I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 218
The morning sun descended upon the Inferna Barony. As the sunlight crept through the cracks of the window, Sarubia stirred in her sleep.
“Mm…”
When Sarubia slowly opened her eyes, the face of the person she loved came into view.
“Did you sleep well?”
Rufus, who had woken up early, greeted her briefly. Sarubia stared blankly at his face for a moment.
“Rufus?”
“Yes.”
“It’s Rufus.”
“That’s right, it’s me.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
“What is?”
“I fell asleep looking at your face… and now that I’ve woken up, I see your face again.”
Sarubia smiled sweetly.
“I must have done something very kind in my past life.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Otherwise, how could I have someone like you?”
Whispering lightly, “You’re mine,” Sarubia burrowed into Rufus’s arms, playfully poking his stomach like a cat.
Rufus kissed the corner of her eye, finding her endearing and lovable.
Her cheerful laughter and familiar scent filled the air. As if pulled by some unseen force, Rufus tightened his embrace, drawing her closer. Sarubia responded by holding him even tighter.
Then—
“I wish I could lie here with you forever.”
Resting her head against Rufus’s neck, Sarubia chuckled softly.
“I wish I could spend all my time with you without a single worry. It’d be perfect if we could just stay in bed and never get up.”
“That won’t do.”
“Why not?”
“You have to eat.”
“You’re always so mindful of my meals, even though I don’t pay much attention to them myself.”
“You need to eat well to stay healthy.”
“You’re treating me like a child again.”
Ignoring her grumbling, Rufus pulled the bell cord beside the bed, signaling to the servants that he was awake. Breakfast would soon be prepared in the kitchen.
Returning to Sarubia, who was still snuggled under the blanket, Rufus gently stroked her hair.
Sarubia clung to him again.
“Rufus.”
“Yes?”
“When I was younger, I used to wonder, ‘Why was I born?’ But now I think I know the answer.”
“What is it?”
“I was born for you.”
Sarubia’s confession echoed like dew falling onto new sprouts in the early dawn.
“I was born to love you. And I’m so glad I was born. Don’t you think so too?”
Smiling brightly, Sarubia placed a light kiss on Rufus’s cheek.
“Even though I know I’ll eventually die, I’m really glad to have been born.”
With her head tilted slightly, Sarubia’s face lit up with a radiant smile. Rufus, his own quiet smile forming, pulled the blanket up over her shoulders.
It all felt like a lie.
Even now.
The warmth beneath his fingers, the sight of her before him smiling and breathing softly in her sleep—it all still felt unreal.
And he loved it.
The way his long-held dreams were unfolding so naturally before him, it made him feel as if he could live forever in this dream.
He wished never to awaken from this dream. Or, if possible, to live without the fear of death. How arrogant to even entertain such thoughts.
Sarubia.
I’m petty, small-minded, and unnecessarily greedy. I can’t bear the thought of parting with you someday.
So…
I want to keep you forever.
And I hope that for as long as I live, there will never be a day without you.
***
After Rufus’s return, the once-bustling Inferna Barony settled into brief quiet.
But only briefly.
“Baroness, there’s trouble!”
“What kind of trouble?”
The Baroness of Inferna, who had been tallying the estate’s remaining grain supplies, frowned without even lifting her gaze from the documents.
“If it’s door-to-door sales, tell them we’re not interested and to head north to the Empire on their own.”
The butler shook his head vigorously.
“It’s not that… It’s…!”
“What now? Has Edel gone off to find a witch and started learning black magic, saying she wants to bring Joseph back to life?”
“No, Baroness. Five wagons loaded with herbs have arrived at the estate gate!”
“What goods?”
“Herbs, Baroness.”
At that, the Baroness finally lifted her head to look at the butler.
“Who sent them?”
Could it be that the royal family had finally read her petition and decided to support the Inferna Barony? A faint hope stirred within her.
But that hope was shattered in the next instant.
“Sir Iruel sent them.”
“Who?”
“The coachmen who brought the wagons said the goods were from Sir Iruel. Do you know him, Baroness?”
The Baroness paused, about to shake her head, then froze as a thought occurred to her.
Iruel. That name sounded familiar.
“Oh.”
She remembered. He was the young noble Rufus had mentioned in his letter.
“The insolent brat who dared insult the wine, our barony’s specialty, by calling it tasteless?!”
“…Pardon?”
