I Thought I Didn't Have Long To Live!

Chapter 2 (The Proper Manners)

“My lady!” Anne yelped as soon as she saw Lariette’s condition upon returning to her room. The other maids did not have such a close relationship with her, so they simply stared in surprise. It was a normal reaction. After all, the lady she served returned from a family dinner a complete mess.

“That crazy man! What a jerk!”

“Shh, what if someone hears you?”

“Please! He is a man without conscience! How could someone do this to his own sister?” While she helped Lariette bathe, Anne cursed Raon with the harshest words she knew.

Lariette feared someone would overhear and tell Raon, but she did not scold her.

Anne’s hands, which were washing her hair, shook with emotion. “I’m sure he is jealous of you because you’re smarter and more talented than him. Right, my lady?”

“I’m all right.” I’m used to it. Lariette swallowed her words quietly. There was no need to say it out loud since Anne knew the truth. It wasn’t until the bath was over that Anne calmed down.

Lariette returned to her room to rest, finally left alone.

“Oh, I know it’s here somewhere…” she mumbled as she searched an old wooden chest of drawers. But of course, she couldn’t remember where she’d left it—she’d never used it in the first place. After searching for a long while, Lariette groaned in frustration. She’d gone through all the drawers, but she had no luck. Finally, she looked into the bottom drawer; something was poking out of a crack.

“Found it.”

Lariette reached out and finally discovered what she had been searching for. It was a small notebook. Lariette dusted it off, revealing a luxurious cover. It was the first gift that she received from her father. He had gone on a business trip, and Lariette was so happy to get a gift from him, even if it was something she hadn’t asked for.

Raon received a sword.

Lariette smiled bitterly, reminiscing about her poor, pathetic childhood. But she quickly put away her sad feelings and opened the notebook. After all, she hadn’t sought out this book to remember her depressing childhood. She needed a memo book, and this was the most beautiful one she possessed. She lit a small lamp and sat at her desk. Then, with a fountain pen, she began writing in her elegant penmanship.

< I was given three months to live on April 3, 732 >

Firstly, she wrote the time and current situation. She considered naming the disease but chose not to mention it.

< Bucket List of Things to Do Before I Die >

Lariette tilted her head, thinking intently. What came to mind was Anne’s face. Although it was misty in the bathroom, Anne’s emotional red-rimmed eyes continued to prick at Lariette’s guilt.

< 1. Gift Anne a Cake >

Lariette felt sorry that she was going to leave Anne, so she wanted to make up for it. It was exciting to imagine Anne jumping up and down while eating the cake.

< 2. Independence (Let’s Save Money!) >

< 3. Engagement to the Marquis of Segreb >

These two items were things she thought of during the family dinner. Lariette no longer wanted to expect anything from the Duke and Duchess or stay with them anymore.

The mask of a proper lady has shattered. Before my death, I want to be Lariette—not a Blanche. I don’t want to sell myself into this engagement any longer.

But the main problem would be the aftermath. Of course, her parents would be angry, and the Marquis of Segreb would never take such news lying down. Lariette no longer wanted to sacrifice herself, but she also didn’t want to destroy her family and cause their ruin. Therefore, she timidly wrote an explanation next to item 3.

< 3. Engagement to the Marquis of Segreb (Kept for the sake of appearances) >

This was the last consideration Lariette would show to her parents. Although it may be deemed insufficient compensation for the costs of raising her, thus far, she had always fulfilled her responsibilities as a noble daughter and worked hard to surpass their expectations. Thus, she felt no guilt.

< 4. Dating a Handsome Man>

Lariette underlined the most important part—handsome. No one knew it, but Lariette loved pretty faces. If asked to choose between a rich man and a handsome man, she would pick the latter. She was also quite picky. Lariette had never met a man who looked handsome in her eyes. So, she wanted to go out with a gorgeous man before she died. However, there were conditions.

I’m someone who is going to die in three months, so I can’t get too serious about dating. I’ll meet someone with lots of experience to date casually in the coming months.’

Lariette was conscious of the fact that she had a clock that was running out of time. So, although she would have preferred a serious relationship with a stable man, she decided to find a guy who was really good at dating (a womanizer). Fortunately, her illness, Lokadura, had no significant symptoms until her death.

My heart beats fast, but my body won’t hurt, and my behavior won’t change. However, when the time came, her mana flow would burst and cause her death. Lariette bit her lips, terribly imagining how her body would explode. In any case, it was a perfect condition to enjoy life comfortably until death.

Also, the doctor explained that her health was otherwise quite good. Hopefully, she could live up to 4 months, maybe even longer. Lariette struggled as she thought about it. Holding the pen, she concluded her list.

< 5. Travel >

A native to the capital, yet she had never traveled. It was not easy because of her status and identity.

Of course, Raon went several times.

The only difference between Raon and Lariette was gender, yet they lived very different lives. She remembered Raon asking her parents to buy a countryside villa because of how heavenly his trip to the West had been. Though she doubted that’s where he had been since his business trips always ended in ruin. Raon’s opinions were unreliable, but his descriptions made her wonder how good the West truly was. She added a small caption next to the item.

< 5. Travel >

< What the Hell is in the West? >

It was so small that you couldn’t read it without focusing.

Lariette, who was in a hurry, reread the notebook’s contents for a while before closing it. For now, these were all that came to mind.

****

It was bright as the morning sun shone through the windows of Lariette’s bedroom. She woke up and dressed herself in a daze. The door slowly opened, and Anne stared in amazement to find her master already awake and prepared.

“My lady, are you feeling unwell?”

“Good morning, and no.”

“What is that outfit?” Anne’s eyes narrowed as she examined Lariette’s attire. Unlike usual, she wore a plain and simple dress.

“Do you have time today?” Lariette asked the question with a smile that bloomed like a flower. Anne nodded with a silly expression on her face.

“So, let’s go.”

“Yes, w-where?”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

Lariette hurriedly grabbed Anne’s hand and led her away. She had too little time left to accomplish everything she wrote on the bucket list. They arrived at Pienche, one of the most famous dessert shops in the capital.

“A-ah, my lady, no way…”

“Yes, indeed.”

The maid seemed worried enough to cry over Lariette’s answer. “Our outfits…”

Pienche was a high-end dessert shop that only nobles could enter. The maid, Anne, was also of noble lineage, but Pienche only served high-ranking aristocrats, not lower noblewomen like her. Also, Lariette and Anne’s outfits were too shabby to belong to nobles.

“Welcome,” The waiter, dressed in a suit, greeted Lariette. Upon seeing their clothes, his demeanor turned unpleasant. “I’ll show you to your seats.”

The waiter spoke slowly and led them to a table in a corner. It seemed that they couldn’t sit in a place where all the other nobles gathered, or their outfits would be seen.

Handing them the menu, the waiter wanted to turn away, but Lariette rejected the menu.

“You must look at the menu to order.”

“No, actually, I don’t have to.” Lariette smiled proudly and replied to the waiter. The smile was so disarming that the waiter worried he hadn’t grasped the situation. However, what was more surprising was what followed.

“I’ll take one of everything on the menu.”

“W-what’s that?”

“Am I not qualified enough to order a few cakes?”

His face flushed at her cold voice, and he immediately recognized her. She was a noble from one of the empire’s three dukedoms and, therefore, not the kind of person he could ignore.

“S-sorry. I shall bring them immediately.” The waiter bowed deeply as he apologized. Then he left, the menu shaking in his hand.

Anne gave Lariette a startled look.

“My lady! Are you okay? That’s too many!”

“Take one bite of each and throw it away. Even a fallen noble would have enough money to buy you this.”

“Didn’t anyone teach you not to be wasteful?”

Lariette listened to Anne’s nagging with an unfocused, lazy look.

****

Anne’s lecture only stopped after she’d filled her stomach with cake. Lariette was glad to escape her long speech. However, the coachman was puzzled to see the young lady return exhausted from the cake shop.

On the way back to the mansion, Lariette and Anne chatted happily about cakes, but suddenly the conversation stopped.

Thud!

The carriage tilted with a dull sound. Lariette’s body was held steady by a trembling Anne.

“What happened?”

“Sorry, my lady. The wheel seems to be stuck. I’ll have us freed in a moment,” the coachman said through the door, wearing a complex expression. Then, he whipped the horse a few times, encouraging it to pull faster. The wheel didn’t move.

When Lariette put her head out the window to inspect it, she saw a black coach behind theirs. The Blanche family carriage was blocking the road, and it couldn’t get past.

“Huh,” Lariette sighed. It was time for a direct confrontation. Slowly, she made to get up, but Anne resolutely stopped Lariette with all her might.

“Just sit down, miss!”

“But—”

“That black wagon belongs to the Duke of Kandel! It’s better not to get out.”

Hearing the name Kandel, Lariette’s body hardened like ice. Kandel was the most powerful duchy in the empire and was home to a duke known as a monster. As a lady of the Duchy of Blanche, Lariette was an enemy who had a reputation and dignity to protect. Thus, in the end, Lariette returned to her seat calmly without getting off the carriage.

The coachman was struggling to pull the wheel free when a man came up behind him.

“Who’s coming from the black coach? I think he’s come to help the driver.” Anne poked her head out of the carriage instead of Lariette and explained the situation. Lariette was aware of how shabby her outfit looked, so she stayed away from the window and only listened.

“I can’t see him very well, but he is very tall. Why are his clothes so dark?” Anne muttered and narrowed her eyes. The side of the carriage blocked her view and made the man hard to see. However, even with such a limited view, he was clearly a tall and broad man. He slowly reached out to grab the Blanche carriage.

At that moment, the bottom of the carriage was lifted into the air. 

Flash!

“Oh my!”

Due to the sudden movement, the girls in the carriage shrieked. Looking flustered, Anne said, “Lifted with a single hand!”

It was an incredible display of power. Lariette was so shocked that she forgot to hide her face; she looked out the window immediately. Her eyes locked with his, which were as blue as the sea.

Time seemed to stop.

The man, who had lifted the carriage effortlessly, was wearing bandages swapped around his face below his eyes. Because of that, Lariette did not know what he looked like. Lariette caught his gaze strangely. He was indeed as tall and handsome as Anne had described. Over his broad shoulders, a black coat swayed in the wind.

He stared at Lariette for a moment with intense eyes.

He brought the carriage to a flat patch of road, and then he left. Lariette stared after him with a dull look. “That surprised me.”

“Wow, how amazing is his strength? The Duke of Kandel has great power.”

“Yes, indeed,” Lariette muttered, still gaping. With his bandaged face, he looked sickly. But his strength was of no ordinary man. She thought of the blue eyes that she had seen. They were so beautiful that they were distracting—almost blinding.

However, this was an accidental meeting on the road, and they wouldn’t see each other again anyway. So, she wanted to erase it from her memory as soon as possible.

As the Blanche carriage left, the man in black hopped onto his own coach and ordered with a cold voice, “Depart now.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Duke Asrahan “War Ghost” “Monster” of Kandel slowly closed his eyes as he felt the carriage start to move.

****

When the carriage arrived at the manor, the sun was already halfway across the sky (afternoon). Lariette had barely climbed the stairs to the house when the doors burst open. The Duchess’s sharp voice screamed, “Lariette! Where have you been?”

“Why are you yelling, Mother? I finished my duties, so I went out.”

“Don’t say a word—just follow me right now! Oh, my god. What’s the use of having a daughter? You must’ve made up your mind to shame me.” The Duchess roughly grabbed Lariette’s arm. Her long nails dug into Lariette’s soft skin, making her wince, but the Duchess only kept pulling.

Without explanation, Lariette was dressed by her mother’s maids. They adorned her with the most colorful decorations and sprayed her body with heavy perfumes. Lariette clenched her fist and endured the uncomfortable ordeal.

Lariette didn’t understand the Duchess’s attitude until a maid guided her to the presence of a man who stood waiting.

“Lari, it’s been a long time.” Lariette looked up at the guest with a stiff face and remembered that she had not permitted him to call her by a nickname. Yet, he naturally called her “Lari” and kissed her hand with his thick, rough lips.

The man had dark, beady eyes, a square jaw, and a large, bulging belly. He was the Marquis of Segreb, Lariette’s fiancé.

“Lord Segreb, it’s been a while.”

“I’ve been waiting for you for so long my legs hurt.”

“If you had sent a message in advance, I wouldn’t have gone out.”

“What requires you to go outside? You should have stayed quietly home. Your habit of wandering around like a mangy dog causes me concern.”

The marquis patted his stomach and clicked his tongue in disapproval. Lariette was furious but only repeated in her heart what she had promised herself last night.

There’s no need to use manners for a person like this! I thought it’d be easy to put up with the marquis, but facing him now, I realize that was an illusion.

He was a man who spoke without thought or consideration. Even his grumpy face and fat, oily body irritated her.

His manner is annoying, but even worse, he’s ugly.

“I have something to say to you, my lord. You’ve come at a good time.”

“What is it? It’s useless for women to chatter away.”

Then, with a bored look, he stroked Lariette’s hair. When his sloppy, rough finger touched her neck, Lariette’s entire body erupted in goosebumps.

“What’re you—”

“Don’t be so frigid; it’ll all be mine anyway,” the marquis laughed and pinched her chin firmly with his fingers. He touched her smooth cheek, almost as if paying a compliment. “I really do enjoy your pretty face very much. Though, I don’t like the color of your eyes.”

“You’re a product worth the price,” the marquis lowered his head and whispered into her ear.

Lariette’s face turned red with shame and anger. Above his hand, her purple eyes stared at him with cold, sinking disgust.

“That’s quite a provocative look. Are you like this in bed too?”

“That’s it.”

“What?”

Lariette murmured a few more words. Then, without warning, a huge tree branch burst through the ground and grabbed the marquis’ ankle.

“No more proper manners.”