IBYSDW 17

Chapter 17

Rike seemed to have misunderstood, thinking I was being physically intimate with Ishar.

Rike liked Ishar, and on top of that, the two of them were the male and female leads. There was no way I would try to seduce him.

The real culprit behind this ridiculous misunderstanding was my useless body.

What a frail, pathetic thing it was.

With all my strength, I pushed Ishar away. I didn’t want Rike to misunderstand even more.

In this novel, where I had fallen in like an ugly duckling, the most important person to me was Rike.

It was because of her that living as Rinzel felt happy.

I couldn’t even imagine growing distant from her, or living a life without her.

It was hard to believe that such a deep bond had formed with someone I had only known for about ten days.

I crawled out from beside Ishar and shouted with all my might,

“Rike! This is a misunderstanding!”

The coughing that had wracked me earlier subsided from the shock. At least that was one small relief.

Ishar, too, seemed flustered by the situation and couldn’t take any action.

“……”

Rike, her face clearly hurt, didn’t respond and instead ran out of the room.

“Rike!”

I called her name with force, but she didn’t answer or turn back.

A sigh escaped me.

Why did she have to show up at that exact moment?

“Haah……”

That was when Ishar, who had been quietly observing the situation, spoke.

“Aren’t you going after her?”

Of course I wanted to follow Rike. But my useless body was the problem.

It wouldn’t move the way I wanted it to.

There was no way I could catch up to Rike, who had already run off at full speed.

Catching her was nearly impossible.

“She’s probably already gone far.”

It would be better to send Ishar away first and then go look for Rike.

I had to meet her and clear up the misunderstanding.

If it was the thoughtful Rike I knew, she would understand my situation.

She might even say, ‘I misunderstood. I’m sorry, Rinzel.’ and apologize first.

At least, that was the kind of person I believed her to be.

They said misunderstandings only deepen with time. I needed to see her before it became irreversible.

“Prince Ishar. Have you said everything you wanted to say?”

If he had nothing more to say, I intended to send him away.

Ishar tilted his head and looked at me. His face showed no expression at all.

A blank face. Impossible to read what he was thinking.

“Well… I did have a bit more to say. But before that, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Why did that girl, Rike, act like she was hurt?”

“Well, that’s……”

I pressed my lips together.

I couldn’t say, ‘Because she likes you.’

It was a feeling Rike held dear.

I couldn’t expose her feelings as I pleased—even if we were twins.

“Maybe because she saw me with a man who isn’t Prince Hernan… so she was shocked?”

“Over something like that? What does it matter to her who you’re with?”

…Well, that’s true. But the problem is that it was you.

Since I couldn’t tell the truth, I gave a vague excuse.

“Because I don’t usually act close with men?”

“Whether you do or don’t, that’s your business. There’s no reason for her to be shocked.”

“……”

I fell silent.

He was completely right, so I had nothing to say. My flimsy excuse had reached its limit.

I also didn’t understand why Ishar was stubbornly pressing the issue.

If anything, shouldn’t he be the one least concerned about what Rike does?

I decided to end the conversation.

“Anyway, Prince Ishar, please don’t worry about it. This is our problem.”

Even if it sounded cold, it couldn’t be helped. This was strictly our issue.

At that moment, a strange warmth touched my cheek.

I flinched and lowered my gaze.

Ishar’s large hand was cupping my cheek.

There was a hint of sympathy in his eyes as he looked at me.

He asked the same question again.

“You… are you really happy?”

“…What?”

His gaze dropped briefly to my shoulder.

“I can see bruises on your shoulder.”

Had I bumped into something again?

Because I was wearing a dress that exposed my shoulders slightly, he must have seen the bruises.

“You need to practice lying more.”

“……”

“You’re not happy here. Aren’t you being abused?”

Abused…?

Like being mistreated by my family…?

“Is that why Miss Rike keeps interfering with everything about you?”

I wanted Rike to be obsessed with me. I wanted her to interfere more, if anything.

Abuse? That was absolutely ridiculous.

If anything, I wasn’t being abused—I was being overfed.

They gave me so much food every meal it was unbelievable. It was a miracle I wasn’t gaining weight.

Honestly, what a bunch of overfeeding criminals.

“Prince Ishar, I think you’re misunderstanding. I’m not being abused—I’m being overfed.”

“If you’re being overfed, then why aren’t you gaining weight?!”

“……”

“You’re way too thin.”

Ishar… they said he was smart, and his words really showed it. Maybe I should have tried to gain some weight. I regretted it a little.

“And what exactly is the misunderstanding? That you’re being abused and covered in bruises? Or that you’re being forced to marry Hernan instead of Miss Rike?”

“…What?”

“Of course you wouldn’t want to marry Hernan, who’s known as a war maniac.”

…Excuse me? What is he even talking about?

I tilted my head. My face must have looked completely dumbfounded.

Ishar seemed to take my silence as confirmation. His neatly shaped brows twisted harshly.

In a pained voice, he murmured,

“You… were forced into that marriage.”

Excuse me?? Who forced me into anything?

“I’ll help you. I feel a strange sympathy for you.”

“……”

“I can’t stand abuse.”

Hey. What exactly are you planning to help with?

Everything in my life is perfectly fine right now.

And because of you, Rike misunderstood me… you unhelpful person.

I finally snapped back to my senses.

“W-wait! Please stop misunderstanding, Your Highness. I’m really fine. There’s nothing for you to help with.”

“I saw it myself. Why would I believe your words?”

“No, it’s a misunderstanding!”

“…Ha. Fine. I understand that you want to protect your family.”

Damn it… he’s not listening to a single word I’m saying.

Ishar’s hand, which had been cupping my cheek, fell away. He stood up from the bed.

“This is why I came today. To check if you were being abused.”

“I told you that’s not it……”

“If it really isn’t, bring me proof. Until then, I won’t believe you.”

“……”

“I’ll take my leave now.”

Why wouldn’t he listen to me?

A throbbing pain spread through my temples.

Ishar walked to the door and quickly left, as if he had no intention of hearing any more of my explanations.

I wondered if I should let him go like that… but—

“Clearing Rike’s misunderstanding comes first.”

I wanted to talk to Rike first.

Right then, Mini returned with the tea.

“Miss! Has your coughing gotten better?”

I answered loudly,

“Mini! This isn’t the time to worry about coughing. Help me up—I need to go see Rike.”

The first place I went to find her was her room.

But she wasn’t there. Only a cold silence filled the space.

A sense of dread settled over me.

Standing in the hallway, I tried to think of where she might have gone.

In this vast ducal residence, where was the place Rike used as her refuge?

It didn’t take long for the answer to come to me.

That place had appeared occasionally in “Since I’m Terminally Ill, Please Don’t Love Me”—a place Rike would go whenever her mind was troubled.

It also existed in Rinzel’s memories.

“Mini! Let’s go to the back of the estate!”

I was certain she would be there.

“Yes, Miss!”

Mini responded energetically, as if her life depended on it. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

Seriously, what would I have done without you?

Mini was like an army of a thousand men—such a great source of strength.

Leaning on her, I began limping toward that place.

At the back of the estate was a small but beautiful garden.

It was filled with rows of red flowers that bloomed all year round. Rike, who loved flowers, had taken care of it herself.

Since becoming Rinzel, I had only been there once.

I’d discovered it while exploring the estate.

After that day, I never went back.

I did like flowers, but I liked lying in bed even more.

…That was absolutely not an excuse for being lazy.

Anyway, because I was limping, it took quite a while to get there. Mini didn’t complain and supported me sincerely the whole way.

Feeling grateful, I occasionally rubbed my cheek against her soft, squishy one.

Each time, Mini would make a strange sound like, “Uuugh… Miss…”

She wasn’t annoyed, right?

It was my way of showing affection.

At last, we reached the garden, and the sweet fragrance of the flowers filled the air.

I took a deep breath in and out.

Just smelling it lifted my mood… I could understand why Rike came here whenever she felt troubled.

And then, at the center of the garden, I spotted a woman crouching down.