101-80

Chapter 80

“Seriously… I’ve lived long enough, but I never thought I’d see something like this.”

Henry stared incredulously at Herwin, who was sound asleep.

His older brother—usually strong enough to chew rocks—lying sick and weak like this was a first.

He had come by the mansion because he was still angry about what happened with Lucia and wanted to confront Herwin again. But Herwin had caught a summer cold—one so mild even dogs supposedly never got.

Henry grumbled only for a moment. But once he saw Herwin sweating coldly, he muttered,

“…Are you really that sick, Herwin?”

“He had a high fever last night, but it’s gone down now. Still, it hasn’t fully broken yet, so we need to keep an eye on him.”

A man who was usually sensitive to the slightest noise was sleeping soundly, unaware that someone was right next to him.

With a mix of rebellion and worry, Henry reached out and lightly touched Herwin’s forehead. When Herwin shifted a little, Henry quickly pulled his hand away.

“I’ll just get in the way if I stay.”

In the end, Henry stepped out of the room.

He had thought—after hurting Lucia that badly—if Herwin looked perfectly fine, he wouldn’t let it slide. But now that Herwin was actually sick, it felt strange.

Family was family, after all.

“Young master, where are you going?”

Jerome, who had been quietly closing the door, stopped Henry as he tried to leave.

“I’m going back to the Academy. I was going to talk with him, but in that condition he wouldn’t even be able to hold a proper conversation. I’ll go for now.”

“Then please stay just a little longer. My lady will be returning soon.”

“Mother is coming?”

“Yes, she should arrive any moment now.”

“Hm… I should at least greet Mother before I go.”

After a brief pause, Henry decided to wait and stepped out into the hallway.

Right then, there was noise coming from the main entrance. Hearing someone call out “My lady,” Henry guessed Scarlett had returned at the perfect timing.

“Mother, you’re ba—”

Henry, who rushed to greet her, froze when he noticed someone behind Scarlett.

Lucia.

Scarlett beamed as she greeted her son, who she hadn’t seen in a while.

“Henry! What brings you here? Did you come because you were worried about Herwin?”

“No, I… had something to discuss with him. But, uh… how are you here with Lucia…?”

“Henry, it’s been a while.”

Lucia greeted him awkwardly.

“We stopped by Count Agnes’ estate, and Lucia said she wanted to see Herwin, so we came together. Isn’t that right?”

“Huh? Oh… yes. I guess so.”

Lucia responded reluctantly.

It was true she came because she wanted to check on Herwin, but something felt subtly off about Scarlett’s tone.

Henry, like Lucia, seemed to sense something strange. He looked between the two.

Scarlett, with her narrowed eyes, looked absolutely full of schemes. Lucia, on the other hand, looked rather flustered.

But before either could say anything further, Scarlett spoke.

“Why don’t you go see Herwin first?”

“He’s sleeping right now,”

Henry answered before Lucia could.

“He’s still asleep?”

“Yes. He was already out cold when I arrived. Maybe he’ll wake up soon?”

“Hm, is he still that sick?”

Even if he was sick, quite a bit of time had passed. He should’ve woken up by now.

“Lucia, do you want to stay with us until he wakes up? If you want to talk to him, that might—”

“Um… could I check on him now?”

Scarlett stopped walking. Lucia, who had been wearing a faint smile until now, had lost it entirely—her expression full of worry.

“I only came to check on him, so I’d like to see him now. I don’t want to force anything on someone who’s sick.”

“Well, if that’s what you want.”

Scarlett agreed without fuss.

At her instruction, Henry escorted Lucia to Herwin’s room.

On the way, the two talked.

“Why are you home when you should be at the Academy? Oh, did you come out since it’s the weekend?”

“Yeah. I had something to say to my brother. Didn’t expect him to be this sick, though. I haven’t seen him bedridden like that in years. Not since we were little.”

Lucia unconsciously clenched her fists.

She had heard that during the worst of his trauma, Herwin would lock himself away in his room.

Knowing how much he suffered back then made her chest ache.

‘And I made someone like that suffer even more because of my selfishness.’

Even if she hadn’t intended it, what happened on Herwin’s 16th birthday was enough to trigger his trauma.

In her desperation to get through to him, she had cornered him emotionally.

After the incident, she felt so awful she could’ve died. To think she had been the one to hurt him—of all people.

‘If Herwin hadn’t approached me first…’

Their relationship would have remained stuck at sixteen.

If only Herwin knew how much it had saved her—how his reaching out had been comfort and salvation.

“…Yeah. I hope he gets better soon.”

Seeing Lucia’s calm expression, Henry frowned.

It was painfully obvious—Lucia still liked Herwin very much.

He wanted to tell her to confide in him if she was hurt by his brother. To tell him everything. But he couldn’t say that.

There was a wall between Lucia and Herwin—a wall no one else could cross.

Sometimes he imagined being born before Herwin. Maybe then he would be the one standing by Lucia’s side.

He had thought he’d let her go completely when he stepped back for Herwin’s sake. But the sharp pain in his chest said otherwise.

“Here we are—Herwin’s room.”

Just as Lucia reached for the door, Henry caught her hand.

“Uh, Lucia—!”

But the moment her clear blue eyes met his, Henry froze.

Lucia wasn’t seeing him at all. Her entire focus was somewhere else—on someone else.

“What is it? Did you need something?”

Henry swallowed everything he wanted to say and let go of her hand.

“…No. Just… take good care of my brother.”

“Of course. I’ll go see him.”

Once Lucia went in, Henry slumped down with a deep sigh.

“As expected… I really can’t win against him…”

It wasn’t new—he’d always known this. Yet it still stung.

Meanwhile, Lucia scanned the dim room.

Only the bedside lamp was on, giving Herwin’s face a faint glow.

His soft breathing filled the quiet room. Hearing the raspy wheeze, Lucia stepped closer.

“Herwin…”

He looked even more gaunt than yesterday. He seemed so weak that Lucia’s eyes stung with tears.

“You stubborn fool… You could’ve just set a time and place.”

She was upset about being kicked out by Lucas, and upset that Herwin had waited for her for hours not knowing when she might come.

“If you were trying to change my mind, congratulations. I’m here now, so wake up.”

Her tone came out the opposite of her feelings. She grumbled as she called him, but he didn’t respond.

Lucia slowly reached out.

Her slender fingers brushed gently across his face.

“Your fever isn’t too high. That’s good.”

He was warm, but not dangerously so. Still, considering how sick he’d been last night, even this mild fever meant he had burned up terribly.

Seeing that the cloth on his forehead had dried, Lucia dipped it into the nearby basin.

While wringing it out, she noticed a handkerchief beside the basin.

Her eyes widened.

She picked it up and examined it.

“This is…”

It was the handkerchief she had given him when she confessed to him for the last time.

She thought he’d toss it aside somewhere and never care about it again. So why was it here?

It faintly carried Herwin’s musky scent.

Proof he used it often.

Lucia set it back down, feeling her throat tighten, and placed the cool cloth on his forehead.

“You said you liked Arista, so why are you carrying this around? You could’ve just ignored the things I gave you.”

The cufflinks, the handkerchief—everything Lucia gifted him, Herwin used until they were worn out.

Things given by anyone else, he didn’t spare a second glance.

“With you doing things like this, how am I not supposed to expect something? It makes me think you see me as someone special.”

She bit her trembling lip and wiped her tears.

“…Do you actually like me?”

“…”

“You’re mistaken, you know. You’re confusing the hurt you felt when a close friend drifted away with love.”

Even knowing he couldn’t hear her, saying it aloud eased her heart a little.

“Look inside yourself, too. Figure out whether you really like me, or if you’re just mistaking something else for love. Then your heart will feel lighter.”

Her fingers brushed his hair tenderly. After watching him a little longer, Lucia stood up.

She had confirmed his condition. There was no reason to linger.

Staying wouldn’t make him recover faster, and watching him sick only made her resolve weaken.

Lucia straightened his messy blanket, carefully tucking him in.

“…I’m going now.”

But as she turned to leave, a hot sensation wrapped around her wrist.

Lucia froze, looking down.

It was Herwin’s hand.

“…Lucia.”

His deep, husky voice—blurred with sleep—called her name.

Lucia’s eyes trembled as she looked at him.

His gaze was hazy, unfocused—still half-asleep.

“Don’t go…”

Her heart lurched painfully at the desperate tone.

After a long silence, Lucia barely managed to speak.

“…Why don’t you want me to leave?”

“I’m afraid you’ll leave me forever…”

Hearing such vulnerable words, it was clear he wasn’t fully awake yet.

Lucia approached him and held his hand.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be your friend for life.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, no—”

“I don’t want you with another man…”

Lucia’s lips shut at his next words.

“If you’re with someone else… you disappear from my side. I don’t want that.”

It had to be a misunderstanding—confusing the fear of losing a friend with love. And yet, why did it sound so heartfelt?

“…Then what do you want me to do?”

“Stay with me. Forever… stay by my side.”

Herwin’s eyes were filled with love and despair intertwined.

“If you come to me… I’ll give you the grandest wedding in the world. You’ll be the most beautiful, happiest bride. Just thinking about it makes me so happy.”

He tightened his hold on her hand, interlacing their fingers.

“I hope our child will be a daughter who looks like you. You know… when I first saw you, I thought a fairy had fallen into the human world. Maybe… maybe I fell for you from that very moment.”

Even if he was half-asleep, the words were unbearably embarrassing.

And in that dazed state, who could tell such a lie?

Lucia felt her face grow hot—her hand held tightly in his.