Why Are you Obsessed Even Though you're Dead ?

Chapter 29

“I can already sense your worries,  Are you concerned that she might dislike you? Worried that it might strain your relationship?”

“….Yes?”

It was a question I hadn’t even considered.

Was Celly worried that I might dislike her? Worried that our relationship might strain?

“So, you’re not just trying to say pleasant things to leave me alone?”

“Well….”

I should have said no, but my lips only moved without producing any sound.

Celly wasn’t a friend, but she was the first person here in the North to take my side.

The first person who said she wanted to take care of me because she felt sorry. The person who stood up to Han Young for me, only to silently bear the consequences alone.

Still, she never hinted or said anything to me.  She brought bread for me when I skipped meals, worried when I was hurt, and changed difficult situations into laughter.

I didn’t want someone like her to see me being hated and despised like Delia.

“…Yes, I think that’s what worried me.”

At last, this uneasy refuge I had found became a slowly tightening noose around my throat, threatening to suffocate me.

“If that’s what worried you, then there’s no problem.”

In response to my strained answer, laches replied nonchalantly.

“Do whatever you want,  If it eventually leads to her disliking you and straining the relationship, then I’ll just exile her from the North.”

“Exile her?”

It was truly an outlandish solution,  Only   laches could come up with such a solution.

“So, you have nothing to worry about?”

“How can you say such things so easily….”

“Right,  It’s as easy for me as flicking a finger. So….”

As a breeze brushed past, gently removing the strands of hair clinging to my face, he spoke easily.

“So, she should never have dared to dislike you. Never dared.”

laches chuckled lightly as if removing a strand of hair was no big deal.

“Do as you please,  The only worry you’ll have here is whether to have another spoonful of food when you’re already full. Other than that, I won’t allow anything.”

“Well….”

“Your Excellency.”

“…yah.”

“You’ve done things that a person shouldn’t do, and you haven’t even reflected on them. Cream wouldn’t do that either. Oh, Cream is the hunting dog I recently took charge of.”

“If you don’t shut up, you’ll regret it. Consider yourself warned.”

“Seeing a mere maid like me acting so arrogantly, one should check what kind of backing she has. If you’re not smart, you should at least be quick-witted.”

“What? How dare you…!”

Cedric, seething with anger, forcefully pushed my shoulder with his palm without warning. My body swayed backward abruptly as his strength was exerted suddenly.

“…!”

My legs, freed from the effort of trying to save Celly, didn’t have the strength to resist.

As Cedric and his companions looked surprised, and Celly reached out her hand towards me with a shocked expression, everything gradually disappeared, and soon, only the sky was visible.

There was only Celly reaching out her hand to grab mine.

“Leah!!”

And with Selly’s desperate cry as the final sound.

Splash!

I was thrown into the cold lake.

The icy water pierced through my entire body, It felt like all my veins were freezing.

The water was so cold that I forcibly grabbed onto consciousness as if I were about to fall asleep.

“Ugh…!”

I had only ever come to the lake to admire it; this was my first time being thrown into it.

Naturally, I didn’t know how to swim.

The surface of the water seemed to be getting farther away.

Startled, I flailed my arms and legs, but instead of floating up, I sank further down.

The lake was pitch black, and I couldn’t see anything. It felt like I had been thrown into a deep abyss, and fear gripped me.

“Ugh…!”

Air bubbles scattered,  Every time I moved my hands and feet, my muscles trembled. I couldn’t breathe. I tried to trap the escaping air by covering my mouth with both hands, but it made no difference.

“Bastard…!”

I closed my eyes tightly in agony. I tried with all my might to force myself upwards, but my body wouldn’t move as I wanted it to.

“I can’t die like this…”

I promised to take responsibility for Celly to the end…

If I die like this, my connection with Selly will be severed. When I open my eyes again, I’ll be at the Nirelle Mansion, not in the Northern Territories. Dethor and Delia will be smiling at me.

I’ll become a stranger to lachess, and I won’t be able to meet Cream.

Even my small but peaceful room in the Violentus Castle will disappear.

“I’m returning to that hell again…”

Everything I have will disappear in an instant, like foam. No matter how hard I try to burn every moment, I always end up dying like this, leaving nothing behind.

“If it’s going to be like this, I’d rather just…”

I wished I wouldn’t open my eyes again. My body gradually lost its strength. The struggling body became silent as if floating in the air.

The pain of feeling like I was suffocating and about to die also disappeared.

It became calm, as if sitting in front of a quiet cabin with nothing around, feeling the warm afternoon sun and eating scones at the tea table.

“May you receive the blessing of the gods.”

For some reason, in that moment at my memorial, the memory of the Crown Princess Repleo whom I met resurfaced. She, who fled to the monastery because she abhorred marriage, had bestowed upon me that brief blessing.

“If there truly is a god, and if I could receive the blessing of that god, please, just stop now.”

In the stillness of the night, as the lake embraced me, I heard the sound of someone diving into the water.

When I slowly opened my eyes amidst the scattering droplets, a man revealed himself swimming towards me.

It was too dark to see clearly, yet why were those jet-black strands of hair coming towards me so vividly?

He seemed desperate, as if fearing my death.

“…Laches.”

I wanted to reach out to him, but my body wouldn’t move as I wished. Then, swiftly approaching, Laches wrapped his arms around my waist.

Twisting my head, our lips collided suddenly. Before I could even react, our lips were sealed, and his breath filled my lungs as if he were offering all of his own.

In the chill of the lake, our touching lips felt warm, or was it just my imagination?

Gazing into Laches’ sparkling eyes, I closed mine.

He then released his lips from mine and swiftly, with a strong force, pulled me out of the grip of death and up to the surface.

“…Huff!”

Emerging onto the water’s surface, I could finally take a deep breath. Coughing and breathless, my chest felt heavy.

“Duke!”

“Leah!”

At the intense shouts, I turned my gaze to see torchlights surrounding the lake.

I was alive,  I hadn’t died. Whether it was due to the cold or the joy of being alive again, my body continued to tremble.

Laches had brought me out of the lake. As I emerged from the water, my legs lost strength, and I collapsed weakly onto the ground.

“Doctor!”

Laches exclaimed loudly, brushing back his wet hair.

The doctor hurried over, followed by the waiting handmaidens who covered me with thick blankets.

Refusing the blankets, Laches commanded them to cover me.

“Lea, Lea! Are you okay?”

With tears streaming down her face, Celly, in her desperate attempt, covered me with her own clothes.

I should have reassured them, but the chill was so strong that my lips trembled, unable to respond.

“Fortunately, it seems like there’s no serious injury other than being startled. However, her body temperature has dropped significantly, so it would be best to move her to a warmer place.”

The doctor, trembling, reported to Laches.

Coldness seeped through his face like water droplets falling from his hair. It was as if he could kill someone at any moment.

“Who should I hold responsible for this?”

Laches muttered heavily,  The atmosphere froze at his chilling voice.

Thanks to the blankets, I could look around. I saw Cedric and his companions trembling nearby.

Throwing off his soaked shirt, Laches walked towards Cedric.

“It seemed like everything was shown properly, but it seems it wasn’t enough. They’re not even young animals that can’t understand without being told.”

If there is something unclear or you need further clarification, feel free to ask!

Cedric trembled and bowed his head deeply, avoiding eye contact with Laches.

Laches stared at him for a moment before turning away, Then he snatched the blanket from the butler’s hands, wrapping it around me and pulling me into a tight embrace.

Even the highest authority in the castle, the duke, had gone so far as to jump into the cold lake himself just to save a mere servant girl, let alone embrace her.

This was on a different level from the light consideration he had shown so far.

“I’ll hear the reports later. I will personally handle this matter, so all reports should be directed to me.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Those who were at the scene should all wait in their rooms,  Going out is prohibited until further notice.”

Cedric, still in Laches’ embrace, met my eyes. Startled, he quickly averted his gaze.

His expression, as he held me, seemed pensive.

“What are you looking at?”

When I kept staring at one spot, Laches, noticing my gaze, hugged me tighter, blocking my view.

“You have a lot to listen to as well,  I must have clearly told you to return to your room after the walk.”

“…Yes.”

Although it was just artificial respiration to save a dying person, I couldn’t forget Laeches’ lips that I felt in the lake.

Thinking back to that moment, I shivered lightly. Sensing my tremble, Laeches pulled the blanket over my shoulders up to my neck.

“The rest of you, tidy up the area around the lake and then dismantle.”

After Laches gave a light command, he turned away while still holding me. Then, he walked quickly back into the castle.

His eyes, devoid of any usual kindness, seemed even unfamiliar.

“Thank you for saving me…”

I managed to squeeze out my thanks, but there was no response.

His straightforward gaze remained chilling.

It’s strange,  His silence is strange and the way he avoids looking at me is strange.

Laches was originally known as a ruthless man, and it was natural that there was no connection between me, a mere servant girl, and him.

I’ve seen enough people being affectionate to me all my life.

But still, for some reason, my heart ached.

Maybe I drank too much cold lake water and something went wrong with my body.

“It seems like I’m the only one who values your life.”

“…Pardon?”

“You don’t seem to cherish or worry about your own life.”

Our eyes met,  Laeches tightened his grip on my chin. Suppressing the rising anger, he turned his head away.

So, does that mean… this man cares about my life?

Why?

Just as I was about to ask what he meant, suddenly I heard a familiar voice.

“It seems there was some commotion in the middle of the night, interesting sight indeed, Your Grace.”

It was Dettor,  If Laches hadn’t wrapped me up, my face would have been revealed, exposing my identity.

“It’s late, Count Deverti.”

“I was admiring the beautiful moon in the north, lost track of time But…”

Dettor chuckled wickedly.

“Are you satisfied with just a maid? Your taste is rather simple,  If you’re captivated by the duke to that extent, she must be exceptionally beautiful. I’m curious too.”

My heart raced.

“Introduce me to her as well, Your Grace.”

I heard Dettor’s footsteps approaching.