After I died, Everything Changed - Chapter 63

“I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I actually own several islands.”

“…”

“There’s one called Andros, in the western sea. It’s often referred to as the island where the gods once stayed.”

“Ah…”

“And, well, it happens to be mine.”

Was he… bragging about his island now?

“I just suddenly thought—I’d like to walk that place with you.”

“So, the deal you’re proposing is…”

“Hmm?”

The Grand Duke’s clear eyes sparkled.

He looked almost like an excited child.

“Something feels off about all this.”

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but something was definitely strange.

“Then, shall we consider the deal struck?”

He held out his hand.

I took it and replied,

“Sure. It’s not like I’m in any position to be picky. Honestly, you probably could’ve asked for more, and I would’ve still agreed.”

At my answer, the Grand Duke’s eyes lit up.

“Can I change my request, then?”

He asked in a mock-serious tone.

I shook my head.

“It’s already a done deal.”

He looked disappointed—and I nearly laughed.

So inappropriate… at a time like this.

“Truth is, I’ve been quite concerned about Lord Mergen.”

“You didn’t even know he had collapsed until I came to the manor.”

“Still, from the first time I met him twenty years ago, I always wished him good health and long life.”

“I see.”

Our hands, which had briefly been joined, parted.

I found myself missing the warmth.

“I’m grateful to be here with you in your time of hardship.”

“…?”

It was impossible to fully understand the Grand Duke’s thoughts or actions.

He had always been that way.

Unpredictable—eccentric, even.

“We should send someone to the Mergen estate. There are things that need tending to for the patient.”

“It would be difficult for outsiders to enter right now. I’ll arrange for someone to be sent in disguise as a physician through Elliot.”

The Grand Duke crossed his arms and nodded.

“Are you alright with that?”

“Pardon?”

“I mean you.”

I thought he was just teasing again, but his face had suddenly turned serious.

“Well… it did catch me off guard, but there’s nothing we can do. It’s a crisis, after all.”

“Have you slept?”

“In short bursts. I did get some rest.”

There was no way I could sleep peacefully.

If the Grand Duke could peer into my mind and see the thoughts that had floated through it all night, he might have recoiled in horror.

It was filled with the most grotesque, horrific images imaginable.

“I’m fine. If we can’t make an antidote, that’s what I’m worried about.”

“And if I fail…”

Lahan trailed off, glancing sideways—then seemed to recall something.

“We’ll have to retrieve the Imperial Holy Water.”

“The Empire’s?”

“It’s a secret treasure, unknown to most. True holy water, guarded solely by the Emperor.”

“Real holy water…?”

The Grand Duke nodded.

“Isn’t that a kind of insurance for the royal family?”

“Exactly. It exists for when the Emperor himself is poisoned.”

“And you think they’ll just hand that over to Mergen?”

I looked at him in disbelief.

“If they don’t give it willingly, we’ll just have to find another way.”

The Grand Duke’s bright smile somehow felt unsettling.

I was almost certain that whatever “way” he was imagining had nothing to do with legality.

“Can someone of royal blood really think like that? Stealing a sacred treasure from the palace would be punishable by death, at the very least.”

Even just leaking information about the holy water was probably a serious crime.

“Then I just won’t get caught.”

“…”

Unbelievable.

“This is who I am. I grew up without much discipline, I guess you could say?”

“You grew up in the royal palace…”

He often talked as if he’d been raised wild on the streets, but everyone knew he’d been raised in the imperial household—pampered like any other prince.

“After all, truth doesn’t always dwell beneath golden pillars.”

The Grand Duke shrugged.

The golden pillars of the palace certainly did sparkle.

“Well, going that far would be the last and worst-case scenario. We’ll just have to make the antidote here.”

“Yes. That seems like the option that could save the most lives.”

The Grand Duke let out a hearty laugh.

That laughter loosened something in me—anxiety that had been wound too tight for too long.
My fraying nerves found a moment of calm.

“Thank you.”

I felt like I owed him more and more with every passing minute.

“Are we sure this is the place?”

We’d managed to get information on Abel’s whereabouts.

He was at a villa gifted to him by the imperial family.

When I heard he had come here alone—with no soldiers, no attendants—it sparked a lot of questions.

Why would he isolate himself here, especially during such a critical moment? Why wasn’t he by Chloe’s side?

And he’d gone so far as to tell others a different story…

Somehow, I hoped I might uncover whatever Chloe was trying to hide—right here.

“His last confirmed location was in the village just below this hill, so this has to be it.”

“No servants, completely alone in the middle of nowhere…”

Like he was hiding—on the run.

But why?

It wasn’t that long ago he was threatening me.

Surely his mindset hadn’t changed that quickly.

“Elliot, check the inside of the house. I’ll take a look around the property.”

“Understood.”

As Elliot made his way to the villa, I followed a small path beside it.

The view was beautiful, yet the air today felt oddly cold.

There were no signs of people.

So Abel really had come here by himself.

All I could hear was the crunch of my boots on the dirt path.

I wandered for quite a while when—

Tchk. Skrrt.

A faint sound reached my ears.

A bug? Or maybe a wild animal?

I slowly scanned the area.

And then—

“Why are you here?”

A voice called out from nearby. I turned toward the sound.

“Abel.”

There he was.

Wearing a loose shirt and black pants, his leather boots were dirty with soil and grass.

A breeze swept through the forest path, ruffling his unkempt silver hair.

“What brings you here?”

His violet eyes—were they always this deep?

Today, there was a weight behind his gaze I hadn’t noticed before.

“It’s not like I suddenly missed you or anything.”

“Is that supposed to be a joke?”

Abel’s tone was strange—somehow distant.

Did he really not know what Chloe had done?

“With Mergen in chaos, I couldn’t help but wonder where you were, and what you were doing.”

“…What happened?”

His voice dropped so low, it felt like it came from beneath the wind.

“The Lord collapsed. He was poisoned.”

“The Lord…?”

“You seriously didn’t know?”

“Then why are you here?”

His eyes lit with a sudden intensity.

“Do you suspect me?”

He looked at me steadily, not even blinking.

“The Lord collapsed, and your mother took over as acting head of the family.”

“…”

“But you vanished.”

I took a step toward him.

“So yes, I came to investigate. I wanted to know why Chloe would hide you—and why she’s gambling on something so dangerous.”

“And now that you’ve found me alive and well—are you disappointed?”

“You make it sound like I wanted you to be sick.”

“Didn’t you?”

He wasn’t entirely wrong.

It would be a lie to say I hadn’t hoped something was wrong with him—some reason he couldn’t show his face in public.

No. I had even hoped for it.

If Abel were truly hidden away here, then I could blame everything on Chloe’s final desperate move… and maybe turn it all back.

‘Abel seems fine. But he doesn’t even know what Chloe’s doing. Then what is this? Could it be… they’re not even on the same side anymore?’

As I searched for what to say, Abel started walking toward me.

We were now close enough that we didn’t need to raise our voices.

“Or did you think I was the culprit?”

“…”

Not an unreasonable assumption.

“You’re not even denying it. That really hurts, you know.”

He reached out his hand.

I shifted my shoulder back, avoiding his touch.

“I’ve been meaning to say this for a while now.”

His hand paused in midair.

“Don’t touch me without asking.”

He’d gotten into the habit of running his fingers through my hair. It was starting to feel like a reflex.

I frowned.

“You came all the way out here to find me, and yet you won’t even let me have a single strand of your hair?”

“I told you before. You don’t get to have anything from this family. Not even one hair.”

At my words, Abel let out a soft laugh.

Come to think of it, he always seemed amused in moments like this.

And then, suddenly—

His hand, which had been hovering aimlessly in the air, darted forward and grabbed my arm.

“Ah—!”

A sharp pain shot through me as he yanked me forward in one sudden motion.

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