Chapter 80
Chapter 80
Father playfully flicked Kin on the head. He didn’t seem to use as much force as when he broke the window. Still, Kin muttered, “My head feels a bit heavy,” with a slightly uncomfortable expression. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that his father was showering him with love. I pretended not to hear and looked away.
Mother gazed at Father’s body for a moment before rising from her seat.
“Like Daykin said, if you’re so upset, open your eyes yourself. Until then, there’s nothing we can do. …Let’s get going. It’s getting late.”
I awkwardly rose from my seat.
“We’ll be going now. I’ll be back tomorrow, so don’t be too sad.”
“[I’m sad. Very sad. Sniffle.]”
“We, we’ll be going now, Father.”
It seemed I would have to come back tomorrow. I thought I’d get some sense of the situation after seeing Father in his real body, not just his spirit form, but I couldn’t figure anything out. It seemed better to simply talk to Father and offer any necessary assistance.
I bid farewell to the whimpering Father with another glance and left the room.
Lost in thought, I walked from the tower back to the main house. Suddenly, Mother cupped my face in her hands.
“But, new daughter-in-law, your complexion seems particularly poor today. Did you overexert yourself?”
“N-no…!”
“You seem even paler than yesterday. You looked listless when we entered the tower…”
That’s… I was just distracted because of Father.
Mother examined my face with worried eyes.
“New daughter-in-law, you seem so frail no matter how many times I look at you. I think it would be good to have you see a doctor and get some proper medicine.”
“Y-yes?”
A doctor? I went through all this trouble to hide the bloodstains and avoid suspicion, so why is this happening?
“I, I’m fine…”
Panicked, I was about to stammer out that I was fine when Kin suddenly interjected.
“I was just about to call the doctor.”
“It’s rare for our thoughts to align. Well, since new daughter-in-law is tired today, it would be better to call Dr. Hiram tomorrow for a checkup, not today.”
When did Kin even have such a thought? And tomorrow? I looked back and forth between Mother and Kin, hiding my trembling hands behind my back.
How, how do I refuse?
I didn’t expect things to turn out this way. While I was floundering, unsure of what to do, Mother called for a servant.
“Please call Dr. Hiram for tomorrow afternoon. Tell him the main purpose is to give our new daughter-in-law a health checkup and prescribe some medicine.”
…I’m doomed.
I could already picture what would happen after the Grand Duke’s family doctor examined me.
Would they reprimand me for shamelessly pretending to be the Grand Duke’s daughter-in-law while hiding my terminal illness? …I wish it were that simple.
“It’s alright even if you can’t do anything. I don’t want to burden you with anything.”
I know Mother and Kin won’t give up on me. But I’m not worthy of their affection. With so little time left, how much greater a punishment will I receive for being showered with the undeserved love of these people?
At least I should be of some help to Father before I go.
I couldn’t be exposed here.
If my terminal illness were revealed, I might have to abandon my plan to leave this house and die in a month. They wouldn’t let me go.
Is this too selfish of me? Maybe they’ll be disgusted with me for hiding my illness. Neither being relentlessly cared for nor being met with cold stares appealed to me.
I’m so selfish to the end.
Think fast. Fast, fast.
Think of a way to postpone the doctor’s visit as long as possible. Fast, fast. If you don’t want an ending filled with mutual hurt, think fast.
A lame excuse popped into my head. But if it could delay things even by a day…
“Mother, rather than seeing the doctor tomorrow… I want to go flower viewing with you as planned. I can see the doctor later, but the spring flowers are only here now, so, I want to go with you…”
“Oh my. Such sweet words.”
I looked up at Mother, who was a head taller than me. Mother, who had been about to dismiss the servant, parted her lips slightly. A soft chuckle escaped her.
Did my excuse to delay things even by a day work? I held my breath. As I was gauging the situation, Kin’s sullen voice suddenly cut in.
“What about me? Don’t you want to go with me?”
I saw Kin’s pouting face.
You always leave me out. I’m your husband. His low whisper followed.
I looked at Kin and then at Mother, finally sending a pleading look towards her. For some reason, Mother nodded with a satisfied expression.
“I’m glad you want to see the flowers with me, but your health comes first, dear.”
“I’m just a little weak. You don’t have to worry so much…”
What do I do? As I was anxiously wondering if my persuasion would fail, Mother studied my expression, then smiled gently and continued.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.