Weren’t You the One Who Was Dying? Chapter 57

“……It was the son of Marquis Helbike, I think.”

“Got it. For now, just wait.”

“Dapflen?”

Turning away from Enric, I left the investigation office first. I needed to find the marquis’s son and at least try to reach a settlement.

Judging by Enric’s condition, the other side had hit him too. That meant both were at fault, didn’t it? There might be room to negotiate somehow.

“Do you know where the Helbike marquis’s residence is?”

I asked for directions and headed there. But the more people I asked, the more unsettling stories I heard.

“The Helbike marquis’s son…… that thug?”

“Getting involved with him is nothing but trouble. Why are you looking for him, miss?”

So he was a nasty piece of work—and getting tangled up with him meant bad luck.

“Marquis Helbike holds a high position in the Investigation Bureau, you know. He’s got connections everywhere, so his side always walks away without punishment. The other side takes all the blame.”

Not just a little bad—really bad.

When I reached the marquis’s residence, I was told the young master hadn’t returned yet.

“I’ll wait.”

I needed to meet him, at least, for any kind of talk to happen. I didn’t have much time, and I had to see him today, even if it meant waiting.

“Are you sure you want to wait?”

“Yes.”

I sat alone in the reception room, waiting for the marquis’s son.

How was I supposed to deal with someone with such a terrible reputation?

‘In the end, logic wins.’

They’d both thrown punches, so he should be punished too—or if not, then a settlement was the logical outcome.

‘When is he coming…….’

About three hours passed. Waiting was starting to stretch longer than expected.

‘Ehit probably thinks I’m totally absorbed in sightseeing around the capital.’

The engagement ceremony was tomorrow. I had things to prepare too.

Anxiety crept in, but I calmed myself and kept waiting.

Then, after two more hours—

“Miss, I have something to tell you.”

“Has the marquis’s son arrived?”

“The young master has gone on vacation.”

“……?”

I was left speechless by the sheer shamelessness of it.

So this was how someone could behave when they decided to be unreasonable.

Enric was starting to look polite and gentlemanly by comparison.

In the end, I had no choice but to return to the jail empty-handed.

“Dapflen? How did it go?”

It seemed Enric had held onto a bit of hope because of how determined I’d looked. As soon as I came back, he hurried to the bars and asked.

But when I didn’t answer, he must have realized I hadn’t found a solution.

“Enric.”

I called his name, releasing my bitten lip. Enric forced a smile, unlike himself, trying to reassure me.

“Go get some rest, Delphi. It’ll be fine, so don’t think about it too much.”

“I’m not fine…….”

“I’m the one locked up. Why would you not be fine?”

Of course I wouldn’t be fine if my family was locked up!

And on top of that—

“Come to think of it, Dapflen, did you come to the capital because of my letter? Sorry you came all this way just to see me like this.”

“That’s not the only reason.”

“Then what? Wait—when did you say your engagement ceremony was? Cloyden definitely contacted us.”

“Tomorrow at noon.”

“Tomorrow…… tomorrow?”

Enric’s eyes went wide. There was no way he didn’t know the saying about blessings being cut in half.

“So I have to be out by tomorrow?”

“Is that possible?”

“Of course! Just trust your brother, Delphi.”

Enric hurriedly smoothed his voice, speaking calmly to reassure me.

“I’ll come again tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah. Do that! I’ll find a way.”

Even as I turned to leave, Enric kept that forced, calm smile on his face.

Seeing that made my chest ache. I forced a smile back, but this wasn’t something a smile could fix.

After saying goodbye, I left the jail and took a tram to the Cloyden ducal residence.

“Welcome, Lady Dapflen!”

Even though I hadn’t introduced myself, the servants guarding the gate opened the doors for me. True to a well-trained ducal household, they must have memorized appearances and descriptions in advance.

Five mansion-sized buildings lined up—the Cloyden residence in the capital.

A grand estate with a large lake nestled among pomegranate tree gardens.

With a far more complicated heart than before, I stepped into that estate for the first time.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

Dawn. After all the necessary preparations were finished, the ducal residence lay quiet.

I was told the Duke of Cloyden would return late due to state affairs. I exchanged brief greetings only with Count Cloyden—Ehit’s father—and Naya.

‘Come to think of it, Naya works for the Investigation Bureau too.’

She absolutely couldn’t find out. She hadn’t already realized Enric was arrested, had she?

Because I was so tense during the greetings, I didn’t even notice how much Count Cloyden resembled Ehit, or imagine how many hearts he must have broken in his youth.

After hurriedly greeting my parents, Elzers, and Adlen as well, preparations for the engagement ceremony began immediately.

‘I had so much I wanted to say when I met my brothers!’

The kind of words meant to firmly warn them.

But because of Enric’s situation, everything slipped my mind.

“Why hasn’t Enric arrived yet? That boy—late even for something this important.”

“He’ll be here soon, haha!”

“Dapflen. I like how positive you are before such a happy event. An engagement ceremony at last—only good things will come to the Aileta family now!”

They said that, but it felt like my parents were the truly positive ones.

After finishing all the preparations—outfits, procedures, everything—it was already night.

‘I can’t sleep…….’

Of course I couldn’t. Enric’s problem still wasn’t resolved.

I lay on a five-star bed, thinking maybe I’d have five-star thoughts—but no. Tick, tick. Time kept passing, and the night grew deeper.

By then, I was slowly bracing myself for the blessing being cut in half.

At dawn, I left my room.

I walked through the garden under the night sky, breathing in the cold air to calm myself.

“Dapflen?”

“Eek!”

At Ehit’s voice behind me, I almost wanted to faint and wake up after the engagement ceremony.

Jaymon and Ehit alike—both seemed gifted at appearing out of nowhere to scare people.

“You’re not sleeping?”

“And you are?”

With the sound of grass underfoot, Ehit came closer. He stopped about two steps away.

“Don’t be nervous. It’s just a simple procedure.”

He seemed to think I couldn’t sleep because I was nervous about the engagement ceremony.

‘It’s actually because of Enric, though…….’

What do I do? Not being able to attend because he’s in jail—if Cloyden finds out……

“If you’re worried your family might not be able to attend—”

“……What? No, that’s not it.”

“The Duke said he’ll attend the engagement without any issues tomorrow. So you don’t need to worry too much.”

Ah. He meant his family.

After the sudden spike of tension, my face relaxed and a faint smile appeared.

“Did you greet your family properly?”

“Yes. They all seemed excited.”

“I exchanged greetings while waiting for you as well. They all gave a good impression.”

“Really?”

“Yes. They felt different from you.”

That sounded like there was something mixed into that compliment.

My smile vanished as I shot him a look.

“That’s not what I mean. Just that you don’t resemble them much.”

“I’ve heard that a lot since I was young.”

Seeing my expression turn gloomy, Ehit added,

“That’s really not what I meant. If we’re being very, very particular… you’re on the good side too.”

“That doesn’t sound very good either.”

“That’s not—”

His tone softened as he continued, and a look crossed his face as if admitting a slip of the tongue.

“I genuinely think you’re nice. You smile well.”

“Do I? I guess.”

“Yes. Even if I didn’t know you, you’d be eye-catching.”

“Alright, alright, I get it.”

I turned my head and let out a quiet sigh. Even while chatting normally, Enric in jail kept popping into my mind.

“Are you very nervous?”

“No? What is it, Ehit—are you nervous? First engagement ceremony and all?”

“You’re talking like you’ve done this several times.”

“As if.”

I teased him, and he immediately fired back without blinking.

That earlier flustered, softened side of him really was rare.

“I’m not completely free of nerves either.”

It was just overshadowed by something far more stressful.

I looked at Ehit, the faint dawn light behind him.

No matter how simply it was held, no matter if it would end in a broken engagement, this was still my first engagement ceremony. Considering the standing of a woman who breaks an engagement in society, it might even be my last.

There was no way it meant nothing, or that I felt nothing.

“What about you, Ehit?”

“For me, I just—”

Ehit carefully reached his hand toward my ear. His fingertips, slightly cold from the night air, brushed the edge of it.

My body stiffened a little. I fixed my gaze on him, trying not to show how tense I was.

Maybe because his hand was so close, his low voice felt like it reached me directly, without passing through the air.

“I just hope it becomes a good memory. For you—and for me.”

His eyes looked as if he already knew there would be no ceremony after this one.