Weren’t You the One Who Was Dying? Chapter 101

“Dapflen.”

He had called her name thousands of times before, but each time, Dapflen had not been by his side.

“Dapflen.”

He called her name again.

Still keeping her head lowered, she finally jerked her head up when Ehit called her name for the third time.

Green eyes filled with a mix of panic and forced confidence.

Lips parted as if she had a lot to say.

Rosy cheeks that made him want to reach out and touch her.

Everything was exactly the same.

Ehit froze where he stood.

“You knew I was here?”

After opening and closing her mouth several times, Dapflen finally asked.

Even her voice confirmed once more that the person before him was truly Dapflen.

Ehit kept his eyes on her face, familiar even down to the slightly accusatory expression she wore.

“How did you kno— Wait, did the Admiral tell you?”

The Admiral. Did she mean Ridel?

At that moment, Ehit remembered Ridel’s words and let out a laugh.

Seeing that, Dapflen blinked rapidly.

You should go!

He had thought there must be some reason behind it.

But he never imagined this was the reason.

Thank you, Admiral.

Offering his gratitude silently, Ehit smiled.

It was brighter than summer on the sea.

 

 

*****

 

 

 

 

A few days earlier.

“A letter for you, Miss Harn!”

“Thank you.”

Karkan, the lake city in the western part of the Empire.

Standing in front of her lodging, I accepted the letter and turned the envelope over in my hands.

A name written in ink on cream-colored paper came into view.

Ridel Trustia

He wrote back again.

Smiling, I carried the letter inside.

It had already been a year since I left Bellazen.

Meeting Ridel while moving from place to place had been pure coincidence.

Honestly, I had been trying to avoid anyone who knew me.

That was why I avoided every location where Bellazen’s navy might be stationed.

Why I stayed away from coastal cities altogether.

Healer?

Several months ago, Ridel had chosen to spend his vacation in the mountains instead of by the sea and had come inland.

And of all people, he ran into me.

Harn? What happened?

Naturally, Ridel had been shocked when he heard others calling me by that name.

“Harn” was a surname chosen by people without a family.

I had abandoned the Aileta name and no longer belonged to any house, so I had started using it.

Returning to my room, I sat by the window.

A spring breeze drifted in from the lake where flowers had begun to bloom.

I unfolded Ridel’s letter.

“Bellazen’s navy continues to grow. Ehit Chloyden is still leading the Second Fleet.”

Ever since we met, Ridel occasionally shared news from Bellazen with me like this.

And mixed into those stories was news about Ehit.

Whenever his name appeared in a letter, I found myself reading that part slowly, over and over again.

“So tell me, Healer. When are you coming back?”

During the past year, I had been studying healing arts under a renowned healer staying in Karkan while also working alongside them.

The time had not been wasted.

My control over divine power had improved greatly, and I had become much more skilled at regulating the power within my own body.

It had been a year of growth as a healer.

The result of throwing myself entirely into work.

Because that was the only thing I could do.

After leaving Bellazen—

After leaving Ehit—

I had suffered far more than I expected.

And in that situation, the only thing I could do was distract myself with something else.

But whenever I heard stories about Bellazen, I inevitably found myself thinking about that place again.

And about those days.

Bellazen…

Resting my chin on my hand, I fell into thought.

Judging from Ridel’s letters, Ehit seemed to be doing well.

Just as I had expected when I left him.

What surprised me slightly was that nothing romantic seemed to have developed between him and Ridel.

Coincidentally, my broken engagement to Ehit had happened during winter, just as it had in the original story.

Thankfully, the Aileta family had not been destroyed, and I had avoided dying alongside them.

Still, I had assumed that once the fiancée exited the stage, something would naturally begin between the two of them.

“…”

I bit my lip hard before releasing it.

The events surrounding my departure suddenly came back to me.

The rumors about Aileta.

The emotions I felt when I heard someone had tried to kill Jeymon.

Now, it felt like I was standing at a distance from those memories.

But back then, I truly thought it might have been my brothers.

That perhaps the rumors were true.

And even if they were not responsible then, I thought something similar would eventually happen because of them.

Even though I knew the family who had taken me in and raised me as Dapflen Aileta—

The family I had spent my life with—

Were people who might cause trouble but would never commit such cruelty.

I promised myself I would only believe what I saw with my own eyes.

Yet for some reason, my heart had been exhausted back then.

When I was with Ehit, I felt unbelievably happy, as though I had crossed a line that had confined me for years.

But the moment I stepped outside that line, endless anxiety consumed me.

I thought something terrible would happen at any moment.

That my indecisiveness would ruin everything.

That was how I felt then.

Was it because the long expedition had worn me down?

Or because the closer I grew to Ehit, the more terrified I became of hurting him?

I remembered the kiss we had shared.

My fingers brushed my lips as I thought about it.

Then my gaze returned to Ridel’s letter.

“When are you coming back?”

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head.

No. I still can’t go back to Bellazen.

I couldn’t return to those days.

They belonged buried deep in my heart, like a midsummer night’s dream.

I should just sleep and prepare for tomorrow.

In a few days, I would be traveling to the capital for a short assignment with people from the medical center.

There was a lot to prepare.

There were a few people in the capital who knew me…

But surely, in a city that large, I wouldn’t run into anyone.

 

 

*****

 

 

 

 

…Or so I thought.

I stared blankly at Ehit’s smile before quickly turning my head away.

My heart was pounding wildly.

Whether from surprise or something else, I didn’t know.

Why is he smiling?!

Running into him unexpectedly outside Bellazen was already enough to drive me insane.

And then he smiled like that the moment he saw me.

Why is he still so ridiculously handsome?!

Handsome—and smiling that brightly at me.

My head felt ready to explode.

I stood frozen, lips tightly sealed as if coated with honey.

After several seconds, a thought occurred to me.

Should I run?

Yes.

That was probably for the best.

Ehit had lived perfectly fine without me for an entire year.

Suddenly meeting me in the middle of the capital had to be confusing and awkward for him.

So the best thing I could do was run away immediately.

“Haha.”

I returned Ehit’s smile with one equally bright.

“Well, it’s nice to see you’re doing well. Most importantly, you look healthy… so goodbye!”

Then I spun around at once.

My legs nearly gave out beneath me, but I somehow managed to keep my balance.

Alright.

Now I just need to sprint away and go back to a life that has nothing to do with Ehit—

“Dapflen.”

But my plan was instantly shattered when Ehit grabbed my arm and turned me around.

“I’m not healthy.”

Trapped almost completely within his large arm, I looked up at him.

That alone nearly made me hiccup from panic.

But when our eyes met, Ehit pulled me even closer.

“I’m sick, Dapflen.”

He spoke weakly.

Though the arm holding me captive was far stronger than his voice suggested, my resolve was already beginning to waver.

Of course, I could still break free and run.

But what he was saying was far too concerning to ignore.

“What’s wrong? How bad is it?”

“Everything hurts. Why do you think I came to a medical center?”

“You didn’t come looking for me… right?”

“No. I came because I was sick and happened to see you. So…”

Today I learned something new.

This cold, rigid man could somehow look like a puppy capable of triggering every protective instinct in my body.

“You’re the one who treats me best, aren’t you?”

“…What?”

“I’m just a patient here. Surely you’re not planning to turn away a patient?”

No.

Forget the puppy comparison.

The man standing before me was a fox.

A fox wearing a pitiful smile while pulling me closer.

A terrible realization washed over me.

I think… I’ve gotten myself into trouble.

“Fortune-telling! Learn your future for only 100 Harks!”

That night, after work.

I stood in front of a small roadside tent for quite some time.

Should I go in…?

For some reason, the words Learn your future struck a nerve.

A year ago, I had learned the “future” through the original story.

And in my efforts to prevent it, I had been tossed around until I ultimately abandoned everything and left.

But now, the person I had found hardest to leave behind had returned to me.

So what am I supposed to do now?

I’ll come again tomorrow. Next time, we’ll try a deeper treatment.

After tormenting both my body and mind all day, Ehit had left behind those words before departing.

I had no idea what a “deeper treatment” meant.

But it definitely meant he was coming back to see me.

Again.

…My thoughts were a complete mess.

My eyes drifted back to the fortune-teller’s sign.

Sometimes people leave decisions they cannot make themselves to fate.

And right now, I felt exactly the same.

Should I leave it to destiny for once?

In the end, my hand lifted the tent flap.