How to Save My Time-Limited Brother

They say that what flies must eventually fall. I ended up crashing directly onto Kasion’s large abdominal and chest muscles. He had accurately predicted where I would fall and swiftly slid into place to catch me. It was a fantastic display of a battle-hardened man’s agility and strength.

 

It was a close call—our lips almost touched.

 

“Aack, Kasion!”

 

“Your Grace!”

 

I tried to push him away urgently, but I was trapped in his arms, unable to move. With a few movements, he adjusted my position. My view was suddenly elevated.

 

“Uaah! Put me down!”

 

“Lady Soler.”

 

“This way.”

 

What the…? Is this really happening?

 

Before I could even grasp the situation, my body was swiftly moved into the VIP parlor. In the blink of an eye, I was carefully laid down on the sofa. Kasion then brought over a chair and sat right next to me, while Lireania sat a little distance away at the end of the sofa.

 

“Um…”

 

At least I had successfully diverted their attention toward me. But now what? I hadn’t planned for what to do next, so I just lay there on the sofa, blinking.

 

Kasion looked at me with a stern expression, then finally spoke. “Are your bones hurt?”

 

“What?”

 

“I’m asking if you’re injured. I can’t examine you myself, so tell me how you’re feeling.”

 

“You caught me before I fell, so I’m fine.”

 

I blinked as I answered, and Kasion frowned.

 

“You say you’re fine, yet you tripped while walking? Do you have a fever or anemia, or is there some chronic condition I don’t know about?”

 

Why was he interrogating me like this?

 

I’m always tripping, even on stairs. You’ve seen it yourself, remember? When you visited recently… You know this.” I mumbled, fiddling with my fingers, wondering if he had caught on to my act.

 

Kasion just glared at me without saying a word. I awkwardly laughed, looking at him, and he sighed and shook his head.

 

“Sigh, has Serhen been too preoccupied with his romance to take care of your health? Why are you even weaker than you were two years ago?” Kasion’s eyes narrowed as he cast a sly glance at Lireania.

 

“It’s not my brother’s fault! I was like this two years ago too!”

 

I couldn’t help but snap at him, reacting to his gaze. His intention was obvious. If you keep hearing someone being criticized, your perception of them starts to change. He might have been subtly trying to shift Lireania’s perception of Serhen.

 

I knew this might be a logical leap, and perhaps I was overreacting. But it was the lingering effects of the nightmare that had haunted me all night.

 

“Exactly. Lord Serhen has taken excellent care of Lady Ariel over the past two years,” Lireania interjected, naturally siding with Serhen. She then smiled gently at me. “Lord Serhen even changed doctors frequently and brought in priests to cure Lady Ariel’s anemia. Lady Ariel has improved a lot over the past two years.”

 

I nodded enthusiastically in agreement with Lireania. “That’s right. I used to be even weaker. Kasion, you know that.”

 

Yes, he couldn’t possibly be unaware. Whenever others caught a cold, I’d catch it too, and I’d inevitably fall ill with a fever at least once a year. Even if I fell the same way as others, my skin would tear more easily, and my wounds would fester. I’d often sprain a ligament just from slipping a little.

 

It was a pitiful body, even by my own standards. No wonder Kasion had to say goodbye from my bed when I twisted my ankle getting out of the carriage on the day before he departed for the battlefield.

 

But I have truly improved now. I exercised diligently and took the most bitter medicine every day.

 

“Indeed.” Kasion nodded, recalling the past. He had, after all, cared for me when I was sick as a child. “Well, it can’t be helped. Then Ariel.” Kasion sighed heavily, perhaps frustrated that his plan had gone awry.

 

How long did he intend to keep me on edge?

 

“Yes?”

 

“I’ll assign a priest to you for one hour every day.”

 

What on earth was his intention now? He hadn’t been this generous when it came to lending the priest for Serhen’s wedding. Was he trying to show Lireania that he was a kind man, or was he planning to use the priest as a spy?

 

“No, I’m healthy, so there’s no need for that.” I wasn’t sure what he would demand in return, so I decided to decline.

 

Kasion’s eyebrows twitched in annoyance. “If you won’t listen, should I void the agreement we made yesterday?”

 

“Kasion! That’s not fair!”

 

As I huffed and glared at him, Kasion’s eyebrows relaxed, and he gave me that infuriating victorious smile. I was about to retort when Lireania spoke up first.

 

“Your Grace, we agreed you wouldn’t do this.”

 

“Lady Soler.”

 

“If you continue like this, I won’t be able to help you.”

 

At her words, Kasion’s face suddenly softened. I was a bit shocked by this sight. The cold-blooded man who never listened to anyone’s advice, the arrogant Kasion, was now as meek as a lamb because of Lireania’s words. My heart started pounding. It was exactly like how Kasion had acted in the novel when trying to win Lireania’s favor.

 

“Lady Soler. I apologize.”

 

“There’s no need to apologize to me.”

 

Lireania’s clear and decisive response was admirable even to me. She was a firm yet wise woman with a gentle heart. No wonder Kasion couldn’t help but fall for her, even knowing she was his best friend’s lover.

 

I clenched my fists. This made me feel a bit powerless.

 

Was fate truly something that couldn’t be changed? Was all my effort just like water crashing against a rock? But even a drop of water could eventually bore through a rock. I couldn’t allow him to manipulate me by holding Serhen’s wedding over my head.

 

“That’s not fair…”

 

As soon as I started speaking, Kasion turned to look at me.  Suddenly, my heart ached, and my body froze. His turning to face me mirrored the scene from my nightmare. There was a guilt hidden behind his composed eyes.

 

“Don’t threaten me with my brother’s wedding.” I forced myself to speak firmly, though cold sweat was forming on my forehead.

 

A chilling sensation ran through me. It’s just a dream. It hasn’t happened yet.

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset.” When I didn’t back down, Kasion finally apologized. “If you’re uncomfortable, I won’t send the priest.”

 

“That’s fine then.”

 

It was a minor issue, but now it was resolved. Maybe that’s why I suddenly felt all the strength drain from my body. The tension seemed to ease as well. A warm breath escaped my lips.

 

“But you should still see a doctor properly.” His large, rough hand covered my forehead. “To think I didn’t even notice your fever.”

 

“What? Lady Ariel?” Lireania rushed over and felt my forehead as well, her tone filled with concern.

 

“I wasn’t sure earlier when I was holding you, but it’s true. Lady Soler, please bring a doctor immediately. I’ll contact Serhen.”

 

It’s strange how people don’t realize they’re sick until someone else notices, and then the symptoms suddenly worsen.

 

I began to shiver violently as chills ran through me.

 

* * *

That night, Lireania stayed at our house to take care of me as I lay sick with a high fever.

 

“What if you catch it? You should go back.”

 

“It’s because of me that you’re sick.”

 

The diagnosis was a severe cold. I had been so busy with Serhen’s wedding preparations that I hadn’t been sleeping and had become weak. And with the awful dreams startling me awake repeatedly, it was no surprise I got sick. My body, weakened by the fever, was drenched in cold sweat.

 

“Indeed, it seems Lady Ariel fell ill because I rushed my wedding.”

 

“No!”

 

I mustered all the strength I had left to shout, and Lireania responded with a calm smile. She placed a cold compress on my forehead.

 

“That’s why I’ll take care of the wedding preparations myself.”

 

“But you’re busy. You have to make the princess’s dress too… I don’t want your work to be delayed because of my selfishness.”

 

“I can just hire more staff. Serhen also agreed to support me.” Lireania smiled brightly, then offered me a bowl of medicine. “So first, you need to get better. Do you know how worried Lord Serhen was? He said you don’t say anything unless you’re seriously ill. That’s a bad habit.”

 

Lireania scolded me gently. When Kasion or Serhen, the one nagged me like this, I hated listening to it.

 

“It really feels like I have an older sister now.”

 

My face flushed slightly. I’d never thought I needed an older sister since I had Serhen. But now it feels different. I realized that being Lireania’s sister would have made me very happy.

 

“Kyaa! Really? That makes me so happy!” As I was taking the medicine, Lireania hugged me.

 

“Cough, cough.”

 

“Ah, I’m sorry. I got a bit carried away.”

 

We both burst into laughter.

 

If only Kasion weren’t around, life would be so peaceful without these constant feelings of unease…

 

“Um, Lady Lireania?”

 

“Yes, what is it?”

 

“Why did you meet with the duke today? It seemed like you were discussing something.”

 

Lireania widened her eyes at my question, then calmly smiled. “Well, it’s a personal matter for him, so it’s a bit difficult for me to say.”

 

“Ri-Right…”

 

That was a very Lireania-like response.

 

The frequent meetings between them weren’t in the novel. It was supposed to end after he gave her the necklace.

 

“By the way, didn’t he give you something? I mean, after the necklace incident.”

 

“Ah, that? He hasn’t mentioned it since then.”

 

Oh, thank goodness! That necklace felt like a symbol of the novel, so it had been bothering me. It seemed like he was going to give it to her again, but my intervention must have changed his mind. My barriers had worked.

 

Feeling a bit triumphant, I lifted my chin slightly, and Lireania replaced the cold compress on my forehead.

 

“Now, get some rest. What will happen if you can’t accompany Lord Serhen as his partner to the Harvest Festival?” Her question was so casual that it left me stunned for a moment.

 

“Huh? Why would I be my brother’s partner?”

 

“Who else would be Lord Serhen’s partner if not you?”

 

“Of course, it should be you, Lady Lireania…” Suddenly, heat rushed to my head, making me feel dizzy.

 

In the novel, the reason Lireania ended up going to the ball as Kasion’s partner was… none other than me. 

 

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