The Little Sister in the Devastating Novel Wants to Live

Episode 17

“If you want to tour the garden after the gathering, Dmitri will guide you to where Brother is.”

With that, she straightened herself up.

Watching her effortlessly blend back into the conversation as if nothing had been discussed, I admired her.

I, too, turned back to the conversation and exchanged a few words.

As the sunlight grew dim, the princess declared the end of the gathering, mentioning the cold breeze.

We parted ways with pleasant and welcoming farewells, looking forward to the next gathering.

Before leaving, the princess gave a mischievous smile and gestured.

“It’s a delightful day, Lady.”

Even I furrowed my brows involuntarily at such a meaningful greeting from her.

A few astute individuals asked her, “What does that mean?” and the princess pretended to purse her lips before bursting into laughter.

There was something subtly rounded about his sharp features that reminded me of someone in his bloodline.

‘They do resemble each other quite a bit.’

Undoubtedly, the princess was the most informal among all the people I had seen so far.

When compared to the Empress, who was the epitome of nobility, it was hard to believe their blood relation.

Except for the color of their eyes, the two were completely different from their hair color to facial features and body types.

While the princess had a natural elegance, her aura was vastly different from that of the Empress.

Although they were so different, there was no doubt that the princess was the Empress’s legitimate child.

The Empress wasn’t known for her leniency, having even deceived her husband by passing off a commoner’s child as her own to the Emperor.

Officially, the Empress only had two recognized children: the Crown Prince and the princess. However, outside the palace, there were quite a few of the Empress’s illegitimate children.

During her reign, it was clear that none of them were her own offspring.

It was fascinating.

Despite being complete opposites, there was no doubt about their mother-daughter relationship.

“Lady, come here!”

The princess gestured to me as she spotted something.

It seemed like she wanted to tour the garden, just as the princess had informed.

Responding to her call, I walked towards where the princess was calling me.

“Ah.”

It was indeed getting chilly.

A few strands of hair flew into my eyes as the wind blew.

I brushed away the bothersome locks with my fingers, tucking them behind my ear.

As I did so, the princess approached and draped her arm over my shoulder.

“You two get along well, huh? I’m just glad if you and I can exchange greetings.”

‘…Igon must have sent a gift again.’

Since everyone was unmarried, I hoped it wasn’t something extravagant.

The princess chuckled and lightly tapped me with what she held in her hand.

“Duke Rodore knows how to win people’s hearts.”

I accepted what the princess handed me.

It was an invitation.

Sturdy and neatly bound, wrapped in silk handkerchief, tied with satin ribbon.

It smelled like perfume, similar to the one I had smelled on the invitation sent by the princess.

It wasn’t a bad gift.

It had a beautiful appearance, practicality, and refinement.

My worry about giving too much was unfounded.

I realized once again that Igon was much more adept and aristocratic than me.

I asked her to convey my thanks to everyone with a satisfied face.

After exchanging greetings with the others, I finally had a proper conversation with the princess.

Thus, I turned to attend my final errand at the palace.

“Um, Lady Rodore.”

Today, there were many people looking for me.

The familiar voice made me turn my head, and I recognized the person without even confirming.

“Yes?”

It was Eunice Duran.

She, too, was holding a gift.

I waited for her response, but she hesitated unexpectedly.

Eunice wasn’t usually one to speak a lot, but she didn’t hesitate to speak when needed, so I found it strange.

“Did you call for me?”

If she had nothing to say, I hoped she would just let me go.

I had an important appointment to meet the prince and retrieve my shoes.

Although it wasn’t her fault, I felt a bit awkward dealing with Eunice.

Eunice handed me a small box from her pocket.

It was a neatly wrapped, elegant black box that typically contained high-quality items.

…What is this?

“Can you please deliver this to the Duke?”

To Igon?

For a moment, my mind went blank.

I tried hard not to show my confusion outwardly.

Why would she ask me to deliver this to Igon?

Did they have any connection to exchange gifts?

Questions filled my mind.

“I know it’s impolite to make such a request, but I don’t have any other way to deliver it… It’s a personal token of gratitude.”

Would I be able to understand if she said it like that?

Was there a previous situation where this happened?

Feeling flustered and not accepting the box, Eunice forced it into my hands and quickly left the spot.

Watching Eunice disappear in a hurry, I lowered my head and looked at the box.

I knew it was inappropriate to open someone else’s gift in advance, but before I could think about it, my hand moved first.

‘Clank.’

It was a golden decoration attached to a dagger.

I had no idea when the two of us became involved in such matters.

When did it happen?

How?

There were no signs of communication.

What did I miss?

No, there was nothing to start with.

Igon didn’t tell me everything, and I didn’t ask him either.

We knew each other but didn’t really know.

My heart raced, and my stomach twisted.

Golden decorations.

Is this the beginning of love?

Even if it’s from an enemy, does it become an irreplaceable possession?

Is this the plot for the original story?

It’s strange.

I don’t remember reading about such decorations in the original story…

Well, my memories from my past life aren’t complete.

The same could be true for the details of the original story.

Maybe I was reborn here, and there might have been side stories.

“Haha…”

Laughter escaped like endless delusions.

I felt like I was going crazy.

I shook my head to dispel the overwhelming anxiety and depression.

Inhaling deeply, I repeated the process of breathing in and out.

No, that’s not it.

Maybe I’m going too far.

We’re not anything to each other; it’s just that “we happened to exchange gifts and offer thanks.”

Snap.

The wind caused the string that was holding my hair together to come loose, and my hair cascaded down over my shoulders.

It obscured my vision.

I couldn’t tidy it up properly, although it certainly wouldn’t look presentable.

The wind tossed my long hair around.

I stood still and watched it flutter, leaving the black box in my hand untouched.

I squeezed the box with all my might, but the well-made box didn’t break or crumple.

“Ha.”

Realizing that it wouldn’t be damaged, I let out a disappointed laugh.

I swept my loose hair aside.

When will I be able to regain my composure?

How much longer will it take to erase the fear that looms taller than me?

I couldn’t move.

I stood still as if rooted to the spot, taking deep breaths.

There was no other choice.

I pushed away tangled thoughts, labored breaths, and overwhelming fear, trembling hands.

That’s all I could do in this situation.

“Lady?”

I turned my head at the voice coming from nearby, confirming the speaker’s identity.

It was the princess.

She looked at me with a concerned expression.

Behind the princess, palace guards and palace maids who were tidying up the garden were also nearby, watching me closely.

“Ill call the physician…”

“I’m okay.”

I forced a smile, raising the corners of my mouth.

It was a hastily spoken word, but it wasn’t a lie.

I felt a throbbing pain as if my spine were blocked.

In many ways, it wasn’t the right time to meet people.

No matter how you looked at it, meeting the princess today was unreasonable.

It was the worst-case scenario, but that didn’t mean I could postpone meeting the princess as I pleased.

“Taking a light walk might make you feel better.”

She raised her hand, pointing to the garden.

Understanding her intention, Dmitri guided me, accompanied by two palace maids.

Before going to the prince, palace maids approached me and gently touched my hair with careful hands.

They were diligent, but tidying up my messy hair wasn’t easy.

Undoing the braids that had been carefully tied up and re-oiling them was truly a disaster.

No matter how hard they tried, it was impossible to restore it to its original state, so they combed it with a brush and tied it into one.

That was the best they could do in this situation.

Stopping them from trying anything more, I raised my hand to gesture my thanks and turned around with a slight smile.

Understanding my intention, they bowed slightly and walked a few steps away from me.

Except for the sound of footsteps and the rustle of clothes, it was very quiet.

Since there was nothing to discuss separately with the palace people, we walked silently.

As I walked, I organized my thoughts over and over again.

‘When I return, I’ll ask him what this is all about.’

Holding onto myself and agonizing alone wouldn’t change anything.

Whether it was the truth or not, I wanted to hear some explanation from Igon.

Igon’s business was Igon’s to explain.

And for now, I should focus on handling the task given to me.

I tried my best to forget about the existence of the box and the two people who exchanged it, focusing hard on myself.