The Stand-In Villainess's Contract Marriage: I Was Divorced After a Year, But For Some Reason, My Ex-Husband Seems to Be Looking for Me - Chapter 11

And five days later, as promised, Amalia came for her house call.

Liana, who had gone to pick her up in a carriage, paid for thirty days’ worth of medicine with the money she had managed to gather.

For this, she had almost sold all her dresses and accessories, and she had used up all the money she had saved to pay off her debts.

From tomorrow, she would have to work tirelessly, even at the expense of sleep.

“Please don’t tell my sister about her illness.”

When she said this in the carriage, Amalia looked at Liana in surprise.

Indeed, it was not an amount that Liana could have prepared by herself under normal circumstances.

“But…”

“I will definitely have the money for the medicine ready by thirty days from now. My sister has a fiancé. However, if the illness becomes known, her engagement might be called off.”

Moreover, if her sister heard about the cost of the medicine, she would surely give up on the treatment.

As a physician acquainted with their parents, she must know that if her sister doesn’t marry, she won’t inherit the title, and the territory won’t be returned until the debts are paid off.

“I understand. I’ll talk to her carefully.”

Amalia seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, but finally, she said that, and Liana felt relieved.

Recently, she had been holding back on work and study as much as possible to let her sister rest and had been serving nutritious meals, so it seemed to be helping a little.

However, her sister still looked pale, and Liana wanted to start treatment as soon as possible.

The problem was the cost of medicine for a year.

It would amount to almost the same as the debts left by their deceased parents.

Liana understood that this was not an amount she could somehow manage with ordinary work.

(Thanks to Count Tweed, it seems that I can repay the debts that were once so overwhelming.)

She had associated her sister with the daughter who had died young, even calling her by the deceased daughter’s name, but he had given her a part of the inheritance without asking for anything in return.

Such a person is rare even among nobles.

Thus, it would be impossible for Liana to do the same thing as her sister.

(I wouldn’t mind being a real mistress. If that could save my sister…)

Moreover, it wasn’t just the cost of the medicine.

The remaining debts must be paid off by the wedding scheduled for a year from now.

Even after marriage, a considerable amount of money would be needed to manage the returned territory.

Liana wanted her sister to eat more nutritious food to build her strength.

When she thought about it this way, it felt like no amount of money would ever be enough.

Fortunately, Liana was currently “the wicked lady, Lana.”

If she dressed flamboyantly and attended soirées, there would be plenty of invitations that would suit her.

Besides, since she decided to take her sister’s place, she had given up on ordinary happiness.

(My life as a noble ended the moment my father and mother died. It’s my sister who has kept me alive until now.)

She had resolved to do anything for her sister.

“She seems to be a little better than five days ago.”

Amalia, who examined her, said this, reassuring Liana’s sister.

“Really? Thank you.”

Liana’s heart ached at the sight of her sister’s relieved expression as she relaxed and thanked her.

“If it’s just fatigue, resting should help, right?”

Although she had agreed at that time, her sister still seemed reluctant to take too much medicine and was looking at the doctor.

“Yes, but even if it’s just weakness, treatment is still necessary. For instance, if a young woman becomes too weak, it might be difficult for her to become pregnant in the future.”

If her body wasn’t strong, she might not be able to conceive.

Upon hearing this, her sister changed color.

As someone who was about to get married, it was understandable that she would be concerned about such a statement.

“Can the medicine do something about it?”

“Yes. You’ll surely improve.”

Amalia smiled gently and explained that if she tried taking the medicine for about thirty days and her condition improved, she would need to continue for about a year.

From the serious expression on her sister’s face as she listened, Liana inferred that she would take the medicine properly.

Grateful for Amalia’s guidance, Liana decided to watch without intervening unnecessarily.

“How much is the cost of the medicine?”

To her hesitant question, Amalia replied cheerfully.

“It’s already been covered by your sister, so it’s all right. Please make sure to take it properly for her sake.”

Saying that, she promptly left thirty days’ worth of medicine and promised to come back for another house call in thirty days.

With this, her sister would surely take the medicine properly.

Now, Liana had to prepare the cost of a year’s worth of medicine by thirty days from now.

She could no longer afford to choose her means.

Determined, Liana decided to attend party even without her sister present, dressed as a wicked lady.

However, when actual men approached her, she felt scared and instinctively ran away.

Though she had an adult and glamorous appearance, Liana was still only sixteen.

Even while desperately playing the part of a wicked lady, she had hardly ever talked to men before.

(I can’t keep doing this. I need to work hard for my sister’s sake…)

Thinking so, she increased the number of events she attended.

She explained to her sister that she had made friends and wanted to go visit them.

Tonight, she would attend a party at a certain count’s residence.

Of course, she had planned to go alone.

But her sister seemed worried that it might be dangerous for an unmarried woman to attend alone and had asked her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Naje, to escort her.

He seemed reluctant, but unable to refuse her sister’s request, he ended up agreeing to escort her with a bitter expression.

(Although everyone knows that the wicked lady Lana is the younger sister of the Count Karota, he probably doesn’t want to get involved with me…)

It was a situation that benefited neither side, but seeing how dearly her sister was cherished gave Liana a sense of comfort.