The Abandoned and Terminally Ill Lady Married a Monster - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
“Lizzy, Lane. Happy birthday.”
“Our sweet daughter, Lizzy. My beloved son, Lane. Happy thirteenth birthday. And early acceptance into the Academy, no less! I am so incredibly proud of you both.”
“Thanks to you two, this old woman finally gets to see a descendant of the Lizziana bloodline enter the Academy.”
‘It was a worry, having a talentless simpleton in the family who couldn’t even reach the Academy gates.’
Countess Jemella, the twins’ grandmother, added these words silently. She glanced at her foolish granddaughter, Ailee. Everyone’s gaze followed Jemella’s, shifting to Ailee.
Ailee huddled in a shadowy corner, trying to remain unseen. Already curled up like a crumpled piece of paper, she shrank further under their scrutiny.
Her white hair and purple eyes, the color of sweet violets, trembled. A birthday cake sat before the cowering Ailee.
Ailee and her twin siblings were two years apart. What a cruel twist of fate it was. All three were born on the same day of the same month, sharing a birthday.
With nowhere else to look, Ailee’s gaze fixed on the cake, beautifully decorated with a creamy “14.” It was identical to the cakes her siblings, Lizzy and Lane, had.
‘It’s my fifteenth birthday, not my fourteenth. …I already feel sick to my stomach.’
Fifteen-year-old Ailee hadn’t been able to eat properly since her siblings began wielding the Lizziana family’s inherent ability, fire manipulation, with adult-like proficiency.
Every meal at the same table brought a wave of nausea. She had only managed some juice so far, but the weight of their gazes made her stomach churn.
“So, child, is the cake delicious?” Jemella asked, her eyes flicking between Ailee and the cake.
Ailee bit her lip at her grandmother’s words. She couldn’t bring herself to answer with a naive, “Yes, it’s delicious.”
Fifteen might be young, but she wasn’t oblivious to the underlying meaning in her grandmother’s question. It was a taunt, asking if she could even stomach the cake.
‘I haven’t even taken a bite yet.’
Her tightly pressed lips showed no sign of loosening.
Ailee knew it was disrespectful to remain silent, lips pressed together, when her grandmother asked a question. She knew her father would sigh and scold her if she didn’t answer immediately.
‘Even though I know all this, I can’t speak.’
The churning in her stomach intensified. If she opened her mouth, she was certain she would vomit right there. Or burst into unsightly tears. Neither scenario was remotely appealing.
As she stood there, sweating and panicking, Lizzy accidentally knocked against a glass. The juice seemed to have been spared, but the loud noise broke the tension, scattering everyone’s attention.
“Oh dear, you should be more careful.”
“Let me see. Are you alright, my darling?”
“So cute.”
“Stupid sister.”
“I’m not stupid!”
The eyes that had been cold and critical when directed at Ailee now softened with warmth as they focused on Lizzy.
…Unlike with her. Though it was a scene Ailee witnessed daily, tears threatened to spill. A lump formed in her throat.
Then Themeron, Ailee’s father and the Count, spoke. “Ailee. You’re being disrespectful again. I’ve told you repeatedly to answer properly, not just bite your lip. Go back to your cottage. It hasn’t been long since you were released, and you’re already behaving so rudely to your grandmother.”
At her father’s words, Ailee felt a pang of relief that she hadn’t made a scene, but a sharp sting of sadness accompanied it.
‘It’s my birthday too.’
It seemed she would be sent away without even a single word of birthday wishes.
‘Why am I always like this? Just crying. I’m not good at anything, not even being pleasant. That’s why I’m being sent away again. If only I were better.’
Ailee craved affection. She thirsted for the love she had never truly received. And above all, she was vulnerable. So, instead of blaming those who withheld their love, she blamed herself.
“F-Father, I’m sorry. Please, let me stay until dinner is over…”
“Go. I don’t want to see you any longer.”
The twins, who had been bickering moments before, stopped their squabble and turned to Ailee. Their matching blue hair swung in unison as they focused their deep violet eyes, darker than hers, on her. They giggled behind their small hands, whispering about her.
“The real idiot is over there.”
Even though she knew her younger siblings were openly mocking her, Ailee couldn’t retort. Unable to wield even a single ability, she must truly be an idiot.
Hesitantly, Ailee rose from her seat. Just before opening the door, she glanced back one last time, hoping to hear a belated birthday wish.
“My dear grandchildren, open the presents I’ve prepared for you.”
“Wooah!”
No one paid any attention to Ailee as she slipped away. In fact, the dining room seemed to buzz with even more energy now that the unwelcome guest was gone.
Clutching the hem of her dress, Ailee opened the door and stepped out.
The cheerful sounds followed her, clear and distinct, until the moment she closed the door behind her.
* * *
‘I wanted a present, too. Or at least to hear someone say happy birthday.’
Would she have received a gift if she had stayed? The thought plagued her as she walked.
‘I didn’t get one because I’m a bad child. If I had answered Grandmother properly, maybe I would have. …No, even if I had, I’ve been so bad, I wouldn’t have received one anyway.’
She hadn’t received a beautifully wrapped present since she turned seven.
Instead, at eight, she had received something… something that wasn’t quite a present. It came with a stern warning from her mother to keep it an absolute secret.
That’s why she still didn’t know what it truly was.
