I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 232
As Iruel once again regained consciousness, a pure white angel came into view.
It was undoubtedly an angel. The child before him was white from head to toe, radiating innocence. His very face was plastered with kindness.
With eyes as clear as if tears might spill at any moment, the angel spoke.
“Brother Iruel, are you awake?”
“…I’ve never had a younger brother.”
Now fully conscious, Iruel mumbled something absurd.
“It’s me, Brother. It’s Edel.”
“Why am I your Brother? I’m an only child. I was my mother’s one and only treasure.”
“Brother Iruel!”
Edel grabbed Iruel’s shoulders and shook him. Lying in bed, Iruel’s body rocked with the movement. Groaning, he sat up.
“Did I pass out?”
“Yeah.”
“This is insane. Where’s the Baroness?”
“Grandma’s sleeping in her quarters.”
“Yeah? And why aren’t you asleep?”
Looking outside, he saw that it was already deep into the night. Judging by the silence in the corridors, the servants had all turned in for the night. And yet, this little brat was still awake.
At Iruel’s question, Edel puffed out his chest proudly.
“You looked really sick, so I stayed to take care of you.”
Oh, please.
“You sure know how to waste time.”
Clicking his tongue, Iruel kicked off his blanket.
“Quit doing useless things and go to bed. You’re tiny as it is.”
“How is this useless? Thanks to me, you weren’t lonely when you woke up. Here!”
With a bright smile, Edel held out a flower to Iruel.
Calling it a flower was almost embarrassing. It was a pitiful plant, so unimpressive that even butterflies and bees ignored it. A common wildflower that scholars hadn’t even bothered to name.
Iruel stared at the flower Edel offered with a dull expression.
“What’s the flower for?”
“To make you feel better.”
“What are you even saying? You think getting a flower from another guy is gonna make me happy?”
Despite his grumbling, Iruel still reached out politely and accepted the flower Edel had picked. It must have been in his hand for quite a while—the snapped stem had already begun to dry out.
“See? Isn’t it pretty? Pretty things make people feel good.”
Edel chirped as he climbed onto the bed and sat beside Iruel.
Iruel glanced at him.
“Not really.”
“That’s your problem, Brother. If you think something is pretty, it’ll feel pretty to you.”
“What nonsense is that?”
Scratching the back of his head, Iruel sighed and lay back down. He had no idea what to do with the flower Edel had shoved into his hand, so he just held onto it.
“You should’ve picked a prettier one.”
“It’s winter, so all the flowers in the garden are dead. Normally, fuchsia flowers are really pretty, but… sorry.”
Edel pulled the blanket up to cover Iruel, adding as an afterthought,
“Sister Sarubia really wanted to see fuchsia flowers. But I guess she’ll have to wait until next spring. That’s too bad.”
Sarubia.
Iruel thought of her.
When was the last time he saw her?
She had come to Inferna territory ahead of him with Rufus. After that, they hadn’t run into each other.
She was small and cute, someone who made him feel at ease whenever he saw her. His heart always pounded whenever she called him ‘Sir Roroel’.
As Iruel indulged in such idle thoughts, Edel suddenly blurted something out.
“I feel happy every time I see Sister Sarubia.”
As Edel said that, his cheeks flushed a faint shade of red.
Seeing his reaction, Iruel rolled his eyes.
Hah, look at this kid.
“Do you like Miss Sarubia?”
“N-No!”
Edel flinched as if he had been pricked by a needle. His entire body jolted, and his face grew even redder.
Oh, this kid is serious.
Iruel clicked his tongue.
“Give up. There’s no way Miss Sarubia will ever like you.”
Edel’s expression crumbled as if he had been struck by a block of ice.
“Why…?”
“Why do you think? Because Miss Sarubia is going to marry your brother, that’s why.”
“Even if Sister Sarubia marries my brother, she can still like me.”
What the hell is he saying now?
“Sister Sarubia has a big heart, so she can like both my brother and me at the same time! Just like how Grandma loves both me and my brother!”
…Oh, so that’s what he meant.
Iruel wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.
For a moment, he had imagined witnessing Rufus beating his own younger brother to a pulp.
“Listen, kid. You should never say things like ‘I like Miss Sarubia’ in front of your brother.”
“Why not?”
“Because your brother is a bit cuckoo bananas. That man would probably kill anyone who likes Miss Sarubia in a romantic way.”
Edel’s face turned to stone.
“My brother wouldn’t do something like that.”
“He absolutely would. And he wouldn’t even hesitate.”
This kid has no idea.
The number of people Rufus had eliminated without leaving a trace was not small.
But Edel would never know.
He would never realize how drenched in blood and madness the older brother he admired so much truly was.
And Iruel had no intention of telling him.
The world outside the bed was too harsh, and it was an adult’s responsibility to keep certain truths from children.
Edel, swinging his legs back and forth beside him, let out a big yawn.
Well, it was late—of course, he’d be sleepy.
Iruel waved a hand at him.
“Kids should hurry off to dreamland.”
“Mmm, okay. Good night, Mister Adult.”
With that, Edel left Iruel’s room.
“Let’s go see the fuchsia flowers together next spring.”
Just before closing the door, Edel peeked his head through the gap and said those words.
Since Edel’s room was right next door, Iruel didn’t bother following him.
Instead, he remained still, keeping his eyes open until he heard the soft click of the door shutting and the quiet sound of a small body flopping onto the bed.
The wildflower in his hand felt warm.
For some reason, his heart softened.
