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

Episode 76

“Ian!”

It was indeed Ian.

As soon as Lloydin returned, I sent a letter to Ian first.

However, due to the exam period, Ian couldn’t come immediately and had only now returned to the mansion.

“Ian.”

The brothers embraced each other warmly.

Seeing the two always getting along so well brought a pleased smile to my face.

“Brother, I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, Ian.”

Shortly after they parted from each other’s embrace, we climbed into the carriage waiting outside the mansion and set off for the bustling festival district.

“Ian, have you been well?”

“Yes, I’ve been fine. Brother, have you been hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine. I haven’t been hurt.”

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

Ian sighed with relief at the news that Lloydin was unharmed.

“I heard from wife. You did well as I asked, I’m so proud of you, Ian.”

“It wasn’t anything difficult.”

Ian responded with a shy yet pleased smile to his brother’s praise.

“Thank you.”

“We’re family, after all. If you weren’t here, it’s only natural that I’d take care of it.”

Startled by Ian’s words, I gaped at the two with wide eyes.

“Ian…”

As I called out to Ian with a voice filled with emotion, he responded with another bashful expression.

“We are family, right?”

“That’s right. We are indeed a family.”

I quickly nodded in agreement.

As Lloydin affectionately stroked Ian’s head, Ian beamed brightly.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was warm and cheerful throughout.

About an hour later, we finally arrived at our destination.

As soon as we alighted from the carriage, with Lloydin’s escort, another familiar face approached us.

“Dahlia!”

Upon seeing Dahlia, Ian immediately ran over to her and then brought her back to us.

“Hello, Duke of Blighton, Duchess of Blighton.”

“Hello, Dahlia.”

“It’s been a while, Dahlia.”

After Dahlia greeted us, Lloydin and I also happily greeted the child.

“May I spend time with both of you and Ian today?”

“Of course.”

Delighted by Dahlia’s polite yet cute request, I warmly welcomed her.

“Thank you! There are lots of delicious foods over there. Let’s go quickly! Come on, Ian!”

Dahlia grabbed one hand in mine and the other in Ian’s, pulling us along.

Surprised by the child’s remarkable attachment, I followed Dahlia and turned to reach out to Lloydin.

“Let’s go, all of us.”

Hand in hand, the four of us willingly walked into the crowded festival area to fully enjoy the festivities.

* * *

The streets were bustling with festival-goers since the afternoon.

“Over here, this way.”

Dahlia led us to a shop.

It was a stall selling a variety of delicious-looking skewers.

“This place has the best skewers.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I guarantee the taste.”

The smell alone was definitely mouth-watering.

Trusting the confident Dahlia, we bought a few skewers.

I chose one skewered alternately with potatoes and meat.

Anticipating how tasty it would be, I took a bite and my eyes widened instantly.

“Wow, this is really good, isn’t it?”

“Right?”

Dahlia, vindicated, beamed proudly with a triumphant expression.

Lloydin and Ian also showed the same reaction as me, enjoying their food.

After that, we filled our stomachs with a few more dishes and slowly strolled around the streets, looking around.

The vibrant energy from the various sights and the happy people enjoying them made me feel good too.

“Ian! Let’s go over there!”

“Huh?”

At the place Dahlia pointed to, there was a fun event going on that children would like.

“Hurry! Oh, can we go there and come back?”

Holding Ian’s hand, Dahlia was about to run forward when she hesitated and asked us.

“Yes, go ahead. Be careful! And make sure to come back before the sun sets. Let’s meet at the place where we parked the carriage.”

“Okay! Let’s go, Ian!”

“I’ll be back. Brother.”

“Alright. Take care.”

The figures of the two children running at great speed gradually got smaller.

Lloydin and I watched Ian and Dahlia until they disappeared from our view.

Then, when we could no longer see the children, we turned our heads and looked at each other.

“What shall we do until we meet the children again?”

“Is there something you wanted to try, madam?”

“Something I wanted to try?”

I paused to think about Lloydin’s question.

What did I really want to do when I came to such a festival?

As soon as I arrived at the festival, there were so many things I wanted to do that my mind was all over the place.

“I want to do everything.”

“Everything, you say?”

“Yes, everything that’s possible.”

Upon hearing this, Lloydin seemed to ponder for a moment and then responded.

“Then let’s do everything one by one. We have plenty of time.”

Lloydin gently smiled and extended his hand to me.

“Sounds good.”

With him, there was nothing I couldn’t do.

I smiled with excitement and firmly grasped his sturdy hand.

And like someone breaking through levels in a game, we swept through every corner of the streets.

Fortunately, the cozy spring weather was neither too hot nor too cold, perfect for walking around.

Moreover, the streets were lined with shops selling fragrant flowers, which was a delight for the eyes.

Suddenly, a crimson flower in one of the shops caught my eye.

The color was so pretty that I stopped to take a look.

“The flowers are so beautiful. Isn’t the color just gorgeous?”

“They are beautiful.”

“Right?”

While I was captivated by the flowers, the owner of the flower shop approached us.

I thought the owner would be a woman since it was a flower shop, but it was unexpectedly a young man.

“It seems you have a distinguished eye for beauty, being nobility.”

Although he was flattering me to sell the flowers, it didn’t sound too bad.

“What’s the name of this flower?”

“It’s called Alera.”

“Alera?”

It oddly resembled my name.

“Yes. It’s a flower that only bloomed across the sea, but I managed to get the seeds and successfully cultivated it.”

“You did?”

“Yes. This flower is sold exclusively at our shop.”

“How much is one?”

“It’s 1 gold per stem.”

“1 gold?”

“What kind of flower costs 1 gold per stem?”

1 gold could buy several books at a bookstore, and here, books weren’t exactly cheap.

No matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t want to buy a flower that would wilt in just a day or two for 1 gold.

‘Pretty, but I can’t help it.’

Just as I was about to shrug off the disappointment and turn away, it happened.

“I’ll buy a bunch.”

Lloydin’s voice suddenly popped up, having been quiet until now.

“A bunch? Oh, thank you very much. I’ll prepare it right away, please wait a moment.”

Upon hearing Lloydin’s decision to buy a bunch, the shop owner, with a grin reaching his ears, carefully picked up the flowers and rushed inside.

“That’s too many.”

“It’s a gift for you, madam. I hope you’ll accept it.”

“But a bunch is…”

Although it wasn’t much considering the wealth Lloydin and I had, I still felt uncomfortable.

So, I was standing there with a stiff expression.

“Alera.”

“Yes?”

For a moment, I thought he had called my name and looked up at him, startled, with wide eyes.

He had never once called me Alera before, and it sounded just like he had.

“Ah, the flower’s name is Alera.”

But I soon realized he was talking about the flower and managed to calm my surprise.

“It’s similar to your name, madam.”

As soon as the owner mentioned the name, it seemed he had the same thought as me.

“It does sound similar. Ayla, Alera. If said wrong, it might sound like my name.”

“Yes, it might. But not only the name, this flower very much resembles you.”

“I resemble the flower?”

“Yes. Bright and shining, just like you.”

Lloydin nodded seriously.

Ah, he didn’t mean I looked like the flower in the typical sense; it was something a bit different.

Caught off guard by the unexpected reason, I thought it over and realized it was perhaps a nicer compliment than just being called pretty.

“That’s why I wanted to give it to you as a gift.”

“Then I’ll gratefully accept it.”

Eventually swayed by his words, I happily accepted the gift.

Soon after, the flower shop owner came out and handed me a beautifully wrapped bouquet.

The dazzlingly beautiful flowers gathered together indeed shone more brightly, just as he had said.

“They are so beautiful. Thank you once again.”

“I am more thankful that you accepted the gift.”

As I smiled brightly at his words, Lloydin also smiled softly, following my lead.

* * *

After leaving the flower shop, we enjoyed the festival without noticing the time passing, and the sky gradually turned red.

Because we had to attend a banquet at the palace in the evening, we had to return to the mansion first.

Lloydin and I hurried back to the carriage as we had promised the children earlier.

However, looking around the carriage and nearby, the children were nowhere to be seen.

“What should we do? They must still be out sightseeing.”

“Let’s go look for them.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Lloydin instructed the servants to find Ian and Dahlia, and we also set out to look for the children.