Weren’t You the One Who Was Dying? Chapter 30

The afternoon after the infirmary meeting ended.

While everyone else wrapped up the meeting with idle chatter, I left the conference room lost in thoughts of how to make money.

‘I’ll take house calls on my days off. If I go to places that are hard to reach, they’ll pay more.’

When I checked newspaper listings from time to time, there were quite a few notices looking for healers willing to do house calls on nearby islands around Bellachen. Remote mountain regions paid especially well—worth trying a few times.

Of course, I couldn’t let the infirmary find out I was moonlighting, but from my position—needing money fast—I didn’t have much of a choice.

‘So even breaking off an engagement is something only people with money can do.’

I was deep in thought when Masa sighed and said,

“I’m really worried about those Melrose shoes!”

“Melrose shoes” were shoes with wheels attached, and lately there had been a surge of people coming to the infirmary injured after wearing them carelessly.

The issue had come up again in today’s meeting, but the infirmary could only treat injuries after the fact—there was no way to prevent them in advance.

When the Melrose shoes came up again even after the meeting ended, Oliver, a senior healer, shook his head and said,

“Yeah, they’re making my hair fall out!”

I had definitely been thinking about something else, but the moment I heard the words “hair falling out,” I flinched as if I had a keyword alert set.

“Dapflen? What’s wrong?”

“N-no, nothing.”

“Oliver, is that really a joke you should be making?!”

“No, no, Masa. Young folks might not get it, but at my age, you really start thinking that way. Like one day your hair might just fall out in clumps!”

“…….”

“Now’s the best time, so enjoy it while you can!”

This is literally the worst time for me, though.

Oliver laughed heartily and made a gesture like he was yanking hair out of my head.

Only then did I realize I’d been unable to even smile, my face stiff. I forced a faint smile and turned away.

“By the way, did you hear? Apparently a sacred relic was stolen in Regen.”

“Bold, stealing something like that.”

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but recall what had happened recently. Was that why Ehit had come to Regen?

“Dapflen!”

At that moment, I heard a man calling my name.

‘That voice is…….’

When I turned around, I saw a neatly dressed man wearing glasses.

For a moment I nearly didn’t recognize him and narrowed my eyes—then realized it was my brother, Elzers.

“Elzers?”

Maybe he’d cut his hair, because compared to the last time I’d seen him, he looked so neat I almost didn’t recognize him.

‘Well, it’s true. He always lets his hair grow shaggy enough to cover his eyes, but Elzers really is quite handsome.’

Yes. Elgers had always been someone with a good face and a good heart.

But his good heart had recently received a warning, so now only the good face remained.

As he walked toward me, people around us began to stare. When Elzers noticed their gazes, his face flushed red in an instant.

“Why is everyone looking this way, Dapflen?” he whispered nervously.

“People like good-looking faces.”

“Good-looking… faces?”

I turned him around and briefly introduced him to the people at the infirmary.

I wanted to keep my brothers as separate as possible from my daily life, but it would have been strange not to introduce family who had come all the way here.

“This is my older brother, Elzers Aileta. These are my colleagues from the infirmary—Senior Healer Oliver, and fellow healers Masa, Yudel, and Ventres.”

“Nice to meet you. I study runic script in Regen.”

“You’re siblings? You don’t look much alike! Young Master Aileta is far more dazzling!”

Oliver laughed loudly as he joked, and I simply bowed lightly before taking Elzers and leaving the infirmary.

We settled into a teahouse on a sunlit afternoon street.

Even though Elzers was the visitor, he said there was a teahouse he’d always wanted to visit whenever he came to Bellachen, and brought me there.

“So, what is it?” I asked as soon as we ordered tea. It hadn’t even been three days since we’d parted in Regen.

Elzers looked around the teahouse with mild curiosity, then sat down when I called his name again.

“My colleagues and I were dispatched to Bellachen. We’ll be staying a few days.”

“Oh. So you stopped by while you were here?”

“Well, Delphi, the thing is…”

The way he delayed his answer and called me Delphi was suspicious in itself. Both Enric and Elzers used that tone whenever they wanted a favor—or were in trouble.

“There’s something I haven’t told you yet.”

“No.”

“I haven’t even said it yet, Delphi.”

“Then don’t.”

“How can I not?”

“You just… don’t say it. Easy.”

Even though I answered firmly, there was no stopping Elzers now that we’d come this far.

With his endlessly gentle eyes, he continued in a timid voice.

“I couldn’t tell people the truth. So they still think I’m close with my brother-in-law……”

“…Brother-in-law?”

Brother-in-law? Excuse me?

“Colonel Cloyden. My colleagues still think I’m close with him.”

“Oppa, didn’t you say you’d thrown away all that vanity? You went through all that! You said that last bluff was the final one!”

“Well, you see… it’s not easy to reveal the truth all at once, Delphi.”

Fidgeting with his neatly trimmed hair, Elzers continued,

“So people think I’m close with my brother-in-law, and if I say I’m coming to Bellachen, they naturally assume I’ll meet him. A natural chain of cause and effect… Is this okay, Dapflen?”

“…Sigh. And?”

“So I told them we’d be meeting here later today.”

“What?”

“Of course I didn’t say that right away! I said he was busy and probably couldn’t make it.”

“Then isn’t that enough?”

“Hear me out, Delphi. They said that even so, you must be seeing him every day anyway… so I said, well, probably.”

“…….”

“That’s not wrong, is it? You’re engaged, and he showed up in Regen when you were in danger.”

“That was because of an investigation!”

“Anyway, the one who sent the marriage proposal was his side. If the ducal house sent one to the Ailetas, it’s obvious he holds you in very high regard. So I answered that way, thinking of the natural implications.”

“So what’s the conclusion?”

I asked, forcibly calming the burning sensation that seemed to flare up again where my hair had thinned.

Elzers hesitated, then said,

“They’re supposed to come here soon. What if we called my brother-in-law here?”

“Do you have any idea what you’re—!”

I nearly raised my voice at “do you have any idea,” then forced it down and snapped in a low tone.

Elzers flinched and leaned back as if dodging lightning.

“Is it too difficult? You and your brother-in-law don’t meet that often, Delphi?”

“Talk some sense, Oppa.”

“I-I see. Then I’ll just go back. Thank you for making time for me.”

“That’s it?”

“Huh?”

“Is that the end? You’re not planning something else, are you?”

“Huh?”

When I stared at him with my lips tightly pressed together, he tried to avoid my gaze—then finally spoke.

“I did look into something, just in case we couldn’t meet him.”

“What did you look into?”

“There are professionals who do… substitute acting. They can act convincingly for a short time.”

What is he even saying?

I stared at Elzers, unable to understand. Avoiding my gaze, he continued,

“Someone who could briefly play the role of my brother-in-law.”

“Don’t call him—wait, what did you say?”

“If people find out that he never comes to see you, what do you think they’ll assume? My colleagues think you’re deeply loved by him, Dapflen.”

“Then tell them that’s not true.”

“Dapflen!”

I stood up, ready to leave. Elzers grabbed me and begged me to sit just a moment longer.

“If I sit, what are you going to do?”

“Ha… my brother-in-law—”

“Don’t call him that!”

“Okay, Dapflen. Your fiancé—”

“That’s not okay either.”

“Then what should I call him?”

“Just call him Colonel Cloyden. Or the young duke.”

“Sure. Wouldn’t it be great if the colonel just suddenly showed up here?”

Elzers kept trying to persuade me that using a “substitute” would be best.

But I could already see that future clearly.

The impersonation would definitely be exposed later—and that would just add another reason for our family’s destruction.

“If you tell a lie like that, our whole family will be wiped out, Oppa. Seriously.”

“Wiped out? Why say something so frightening?”

“Oppa, really. I’m serious. Do you want to regret it after you’re dead?”

“Dapflen, dying? Don’t say such scary things.”

“Honestly… if you’re not insane, then stop.”

“Yeah. Am I insane, Delphi?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I think I’m seeing something……”

Elzers narrowed his eyes behind his glasses, as if he’d seen a grim reaper.

Startled by the thought that he might actually be hallucinating, I whipped around—and spotted a man standing by the teahouse door.

I nearly knocked over my tea.

“Ehit?”

“Is it true, Delphi?”

Ehit stood at the entrance, clearly looking straight at us.

I didn’t know when he’d arrived, but one thing was obvious: this was not a situation we could just sit through in silence.