The first thing Hernan did when he returned to the palace was to call for his aide, Gatt.
âGatt.â
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 Hernanâs eyes, he could tell what he wanted.
At once, Gatt approached Hernan and bowed his head.
âDid you call, Your Highness?â
Gatt raised his head and checked Hernanâs 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 couldnât fall in love, had a hardened face.
Hernan spat out a word with a frighteningly serious face.
âItâs an emergency.â
An exclamation mark flashed through Gattâs head.
âIs it the civil warâŠâŠ?! Did the civil war, which I thought we had wiped out, break out again?!â
Gatt straightened his posture.
He wasnât afraid at all to follow his trusted master onto the battlefield again.
âI have something I really need.â
Gatt immediately replied, âWhat is it? What kind of armor should I get this time?â
What Hernan needed usually was armor, so Gatt thought it would be the case this time too.
Hernan replied without changing his expression, âI want the finest cloak in the empire. Go, get it. Right now.â
âYes! The finest armor in the empireâŠ? Eh, you mean a cloak?â
Hernan nodded. There was not a moment of hesitation.
In his ears, Linzelâs words echoed. âThe cape of Prince Hernan, who was leading the troops at the forefront, was so cool.â
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, âYour Highness, you have been poisonedâŠâŠ?â
âPoison? Didnât you know that thereâs no poison that can harm my body?â
âThen you had the wrong breakfastâŠâŠâ
âI didnât eat breakfast.â
âThen a hypnotic spellâŠâŠâ
Hernan held up a firm hand to cut off Gattâs words, but then he remembered Izekielâs cloak that he had seen a few days ago.
âNever mind. Izekielâs cloak looks good.â
***
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 didnât 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.
âHa. When did I get another bruise?â She muttered.
The bruises were all over Linzelâs 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.
âAh, Miss! Do you feel uncomfortable?â
The maid in the room ran up to me, almost crying.
This childâs name was Mini.
As Linzelâs exclusive maid, she was a cute little girl with a small body just like the name she had.
âNo, Iâm okay. I just got a little bruise on my leg.â
Mini finally found the bruise on my leg and became restless.
âIâll get some medicine thatâs good for your bruise!â
âYes, go ahead.â
As soon as her masterâs permission was given, Mini left the room. She was such a good maid.
âWhen I get the medicine, Iâll have to pinch your cute cheeks to the fullest.â
It was absolutely not because Miniâs 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 todayâŠit felt so strange.
âLinzel, you lied to me!â
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.
âCough, cough.â
Linzel felt her lungs throbbing every time she coughed.
âLetty. You noticed it so quickly. I wanted you to know about that later.â
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 wasnât that important. What mattered was that Letty noticed it. Lettyâs small white hand came over and landed on the back of her hand.
Linzel reached out her other arm and hugged Letty. Lettyâs slender shoulders were trembling.
âYou know, Letty. You know that you probably wonât make it past the age of 20.â
ââŠâŠ..â
âDid that sound cruel? If so, then I apologize. But I didnât want to beat around the bush.â
ââŠâŠ..Yes.â
âYou donât have much time leftâŠâŠso itâs too sad to have an arranged marriage with someone you donât like.â
Lettyâs eyelids trembled sadly as she retorted, âBut youâre sick, too.â
âAt least Iâm healthier than you.â
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 didnât ask why. She just patted her back gently.
Thatâs what she thought.
Death.
A weight too heavy for a small, fragile girl to bear.
To keep someone from loving to their heartâs content? Having to die before something monumental happens?
That was supposed to be Lettyâs life?
The only thing this fragile girl wanted â to fall in love to her heartâs content.
Linzel knew she was capable of engraving something monumental. Polarized words of cruel fate may have dictated many things to Letty, butâ
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.
âLetty, listen.â
Letty didnât answer, but she continued her story anyway.
âDo you remember that day? The day we saw the victory ceremony from the highest point of the dukeâs residence?â
Letty answered in a low voice this time.
ââŠâŠ.Yes, I remember.â
âActually, that day, I fell in love with Hernan at first sight. All his surroundings seemed to shine.â
âAre you serious?â
âOf course. I can understand when you said Izekielâs cloak was cool.â
But actually, Linzel had been focusing on Letty rather than Hernan that day.
Lettyâs 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.
âLinzel, look!â
Lettyâs lovely red lips saying, âArenât they really cool?â
When she smiled, a thin smile lingered on Lettyâs lips as well.
If she had been a man, if she wasnât 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 Linzelâs bodyâŠ..
âSo, donât cry because of me. Because I didnât sacrifice myself. Iâm more selfish than you think!â
âLinzelâŠâŠ.â
âIt means that I also want to marry the person I like.â
âI like Linzel much more than Izekiel.â
âObviously.â
Letty repeated many times that she liked her sister more than Izekiel. Linzel patted her on the back like an answer.
Lettyâs fingertips gripped her back tightly. The tingling on her backâŠ..maybe tomorrow, sheâll 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 tomorrowâŠ.. what the weather would be like, what dress they were going to wear tomorrow.
Naturally, she couldnât 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 couldnât figure out how to appease her.
Fortunately, the sobbing soon died down.
Letty took her sisterâs defenseless hand and whispered brokenly, âLinzel, I really want to live.â
It was Lettyâs earnest wish, which she couldnât 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 Valenciaâs residence early in the morning.
ââŠâŠ..What? Prince Hernan came to the dukeâs residence?â
Mini nodded vigorously.
âYes, yes! Please, he is waiting in the drawing room.â
âYou said he came to see me?â
âYes! Thatâs right! Miss, you donât have time to be like this. We have to get you ready quickly!â
Mini took Linzelâs 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 couldnât win. Eventually, when she sat down in front of the dressing table, Mini skillfully began to decorate her.
âWhereâs Letty?â
âShe got up early in the morning and went back to her room,â Mini answered.
âIs she sick or anything like that?â
âNo, she looked very good.â
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 didnât like Linzelâs 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.
âWow! Youâre so beautiful. Prince Hernan may fall in love with the Miss at first sight.â
âYouâre so good at flattering.â
Linzel patted Mini a couple of times on the cheek.
âMini, go to the kitchen and get a cheesecake with me as an excuse. Itâs an award for your flattery.â
âMiss. Iâm not flattering, Iâm seriousâŠâŠâ
Linzel leaned over and whispered in Miniâs ear, âIf youâre sincere, you should get an even bigger prize â can you handle it?â
Mini answered loudly, âYes! I can handle it!â
How cheerful. Cute.
âBut I think cheesecake will suffice for today.â
âOkay.â
Linzel turned around and waved at Mini as she walked towards the drawing room.