After I died, Everything Changed - Chapter 57

“That’s dangerous.”

It was Solmon who stopped me.

“That monster’s already on the verge of death. If you can’t handle even this on your own, people will only laugh.”

His face was filled with frustration.

Lahan looked at me for a long moment, then adjusted his grip on the sword.

He turned the hilt toward me.

“Aim for the head.”

I nodded seriously at his advice.

But the moment I accepted the sword, my arms trembled.

It was heavier than it looked—Lahan’s sword had weight.

Still, the monster was dragging itself toward me, as if trying to save me the effort of moving.

Just a few steps.

Yes… that was all I needed.

I gripped the sword with both hands and stepped forward.

“Krrrrh, kragh—!”

The creature’s warped shriek echoed like a crushed animal’s groan.

Whether it was the monster itself or the chemical residue from the bomb, a putrid stench filled the air.

I held my breath and waited.

Waited for the monster to come close enough—right in front of me.

“She’s really going to do it?”

Solmon leaned toward Lahan, whispering with concern.

Watching Irene step forward, barely able to lift the sword, made his heart clench.

In response, Lahan silently drew the sword from Solmon’s hip.

“Hey! You can’t just grab someone else’s sword like that,” Solmon complained.

But Lahan was already poised, ready to leap forward at any moment.

Every sense was razor-sharp.

“Well, it’s practically a corpse anyway. Unless she trips over her own feet, it should be fine.”

What Solmon said was logical. Still, none of them could fully shake the worry they felt.

“Why is she so desperate to prove herself? I’ve never seen a noble lady fight this fiercely,” Solmon muttered, staring at Irene’s determined back.

“Some lives are like that,” Lahan replied quietly.

Just then, Irene swung the sword.

“Hah!”

Solmon blinked, surprised.

Though she didn’t look very strong, the motion of her strike was surprisingly clean.

“She’s had training. I guess she wasn’t completely reckless after all.”

“She’s not the type to act without cause.”

Lahan smiled with quiet satisfaction as he watched Irene’s sword pierce the monster’s head dead-on.

His grip on the backup sword relaxed.

“I thought she was just some refined noblewoman, but I see now—I’ll have to be careful around her.”

“She can cut with words too. The sword’s just a bonus.”

The monster’s green blood sprayed over Irene’s clothes.

It should have been a grotesque sight—but none of them saw it that way.

Irene stepped back calmly, her posture proud—like a warrior returning victorious from battle.

She turned.

Solmon clapped and whistled toward her.

Irene gave a small smile in return.

And that was when it happened.

The monster’s corpse, skewered and presumed dead, suddenly exploded.

Boom!

A damp, muffled blast echoed as Irene spun around in shock.

Solmon gasped in surprise, but before he could react—Lahan was already moving, launching from where he stood.

Not again.

Losing consciousness was never a pleasant thing.

And lately, it seemed to be happening far too often.

I forced my heavy eyelids open.

The first thing I felt was a sharp sting in my shoulder.

“Irene.”

A familiar voice.

Once, he’d only ever referred to me as Lady of Mergen—now he spoke my name with a gentle familiarity.

“Where am I?”

“My home.”

I didn’t have the strength to sit up and look around.

Instead, I just moved my eyes and scanned the room.

“Is it night?”

“You were out for half a day.”

“So, I didn’t die… What happened?”

As I asked Lahan, I tested the strength in my hands and feet.

Thankfully, everything moved at my command.

“The monster’s body exploded.”

“Was it the bomb?”

“We’re not sure if it was the weapon’s fault. We brought back the remains to test it.”

That was enough for me to piece together what had happened.

“Was I the only one injured?”

“No one else was hurt—just you. Though I have to say, the order of your questions is strange. Asking about the situation before your own health?”

“Do I seem that heartless?”

I smiled without realizing it.

If I could still manage to drive Lahan crazy with my work obsession even now, maybe I really was a piece of work.

“That’s very you.”

I turned my head toward the voice.

Lahan stood nearby, arms crossed, watching me.

I’d thought his expression might be dark, considering I’d been hurt. But he was smiling.

He actually looked… cheerful.

“You seem pretty happy.”

“Do I?”

“Very.”

“If I had to give a reason, maybe it’s because you’re in my bed.”

There were times, when I was with Grand Duke Lahan, that all the tangled problems in my life seemed to matter a little less.

It was probably because of that smile.

“…Don’t smile at me like that.”

“What, now I can’t even smile freely? With a personality this twisted, are you sure you’ll be okay?”

As he laughed, his chest moved with it—deep and wholehearted.

How was he always able to laugh like that, with every part of himself?

As someone so twisted myself, I couldn’t help but be curious about what was inside him.

Just then, the door opened.

A maid from the grand duke’s household entered with a tray in her hands.

On it, a bowl of steaming soup and a glass of water.

How did they know I was awake?

As I wondered, Lahan took the tray from her and approached the bed.

“Eat something first. Your stomach’s been empty too long.”

“…Alright.”

As much as I wanted to argue, my mouth was dry and my stomach felt hollow.

I leaned up, bracing on my elbow.

Lahan placed the tray on the bedside table, then came closer to support my back with his hand.

“Did I get burned? My shoulder feels a little sore.”

“It got a bit overheated, but it shouldn’t leave a scar.”

“You’ve seen it?”

The way he said it—it sounded like he had checked my shoulder himself.

Lahan glanced away from me.

“…Shameless.”

“Innocent, actually.”

He sat down in the chair beside the bed.

Now that I was sitting upright, the room looked bigger.

He said this was his room, didn’t he?

Everything in here did seem to carry his scent.

“When I was a kid, I got sick a lot. Whenever I did, my mother would make me soup.”

“Can’t imagine the grand duke being sickly. It doesn’t suit you.”

At my response, his mouth twitched into a grin.

Lahan, as a sickly child…

A fleeting memory brushed the edge of my mind—there, but not quite.

Lahan dipped the spoon deep into the soup and began to stir.

No way…

And yet, just as I feared, he actually blew on the spoonful of soup he’d lifted.

I quickly raised my hand to stop him.

“Don’t go that far. Treating me like a child… I don’t know what to do with that. I’m not used to it.”

I said it firmly, expression serious.

Lahan tilted his head, confused.

“Why not? You’re small, and everything about you makes people want to take care of you.”

“…Can you not phrase it like that?”

I was speechless for a moment.

Lahan laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

He was laughing right in front of me, and it made my skin tingle with secondhand embarrassment.

“Just give me the water,” I muttered.

Looking a bit disappointed, Lahan finally set the spoon down and handed me the glass of water from the tray.

The cool liquid washed through my dry mouth, and only then did my head start to clear.

As I drank, I glanced at Lahan out of the corner of my eye.

He was watching me intently, as if monitoring the water level in the glass like it was some kind of science experiment.

“How were the people out there? The atmosphere?”

“Not bad.”

“It would’ve been perfect if that explosion hadn’t happened.”

“Only fools dwell on things that have already passed.”

“I agree. Since I’m already injured, we might as well spin the story.”

“Story?”

“Yes. Instead of, ‘Irene, the Mergen successor candidate, heroically slayed a monster,’ it should be, ‘Irene didn’t hesitate to put her life on the line to stop the monster.’ Something with a bit more drama.”

There were two things I had to gain from this event.

First, proof that the weapon worked.

Second, a well-crafted story about me—to spread far and wide.

Right now, voices singing Abel’s praises echoed across the empire.

I needed a story of my own to match and overshadow his.

“You’re surprisingly political.”

“Isn’t that what business is all about?”

“Becoming the heir is just business to you?”

Lahan shook his head with a small laugh.

“The soldiers alone aren’t enough. Use Solmon. Get the word out through his channels.”

“He’s definitely the best for that. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already spreading it without being asked.”

“I doubt the owner of a major guild has such a loose tongue.”

At my comment, Lahan just shrugged.

By now, the glass in my hand was empty.

My fingers rested lightly on the soft surface of the blanket beneath me.

“Your sheets are nice.”

“If you want, you’re welcome to stay for a while.”

His offer made me let out a quiet laugh.

“You’re not worried about what people might say?”

“Being afraid of other people’s opinions is something you should’ve graduated from around puberty,” he said, sounding smug.

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