Weren’t You the One Who Was Dying? Chapter 23

‘First thing tomorrow after work, I’ll go to Regen. I need to find out what my eldest brother has gotten himself into, and if there’s time, I’ll get a proper estimate for the cost of breaking off the engagement.’

Since the engagement contract is officially notarized at the cathedral, maybe I should get the estimate there too.

‘This is my first time breaking off an engagement—I don’t know anything at all.’

Just then, I vaguely heard someone say, “There.”

I was lost in thought, responding with nothing but mechanical “Yes,” “Wow,” reactions, when someone tugged at the sleeve near my arm.

“Walk properly.”

It seemed I’d been drifting sideways without realizing it.

Ehit called out to me, started to walk ahead again—then turned back. He moved behind me and began walking at my back.

A long shadow overlapped with mine in front of me.

The prince’s voice continued explaining something or other, and as I walked, all I could see was Ehit’s shadow—though Ehit himself wasn’t in my line of sight.

It felt strange.

Maybe it was because we were walking through a forest path formed by trees deepening in color at the end of summer, or because the shadow—longer and larger than mine—felt unfamiliar. Or maybe my mind had simply reached a state of panic after prolonged stress.

The spot where my hair was tied up to hide the bald patch bothered me a little, but as time passed, I slowly got used to it. As long as there wasn’t any wind, it would probably be fine.

If my hair stayed properly fixed, the patch wouldn’t show.

“We’re here!”

As the prince’s long explanation came to an end, what spread out before us at the end of the path was a lake.

So large and wide that it was hard to believe such a place existed within the palace grounds—a lake with a massive willow tree standing at its center.

And then…

‘What is it with that place—why is it so windy?’

A lake where the wind was blowing fiercely.

“This lake used to be reserved exclusively for the royal family, but we’re planning to open it in a few days. Free access for everyone—nobles and commoners alike. Judging by your expression, my lady, you look quite surprised!”

“Ah? Yes. It’s… nice.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Yes, haha…”

Staring at the gusty lake, I instinctively checked with my fingertips whether the gap in my hair was properly covered.

“There’ll be crowds once it opens, so I brought you here specially to enjoy this quiet, beautiful scenery beforehand!”

The prince said proudly.

Like a child showing off a collection of stones, he hurried toward the lake, and I followed after him with an uneasy expression, eyeing the wind-swept water.

There was a boat moored by the lakeside. As large as the lake itself, it was quite a sizable vessel.

As the prince boarded first, I stood there, momentarily dazed.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Huh?”

Ehit’s gaze dropped to my hand. Apparently, without realizing it, I had been gripping the hem of his clothes tightly.

“We’re getting on that, right? So we’re going to ride that around the lake, right?”

“Don’t worry. You won’t fall in or anything like that. If anything, I’d rescue you.”

Whether he was picking a fight or trying to reassure me, I didn’t have the presence of mind to tell—I was already facing a new ordeal.

A lake with this much wind…

‘This is really dangerous.’

The attendants and the prince boarded the luxurious ferry first and took their seats. Ehit followed.

Unaware of my turmoil, Ehit boarded first and extended his hand toward me.

When I hesitated for too long, he stepped back out of the boat and came closer, then spoke in a flat voice.

“I’m serious. You can relax. Nothing dangerous will happen.”

He was prickly, but his ingrained manners didn’t discriminate—even toward a fiancée he clearly disliked.

And maybe it was just my imagination, but the voice he used to reassure me even sounded gentle.

His profession was to protect people; perhaps in situations like this, his professional instinct surfaced.

Ehit’s hand closed around mine. The calm, gentle tone loosened my tension for a moment, and I finally stepped onto the boat.

“Set off!”

At the prince’s spirited command, the boat began moving across the lake. Under the blue sky, large ripples spread over the water.

The boat moved farther out. Nearby, the lakebed was visible; farther away, the wide expanse reflected the blue of the sky and drifting clouds.

“What’s with that expression?”

While the prince explained the lake to those facing forward, Ehit whispered quietly to me.

I was too busy adapting to danger to enjoy the scenery.

“What about my expression?”

“It looks rather grim.”

“I get seasick.”

And come to think of it, Ehit was sitting on my left this time. Flustered by the sudden challenge, I hadn’t managed to respond properly.

I sat up straight like a newly enrolled model student, pressing my hair down against my body with my arms and staring straight ahead.

While everyone else turned their heads nearly 360 degrees to admire the view, I sat rigidly, minimizing risk.

“Look over there! That cliff is magnificent, isn’t it? When I was young, I used to swim in this lake beneath that cliff, enjoying the blue waves—there’s even a fish species found only here…”

The lake was, in truth, incredibly beautiful.

It shimmered blue, as if bioluminescent microorganisms lived within it, or as if moonlight had somehow seeped into the water.

If I hadn’t been dealing with all these trials, I might have looked around freely, admiring the scenery. And decades later, I might have reminisced and muttered, That was the most beautiful sight of my life.

If only there hadn’t been these trials.

‘No, at this level of wind, it’s fine.’

Once we reached the middle of the lake, my tension slowly began to ease.

My hair fluttered, but the braided half-up style was sturdier than expected. Unless a truly strong gust flipped my hair over, the patch probably wouldn’t show.

‘I wish there were a mirror next to me.’

Just then, the prince suddenly turned around, his voice brimming with anticipation. His face looked downright excited.

“Now then, once we pass this stretch—everyone may look forward to it.”

The boat passed through a small cave formed by rocks. Even in the darkness, the water below glowed with a bluish fluorescence.

And at the end of the cave, a fresh, cool scent drifted toward us.

Emerging into the light, the boat faced a massive willow tree.

So enormous it was hard to believe it had grown on such a small patch of land, the willow spread its branches wide from the very center of the lake.

Each branch that dipped down to the lake’s surface was thick with deep, lush green. It was a breathtaking sight, as if strands of blue silk had been braided and draped between the sunset sky and the water.

For that brief moment, even I forgot everything I’d been thinking about.

And then—

Whoosh! In perfect time with a gust of wind, the willow’s branches swayed. It was a spectacle, like green satin rippling between the glowing sky and the lake.

Gasps of admiration rose from the people.

“Wow!”

“Magnificent! Isn’t it? Truly spectacular!”

And before that magnificent spectacle, my hair swayed right along with the willow.

Whoosh! A cool sensation brushed past my scalp.

“…!”

Startled, I yanked my hair back and clutched it.

Wait—wasn’t my hair lifted way too much just now?

My heart hammered wildly. My body shrank in on itself.

Burying my sharp inhale beneath the crowd’s exclamations, I sneaked a glance toward Ehit.

His gaze was fixed on the swaying willow.

‘Did he not see it?’

He didn’t see it, right? Everyone was looking at the willow.

‘Right… he didn’t see it.’

Even I had forgotten what I’d been thinking until moments ago, so surely Ehit had too.

Even after convincing myself of that, my arms trembled. My entire stiff body seemed to sing of tension.

I closed my mouth and slowly regulated my breathing.

After that, I barely remember how the rest of the lake tour went. I just kept breathing out, staring ahead, until we finally returned to land.

“Shall the two of you join me for some tea in the garden?”

“I think it would be better to save that pleasure for daylight.”

“That’s fine too. I’ll call for you again soon!”

The prince suggested tea time, but Ehit declined. I didn’t know why, but from my perspective, it was a relief.

The lake incident alone had already drained me; if we’d had tea, I probably would’ve just sat there like a machine designed solely to drink tea.

The carriage we arrived in didn’t stop at the palace garden, instead heading straight to the medical residence.

The ride back was quiet. Aside from the sound of fabric brushing whenever the carriage shook, there was silence.

The owner of the shoulder that occasionally bumped into mine sometimes glanced at me, but didn’t speak.

The carriage stopped first at my residence rather than Ehit’s estate. As I got down, instead of a perfunctory “see you again,” I asked,

“You didn’t see it, right?”

“See what?”

“Ah—never mind.”

And the moment I entered my residence, I collapsed in exhaustion.

I slept straight through for eight hours, only waking again at dawn.

That night, I dreamed of people touching stones shaped like human heads and saying, “So smooth—very pleasing to look at!”

 

 

****

 

 

 

“Randy.”

“Yes, young master.”

Reflected in the dark window was Ehit, sitting on a sofa with one leg crossed, leaning back.

He had been tapping his fingers lightly on his knee, but then he shifted his posture and pressed his fingers to his forehead. As he exhaled slowly, lost in thought, Randy tensed.

And then, the master of the estate—who had been sitting there gravely—uttered an entirely unexpected question.

“When someone loses their hair… what exactly does that mean?”