~Chapter 96~
I told Albert about what had happened on the day of the exhibition.
How the Second Prince had come to the late Marquis Linchester’s art collection exhibition, looked at the paintings, and even ended up bidding against me in the auction.
And how, in the end, my father managed to win the painting…
“Well… you might have seen it, but in the hallway leading to the drawing room, there’s a large painting hanging. That’s the one my father won after competing against His Highness the Second Prince. Haha…”
Of course, I didn’t mention how much he had spent on it.
‘If he knew that painting was bought at such a ridiculous price, he might laugh at us…’
“Ah, the one that was bid at 100,000 gold? I think I’ve seen it.”
“……”
I gave an awkward laugh.
How in the world did he know that…?
Then I remembered—it had been in the papers. Because of the high price, it became a hot topic. Albert must have seen it too.
Feeling like I wanted to crawl into a hole, I continued speaking.
“Yes. That’s right. Anyway, that’s what happened…”
“I see. So that’s what happened. Thank you for telling me.”
Albert nodded seriously, not showing any interest in the price at all.
“Is it alright, though? Has the Second Prince always been interested in paintings?”
“Well… honestly, I don’t know much about them either. Ever since I was young, the Empress and the three princes were always wary of me.”
Albert shrugged lightly as he spoke.
“What I do know is that Freddy is the hardest one to read. The other two are… a bit more transparent.”
Exactly! Freddy is a dangerous man. A shady person!
I thought maybe I should warn him more clearly. But then again, meddling too much wouldn’t be good either, so I didn’t say more.
“Still, thank you for telling me. Knowing his movements will definitely help.”
“I’m glad, then… haha.”
I scratched my head and added,
“Actually, I wanted to help you too, Your Highness.”
“…Hm?”
Albert tilted his head. I laughed again.
“Because of you, I’ve been able to undergo treatment like this.”
“…Ah.”
“As I said before… I’m always grateful. You’re the one who gave me the will to live.”
That was the truth.
If I ever managed to survive, I believed it would be thanks to Albert more than anyone. In a different way than Harry, he was another person who made me want to live.
Just knowing that someone cared about me like this… compared to my past life, I was already living a blessed life.
Albert looked at me quietly with a smile, then slowly shook his head.
“Sorry, but I don’t think those words are meant for me.”
“…What?”
I tilted my head in surprise at his unexpected reply.
Albert seemed to hesitate, wondering if he should say it, then let out a soft breath and spoke.
“Actually… it was Fabian who gave me that advice. He told me to make you want to live.”
“…What? Fabian?”
“Yes. I should have told you earlier, but at the time I was too flustered. But I don’t think I should keep taking credit for it.”
Albert looked straight into my eyes, speaking clearly, as if to engrave it into me.
“That idea… it was Fabian’s, Irene.”
“……”
My eyes widened at the truth I had never imagined.
Tea time with Albert continued for about another hour.
Since it had been a long time, once he started talking about his childhood, he seemed to have endless stories to share. I joined in his conversation happily, but deep down, something in my chest felt heavy and unsettled.
After tea time ended, the servants quickly began cleaning up the place where Albert had been sitting.
I didn’t go inside right away. Instead, I just stood there, staring at the spot he had left, lost in thought.
[“Fabian told me once… Humans choose death only when they have no reason left to live. He asked me if I’d ever considered why you have no reason to live.”]
[“He said I should think about what kind of world you, a terminal patient, are seeing. And if I wanted to treat you, I first had to give you a reason to want to live.”]
So it was Fabian… he had secretly given Albert that advice.
He told him to first make me want to live. To give me a reason to cling to life.
That was why Albert, and even my parents, had changed their minds and acted for my sake—
to help me find a reason to live.
“…What an idiot.”
I let out a short laugh.
I was surprised that Fabian, who always seemed uninterested in other people’s affairs, would give Albert such advice.
But at the same time… it hurt.
It hurt that Fabian, who was suffering from such deep loneliness himself, still gave such words for my sake.
Fabian was the only one who had truly listened to my heart and understood me.
And yet, I had been blind to his feelings, saying foolish and childish things.
“Tsk…”
My nose stung. I wiped the corner of my eyes with my sleeve.
Honestly… wasn’t this just like the male lead of a novel? Always doing things that make my heart ache.
At that moment, one of the maids, who had just finished cleaning the table, came up and asked cautiously,
“Young Lady, will you stay out here longer? The sun will start getting hot soon.”
“Ah… no, I’ll go in.”
I bit my lip.
After taking a quiet breath, as if I had made up my mind, I stood up.
Once inside the mansion, I looked for Sophie.
“Sophie, could you call the tailor for me? There’s something I’d like to order.”
“…?”
Fabian stared at the object suddenly held out in front of him.
Training today was the same as usual.
The mana inside Irene’s body was still violent—just touching it made it seem as if it would kill her.
Still, maybe because she had started exercising, she seemed to have improved. At least, today she didn’t faint.
He had noticed Irene was unusually quiet, only focusing on the training without speaking to him about anything personal.
But then, once the training ended, she suddenly handed him something.
“Please take this. It’s a gift.”
“…A gift?”
Fabian tilted his head, looking at the box she held out.
What was she up to now?
He took the large box, tied with a ribbon, and opened it. Inside was—
“…A cloak?”
“Yes!” Irene quickly answered.
“Remember I said before? That I thought you’d look good even in colorful cloaks? …But I figured giving you something too flashy all of a sudden would make you uncomfortable. So I settled for purple instead.”
“…”
“I really put a lot of thought into this. Purple can easily look tacky, so I worked hard to find the right shade.”
It wasn’t a tacky purple at all. Instead, it was a very deep, vivid tone.
In the dark, it could almost pass for black.
“Pretty, right? With this, you could at least give it a try. Waaah, I think it’ll suit you so well.”
Irene smiled, almost as if she were the one excited.
“Fabian, do you know what personal color analysis is? I just overheard it somewhere, but you definitely seem like a ‘winter cool tone.’ Bright, vivid colors would look great on you. I promise! Try this first, and once you get used to it, we can try other colors too.”
“…”
Fabian stayed silent, staring down at the cloak for a long time.
Finally, he closed the box.
“…I don’t need this. I told you before, don’t keep treating me this way.”
“Come on, just try it once.”
“…”
But this time, Irene didn’t back down. She pushed the box toward him again, her determination written all over her face.
Fabian frowned. That was when Irene spoke again—
“Fabian, I heard you gave Albert advice. You told him to make me want to live… didn’t you?”
