Instead of My Stepsister, I Have Become Engaged to the Son of a Marquis, Who Is Said to Only Have a Year Left to Live - Chapter 23

Chapter 23
A Kind Lie

　Eugenie dabbed the tears that had welled up in her eyes again with her handkerchief, then looked at Edith.

“I don’t know where to begin, Lady Edith… Originally, Lord Lionel and Lord Craig’s brothers and I lived in close proximity to each other’s summer vacation homes, and we were childhood friends who would hang out every summer. That’s how the topic of a future engagement between the two marquises came up.”

　Edith nodded, thinking that Eugenie’s story certainly overlapped with what she had heard from Lionel.
　Tea and cake were brought in front of them, and Eugenie took a sip of the tea before opening her mouth.

“Please listen to this as an old story… I have admired Lord Lionel ever since I first met him when I was still a child. When I heard my parents’ story and learned that I would one day be engaged to Lord Lionel, my young heart leapt with joy.”

　Hearing Eugenie’s feelings, Edith felt a slight stir deep in her heart. With a faraway look in her eyes, Eugenie continued:

“Lord Lionel was calm, kind, and gentlemanly even from a young age. In contrast to Lord Lionel, Lord Craig was lively and mischievous, and the two of them had very contrasting personalities, but they were very close brothers. I would lose track of time as I played with the two of them. There was more than one occasion when I returned to the villa after dark and my parents would scold me.”

　Edith looked at Eugenie, as if she could picture the three of them getting along well together.

“You had a wonderful childhood together.”
“…Thinking about it, those innocent times were probably the most fun I had.”

　Eugenie’s expression darkened slightly.

“But my family’s business gradually went into decline. Even now, at first glance, my parents appear to be living a comfortable life, but they are only Marquis in name, and in reality, they do not have much leeway. In contrast, the Marquis of Granvelle is a prestigious family with a solid business foundation. My parents’ hopes were pinned entirely on me, their only child. They seemed to think that if I could become the wife of the Marquis of Granvel in the future, they would be able to restore their family fortunes. They seemed worried that a mere verbal promise between our families would not be enough, so they repeatedly urged me to win Lionel’s heart and quickly bring us to an engagement. I wanted his heart, too. But…”

　Eugenie gave a lonely smile and let out a small sigh.

“In the end, no matter how hard I tried to become worthy of Lord Lionel, he never saw me as a woman. Lord Lionel was a man of both letters and martial arts, popular, handsome, and flawless. He was so perfect on his own that he didn’t need a woman to support him… He treated me like a gentle older brother, but I could sense that there was nothing more than that.”
“Even someone as beautiful as Lady Eugenie? And to me, Lady Eugenie looks perfect…”

　Edith was surprised, and Eugenie shook her head.

“No, if you’re close to me, you naturally feel that way. Lord Lionel is a kind man, and I’m sure that if the time came for us to get married, he would have given me his love as a family member, but I was exhausted from all the futile efforts I had been making. It was at times like these that it was Lord Craig who supported me.”
“…Lord Craig?”
“Yes. There were things I would have been too shy to tell Lord Lionel, but I was able to talk to Lord Craig about them without hesitation. I took advantage of his kindness and told him everything, about the internal affairs of my household, my parents’ expectations of me, and the emptiness I felt when Lord Lionel didn’t look at me. Gradually, my feelings began to lean towards Lord Craig. Perhaps I had noticed, somehow, the affection he had for me. However, I was unable to bring myself to tell my parents about it. I knew that if I did, they would oppose my engagement to their second son. It was around this time that Lord Lionel fell ill.”

　As Edith nodded, Eugenie’s face twisted in pain.

“When I went to visit Lord Lionel, I turned pale at how much worse his condition was than I had imagined. Seeing how he was losing his vitality, I also felt a little cowardly. I thought that in this situation, Craig might succeed the Marquis of Granvelle and that my marriage to him might come true. Without thinking of the consequences, I desperately poured out my feelings for Lord Craig to Lord Lionel as he lay in bed.”

　Edith remembered that Lionel had told her that she was the first person to see him without a grimace when he had fallen ill. Edith felt a tightness in her heart as she thought that even Eugenie, who was to be engaged to him, had turned pale. Eugenie covered her face with her hands.

“…The first time Lord Lionel needed me, I abandoned him and pushed him away. Seeing him with a gloomy expression and tight lips, I realized that I had done something that could never be undone. He was my childhood friend and had always been kind to me, but instead of trying to support him, I cruelly abandoned him. When I met Lord Craig right after visiting Lord Lionel, he asked me to support his brother, but by that time, as I just explained, it was too late. In the end, Lord Craig protected me, and the talk of our engagement came up, but even then he said the following for me”

　Eugenie slowly lowered her hands and looked closely at Edith.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot be engaged to you until my brother finds a fiancé he can trust.’ I think Lord Granvelle felt the same way. And so, Lady Edith, you became Lord Lionel’s fiancé. And Lord Craig, you went so far as to tell you such a lie in order to protect me… even though I am not worthy of such a thing.”
“Lord Craig is a truly kind person. And he cares deeply for both Lady Eugenie and Lord Lionel.”
“He is too good for me… …I can’t complain to Lionel-sama even if he doesn’t speak to me for the rest of my life. I think Lord Lionel has completely lost all trust in me, and I’m sure he is frowning at me, thinking that I’m not worthy of being a mate for Lord Craig. No matter what, I can’t make up for the fact that I suddenly turned on him and hurt him so badly when he was in the most difficult situation.”

　After a moment of silence, Eugenie spoke again.

“However, there was one thing I could think of that might be able to help you with, Lord Lionel. A long time ago, when magic was still used, there was said to be a family of white magicians who were capable of top-class healing magic. It is said that the heir to this family disappeared midway through, so I was using all the information network available to the current Marquis Spencer family to find the next head of that lineage.”

　Edith simply listened quietly to what Eugenie was saying, not understanding the connection between the serious look she was giving her and the topic she was bringing up.