I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 160
Unlike Rufus, who was as cold as a glacier, Edelweiss was a sweet and rather lovable boy. It was hard to believe they were brothers who shared the same blood.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m looking for Rufus. He ran off a while ago, but it seems he’s not here either.”
“If you’re looking for my brother, he was talking to Grandmother earlier, then he went to see Prince Tarek.”
“Really? What were they talking about with Baroness Inferna?”
“Well…”
Edel trailed off.
He was scared.
The sight of Rufus raising his voice in front of their grandmother was still vivid in his mind.
Edel had never seen Rufus so furious before. Even when Edel had whined for days about wanting to keep a goldfish when he was little, Rufus had never lost his temper. The idea of Rufus being angry was something Edel couldn’t even imagine.
The image of Rufus grinding his teeth so hard that his lips bled had left Edel in shock.
“…What happened?”
Sensing Edel’s unease, Sarubia gently asked.
“…”
Edel tightly clutched the hem of his clothes with both hands and couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Sarubia firmly gripped Edel’s shoulders.
“Edelweiss.”
“…Yes.”
“Are you alright?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Let’s go inside first.”
Sarubia took Edel’s hand and led him to his room. The room Edel stayed in was right next to Baroness Inferna’s.
“…”
Once inside, Edel quietly crouched in a corner. He hugged his knees tightly and kept avoiding Sarubia’s gaze.
This wasn’t like the usual Edel. He was normally a bright child, smiling cheerfully and running around energetically.
“Edelweiss.”
Sarubia knelt in front of Edel.
“What did Rufus talk about with Baroness Inferna?”
“…”
Still, no answer came.
Edel started to fiddle with the carpet with his fingers. His tightly sealed lips refused to open.
What could have happened to make this child so withdrawn? Sarubia’s heart ached.
“Edelweiss, did something happen while I was away?”
“…”
Instead of speaking, Edel nodded his head in response.
“Thank you for answering, Edelweiss.”
Sarubia smiled warmly and patted Edel’s head. Edel instinctively looked up at her, meeting her gaze. His anxious eyes were reflected in Sarubia’s golden irises.
“If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. Really.”
After saying that, Sarubia took a deep breath and continued,
“But if you don’t tell me, I won’t be able to help you, Edelweiss.”
She spoke each word clearly, her tone firm.
“…Prince Camus came.”
Edel, having made up his mind, spoke slowly.
Sarubia’s heart sank.
“Prince Camus.”
Prince Camus. She knew him well. The second prince of the current king, and the one who had persistently sought her out since she entered the palace as the Saintess.
“Yes, he came looking for you, Sister…”
Edel stammered as he spoke.
“I-I don’t really know the details. I was just eating cookies and working on my arithmetic assignment when… there was a loud noise… so I followed Grandmother outside…”
Perhaps due to his nervousness, Edel’s words came out in a jumble.
“Prince Camus… asked where you were, saying Prince Tarek was hiding you… and then he got mad and, for no reason, hit our grandmother…”
“I understand.”
Sarubia instantly grasped what had happened. Prince Camus had come looking for her, and when he couldn’t meet her, he lost his temper. In his frustration, he had taken it out on Baroness Inferna.
‘Because of me, Baroness Inferna…’
Sarubia bit her lower lip hard.
She hated it.
She hated the idea of someone precious to her being hurt because of her.
The reason Sarubia had refused Prince Camus’s visits so far was due to Rufus’s advice.
‘What do you think those people who seek you out want from you?’
Rufus’s stance was clear. There was no need to associate with those who approached her, coveting her status as the Saintess. Sarubia agreed.
After all, she was planning to leave the capital. Getting involved with others would do her no good. And above all… she felt guilty about meeting the royal family, knowing that Prince Tarek was already dead. In the midst of all this, Prince Camus had come to Tarek’s palace to find her. What was this about?
Her anxious heart flared up like a fire that wouldn’t go out.
At that moment, a name suddenly came to mind.
[I’ll come visit today. I’ll be waiting at Prince Tarek’s palace.
—Roned]
Roned. A name she could never forget.
How could she forget? He was the one who made Sarubia abandon the path of the Saintess and choose the life of a maid.
“…”
Sarubia fell into deep thought.
She couldn’t say anything.
Even when she heard the voice of the maid outside, calling for her, and even when she bid farewell to Edel, who had regained his energy, and walked back to her room—
She still couldn’t say anything.
Thud.
Sarubia collapsed onto the bed.
She looked at the ceiling. It wasn’t the dirty, mold-stained ceiling she had seen for years. It was a ceiling adorned with intricate patterns, with a chandelier that sparkled so brightly it was blinding. The cross beams covered in silver and quartz—an unfamiliar and unwelcoming display of luxury.
Yes.
I don’t belong here.
