Because I was Terminally Ill, I Married the Male Lead's Brother, and Now He's Obsessed with Me

Episode 11

Feeling a sense of disappointment due to the fading sensation of the power and a strange sense of it, I withdrew my hand.

“Yes. So, should I go home and tell my parents that I will marry the Duke?”

Up to this point, I had expected his approval to naturally come from his lips given the conversation we had.

“No. There seems to be no need for that.”

However, the words that broke my expectations resounded in my ears.

“What?”

Unintentionally, my voice rose as I questioned him.

“Lady, you said that your healing could be achieved just by holding my hand.”

“Oh, yes.”

“I will assist in your healing, but I will not marry you.”

In that moment, it felt as though someone had struck my head forcefully, a shock I never anticipated while conversing with him.

Up until now, I believed that he might propose marriage as a way for my illness to be cured or that he would ignore my entire situation without providing anything in return.

“Why, why not?”

He had offered me his kindness without asking for anything in return, which is why I couldn’t help but inquire about the reason.

“Such a thing would be of no help to the Duke. Why would you want to help me?”

Honestly, it was a very favorable and good deal for me. Therefore, in any other situation, it would have been a time to celebrate and perhaps even dance with joy, but I didn’t feel that way at all now.

“Oh, could there be someone you already have in your heart?”

Why did I assume he was alone? No matter how ostracized he might be in noble society, I should have considered that someone as handsome and decent as him could have feelings for someone else.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know about that…”

Feeling my mood plummeting inexplicably, I quickly apologized to Lloydin for my big mistake.

“Well, then, what should we do? What other way…”

While Lloydin had agreed to help with my treatment, the treatment required close contact. However, there would be limits to the kind of contact we could have with someone who was in love.

“Hugging is already out of the question, but maybe he’d be fine with holding hands?”

If that wasn’t allowed either…

“And I might need to get married to help him… What should I do?”

In a state of shock due to this unexpected turn of events, I found myself mumbling to myself and pondering the situation. Suddenly, Lloydin grabbed me with both arms.

I stopped my restless pacing and looked at him with a bewildered expression, and Lloydin firmly stated with determination in his voice.

“There is no one else.”

“What?”

“I have no other feelings.”

I didn’t understand his words at first, so I asked him. Lloydin stared at me and reiterated with force.

“Oh, there isn’t anyone else. Umm… really? You don’t have anyone else?”

In response to his assertion of having no other feelings, I felt a rapid improvement in my mood and couldn’t help but raise my voice.

“Yes, there isn’t anyone else.”

“In that case, there’s no problem with us getting married at all. You don’t have to receive anything from me, just give. This is not a transaction.”

“That’s correct. This is not a transaction.”

“If this isn’t a transaction, then why…”

“It was the first time.”

“What?”

Startled by his words of “the first time,” I looked at him in bewilderment.

“The first time I have been told by someone that my power could help them, it was you.”

As he said this, I saw the corners of his mouth slightly turn up. He was… smiling.

Even with his usually expressionless face, his smile was so exquisite that I could stare at it all day and not get tired of it. It was that perfect.

I found myself gazing at him for quite a while, almost as if I were spellbound, but then I snapped back to reality.

Our conversation wasn’t over yet.

“But, Your Grace. We need to get married for me to help you. My illness can only be cured if I touch you. We can easily resolve all these issues through marriage.”

“I can handle my own issues.”

No, he couldn’t. I could state that with absolute certainty. There were issues he couldn’t resolve on his own, issues that involved not just him but his entire family. I didn’t know the specifics, but I was well aware that he couldn’t resolve the outcome of what lay ahead alone. I had to find a way to persuade him and change his mind.

“Your Grace, please listen to what I have to say…”

But that’s when it happened. Just as I was trying to persuade him, there was a loud knocking on the closed door of the reception room from the outside.

“Your Grace, it’s William. You should come out urgently.”

I recognized the voice of the butler from the entrance of the mansion. His tone seemed quite frantic, indicating that something significant had happened.

“Just wait a moment. What’s going on?”

As I nodded towards him, I could hear the butler’s words from outside.

“Master Ian has awakened. However, it seems you should go see him immediately.”

Master Ian? You mean Ian Blighton?

“Ian has woken up? Alright, I’ll be there soon.”

“Understood.”

Upon hearing that Ian had awakened, a strong emotion swept across Lloydin’s face. I could tell he was in a hurry.

“Go see him.”

“Sorry for this. I should be leaving for today. We can continue next time…”

“No, you will wait here. I will wait.”

“Your Grace.”

“It sounds urgent; you should go quickly.”

Despite my objections, Lloydin appeared flustered but left the room.

I watched his back as the door closed and let out a sigh of relief.

‘Phew… I was worried he might chase me away. I can’t leave it like this.’

I had to conclude our conversation today, and I couldn’t return home without doing so.

‘But I can’t leave without him coming back.’

I didn’t want to leave before he returned. His family would be worried if they found out I was here, and I feared that they might create a commotion. I needed to wait for Lloydin to return.

As I waited, I organized my thoughts in the reception room.

However, what could it mean that Ian Blighton had awakened? It didn’t seem like he had just woken up from a nap. The urgency of the situation as conveyed by both the butler and Lloydin was concerning.

Could it be that he was ill?

‘Ah…’

Lloydin had mentioned it earlier, that he needed to return urgently for a family matter.

‘If it’s because his younger brother is sick…’

As I connected the scattered puzzle pieces and made sense of the various pieces of information, I heard the clicking sound of a door.

Looking towards the door, I saw Lloydin entering the room.

* * *

‘Why does he look like that?’

The person who had come to visit his younger brother appeared utterly despondent, as if the world was on the verge of collapsing.

I quickly got up from my seat and approached him.

“Your Grace.”

The atmosphere around him was unusual, so I cautiously addressed him, and it took some time before he finally spoke.

“Will marrying the Lady save my brother?”

“Your Grace?”

A voice filled with despair emanated from him.

“Ian… My younger brother is very ill. To save him, we need a medicine with magical power, but to obtain that…”

He couldn’t continue, and tears welled up in Lloydin’s eyes.

Looking at his crumpled shoulders, I felt the need to envelop him, even though he had seemed like an unshakeable mountain earlier.

On impulse, I hugged him tightly.

“Whatever it is, I will find it for you. I will save your brother, no matter what. So please trust me.”

And that’s how our deal was sealed.

* * *

Before leaving the Blighton mansion, I promised Lloydin that I would procure the medicine as soon as possible.

‘A medicine with magical power.’

Lloydin had explained that Ian’s magical powers were currently unstable, with a high risk of going out of control. If he lost control, he could end up tearing his own body apart and dying.

That’s why he needed a medicine infused with magical power to suppress it. But if someone else found out about Ian’s condition, they might choose to let him die.