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

Episode 85

After that, I shared more details about our illness with Daliah, wanting her to understand it as fully as possible.

To my relief, the intelligent and wise Daliah asked questions freely and accepted most of the information.

Just as we were about to wrap up our conversation, Daliah had a few more questions, one of which particularly flustered me. She asked how we discovered that magic was the cure for our illness.

“But why do the Duchess and I have this illness?” she asked.

“The truth is, I don’t know. Neither did my parents, who tried to find the cause and a cure but never succeeded.”

“Then how did you find out that magic is the cure?”

I had been asked this question twice before, by my family and Lloydin. Thankfully, I had experience lying about it, so I recalled my previous answers and responded to Daliah.

“I didn’t know magic was the cure at first. I once overheard someone saying that after falling into a long sleep, they woke up completely cured after collapsing in the Black Forest. I didn’t believe it at the time, but I clung to that tiny hope and sought out the Duke.”

“Wow, so that led to you two falling in love and getting married?”
Daliah’s eyes sparkled as she asked.

Ian, also curious since this was his first time hearing the story, looked at us with expectant eyes.

The children’s expressions, anticipating a romantic story, made me feel a bit awkward.

“Well, you see…”

Just as I was struggling to find the right words, Lloydin answered without hesitation.

“Yes, that’s right. To be precise, I had feelings for her even before then.”

His unexpected response left me speechless and my heart pounding as it felt like a confession of his love.

“Before then? So, Duke, you knew the Duchess from before?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Lloydin continued speaking with Daliah, but I couldn’t hear anything. His affirmation that he had fallen in love with me and married me echoed in my mind.

As I replayed his words, another part of his statement suddenly struck me.

‘He knew me from before?’

How?

I looked at Lloydin with wide eyes, but he only gave me a gentle smile when our eyes met.

“Really? Can you tell us more? I’m so curious!”

Daliah urged, her face flushed with excitement.

I, too, was eager to know more but couldn’t bring myself to ask. Daliah, thankfully, was doing it for me.

Grateful for her persistence, I listened intently to Lloydin.

“When I was younger than you two, I attended a party. At that party, I was being bullied by other children, and the Duchess helped me.”

“Wow, the Duchess did?”

“Yes.”

“But bullying one person as a group is so mean! It seems there are bad people everywhere,” Daliah said, clearly remembering Ian’s experiences and expressing her outrage.

I was also angry at the thought of Lloydin being bullied. Who would do such a thing?

While thinking about finding and punishing those who hurt Lloydin, I felt relieved knowing I had helped him.

However, there was a significant problem. I had no memory of meeting Lloydin.

I quickly searched through all my memories but couldn’t recall the event.

Instead of interrupting, I focused on listening to Lloydin’s story.

“So, I always intended to repay her for what she did. I looked forward to the day we would meet again, and then she found me first. When that happened, I knew I had to seize the opportunity.”

‘Ah…’

Realization dawned on me.

A wave of disappointment washed over me with a sigh. The tension and anticipation that had built up to the brim deflated, and I subtly lowered my head to hide my expression.

I realized from Lloydin’s last words that the story he told Daliah was just a made-up tale to comfort her.

When I first approached Lloydin, he was adamant about not marrying me. He had rejected me firmly, and it was only due to Ian’s outburst that he reluctantly agreed to marry me to save him.

So, there was no way he had such thoughts about me.

‘No, why am I disappointed by this?’

I tried to comfort myself, reminding myself that I didn’t need to be disappointed by the fact that his words were fabricated.

Gathering my composure, I lifted my head again.

“Wow, that’s so romantic. I want to experience a destined love like that someday.”

Daliah, with a flushed face, clasped her hands together and pressed them against one cheek as she spoke.

With my emotions under control, I could now see the situation more rationally.

Lloydin’s ability to craft a story that would captivate a thirteen-year-old girl was quite remarkable. It was a side of him I hadn’t seen before.

I was watching him with surprise when his eyes, which had been focused on Daliah, turned to me.

I gave him a small smile, silently thanking him for handling the situation.

* * *

The day was slowly coming to an end.

To send Daliah home before it got too dark, we all went outside the mansion to say goodbye.

“I had such a wonderful time today. Goodbye, Duke Blighton and Duchess Blighton.”

“Take care, Daliah.”

“Be careful, Daliah.”

“Yes. Please invite me again next time?”

“Of course. Come visit us again.”

“Wow, thank you!”

Daliah responded with a bright smile, clearly pleased.

“Ian, I’ll see you at the academy.”

When Daliah said goodbye to Ian, he glanced at us and asked, “Brother, can I take Daliah home and come back?”

“No! I can go by myself!”

Before Lloydin could respond, Daliah quickly protested.

“Alright. Be careful on your way.”

“Thanks, brother! Let’s go, Daliah.”

With Lloydin’s permission, Ian swiftly took Daliah’s hand.

“I really don’t mind…”

Despite his words, a smile spread across Daliah’s face, indicating she didn’t dislike the idea.