I Accidentally Saved The Male Lead’s Brother Chapter 161

Carcel pressed his ear to Charlotte’s face repeatedly, counting her breaths countless times within the hour.

Each time he confirmed she was still breathing, he felt both relief and a surge of despair.

An endless cycle of guilt and self-loathing gripped him tightly.

It’s all because I’m incompetent…

If he had handled Lionel properly before Charlotte had to use her power, none of this would have happened.

The fact that she left her hiding place to come find him meant he hadn’t earned her trust to keep her safe.

He had promised to protect her. He had sworn he would lose no one else dear to him.

But what was the result? Charlotte, the woman he loved, was now trapped in an indefinite slumber.

Even the decision to push forward with the engagement had been arrogance and greed. His plan to deal with Lionel Wisner had succeeded, but ironically, from the very beginning, it had been a complete failure.

He hadn’t been able to keep Charlotte safe.

“Is there still no improvement?”

Carcel’s voice was tense as he pressed the doctor who was examining Charlotte.

The physician’s expression turned conflicted as he checked her pulse. He remained silent, but Carcel recognized that look—it was the same as when the doctor had told him his mother didn’t have much time left.

“Forgive me, but…”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

Carcel cut him off abruptly, unwilling to hear anything that would make the situation feel irreversible.

When Charlotte had first been examined, the physician couldn’t determine the exact cause of her collapse. Her body showed no serious abnormalities, but her pulse was unnaturally weak.

Without understanding the cause, no medicine could be administered. All Carcel and the doctor could do was wait and hope for some improvement.

Once again, Carcel was drowning in helplessness.

Three years ago, when his mother passed away, there had been nothing he could do.

Not even his status as a duke or his wealth—among the greatest in the empire—had been of any use.

And now, what if Charlotte didn’t recover?

This time, he wouldn’t be able to endure the loss.

Losing his parents and Edgar had already shredded his heart beyond repair.

“Master!”

At that moment, Chase burst through the door without knocking, rushing into the room.

With Charlotte lying there, what was he thinking barging in like this?

Carcel’s anger flared, but Chase’s words brought him to his feet.
“The Saintess has arrived!”

****

Theresa placed her hand on Charlotte’s forehead and infused her with divine power.

A faint flush returned to Charlotte’s waxy pale complexion.

But that was all. Even as Theresa continued her ministrations, Charlotte didn’t open her eyes. Her breathing didn’t noticeably improve either.

Carcel, who had believed Theresa’s arrival would solve everything, grasped her arm in desperation.

His behavior was rude, but he was too cornered to notice.

“Saintess, what’s going on? Is Charlotte going to be alright?”

“For now, Lady Lannia is stable.”

The phrase for now gnawed at him, tempering any relief.

“What exactly is happening? The physician can only say he doesn’t know the cause.”

Theresa glanced at the maids nearby instead of answering. Carcel caught her meaning and dismissed them immediately.

Once they were alone, he urged her again.

“Please, Saintess. Do you know the cause?”

“First, let me ask you something, Your Grace. Has Lady Lannia ever spoken to you about anything personal? For example, about her origins…?”

Theresa couldn’t have asked that without already knowing about Charlotte’s connection to Lannia’s territory.

Carcel realized instantly that Theresa knew Charlotte’s secret.

He recalled the confession Charlotte had shared with him once, as though she were making a desperate act of penance.

“I’m not really ‘Charlotte.’”

The claim that she had come from another world. He would have been lying to say he hadn’t been shocked.

But Carcel had believed her without question. He hadn’t dwelled on it, either.

As he had told her back then, if the person he had met two years ago was Charlotte, it didn’t matter whether she belonged to this world or another.

To be honest, he had nearly forgotten about it since then.

Why was Theresa bringing up Charlotte’s origins now? Was that truly the issue?

The guilt of not paying closer attention weighed on him as he asked urgently,
“I know. Is that what’s causing this?”

“Lady Lannia’s soul is not her original one, so the bond between her body and soul is weak. Think of it as her body rejecting her soul. Every time she used her power, the already fragile connection would have weakened further, and this last incident seems to have caused a significant shock.”

“Then…”

“Fortunately, the thread connecting her body and soul hasn’t completely snapped. It’s fragile but still intact. However, due to the shock, Lady Lannia has fallen into a coma.”

“Does that mean she can wake up?”

Theresa shook her head regretfully.

“I can’t say for sure. For now, all we can do is keep infusing her with divine power to strengthen the bond and pray that she wakes up.”

Carcel ran a hand over his face, wiping away the frustration and hopelessness that threatened to consume him.

He had pinned all his hopes on Theresa’s arrival, but her response offered little comfort.

Still, there was a sliver of possibility, and he refused to let go of that hope.

“Please, Saintess, do everything you can. I will do anything you ask.”

“I will do my best, Your Grace.”

“Thank you. I’ll have a room prepared for you.”

Robert escorted Theresa to a guest room, leaving Carcel alone with Charlotte.

Carcel sank into a chair beside her bed, grasping her hand tightly.

The warmth that once radiated from her hand was gone, replaced by an icy coldness. Her hand felt like his mother’s or father’s had when they passed away.

The fragility of the bond between her soul and body was painfully apparent.

Carcel pressed her hand to his forehead.

“Charlotte…”

His voice trembled as he called her name, the desperation in it spilling over.

“My Charlotte.”

Her voice echoed in his mind, a memory from long ago.

“One day, everything will be alright.”

Carcel found even breathing unbearable, as if holding his breath might be easier than enduring the pain.

It’s not alright. It’s never been alright, not even for a moment. The pain is so deep it feels like it will never heal, no matter how much time passes.

Sometimes, I thought it would be better to end my own suffering.

But with you by my side, just you…

I thought it might be okay. If only you could tell me everything will be fine…

“So, please… come back to me.”

A tear fell from his eye, landing on the back of Charlotte’s cold hand.

But there was no answer from Charlotte, who would have smiled and reassured him in the past.

***

Theresa continued to infuse Charlotte with divine power multiple times a day. Each time, Charlotte’s complexion improved slightly, only to pale again soon after.

Carcel stayed by her side, refusing to leave. Even when Irina offered to take over the caregiving so he could rest, he shook his head.
“I’ll stay.”

Irina couldn’t break his resolve.

One day passed. Then two. Then three. Time dragged on meaninglessly.

Carcel barely ate, and sleep eluded him. His face grew gaunter with each passing day, to the point that even the household staff worried he might collapse.

On the fourth day after Theresa’s arrival, she finally spoke after infusing Charlotte with divine power again.

“At this rate, it’s hopeless.”

Carcel opened his mouth to beg her to keep trying, but she preempted him.

“The bond between her soul and body is too weak. Pouring divine power into her is like pouring it into a stone—it achieves nothing.”

A stone.

Carcel’s anger flared at the comparison, but the sorrow in Theresa’s expression stopped him.

Theresa, too, had worked tirelessly, even when it was clear the effort was in vain. She was as exhausted as he was.

Her face was pale and drawn, evidence that she had sacrificed rest to tend to Charlotte.

If Theresa, who had defied warnings from her peers, was saying this now, it meant the situation truly was at its limit.

Still, how could he give up on Charlotte?

Looking down at her, alive and breathing right before his eyes, how could he possibly let her go?

He suppressed his rising voice, struggling to remain calm.

“So, are you saying I should give up?”

Just as he steeled himself to reject the idea, Theresa surprised him with her response.

“No, I’m saying we need to find another way.”

“Another way? What do you mean?”

“Until now, we’ve relied on divine power to maintain the faint bond between her soul and body, hoping her soul would return. But it’s not working. Perhaps Lady Lannia doesn’t want to return.”

“She wouldn’t…”

“That may be so, but perhaps the dream she’s experiencing now is too sweet to leave.”

Carcel wanted to deny it. Charlotte wouldn’t abandon him here.

But then, a memory flashed through his mind.

“I never got to say goodbye to my mother. I’ve made peace with most things, but that regret lingers. If I ever had the chance, I’d like to say goodbye. It frustrates me that I can’t.”