Why Are you Obsessed Even Though you're Dead ?

Chapter  9

“…sigh.”

A deep sigh, starting from the Danjeon, turned into a white breath and spread out.

No matter how hard I tried, the never-ending pile of laundry stacked up. I had to break the still-frozen stream water to wash the laundry.

After that, Ronan returned to his lodging, and as someone who couldn’t rely on Ronan alone, I was taking care of the assigned tasks.

Burton’s hands and feet were reddened to the point where sensation seemed to disappear. Even a momentary rest made the laundry freeze, requiring more effort.

“…It’s tough.”

Strangely, my body had been shaking severely since earlier. My head ached, and it seemed like the lack of sleep was causing constant coughing.

I lowered the arms that had been working diligently and took a deep breath.

“What am I doing right now?”

I wanted to live,  That’s why I came to the north to find the person who would kill me.

“I wanted to live.’’

If that’s the case, what would I have thought about finding someone to kill me?

I haven’t found someone to kill me yet, but what if I were to kill the person who would eventually kill me in the future?

Would I be able to live then without dying?

“It’s hard…”

What am I doing right now?

Was coming to the north really a wise choice?

Is going through the mansion and barely escaping the threshold of death just laundry?

I put down the laundry in my hands and clutched my painful head.

It’s been over a week since I arrived in the north, and the only harvest I have is not being able to read Laeces’ memories.

Was wanting to live too much of an extravagant desire for me?”

The deaths I had experienced unfolded before my eyes. Was this agony that Asrai was spreading the pain I had endured back then? Or…

Thunk.

“Ouch.”

A light voice interrupted the endless stream of thoughts.

Someone gently lifted my head, which had drooped weakly forward.

“Trying to dunk your head in icy water?”

Though the hand was cold and chilling like icy water, it was different from the bone-penetrating chill of the freezing wind.

“Why… are you standing sideways?”

I looked at Laches, who oddly stood next to me, with a puzzled expression.

My eyelids felt heavy, like piles of laundry sticking together.

“I’m not standing sideways; your head is tilted to the side.”

“My eyes feel heavy.”

“Even my hand supporting your face feels heavy.”

“Then, move it away…”

“Should I?”

Despite the playful tone, the hand supporting my face remained unmoved.

“You said you had a fever earlier, Are you okay?”

The cold hand swept across my forehead without hesitation. Then, I grabbed the frozen hand.

The cold hand gradually melted into warmth from my body heat.

“I did mention yesterday that your clothes seemed thin. They still are today. Don’t you take care to dress warmly?”

“Who dresses warmly when they’re working…”

“When you’re in pain like this, wear Northern Indian clothes. You should have checked your own body condition.”

It was the first time.

Even when someone held my hand, memories didn’t flow in. This person was the first.

“Are you scolding me now?”

“Can’t I scold you? After all, I’m supposed to be the master of the family.”

My forced laughter mingled with Laeches’s arrogant laughter.

Not flinching when someone touched me while I was in pain and struggling was also something I experienced for the first time in the North.

Dator and Delia avoided touching me, fearing that they might read my memories, and my father, preoccupied with family matters, postponed dealing with me.

“You should rest today, Can you get up?”

“Yes,  But it’s a bit difficult right now. I’ll get up later…”

It was hard to get up from the posture of squatting while doing laundry. The limp body seemed to wish to lie down like a wet cotton.

“Alright, then do that.”

With my face in his hands, Laeches muttered quietly. His voice was like reading a fairy tale before going to bed when I was a child, and my heavy eyelids gradually closed.

As if on a spring afternoon when we used to have tea parties at the Nirel Mansion, my whole body became lethargic.

“During the freezing winter, use the water you’ve stored in advance and pour it into the well. Don’t break the ice directly like this.”

His large hands annoyingly touched my cold hands that had frozen.

“Didn’t Han Yong teach you?”

There was no rise and fall in the questioning voice. It was completely different from the light voice I usually heard, with a deep and low tone.

“I thought I had to break the ice…”

The heavy low pitch felt like a lullaby, making drowsiness flood over me.

“…Yussha.”

Laches held my hand and gently lifted me up, embracing me lightly as we entered. As I settled into his arms, a warm comfort enveloped me.

“Rest. There’s nothing you can do right now even if you wake up. Sometimes you just have to sleep.”

“Why do you always… speak so bluntly?”

“Can’t help it, it’s my nature.”

Laches took a step, and as my body nestled in his arms, it swayed gently like a cradle.

I couldn’t resist, and my eyes closed. In truth, it seemed like I never had the intention to resist.

My head throbbed. Through closed eyes, the numerous deaths I witnessed seemed to mock me, suggesting there was no escape from this fate.

“Am I… going to die?”

I’m not sure what I said, if anything at all. My lips seemed to move on their own.

The wind blew. The swaying cradle came to a halt.

“I’m still considering it. Don’t you want to live?”

I couldn’t muster a coherent response, and I fell into a deep sleep.

“…Well, let’s think about keeping you alive, then.”

Laches, gazing at the women who slept in various positions in his arms, took a step forward with a resolute expression and entered the realm of his instincts.

The men of the Violentus family were all taken aback, unable to close their mouths as they looked at the woman cradled in Laches’s arms.

However, they refrained from speaking hastily.

Laches’s face, as he held the woman in his arms, was gruesomely contorted, much like when he killed the assassin.

“Marquis, I urgently went somewhere and searched for a long time. Why is this maid…?”

“I clearly informed you that I personally approved her during the interview, but it seems you are oblivious.”

“What?… Marquis. If you could tell me why you are upset, I will handle it myself.”

“Bring the maid in.”

After giving the cold command, Laches straightened his posture and headed toward the warm bedroom.

“How long do I have to be confined like this?!”

A luxurious bedroom filled with fresh flowers and beautiful jewels.

The pink canopy fluttered in the gentle spring breeze that seeped through.

Trapped within this beautiful prison, Delia stomped her foot in frustration.

“Miss, but Master strictly ordered you not to go outside.”

“Ugh, Now that my world has finally come, why do I have to be confined like this forever?”

Despite the maid’s soothing words, Delia couldn’t suppress the rising irritation.

Reparentia, the thorn in her side, was dead. Moreover, she chose death with her own hands.

The exhilaration Delia felt upon hearing that news.

She could never forget that moment, It was undoubtedly the happiest and most thrilling moment of her life.

“I want to see Détore,  Leah is already dead, so why should I stay sane!”

“The Guardian of the Empire.’’

The one who inherits the noble lineage.

Due to being born in the same guardian family, Delia was constantly compared and grew up under the shadow of her noble lineage.

Whenever rumors spread about Reparentia’s proficiency in foreign languages, Delia couldn’t sleep for days.

If there was talk about Reparentia’s excellent horseback riding skills, Delia was forced to ride a horse against her will.

Reparentia, just hearing the name sent shivers down one’s spine.

Delia’s life was always like living in Reptentia’s shadow. Whatever Reptentia excelled in, Delia had to excel in as well, and whatever Reptentia couldn’t do, Delia had to be good at.

All of Delia’s standards were always set by Reptentia. Her parents always praised or punished Delia based on Reptentia’s achievements.

Especially due to Reptentia’s extreme shyness and inability to adapt to social circles, Delia, for the first time, laughed heartily.

And she realized.

Ah, my life can only be happy if I defeat Reparentia. My unhappiness is all because Reparentia is happy, she thought.

After their parents passed away and her older brother Lloyd became the head of the family, whenever he accumulated stress, he would take it out on Delia, blaming her for all his frustrations, all because Reptentia was supposedly happy.

Because Reptentia exists, that’s why my life is so miserable, she believed.

So when Delia managed to take away Détor, the axis of Reptentia’s happiness, she felt like she was soaring into the sky.

Finally, I can be loved and happy like Reptentia, she thought.

But!

“I need to meet Détor.”

What on earth is going on?”

“What on earth is going on? Just because Leperentia died, and our names were mentioned in the will, they declare a separation?”

Delia couldn’t comprehend it.

“Miss, please… The social circle is in an uproar right now. How about waiting just until things quiet down, as the master suggested? Then, as he promised, he will arrange the marriage with Count de Verti.”

A maid pleaded, holding onto Delia’s legs.

It wasn’t for Delia’s sake. If Delia were to escape this small and beautiful prison, the responsibility would fall entirely on her.

“No contact from Dettore?”

But the maid’s life was not important to Delia. Delia’s happiness was solely dependent on Dettore.

The man Leperentia had chosen, So there couldn’t be any flaws. He must be a perfect man.

Delia repeated his name endlessly as if he were the only one who could make her completely happy.

“Count de Verti seems to be enduring for the sake of others’ opinions.”

“So, Dettore hasn’t contacted me, right?”

Delia stared blankly into space and then chuckled.

“Why? I miss him so much. Doesn’t Dettore want to see me?”

Since being imprisoned, the only person Delia cared about was Dettore.

There was no guilt or sadness for abandoning her close friend.

“Miss.”

The maid, excited, brought Delia to sit in front of the dressing table. While gently combing her long hair, she spoke soothingly.

“Count de Verti must miss you terribly too. Look in the mirror. I have never seen anyone more beautiful and elegant in the world. He must be yearning for you. But lately, Count de Verti seems to be in a difficult state. Refusing meals, looking quite gloomy… Maybe it’s because he misses you so much.”

“But why hasn’t he contacted me?”

“Lately, Count de Verti’s condition is beyond words. He seems unwell, rejecting meals and… probably yearning for you, Miss.”

The reality was that due to the windfall from the successful recovery of all the invested capital in the widely spread business, the family had spent a staggering amount of money, causing it to waver. However, in Delia’s ears, the situation sounded quite pleasant.

“Really? Is Dettore having a hard time even eating because he misses me so much?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The maid patted Delia’s shoulder.

“Count Deverty must have his own thoughts. Perhaps he is even preparing a formal proposal to you. After all, Count Deverty’s wife is your position!”

“A formal proposal?! Really?”

“Of course! He might be preparing a surprise event!”

“Then I’ll have to wait!”

A bright smile blossomed on Delia’s initially worried face.

Only then did the maid heave a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it seemed like things would quiet down for a few days.

However, unfortunately, rumors of an extramarital affair had spread in society, and there were even whispers suggesting that Delia was pregnant.

It was embarrassing enough to lift her face in public.

“Delia, should we go on a short trip?”

In the end, Dettore had to take Delia away from the harsh criticisms for a while, avoiding the capital.