How to Live as the Terminally Ill Younger Sister of the Villain - Chapter 25
“If you put it that way, anything could be considered compensation.”
Blake then countered as if he knew her words were just formal courtesies to be considerate of him.
“That’s right. Anything can be compensation.”
And Angelina didn’t deny it.
“But isn’t the value of repayment usually determined by the recipient?”
Instead, she elaborated further.
“As you know, money is the easiest and most powerful thing for the Flauberts.”
She chose words that wouldn’t offend him as she explained.
“But at the same time, it’s also the most meaningless value.”
While money does increase the Flauberts’ worth, it’s not a value that can move their hearts.
“On the other hand, the experience of participating anonymously in an auction and engaging in a bidding war for an unknown knight…”
Angelina smiled faintly, recalling the strange exhilaration she felt at the auction house.
“It added color to my daily life, which had become boring from repeating similar routines every day.”
“……”
“For me, that was an enjoyment too great to dismiss as something that could be obtained for a mere ten billion.”
After finishing her explanation, Angelina observed his expression.
‘This should be enough to convince him, right?’
She genuinely believed that providing a new experience was far more valuable than giving money.
If comparing participating in the auction to ten billion, the balance certainly didn’t match. Angelina agreed with that.
But the moment she let on that she thought so, he would surely insist on compensation persistently.
‘I need to connect the male lead and my brother favorably, but it would be troublesome if they end up in a debtor-creditor relationship.’
So Angelina tried to make it clear that he didn’t owe her a debt.
Blake, who had been wearing a dark expression as if lost in thought for a while, finally spoke.
“Certainly… the value of something tends to vary depending on the person.”
“Isn’t that right?”
Angelina felt proud for no reason, thinking her roundabout words had worked.
“Yes. The value of the enjoyment Miss Flaubert felt seems to be in a realm beyond my judgment.”
“Just as I can’t gauge the magnitude of relief you felt that day, Your Grace.”
Emphasizing once more that the feeling of giving little and receiving much was mutual, Angelina beckoned to Haley.
“If you’re done eating, shall I have dessert prepared?”
She intended to wrap things up neatly here before he could dwell on the issue further.
Fortunately, he quietly followed along with the flow of the conversation.
“Dessert?”
In truth, Blake wasn’t satisfied with concluding things this way. He couldn’t shake off the feeling of being indebted.
But it didn’t seem polite to push further when she had gone to such lengths to explain.
It seemed better to wait and look for an opportunity to repay her on his own next time.
“Well, it might be a bit ambiguous to call it dessert. We have yogurt.”
“Anything is fine.”
Blake didn’t refuse.
If what she felt was truly an ‘immeasurable opportunity’ as he had, it would be beneficial to spend as much time with her as possible.
Haley and Laura, who had approached at Angelina’s gesture, quickly cleared the plates. They also brought out the yogurt.
However, Haley, who had set down the yogurt bowl, didn’t leave.
“My lady.”
Instead, she asked Blake’s permission and called Angelina in a low voice.
“Yes, what is it?”
“The Marquis says he won’t be able to connect via video call for a few days starting today.”
At those words, both Angelina’s and Blake’s eyes changed.
“Why? Did something happen?”
Angelina’s voice asking back was a level higher than before. It was a subtle difference, but enough to notice her surprised emotion.
The fox beast lying at her feet also noticed this change and opened its eyes. It rolled its round pupils, checking on Angelina.
“He said an urgent matter came up that required him to leave. But he said not to worry, as it’s nothing to be concerned about.”
Ante seemed to have anticipated how Angelina would react, as he had sent an additional response.
“…Is that so?”
Of course, Angelina’s expression didn’t ease easily.
But Ante seemed to have expected even that, as there was more to add.
“He said he’d buy a gift to express his apologies. There’s a beautiful red diamond necklace that just came in on the recent ship…”
Only then did Angelina let out a chuckle.
“That’s so like my brother.”
Always make sure not to miss a chance to buy a gift, no matter what.
“Tell him it’s not necessary. Does he know how many pieces of jewelry I’ve received from him so far? Even if I wore a different necklace every day, a year of 365 days wouldn’t be nearly enough.”
At Angelina’s calm voice, the fox beast relaxed again and closed its eyes.
“But if he insists on buying something, tell him theater tickets would be nice. I heard there’s a newly opened theater on High Street recently.”
At those words, Haley grinned and whispered.
“He’s already booked balcony seats for that.”
There was no way Ante would have missed Angelina’s casual mention a few weeks ago during dinner about wanting to check it out.
Angelina chuckled again.
“Then that’s fine. Just tell him to buy that necklace. And let him know I won’t have dinner with him for two weeks.”
“Oh my…!”
Haley was greatly surprised by Angelina’s threat. And she rolled her eyes.
To a third party, it might have seemed that she, as a maid, was uncomfortable with relaying such a ‘threat’ to the Marquis.
However, Angelina, who knew Haley and Ante well, quickly grasped the meaning behind that intake of breath.
“Don’t tell me he already bought it?”
“……Hehe.”
“Ah, brother, really.”
Angelina let out a deep sigh.
“When did he buy it?”
“Last week….. Hehe.”
“Oh brother, you’re just making trouble for yourself.”
How much must he have agonized over what excuse to use when giving it to her after buying it.
He was truly an incorrigible brother.
“I don’t know what urgent business it is, but tell him to make sure he eats properly.”
“Yes.”
Having delivered the message, Haley left with a relieved expression.
Once they were alone again, Blake spoke up.
“You seem to have a good relationship with the Marquis.”
“Does it look that way?”
A gentle smile bloomed on Angelina’s face. It was a smile that naturally appeared whenever she talked about Ante.
The tender emotion contained in that smile was noticeable even to Blake, who hadn’t known her for long.
‘This is it.’
So he could understand. What he needed to target to get closer to her.
It was a bit ironic. He was trying to get close to her to ultimately reach the Marquis, but to do so, he needed to make good use of the Marquis.
“You must have been connecting via video call frequently?”
“Every evening since I entered the Dark Forest. I guess he was quite worried about me coming to the Dark Forest. He says he can only feel at ease if he sees my face every day.”
At Angelina’s answer, Blake realized he had assessed the situation correctly and calmly replied.
“Just by seeing these excellent knights and maids he’s assigned to you, it’s clear how much the Marquis cherishes you, Miss Flaubert.”
Honestly, Blake was a bit doubtful whether her knights really existed to protect her.
While they certainly took meticulous care of her, at a glance, it could almost be mistaken for surveillance.
“What an incredible unity they have.”
That’s what Mason had said before starting the meal with Angelina.
While the magician and the magical beast were also concerned, what bothered Mason and Blake the most were the knights hovering around her.
To the naked eye, they seemed to be acting normally, but to the trained eyes of the two men, the underlying killing intent was palpable.
‘At this rate, I’m not sure if it’s more comfortable inside the Tower’s path or outside.’
It felt like thousands of arrows were drawn, aimed at Blake’s group. Ready to turn them into a beehive at the slightest misstep.
The fact that Blake was a Duke seemed to matter not at all to them.
“And they said it was just a group of knights gathered by throwing money around.”
The Flaubert Marquis’s knights were rumored to be skilled but lacking in loyalty or devotion.
That Ante Flaubert had simply thrown money around to gather good knights.
But seeing it firsthand, it was not like that at all.
They were all men who would gladly give their lives for this woman before them. This was evident from the solemnity in their eyes and the affection that seeped through their attitude towards her.
Above all, what was remarkable was that Angelina seemed completely unaware of this exquisite protection.
Rather, they all put on various acts to avoid being noticed by Angelina.
‘I knew the Marquis cherished his sister, but….’
