Weren’t You the One Who Was Dying? Chapter 126 - End of Main Story

Adlen irritably shook him off, but Enric continued clinging to Adlen, while Adlen avoided Enric with an expression as if there were a bug on him.

“You’re curious too! Why are you telling me not to ask?”

Enric openly whispered into Adlen’s ear, “What if Daphlen explains her reason, realizes there was some misunderstanding, and changes her mind!”

“I don’t know either.”

I spoke to my family, who were caught up in complete chaos.

“What?”

Of everyone in the middle of the confusion, Elgers was the only one who seemed to have kept his composure, and he came closer to me.

“You don’t know, Delpi?”

“Just as I said. I don’t really know either. It’s just……”

I made a small sound as I took a moment to choose my words.

“I just feel like the me here, in Ailetta, is the most like myself.”

That was the closest thing to an explanation for why I chose Ailetta.

Of course, my memories as ‘Renia’ were precious to me as well. The gratitude and affection I felt toward my parents in Trussia and Riedel were beyond comparison.

But I had spent a long time thinking about my identity, about where the real me belonged.

And after all that time, I realized that the time I had spent here as ‘Daphlen’ felt much more like the real me.

The memories I had built here through all the bickering and the many different moments we had shared, and the person I had become because of that time, felt closer to what happiness meant to me.

“Daphlen!”

Mother rushed toward me and hugged me. Then Father, followed by Enric, Elgers, and Adlen, each took turns pulling me into their arms.

Our family huddled together like layers of flowers, all burying their faces against one another.

“It’s warm.”

“I suppose it is.”

I closed my eyes for a moment in that warmth and made a promise to myself.

Now that I would carry the Ailetta name again, I would be devoted to both families—or rather, to everyone I loved.

Since this was my choice as well, I would do my best to create wonderful tomorrows for all of us.

When I opened my eyes again, my Ailetta family was looking at me warmly.

Everyone’s eyes sparkled like stars in a summer night sky.

 

 

 

****

 

 

The day Ehit returned to the capital was also the last day of my assignment there.

And on that day, there was something important we had planned to do together.

“Are you really sure you’re all right with Ehit?”

Naia asked seriously.

Ehit’s father, who would soon become my father-in-law, Count Cloyden, had tears of emotion in his eyes as his nose twitched.

The Duke clicked his tongue and gave a signal to a servant, who brought the Count some cold water.

“Yes. So……”

I nodded at Naia’s question and spoke firmly.

“Please give us permission to marry!”

Ehit had already told the Cloyden family, but I wanted to receive their formal permission myself, together with him.

I had prepared what I wanted to say, but I surprised even myself by saying it more boldly and confidently than I had expected.

For a moment, I worried that I might have looked strange, but judging by the expressions of the Cloyden family, there was no need to worry.

Ehit looked as though he might elope with me if even one member of his family opposed us.

Naia seemed more interested in testing Ehit’s qualifications than mine, while Jaymon, who had been clinging tightly to Ehit, had somehow moved to my lap and was looking at me with great anticipation.

“Then am I going to get a little brother or sister?”

At Jaymon’s words, I nearly spit out my tea.

When I made a small flapping motion in surprise, Ehit skillfully held a handkerchief to my mouth.

Naia and Count Cloyden’s eyes widened, but the Count soon regained his composure and corrected Jaymon, telling him that it would be a nephew or niece, not a younger sibling.

And so, the meeting to receive permission for our marriage ended incredibly smoothly.

After dinner, Naia stood up, saying she would walk me to my room since I had decided to stay the night.

“Wait. Daphlen and I need to talk a little longer.”

The Duke waved the others away.

Soon, only the Duke and I remained in the dining room. A tea set that had apparently been prepared in advance was placed before us on a beautiful tray.

“Is there something else you wanted to say to me?”

“We don’t have many opportunities left to speak with you as someone who isn’t yet part of the Cloyden family.”

The Duke took a light sip of the well-brewed black tea before continuing.

“So today, if there’s anything you’re curious about, I’ll answer anything. Consider it the generosity of an outsider.”

“Shouldn’t you show more generosity to people on the inside?”

“Once you reach the level of the Cloyden family, there isn’t much generosity left to give each other. We’ll already have plenty of everything.”

The Duke gave me some time to think.

From the time I knew her as Lady Bella until now, she had always been someone whose thoughts were difficult to read.

It seemed like a good opportunity when she said she would answer anything, but I couldn’t immediately think of what to ask, so I spent a long time thinking.

“Ah.”

Then I remembered something I wanted to ask.

“When you sent the marriage proposal, why did you choose me?”

“Are you still curious about that?”

“Of course.”

I had asked her before, but back then, she had only told me that she would explain when the time came.

“I think that time has come now.”

“Yes, I suppose it has.”

The Duke gave a small laugh, wiped her hands, and put her silk gloves back on.

That meant all the remaining scones and snacks in front of us were mine, but I was too focused on waiting for the Duke’s answer to eat them.

“I told you, didn’t I? That I had seen my grandson’s future.”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t see only one future. I saw many, many futures. I saw what kind of career my grandson would have when he grew up, whom he would meet, and how he would live. I saw hundreds of possibilities.”

That surprised me a little. I had naturally assumed that the future the Duke had mentioned back then would be only one possible path.

“Was the future where I was with Ehit the one you saw most often?”

I had expected that might be why she chose me, but the Duke firmly answered, “No.”

“There were only a few futures where you existed.”

“What? Then why did you choose me?”

“Even in those futures where you were engaged to Ehit, your family would end up completely ruined.”

“……Oh, I see.”

Then I was even more confused about why she had chosen me.

“You didn’t choose me because my family was ruined, did you?”

“Do I really look like such a terrible grandmother to my grandson?”

“I was joking.”

It wasn’t completely a joke, but part of it certainly was.

When I pressed my lips together and fell silent, the Duke gave a small laugh before speaking.

“In every future I saw, Ehit died. He never even made it past thirty.”

“……Ehit?”

“Yes. For all sorts of reasons. But among them, I saw exactly one scene where Ehit lived happily with his partner for decades, even into old age. And you were beside him then.”

The Duke rested her arm languidly on the armrest of the sofa.

With an interesting certainty in her eyes, she said to me,

“I chose you, but more precisely, I chose that future.”

I nodded.

The Duke gestured toward the food in front of me, and I took a sip of tea to moisten my throat.

“I believe you’ll treat him well. That you’ll live happily with my grandson for a long time, until you grow as old as I am. That belief has become quite firm now.”

“Is that belief in the future you saw?”

“No. This is my belief in you, not the future.”

The Duke added with a faint smile,

“It is also a request from me to my grandson’s future wife, and to the woman who was once his physician for a while.”

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“Your Grace, Young Master Ehit wishes to see you…… Ah, Young Master!”

The door suddenly swung open.

Ehit entered with a determined expression, as if he could no longer wait.

“Please return Daphlen to me now.”

“You make it sound as though I kidnapped her.”

“You know that isn’t what I meant.”

“Yes, yes. This time I’ll return her without making you wait. Go on, then. Stay attached to her until you’re sick of each other.”

The Duke waved at me to get up.

I stood up in surprise, and Ehit took me out of the room.

“See you tomorrow, Your Grace!”

I called out through the door. From inside, I heard a faint laugh mixed with a small cough.

“Ehit, Lady Naia also wanted to see me.”

“I already told Mother that I would go first, so don’t worry.”

Inside the enormous estate, Ehit’s constantly moving feet finally stopped only after we entered my room.

The moment the door closed, Ehit pulled me tightly into his arms. He let out a deep breath like someone who had just surfaced after holding his breath underwater for a long time.

“Ehit, the Duke said……”

I started to tell Ehit what the Duke had said earlier, but then stopped. Ehit’s deep blue eyes waited for me, but I simply smiled and shook my head.

That story could just remain a secret between the Duke and me.

“What were you going to say?”

“She just said that she thinks we’ll live well together.”

“Did that woman really say that?”

Ehit asked as he brushed my hair aside.

His touch tickled, and I laughed. Seeing my smile, Ehit tickled me even more mischievously before pulling me into his arms again.

“Yes. And I have a feeling we will, too.”

Just as the Duke had said.

I believed there was no such thing as a predetermined future, but perhaps I could believe in the future the Duke had described—that Ehit and I would grow old happily together—for a little while, like a good-luck charm.

After all, it was the same direction I had already promised myself I would create.

I looked up at Ehit and smiled brightly.

I was already happier than I had ever been in my entire life. How much happier could I become in the future?

Would I become as happy as the moonlight shining outside the window, as happy as the vast, beautifully blue sea of Bellazen?

Thinking that I had quite a lot to look forward to, I kissed Ehit.

Ehit wrapped his arms around my waist and repeatedly whispered that he loved me.

That alone made me even happier than I had just imagined I could be, so instead of imagining what would happen in the future, I decided to simply cherish every moment with Ehit right now.

I pulled away for a moment to look at him, then threw myself back into his arms. The force of it made Ehit fall backward.

Perfectly happy moments were piling up one after another in my heart.

Not only because I had more and more family members whom I loved and who loved me, but because the person holding my hand by my side was none other than Ehit.

I was certain that whatever time I spent with him would continue to be a great source of strength and a precious treasure to me.

 

 

<Weren’t You the One Who Was Dying?> — End of Main Story