How to Live as the Terminally Ill Younger Sister of the Villain - Chapter 54
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If everything she did at the Grand Temple and the words she said to Haley and Laura had been relayed to her brother, he would have noticed by now that her purpose in going to that resort was to visit the ‘grave’.
Yet he doesn’t say a word about it.
Is he pretending not to know from the start, unable to find the right timing to speak? Or perhaps, did Haley and Laura not report?
‘Or am I just attaching a different meaning to his usual excessive worry?’
Ante’s attitude, meticulously fastening her cloak with a gloomy face, seemed no different from usual, making her confused.
“By the way, brother.”
“Yes, what is it?”
So she asked.
“Did you properly… deliver the letter I wrote?”
She almost asked if he had read it properly.
The letter to the Tower Master.
“Yes. I did.”
“Was there… any response?”
“Nothing in particular.”
“…I see.”
Angelina bit her lip hard, feeling like a sigh was about to escape.
After the decision to go to the resort was made, Angelina first wrote a letter to the Tower Master. And she asked Ante to deliver it.
She thought about sending it through Haley or contacting the magic tower but decided that delivering it directly would be the most accurate and fastest.
The content wasn’t very grand.
It was asking if he could spare some time to meet as she had something to talk about. Along with the resort address.
She added that if it was difficult to come to the resort, she would be fine meeting somewhere in the Marquis’s territory before she left.
It was a suggestion she added thinking it might be inconvenient for Ante to come all the way to the resort to meet her, but there was no reply.
Is he really planning to come to the resort? Or… is he ignoring it and not planning to come?
If she didn’t know the Tower Master was her brother, she would have thought it wasn’t strange if he didn’t come. But knowing his identity, she hoped he might come.
Because her brother had never refused her requests…
But this was a request to the Tower Master, not her brother, so would it be applied differently?
Her head was complicated.
“…Then can you tell him I’ll be waiting?”
She said after pondering for a while.
“The Tower Master?”
“For an answer.”
“…Do you like the Tower Master?”
“We agreed to be friends.”
“……”
Angelina tried to speak a bit playfully, but Ante’s expression was somehow dark.
“Why…”
He was about to say something.
“…Never mind.”
He stopped.
“Huh?”
“It’s nothing. Nothing at all. Our Lina, contact me when you arrive.”
Then he completely changed the subject.
“…Okay.”
She was curious and concerned about what he was going to ask, but Angelina didn’t press the matter.
She laughed along and pretended not to notice.
Afterward, the two didn’t talk about the Tower Master or the letter again until Angelina departed in the carriage.
“When did you prepare this cloak?”
“I ordered it custom-made for Lina. Do you like it?”
“It’s not too heavy, just right.”
They only made small talk without much meaning.
But the conversation that missed the important part went around in circles without progress, and only an indescribable subtle atmosphere lingered.
It was strange.
Nothing had changed.
They were still siblings who cared for each other deeply, still willing to give everything for each other.
Yet the fictional existence of the Tower Master had been erected like a barrier between them.
Even though that Tower Master was ultimately Ante, it lay between them like an unopenable wrapper, making them wary of each other.
Nothing had changed, yet many things were changing.
***
Pudding was with them on this journey.
Angelina had intended to leave Pudding by Ante’s side. But as if reading her thoughts, Pudding had firmly planted its bottom in the carriage and refused to move.
They managed to separate them and depart, but a few days later, Pudding suddenly appeared from the luggage compartment of the carriage.
It was awkward to send it back, so they had no choice but to bring it along.
Still, it was nice not to be bored with Pudding around.
After several days like this, they arrived at the resort Angelina had picked out. It was a villa owned by the Flaubert Marquis family.
The villa occupied a large property with a backdrop of mountains forming low ridges, and just a short walk away was a sheer cliff.
The cliff overlooked the sea with a wide horizon visible.
It was very quiet, being so deep in the countryside that it would take half a day on horseback to reach the nearest village.
It was perfect as a resort.
“Is this Haley’s first time here?”
“Yes! The air is so good.”
“Right? That’s why it’s the place with the best sea view among the Marquis family’s resorts. The wide-open view is refreshing.”
Angelina smiled as she looked at the horizon visible through the window.
“It’s most beautiful at sunset.”
Because Angelina particularly loved that sunset scenery, the windows in her room were made large, reaching from ceiling to floor. There was also a balcony.
“It seems you’ll have to wait a few more hours until sunset,” Laura said.
“Then let’s plan to view it then…”
Angelina took off the cloak she was wearing. It was the one Ante had given her before departure.
It was fluffy, but not too hot, so she had worn it throughout the journey. The weight was neither too heavy nor too light, just right.
Unaware that the cloak was imbued with complex high-level magic for warmth, weight adjustment, and defense, Angelina simply thought Ante had imported a good item from somewhere.
“Then I’ll go check if dinner preparations are going well!”
“Be careful and take your time.”
“Yes~!”
While Laura took the cloak to put it away, Haley disappeared into the kitchen.
Angelina opened the window and went out onto the balcony.
“Shall I bring some tea?”
The table and chairs on the balcony were already sparkling clean, presumably cleaned by the maids.
However, Angelina passed by them and leaned on the balcony railing. Pudding, who had followed her out, hopped onto the balcony.
“No. I just want to feel the breeze for a bit.”
When she closed her eyes, she could feel the cool sea breeze. The salty sea scent mixed with the green fragrance of the mountains was refreshing.
Pudding also sat down, pressing its bottom against the floor, and closed its eyes following her.
But after a moment, she slowly opened her eyes. Her expression wasn’t bright. The complex thoughts didn’t fly away even with the fresh breeze.
“…I wonder if he’ll come.”
“Kyu?”
At her soft murmur, Pudding opened its eyes, and Laura, who had been standing behind, took a step closer.
“Are you waiting for Duke Kadenhart?”
Mason had boasted that he would come, but it was uncertain whether Duke Kadenhart would come along. So she naturally thought that was what Angelina was worried about.
But Angelina shook her head.
“No. I mean the Tower Master.”
At this, Laura’s brow furrowed slightly.
However, Angelina, who was gazing intently at the horizon at the edge of the sea while feeling the breeze, didn’t see Laura’s complex expression.
“Miss.”
Laura, who had been pondering for a moment, began.
“There’s a question I couldn’t ask that day at the inn. May I ask it now?”
Angelina nodded without taking her eyes off the horizon.
“Why are you trying to do this?”
“……”
“Is it really, as Mason that fellow guessed, an effort to create a better world?”
The voice asking was very serious.
“A better place…”
Angelina softly repeated Laura’s words as if she had heard something interesting.
Laura’s questions continued.
“I understand how wicked the things the Sun God’s Order is doing are. I also know how delicate you are, Miss. But……”
“……”
“It doesn’t have to be you who stops them. It’s too dangerous.”
It was a statement that could come from Laura, who valued Angelina’s well-being more than punishing evil.
Since they hadn’t started the work yet, they could still stop if they wanted to. So Laura took a big step and voiced her opposition.
Angelina also knew without asking how big of a decision it was for Laura, who usually followed her actions without a word, to express her opinion now.
So Angelina didn’t answer lightly either.
She turned and leaned her back against the balcony railing.
“The reason for doing this…”
Angelina murmured softly and gave a faint smile with a troubled expression.
“It’s as complex a question as the source of the information.”
Because she was scheduled to die soon.
Because after that, her brother would become the villain.
Because she would face a lonely death.
Hoping that her brother’s future would last a bit longer than hers, that it would be a little brighter and warmer than what was shown in the original story.
…How could she say this?
“Laura, you know.”
