HSDTVM| Chapter 5

Episode 5

While Riheel was away from the mansion, there was someone who managed the estate really well. He had a great business sense and had helped the Duke’s family grow to the next level. Norman had made the biggest success in the Duke’s business by starting a medical field. It was impressive that he managed to make it happen even with no money after Ilia ran away with all the family’s wealth.

Norman was the first person to introduce modern Western medicine to the Colosseum Empire. In Korean terms, it would be like introducing Western medicine.

He broke away from the old methods of medicine that relied on herbs and heartbeats and introduced surgeries like cutting open a stomach. The hospital Norman set up became a huge success.

People exposed to magic were divided into two categories.

Those who had the Kerrita disease, and those who developed magic stones in their internal organs.

Just removing those magic stones increased the survival rate of people exposed to magic by a lot. The novel wasn’t complete yet, but there were signs that Norman’s role was going to be very important in the future, so Ilia remembered him.

He was someone Ilia absolutely needed to meet.

“Lord Norman! I really want to meet him!”

Ilia nodded with a determined look on her face.

“Hehe, yes. You should be able to meet him soon!”

The head maid and butler chuckled as they looked at her tiny fists, like little acorns. It was almost like they just wanted to pinch her cheeks and shower her with affection. They finally managed to find smiles on their faces.

Meanwhile, Ilia’s mind was working quickly.

If it was Norman, he would have an easier way to commercialize Rutina and could help her build a connection with the female lead. She still needed to figure out how to get closer to Lizienne, though.

Ilia smiled brightly.

In her past life, it felt like the heavens were never on her side, but this time, it felt like Ilia had some luck, and it made her smile naturally.

Riheel slowly opened his eyes.

His body felt lighter than before. The heat in his body was gone, and his blurry vision cleared up. He thought he had seen someone yesterday…

‘Ah…’

It seemed like it was his wedding day not long ago.

But he had collapsed just before the wedding.

‘She must have run away.’

Naturally, anyone would panic when they got sick. Riheel thought he needed to search for the missing bride.

Riheel struggled to sit up. He hadn’t been able to eat properly since getting sick with Kerrita, so his body had naturally become weaker. Just as he was about to collapse again, someone supported him.

“Be careful! You’ll hurt yourself. You’re still young and weak.”

“Who…”

He felt the coolness and relief of a hand touching him. Without realizing it, Riheel grabbed that hand and turned his head.

“Ah…”

A girl with white skin, pink curly hair, and purple eyes was standing there. She had chubby cheeks like a squirrel and smelled sweet like honey.

Riheel frowned, not knowing who she was.

Pink hair and purple eyes. She had a striking appearance that stood out wherever she went. Riheel, who had been observing her, let out a small gasp. He’d seen her occasionally when he was sick.

“Ah.”

Riheel realized who she was. She was Ilia, his bride. Riheel forced a smile and pulled his hand away from Ilia’s.

“Did you run away…?”

“Run away?”

Ilia tilted her head.

“What do you mean ‘run away’? I have nowhere to go.”

Ilia scolded him lightly and smiled brightly.

“Are you okay? Is there anything hurting? Shouldn’t you lie down again? What about food?”

They’d never met before, but she asked so kindly. Riheel frowned and took a step back. Then, he immediately felt himself pouting, his little lips mumbling. It was like he had a lot to say but couldn’t.

She looked like a squirrel with a mouth full of acorns. In the fall, he would often see squirrels in the Duke’s garden. It was like she was taken right from that garden.

Riheel couldn’t help but feel defensive and awkward.

“I’m fine. You’re probably from the royal family, right…?”

“You’re seeing me for the first time, right? I’m Ilia. Ilia. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Riheel…”

The boy replied in a blunt tone, still full of caution.

“Uh, um… Nice to meet you, Riheel.”

Ilia awkwardly smiled and extended her hand. Riheel stared at her hand for a while before finally covering it with his own.

‘There’s no malice in her…’

But when Ilia touched him, it felt like something heavy inside him lifted.

“I… I’ll do my best too.”

Riheel instinctively squeezed her hand tightly.

Ilia stared blankly at his head. Now that she thought about it, Do-yoon had been about the same age when he died. Riheel’s image overlapped with Do-yoon, who had struggled in pain and had pale skin from not seeing the sun.

Without realizing it, Ilia squeezed Riheel’s hand.

Riheel looked completely different from Do-yoon.

Their hair color, eye color, appearance, and height were all different. But because Riheel’s age was similar to Do-yoon’s last age, Ilia kept seeing Do-yoon’s image when she looked at Riheel.

Her eyes became blurry. She forced herself to open her eyes wide. Crying now would be overdoing it, Ilia. It’s only been a little while since you figured things out.

“…Please don’t hurt anymore.”

“Hmm?”

“You can’t be hurt.”

Riheel opened his mouth in shock.

“You must live… a long, long time.”

She had said that to Do-yoon many times before. It was also something she wanted to say to Riheel now that he had woken up from his fever. Maybe that’s why her emotions were running high.

Ilia’s sincerity was clear. She genuinely wanted Riheel to live. It confused him.

‘Why?’

Since the Duke and Duchess died, Riheel had been on guard against his greedy relatives. The 10-year-old Riheel nodded carefully with a wary expression.

“Thank you.”

“You really can’t get hurt! You need to get better quickly…”

Ilia’s chubby cheeks trembled.

She was supposed to be 12, but why did she seem even younger than Riheel? Her trembling voice was so affectionate that it even made Riheel feel sorry for her. He unknowingly said it.

“I promise. I really will.”

Ilia sniffed and nodded.

Riheel getting better was something Ilia knew from reading the novel, but why did it hurt her so much?

‘This is crazy, Ilia.’

Even though she couldn’t calm herself down, she couldn’t help feeling a strange emotion. Riheel felt the same. The first thing he saw when he woke up was a round, pink squirrel crying. Riheel awkwardly tried to comfort Ilia.

‘What is this… this is strange.’

Riheel swallowed awkwardly.

Luckily, it wasn’t just Riheel who woke up. Luel also woke up the next day. But this wasn’t a good sign. It meant that Kerrita had settled inside both Riheel and Luel’s bodies.

‘We need to get the medicine made quickly.’

Every time Ilia saw Riheel and Luel, she thought of Do-yoon. That’s why she wanted to do everything she couldn’t do for Do-yoon for them. Even though Riheel and Luel had been so cautious, she could see them slowly opening their hearts to her. It was all thanks to Ilia not neglecting her care for the two.

“…I want some of that too.”

Luel pointed to the soup Ilia was eating. He hadn’t eaten it willingly, but after Ilia took a bite and acted like it tasted good, he finally reacted. Luel turned his face away, looking pale. Because he was so sick at such a young age, Luel was sensitive. He would sometimes be moody and other times laugh or suddenly burst into tears.

‘He hasn’t fully opened up yet, huh?’

He was like a cautious cat.

Oh my, so cute!

Ilia felt motivated to do even more.

Ilia quickly handed Luel a spoon. Watching him open his small mouth like a baby bird to eat made her happy. Do-yoon used to act the same way, sometimes pouting, but when Ilia pretended to enjoy her food, he would eat too.

“Is it good?”

Luel puffed his cheeks and nodded.

“Yeah… it’s good.”

“I know! It was so good! I finished a whole bowl already.”

“…What? You ate it all and then took mine?”

Luel asked firmly.

He stared at Ilia with his wide eyes, his expression as clear as a 7-year-old.

“I only took a little bite. It was as good as mine.”

Luel tilted his head. Ilia fed him a full bowl and gave him medicine. If she said she didn’t miss doing this, no one would believe her, right? Ilia gave Luel some candy after he finished the medicine and then got up from her seat.