.
Although she had somehow ended up interfering with the fated love between the male and female lead.
Still, being alive.
Being able to save.
And meeting you.
“I love you, Blake.”
She was truly fortunate.
How to live as the terminally ill little sister of the villain End
T/n: Translating this story was really as smooth as butter; I don’t know how else to express it. I loved the three main characters—Lina, Ante, and Blake—more than I have any characters in a long time, but here comes the big “but”: this is the end? ʘ‿ʘ
They could have easily spent 1-2 more sentences on the Empress, describing her suffering, for example. Generally, the ending was wrapped up very quickly, considering how long we were kept in the dark.
Or they could have at least given more spotlight to Lina and Blake. The romance between them was really too brief here. I repeat, the story was truly wonderful and I enjoyed reading it, but somehow I had the feeling that something was missing at the end of the journey. Is that only me?
Unfortunately, there are no side stories, so the journey ends here. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did. ( ˘▽˘)っ♨
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