How to Live as the Terminally Ill Younger Sister of the Villain - Chapter 64
“They haven’t seen the Duke’s face yet. But there’s no guarantee it will stay that way…”
Angelina carefully tested his reaction.
“Will you be alright?”
It was like a warning that if he wanted to back out, now was the time.
Though she knew Blake would get involved regardless, she felt obligated to warn him of the dangers.
As expected, Blake furrowed his brow.
“I can’t just turn a blind eye to this pretending not to know, just to protect my safety.”
“I knew you’d answer that way.”
“When you led me into that building to see that blood, wasn’t it so I could judge the severity of the situation for myself?”
Angelina observed Blake’s fierce expression while thinking.
Was he angry because she deliberately made him see it? Thinking about it again, he might feel like he was being manipulated.
“It would be a lie to say that wasn’t part of the reason.”
Angelina admitted honestly. She knew once he saw it directly, he wouldn’t be able to back away easily.
“But more than that, I thought the Duke would be the most suitable person to save Catherine.”
However, more than showing him that, Angelina’s bigger reason was that having the male lead save the female lead would keep the narrative closest to the original work.
“I believed in you.”
Worried he might be offended, Angelina added a slight bit of flattery.
Blake’s eyes wavered momentarily. As if trying to hide this, he lowered his gaze to the ground.
He remained lost in thought for a moment.
Finally, he spoke.
“I wish I had known earlier.”
Blake whispered softly while pressing his forehead firmly, accompanied by a deep sigh. Then he slowly added.
“…I’m sorry.”
Angelina’s fingertips twitched.
Hearing his apology at this time naturally reminded her of the original work.
「After hearing her story, Blake gazed intently at Catherine. His expression showed he had something he wanted to ask but couldn’t bring himself to say it.
“You want to ask if I’ve had my blood drawn too, right?”
“You don’t have to answer.”
“I have.”
Catherine willingly answered, and Blake’s face contorted.
He hadn’t meant to make her recall painful memories. He felt sorry for making her bring up old wounds because of his curiosity.
His heart stirred. Sorry turned to sympathy, and that sympathy made him focus on her.
His hand moved out of habit.
The hand that rose on its own was stroking her head. And soon, in an anguished voice that seemed about to crack, he whispered.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you sooner.”」
‘The emotional flow follows the original.’
She had worried that inserting her brother into the female lead’s rescue might have ruined the emotional narrative of the protagonists, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
But while it was fortunate, something felt bitter.
It was strange. Why was she feeling this stinging emotion?
‘Am I anxious that the emotions between my brother and the protagonists might follow the original work too?’
Though she was trying to change things, seeing the female and male leads’ narratives flowing the same way made her somewhat worried.
If it followed the original exactly, her brother would be in danger.
‘Trying to preserve the love between the male and female lead while also preventing my brother from becoming the villain is complicated…’
The unease she felt was probably because of that…
“I’m sorry, Miss Flaubert.”
But at his added words, Angelina’s eyes widened.
“What…?”
Why is my name coming up here?
“You’ve been bearing this overwhelming burden alone, haven’t you? This secret that you couldn’t carelessly reveal, all by yourself…”
Blake’s eyes flickered in the candlelight as he looked at Angelina. The blue color resembled a night sky filled with the Milky Way.
Eyes filled with nothing but sincerity.
Mixed with sorry and sympathy…
“Your Grace, right now…”
She was about to ask if that apology was really meant for her. Wasn’t it supposed to be for Catherine?
However, she couldn’t finish her sentence.
It was because of the hand stroking her head.
Blake had suddenly reached out and slowly, heavily stroked her hair.
As if saying, “You’ve done well.”
As if saying, “I’m sorry I’m late.”
Angelina was at a loss for words.
No man other than Ante had ever touched her like this. But it felt different from the gentle touch when her younger brother stroked her hair.
It was rough, but warm.
And also…
‘Is this little thing enough?’
A child’s voice flashed through her mind.
‘This voice…’
It was the voice she had heard before.
The voice of the boy she heard when she first touched Mason’s necklace in the Magic Tower.
It was just for a moment, but she felt a small headache and frowned.
‘Could the trigger be related to holy power?’
The first time she heard the mysterious voice was when she touched the holy power suppression device.
The second time she heard it was in the Grand Temple, and that necklace had triggered it again.
And today, for the third time. She heard it when she was enveloped by holy power while stealing the sacred object.
They were all different voices and different scenes. But they all occurred when entangled with holy power.
So she thought the trigger was related to holy power, but…
‘Or could the Duke have a holy power-related device?’
“Your Grace, perhaps…”
Just as she was about to speak about it,
“Ah…! I’m sorry.”
Blake, who had been absentmindedly stroking her silver hair that resembled moonlight, suddenly became aware of his actions and hastily withdrew his hand.
“I didn’t mean to touch you carelessly.”
Seeing her frowning face, explanations flowed out naturally.
“Well, this is…”
It was a reflexive action that came out when he felt sorry for being late.
He couldn’t understand why he had acted this way. When he came to his senses, he found himself stroking her hair.
‘It’s the first time. …Someone being kind to me…’
No.
No, that’s not it. In truth, he wanted to believe he couldn’t understand, but he knew exactly what emotion had led to this action.
The guilt of not discovering it sooner.
Because he had felt exactly like this years ago.
‘Kindness is something you’re born with. I’m not.’
‘That’s right, you. You are kind.’
The memories he had been avoiding and avoiding again resurface. That foolish girl who called him kind even though he hadn’t done anything for her.
‘If I had found you a little earlier, you wouldn’t have suffered like this.’
‘It’s not too late.’
Remembering that child who made him even more upset by saying it was okay to deny it.
Because this feeling of not being able to help earlier resembled that time.
Maybe it’s because it’s such an old memory.
Even her face is blurry now.
Blonde… he think she was.
She had badly injured her leg, so he always carried her on his back. A child who was afraid of him being far away because she couldn’t see properly…
‘Pat my head. Then I think I can feel at ease.’
So this is probably an act of unconsciousness from that time surfacing.
“…Huh? Your Grace!”
Blake snapped back to reality at the force of Mason shaking his shoulder.
“…!”
A large breath was sucked into his lungs, as if he had been holding his breath without realizing it. His vision spun and his head hurt.
Was it because memories he had been trying to erase came flooding back like a tide?
“Ah.”
An emotion like a whip lashed across his heart.
“Your Grace? What’s wrong?”
Angelina examined his face, which was breaking out in a cold sweat. His eyes were shaking severely.
“Is it because you touched my head? I’m fine. I’m used to it because my brother does it often. You don’t need to feel sorry.”
Not knowing why he had suddenly frozen, Angelina made her own guess and spoke. She even smiled to reassure him.
“I actually like it. Having my head patted.”
However, this had the opposite effect.
‘She likes it… Having her head patted.’
For a moment, Blake saw memory and reality overlap.
“I’m sorry. For a moment…”
He hastily covered his eyes with his hand and stepped back.
“I’ll go get some fresh air for a bit.”
And he left the place as if fleeing.
Even though he knew it was rude to leave like this, he couldn’t bear the oppressive feeling weighing down his entire body.
Angelina watched his retreating figure with a worried expression as he hurriedly left the room.
Why is he acting like that? Is it really because he patted my head? It wasn’t even me who patted him, but he who patted me?
It was baffling, but there was nothing else she could think of. There was nothing strange about their conversation either…
“Lord Mason. Has the Duke ever helped someone and been unjustly accused of being a scoundrel in the past?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Then why is he so surprised….”
