Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health - Chapter 56

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 56

“Wow, seriously?”
“Yeah. Arelin apparently called out Nadeli for misspeaking.”
“Nadeli was crying, but she didn’t even blink.”
That voice…
Only about six young ladies had attended the mini tea party. This was someone else—a girl who hadn’t been there—gossiping loudly.
“She apparently scolded her, saying if she’d met her as a duke’s daughter elsewhere, she wouldn’t have even spoken to her?”
“God, her personality is really strange.”
“So why does the Crown Prince find something to like about someone like that? I really don’t get it.”
“Well, I don’t know…”
Details that only someone present at the gathering would know had been distorted and spread as rumors.
‘Wow, but the rumor spread this fast?’
The answer was obvious. Someone had deliberately spread it.
If that was the case, my reputation would crumble in an instant.
“…How am I supposed to make friends now?”
Farewell, Friend Shield.
I’d neatly folded up the dream of social success I’d never even gotten to unfold.
“Looks like the little lady is pretty disliked.”
Oh right. I wasn’t alone here.
I looked up at the face that had been grinning contentedly the whole time and shrugged.
“I’m not the type to be loved, no.”
“That so? Surprising.”
“What is?”
“You’re cute.”
The man laughed and poked my cheek playfully.
“I’ll have to decline.”
“Decline what?”
“Whatever it is. If I let you catch me, I’ll end up as a test subject in your lab, won’t I?”
“What?”
The man’s eyes went wide with surprise before he suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter. Did he find it that funny?
“Ha ha, a test subject in my lab.”
He wiped away the tears that had gathered at the corners of his eyes while laughing, his gaze suddenly sharpening.
“I could never do that to my cute little lady.”
Oh, sure you could.
Even in this moment, my hopelessly accurate “weakest-in-the-world” sensor continued sounding its alarm to flee.
“Doesn’t it bother you when you hear things like that?”
“Of course it bothers me. I’m human too.”
“Is that so? Your expression doesn’t show it at all, though.”
That was probably because I’d gotten too used to it. In my past life and in this one.
‘Anyway.’
I knew that without friends, rumors would put me at a disadvantage to some degree, but I hadn’t expected them to be this malicious and one-sided in their distortion.
‘Is it because of the existing resentment?’
In any case—Fession! Just because he’s popular!
“So because His Highness takes care of her, she thinks she’s something special?”
“That’s Halbern for you.”
“Wait, didn’t Halbern request it from the royal family? To look after Arelin?”
“That does seem like the highest probability.”
“Must be nice. Born into a good family and able to do whatever you want.”
The thoughtless chatter kept escalating in severity.
While I was torn between ignoring it or responding, the man who’d been observing with interest suddenly lit up.
“Want me to help?”
“How would you help?”
“Kill them all, wouldn’t that work?”
He suggested it flatly, without a trace of emotion.
“Quietly and cleanly.”
“That’s not clean at all.”
Did this man not understand the definition of clean?
Watching him grin cheerfully, I felt like I was standing on a landmine that could detonate at any moment, so I was about to ignore him and leave when—
“So what are you going to do? They said you’re sick.”
“Oh right, Terminal Condition, was it?”
“What’s a Terminal Condition?”
“I don’t know, something about not living long. They said you’ll die soon?”
“When will you die?”
“I wish she’d die quickly.”
“Hey, that’s a bit much.”
“Why! You don’t like her either.”
At the sound of their giggling laughter, I found myself turning around without thinking.
I wasn’t gracious enough to tolerate talk like that.
“Sounds like you’re having quite the interesting conversation.”
“Huh?”
Their faces went pale in an instant.
“Why do you look like that? Did you see a ghost?”

* * *

Describe the feeling when the subject of your gossip suddenly appears.
Dorothy and three or four of her friends were dying inside from Arelin’s abrupt appearance.
“Oh, A-Arelin.”
“Oh, hi?”
“What are you… what are you doing here?”
Since they hadn’t expected to run into her, they had no idea how to handle the situation. They exchanged glances nervously, but—
‘What do we do?’
‘I don’t know!’
‘Deny it. She might not have heard.’
Their sole hope was shattered by Arelin’s next words.
“Well, I can’t say hi, actually. Someone said they wish I’d die soon.”
“Ugh…”
All four of their faces went ashen.
Arelin had no intention of letting them off easy. Even joking about dying soon was far too malicious to dismiss as childhood mischief.
“What’s your name?”
“Why, why do you need my name?”
“I want to remember it.”
That was all it took.
Dorothy stood frozen, unable to speak a word.
Though she was the daughter of an old and distinguished earl’s house and hadn’t feared anything in the world until now, in this moment she’d found something to fear.
Halbern was a name that could make even her beloved father tremble.
Only then did she truly feel the weight of what she’d said.
“Would you rather tell me yourself, or should I ask someone else and let them remember? I think the latter would stick in their memory better.”
“Eeeek…”
If she gave her name, she’d invite trouble. If she didn’t, she’d still invite trouble.
Dorothy trembled as she looked at Arelin.
It was the first time she’d ever seen Arelin up close like this.
She’d known Arelin was pretty, but she’d never realized she was this beautiful. She’d thought a doll had come to life and started talking.
‘No wonder the Crown Prince chases after her if she’s this pretty.’
A kind of understanding bloomed within her.
And beyond her beauty, there was a subtle atmosphere that could only be sensed face-to-face.
A quiet, composed aura tinged with an undeniable darkness.
Dorothy felt bad for Leslie, but she only regretted her own carelessness.
‘I didn’t think I’d just swallow Leslie’s story whole like that!’
But regret, no matter how swift, always comes too late.
Dorothy cursed the catastrophe she’d brought upon herself with her own mouth.
Would Arelin forgive her if she knelt right now?
Dorothy had just made the decision to kneel when—
“What’s going on?”
“What happened?”
The Spelrom twins, who came running first whenever something interesting stirred up, appeared munching on popcorn to watch.
“Is it fun?”
“Is it exciting?”
“Nothing much.”
Arelin dismissed them blithely, but the twins weren’t the type to back down so easily.
“I heard Dorothy told Arelin she wishes she’d die soon.”
“No, how could you say something like that!”
“Arelin’s dealing with an illness that doesn’t have an easy cure. You shouldn’t say things like that to a patient.”
“That’s too much. Dorothy, did you really dislike Arelin that much?”
“No, it’s not like that. I was just… I said it in anger.”
Ciel approached Dorothy.
With an appearance as if freshly escaped from holy fire, Dorothy instinctively shrank back.
“What would Dorothy even have to be angry about?”
“It’s just… Arelin made Nadeli cry, so…”
“Hmm, that’s strange. From what I know, Nadeli was the one who wronged Arelin first. Right, Ciel?”
“From what I know too. Why does everyone have it backwards? Funny, isn’t it, Noel?”
Is… is that so?
Dorothy tilted her head in confusion.
Ciel didn’t miss the chance to press further.
“You were wrong, weren’t you, Dorothy?”
“Y-yeah.”
“You shouldn’t just listen to one side and speak so recklessly.”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
“Go on, apologize to Arelin!”
“Say you’re sorry!”
“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
Arelin pressed her fingers to her forehead.
The expression on her face looked less like forgiveness and more like defeat.
“Case closed!”
The Spelrom twins, who’d wrapped up the situation lightly, clapped their hands together lightly.
Clap!

* * *

In the end, the situation was resolved with a grudging forgiveness.
“Why did you help me?”
At Arelin’s question, the Spelrom twins looked at each other’s faces.
“Did we help you?”
“We just told the truth.”
On the surface it looked like they’d helped Dorothy, but Arelin understood.
The twins had ultimately helped her.
“Arelin-ririn.”
“Arelin-lelel.”
“You’re using weird nicknames again.”
“Weird? What’s wrong with our pet names!”
“Some of these nicknames are longer than your actual name.”
Arelin found herself with nothing to say, her mouth falling silent at the oddly ticklish sensation.
The Spelrom twins had just corrected the false rumors with their light-hearted intervention.
The twins acted out of mere curiosity, so they likely meant nothing deep by it. But the problem was with herself.
Arelin barely remembered ever accepting even such small gestures of goodwill.
‘Maybe I’ve been looking for friends from too far away.’
I’d sent away the Friend Shield.
“Twins.”
“?”
“?”
“Do you want to be friends with me?”

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