How to Live as the Terminally Ill Younger Sister of the Villain - Chapter 68
She thought she played the role of an insignificant extra character perfectly…’
Even doing absolutely nothing wasn’t easy. How much effort it took to do that.
But exactly which part made her feel grateful to her?
‘Come to think of it, the male lead was acting a bit strange yesterday too…’
‘If only I had known earlier.’
The apology she thought was meant for the female lead was directed at her instead. Different from the original story.
Still, she brushed this part off lightly. It wasn’t such an important part of the male and female leads’ narrative.
But after the female lead’s gratitude was oddly directed at her, his apology to me started bothering her too.
‘Why is everything so jumbled up?’
Could advancing the female lead’s rescue timing cause such a big butterfly effect?
She just wanted to protect her brother.
She only gathered the sacred objects to scold him because he said he disliked the Order.
She just prevented misunderstandings between the female lead and her brother early on for his distant future. Since they had the same enemy anyway, they might as well fight together if they were going to fight.
‘I really didn’t meddle much.’
Angelina felt wronged.
“Haah…”
“…?”
Pudding, who had been lazily resting its face on her knee, lifted its head at her sigh. As it tilted its head in its enlarged form, a gentle breeze stirred around.
“Huuu…”
As she let out another long sigh drawn from deep within, a low voice called out to her.
“Miss Flaubert?”
Angelina, sitting on a garden bench, looked up. There was only one person here who could produce such an attractive baritone voice.
“Ah, Your Grace.”
It was Blake, who had spent last night here at the Flaubert villa.
Angelina stood up from her seat to greet him. However, he waved his hand, indicating it wasn’t necessary.
“May I sit beside you?”
“Of course.”
Angelina moved slightly to make room for him to sit. However, before Blake could sit, Pudding squeezed itself into the space and sat down.
“Pudding, I told you no sitting on the bench.”
“Kyung!”
When Angelina tried to push Pudding away, the enlarged Pudding was too heavy for her to move.
As if declaring it absolutely wouldn’t move, it lay down across Angelina’s legs.
“Why are you being so clingy all of a sudden?”
Though it usually followed her around and sat nearby, this was the first time it had claimed the right to the seat beside her so adamantly.
“It seems the fellow doesn’t like me sitting there.”
At Blake’s words, Pudding snorted as if agreeing and pressed even closer to Angelina.
Pushed back against the bench’s backrest by Pudding’s weight, Angelina looked up at Blake with an troubled expression.
“I’m sorry. It’s being oddly temperamental today.”
“It’s fine. I can sit here.”
He perched himself on the fountain that faced the bench.
“I think I saw a similar fountain in the town square a few days ago.”
“Ah, I heard this fountain design is commonly used in this area.”
They silently watched the fountain water for a moment. Then Blake spoke first.
“I heard Miss Catherine moved to a different hideout last night.”
“Yes. Several things were resolved unexpectedly quickly, so she left earlier than planned.”
She didn’t mention that it was the Magic Tower.
She thought it best to keep it secret for now that the Magic Tower Master was deeply involved in all of this.
“You’ll meet her again soon…”
Angelina added this in case he might feel regretful. However, he seemed largely uninterested.
“If it’s something Miss Flaubert handled, then that must have been the best course of action.”
Instead, he only showed trust in her.
Before Angelina could say anything, Blake spoke first.
“And I apologize for yesterday. I was quite rude.”
“Yesterday?”
Angelina was momentarily confused about what he meant, then remembered that he had stayed overnight at the villa without prior arrangements.
Originally, he should have returned after finishing the meeting yesterday. However, since the discussion ended inconclusively, the meeting was postponed to today, and his entourage had to stay at the villa.
Angelina naturally thought he was referring to that part and lightly shook her head.
“No, it’s fine. There are plenty of rooms. The maids took care of it.”
“I meant leaving in the middle of our conversation.”
However, he was talking about something else.
“Oh, that?”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
She didn’t expect him to still be concerned about that.
“It’s alright. We can continue our talk today.”
Angelina briefly considered asking why he had done that but decided against it.
“More importantly, are you feeling better now?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
“That’s a relief.”
Angelina shifted her gaze from him to the fluffy clouds in the sky.
“By the way, what’s troubling you so much that you’re sighing so deeply?”
“Ah… It’s nothing, really.”
Unable to explain that it was because the female lead was acting differently from the original story, Angelina just smiled awkwardly while petting Pudding.
Blake, noticing her smile seemed somewhat strained, examined her face with a complex feeling. She seemed to have lost weight since yesterday.
“Is it a concern I can’t help you with?”
“Well…”
“We’re already accomplices in turning over sacred ground. I think I have enough experience to plan the next crime together.”
He phrased it playfully to avoid making her feel pressured.
Angelina chuckled in response.
“What if someone hears you?”
“Who’s here to hear us?”
Only Laura was around, wearing her usual unreadable expression.
Angelina’s smile deepened.
“Well, even if someone heard, they wouldn’t believe those words came from Your Grace’s mouth.”
She leaned forward slightly to get a better look at Blake’s face, causing her hair to cascade forward.
“Who would imagine? That the kind Duke Kadenhart struck the High Priest from behind. It would be more believable to say a horse flew in the sky.”
Her laughter looked incredibly innocent.
Her silver hair, gently swaying, reflected the sunlight like jewels. Her slightly crinkled eyes as she laughed were charming.
And Blake suddenly remembered when he first met her.
In the dark alley, it had looked like a vivid crimson, but against the colors of the garden, she resembled a pink tulip.
Is this what it feels like to be captivated?
He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
To think that this fragile and small woman had been facing that enormous conspiracy alone.
‘Now I understand. Why the Magic Tower Master said those words.’
‘I thought it was a ridiculous contract. With ‘reputation’ as the subject of the deal.’
How foolish he must have looked when he said he could gain much just by using his name.
Looking back, it was quite an embarrassing thing to say.
In reality, Angelina, who was close to him, far from boasting, had been sacrificing much behind the scenes, portraying herself as ‘just a lady’.
“Looking at you, My Lady, makes me reflect on many things.”
What’s important isn’t such superficial power, but steps towards the right path, like Angelina’s.
“Reflect?”
“I realize how much of a frog in a small well I’ve been.”
Blake answered with a small sigh, feeling quite pathetic about himself.
“Why would you say such a thing? Everyone has areas they know well and areas where they’re a bit lacking.”
Not realizing the thoughts behind his words, Angelina offered somewhat irrelevant comfort.
“I might know about the Order and sacred objects, but if we start talking about monsters or beasts, I’d be as silent as a mute who’s eaten honey.”
“Sniff?”
At the mention of beasts, Pudding made a sniffing sound, opening its eyes wide and peeking up at Angelina.
“Yes, beasts like you.”
Then, as Angelina stroked it, Pudding closed its eyes again and purred. Its large tail wagged happily under the bench.
Then, as Angelina stroked it, Pudding closed its eyes again and purred. Its large tail wagged happily under the bench.
Though no one noticed that holy power was gently flowing from the tip of its tail, breathing life into the surrounding flowers and grass.
“When did you find out about their schemes?”
“Not long ago.”
Since her last birthday, it hadn’t even been half a year.
“When I first found out, I was quite shocked too. Enough to fall ill.”
“……”
“But because of it, my perspective on the world changed. I started thinking that if I just let things flow naturally, something terrible would happen, and if I didn’t do something, I would truly regret it.”
If left alone, things would progress according to the original story, and her brother’s future would be in danger.
“I think you might be experiencing now the same shock I felt back then.”
Though it would probably be less severe than what she experienced. At least he didn’t know this was a world inside a novel.
“Why… did you choose me?”
“Choose what?”
