The World Mistakes Me for Terminally Ill - Chapter 37

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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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The World Thinks I’m Terminally Ill Episode 037

 

“Sister, so have you thought about the sponsorship? ‘Angel’s House’ is a fund that sponsors sick children, so if a celebrity like you sponsors them, wouldn’t it help more children?”

 

It was this week’s tea time. Shasha chattered away as soon as we met.

 

‘This is why I didn’t want to meet her.’

 

I clicked my tongue inwardly while responding appropriately.

 

“Angel’s House? You mean that investment product that returns 120% of the sponsorship amount? I heard it’s quite popular in the capital these days.”

 

“Oh sister, it’s both investment and sponsorship. You help sick children and get rewarded for doing good deeds. You’re speaking so rigidly.”

 

Until now, the Lert father and daughter had recommended various business investments to me every time they saw me.

 

Like dangling bait. They would spread unverified rumors as if they were true, saying this and that was good somewhere.

 

But among all that, there was one keyword that kept repeating – ‘children’ and ‘sponsorship’.

 

Since I kept pretending not to understand, a proper name finally came out for the first time.

 

‘Angel’s House.’

 

It’s a fund organization established about three months ago, famous for its slogan of returning 120% of sponsorship amounts.

 

It might seem like a scam, but surprisingly, this formula was valid.

 

At least for now.

 

“Well. The world isn’t quite that beautiful.”

 

When I vaguely deflected, irritation flickered subtly in Shasha’s eyes.

 

I made note of Angel’s House and Shasha’s reaction, then changed the topic. After all, I had my own reason for calling this annoying distant cousin here.

 

“More importantly, how about a hot spring trip?”

 

“A hot spring trip?”

 

“Yes. You said you came to recuperate. Wouldn’t it be better to rest properly somewhere with good scenery and good water?”

 

Since our first tourist target had been narrowed down to women from the capital, we needed to decorate the tourist destination to match their tastes.

 

Of course, I’m a professional in that field, but since I have a cousin who’s even more finicky than me, it would be a shame not to use her.

 

That was why I invited Shasha, whom I had been neglecting, to tea time.

 

“I heard hot springs are usually in rough terrain… The Northern Region is where monsters appear. It’s too scary.”

 

“The knights will escort us, so why worry so much.”

 

“I’m not as bold as you, sister. You even catch mice with your bare hands. When you were ten, I think? I was so shocked then.”

 

It sounds like a compliment but it’s actually a backhanded insult.

 

Usually, ladies of high society consider it refined to fear bugs or mice and wait for others to catch them instead.

 

I spoke naturally while inwardly clicking my tongue at Shasha, who was shrinking as if scared.

 

‘Still the same.’

 

Usually when someone says that, other listeners naturally ask about the story.

 

Shasha would bring it up as a memory and make me a laughingstock.

 

That nasty method of drawing attention to herself using others as topics hadn’t changed.

 

“Ten years old, you say.”

 

And as expected, the only other listener besides us showed interest.

 

Shasha’s eyes lit up at Shubel’s interest.

 

“Yes, that’s right. Sister has been very bold since childhood. When mice or snakes appeared in the trading guild warehouse, she would clean them up without hesitation.”

 

Well, that’s because those things coveted Seton’s property without knowing their place.

 

Just like you.

 

Watching her spill someone else’s past like a fish in water, I thought she was trying hard.

 

It’s not like I have an image that needs protection like her. This kind of thing couldn’t possibly be damaging.

 

‘Still, I’m not the type to just take it when someone picks a fight first.’

 

I lightly counterattacked.

 

“There certainly was such an incident.”

 

By acknowledging the trivial fact, I added credibility to my words.

 

“Ah, I had forgotten, but your words remind me. When I caught that mouse, you just cried saying you couldn’t catch it, so in the end youed all the grain pile you were supposed to sell to the mouse colony. It was quite cute.”

 

I took control of the conversation.

 

Translated, it meant this:

 

‘You’re bragging about not being able to protect even your own property?’

 

Of course, since she had picked the fight first, she didn’t back down with just this much.

 

“I was only seven years old then. Unlike you, sister, who was three years older than me.”

 

Look at that. I realized that Shasha’s intention wasn’t aimed at my image but rather at revealing her own age.

 

‘Eighteen. It is a flower-like age.’

 

After seeing people who dismissed young women, it was refreshing to hear the social circle rhetoric of ‘you’re old, aren’t you?’ for the first time in a while.

 

Objectively, twenty-one isn’t an old age. It’s just that since social circles are closely connected to the marriage market, anyone over twenty gets treated like a withered flower.

 

‘Why did she reveal this in front of Shubel?’

 

To make a small excuse, this three-way meeting wasn’t a situation I had intended.

 

I had invited Shubel to tea time to properly apologize this time after postponing it with business excuses, but Shasha, who was supposed to meet an hour later, barged in between us on her own.

 

‘I was so excited to see sister quickly that I came out too early with my elated heart. Cough, cough. Since I’m not feeling well, I don’t think I can stay long… may I sit down?’

 

I thought it was strange then too, but since she’s originally someone who thinks the world should revolve around her, I let it slide.

 

‘Surely she’s not foolishly coveting someone else’s husband in front of me.’

 

I was pondering when suddenly… I felt annoyed.

 

The problem was I didn’t know why I felt annoyed.

 

How should I put it. Exactly like when I discovered a little mouse secretly stealing in the grain warehouse?

 

Since I had faith(?) in Shasha’s malice, I opened my mouth thinking ‘surely she can’t be that stupid.’

 

“That’s right. You haven’t changed since you were seven. Still young and cute.”

 

At that age, you still can’t do anything by yourself like a child.

 

When I said this elegantly in a roundabout way, Shasha’s innocent mask cracked slightly.

 

“…You too, sister. Your taste for flashy things hasn’t changed.”

 

Would other people be pleased with your love of luxury in such an impoverished place?

 

“People originally have innate tastes. You can’t change what you’re born with.”

 

What can I do about being naturally excellent.

 

After lightly exchanging blows once each, since we both had things we wanted from each other anyway, we decided to stop here.

 

I returned to the original topic.

 

“Anyway, how about coming together? I’m thinking of resting after a long time too.”

 

“Who will be in the party?”

 

“You, uncle, and me.”

 

After saying that much, I felt an obvious gaze from beside me.

 

‘Madam, are you planning to leave me behind?’

 

At the gaze that I could read without even looking, I had no choice but to open my mouth.

 

“And my husband.”

 

Happy now? So stop staring. You’re going to bore a hole through my face.

 

“Good. Then I’ll prepare.”

 

“We depart in three days.”

 

We smiled brightly while hiding our respective ulterior motives.

 

“Why are you staring like that?”

 

After sending Shasha away, it was just the two of us again.

 

Originally, as soon as I called him, I was going to apologize saying ‘I was unreasonably sensitive. I’m sorry,’ but the atmosphere became awkward because an outsider suddenly interfered.

 

When I asked while unnecessarily shuffling through the hot spring report, Shubel answered.

 

“I was thinking how strong you were even back then.”

 

“What? What do you mean?”

 

“You when you were ten years old.”

 

My hand, which had been meaninglessly turning pages of the report, paused.

 

When I looked at him with an expression of bewilderment, Shubel raised the corners of his mouth with a somehow satisfied face.

 

“You were probably much smaller than now.”

 

“…Why are you saying something so obvious?”

 

“I’m curious.”

 

He drew his hand in the air.

 

“About… this tall, perhaps?”

 

“Why are you curious about that?”

 

“Well, it’s my wife’s past that I don’t know about.”

 

It seemed Shasha’s story had properly stimulated his curiosity.

 

Though he seemed more curious about whether I was a dwarf or not than about his wife’s past of catching mice with her bare hands.

 

“People from the Central are smaller than those from the Northern Region, but not that small.”

 

I finally put down the report and corrected his ridiculous estimation.

 

Even so, table height is going too far, isn’t it?

 

“Haven’t you seen children before?”

 

“I’m not particularly close with children.”

 

That seems likely. There’s quite a difference between when he smiles and when he doesn’t.

 

When he’s not smiling, his face is surprisingly cold, so as long as he doesn’t make them cry, that’s fortunate.

 

“Still… if it were a child like you, my lady, I think I could enjoy watching them.”

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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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