Chapter 28

Then Evan suddenly spoke.

 

“Elena has officially taken a position as my attending physician. What about you, Lep? You’re graduating from the Academy soon.”

 

I rolled my eyes.

 

“Hmm… I don’t know? My situation is different from Elena’s.”

 

The Academy might be considered a noble’s duty, but it doesn’t hold that much weight. Many noble ladies graduate with just enough knowledge to avoid being looked down upon and then marry immediately. They attend various social gatherings, choose a suitable husband, and get married.

 

That’s why, when I chose to study medicine at the Academy, people didn’t look at me kindly. They thought I wasn’t focusing on proper “lady’s education.”

 

“Most noble ladies will get married, but I’ll think about it once your health improves.”

 

I smiled. I hadn’t thought much about the future. Marriage wasn’t even on my radar, and my merchant group brought in plenty of money anyway.

 

“If I had to say… I’d probably grow the merchant group.”

 

Honestly, I’d left it to grow on its own. With schoolwork, I relied heavily on Eldan. So once my hands were free, I’d have to help manage it. Eldan wanted to become a merchant to see the world, after all.

 

Evan asked with a puzzled look.

 

“You’re not going to get married, Lep?”

 

The mention of marriage startled me, and I looked down at Evan. He was staring straight up at me.

 

Some noble ladies married early, true, but I was only seventeen. From my perspective, marriage felt way too soon.

 

“I’m seventeen. Isn’t marriage a bit early?”

 

“…That’s disappointing.”

 

Evan’s eyes dimmed slightly. His unmoving gaze made me tilt my head.

 

‘Oh. Right. We’re still technically engaged.’

 

Because it was all settled with formal documents, I often forgot. To Evan, the one he’d marry would be me.

 

‘Did Evan want to marry early…? Ah! Or is he trying to secure my future so he can break the engagement and propose to Elena later?’

 

Evan furrowed his brows as if deep in thought.

 

‘So this act won’t last long. Well, it’s about time I let him go. He must be sick of this too.’

 

I was lost in my worries when Evan spoke again.

 

“Then… when would you like to marry?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You said seventeen is too early. I’m fine with marrying whenever you want. As long as… you want to marry me.”

 

He blinked nervously, watching my reaction.

 

“…Me?”

 

I pointed at myself, confused. Why on earth would he want to marry me? Evan’s smile faded at my reaction. Shadows gathered around his eyes.

 

“…Who else would I marry, if not you?”

 

“Marry me? You—you’re not joking?”

 

“Why would you think that?”

 

Evan’s displeasure was obvious. His tone dropped, the cute look he usually had when glancing up replaced by something sharp.

 

“N-no! There’s no one else. Who but me would Evan marry?!”

 

Evan lit up instantly, as if the whole room brightened.

 

Maybe he hasn’t fallen for the heroine yet… but still, why marry me? You should marry someone you love! Or… has he grown too comfortable and mistaken it for love?

 

“When?”

 

“…Um, that’s…”

 

“…Right. Even if everyone says I’m improving, I’m still sick. I don’t know when I’ll inherit the duchy…”

 

He clenched and unclenched his hands, staring at his empty palm. Then he forced a smile.

 

“But I’ll inherit some of the estate eventually. It’ll be enough for us to live comfortably. So…”

 

He bit his lip until it turned red. I snapped back to myself and spoke firmly.

 

“Hey—Evan. We promised not to talk like that.”

 

I raised a finger to his lips, telling him to stop.

 

‘Great. His confidence is dropping again.’

 

After five years of illness, insisting he will get better also wore him down. I’d gotten excited so many times thinking I’d made the cure, only to fail again and again. He always saw my disappointment.

 

The marriage talk was just him trying to keep me from leaving. He was losing faith in himself.

 

‘Where is that damn lily of the valley? At this rate, I really will have to get it from that old lady like in the original story.’

 

I’d gathered everything else—only the lily of the valley was missing. Now I was sick of hearing about lilies of the valley.

 

“When you get better, you’ll inherit the duchy. Don’t worry. I promise. And when you become healthy and take over the family, let’s get married then.”

 

“…Really?”

 

“Of course!”

 

I said proudly. By then, he’d have more than enough time to fall for Elena. A goal might motivate him to work harder on recovering. And since we wouldn’t actually be marrying, I might as well say it.

 

Marrying my bias… Wasn’t the thought alone blissful? But it’s only blissful and enjoyable because it’s a fantasy. A marriage between him and me? We weren’t in the same league.

 

“So don’t say things like that.”

 

I smiled at Evan’s bright face. Then I stood. Evan looked up at me halfway risen from his bed.

 

“Evan, you haven’t looked in a mirror much, have you?”

 

“A mirror?”

 

He repeated the word, confused. I dragged him to the mirror and held his face so he had no choice but to look.

 

“Look closely.”

 

“…”

 

He sat awkwardly in the chair as I set my hands on his shoulders and stared at his reflection.

 

“See? You used to look pale and worn out, but now there’s real color in your cheeks. Your whole face looks livelier.”

 

I brushed his cheek. Normally, when someone’s sick, their face hollows out, their body weakens, and their complexion turns deathly pale. Evan didn’t look like that at all.

 

“And look at your body. You’re toned.”

 

I secretly drooled over that more than once—that was my little secret. Through the gap in his shirt I could see the firm muscles of his chest. He didn’t look sick at all.

 

As I was speaking, a realization struck me.

 

‘Wait… this is weird.’

 

I’d planned to reassure him he was healthy. But now that I really looked at him, something felt off.

 

“Evan… hold on.”

 

He could now lift a sword lightly in the training yard. I placed my hand on his chest.

 

“L-Lep…”

 

He stammered, but I ignored it. I needed to confirm this strange suspicion. How could someone this sick build such solid muscles? Something wasn’t right.

 

My fingers traced more carefully. The lines were undeniable—sharp muscles, and below, faint abs where his shirt fell loose.

 

His loose shirt made him look thin, but the body beneath was not that of a bedridden patient.

 

When I had been poisoned, even getting out of bed was hard. Was it because I was naturally weak? Or was Evan just absurdly resilient?

 

But even so—people suffering from organ decay shouldn’t be this strong. We still didn’t have the real cure, only enough medicine to prolong his life. Early on, he was sick: pale, rough-skinned, coughing blood constantly.

 

My eyes drifted to the green-glowing sword resting against the wall.

 

Originally, it had been dull, battered, dusty. Now it was sleek and sharp.

 

‘…Strange.’

 

This was the form the sword took when Evan summoned the spirit within it. It was also the sign of becoming a Sword Master.

 

According to the original timeline, Evan awakened the spirit during his graduation exam at seventeen. The swordsmanship department students entered the forest to fight monsters. Most of them were future knights; they had to be prepared to face any threat.

 

But Evan never even took the exam. No one would make him. He was sick—on the verge of death. And becoming a Sword Master? Impossible.

 

‘But now that I’m really thinking about it… it is weird. His complexion, his strength… And come to think of it, it’s been a while since he coughed up blood. He only does it rarely now.’

 

To me, Evan had always seemed fragile. So I never viewed him objectively. But looking at him now, he didn’t seem weak at all.

 

‘…The medicine must be working well? If he were cured, he would’ve said something.’

 

Why would he hide being healed? If I were him, I’d have run away long ago. No reason to lie in bed pretending to be sick. Even if he looked strong outside, his organs were still decaying… or so I reminded myself.

 

‘Ugh, I’m just overthinking.’

 

I quickly wrapped up when I felt Evan’s eyes on me.

 

“So that means your condition is really good.”

 

“Then I can hurry and get better and marry Lep.”

 

“Uh… yeah, sure…”

 

That’s the conclusion he reached? Strange, but I nodded.

 

As long as Evan smiled, that was enough. I decided to leave it at that.