To the Man Destined to Kill Me - Chapter 21

“Why are you asking about that?”

“I was just curious.”

“You’re overstepping.”

“If you want, I can help you make up with Wilhelm.”

Noah carefully watched Scarlett’s reaction. Every second he waited for her answer made him nervous. He couldn’t understand why his throat was dry and his mouth parched.

“I don’t need it.”

Noah’s lips twitched faintly. He held back a laugh and asked again.

“Then why did you ask him to date you?”

Scarlett put down her pencil. She looked slightly angry. She glared at Noah for a moment, then twisted her lips into a small smile.

“Are you trying to act like my big brother?”

“No. I didn’t mean it like that.”

In their relationship, Scarlett could always create distance if she wanted to. The control between them was in her hands. Noah had no choice but to lose to Scarlett every time.

“Then? Why are you asking?”

“…Curiosity?”

“Ha. You’re unbelievable.”

Scarlett boldly slashed her pencil across the paper. She glanced between the paper and Noah, grumbling.

“Are we close enough for that? Or are you my brother or sister who changed my diapers and raised me? If not, don’t ask. I won’t tell you.”

Her words were rough, but they didn’t seem meant to hurt him. It was more like she was whining, acting irritated the way she usually did. Because of that, Noah couldn’t help but smile a little even while apologizing.

“Yeah. I’m sorry.”

“You’re always sorry to me, aren’t you? You know, people say you should be careful. But you’re always ‘sorry, sorry.’ So boring.”

She snorted exaggeratedly, ending the conversation, and went back to moving her pencil silently.

Scarlett, drawing, was more serious than usual. Her hand was careful as it drew the lines, and her eyes looking at the paper were full of affection.

Someone focused on something they love was more beautiful than a flower in full bloom. Noah liked the way Scarlett’s eyes sparkled. He thought the moment when she wrinkled her forehead slightly to measure proportions with her pencil was beautiful.

“Noah.”

“Yeah?”

“If it’s hard to sit still, could you read the newspaper for me?”

“Is it okay if I move around?”

“You just need to lower your head a little. Just move your eyes and read.”

It was a pretty demanding request, but Noah gladly accepted.

Scarlett surprisingly liked the newspaper. It was probably because her family was involved in politics and business. Noah quickly skimmed through the newspaper and summarized it for her.

“There’s another civil war in Natalia. The army led by Victor Lebedev, head of the noble faction, clashed with the mages from the Magic Tower. Four mages and fifteen soldiers died.”

“That country has been in civil war for twenty years now.”

“And Victor Lebedev has gone missing. Officially, they say he retired because of poor health, but he’s only forty-six. Most people think he died in an explosion caused by the mages.”

At the word ‘explosion,’ Scarlett’s face twisted badly. She shivered as if just imagining it was horrible.

“If I were Victor Lebedev, I would’ve executed the mages when I captured them last time. Because he stuck to the law and gave them life sentences, they broke out and caused all this.”

“He’s a rational man. He probably had a bigger purpose for sticking to the rules.”

“Logic and purpose mean nothing. The mages rebelled and ruled with violence for ten years. And that’s not all. They even killed Victor Lebedev’s best friend. He may have been a great man for starting a slave liberation movement, but he was also way too old-fashioned.”

Scarlett clicked her tongue in frustration.

“Can you lift your head a little more? Yeah, that’s good. Forget international news. What about domestic news?”

“It says there’s been an outbreak of an epidemic on the outskirts of the capital. It comes with a high fever…”

Scarlett’s pencil fell from her hand. Her face turned as pale as a sheet. She didn’t even try to pick up the pencil, just sat there trembling and moving her lips soundlessly.

At first, Noah thought she was just worried because she had a weak immune system. But the fear on her face was beyond simple worry. It was pure terror.

“Scarlett?”

“I—I—I have to go home. Not the villa, home… Abigail… Oh, God! It’s already so late…!”

As she stumbled in a panic, the easel beside her fell over. The loud crash echoed through the empty classroom.

Scarlett covered her ears and reacted sensitively, then grabbed her chest and gasped. Noah quickly brought her some medicine.

“Gasp… Gasp… Hic!”

Scarlett beat her chest and clung tightly to Noah’s arm. Her white hands, drained of all color, dug hard into his skin.

The medicine calmed her breathing, but not her fear.

“I have to go home.”

“What’s going on? Let’s get out of here first.”

“No, no. I—I have to go home. I won’t be coming to school for a while.”

“Are you sick? Or did something happen?”

“I have to go home. Abigail is in danger… How could I forget Abigail?”

“I’ll walk you home.”

“No, no. I have to go alone. I have to go… alone…”

Scarlett left Noah behind and rushed out. Noah watched her disappear through the open door, then felt the autumn breeze coming through the window. Maybe it was because the air was so dry, but the wind felt especially lonely.

While picking up the fallen pencil, he found a piece of paper lying on the floor. Without meaning to, Noah smiled faintly. His heart felt tender, like when looking at something precious.

Scarlett had drawn a picture of him reading the newspaper. It was much more skillful than he was. But more than the skill, it felt strange that there was proof that Scarlett and he had spent time together.

Noah gently brushed the drawing with his fingertips and finally realized it.

His feelings for Scarlett were wrong.

Noah placed a hand over his aching chest and felt his heartbeat. Maybe it was a good thing Scarlett wouldn’t be coming to Iodes for a while.

A tainted darkness crawled slowly over his hands. That darkness became a monster that clutched his throat the moment he recognized it.

These feelings were abnormal and twisted. Yet he couldn’t fix them, so he swallowed hard. His fingertips trembled.

It was heavy and sticky because it was a feeling he should never have had. But the flower with poison smelled sweet, just like a ripe apple.

Scarlett’s hair was like an apple. It was just as lovely, just as red, and just as sweet.

That was why, when Scarlett left to protect her family, Noah ran away from the dark shadow he had created. He felt like if he fell into that darkness, he would never escape again.

Abigail lost her sight because of the fever that was spreading in the capital. After suffering for three days with a burning fever, her clear eyes could no longer function properly.

“Susan! Amanda!”

As soon as Scarlett arrived at the White mansion, she ran inside and shouted her sister and sister-in-law’s names. She had bitten her lips so much on the way there that blood was gathering on her lower lip.

“Carly? What brings you here at this hour?”

Amanda, who was assigning tasks to the servants, widened her eyes when she saw Scarlett.

“Why are there so many people at the house?”

“We decided to hold a charity party.”

“When?”

“Next week.”

“No! There’s an epidemic going around. What if Abigail and Isaac catch it? No matter how careful you are, if too many people come and go from this house, it’s meaningless!”

“I read that article too. The kids will be fine.”

“How can you be sure? Cancel the charity party. If you really want to do it, hold it at the villa. And until the fever passes, don’t even think about letting people come in and out of the mansion.”

“Carly. What are you talking about?”

Susan, who had been working from home, came downstairs when she heard Scarlett’s voice. Far up the stairs, Isaac was watching them with wide eyes. Only when Scarlett saw Isaac’s frightened face did she realize she was too worked up, and she took a deep breath.

“Think about Abigail and Isaac. The fever is going around. If kids get a high fever, they can lose their sight or hearing. I’m worried. If it’s not possible, I’ll at least take the kids to the villa. I can’t relax if guests are coming and going every day.”

“We’ll seriously think about how to prevent the fever, so don’t worry too much. Come inside.”

Even so, Scarlett still looked uneasy. Susan tried to distract her by asking various questions.

“Did you eat dinner? It’s almost mealtime. Just in time, Aaron came back too.”

“Aaron?”

“He didn’t look like he was in a good mood.”

“Aaron is always either in a really good mood or a really bad one. Isaac, my croissant! Didn’t you miss your aunt?”

“Hmph. Auntie doesn’t even come home!”

Isaac ran off beyond the stairs.

Susan clicked her tongue, saying Scarlett should visit more often, and Scarlett looked down at her empty arms, feeling a bit lonely when Isaac didn’t welcome her.

“Go show your face to Aaron. I need to talk to Amanda.”

“Alright.”

Scarlett headed straight to Aaron’s room.

Aaron had a thick neck and broad shoulders, looking more like a mafia member than the owner of a railroad company.

And fitting that appearance, he had a low, rich voice that you could hear even outside the door.

“Puhaha! Do you know what face you made when you said that? Anyone would have thought you were about to pee on that bastard Anthony’s face.”

Aaron’s flaw was probably that he was a bit crude.

But Scarlett liked that about him too. She thought that while anyone could pretend to be polite, being honest and showing yourself as you are was something special.

Even if that honesty sometimes made him casually hang out with mafia members.

“Aaron. I’m here.”

When Scarlett knocked, there was a sound inside, and the door opened. Aaron, who opened the door himself, was already holding a glass of liquor.

He put the glass down on the bookshelf and lifted his little sister up in a big hug. Scarlett, whose feet dangled in the air, rubbed her soft skin against his rough, bearded cheek just like she used to.

“Am I a kid?”

“Little brat. You’ll always be fifteen years younger than me.”

“Tch.”

“You grew a lot in just a few months.”

“Yeah. I know I’m short, so stop teasing me.”

Scarlett was an average height, but Aaron always treated her like a little kid and teased her about when she would finally grow up.

When she was younger, she didn’t understand Aaron’s feelings, but after raising Isaac and seeing Abigail grow up, Scarlett understood.

No matter how big Isaac got, to Scarlett, he was always a little boy she had to protect.

Since Scarlett and Isaac were ten years apart, it made sense that Aaron, who was fifteen years older, would see her as even more of a child.

“How’s Iodes? Is Professor Diego treating you well? That guy owes me a drink, so he probably doesn’t dare treat you badly.”

“He’s nice to me.”

“You said you were staying at the villa because of school. What brings you all the way here?”

“I came to see you.”

“Liar.”

Aaron grinned and ruffled Scarlett’s hair, not minding the lie. Scarlett protested and tried to block him, but she couldn’t beat his strong hands.

“Argh! Scott! Help me!”

“Aaron, do it more! More!”

“Scott!”

“You made a fuss downstairs, and now you’re making a scene here. What’s your problem this time?”

“Geez.”

Scarlett grabbed Aaron’s hand, which was messing up her hair, and spoke seriously.

“Be careful about hygiene from now on. There’s a contagious fever going around. If you bring germs home, the kids could be in danger.”

“And you could be in danger too. I’m worried, Aaron. The kids are too weak.”

Scott sighed and reached out to feel Scarlett’s forehead.

“No fever. If you feel sick, tell us right away.”

“By the way, there’s something I’m curious about.”

Aaron’s mood suddenly shifted. His red tongue ran over his thick lips. Leaning against the wall with one arm, he gently rubbed his chin with his fingers and smiled.

Scarlett realized Aaron was angry. Scott’s face turned serious too.

“My little sister cares so much about cleanliness. Is it because she’s hiding something? Or because she’s already dirty?”

He clearly meant the Ashfords when he said “dirty.”

Aaron was the railroad king who was tied to the mafia. And Scarlett had been kidnapped by the mafia.

It didn’t make sense for the mafia, who barely knew Scarlett’s face, to go out of their way to kidnap her. Still, in the end, Scarlett had been kidnapped.

And Aaron already knew everything.

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