I Proposed Because You Were Terminally Ill - Chapter 7

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 7

Drury’s unusually pale hands, perhaps from obsessively avoiding sunlight, began to tremble.

‘Who on earth is the Sarkis Young Duke announcing his engagement with instead of me?’

Drury was the young lady of the prestigious Soro Marquis family.

And she used that prestige to reign like a queen among her peers.

Even if you searched the entire empire beyond the west, there was absolutely no young lady who ‘matched his status’ better than her for the Young Duke.

The position of the next Countess Sarkis should naturally belong to Drury.

‘What kind of nonsense is this?’

How much she had suffered suppressing her nasty temper and pretending to be sweet in front of Cassian!

“Suddenly an engagement? Isn’t that a bit hasty? It’s not like he’s approaching adulthood.”

“Right, is there any reason to rush?”

“Ah, maybe he’s completely smitten with his partner? So much so that even if he can’t marry right away, he wants to make her his fiancée quickly.”

The young boys whistled and giggled among themselves.

Drury, who felt like they were mocking her situation, whipped her head around to glare at them.

The startled boys belatedly noticed Drury’s expression and shut their mouths tight.

At the same time, the manor’s doors opened and the Young Duke and Countess walked out very elegantly.

But Cassian wasn’t escorting the Countess as usual.

“Who’s beside him? Was there such a striking young lady?”

Cassian was holding the hand of a doll-like pretty girl with silver hair and violet eyes.

Low exclamations burst out here and there.

Much to her chagrin, even to Drury’s eyes, they made a picture-perfect pair.

“What? Who is that?”

“They look so good together…”

Among the peers murmuring about the girl’s identity, Drury bit her lips tightly.

There was no way she wouldn’t recognize her.

‘That’s Damia Ponti.’

The viscount’s daughter who always wore raggedy clothes and rarely attended social events.

Despite having no presence, when you looked closely, she was always disturbingly beautiful.

Drury had secretly felt relieved that Damia Ponti looked shabby and was skinny, at least.

Because Drury had no intention of sharing the attention around her with anyone else.

“Why is she here…”

Drury’s hand gripping the parasol turned white.

* * *

Cassian Sarkis watched his temporary fiancée with a slightly weary expression.

“I’m Damia from the Ponti Baronial House.”

“Oh my, nice to meet you.”

“Yes, it’s embarrassing but I’m the Young Duke Sarkis’s fiancée.”

Damia’s violet eyes sparkled with vitality. Despite appearing calm, her boldness was top-notch.

‘When was it that she said she didn’t want to appear in front of others and asked me to reconsider the engagement announcement…’

On the very day Damia Ponti made her brazen proposal while holding Cassian’s secret, Cassian ordered his aide to investigate the girl’s background.

The fact that he was terminally ill was still unknown to anyone in the ducal family except his mother and a few loyal retainers.

‘I can’t even guess how my secret leaked to a mere viscount’s daughter.’

Cassian didn’t believe Damia’s absurd excuse that she saw everything in a dream.

Unless this extremely fragile-looking girl was an Imperial Court spy.

The Imperial Court had long been wary of the Sarkis Ducal Family, secretly called the rulers of the west.

‘Part of why I accepted that forced proposal was to keep her close and monitor her.’

But she was too young to be a spy, too small and thin, her family too humble, with no particular connections, and anyway had no special aspects at all.

“Miss Damia became so pretty we didn’t recognize her!”

“Maybe it’s because she received lots of money, no… love from the Young Duke.”

Except for her quite pretty face, fairly quick wit, and unexpected boldness.

‘What, she’s more useful than I thought?’

It was an unusually generous evaluation from Cassian, who was picky about everything.

‘But nothing will change anyway.’

As long as his terminally ill body wasn’t cured, Cassian had no intention of having a serious relationship with anyone.

He detested the idea of some innocent woman acting as the Sarkis ducal family’s widow and mistress after his death.

So this engagement was nothing more than a contract with a set deadline.

‘Since she knows my secret, it’s dangerous to leave her alone, and I only accepted the proposal because she’s a viscount’s daughter who won’t cause trouble later when we break the engagement.’

The medicine’s effects were so good that his wariness seemed to have loosened a bit.

Because of the miracle brought by that impulsive moment when he swallowed the medicine the girl offered in anger, after waking up one dawn in more severe pain than usual.

‘Her one-sided love for me is a bit troublesome, but since she’s useful, it’s bearable.’

Cassian clicked his tongue softly and nodded.

The girl, completely absorbed in a hopeless first love, was foolish yet somewhat pitiful.

“Young Duke, congratulations on your engagement.”

“You two look so perfect together!”

While responding to congratulations with a picture-perfect smile, Cassian’s mind was complicated with thoughts of Damia.

* * *

“This is ridiculous!”

After the tea party ended, Drury burst into Soro Viscount’s Study and shouted angrily.

Drury’s eyes, having abandoned her perfect lady act, flashed blue with rage.

“Cassian Sarkis announced his engagement! And his partner isn’t me but some viscount’s daughter!”

Hissing sounds echoed from the cages of pet snakes filling the study.

The snakes seemed frightened by the girl’s shouting.

“A viscount’s daughter?”

“Yes! That’s right!”

Drury’s pale face flushed red with excitement.

The girl began stomping her feet in front of her father, Viscount Soro.

“What kind of humiliation is this! You said Cassian Sarkis was mine from birth!”

Drury shouted with her whole body while trembling her clenched fists.

“You promised me that if I waited a little, Cassian would become mine! You said you had ways to make it happen!”

“Drury.”

“This can’t continue! What if the Young Duke’s heart stops? I can’t just wait quietly anymore!”

“Drury Soro! I told you to watch your words!”

Whether the marquis looked around with a seriously hardened face or not, Drury couldn’t calm down at all.

It was such explosive anger that even the snakes in their cages cowered.

* * *

A few days later, Cassian came to visit Ponti Viscount’s Estate.

The perfect Young Duke was a guest who didn’t match the old and empty drawing room of the viscount’s estate at all.

“We need to write an engagement contract.”

“Pardon? A contract?”

Damia, who had been savoring the tea brewed thin from lack of tea leaves while admiring the Young Duke’s beauty, paused at the unexpected words.

Perhaps because of her past life, she only had bad memories of contracts.

The old count used to treat Damia terribly while saying everything was contractually agreed upon.

“Is there really a need to write a contract? You already sent a marriage proposal to my father. Oh, are you worried I might not give you the medicine on time?”

“That’s not it. I know you’ve been faithfully providing the medicine.”

Cassian glanced at the purple liquid in his teacup.

“But how old are you exactly? You’re thirteen, right?”

“Yes? Th-that’s right.”

Damia flinched at that sudden and sharp gaze.

Why is he suddenly confirming my age?

Damia reflected on her past words and actions.

Had she perhaps acted suspiciously somehow?

“Thirteen years old.”

Cassian narrowed his eyes as he fell into thought.

His red eyes, shining brighter than usual in the sunlight, seemed to pierce right through Damia.

‘He-he’s suspicious of me right now, isn’t he?!’

The young duke, perhaps due to his status, tried his best to use mature speech.

Had it been a mistake not to deliberately act childish to match his eye level?

“You…”

Damia wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt as she waited for what would come next.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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