IBVM 10

Chapter 10

A strange light settled in Cho’s eyes.
Instead of being startled by my bombshell declaration, her eyes sparkled.
As expected, Cho was different from most people. Anyone else would’ve laughed it off as the childish fantasy of a girl dreaming of marrying a prince.

But Cho didn’t laugh. Her eyes gleamed.

They were the eyes of someone calculating exactly what she might gain from my words.
Still, she didn’t truly believe what I said would come true. At the core was suspicion.

“You’re saying you want to marry Prince Cassion?”

I nodded vigorously.
We were technically in a “proposal rejected” phase right now, but it was only a matter of time before Cassion took my hand. I was confident I could make that happen.

“Ha!”

Cho let out a sigh. I couldn’t read her emotions, so I calmly explained my plan.

“I’ll marry His Highness, inherit the family, and make a full investment in Aunt’s guild. In return, I want you to prioritize my requests at all times.”

“So you’re asking me to work for free first?”

“Of course not.”

I tore off the necklace around my neck. The gold chain snapped, scraping my skin, but I didn’t care.

Cho narrowed her eyes. Jenice gasped silently in shock.

Casually rubbing the wound on my neck, I held out the necklace to Cho. A gemstone about the size of my thumb hung from it.

“This is the initial payment. I need you to find someone. In the capital’s slums. Sky-blue hair. About… sixteen years old? His name is Revert.”

There was no time to waste.

I needed a mad doctor—immediately.

Cho accepted my request with a baffled expression, after receiving an emerald larger than an adult’s thumb joint. While she worked on my commission, I busied myself with my own affairs.

“I’m here, Your Highness.”

Another nightly visit. I greeted him as I opened Cassion’s door.

“I’m getting tired of sneaking in every time.”

I dusted off my dress, dirtied from crawling through the small opening.

“But I can’t exactly come and go openly.”

If Count Kolkos found out I was meeting Cassion, he’d scheme something, and Dason would cause an uproar.

“I absolutely can’t get caught. Still, I wonder how long Count Kolkos will stay quiet.”

I’d heard that after leaving in humiliation last time, he’d shut himself in, meeting only with his retainers.
Apparently, he was urgently insisting on appointing a guardian.

“I need to persuade His Highness quickly.”

I grew anxious.

“Your Highness, are you asleep?”

Unlike usual, Cassion was silent.

When I entered the room, I saw him sitting by the moonlit window, wrapped in a blanket, staring up at the sky.

If he were healthy, it would’ve been a beautiful scene—but his emaciated body made it feel dangerously fragile.

“He looks like he could die any moment.”

A deep scent of resignation clung to him, as if he could let go of life at any time.

“Did you eat? Is Flak taking good care of you?”

I pulled a chair beside him and spoke, but Cassion didn’t respond.

I was used to being ignored.

He used to try hard to chase me away, but after losing consciousness a few times mid-argument, he’d switched to total indifference.

I came knowing I’d be ignored, so it didn’t hurt.
Smiling to myself, I hypnotized my own mood and beamed at him.

They say you can’t spit at a smiling face—I hoped my smile would lift his spirits. But today, he wouldn’t even look at me.

Like a sulky cat. I wanted to grab his cheeks and shake him—but I was afraid his neck might snap.

“Your Highness, don’t be stubborn. Let’s get married.”

I expected the usual routine.

“Let’s get married.” — No.
“Let’s get married.” — Get lost.

But then—

“…Would things change if I did?”

An unexpected answer slipped from Cassion’s lips.

He had turned from the window to face me.

Only then did I really see his face. He looked terrible.
Dark circles hollowed beneath his eyes, and dried blood clung to the corner of his mouth.

“Flak, you idiot—I told you not to leave anything out!”

Even knowing Flak couldn’t always stay in touch, I still blamed him whenever something happened to Cassion.

What had my frail—physically frail—prince gone through this time?

“Tell me. If I marry you, will things really change?”

It wasn’t a question of doubt.
It was a plea—please make me believe.

For some reason, the sweet words that usually flowed so easily stuck in my throat.

Why was he like this today?

“You’re asking if marrying you will cure this damn disease and let me punch Dason in the face, right?”

So Dason had been here.

I remembered the vile things Dason had spewed at Cassion during his last palace visit.
He probably hadn’t noticed the improved environment, but it was easy to guess he’d still caused trouble.

Looking straight into Cassion’s eyes, I said firmly:

“Yes. I’ll cure your illness—and let you punch Dason’s face. No, I’ll let you strangle his neck.”

The words spilled out like a vow. I spoke slowly, clearly, so he could trust me.

“How?”

He wasn’t asking because he didn’t believe.
He was begging me to make it believable.

“I told you—I have money. A lot of it. There’s nothing money can’t do. Just tell me what you want.”

“You talk like you could buy a whole country.”

It wasn’t cheap—but it wouldn’t be hard.
If I became head of the family and could freely use the Irenver fortune, I could buy a small nation outright.

And I planned to grow that wealth even more—taking back everything Dason stole.

“Do you want a country? Then… let’s just take this kingdom. I’ll make it happen.”

The country Dason was meant to have—I would steal it from him.

Cassion shook his head as if he’d just heard the ravings of a lunatic.
But the corners of his lips softened.

“Don’t think so negatively. If you need land, I’ll carve out a territory near the capital for you. So—will you marry me, Cassion?”

I’d give him the best I had.
For now, that was money. One day, it would be power.

From his perspective, though, I probably sounded like a braggart.

Cassion stayed silent for a long while.

“…No. I won’t.”

The delayed answer was rejection.

I thought I had him! Was he messing with me right now?!

My fist clenched, but I held back.

I was the one begging for marriage—what choice did I have?

“Fine. Don’t.”

I let my stiff posture collapse and leaned back in the chair. Today’s courtship ended there.

After all, life goes from “no, no, no” to “yes, yes, yes.”

Cassion’s gaze fixed on my profile.

His face was still expressionless, but mischief sparkled briefly in his eyes.

“But hey—you spoke informally earlier. That’s insulting royalty.”

“Report me, then.”

He stared at me like I was unbelievable, then sighed.

Stepping on the footrest by the wall, he climbed down from the window and slowly made his way to the bed.

I pretended not to care, but I watched every movement carefully—ready to catch him if he staggered.

Thankfully, he reached the bed safely and pulled the blanket snug around himself.

Since I’d started caring for him, his health had improved, if only slightly.

Before, he’d have stopped several times to gasp for breath. Today, he made it without pausing once.

I nearly smiled in relief, but held it in.
Cassion hated knowing I worried about him.

“Don’t pity me,” he’d say.

But I’d never pitied him.

I treated him well for my own benefit—and because of the conscience I’d developed as an adult.

I couldn’t explain that in detail, so I just said, “It’s not pity.”
Of course, he never believed me and frowned whenever I looked concerned.

“Did you eat?”

I’d already told him this wasn’t concern—just a normal question anyone could ask.

Lately, he’d at least answer briefly. Today, he ignored me completely.

“Already asleep?”

I approached the bed. His eyes were tightly shut. I waved my hand in front of his face—his long lashes didn’t flutter.

Like a kitten that never got enough mother’s milk, he’d withered… then been swallowed by sleep.

“I really need to find him soon.”

Finding Revert was taking longer than expected.
Before I died, Chorni’s information network had been faster than the royal intelligence office—enough to make Dason click his tongue.

“I can’t stand this.”

Once I married Cassion and could freely handle the estate, I’d invest in Cho first.

I pulled the blanket up, tucking him in without any gaps.

“What happened to His Highness, anyway…”

The question Cassion had asked weighed on my chest like a stone.

At last, Cho—whom I’d been waiting for—came to see me.
It was right as Jenice was reading the climax of a detective novel.

“Eek! You scared me!”

Jenice nearly fainted when Cho silently climbed in through the window.

“You’re here, Aunt?”

“Why aren’t you startled at all?”

Because I saw your shadow first.

I shrugged. Muttering something like, Why does no one ever warn me?, Jenice closed her book and retreated.

“What about the request?”

“I found him.”

“I knew you would.”

Cho raised an eyebrow.

“You sometimes act like a hundred-year-old geezer. Anyone watching would think you’ve lived twice.”

Not a hundred—but it is my second life.

“I’d love to chat leisurely with you, Aunt, but I’m in a hurry. Where is he?”

Last night, Cassion had been in severe pain.
The medicine from Dallas hadn’t even eased his suffering.

I needed the person I was searching for—now.

A man who rose to become the royal physician through genius medical skill and revolutionary treatments…
Only to fall into ruin due to a morbid obsession with corpses.

‘Revert.’

When I was fifteen, he developed a drug that reduced pain like magic.
I remembered Cassion feeling slightly better after taking it.

‘I need to speed up the development as much as possible.’