CHAPTER 18
However, Eclipse’s lips were twisted in a mocking smirk. A sneer escaped him before he finally opened his mouth.
“You? Ha. It’s not that you like him—you just like his background or his money.”
“And this is a secret, so don’t go blabbing. I’m telling you because you’re my brother.”
Clea sighed as she crossed her arms.
Regardless, Eclipse needed to know about the state of the Leno family’s fortune.
Even though he now held a title and a new estate, that didn’t mean he was completely unrelated to Clea Leno.
“A secret?”
“Yeah. If you promise to keep it, I’ll tell you everything.”
“…Fine.”
After a brief hesitation, Eclipse nodded.
With his permission, Clea looked around cautiously before beckoning him closer.
She didn’t want him to be too far. The quieter her voice, the better.
“As you said, this marriage was something I forced on him.”
Eclipse’s face crumpled immediately.
She watched his expression, crumpling like a sheet of paper, and gently waved her hand.
It was to stop him before he began to scold her.
“And in exchange, I agreed to give him the entire fortune of the Leno family.”
“What?!”
“That’s the reason I’ve been married to him for the past six months.”
“…Six months?”
Eclipse looked her up and down in disbelief.
His expression was a mixture of distaste and shock.
Honestly, Clea felt a bit sorry for making such a decision on her own.
Maybe Eclipse still had something he cherished in the Leno estate.
“So, what I’m trying to say is… if you left something at the mansion or there’s anything you want to take, you have about five months left—so do it by then.”
“Ha! As if there’s anything of mine left in that place.”
Eclipse scoffed and threw her a skeptical look.
Apparently, Clea’s words were quite amusing to him.
Leaning against the railing, Clea opened her mouth again.
“There is.”
“…What?”
“Nothing has been thrown away. Everything’s still there. So if there’s anything you need, go take it. I’ll inform the mansion staff ahead of time.”
Eclipse’s eyes widened.
He clearly found it hard to believe.
But Clea had once walked through the entire mansion while possessing Clea Leno’s body.
The room that belonged to Eclipse, and even the ones used by their parents, had been preserved as they were.
She’d even ordered the servants to clean those rooms regularly, so they were cleaner than the rest of the mansion.
“If you don’t have a place to stay, you can live at the mansion too. I’m currently staying at the Grand Duke’s estate with Isaac.”
“Are you crazy? Are you planning to die soon? Why the hell would you suddenly hand over all the family wealth to the Grand Duke? You were someone who couldn’t go a day without luxury.”
Though Eclipse’s words were harsh, his tone was full of genuine confusion, not criticism.
Clea hesitated for a moment.
She couldn’t exactly say she was about to die.
“And I heard some ridiculous rumor about you pretending to be sick. What’s that all about?”
“I’m planning to leave after handing everything over. Second, I have a chronic illness.”
“Chronic illness, my ass. Are you out of your mind?”
He had asked to probe her, but her response was far colder than expected.
Seeing her scoff and laugh made it clear Clea Leno must’ve had a very healthy body.
Now, this was a problem.
Clea was torn.
Should she tell the truth? Or just mix in half-truths and brush it off?
If she were honest and the news reached Isaac, he might kick her out of their honeymoon life.
Her hesitation was brief. Her decision was fast.
“This is a secret too.”
“You sure have collected a lot of secrets lately.”
“The truth is, I ate poisoned food and nearly died. Since then, my health’s deteriorated, and I’ve been thinking of leaving the mansion for a recovery retreat somewhere peaceful.”
She paused and watched Eclipse’s reaction.
He was giving her a strange look, like she was talking nonsense again.
“I told Isaac it was just a chronic illness, so if anything comes up, I’d appreciate it if you’d help keep the story straight.”
“Hey.”
“And… I’m sorry about the family fortune. I don’t plan to meddle in your affairs, so just forget about me and live your life—”
“Hey! Clea!”
“…Seriously, even if I let it slide when you kept going ‘hey, hey,’ what’s with calling your older sister just ‘Clea’?”
No matter how patient she tried to be, it hurt a bit to be addressed so bluntly.
She glared at him, annoyed, and Eclipse suddenly reached out, grabbed the railing, and leaned in close.
“What the hell do you mean you drank poison?!”
“Oh, just like I said. I don’t know who was behind it, but I collapsed after eating poisoned food recently.”
“…Huh?”
“Since then, my body’s been in terrible shape. I can only walk about 400 steps before collapsing. That’s why Isaac carried me in that time.”
“……”
“Hem-hem. I mean, he might’ve gone overboard, but still.”
As she awkwardly explained, her face flushed again.
Just thinking about how she had to be carried out again made her feel prickly all over.
“Nobody told me anything about this!”
“What? You were away, and I told everyone to stay quiet about it. I didn’t want to cause a fuss.”
“Who did it?”
“After investigating, it turns out it was a maid who used to work at the mansion. She was nice and I trusted her… didn’t expect to be stabbed in the back.”
Clea had become certain that Clea Leno had been a lonely person, especially because of the poisoning incident.
The Clea Leno in her memories had seemed fond of the friendly maid who had approached her with kindness.
“Wounds to the soul reflect the emotional scars from one’s lifetime. People with secrets they can’t share, or those who suffer alone while pretending to be okay… those souls are often like that.”
Clea recalled her conversation with the Demon King.
Clea Leno’s soul had been so damaged, it didn’t even resemble a proper form anymore.
Maybe that’s why Clea found herself sympathizing with her—even just a little.
Even a strong wall can collapse with a little kindness.
When someone is exhausted and in pain, even a single outstretched hand can feel overwhelmingly sweet.
The real villain wasn’t Clea Leno, who had trusted false kindness—it was the person who used that trust for their own gain.
“So where is she now? In the underground prison?”
“Not sure… By the time I woke up again, she had already escaped.”
Clea shrugged.
The fierce energy Eclipse was radiating so close to her was getting overwhelming.
More than anything, a system message had been blinking for a while, saying that her organs were functioning at only 70%.
“Anyway, that’s all I have to say. I’m glad to see you’re doing well. Stay well.”
“You’ve never even been outside properly, and now you’re saying you’ll hand over the estate and go off for recovery?”
“The dress I’m wearing, and the jewels I have—if I sell those, I’ll make enough to live comfortably for the rest of my life.”
“And you’d really be okay living like that? You were someone who spent money like it was water.”
Clea began to get annoyed by Eclipse’s persistence.
She almost messed up her well-arranged hair but held back with great patience.
She tried to push his arm aside to move…
…Push his arm.
Even when she tried hard, his arm didn’t budge.
Was he just that strong, or had she become too weak?
“What are you doing?”
Judging by Eclipse’s baffled expression, it was probably the latter.
Clea glared at him in silence.
Move. When she said it shortly, he just snorted.
“What’s with this ‘400 steps’ thing?”
“If I walk too long, my heart races, and I collapse like I’ve got anemia.”
“You’re letting go of the person who ruined your body? Seriously? Can a person change this much just from not seeing someone for a while? Hey. Are you really Clea Leno?”
Clea didn’t respond to Eclipse’s sharp words.
That alone was fortunate—because he and Clea were seeing each other for the first time in nearly ten years.
“Would there be two people with this face in the world?”
At Clea’s pointed comment, Eclipse’s expression twisted fiercely.
For a moment, a look of disgust flashed in his eyes, then disappeared.
Clea rubbed her chest where it ached faintly.
“Even without a soul, the body remembers certain things, it seems.”
Clea Leno had been a person who could be hurt.
A person who could feel love.
And by entering this body, she came to know that for herself.
“Don’t hate me too much. Soon, you won’t be able to see me even if you want to.”
Clea turned around with a bittersweet smile at Eclipse’s face.
“Oh, and—keep your promise.”
Watching her walk away with a faint smile, Eclipse exhaled roughly.
His deep emerald eyes shook like an earthquake.
His gaze followed Clea, who was now awkwardly smiling beside Isaac.
