HSDTVM| Chapter 2

Episode 2

Ilia cleared her complicated thoughts. While Riheel’s situation was unfortunate, she was in the same boat. She had nowhere to go either. In this novel, the female lead was supposed to be Lizienne. At first, Ilia just wanted to run away. Without any of the Duke’s wealth.

But, deep down, Ilia knew it was a hopeless plan. Running away without money or any preparations. She would probably starve to death. This country was just like what she’d experienced through the novel, wasn’t it?

On top of that, it wasn’t easy for Ilia to just leave behind a dying Riheel…

‘I don’t want to lose again.’

She didn’t want to repeat the helpless experience of watching her younger brother die. This time, she could save them. Riheel and his brother. Ilia hesitated and then gently wiped Riheel’s forehead. His labored breathing began to calm down a bit.

Ilia also saw the tears running down Riheel’s cheek. She swallowed a sigh and muttered to herself.

‘I won’t let you lose your brother, Riheel.’

A new will to live was planted in Ilia. Even if she had to leave, she would make sure to fix these kids before going. She knew it was a dangerous choice. It would change the entire plot that was supposed to happen. Ilia would become someone who didn’t know the future.

But still, Ilia realized she wouldn’t be able to change her mind. If she didn’t do something and the kids died, it would weigh on her heart forever. She wouldn’t be able to live peacefully here either.

This was something she needed to do for herself too.

The Duke’s family wasn’t any different when it came to receiving unwanted guests. It was a marriage, but Ilia was like a pawn sent by the royal family. As long as they kept her, the Duke’s family could at least maintain their title.

In reality, there wasn’t even a proper heir to lead the family, so it was more of a matter of not causing a scandal over losing their title. Until Riheel grew up and formally took the title, the family was like a flickering candle, ready to go out.

Ilia was both a welcome and uncomfortable, contradictory presence. Because of this, the Duke’s family had no expectations of Ilia Avery.

No matter how much of a discarded princess she was, she had lived in the royal palace. They didn’t know how picky and sensitive she could be, and it gave them headaches.

But, as soon as she arrived at the mansion, on the wedding day, Ilia went into the bedroom, wanting to see her husband’s face at least. But hours passed, and she hadn’t come out yet. The butler, who was preparing for all the worst possible situations, asked the head maid.

“Where is the lady?”

“She’s in Lord Riheel’s bedroom.”

The butler’s eyes widened at the head maid’s answer.

“…Is she scared?”

“Not at all.”

“Did she run away?”

“She didn’t.”

The head maid gestured toward the inside, implying Ilia was in there. The butler looked inside, surprised.

“…This is truly unexpected.”

The head maid nodded. She had been watching secretly, and Ilia did things that even the other maids were hesitant to do. She wiped Riheel’s forehead, gave him medicine. Compared to the maids who ran away for fear of catching the illness, Ilia did everything calmly. It was strange to see such a young girl doing it so naturally. After all, Ilia hadn’t been raised as a delicate princess in the royal palace.

Such a girl probably never had experience taking care of someone.

“…Do you think the royal family will complain about this? The Duke’s wife might report it…”

The butler raised a realistic concern.

“That won’t happen.”

The head maid shook her head. In fact, there had been a conversation when they tried to stop Ilia. The head maid had said, “What would the royal family think if they found out about this?” Ilia’s response was, “Why should I care about the royal family’s reaction when I’m not even going to report it?”

The butler nodded, thinking there was a reason for her to say that.

“How old did you say she was?”

“I believe she just turned 12.”

“…Really? I thought she was raised like a delicate princess in the royal palace.”

“Seems like it.”

“…This might just be for today.”

“It could be.”

But the butler’s concern ended there. It wasn’t just that day; Ilia continued to calmly enter Riheel and Luel’s room to check on the children. No one told her to do it, but she did it anyway.

Sometimes, she had a blank expression as if lost in thought, but that was it.

So, no one knew yet that this would be the beginning of breaking down the walls in the Duke’s family, which had been cautious about Ilia.

The hand that gently wiped the hot forehead.

The soft voice whispering sweet words.

All of it reminded Riheel of the mother he had been waiting for. Tears that he hadn’t been able to hold back flowed without realizing it.

‘Mom…’

Since the illness had started, Riheel had spent half of the year unconscious. While there were moments he regained consciousness, he was too weak to do anything.

The pain was so unbearable that he even thought death might be better. Death had calmly claimed the late Duke and Duchess, and Riheel was left alone with Luel. Riheel wanted to follow his parents, but he couldn’t die—especially for Luel’s sake.

As Riheel touched his forehead, he felt a cold touch and slowly opened his eyes. He thought he had seen pink hair for a moment.

‘Pink hair?’

He remembered hearing something about his bride from the royal palace having pink hair.

Riheel closed his tired eyes again.

A week had already passed.

It had been a week since Ilia arrived at the Duke’s house.

“Ugh…”

“Sleep well, Riheel.”

Today, Ilia carefully closed the door after gently stroking Riheel’s head, who was barely able to sleep while gasping for breath.

Even in the novel, it was mentioned that only the head maid took care of Riheel and Luel’s illness, as the other maids were too scared to do so.

The illness was caused by exposure to magic, and there was a widespread belief it would spread like an infectious disease.

As soon as Ilia entered the novel after her younger brother’s funeral, she couldn’t leave the two children in the hands of only the head maid. Because in Riheel and Luel, she saw the image of her younger brother. At first, the head maid tried to stop her, thinking Ilia would report it to the royal family. But Ilia had no intention of doing that. The royal family didn’t treat her well anyway. After that, the head maid didn’t stop Ilia. For the past week, Ilia had been visiting the children, wiping their sweat, holding their hands, and sometimes helping serve meals.

She didn’t know where to start at first, but now she felt more at ease. Maybe it was because it was something she had done before. Before becoming Ilia, she had been taking care of her younger brother all along.

It was over a month after the wedding that Riheel and Luel finally regained consciousness. In the novel, this was only mentioned in a single line.

Anyway, Ilia had been sent to the Duke’s house as soon as she entered the novel, so she hadn’t had a chance to do much yet. But now, she had decided she needed to do something useful. That’s why she had decided to stay for a while.

Ilia had vaguely thought that, since she was already in the novel, it would be better to help Riheel and Luel recover their health and bring some prosperity back to the family before leaving, rather than ruining the Duke’s house.

She had even thought about leaving, because this was a place meant for the female lead, Lizienne. Lizienne was the one who would become Riheel’s lover and wife. It was a position that already had an owner, so she thought she should leave it.

In the novel, Riheel and Lizienne had seemed so happy together. Ilia’s existence might ruin that happiness. She couldn’t help, but at least…

‘I won’t be a nuisance.’

In order to do something for the children, Ilia needed the trust of the Duke’s people. It would be hard to do anything alone, especially since she was only 12 years old. Moreover, even though she was a royal, she was still treated like an outcast.

They wouldn’t let her roam around by herself.

She would also have a hard time getting people’s cooperation since she was so young.

So, if she wanted to do something, she would need the help of the Duke’s household. Especially the head maid and the butler.

They were the real power in the Duke’s house, having lost their master. The head maid was Lady Jenna Catra, the Countess. Jenna had lost her husband to illness at a young age and raised her children while working as the head maid.

The butler was the head of the Gardume family, one of the largest noble families.

‘How do I get close to them?’

In romance novels, the characters usually become close easily, but it wasn’t so easy for Ilia. Maybe it was because she had spent so much time caring for her brother and had given up on socializing?

‘Ugh, how do I get along with people?’

The cry of someone who had lost all social skills echoed in her mind. Ilia, leaning against the door to Riheel’s bedroom, let out a deep sigh.