One Day My Sister Died - chapter 21

Chapter 21. A Person Who Is Beautiful When Silent

Ah, it was a thought more wretched than painful, but Claude was suffocating too much from the impending agony to think rationally.

His body and mind, pushed to the limit time and again, had finally crushed his pride after two sweet sleeps.

“Are you acknowledging me as the mistress of this house and as your wife?”

“You begged me not to throw you out from the start. You have nowhere else to go, right?”

Claude didn’t bother to hide the streak of defiance that peeked out in the midst of the situation.

If he was going to keep living with her, it was best to clarify their relationship.

Even if the Felice household wanted her, the reason she so desperately didn’t want to return was obvious. She wasn’t treated properly there.

Besides, since her consummation had already been proven, no decent family would take a bride who wasn’t pure anymore.

In short, she was a woman of marriageable age whose value as a bride had plummeted.

Yuan, pierced by his pointed question, couldn’t respond and remained silent.

Claude suppressed the rising pain and tilted his lips into a crooked smile.

There was no bigger villain than him.

“You’re a useful skill. Plus, I won’t have to deal with the tiresome parade of new brides or endure their rude screams anymore.”

Yuan clenched her damp hands tightly on her knees, feeling as though she had finally reached the white light at the end of a long tunnel.

This crooked man seemed to have found the answer she had been longing for.

“I’ll treat you like a useful servant. So, live knowing your place as if you don’t exist.”

It was an outrageous coldness to be saying to a wife with whom he had shared the wedding bed.

But Yuan felt such overwhelming joy that her vision went white, merely from the fact that he wasn’t throwing her out of the house.

‘I don’t have to return to the Count’s estate in Felice.’

As she had hoped, she could keep her distance and live peacefully here.

Perhaps on one of those closer days, she would even be able to talk about Louise.

“Answer.”

She was already too shrunken to lower her head any further, her neck drawn in like a turtle’s.

No matter how much she tried to appear dignified, her conscience pricked at her. After spending a decade crushed and powerless, there was no way to act proud in front of a hostile prince.

If she ever hoped to bring up Louise, she needed to become not just a useful servant but a friend he would want to give everything to.

Still, facing the exiled prince who bristled like a trapped wolf, she had more or less achieved everything she could.

Fearing Claude might change his mind, Yuan quickly responded.

“Yes, I’ll do that. Thank you.”

Claude’s eyebrow shot up at her obedient and positive reply. But the conversation wasn’t over yet.

“And that intimate warmth.”

“!”

“Do we really have to share that?”

Yuan had to force herself not to retreat into her shell like a turtle again.

It was the bare minimum of protection.

No matter what, she had to touch him to absorb the pain, and there was always the unsettling fear that he might just cast her out once she gave him the miraculous remedy.

Though she had only observed for a few days, it was clear the exiled prince avoided all contact with others and only allowed a select few into his personal space.

He despised even letting anyone witness him for more than a short moment.

A man like him wouldn’t have shared “intimate warmth” with anyone, not the butler Gustav, or the flamboyantly polite Lancelot Reve who greeted with oily charm when they crossed paths, nor the ever-suspicious Eddie Reve, nor even the Marquis of Companni, whose eyes gleamed like a snake.

Moreover, he likely understood what “intimate warmth” really implied.

Wouldn’t it be better to spend his nights with Yuan, whom he believed he’d shared the bed with multiple times, than to parade a series of new women? At least, by title, she was his wife.

“Answer.”

His tone was demanding, showing his sharp, rude nature.

Even if a child clung to him, he seemed the type to kick them away without hesitation. Just looking at his haughty nose and stubborn mouth, Yuan was fortunate she hadn’t been slapped for daring to touch him under the pretense of healing.

“If you’re uncomfortable, I could call the butler or someone else to take my place…”

His brows furrowed sharply, a clear sign of disgust flashing in his eyes.

As expected.

“No, I’ll do it myself.”

Yuan stood up and approached Claude, who indeed looked far from well.

Claude had called for her knowing that her presence meant treatment.

Whether it was his dislike or nerves about the unknown healing method, Claude, who had been lounging, straightened his posture to watch her.

Despite his great height, he wasn’t exactly looking up at her. But in his eyes, there was a faint, flickering vulnerability, almost like a discarded puppy.

Under the shadows of his fatigue and irritation, this impression only deepened.

Yuan saw herself in those tired eyes.

“I hope you have a peaceful night, Your Highness.”

And I hope you’ll share a piece of that expensive heart with me, to talk about Louise.

I want the truth about Louise’s death.

And I hope that, as your wife, you will allow my sister to rest in peace, buried here, even if only in this land.

I hope this house will become a comfortable place for me to stay, even if I demand such things…

Yuan poured him a tea made of useless herbs, filled with her jumbled wishes.

Claude drank it silently, then rubbed his lips with his fingers, waiting for her next action.

As Yuan lightly pressed her fingers to his lips, Claude inhaled deeply as a bit of his pain was absorbed.

Watching his face change as if it had been washed with calm and peace, Yuan carefully took his hand, as if sealing a deal with a business partner.

Though elegant and long, his hands were calloused, hardened from whatever work he had done in the past.

As she lightly rubbed her thumb over the rough skin, Claude flinched.

Just enough to let him sleep for one night.

And just that much pain transferred to Yuan.

She had no intention of absorbing more than that.

If this man had tormented Louise, or worse, killed her, he deserved every bit of suffering.

Claude’s eyes, which had been watching her intently, slowly blinked shut, as if he had resigned himself to sleep.

He had no chance of winning.

When Yuan chose to take the pain, her target had no choice but to fall asleep.

Yuan stared at Claude’s sleeping face for a long time.

His jewel-like face glittered unknowingly, unaware of even a single bit of her pain.

‘You’re so beautiful when you keep your mouth shut.’

The thought only lasted a moment.

Yuan bit her lip, swallowing the taste of blood that spread bitterly in her mouth.

She suppressed the scream rising within her, holding it back with her own hand.

Grinding her teeth to stop them from trembling, she repeated her usual mantra.

“This is nothing. It’s nothing.”

***

The next morning, Yuan woke to the sight of a large number of items that had arrived for her in what was now her “mistress’s bedroom.”

Along with the latest medical books, the shelves on one wall began to fill with academic papers that her uncle would never have shown her unless absolutely necessary.

Butler Gustav raised an eyebrow as he watched the merchants line up, carrying in books, papers, and other materials.

“Did you order all of these?”

“Yes.”

Yuan, catching Gustav’s surprised expression, wondered if she had gone overboard with her decorating choices. She mulled over whether she had brought in too much, despite being told she could arrange the room to her liking. But the butler gave a small shake of his head.

“How about the curtains, canopy decorations, carpets, or bed linens? Are those to your satisfaction?”

“What’s here is already more than good enough!”

In fact, by the standards of typical royals or nobles, the items in Yuan’s room weren’t of the highest quality. For more than ten years, the budget had been solely allocated for one master, so other expenses had been tightly controlled.

However, for Yuan, who had shared with the maids or gone without such things for over a decade, what she had now felt like more than enough.

“Even so, you should order more clothing. You hardly brought anything with you…”

“Did His Highness say that?”

Yuan asked shyly. She understood why Claude, who had only just begun accepting her presence in the mansion, might be displeased with many things.

In her memories, Claude had mostly looked at her with contempt, hostility, and rejection.

“Yes.”

The butler, recalling Claude’s deep frown when he saw Yuan wandering through the freezing garden in a thin fur cloak and earmuffs, thought it better not to relay the exact words Claude had said: “Get her some proper clothes. Do I even have to handle this?” Instead, he gave a brief answer.

“His Highness noted that the winters here are particularly harsh and instructed me to ensure you were properly taken care of.”

Seeing Yuan’s dejected expression, the butler softened his tone, adding a more gentle explanation.

He wondered if he had overstepped, but upon seeing her face brighten noticeably at his kind words, he smiled faintly.

***

“Isn’t this too extravagant?”

“Extravagant? It’s just a ribbon decoration!”

“Exactly! We want to see you in something bright and beautiful for once.”

“Please, pick this color! Won’t you?”

The young maids became excited in the afternoon, thanks to the tailor who had been summoned on short notice.

From Henna to Monica and Canary, the maids let out little exclamations every time the tailor revealed a new fabric or lace.