Surviving as a Terminally Ill Heiress - Chapter 6

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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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Chapter 6

I turned back with an odd expression and stepped into the Mansion.
The moment I spotted the wide-open Main Gate in the Lobby, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow.
It had been closed earlier. Setting that aside—who leaves the door open in this bitter cold?
‘…… Is that speck really the Main Gate?’
No wonder the guards yesterday insisted on sending a carriage; walking back and forth would literally take the whole day.
And I’d just learned from Maya that the carriage ferrying between the Mansion and the Gate was one reserved for the household staff.
Even in the chaos of arriving with my siblings yesterday, I’d sensed how sprawling the grounds were, but this was genuinely astonishing.
‘Will everything bloom when spring comes?’
The thought alone brought an unbidden smile to my face—what a spectacle that would be.
Flowers reminded me of our mother.
Mother loved flowers, looked more beautiful in them than anyone, and especially when she danced at festivals overflowing with blossoms—she was like a fairy.
It was at one such festival that she met her first love.
‘He always came seeking flowers,’ she’d said.
Mother would smile like a flower herself as she spoke those cryptic words, and that day alone, she shed the Dancer’s robes.
Just an ordinary woman, she took my hand and went out to the square to enjoy the festival.
No matter what her fellow Dancers said or what new men appeared, at that festival, Mother danced only with me.
Perhaps to her I was someone different……
I gazed down at my small, soft palms.
I was happy. I was joyful. Mother’s hand was warm.
I wished I could have learned more dances from her.
But even so, I felt no desire to learn Swordsmanship.
“…… I suppose I didn’t inherit that from her.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Still, maybe I should pick up some Self-Defense at least?
The unwelcome visitors from this morning suddenly came to mind.
That sharp, chilling killing intent.
‘I need to be able to protect myself at least.’
Even with guards at my side, there are limits.
And that was beside the point—the real question was whether I could truly trust them.
‘Those intruders were all Ambrose’s closest retainers.’
So how could I trust anyone when someone hidden among them wants me dead?
But objectively speaking, I don’t seem to have any talent for Swordsmanship……
“Ahhh! Hui!”
Maids shrieked in alarm.
The cry came from the Garden beyond the Main Gate, somewhere to the right.
My vision went white and I ran without thinking.
Hui—my Hui—why?!
My foot caught on the short steps at the Main Gate and I tumbled hard, but I felt no pain.
I just pushed off the ground and ran again, heedless of everything.
This was no time to indulge in worrying about my own safety.
In a household where bloodkin were stabbed with killing intent, my siblings—not even true family—could not possibly be safe!
“Hui……!”
“Miss! Look there!”
At my cry, maids emerged from beyond a thicket in a corner of the Garden and pointed at something.
What greeted my glistening eyes was……
Peaceful.
Hui had climbed high into a towering tree, while Dido stood below, blinking up at him.
And a tiny kitten trembled on a branch above.
‘…… Again.’
This was just another day in Hui’s ordinary routine—taciturn-seeming but kind, fond of animals.
Good heavens, I thought my heart had stopped.
Breathing hard, I spoke to Hui in an exhausted voice.
“Be careful.”
“Okay.”
My siblings’ calm response drew questioning looks from the maids—was this really alright?
Feeling suddenly like an irresponsible guardian, I waved both hands.
“Oh, don’t worry. The child’s athletic ability is just……”
Wait.
I trailed off, lost in thought.
That’s right. When it came to physical talent, Hui certainly had it.
He’d been nimble since childhood, and quite strong for his size.
Even with his calm temperament, living in rough neighborhoods meant he’d face trouble now and then, and each time he’d return victorious, without a scratch.
I could never bring myself to praise fighting, so I’d always scolded him lightly and moved on……
‘If he became a knight?’
Then he’d be the most trustworthy knight in the world to me.
And before that, he’d be able to protect himself safely.
And in time, he’d become a skilled knight—and gain the admiration and respect of countless people, right before everyone’s eyes……!
‘Get a hold of yourself.’
I was getting ahead of myself. What was I even thinking, planning like this for a five-year-old who was just climbing a tree to rescue a kitten?
I took a deep breath and reined in my ambitions as a caregiver.
I was already becoming greedy, it seemed.
Surely I’d been content when my siblings were simply healthy and happy, but now that we had comfort and plenty, I found myself looking ahead to their futures and indulging in wants I had no right to.
“But our Hui very well might be an absolute prodigy……”
“Oh my! Miss!”
The maids who’d been watching my murmuring gave another cry of alarm.
“You’re bleeding! What happened?!”
“Oh…… I fell a bit.”
Looking at my hands at their fuss, I found them completely scraped raw.
Once I acknowledged the wounds, the sting in my palms and even my knees began to register.
But what caught my eye more was the dirt and damage to my dress.
“I’m sorry.”
“Pardon? For what?”
“For soiling your dress. It was so pretty……”
The maids’ faces softened with sympathy.
Not that I was pretending to be virtuous and pitiful this time.
I’d done laundry work before, so I understood—how exhausting it was to clean and mend fine fabrics……
“Oh, not to worry! It was thrown together hastily anyway, so we were just going to discard it after today!”
I’d just tried to empathize with Ambrose.
I wore a secret bitter smile.
“Meow……!”
The kitten, fleeing the approaching Hui, suddenly leapt down from the tree.
Without thinking, my hands shot out to catch it.
Soft!
Soft paws landed on my scraped palm, and the kitten immediately scrambled down my body.
Then it dashed away past the thicket and vanished.
Dido, his index finger still in his mouth, watched its retreating form with longing.
“Kitty……”
“Right, kitty’s gone. Now come down, Hui.”
“Okay!”
I withdrew Dido’s dirty finger from his mouth and watched as Hui descended with a light leap, his ash-grey hair flowing.
His hair had gotten quite long. Hui dislikes feeling stuffy—I should trim it soon.
And since he’s definitely proving to be a prodigy, I should start Swordsmanship lessons day and night……!
I caught myself with a sharp laugh and shook my head firmly.
No more greed. I’ve only just gotten the chance to raise them properly—if I keep this up, I’ll be the one ruining them.
Once Hui had safely descended, the maids released relieved sighs.
“Forgive us, Miss. The two of them seemed bored, so we took them for a walk……”
“It’s fine. Thank you for looking after them.”
I smiled and drew my arms around Hui and Dido’s shoulders.
I couldn’t keep them locked in their room all day, worried or not.
Honestly, fine clothes or not, we looked best when we were scrappy like this anyway.
“But first, let’s treat your wounds, Miss!”
At the maids’ insistence, we returned to my room—and an elderly man presented himself as Ambrose’s chief physician.
As always, a Red Badge hung from his collar.
By now it was something that brought me stability.
“…… This much just needs cleaning and salve. Nothing serious.”
But he barely acknowledged us as he matter-of-factly pulled a medicine bottle from his bag.
Then he poured disinfectant over my wounds carelessly and slathered on some mysterious salve.
‘Ow.’
I winced at his rough touch.
Was it because I’d always received treatments from the careful Morgan that I was spoiled?
I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it seemed the longer someone had worked for Ambrose, the less they tended to be kind to me.
“Goodness, it looked much worse earlier, so I’m relieved it’s not as bad as it seemed.”
The maids watching from behind reassured themselves that scars wouldn’t form.
Right—washing away the blood made the wounds look less severe than before.
Soon the physician finished and stood.
“I’ll be on my way then.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
“…… Tsk.”
Did he just click his tongue?

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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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