WGMFTR | Chapter 18

Episode 18

Lydia had no intention whatsoever of interrupting the conversation between Ilian and Yulina in the first place.

However, even after changing her clothes, she couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling about Ilian’s condition, so she eventually left the room.

She tried to find the butler, Frederick, to ask where Ilian was, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen, as if he were with Ilian.

As she walked naturally along the corridor, she soon began to hear a woman’s loud voice shouting.

“……Since I was young, Lian Oppa was all I had.”

The voice, which had been indistinct from far below on the lower floor, finally became clear—and what she heard was unexpected.

‘Lian Oppa?’

Who could call Ilian that affectionately?

Lydia’s question was soon answered by Ilian referring to the mysterious woman as the princess.

‘What? He acted like he wasn’t even close with the princess, but they were actually close?’

Eavesdropping on someone’s conversation wasn’t a good habit, but this conversation was unavoidable.

Lydia reached the staircase and finally spotted Ilian and Princess Yulina standing close together in the middle of the corridor just below, having a conversation.

The atmosphere was intense, as if an argument were going back and forth, but their relationship looked familiar.

She had assumed they were so distant that they couldn’t even hold a proper conversation, given how much Ilian hated her, but that didn’t seem to be the case at all.

‘It’s not entirely wrong to say they suit each other.’

Resting her chin on the stair railing and looking down at the two, Lydia couldn’t help but feel that way.

Princess Yulina with her richly golden honey-blond hair flowing beautifully, and Ilian with a face more dazzling than any prince in a fairy tale—

They certainly looked like a well-matched pair.

It wasn’t hard to understand why Princess Yulina was crying out, saying she had naturally expected to marry him since childhood.

However, Lydia hadn’t expected the princess, whom she had vaguely imagined as quiet and aloof, to act with such a loss of dignity.

‘People can become desperately irrational because of love……’

Though the princess’s rudeness made Lydia frown, it wasn’t completely incomprehensible.

That was until the moment when Princess Yulina somehow sensed her presence, looked up and scanned the area, locking eyes with her directly.

Lydia realized then that it was possible for someone’s eyes to carry a murderous aura.

“You.”

The princess’s low, chilling voice was filled with swirling emotions as if she had found someone to take out her anger on.

Passing by Ilian, she climbed a few steps and pointed a finger at Lydia, then turned back to him and asked,

“How could you push me aside and bring someone like this as your fiancée?”

Lydia, who had been pointed at by the princess, merely looked back and forth between the two.

Instead, it was Ilian Esteban himself who seemed to grow more dispirited.

“She is my fiancée, Your Highness.”

“So what?”

“I meant to ask that you refrain from being rude, as she is the one I’m going to marry.”

Ilian was gradually realizing that the longer he stood there, the worse he felt—not simply because Princess Yulina was troublesome.

Though he didn’t know exactly what the issue was, the searing pain in his left arm, which he hadn’t felt in a long while thanks to Lydia, suddenly returned with overwhelming force.

So focusing on the present was extremely difficult.

‘I held out so well before, so why now……’

Could his vision really waver this much?

Even though he clenched his teeth to avoid showing it, just walking up the steps to prevent the princess from getting closer to Lydia took immense effort.

Had he ever felt this powerless before? It made him furious with himself.

Of all times, his vision now seemed to black out.

“Your Highness. We have wedding preparations to finish. Please forgive our discourtesy as we take our leave.”

At that moment, Lydia’s hand gently grasped Ilian’s arm.

She must have come down the stairs unnoticed to stand beside him.

Though her voice trembled with tension, her words were firm.

Ilian Esteban slowly blinked and watched what Lydia was doing.

“……Who do you think you are, to butt in like this?”

“I am the Marquis’s fiancée an my name is Lydia.”

“As if I didn’t know that……”

“I said it because I thought Your Highness might not be aware. If you already knew, I apologize.”

Speaking with composure without yielding an inch—

It was just like her, to calmly speak back with clear enunciation.

Ilian gathered his remaining strength, wrapped an arm around Lydia’s shoulder, and completely ignored the princess as he turned to leave.

“That’s enough. Fred, escort Her Highness out.”

“Understood. This way, Your Highness.”

Frederick, who had been observing the situation from a distance, now stepped in with a troubled expression to guide the princess in the opposite direction.

“Lydia. You look tired from the busy schedule this morning. Let’s go get some rest.”

Ilian practically embraced Lydia from behind as he said this loud enough for the others to hear.

But his words and actions were in contrast.

Lydia surely must have felt how heavily he leaned on her.

His transparent violet eyes were filled with unhidden worry.

“Lian Oppa. Marquis!”

But unlike Ilian, who showed no concern at all, Lydia did seem affected by the princess’s voice still shouting from behind.

As they walked a few steps, she suddenly asked,

“Are you sure it’s okay to leave like this?”

“She’s an uninvited guest. I didn’t throw her out in disgrace only because of Alec.”

Who was Alec now?

The name sounded strangely familiar, suggesting he must be someone she should definitely know.

But Lydia decided not to ask.

That was because sweat was dripping down Ilian’s forehead.

Rather than taking him to his own room, which he might be confused about, she headed for the nearby guest room she was using.

Looking down the empty corridor, Lydia let out a sigh of relief.

If too many servants noticed Ilian’s condition, they would try to call the royal physician.

It would be pointless.

As soon as they entered the room, Ilian collapsed to the floor just in front of the bed.

“Marquis!”

“……I’m fine. I’m not dead.”

Even in this state, he still had the energy to say such things.

Lydia glanced at him, pulled off her glove, and grabbed his blackened hand.

She felt a massive wave rampaging through him, as if someone had stirred him up.

She had stabilized him before, yet now it had progressed suddenly.

As she focused again to stabilize his condition, Lydia felt so much strength drain from her that she became dizzy, but she maintained her composure.

“Why did it get this bad all of a sudden? You were fine just yesterday.”

“I don’t know.”

“Lean on me. Don’t just sit like that.”

Seeing him lean his head back uneasily, she pulled him toward her, and he surprisingly followed her pull without resistance.

‘Too close……’

Although Lydia had told him to lean on her, the proximity was a bit too much.

His hot breath brushing against her nape gave her goosebumps.

Blushing, she tried to focus on their clasped hands resting on her lap, but it didn’t help much.

“Hold still.”

Annoyed by her fidgeting, his voice came out in a low murmur.

She thought he might adjust his posture out of discomfort, but instead, the marquis sighed deeply and pulled her even closer.

“Marquis. I think you’d be more comfortable resting on the bed than here.”

But he didn’t respond when she called.

It seemed his condition was far worse than she had thought.

If so, there must have been warning signs earlier today—

So why hadn’t he said anything?

‘I asked him to tell me……’

She wanted to call out his careless attitude toward his own health, but in his current state, she couldn’t scold him.

Being held tightly by a man of no small size was an awkward situation.

Still, as she listened to his rough breathing slowly calm down, she felt somewhat relieved.

“Don’t go.”

His sudden words startled her, but Ilian, who had spoken them, didn’t move.

His face was buried in her shoulder, so she couldn’t see it well, but he probably wasn’t actually talking to her.

Maybe someone in his dreams.

Thinking about who that might be, Lydia still opened her mouth to answer softly.

“I’m not going anywhere. Don’t you remember? We’re bound by contract. You’re holding my ring hostage.”

“Don’t go.”

Given how he didn’t react to her teasing tone, he was clearly repeating the words unconsciously.

Lydia hesitated, then very slowly raised her hand and gently brushed through his hair—

As if to let him know she was there and to reassure him.

‘He probably didn’t mean me when he said don’t go.’

The repeated “don’t go” eventually faded into a whisper.

Not long after, the blond man began to breathe steadily, as if he had fallen asleep.