TISND Chapter 25

Chapter 25

When Helena first left Eskel to attend the Academy, she had been filled with excitement and anticipation.

Finally, she thought, she could escape the hell she’d known and live among others, making friends, sharing tea, and enjoying outings.

But the Academy was the first harsh reality she faced outside the confines of her estate.

“Eskel? Really?”

“Why would the lofty Eskel grace an Academy full of commoners?”

“Probably wants to lord over us, just like Eskel does best—showing off to those who are powerless.”

The name “Eskel” was a tag she couldn’t shake, no matter how hard she tried.

“I’m not like them.”

No matter how much she shouted it, people saw her not as Helena, but as an Eskel.

Breaking through the deep-seated prejudice ingrained in others was far from easy. She eventually gave up.

And so, Helena found herself alone—until Aiden approached her.

“Helena, are you interested in medicine?”

“No.”

“Really? Then why do you collect herbs?”

“To sell.”

Aiden scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish.

“Right. I thought you wanted to be a doctor.”

He began teaching her the basics of medicine. Not just that, he helped her learn more advanced pharmacology.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely free.

“You’ll need to know how to use a syringe if you plan to join the Academy’s program,” he said, using her arm to practice injections.

Once, he even used a broomstick to demonstrate how to make splints on her leg.

From Aiden, she learned that nothing in this world came free.

And then there was the time…

“How on earth did you end up poisoned by this?”

Aiden was the one who identified the poison that had afflicted her.

“It just happened.”

“This isn’t even an easy poison to come across! Do you know how rare it is? You can’t just ‘happen’ to get poisoned by it.”

“It can happen while gathering herbs.”

“The roots only release poison after being dried for over ten days, boiled repeatedly, and steeped for five hours. And you’re saying you just ‘happened’ to get poisoned?”

“…”

“You know what ‘Asehimmo’ is.”

“Just… tell me if there’s a cure.”

“There isn’t one.”

It was Aiden who had told her she only had a year left to live.

“And you’re telling me you’re getting married?”

When Helena informed him of her engagement to Caligo, his face turned red with fury.

“You should be fighting to live! Spending every moment searching for a cure, not wasting it on marriage! Have you lost your mind?”

“There’s no cure, you said so yourself. I trust you, remember?”

“So, you’re just going to marry that guy?”

“You already know I love him, don’t you?”

So, I’ve decided to spend the rest of my time by the side of someone I love.

Seeing her calmly accept her fate, Aiden slammed his fists against his chest in frustration.

“For God’s sake, Helena! Let’s look for a cure together instead.”

“You’ve got your medical work to do.”

“I’ll quit!”

“No.”

Helena’s response was resolute.

“I don’t gamble. Especially not on something impossible. I’m going to live the rest of my life on my own terms.”

“And your grand decision is marriage? Do you even understand why he’s marrying you? Or how you’ll be treated there?”

“Yes. And so what?”

She replied indifferently.

“No matter where I go, the treatment I receive won’t change. Frantor will be no different.”

“…Even so.”

Biting his lip in anguish, Aiden struggled to find words to counter her.

“How could I just stand by and watch you waste away?”

“Just think of it as you’re pronouncing my death sentence a year early. You’ve already done everything you could, senior.”

She wasn’t rejecting him or shutting him out.

Her cold, indifferent attitude as she spoke about her impending death left Aiden at a complete loss for words.

“At the very least… let me know how your condition is. Even if you go to Frantor, I’ll come find you.”

With that promise, Aiden let her go.

There were things that couldn’t be conveyed through letters alone.

Most likely, Aiden was coming to check her condition in person. She didn’t expect he’d found a cure for Asehimmo. If he had, he would’ve written to her or come sooner.

Even if he visited Frantor, he would likely leave empty-handed again.

Helena simply didn’t want others to know about her illness.

She loathed the idea of being treated like a patient as she wasted away.

If she had to die, she wanted to do so like a plant—sprouting fresh leaves, blooming brilliantly, and then quietly withering one day. She didn’t want to burden anyone with the weight of her demise.

“I’ve found everything.”

The next day arrived. Helena waited quietly for Aiden’s visit, but the children had a different approach.

“He graduated top of his class at the medical academy and is now a practicing doctor in the West. He’s a commoner by birth but is renowned for his skills.”

Joshua even brought out a portrait of Aiden, rattling off his accomplishments in excruciating detail.

He had uncovered so much that even Helena learned things she hadn’t known.

“Wait, did you investigate him?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

Joshua responded confidently, as Helena looked at him in shock.

“If a doctor is visiting Frantor, we at least need to know who he is.”

“But to find all of this in just one day…”

“To be precise, I didn’t do it myself.”

“What?”

“I asked Father to look into it. He had the information almost immediately.”

Helena was stunned. Was it really that easy to conduct a background check?

She turned to Caligo, who sipped his tea leisurely, acting as though this matter didn’t concern him in the slightest.

Even as they discussed the situation, he showed no trace of guilt.

“What’s the problem?”

He went as far as to rebuke her for her surprise.

“His looks are too polished—makes me dislike him already.”

Meanwhile, Jeremy glared at the portrait as though trying to burn a hole through it with his gaze. His critique was far harsher.

“In my experience, people with faces like that can’t be trusted.”

“You’ve only been alive for 12 years. What experience?”

“Let’s just tell him to get lost,” Jeremy said, looking at Caligo.

Helena began to worry that she might not even get a chance to see Aiden at this rate.

“Are you perhaps concerned about something?”

Could they be worried about a possible conspiracy?

“Who said I was concerned?”

Caligo, lounging with one leg crossed over the other, answered in a voice impossible to read.

“There’s no reason to be nervous, so there’s no reason to care. Let him come anytime he wants.”

His tone exuded the characteristic ease and ennui of someone in power.

“Since he’s coming, we might as well give him a grand welcome.”

After all, Caligo had no reason to feel threatened.

The Frantor household wouldn’t collapse over something as insignificant as a potential conspirator.

Moreover, he had no emotional attachment to Helena, so it truly didn’t matter to him who visited her.

“As expected, Father! Your composure is truly admirable.”

While Joshua sang his father’s praises, Helena found herself caught up in a swirl of unspoken emotions.

Actually, what she had hoped for was for him to show a childish possessiveness like Jeremy, to get annoyed or upset.

“Then, may I choose a room for him to stay in at the estate?”

Why do I feel disappointed? I know Caligo isn’t the type of person to do something like that.

“No! Absolutely not! Go sleep outside. I’d prefer he didn’t set foot in the estate. Whether he freezes on the cold ground or his face turns purple, I don’t care, just leave.”

Jeremy, still unable to accept Aiden’s arrival, openly revealed his possessiveness.

After a moment of silence, the answer came briefly.

“…Do as you wish.”

“Thank you.”

“I said I didn’t want to!”

Helena gave a faint smile, gently patting Jeremy’s head as he fumed in frustration.

Well, he’s not the type to get jealous like a child.

“Let’s go eat something.”

As Helena guided the children out of the library, Caligo remained alone, gripping her hand tightly against the armrest.

His hand trembled slightly, caught in a whirlwind of emotions.

*

Winter gradually gave way to spring, as the snow atop the mountain slowly began to melt.

Residents of Frantor were accustomed to unsettling events.

They lived with the constant fear of losing someone, always preparing for the worst.

But then,

“Excuse me, could you show me the way?”

A man with brown hair entered the Frantor estate.

As a villager swept the ground with a broom, the stranger approached, his voice smooth and sweet like honey.

“I’m heading to the Duke’s manor. Could you tell me which path to take?”

The villager, caught off guard, dropped the broom without realizing it.

“Oh my…”

Given how accustomed they were to seeing beauty, their standards were exceptionally high.

Caligo had long been renowned as an incredibly handsome figure within the Empire.

His jet-black hair darker than the abyss, and his silver eyes colder than the northern winds of Kaiar, an eternal land of frost.

The aura of an absolute ruler, a warrior with a hardened body, commanding respect from all.

Everyone hailed him as an indomitable leader, following him with unwavering devotion.

The fact that such a lord regularly made inspections only heightened their refined sense of beauty to an almost unattainable level.

“Um, did you not hear?”

The man wore an awkward smile, speaking again.

“To get to the Duke’s manor, you just need to follow this path.”

“Thank you.”

However, the arrival of this unfamiliar man shook even those who rarely showed signs of surprise.

“Have a good day.”

The man smiled politely, soothing the weary townsfolk with his gentle words as he led the reins of his horse. Once the man departed, the villagers gathered as if on cue.

“Sweet.”

Someone murmured upon seeing his face.

“Spring hasn’t even arrived yet, and it seems spring has already come for that man.”

Whether he was aware or not of the whispers surrounding him, the man guiding his horse through the mountains steadily ascended to a higher elevation.

“Helena.”

The distant Duke’s manor stood before him, and the man spoke softly.

“I missed you.”

As the gentle breeze began to blow, Aiden arrived at Frantor.