The Terminally Ill Stepmother Will Now Disappear

Chapter 1

‘One year.’

Suddenly, the voice of the person who had delivered the grim news that morning came to mind.

“You have one year left.”

“What about a cure?”

“There isn’t one. A year from now, you’ll be dead.”

Helena forced herself to ignore the voice echoing in her head and smiled bitterly.

She turned her focus to the taciturn man in front of her.

The man sitting across from her scrutinized her with his cold, silver-gray eyes. His sharp gaze glimmered through slightly long black hair. It was as piercing as a hawk’s talons, yet calm.

“Live quietly, like a mouse. Don’t try to do anything or draw attention to yourself.”

His tone was more of a warning than advice.
His voice was as cold as his expression and gaze.

“There’s no need to look after the children. It might even have a negative effect on them.”

He listed several more conditions.
Don’t mingle with people from the social circle. Don’t associate with outsiders, even those living in the estate.

Following all these rules would likely mean being confined to the mansion.

Perhaps that was what the man wanted. He wouldn’t want an unwelcome guest causing chaos in his household.

Still, Helena was happy.

“Divorce will take place in one year.”

Oddly enough, she was.

“If you accept my proposal, I won’t interfere with how you use the money.”

“That’s fine.”

“You’re agreeing to this?”

The man knew it was an absurd proposal.
No young woman would willingly wish for a divorce before even getting married.

He knew better than most how society viewed divorcees—he had seen it firsthand. Moreover, he had adopted two children just two years ago.

This contract marriage offered no benefits to Helena.

“Yes.”

But she truly didn’t mind. She was even glad that this man was to be her husband.

After all, her life was already set to end.
So, there was nothing to fear.

One year.
Coincidentally, that was exactly how long Caligo wanted.

At the very least, she could stay by the side of the person she loved. Even if he didn’t know how she felt.

It didn’t matter if her feelings weren’t returned.
Perhaps it was better that way.

Unlike herself—a frail, melancholy woman—Caligo was nothing short of perfect.

Even harboring feelings for him felt overwhelming.
How could someone as insignificant and lacking as her ever be his match?

She couldn’t even love herself. How could she ever expect to be loved by anyone?

“Let me confirm one last time. A contract is a promise. You can’t go back on the terms later.”

“Are you worried about me, Your Grace?”

Helena let out a soft laugh.
But bitter emotions quickly followed.

“This is just a contract, after all. Your Grace, stick to whatever benefits you.”

She feigned ignorance, even as she understood the confusion in the man’s heart.

The dishonor that would follow a divorce didn’t seem to bother her, and her willingness to accept the terms left him staring in disbelief.

But for Helena, who had harbored feelings for him for so long, the conditions felt more than fair.

For the first time in her life, she was following her heart. There was no reason for dissatisfaction.

“It’s suspicious, how readily you’re accepting.”

“Oh, so you’re not worried about me—you’re doubting me.”

They were practically enemies.
No matter how long she had secretly loved him, her feelings had always been one-sided.

“Don’t worry. Nothing of the sort will ever happen.”

The man still regarded her with a skeptical look.
The lack of trust between them stung more painfully than ever that day.

“See to it that it doesn’t.”
At last, he gave his approval.

On the day she received a terminal diagnosis, she became the bride of the man she had secretly loved.

—

“A lady of the house without even a wedding ceremony?”

A maid muttered as she swept the floor, and another chimed in.

“A wedding? She should be grateful she wasn’t spat on.”

“I can’t believe His Grace agreed to marry the daughter of Eskel, even under the Emperor’s orders.”

“Didn’t you hear? The marriage gave His Grace a share in Eskel’s coal business in Frantor.”

Behind the mansion, a group of servants huddled together, whispering.

Helena, who had been passing nearby, stopped when she overheard their conversation.

Unaware that the new mistress was listening, the servants continued chatting away.

“You know what they say—he’s killing two birds with one stone. You could call it a smart move by His Grace.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, His Grace needs a lady of the house to manage the mansion and take care of the children while he’s away at war. As you can imagine, it’s a tedious and bothersome task.”

The maid hanging laundry and the one sweeping had joined in the conversation.

“So, he handed those annoying tasks to a woman from the Eskel family. You all know the Eskels, don’t you?”

“The bat-like Eskels! Traitors with no loyalty or honor to their name!”

Everyone was busy cursing the infamous family.

But for Helena, who had grown used to such insults, her expression didn’t waver.

In fact, she thought this level of criticism was almost refined compared to what she was used to.

At least they weren’t slinging vile curses or personal attacks. Perhaps Frantor’s servants had some decorum after all.

Helena nodded absently, as though she were listening to someone else’s story.

“His Grace probably married her to lull Eskel into a false sense of security.”

“Oh, so he’s essentially taken a hostage.”

“Exactly! While the Eskels grow arrogant under His Grace’s name, we’ll strike them down!”

“There’s no way someone as fiery as His Grace would let the daughter of Eskel off lightly!”

“He might even cut off her head!”

At this point, the Eskel family couldn’t go unmentioned. They were infamous, known even among twelve-year-olds as objects of ridicule.

In the current empire, the noble faction and the Emperor’s faction were fiercely battling.
Count Eskel had survived by selling information to both sides, switching allegiances as it suited him.

Having lived off the betrayal of others, the Eskels had become a byword for treachery.

“What if the new lady betrays His Grace? Like father, like daughter.”

“Do you think His Grace would fall for some meek-looking woman’s tricks?”

And Helena was none other than the daughter of Count Eskel.

“His Grace can see through people’s true intentions!”

“Did you know? His Grace never shared a bed with the previous lady of the house.”

“Did he share a bed with this one?”

“No!”

Laughter erupted among the servants.

“If I were a man, I wouldn’t touch her either…”

“To be honest, I’ll admit she’s pretty. But she’s ‘that’ Eskel’s daughter, isn’t she?”

“You can’t judge a person just by their looks.”

The servants’ observations were sharp.
They believed that the reason Caligo had taken Helena as his new bride was because she was useful to him.

They thought he intended to lull Eskel into complacency through marriage, only to deal with them later.

Helena herself didn’t think much differently.

After all, Caligo had proposed marriage to her—the daughter of Eskel—of all people.

A strategic move to curb Eskel’s growing power, orchestrated by the Emperor, and an opportunity to secure shares in a coal business.

Everyone knew this marriage was politically motivated.

But there was one thing they all misunderstood: Helena wasn’t much of a valuable hostage.

“There’s a secret you must keep until your dying breath.”

Helena’s childhood had been devoid of love from the Count of Eskel.

As a child, she had often wondered why she had to eat separately from the family or why her mother always looked at her with disdain.

One day, the Count had sat her down and revealed the truth. It was the same day a young Helena had clung to the Countess, begging for affection.

“What secret?” she had asked.

“You’re the daughter of a lowly maid. A wretched woman who dared cling to me.”

The reason she was treated as an outcast among her siblings suddenly made sense.

From that day on, she stopped seeking love and affection. She worked on growing accustomed to solitude.

She learned how to plant vegetables and flowers from the gardener, eventually expanding her interests to herbs and poisonous plants.

And then she met Caligo.

“Most noble ladies grow flowers for leisure, don’t they?”

He had discovered her working in an unused clearing, tending to what looked like weeds. He was dumbfounded.

“This isn’t a hobby; it’s a business,” she replied.

“A business?”

“I grow and sell these. They might look like ordinary weeds to you, but to me, they’re valuable products.”

“And how do you plan to make money with them?”

“I sell herbs. It’s surprisingly profitable.”

He was the sun.
A great warrior who looked down at the world with a bored and jaded gaze.
People sang his praises, calling him the god of victory and war.

To someone like Helena, who lived like a shadow, he was a blazing fire.
A flame full of life and vitality.
And she dared to harbor feelings for him, helplessly drawn to the fire like a moth.

“So, how’s your business going, My Lady?”

“Honestly, it’s hopeless.”

She tended her herbs while waiting, hoping he might visit her again.

On the rare occasions he did, she couldn’t sleep that night, her heart racing from their playful banter.

But someone had warned her.

“Be careful. The Duke of Frantor is a cunning man. He’s only approaching you to use you!”

At first, she couldn’t believe it.
But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed plausible.

Why else would Caligo, with no reason to, go out of his way to visit her?

Being tied to the despised daughter of the Eskel family wouldn’t benefit him in any way.

Doubt crept in, and she began to believe he might indeed have approached her with ulterior motives.

After their contract marriage, the servants’ gossip turned out to be true:
Helena and Caligo never shared a wedding night.

In fact, throughout their marriage, she barely even saw his face.

When she finally saw him again, he was packing his gear, seemingly preparing to leave the estate.

“You arrived the night before last, and you’re already leaving?”

Frantor was located in the northern Antarego Mountains, bordering the Kingdom of Kelimban. It also served as the nearest route to the capital, making it the frequent target of enemy attacks.

However, in its entire history, the Frantor estate had never been breached, earning it the nickname “The Impenetrable Fortress.”

“I came due to unforeseen circumstances the other night, not because I intended to,” he replied without sparing her a glance, focused on packing his gear.

“I hope you’ll honor the promise we made.”

“…”

“The promise to stay inside the estate. You remember it, don’t you?”

Every time she saw his increasingly cold gaze, she thought to herself:
Yes, the reason Caligo approached her that day wasn’t by chance.
It was because she was the daughter of Eskel—he had sought her out deliberately.

“…Yes.”

“Good. I hope you’ll keep that promise.”

“…”

“Don’t show yourself to outsiders and stay confined to the estate.”

Just as the servants had said—she was merely a hostage to hold Eskel in check.

Once again, Helena did what she excelled at.
From the beginning, she harbored no expectations, and she let go of any hope.

Watching Caligo’s retreating figure, she exhaled a sigh of resignation.

There was only one item she had brought with her when she left the Eskel family: seeds.

She knew Caligo didn’t love her. Even if she were to die, he wouldn’t bat an eye. There would be no cherished memories or traces of her left in his life.

So… perhaps it was alright to leave behind a life that could take root in barren soil.

In the wide-open field where the wind lingered briefly, she clutched the pouch of seeds in her hand, surveying the empty space around her.