One Day My Sister Died - chapter 34

**Chapter 34. Are You Worried?**

Regina asked, her face flushed, not taking her eyes off the box.

The small man pulled out a golden envelope from his coat instead of explaining. It bore a wolf emblem, the symbol of the imperial family, sealed with purple wax. The eyes of the count and his wife quickly widened in surprise.

Regina snatched the envelope and opened it.

The brief letter began with the words:

[To the Honorable Miss Regina Felice.]

“Oh my goodness! Darling, did I ever mention this? His Highness the First Prince kept looking at our Regina during that party!”

As soon as the small man delivered the letter and vanished, Priscilla let out a scream of joy.

Regina’s heart swelled as she read the letter over and over again. It was an invitation for Regina Felice to an upcoming play for the prince’s aides.

Regina’s eyes began to sparkle as she recalled how, every time she tried to get a dress made, she couldn’t secure the highest-quality designs due to the overwhelming presence of other noble ladies.

Even her father, who usually poured out generous support for Regina, had tightened his wallet since the crows had flown the coop.

What a timely gift! None other than a handwritten letter from Prince Bolonico himself!

What could this mean?

“I shouldn’t be thinking like this. Our Regina might become the prince’s partner!”

Priscilla, with a more excited expression than Regina’s, dashed up to her office, which she visited only once or twice a month.

She was about to write a letter to her family, the Felice family.

Although their connection had nearly severed due to Count Felice’s failed business, that was the only place she could expect any financial support now.

With just one letter from Prince Bolonico, Priscilla had already started imagining Regina becoming a princess and eventually an empress.

Count Felice gazed at Regina, who was searching through an expensive jewelry catalog with a complicated expression.

It was hard to say if the capricious favor of Prince Bolonico would turn out to be a boon or a bane.

But…

“So when on earth will my heart medicine be made?!”

“I bought five years’ worth! Do you know what I paid for it, Count?”

“Now, now, everyone. The reason I’ve been so busy lately is that His Highness the First Prince…”

In that moment, to handle the influx of high-ranking nobles, the only name that could suffice was Bolonico Yufrees. That incredible name was the only option.

Thus, to evade the moment, Count Felice embellished the truth just a bit to escape the crisis.

‘It will be fine.’

For example,

“Ah, calling someone a princess is a bit much. We’re just seeing each other with mutual affection. Isn’t it a good age?”

Just a fresh and secret scandal that would pique the curiosity of the high-ranking nobles in the capital.

—

**The Black Mansion.**

Butler Gustav was about to leave the bedroom after Claude had called him and then remained silent for a long time.

Lately, Claude often seemed on the verge of speaking but then turned away, which was a frequent occurrence.

He didn’t think it was due to his own aging appearance since he looked the same in the mirror, and he wore his usual clothes.

All he could surmise was that his sensitive lord had been acting capriciously, as usual.

However, today seemed different, and just as he was about to take the empty dishes away, Claude called Gustav back once more.

“Butler.”

“Yes, Master.”

“What’s wrong with breakfast this morning?”

Was his lord being finicky about the meal? He had always been a man who suffered in pain and had no appetite, so it wouldn’t have mattered what was served.

Recently, however, the lady of the house had taken it upon herself to cook nearly every day, so things had improved somewhat.

Today, someone else had prepared the food, and Gustav had brought it up.

The butler pondered for a moment and then looked at Claude, who was staring out the window with an “Oh” expression.

Claude Yufrees stood by the window every day, letting the sunlight pour in.

He was certainly living long enough.

“Is it not to your taste? It seems that the lady’s cooking has suited your palate quite well. You notice it so keenly.”

That wasn’t the answer Claude wanted, as his perfectly shaped eyebrows crinkled slightly.

“Did I sleep with you last night?”

“Yes? Yes.”

A daily question. A daily answer.

“How old is Yuan Felice?”

And after a long hesitation, came an absurd question.

Claude seemed to realize how ridiculous the question was, yet he continued to gaze out the window as he asked again.

“Exactly how old is she?”

“I believe she is four years younger than you Master.”

A deep sigh escaped.

With his head dropped and his large hand raking through his hair, a sigh that resembled a relieved chuckle continued to escape.

It was true that she had come of age.

She only looked young on the outside. But even so, nothing would change.

The fact that they shared a bed when they shouldn’t have, and that she didn’t resist but instead said she enjoyed it, was the problem.

And the biggest issue was that he had no memory of those beastly nights.

Another question was thrown at Gustav, who was awkwardly standing there.

“Where is she now?”

“Who are you talking about?”

Claude hesitated for a moment.

He couldn’t bring himself to say the word “crow” that had come to mind out of habit.

The word that slowly escaped his lips, instead of the name or crow, was:

“…The former princess.”

The title “former empress” left Gustav’s face brightening instantly upon hearing it.

“She went to the forest to look for some herbs.”

“Herbs?”

Claude’s eyebrows furrowed tightly.

“Did she leave the mansion without my permission?”

Apologies for wandering without permission, and I was wrong—those moments had passed, yet she still hadn’t come to her senses…

Gustav chuckled slyly at Claude’s sudden change in expression.

“Are you worried?”

Half of Claude’s perfectly fine face noticeably flushed with anger.

His lazily opened eyes immediately crinkled shut.

“Worried?”

“Isn’t that so?”

It wasn’t meant to carry any great significance.

The butler, Gustav, tilted his head and recalled the memory of when Yuan had left.

“It was close enough to walk to, and she said she got your permission beforehand.”

“Me?”

Ah.

‘Tomorrow, I plan to go out a bit with Henna.’

‘So.’

‘…That’s what I said.’

A brief memory of the previous night flashed quickly over Claude’s mind.

He had thought “a bit out front” meant the vast garden surrounding the enormous mansion.

‘I need to ask more precisely next time.’

As that thought crossed his mind, Claude’s expression hardened.

‘…Why should I have to ask precisely? Isn’t it the person asking for permission who should clarify? So I wouldn’t need to ask at all.’

Seeing Claude’s rapidly changing mood, Gustav cautiously suggested, “If you’re curious, would you like to go out? It’s just up ahead.”

“I am curious.”

Claude chuckled softly as he cast a subtly sharpened gaze out the window.

The sun was high in the sky.

Gustav nodded, thinking, “Of course.”

For Claude to leave the bedroom and step out of the mansion during the day, when the few servants were busy with various chores, was absolutely unheard of.

“I will inform Sir Vile that he has a morning appointment.”

Claude, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, began to pace around the spacious bedroom.

Gustav, not knowing the reason behind his master’s growing anxiety, pretended not to see him and left through the bedroom door.

—

Before long, lunch hour had long passed.

Yuan smiled proudly as she looked at the basket filled with cleaning herbs.

This herb, also known as green dandelion, featured much larger flower clusters and a deep green hue compared to ordinary dandelions.

When you cut the thick stem, white sap oozes out, and when you pound the stem and flowers together, you can extract juice that can be used for disinfecting wounds as well as for cleaning.

Though it grew in the mountains and fields, it resembled weeds, so you had to search for it with keen eyes.

“Sir!”

“Sir Vile.”

“You could have gone with me to get these!”

“Sir Vile, you need to take care of Master. And this is something I specifically gathered for myself, not to share with you.”

“Really? Are you feeling left out?”

The primary physician, Vile, was one of the few people in the mansion who held the most affection for Yuan alongside Henna.

Vile, who had been like a straw doll, found his original task of caring for the exiled Prince, Claude Yufrees, much easier after Yuan arrived.

Of course, it was also because Yuan was from the renowned “Felice” family, and whenever they discussed medicine or pharmacology, it felt like she was meeting an old friend, making their conversations lively and enjoyable.

“What do you plan to do with it?”

“This is for you to know only, Sir Vile.”

Yuan lowered her voice to an extreme whisper, even though no one was around, and leaned into Vile’s ear.

Yuan intended to mix several herbs known for their purifying properties with this cleaning herb to create a special medicine.

While she couldn’t clean the entirety of this grand, black mansion, she could manage to make a small section, like the west wing, spotless all on her own.

“That’s truly a genius idea. If you do that, you could erase anything! Wait, how about adding some ashes? You could ask the stablehand to make a brush for you.”

“I already asked Mr. Mazarin to make a brush slightly larger than a toothbrush.”

“You’re always so quick!”

Yuan watched as Vile, with his round glasses pushed up, excitedly dashed off to the herbal storage.

His springy, bouncy hair danced with excitement, making Yuan unintentionally laugh out loud.

-Thunk!

At that moment, a sound of something colliding came from above the garden where she was standing.

Startled, Yuan froze with the basket in her hands and looked up.

-Swish-!

Now seemingly unconcerned about hiding, the blackout curtain inside Claude’s bedroom window was drawn noisily, blocking the view.