I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit – Chapter 122

Chapter 122

I’ve lived in hospitals almost my entire life.

People who are truly very ill have a peculiar, strange smell.

It’s not that they actually emit a scent, but I call it the “smell of sickness.”

I’ve talked to other people about it, but it seems like they can’t smell it.

The smell of sickness is thick here, too.

I approached the bed, but I couldn’t help but stop.

‘She really looks so much like me.’

The face I wanted to forget.

A sick person’s face, devoid of any blood, caught my eye.

Lieutenant General Armitel, who had followed me in, introduced me.

“This is the Princess, Asellia.”

I quickly said,

“Don’t get up.”

I don’t know.

I really don’t know anything.

Why she has that face, why the original female lead is so sick.

Everything was a mystery.

But one thing was certain.

If that child truly resembles me, if she’s experiencing the pain I felt, then even getting out of bed would be an ordeal for her.

I know that all too well.

‘I really hated it when politicians came to visit.’

Whenever politicians visited, I had to force my immobile body to sit up.

People I met for the first time that day, people I’d never see again, would suddenly pull out handkerchiefs, wipe away tears, and take pictures with me.

Of course, those tears would vanish without a trace after the picture was taken. And people who looked like their secretaries would take the handkerchiefs from them.

It was as if the camera had a magic spell that stopped tears.

“It’s an order. Don’t get up, just stay lying down.”

“……”

Asellia’s body flinched at the word “order.”

She seemed unsure of what to do with the sudden appearance of the Princess.

“My name is Isabel. It’s nice to meet you.”

“……Nice to meet you, Your Highness. I’m Asellia.”

I could tell from her voice.

Asellia seemed to lack the energy to even speak.

Her body might have been weak, but her heart didn’t seem to be.

‘I think…… I understand.’

Maybe it’s because she looks so much like my past self.

I could accurately read her heart.

Despite her illness, she must be feeling a little bit of excitement.

‘I was like that too.’

Many forgotten memories resurfaced.

I hated it most when famous politicians visited, and I loved it most when friends my age visited.

Those friends didn’t ask to take pictures with me and just talked to me genuinely.

Sometimes there were kids who were too energetic and tired me out, but overall, they were quite considerate of me. They often told me about school life, things that happened among friends, and other stories I was interested in.

“It’s really nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Lieutenant General Armitel. She loves you so much.”

“My sister?”

Even amidst her illness, I could see her eyes sparkle.

It seemed that Asellia loved Armitel just as much as Armitel loved her.

“Yes. She bragged about you so much. I thought she was a stoic and scary person, but whenever you came up, she was a completely different person.”

Lieutenant General Armitel’s face turned slightly red.

“Your Highness, I was just……”

I cut Lieutenant General Armitel off.

“Lieutenant General, would you mind giving us some space so we can talk as friends?”

“……”

“It’s okay. I’ll call you if anything happens.”

“……Understood. Then I’ll go to the store and buy some drinks or something.”

“No. Instead, would you mind going grocery shopping with Yuri, who’s waiting outside? It would be reassuring to have you there.”

No matter how famous a dessert shop is, it’s nothing compared to what Yuri makes herself.

As far as I know, Yuri was the best chef, pastry chef, barista, and tea master.

Lieutenant General Armitel looked at Asellia lying in bed with a worried expression.

Asellia retorted,

“You’re not usually by my side anyway. Don’t worry and go.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Asellia burst into laughter.

“Really? You’re saying a honey badger can talk?”

At least for this moment, she wasn’t in pain.

“Yeah. He’s wandering around somewhere right now, but he’ll be back soon. Then I’ll introduce you. His fur is super soft, and his body is really warm.”

“And he smells like sweet honey?”

“Yeah!”

“Amazing!”

Asellia and Isabel became quite close rather quickly.

“I want to try the ramen that Your Highness developed.”

Asellia’s mouth watered. Then she gulped.

Even though she had never tried it before, she felt like it would be the most delicious thing in the world.

“Should we sneak one?”

“The doctor said absolutely not……”

“Doctors are always like that. If we live the way doctors tell us to, we’d only be eating green poop.”

“Green poop?”

“Yeah, broccoli.”

“Does Your Highness hate broccoli too?”

“I totally hate it. I hate it so much. It’s the second thing I hate most in the world.”

Asellia burst into laughter again.

“Then what’s the first?”

“Cucumbers.”

I hate cucumbers.

I’m sorry to cucumbers, but I hate the smell and the texture. I just hate everything about cucumbers.

I’m sorry, cucumbers.

Isabel apologized to the invisible cucumbers.

“Oh? Me too! I hate cucumbers too.”

“I hate eating them and putting them on my face.”

“Putting them on? You put cucumbers on? Where?”

“They say it’s good for your skin if you put them on your face.”

“Oh my……!”

Asellia’s eyes widened as if she was in shock.

Putting cucumbers on your face?

“You mean they do that with food? I was taught not to play with food.”

“Yeah. That’s why I won’t put them on.”

Isabel spoke very seriously as if she was making a grand declaration, then continued.

“Spicy ramen will probably be hard to eat. Let’s ask for cream ramen made with milk cream instead. Yuri, who came with me, is a great cook.”

“Is that really okay?”

“Even if I don’t trust myself, I trust Yuri. If Yuri makes it, it won’t be too stimulating and it’ll be fine.”

The two of them talked about this and that.

The topic changed constantly, and from a social perspective, there was no ‘nutritious conversation’.

Like a vision for the future, or the direction society should be heading, or ways to discover and develop oneself.

There was no such talk, and it was mostly about tteokbokki, ramen, iced chocolate milk, French toast, and almost all of that talk included the honey badger.

“……Now that we’re talking, it seems like it’s all about food?”

“I want to eat everything Your Highness mentioned. Will that day ever come for me too?”

“Of course! Absolutely!”

Isabel suddenly felt a pang of heartburn.

People who eat it every day don’t know.

How desperate that feeling is.

‘Why is she enjoying herself in that state?’

She thought that the dragon, Asellia’s true form, must be a pervert.

The current Asellia is completely ‘human’ Asellia.

She has no awareness of being a dragon and lives as the real Asellia.

So the pain and suffering she is feeling now are all real.

『Honey Badger, entering.』

“Where have you been?”

『Honey Badger is a man.』

『He’s conquered the alley.』

It was unclear how he had conquered it, but Honey Badger seemed quite proud of himself.

At Honey Badger’s appearance, Asellia forgot her pain and sat up.

Honey Badger is quite hostile to others except for Isabel, but it was different with Asellia.

『You, be my friend.』

Honey Badger was the first to snuggle into Asellia’s arms.

He rubbed his head against Asellia’s chest as if he was happy.

『Negotiation complete.』

『Now friends.』

Asellia burst into laughter again.

Honey Badger’s appearance made the atmosphere even warmer.

After a little while, Asellia spoke.

“Yes. It’s true. I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”

“……”

Isabel knew.

That Asellia wasn’t fine at all.

She knew better than anyone.

It was a phrase that the past Isabel always had on her lips.

‘Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.’

It was a natural thing to say for someone who was always on the receiving end of support.

She always had to show gratitude and sincerity to her sponsors.

In front of her sponsors, she always had to pretend to be living with hope.

That was her duty to them.

So even when she wasn’t fine, she had to say she was fine.

Sometimes she wasn’t grateful, but she had to say she was.

Once, she refused to take a picture and was scolded by someone.

For being a child who didn’t know how to be grateful.

As a child, she truly believed she had done something wrong and apologized.

She was a sponsored child, and the only emotion allowed for a sponsored child was gratitude.

Isabel sat down on the bed.

It creaked.

“It’s okay not to be okay.”

She decided to start a conversation that wasn’t about tteokbokki and ramen.