IBYSDW 16

Chapter 16

Why did Ishar’s expression harden?

Was it because I was staring at him too much? Or was he angry because I greeted him while sitting down?

Soon, Ishar stopped walking in front of the bed.
Without saying a word, he simply looked down at me.

A chill lingered in his pale silver eyes. Just meeting his gaze made my shoulders flinch without me realizing it.

I didn’t know the exact reason, but it was clear that Ishar was angry.

I tried to push myself up.
Even so, he was a prince—greeting him while sitting must have been my fault.

Why did this man come to visit me while I was sick… only to make things harder for me?

“Ugh… ahh…”
Out of habit, I let out a groan as I twisted my body.

After struggling like that a few times—

“Ah!”

Ishar’s pale hand shot out.
He grabbed my shoulder tightly, stopping me from moving. His hand felt strangely hot against my shoulder.

I looked up at him. Our eyes met at a closer distance.

My reflection was clearly visible in his silver eyes.

And suddenly, I thought of Rike.

Rike, who liked Ishar.
Wouldn’t she want only her reflection to be in his eyes?

It would have been better if Ishar had gone to see Rike instead of coming to me…

I was about to ask why he suddenly visited.

“Your Highness Ishar, why—”

But I couldn’t finish.

His tightly shut lips finally parted.

“You… what kind of treatment are you receiving here?”

I asked back, confused.

“Treatment?”

What was he talking about?

Ishar’s face twisted.
He looked like someone who had already concluded that I was being mistreated in the ducal house.

I couldn’t understand why he would think that.
Had he heard some strange rumor?

I quickly tried to clear things up.

“Your Highness Ishar, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m living happily here.”

And that—being happy—was the truth.

Since becoming Linzel, I hadn’t been unhappy even once.

Every day, I was given warm meals and a comfortable place to stay.
And there were many people here who loved me—Father, Rike, Mini, and all the other servants treated me with care.

Even if that love was meant for the ‘real Linzel,’ I still liked receiving it.

A life where you are loved—how warm it is.

If only my weak body could be fixed, I felt like I would become the happiest person in the world.

And if Rike became healthy too, it would be a perfect life.

For a moment, I imagined a dreamlike future where everyone was healthy. Just imagining it made my heart swell.

When would that day come?

At that thought, Hernan came to mind again.

Because I needed to marry Hernan in order to enter the Imperial Archive, where there was a way to cure both me and Rike.

I had already greeted his family and left a good impression, so it seemed like only the wedding date remained.

I wondered what Hernan was doing, since he hadn’t come to see me.

“…Is that really true?”

Ishar spoke as if he couldn’t believe my claim of happiness.

“Of course. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t doubt my happiness.”

“But…”

“More importantly, Your Highness Ishar, I think you’re gripping my shoulder a bit too tightly.”

“….”

“My fragile shoulder is about to break. It hurts, it hurts.”

Only then did Ishar release my shoulder.

“Ah, sorry.”

His hand dropped limply.

I didn’t invite him to sit, but Ishar sat on the edge of the bed anyway, looking at me.

“A maid from the ducal house said you were too sick to even come to the reception room. Just how sick are you?”

“Maybe I should say my whole body aches from overexertion yesterday. And my leg hurts a lot from falling.”

Ishar spoke gently.

“Did you cry again?”

I shook my head.

“It’s not painful enough to cry.”

His hand, which had been wandering uncertainly, reached out again—this time toward my head.

He gently ruffled my hair.

“That’s a relief.”

There wasn’t any romantic affection in his touch.
Rather, it felt like… I had become his youngest sibling.

As his hand left, I confessed something I hadn’t said yet.

“Your Highness Ishar… I haven’t washed my hair.”

He frowned slightly.

“Hey… you should’ve told me that earlier.”

With that, he wiped his hand—used to touch my hair—on the bedsheet.

“No wonder it smelled a bit strange.”

“It’s not that bad!”

Ishar chuckled.

“Alright, I’ll let that slide. But you should wash your hair. Okay?”

“Yeees, yeees.”

I didn’t hate his easygoing attitude.

Maybe this was what Rike liked about him.

At first glance, Ishar seemed like a cold, aloof man.
But once you talked to him, you realized his thoughtfulness and his subtle sense of humor.

And above all, his most charming feature… was his dimples.

Even in the novel, his dimples were occasionally described.
But seeing them in person was completely different.

Dimples like small wells—deep and defined.

If I ever got the chance, I really wanted to touch them.

“Anyway, why did you come to see me?”

“Hmm. Where should I start?”

Ishar crossed his long legs, tapping his foot as if recalling something from the recent past.

Soon, his red lips opened.

“There’s a shop I go to often.”

“Yes.”

“But lately, someone’s been buying clothes identical to mine.”

I nodded.

Ishar was the empire’s top fashionista, so it wasn’t strange that someone would copy him.

“Hey, can you guess who it is?”

I didn’t frequent luxury shops, nor did I care much about clothes.

But suddenly, like a flash of lightning, someone came to mind.

I spoke the name of a man we both knew.

“Could it be… His Highness Hernan?”

“Correct.”

I recalled what Hernan had been wearing lately—
a striking red cloak, a stylish V-neck shirt…

Were those all clothes Ishar usually wore?

Come to think of it, yesterday Ishar had been wearing something similar to Hernan’s outfit.

Back then, I had just thought they were close brothers.

“So… is it because you’re close brothers and share clothes?”

Ishar recoiled.

“Don’t say something so creepy.”

“….”

“We’re not that close.”

Then that meant Hernan had been copying Ishar on his own.

I figured I could ask Hernan about it later.

But… did Ishar come all the way here just to complain about that?

“Anyway, I went to that shop again today and found out he bought the same pants as mine.”

“Pfft. Sounds like you are close brothers.”

“….”

Ishar glared at me silently. I quickly backtracked.

“Just kidding.”

He continued.

“Then I heard something interesting from the shop’s madam.”

“What was it?”

“That Hernan’s arranged marriage partner wasn’t originally you. It was your twin sister, Lady Rike.”

“—Cough!”

The unexpected revelation made me choke.

“Are you okay?”

I waved my hand to reassure him.

But the problem was, once I started coughing, it wouldn’t stop.

“Cough, cough.”

I bent forward, coughing repeatedly. Every breath felt like my lungs were tearing apart.

At this rate, I couldn’t even be startled anymore.

Seeing me unable to stop, Ishar climbed fully onto the bed and patted my back.

He also shouted to Mini behind us.

“Hey! Bring something to drink, quickly!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Mini rushed out of the room.

I gasped for air.

“Ghk—!”

Ishar kept patting my back.

“Try breathing out slowly.”

I followed his instructions, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Hearing his calm voice helped me settle down.

Just then, the door opened.

I thought Mini had returned with water—

“I-Ishtar… Your Highness?”

That voice wasn’t Mini’s.

I turned my head with difficulty toward the door. My vision was blurred from coughing, but I could make her out.

Rike.

She stood frozen, staring at us.

She couldn’t take a single step forward.

As if she had seen something she shouldn’t have—her face had turned pale.

Our eyes met. Her green eyes, so similar to mine, trembled.

It was the first time I had ever seen her like that.

“Linzel… how could you…”

Her voice shook.

At that moment, I realized.

Damn it.

Rike misunderstood.