Weren’t You the One Who Was Dying? Chapter 71

“I did lock her in, but…….”

From behind the person wearing the dark red robe, Lily spoke up.

“They say she came out after just one day.”

Lily’s voice trailed off slightly. Considering the effort it took to break in and cause all that trouble, the result felt small.

However, the robed figure turned to Lily and asked calmly,

“That doesn’t matter. How did both families react?”

“You mean… that family?”

“Yes. The fiancé, and the Aileta family’s reaction. It couldn’t have been good, right? Like their relationship getting worse.”

“No. If anything, it seems to have improved.”

As Lily mulled over their reactions, she muttered to herself. At that, the robed figure turned fully around and slowly walked toward her.

From within the darkness beneath the hood, two eyes shone sharply.

“You did make it clear that it was that family’s doing, didn’t you?”

The voice was very calm.

But when Lily saw the icy anger in those eyes, her body trembled without her realizing it.

“Yes. I clearly told the Aileta girl that it was Naya Cloyden’s doing.”

Lily swallowed once.

It seemed the person in the red robe truly wanted the two to break off their engagement. That was why they had even hired someone like her—who already harbored ill feelings toward the Cloyden family—to do this.

The robed figure, who had been staring at Lily coldly, turned away and tossed her a key.

“You may go. Take this to the storage vault for your payment.”

As Lily hurried out, the robed figure slowly sat down on the sofa. Then, little by little, they lowered the hood and brushed back their crimson hair.

Those foolish Aileta people…  Their relationship got better?

If you believed the Cloyden family had done that to you, shouldn’t you hold a grudge and do something? Or at the very least, be scared enough to hide.

But instead, things improved?

The face hidden beneath the robe twisted slightly.

According to the plan, Aileta was supposed to fall apart and leave Cloyden.

Watching Aileta stray from the set plan, the robed figure swallowed their anger with a sharp breath.

‘Something more drastic will be needed.’

After a moment of thought, the robed figure picked up a book.

 

 

****

 

 

‘I hope things work out.’

Lying quietly on the bed, I thought back to the conversation I’d had with Naya earlier.

To think she wasn’t truly a villain, but someone misunderstood as one.

‘I never once thought the original story’s descriptions might differ from reality.’

The original novel was written entirely from the female lead Ridel’s point of view. Other people’s inner thoughts were almost never shown.

Even Ehit’s—despite him being the male lead.

Because of that, descriptions of side characters were fragmented, and events could easily be distorted or misunderstood depending on what Ridel experienced.

‘It really can be that different from what I see with my own eyes.’

That realization hit me harder than I expected.

Ever since learning this world was inside a novel, I had naturally believed the original story was the fixed truth of this world.

Maybe that was why it had been so hard. Because what I was trying to do was deny that “fixed truth.”

No matter how much I struggled, this world sometimes felt like it was always trying to return to the same ending—
where Aileta falls apart.

‘But after what happened with Naya, I’m not so sure anymore.’

Is that really the future this world is meant to reach?

‘…My head hurts.’

Thinking more didn’t bring any clear answers. Deciding to rest instead, I let my hair down and lay back.

Tomorrow, I was going back to Bellachen early in the morning. Even then, I would stay at Ehit’s estate for a while.

‘Ehit must be asleep by now.’

It was late, after all.

I remembered how Ehit had thrown himself forward to grab me at the cliff earlier.

He’d looked pretty badly hurt. Was he really okay?

Ehit seemed oddly indifferent to being injured. Just like this time—and the Pedian incident before, when he took the whip in my place and acted like it was nothing.

‘He takes such good care of his health, yet…….’

What a strange person.

Thinking of Ehit made my chest feel tight in a way I couldn’t explain.

It would be easier to say it was just fear about my family’s downfall.

But instinctively, I knew it was different.

If it were only that, then the sound of his heartbeat when he held me, or the warmth in his blue eyes when he rested his hand on my forehead, wouldn’t keep replaying in my mind.

‘Should I at least go ask if his injury is okay?’

If he’s asleep, I can just come back.

I stood up, lifted the hem of my nightgown, and lit the candle on the bedside table.

Just as I reached for the doorknob, I heard a knock.

“Dapflen, are you asleep?”

The moment I heard his voice, I opened the door.

Standing there was Ehit, his hand still raised from knocking.

“I’m not asleep. I’m still—”

“That figures.”

We stared at each other in silence.

How did he know I was about to go to him? Why was the timing so perfect?

‘It’s nothing special.’

We were in the same estate, always had things to ask each other. Coming by like this wasn’t strange.

And yet— The fact that we both moved at the same time felt oddly meaningful.

“What brings you here?”

Ehit looked at me for a moment, then shook his head.

“It’s nothing. Please get some rest.”

“What? Didn’t you come because you had something to say?”

“I was just passing by.”

“Isn’t your room on the other side?”

“In a mansion this large, do you think I only have one room?”

He tried to close the door.

“I do have something to say.”

I pushed the door open with both hands and leaned out again.

“Are you hurt badly? You were injured earlier.”

“You know injuries like this mean nothing to me.”

“There’s no such thing as a ‘nothing’ injury. It’s not like your pain nerves were removed.”

“That’s a scary thing to say.”

“Talking like that after getting hurt is scarier.”

“I’m really fine. It wasn’t serious.”

“Okay. Did you at least get proper treatment? Even small wounds can get infected.”

“Yes. I was treated by a skilled healer in the capital.”

“Then that’s a relief. I guess you don’t need my help.”

“……That’s not necessarily true.”

Did that sound sarcastic? I meant it literally.

Ehit stared at me. Then his pupils shifted slightly as he looked near my head.

“…….”

Wait.

A chill ran down my spine. My hair was down, wasn’t it?

‘Did I hide the sprout?’

Our eyes met. My face instantly burned.

I stepped back, but Ehit grabbed the edge of my sleeve. I froze, blinking.

“…Can you see it?”

“…I can.”

I didn’t even ask what he could see. But he understood anyway.

The most noticeable thing right now—

The sprout on the back of my head.

Ehit looked awkward as he stared at me, completely stunned.

My cheeks were hot, my mind went cold. Countless scenarios flashed through my head and vanished.

‘How could you hide something like that? And you tried to marry into Cloyden with such a flaw? Cloyden cannot tolerate a family that breaks trust.’

No.  No matter how cold Ehit was, he wasn’t that heartless. He wouldn’t destroy my family just because he found out about my stress-induced hair loss.

Still… it wasn’t nothing.

‘This is so embarrassing.’

Of all people, Ehit saw it.

That somehow made it worse.

“Hair falls out and grows back all the time. That’s normal.”

…Was that comfort?

I turned my face away, murmuring,

“It’s just temporary. It’s getting better. Please… don’t tell anyone else.”

I tried my best to stress that I wasn’t permanently bald.

“As if I would.”

I nodded and glanced at him again.

Strangely, his eyes looked sad.

Like he’d learned something deeply regrettable, and was holding back emotion.

He turned his head away.

“Then why did you really come?”

“I told you. I was just passing by.”

“Even passing by has a reason, doesn’t it?”

“Get some sleep.”

Before I could respond, he closed the door.

I listened to his footsteps fade away, then walked back to the bedside table.

Opening the drawer, I took out the bracelet shaped like a Shalia flower and stared at it.

Outside the window, the night had grown deeper.

After a while, I returned to bed.

“Hng.”

I kicked the blanket a few times, then finally fell asleep from exhaustion.

 

 

****

 

 

 

Ehit’s footsteps echoed softly through the hallway as he returned to his room.

‘Please don’t tell anyone else.’

That’s what Dapflen had said, her face full of anxiety that her condition might be discovered.

If she wanted to hide it that badly, who was he to say anything?

Even if he was her fiancé.

His footsteps grew heavier.

Ehit recalled the dream he’d just had during his brief doze.