One Day My Sister Died - chapter 23

Chapter 23: You Two Have Such a Great Relationship

At the sound of the window opening, Yuan quickly raised her head.

Her cheeks were flushed, and the fluffy white angora earmuffs on both sides of her head fluttered slightly in the breeze.

Gripping her fur cloak tightly, Yuan watched as Claude’s golden hair, tinted by the sunset, fluttered in the wind.

As she slowly leaned back to get a better look at his face, a low voice, almost like a lie, drifted into her ears on the wind.

“You’re not some crazy puppy, jumping around just because you’re wearing new clothes.”

His words were so unpleasant that her gratitude for the new room and clothes vanished in an instant.

Yuan, momentarily taken aback by his unchanging harshness, blinked before exhaling a breath of white mist and replied.

“It’s not because of the new clothes! I ran to see You Master”

“To see me.”

“Yes!”

“Why.”

Claude wasn’t standing right by the window.

So, Yuan, hesitating slightly, answered while gazing at his golden hair blowing in the wind instead of his face.

“I said I would work for You Master, but you haven’t been calling for me…”

I was worried that you might have changed your mind and would cast me aside.

But after seeing you give me a room and new clothes, it seemed like you wouldn’t do that.

So, I wanted to thank you sincerely.

Even though I’ve been having nightmares every night about being kicked out, seeing the new clothes in my wardrobe and all my things filling up the room made me feel at ease…

Yuan, gathering her thoughts, shouted again towards Claude, who remained silent.

“And I wasn’t excited because of the new clothes! This cloak is new, but what I’m wearing underneath is—”

Yuan spread open her cloak and jumped up and down.

“They’re the clothes I’ve been wearing all along! They don’t look as worn now, do they? They’re not bothering you anymore, right?”

As Yuan jumped, Claude’s forehead, visible here and there, creased slightly.

“You didn’t buy new clothes? Why aren’t they new?”

“They haven’t arrived yet!”

Claude didn’t respond.

Yuan started to feel uneasy, worried that the butler might get blamed.

She thought of the light purple dress Michelle had left behind and jumped again.

“I do have new clothes! I’ll show you!”

“You said they haven’t arrived.”

“But they’re here!”

Yuan rushed to her bedroom and hurriedly prompted Monica.

She could easily imagine Claude scolding Gustav for being a “sluggish old man” who was slow at his job.

She had to prove that the butler had carried out his orders properly.

Still in a rush, Yuan donned the new clothes and passed through numerous rooms in the hallway, stopping in front of Claude’s bedroom.

She caught her breath and knocked several times, but there was no answer. Carefully opening the door, she found Claude leaning against the window with his arms crossed.

His eyes, half-shadowed in the dim light, turned toward her.

“Master.”

Claude stared at her in silence for a long time. To be precise, it felt like he was subtly sizing her up.

He didn’t seem displeased, nor did he look entirely satisfied.

Rather…

” Master?”

“Who gave you permission to come in?”

For a brief moment, it was as if Claude had lost his mind and then suddenly snapped back, bursting out in anger.

Yuan quickly wiped the sweat beading on her forehead from running over, pressing it down with the back of her hand. Then, she swiftly lifted the hem of her light purple dress and gave it a little flutter.

The flowing fabric, wrapped in moderately large frills, swayed gracefully.

“I’m wearing new clothes.”

“…”

“Thank you.”

Claude’s face, backlit by the sunset, was unreadable.

But he no longer seemed angry.

Yuan hesitated for a moment, then looked directly at him.

It was finally time to say what she needed to.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

The sunset was deepening, its glow growing more intense.

Soon, he would sink back into the depths of his suffering.

“Why didn’t you call for me?”

“Upset because I didn’t give you any work?”

Claude loosened his body, which had been stiff, and slowly walked over to sink into the rocking chair.

His face, as he looked up at the ceiling, was marked by deep fatigue.

He had fought his pain alone last night.

Without calling for Yuan.

Though he had told her to work for him, perhaps it was too embarrassing to summon her, knowing exactly what her treatment involved?

Or maybe his pride was wounded?

Yuan silently gazed at his perfect profile, trying to read his intentions.

A warm, cozy new room. Beautiful clothes that wrapped her in softness.

Nothing is free.

“I’ll come as soon as the sun sets.”

The creaking of the rocking chair briefly fell silent.

Yuan seized the pause to speak again.

“Every day from now on. Around this time… if it’s inconvenient, I can come a little later.”

“…”

“And don’t lock the door.”

Yuan stepped closer to Claude, who continued to stare at the ceiling without responding.

She carefully added a few drops of a sleep aid to the tea in the cup prepared by Gustav, the butler, then offered it to Claude.

Gradually, his purple eyes, dimmed by darkness, drifted over to her large black eyes, her small, delicate nose, her full pink lips, and her pale neck, then finally down to the cup in her small hands.

Yuan saw the subtle flicker in his eyes up close.

The black hand, which had been clenched in pain, reached out to accept the tea she had prepared.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he gulped the tea down, swallowing in heavy, audible gulps.

Yuan led Claude to his bed.

The massive figure slowly rose from the rocking chair and followed her, sitting down on the bed.

As his gaze bore down on her, Yuan, enduring his stare, slowly leaned in and pressed a kiss to his darkened cheek.

Claude’s body stiffened instantly.

***
The Reve brothers barged into Claude’s bedroom early in the morning, their faces pale.

Claude, feeling an odd emptiness beside him where the warmth of a person still lingered, awkwardly fumbled around before slowly getting up.

“Still lazing around in bed?”

“You used to say you wished I’d sleep well for once.”

Claude replied indifferently, adjusting the tie of his nightgown as Eddie Reve’s cold question hung in the air.

His long fingers hesitated as they touched the knot, suddenly freezing.

The gown was perfectly neat and clean, not in need of adjustment, in stark contrast to the bed beside him, which bore clear signs of a restless night.

However, the usual smirk on Lancelot’s face was notably absent, so Claude chose to ignore the uncomfortable truth for now.

“What is it?”

“See for yourself.”

Suppressing the sense of dread creeping in, Claude took the golden letter that Eddie tossed toward him.

A thick, golden envelope. The wax seal bore the emblem of a wolf, in purple. A letter from the imperial family.

From behind Eddie, Lancelot called out to Claude, his voice trembling as if on the verge of tears.

“Claude…”

The letter was an announcement that the emperor, Igor Yufrees, Claude’s uncle—the man responsible for turning him into a monster—was personally coming to visit the black estate.

He hadn’t visited his nephew in the last ten years, yet now he wanted to throw him a wedding celebration.

***

The small chapel where Louise’s body was laid to rest stood beyond the white forest, at the entrance of a tiny village by a well.

Each time Yuan traveled with the servants and the cart to fetch water, she visited the chapel and met with the priest. She prayed by her sister’s temporary resting place in the chapel’s cemetery before returning.

“So it’s certain now! Madam, you’ll be staying at the estate for good, right?”

Henna, who had followed Yuan out of the chapel, greeted her cheerfully as they returned to the cart.

Yuan smiled quietly and nodded.

There was indeed a clause that made her responsible for ensuring Claude’s restful sleep, but as long as she lived quietly and unobtrusively, she could stay. That much was clear.

“I’m starting to believe what they say about everyone having their perfect match. Who would’ve thought the master would willingly accept a lady of the house?”

After all, to the staff, they appeared to be a proper married couple sharing a bed every night.

Not just Henna, but the other servants and even the butler had been giving Yuan subtle, excited looks.

And then, immediately after Yuan finished her breakfast in her room, the butler Gustav handed her the household ledger.

It wasn’t clear whether Claude had personally ordered it or if Gustav had discreetly passed it on, but either way, it was a sign of her newfound authority.

This also meant that Yuan now had access to funds she could manage.

Since there hadn’t been a proper mistress for years, Gustav apologized for the lack of a budget this year, but he handed over some jewelry left behind by the previous brides who had fled in haste. These were to cover her upkeep for the time being.

Though none of the items were particularly valuable, there were still enough decent pieces that Yuan could donate to the chapel instead of purchasing new clothes or accessories.

It was to ensure that her sister Louise would continue to be taken care of.

“Lately, I’ve even been imagining that, with how well the two of you get along, it won’t be long before we hear the sound of little ones running around the estate—children who look just like you and the master… Hehe.”

*Cough!*

Yuan choked on the water bottle Henna handed her, coughing and spluttering.

Henna gently patted her back, her touch so kind that it pricked Yuan’s conscience even more.

As they rode the cart across the white forest, Yuan found herself thinking about Claude once again.

The man who had seemed like an unpredictable beast the first time they passed through this white forest had already faded from her mind.

The Claude she knew now was more like a wounded wildcat, lacking any will to live.

Their encounters were brief, limited to his bedroom, but even in those short moments, he showed a surprising variety of emotions.

At his core, he was sensitive, fierce, and entirely lacking in kind words.

He was prickly, rude, and abrasive.

Yet, whenever Yuan casually mentioned when she would come by the next night or hinted at how tough the previous night had been, that sharp-tongued mouth of his would snap shut. Especially if she said something like “last night,” his shoulders would twitch, as if recalling something himself. He’d swallow back his words, sometimes weakly muttering that he, too, had had a rough time.

The look on his face, as if he thought he’d been violated while simply sleeping, made Yuan chuckle without realizing it.

At those moments, his usually composed half of his face would gradually redden, undoubtedly imagining the time he couldn’t remember.