Queen of The Scalpel - Chapter 100
Elise, who returned to the mansion, looked away.
The atmosphere was strange. It’s not that late, but it’s just strangely settled in. To be exact, the atmosphere is filled of grief.
“Mother?”
She called her stepmother in amazement.
Her stepmother, who was always bright, is shedding tears.
“Elise, heuk.”
“Oh, mother? What the hell is going on?”
Then I heard about the news that I have never imagined.
“—What?”
Elise voice trembled.
“Younger brother…Are you telling that brother is going to war?”
It’s all over.
Her world has been shattered.
***
She don’t know much she had cried after that and how much time passed by.
Elise stared blankly at the wall in her room. No matter how many tears she had shed, her blue eyes were stained in red.
But her tears didn’t stop to drop.
“No way. Why? Why?”
What wrong? Why second brother is still going to war?
“Is it because two members of the noble family had to do voluntary honorary participation?”
It’s not voluntary; rather it is a forced conscription.
It wasn’t like this in my second life.
As they have said, in a war, only one person each family would participate in the war.
Nevertheless, her younger brother participated in the war because she tarnished the reputation of her family.
The younger brother, who loved her, volunteered for the war to repay the custom with the honor of Noblesse Oblige, and never returned.
[Fallen Warrior: Chris de Clorance]
She hasn’t forgotten how she felt when she received the telegram that is sent to their mansion.
He pushed his beloved brother to death because of her faulty decisions and personality.
She didn’t know how many days since she had cried. She haven’t forgotten the sorrow even though she cried like that, and how much she missed him even if he is still alive.
“No. Never. I can’t lose you again.”
Elise cried out.
But how will she do that?
This time isn’t voluntary participation that is a pay for one’s fault. It was a call of the state to stand up against the Francoin Republic.
There is no way to avoid it as a nobleman.
‘No brother. Ahhhh!!!’
She drooped herself in the bed and shed tears again.
Why do I have to go through this sadness again? Why do I have to lose my brother like this again?
She never should have. If she would go through this pain of losing her family again, she won’t be able to hold herself back.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and there she heard a cautious voice.
”Lise, Lise? Are you sleeping? Can I come in?”
“—!”
It’s her brother, Chris!
“You’re surprised aren’t you, our little sister?”
Those words are what she heard at that moment.
She couldn’t contain her feelings. Her eyes burst into tears once again.
“Keuk, heuk. Y-yes! Brother! Brother!”
Chris hugged his sister.
The moment she was buried into his chest, Elise cried all throughout.
“Don’t go, okay? Please. Please—”
Even though it wouldn’t work, she still begged.
“Our younger sister. Be a good kid okay? Don’t cry. I’ll be back safely. Don’t worry too much. Everything’s gonna be fine.”
“No, heuk. Please…”
Of course, this life is different. It wasn’t exactly like the last time that made her brother being killed in the previous war in her previous life.
But Elise felt it.
She lived her life differently, but still an important fateful event came without a fail. It was just moved slightly and happened in different timing and form.
If he is still going to war, her second brother will still be killed in the battle once again. There may be no certainty, or clear evidence, but she still felt anxious and distress just by thinking about it.
“Lise, I need you to do me a favor.”
Her brother said while wiping her endless tears.
“Would you give your brother your insignia? I think I’ll be able to get back safely if I get your insignia. I’ll surely come back and give it back, please.”
Elise was filled of sorrow again because of those words he said.
“I don’t want to.”
“Lise.”
“Never! I’ll never give it to you! Never!”
She stood up and ran out of her room, while crying like a child.
“Lise!”
Her older brother called out but she didn’t stop.
She ran out of the hallway, all the way to the porch, until the garden.
Then she went to a place where no one is fully aware of.
‘Ahhh! No! Never!’
I can’t go through the death of my second brother all over again.
I’ll stop it with all means.
In her last life, he died because of her, and in this life, she will stop him.
So she cried and made up her mind.
‘But how?’
Apart from her determination, there was no way to stop him from participating in the war.
The only way is for her brother to evade conscription and run away.
But her brother, being sweet and gentle, he would rather die in honor, and will never give up.
‘Please.’
She prayed eagerly.
But no matter how much she prayed, there is no way she could think of a way to prevent it. The wheel of cruel fate frustrated her.
Such a sad night passed.
***
The day came.
She used to go to the hospital early in the morning to take care of the patients, but she didn’t move her body even bit. She was so distressed.
But she couldn’t afford to be sad.
For that reason, Graham came to the Clorance’s estate early in the morning.
“Dame….Clorance?”
He was startled at the sight of the swollen eyes of Elise. It’s not just swollen. Even now, there were still traces of tears left.
Elise hurriedly wiped his eyes and asked,
“Yes, doctor. What’s the matter?”
“—.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to worry.”
Graham sighed loudly in her sight and said something.
“The results for the investigations came out on what you ordered yesterday.”
“Ah—.”
It’s only been a day, but it seems like she looked like drunk.
That was a fast work like Graham.
Then why is he is here early in the morning?
“You must be in trouble because you came in person.”