Weren’t You the One Who Was Dying? Chapter 13

“Ehit, I told you, it’s just a sigh.”

I grabbed Ehit as he turned away, as if he were going to look for a paper bag, almost clinging to him.

There was still a lot of doubt in his eyes, so I even forced a smile and let out a relaxed “Hoo~” to show him.

“If you were going to sigh like that, you should’ve come when I told you to. Why did you hesitate so much?”

“I wasn’t hesitating. I was just flustered because of you, Ehit.”

“You were already spacing out before I came.”

“I wasn’t that spaced out.”

I answered like I was making excuses and glanced at him.

The moment we left the crowd, Ehit’s gaze returned to how it used to be. To the point that I wondered if I’d imagined what I saw earlier.

‘He’s good at acting.’

As if to prove that the gentle look from before had all been an act, there were now only traces of a deep frown in his eyes.

‘Still, thanks to that, I did get out of that group throwing questions at me.’

So problem number one was solved.

But right in front of me were problems number two, three, four… all the way up to six hundred and eighty-seven, lined up and waiting.

Ugh, what am I supposed to do with my life.

“My head.”

“If it hurts, go to the clinic.”

A look that seemed frustrated, or maybe annoyed, appeared in Ehit’s eyes.

If it hurts, go to the clinic—he wasn’t wrong, but my pain wasn’t the kind that could be fixed by going there.

“I’m fine.”

“What do you mean, fine? Get treatment right away.”

I’m saying treatment won’t fix it…

“I’m okay.”

“Just so you know, if you’re acting like this to get my attention, it’s pointless.”

“What?”

Attention? It was the complete opposite.

“No, I’d actually prefer it if you didn’t pay attention…”

“Then are you afraid of treatment? With that troubled look on your face?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but whatever the problem is, it’s not something treatment can fix.”

“Don’t be stubborn.”

“……”

I honestly felt like pretending I was crazy and telling Ehit the truth, since he kept insisting I get treated like someone with health anxiety.

That if things stayed like this, he’d use his family’s power to stir up all kinds of trouble with my family, and because of that, my family would be wiped out!

But I didn’t think telling him would change anything. His cold gaze would probably just turn even more contemptuous.

“Go to the medical center. Now.”

I’d felt it before, but Ehit really seemed to value health more than most people. Just looking at how seriously he reacted to my small headache.

‘Could it be that Ehit already knows he’s terminally ill?’

The original story never said when Ehit Cloyden found out about that.

If that were true, it would make sense for him to be this sensitive about health.

But—

“Go to the medical center. Get treated by a healer first.”

I finally said it to Ehit, who seemed to believe in the medical center like it was absolute.

“…Ehit, I’m a healer too, you know.”

 

 

****

 

 

 

The next day, I stood behind a wall near the entrance of the medical center, hesitating for a long time.

If the people here had already heard about what happened yesterday, the annoying and awkward questions would be endless.

I stood there for over ten minutes, but wasting time like this wasn’t going to change anything.

Ah, whatever.

I walked straight to the entrance, stomp stomp stomp, and flung the door open.

“Good morning…?”

Huh, it’s quiet.

I cautiously looked around, but it really was quiet.

‘Thank goodness. The people here don’t seem to know about what happened yesterday—’

Before I could even finish thinking that—

“Dapflen!”

People surrounded me. Starting with senior healer Oliver, then Martha, and even Eden, the youngest one who usually wasn’t shaken by rumors.

“Dapflen! Why didn’t you tell us something that shocking sooner!”

Looks like the rumor had already spread. Their flushed faces were a mix of curiosity (30%), congratulations (30%), and questions (30%).

If things followed the original story, later that curiosity would turn into shock, and the congratulations into pity.

“I had no idea! We talked about Cloyden’s fiancée so many times!”

You did. But no one ever imagined that person would be me.

That’s how mismatched Cloyden and Aileta were.

“I heard you even shared a deep kiss in front of everyone!”

“Where on earth did you hear such nonsense?”

“Why aren’t you going on a honeymoon?”

“A honeymoon? We’re not even married…”

“Is it a fake engagement?”

Oliver, the senior healer, burst out laughing as he joked.

“A fake… engagement?”

No… it’s not fake… I wish it were, but it’s not. It’s not…

“Hahaha, Dapflen! I’m joking! Relax your face!”

I wanted to relax and laugh like Oliver too, but I couldn’t.

My frustration welled up, and I clenched my teeth as I repeated my inner peace mantra.

‘No, it’s fine. As long as my brothers clean things up well. Then I’ll save money and break off the engagement. Even with a loan, it won’t take that long.’

Thinking that— I really did think that.

 

 

 

****

 

 

Inside a tavern in the inland city of Regen.

Under the dim lighting, a figure in a black robe placed a hand on the table.

“I have an item I’d like to commission.”

The robed figure slid a drawing forward toward a short, muscular man.

It was a picture of a pocket watch. Between the hour and minute hands were four wings symbolizing a god.

“This person is extremely important to us, so we won’t ask for a fee. Still, it wouldn’t be too much to expect a tip, right?”

“I know someone suitable to be a wallet. I’ll connect you to him.”

“Who is it?”

“This man.”

The robed figure now presented a portrait of a man. The muscular man studied it carefully, then tilted his head.

“He looks respectable and frugal. Will he really go for it?”

The robed figure gave a faint smile and nodded.

“He will. All the conditions are already in place.”

 

 

 

****

 

 

That afternoon, before I had even managed to properly collect my completely drained mind, someone came looking for me.

“Are you Miss Dapflen Aileta?”

“Yes, that’s me. Who are you?”

“I’m Blanc Ideren from Serenity Loans.”

“…?”

What loan? I feel like I just heard a very bad keyword.

“W-what is this about?”

“Mr. Elzers Aileta has used one of our products, so I came to ask a few questions regarding that.”

Blanc Ideren replied with a gentle, businesslike smile.

“Elzers Aileta?”

With a bad feeling creeping in, I asked again, unsure if I’d heard correctly.

Elzers was my eldest brother.

I had three brothers. The second was Enric, who had caused me trouble before, the youngest was Adlen, and the eldest was Elzers.

And of all of them—of all three—it was strange that Elzers’s name had come up.

That was because among the three, Elzers was the most gentle in personality and the least likely to cause trouble.

‘Not childish Enric or selfish Adlen, but Elzers?’

In the original novel, it only vaguely said “the sons of that family abused their power,” without specifying which son caused the trouble.

So I’d secretly hoped that at least Elzers would be an exception.

“Yes, it concerns Mr. Elzers Aileta. But just to be sure—are you Miss Dapflen Aileta?”

“Yes, but what exactly is this about…?”

“It’s about Mr. Elzers Aileta’s loan repayment.”

As that keyword hit me again and my face drained of color, Blanc continued explaining the situation with the same kind, lively smile.

“Mr. Elzers designated the Cloyden family as the guarantor, but he hasn’t yet submitted the supporting documents, so we came to inquire.”

“Guarantor?”

“Yes. We’re planning to send notarized documents regarding repayment, but there are a few things we need to confirm beforehand.”

“…So basically, you’re saying you’ll send documents telling us to pay the money instead if something happens.”

“You could think of it that way, but please consider it simply as a repayment inquiry.”

That’s the same thing.

“I was told that his younger sister, Miss Dapflen, will soon become part of the Cloyden family. That’s why I came to ask you about this matter.”

“……”

A sharp pain shot through the back of my head. It felt like all my hair was about to fall out.

“Are you alright?”

Seeing me go blank for a moment, Blanc called out in surprise.

I didn’t even have the presence of mind to politely say “I’m fine.” I just nodded stiffly.

“How much is the loan?”

“Two million Hark.”

Two million? Not two hundred thousand, but two million?

“When is the repayment due?”

“In one week. We offer an interest discount if the guarantor has sufficient repayment ability. If the guarantor family refuses repayment, an additional penalty interest will be added on top of the base rate.”

“…I see.”

“To complete the guarantor designation, you would just need to submit a copy of the engagement document you received from the Cloyden family—are you alright?”

No, I’m not alright…

I pressed a hand to my stiffening neck, then asked,

“Wait—so if I don’t submit that document, you can’t use Cloyden as the guarantor, right?”

That at least sounded hopeful. It meant I could stop this before it became known that Elzers had used the Cloyden family’s name.

“Oh, even if you don’t submit it directly, we can receive confirmation from Cloyden, so there’s no need to worry.”

“No, no. You don’t need to. It’s fine without it.”

I waved my hands quickly. But as if my reaction didn’t matter, Blanc Ideren continued speaking with the same polished sales smile.

“We actually sent someone to the Cloyden family earlier.”

“…What?”

“Since Colonel Cloyden is currently staying in Bellachen, we sent someone to that residence. So please don’t wor—”

Before he could finish, I was already running toward the mansion where Ehit lived.