C 64
"Originally, I was going to kill him, but if that makes you uncomfortable, it's probably better to mutilate his limbs."
No, no, how can you casually say such a terrifying story?
"D-Dad...?"
Shouldn't he say such terrifying things?
He gently stroked my cheek as if trying to calm me, but it didn't reassure me.
"Now that I think about it, daughter."
"Yes?"
"Does my daughter remember anything about the parents who gave birth to her?"
Do I remember?
Could such a thing exist?
I thought about it for a while, but nothing came to mind.
"It's not even my body in the first place..."
It's because there was no description of a supporting extra like me in <Adopted>.
I shook my head, and Erno Etham nodded with a slightly relieved expression.
He gently kissed my forehead and waited for me to fall asleep.
* * *
After the whimsical, cold, sometimes warm spring, summer arrived accompanied by intense heat.
The scorching summer sun was painfully stifling.
We had been together for three months, but we had grown closer than anyone else.
As if everyone knew the little time that was left, we tried our best to become friends.
It had to be.
And sooner than we expected, the time to wake up from our dreams arrived.
I was on my way to a small tea party with Enosh and Lillian, which happened once every three or four days, as always.
"Lucy, do Unnie and Enosh like each other?"
"That's right."
Having said that, Lucilion proudly showed me his cufflinks.
The whole time he was there, he had an unusually wide smile on his lips.
I had just given him a gift I bought from a recent shopping trip, and I was surprised and regretful that he liked it so much.
"...Shouldn't I have bought him things more often?"
In fact, although he was always chasing after me and taking care of me, Lucilion wasn't officially employed and didn't even receive a salary.
I didn't expect him to like the gift I gave him so much because he was always naturally by my side.
It had been a while since I had chosen a gift for someone.
I wouldn't even have thought of buying him a gift when I first saw him.
"I'm very happy."
Blue cufflinks that resembled his bright pupils shone on Lucilion's wrists.
"Yes, I'm relieved that you like them."
So please make our relationship a little stronger and longer.
"Doctor! Call a doctor! Now! Your Highness! The doctor will be here soon. Just wait a bit..."
"Haargh!"
I ran to Enosh's muffled screams and went into his room, where I saw Lillian Daisy frozen outside the open room.
"Unnie!"
Lillian Daisy, upon hearing my voice, slowly turned her head.
Her pale face trembled as if she had seen something unbelievable.
"E-Eirin..."
"Is Unnie okay?"
"His Highness the Second Prince..."
When I turned my head, there was Enosh on the bed, convulsing and screaming.
"Ugh... Aaagh!"
He started throwing things randomly around him.
Suddenly, Enosh's gaze, twisted with pain, landed in our direction. His eyes widened, then twisted painfully.
"Out...!"
He threw a nearby vase.
A vase flew and hit the side of the door, shattering it to pieces. I was also surprised by the intense hostility and rejection.
"Everyone out! Out! Don't look. All of you get out!! Because I don't want to see you...."
Enosh clutched his chest and crouched down forcefully.
"Out..."
The voice reciting in a cold sweat contained clear reluctance.
There was a handful of blood on the blanket, as if he had vomited, and the attendants didn't even dare to approach him due to his struggling and rough behavior.
"......"
The one who took a step forward was Lucilion, who was looking at Enosh with an expressionless face.
"Mistress."
"Yes..."
"Come over and have a cup of tea with Lady Daisy; I'll go in there."
"You..."
Before he could finish his words, Lucilion entered Enosh's room.
When Enosh tried to grab something, Lucilion lightly held Enosh's wrist and pinned him to the bed to subdue him.
"Let go of me...! Right now...! Go away..."
"Can everyone leave and close the door?"
Upon Lucilion's words, the attendants and maids hesitated.
"No matter how close I am to His Highness..."
"Now."
Lucilion's blue eyes seemed trapped in a ring of pure white light, but the attendants kept their mouths shut and hurriedly left, forcefully closing the door.
"Oh...?"
"Why are we leaving all of a sudden?"
The servants and maids muttered in disbelief but didn't think of going back in.
It was clear that Lucilion had done something.
"...I didn't know he was in so much pain..."
The trembling voice brought me back to my senses, and I looked at Lillian.
Lucilion closed the door and entered, so there was nothing I could do. I was responsible for Lillian.
"Unnie, let's go."
I grabbed Lillian's hand.
Holding her ice-cold hand with my small one, I gently pulled her.
"I brought the doctor!"
"How is the prince?"
"I'll open the door right now!"
Behind the attendant and the doctor, the emperor seemed urgent. A stern gaze reached both me and Lillian, but he moved his gaze without saying a word.
I didn't have the heart to deal with him right now, so I tried to find an empty lounge with Lillian and move there.
"Oh, that..."
Someone from behind seemed to be explaining the fact that Lucilion was inside.
"I can't force it to open right now!"
I swallowed hard at the emperor's angry voice and quickly ran out.
Otherwise, it seemed that the Emperor would be angry about Lucilion's true identity.
Lillian, who had almost been dragging me, collapsed on the sofa in the lounge.
"I... I didn't know His Highness was so ill."
"Ah."
"What should I do...? Seriously, what should I do if he dies?"
The young woman, who had been pretending to be mature and strong, murmured while burying her face in her palms.
"I heard that he has gone through many obstacles so far, but somehow..."
"......"
"His Highness the Prince today seemed ready to depart very far."
Lillian's face contorted with pain.
Looking at that expression, I clenched my fists.
"Maybe we can save him."
"How...? No matter how many medicinal herbs were used, no doctor could figure out the name of the disease!"
The girl who had been holding back tears screamed as if throwing a tantrum for the first time since she had grown up early.
"I... I...."
Tears rolled down Lillian's downturned face, further staining the red carpet.
"I love him..."
The confession that she couldn't express finally burst out.
I looked at her for a moment and then grabbed Lillian's arm.
"Unnie, I read a book that said there is a panacea."
"Pana...cea?"
"Yes, there is an herb called 'Dragonia,' and they say if you eat this, any disease will be cured."
"...It's the first time I've heard of that herb."
"But it exists."
Since it's a fantasy world, I thought there might be at least one panacea, so I found it after reading the plant encyclopedia from the first chapter to the end.
"Although the method of cultivation is a bit difficult, but...."
It wouldn't be a lie if it were in the dictionary.
Getting the seeds of this herb is very difficult, but if you cultivate it, you can cure any disease.
"There can't be such an herb..."
Even as she said that, Lillian's eyes trembled slightly.
"Let's do it anyway!"
After all, Enosh was destined to die. If I left him as he was, I had no choice but to watch him die helplessly.
So, instead of not trying anything, taking on a challenge was the way to avoid regret.
Even if it's a dreamlike story.
Lillian looked at me in silence and nodded slowly.
The dark purple dress suited her especially well today.
I smiled widely and handed over the gift I had prepared for Lillian. It was an orange brooch that resembled her pupils.
"It's a gift."
"A gift...?"
"Yes, for Enosh, Lucy, Unnie, and me! For the four of us, it's a set."
Lillian chuckled awkwardly as she unwrapped the gift and looked at its contents.
"...It's beautiful."
"Yes."
"It would be nice if we could use this and continue having tea together."
Lillian let out a small wish. It was a small wish that would never come true.
