Chapter 34
I didn’t exactly regain consciousness on my own; rather, I was forcibly brought back by a sudden shout.
“Uh… huh?”
I just stared blankly with my eyes open when Rohen shook my body roughly.
“Are you okay? Huh?”
“Uh… how…?”
I was about to ask what had happened when suddenly—
“Unni… Unni woke up…?”
A sleepy voice, as if just waking from sleep, reached my ears, followed shortly by the sound of hurried footsteps.
“Unni!”
When I finally saw Lari, she was looking at me with puffy, swollen eyes.
As soon as she saw me, tears welled up in her eyes again, as if some deep sorrow had been released.
“It’s okay… Unni, you’re not hurt, right? Your eyes are open? Is it really you…?”
I should have slowly lifted my hand to wipe her tears, but my hands were trembling so badly I didn’t even think about moving them.
“Ah…”
“Unni, what’s wrong? Does it still hurt somewhere? Huh?”
Lari grabbed my shaking hand urgently, her face even more serious than before.
“No, it’s just that I have no strength. But… what happened?”
I tried to act casual and smiled while attempting to sit up, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. It was as if I were a branch—my whole body wouldn’t respond.
“You have no strength at all, huh?”
Rohen, who had been irritated just moments ago, now spoke in a much calmer voice, as if his anger had subsided.
“Uh…?”
“You’ve been lying down like this for several days, so it’s normal to have no strength.”
“I… have been lying down? The whole time?”
Both Rohen and Lari nodded simultaneously.
“Yes, how long?”
“Three days.”
“That’s why we were so worried you might be in trouble.”
Pouting, Lari fiddled with my hand.
“Really…? Am I, like… really sick somewhere…?”
I had thought I’d only slept a few hours at most. But hearing that I had been asleep for three whole days left me stunned. No wonder my body felt so weak. I must not have eaten and just slept all the time. The thought was almost absurd.
‘Was my body really that weak?’
I had thought it was fairly strong.
And the twins hadn’t said a word the entire time.
“Really… is my body… sick somewhere? It’s okay, you can tell me.”
It’s better to know than not, so I asked again after a long pause—but the twins still remained silent. Lari seemed to be deferring to Rohen to speak, and Rohen just bit his lip.
“…Do I have some terminal illness?”
“Pft.”
I asked seriously, and after a long pause, all I got was a snicker.
“What’s with that laugh?”
“They said there’s nothing wrong. Just that your tension is released and you’re fatigued.”
“…Really? You’re not hiding some serious illness from me?”
As an orphan who, in the novel, was supposed to have suffered terribly, it was only natural to worry. My hands trembled slightly at the thought that maybe the story had been altered and my fate, which should have ended long ago, was now playing out this way.
But Rohen shook his head as if amused by my worry.
“Not at all. They wouldn’t hide something like that. Why would they hide it from you?”
“……”
“They really said you’re fine. If you don’t believe me, ask Lari, who’s clinging to you like a little puppy.”
My gaze naturally turned to Lari.
“Lari…”
“Yes, really! They said there’s nothing to worry about!”
“Really…?”
“Yep! Lari doesn’t lie!”
Seeing Lari smile so innocently, a sense of relief washed over me. Rohen didn’t believe it at all, but I trusted Lari.
“That’s a relief.”
“They also said you need to eat well. You’re so thin because you weren’t eating properly. You need to eat well and rest too.”
“Hmm… okay…”
“And, I’m not sure why, but they also said you should visit the temple sometime.”
The sudden mention of a temple made me shake my head.
“Visit a temple?”
“Yes.”
“…Ah.”
“Why? You can’t go?”
“No, it’s not that… I just… haven’t really been to a temple before.”
I had seen priestesses before, but never gone inside a temple. The orphanage director would never have taken us to the sacred place, which was only found in the imperial capital or other large cities.
They said it was costly and unnecessary.
So hearing the word “temple” was just fascinating.
“They said I should go once. Don’t know why, though.”
“Uh… okay… I guess I should go if I can.”
It wasn’t a place I could go just because I wanted, so I just nodded vaguely.
“So, nothing hurts?”
“Yeah. I’m fine now. Aside from feeling weak.”
“Unni, don’t get sick. It hurt my heart seeing you hurt.”
Puffed-up cheeks like a little squirrel, Lari rubbed them against the blanket.
“Yeah, got it.”
“I’ll even give you my Yangdori, so don’t get sick. Ah… well, I can’t really give it… I’ll just let you borrow it until you’re better.”
Smiling so brightly that all her teeth showed, Lari laid her ever-present doll on my pillow.
“Huh?”
“Since I got this, only good things have happened! Hehe. It’s my guardian spirit. So it will protect you too, Unni.”
I silently nodded at Lari. Somehow, receiving her unconditional, blind love made me feel almost guilty.
“So don’t get sick. I won’t allow Unni to be sick.”
“Huh?”
“If you get sick… hehe. Never mind.”
For a moment, Lari’s slightly open eyes emitted a strange energy. It felt odd for a brief moment, but I quickly shook my head.
Just brushing it off as my imagination.
I shifted my gaze around, trying to shake off the strange feeling. What I saw then was the bed I was lying on. At first, I thought it was a trick of the eye, but no—it wasn’t.
“But… isn’t this your bed?”
Not that it mattered, but this huge bed, which I could roll around on for hours, was clearly not meant for me. The feel of the bedding behind me, the pillow that seemed to mold perfectly to my head—it was the finest quality.
The luxurious wallpaper on the ceiling confirmed it. There was no doubt this was the twins’ room.
“Yes! It’s our bed!”
“Really…?”
“Yes! That’s why we slept next to you the whole time! Lari really liked it! It reminded me of old times too.”
Lari, lying next to me again, smiled joyfully.
“Really?”
“Yes! Let’s keep sleeping here from now on.”
I wondered if that was allowed. The duke surely wouldn’t stay quiet. Just thinking about it made goosebumps rise on my back.
“…I wonder if it’s okay. Surely he wouldn’t allow it.”
“Yeah… brother fought a lot with dad.”
“Fought?”
“He said maybe you’re sick or something, and we should isolate you somewhere else first! That’s why he got so mad.”
Pouting, Lari complained.
“That makes sense… But he’s right. If you couldn’t get up for three days… it’s natural to be concerned. Your health itself. To him, you guys are…”
“What’s so natural about it? Even you sound annoying. Hah. Really annoying. Sick, my foot. A healthy person just got tired and slept.”
Rohen, who had been scolding me, looked down at me lying in bed.
“But you seem fine now.”
“Yeah! I’m fine now! Aside from a little weakness.”
“…Sleep more. Anyway, every time you open your eyes, it’s annoying.”
With that, Rohen slowly moved around the room and turned off all the lights. Night darkness settled in, and I fell asleep alongside Lari, who clung to me.
I was able to get up again only after four more days had passed. A full week after arriving at this house, I could move again.
Of course, I still had to eat in bed, and getting up was only possible when I avoided Rohen’s watchful eyes.
“Ah! What should I do?”
After breakfast, lying in bed, I had to shout in frustration.
After leisurely stretching in my room, I suddenly jumped up. But as soon as I did, Rohen lightly tapped my shoulder, and I stumbled backward.
“Why are you getting up? You should lie down more.”
“You always say that to me.”
“You should act like a proper sister. Running around without realizing your body is weak, then collapsing.”
Grumbling, Rohen placed a damp handkerchief on my head. Since it hadn’t been wrung out properly, water dripped and soaked the pillow.
“I told you, I’m not hurt.”
“What do you mean you’re not hurt? I can’t believe it.”
“……”
“So just lie down.”
“Until when?”
I had come here as the twins’ guardian, but now I was being protected instead. I had so much to do, and being young, I should be moving more actively—but all I could do was feel impatient.
For now, I was allowed to stay here, but that didn’t solve everything.
“Unni. Sleep here with Lari like this.”
Lari, asleep next to me, clutched me tightly.
“Ah… I do want to sleep more, but I can’t here.”
“Why? What’s with getting up all the time?”
“…I only have one month left to live.”
At the words “one month left,” Rohen’s face hardened.
“Don’t say stuff like that. You scared me.”
“Huh? Were you scared?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. But this is really important to me. I need to show I’m capable… so no one interferes with what I do from now on.”
“What are you planning to do?”
