The Abandoned and Terminally Ill Lady Married a Monster - Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Unless I truly have an ability, I’ll just be a burden, relying on pity. I could never ask that of anyone, especially not him. ‘What am I expecting from a boy…’ She shook her head internally, her gaze returning to the bracelet. It was so captivating, drawing her eye despite her efforts to look away. As she studied it, the fear from yesterday began to fade. Perhaps it was because this was different from the object she’d been wrongly accused of stealing. This was a gift from Daykin.
‘It’s different. Daykin is kind.’ He doesn’t need to be cruel like Lane. And he speaks so gently.
“It’s beautiful… Are you really giving this to me?”
“Yes, keep it.”
His almost embarrassed expression made her smile. She reached for her left wrist, intending to put it on, but Daykin gently intercepted, taking the bracelet.
“Give me your hand. I’ll do it.”
She almost protested, wanting to do it herself, but instead obediently extended her wrist.
‘I’ll have to use it as a bookmark when he’s not around, to avoid being noticed.’ It seemed a shame for such a beautiful bracelet to be relegated to a bookmark, but she couldn’t risk arousing suspicion. Someone might see it and demand to know how she came by such a valuable item, and she couldn’t bear to have it taken away, especially not a gift from Daykin.
Holding the bracelet next to her face, she asked, “How does it look? Does it suit me?”
She knew he couldn’t honestly say it did. Her cheek was still swollen, and her face was tear-streaked. It was an unfair question, but she couldn’t help herself.
“…Yes.”
Daykin’s reply was slightly delayed, his eyes distant.
‘Even kind Daykin struggles with such blatant flattery.’ Somehow, that made him even more endearing. She smiled, lowering her arm. Looking down for a moment, she gathered her courage. The gift had momentarily distracted her, but a crucial question remained.
“Thank you so much for the bracelet. I’ll cherish it forever. But, Daykin, is my ability really that useful to you? Do I… do I really have an ability?”
‘It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just…’ Her voice trailed off, the words tumbling out in a jumbled mess. She truly didn’t believe it. How could she?
“If you didn’t have that ability, I would be dead.”
Daykin’s words, though blunt, were delivered calmly. He didn’t seem to be joking. Still, it was hard to believe.
‘Even the temple, even the ability users who can detect the faintest trace, they all said there was no hope for me.’
“My lady, I apologize. I think it best you give up.”
“I sense something, but it’s too faint to see.”
“The Goddess graces all humanity with the blessing of abilities, yet for reasons unknown, the Lady possesses only the faintest glimmer, nothing more.”
The rumor that the Count’s eldest daughter was exceptionally… lacking… had spread. Despite the secrecy surrounding the examinations, word had gotten out. She rarely attended parties or social gatherings, having been actively excluded by her family. Her isolation only fueled the rumors. If even she, oblivious to most gossip, had heard the whispers, she could only imagine how widespread they were.
‘Since Daykin is a nobleman, he probably knew about me from the start.’
She knew little of the nobility. She hadn’t even known nobles could experience… outbursts… like Daykin. Her family, determined to keep her away from noble society, had ensured her ignorance. She’d learned of the world through discarded books and those deemed unimportant enough for her to read.
Everyone mocked her, even those unfamiliar with the intricacies of noble society. How could she, the subject of such ridicule, possess such a rare and powerful ability?
“It’s so natural, so subtle, that only someone with an excess of ability like me would notice it. That’s why you didn’t know.”
“Natural, you say?”
“I think your ability prevents outbursts and soothes other people’s powers, making them stronger than usual. It’s the kind of ability that doesn’t make a big show of itself.”
‘I’ve never heard of such an ability. If it exists, it would indeed seem perfectly natural.’
“An average person would just feel comfortable around you, unusually well, perhaps. Think of it this way: the ripples in a small cup are different from the waves in a large bowl. Calming those ripples barely registers, but when the waves are large, the calming effect is much more noticeable.”
“Do you understand?”
She nodded, pretending she did. She stared at the floor, replaying Kin’s words in her head, but it still didn’t click.
“…It’ll be difficult to prove.”
‘If I have such an ability, it would be hard to prove. I might be called a liar.’
Still, it was okay. There was a chance it might be true. She wasn’t sure if Kin was right or wrong.
‘If Kin is right, I have an ability, and I saved him with it yesterday.’
That was enough for her. She didn’t know how much longer she’d see Kin, but knowing she was of value to someone gave her something to hold onto.
‘…I want to tell Mother, but I’m also scared.’ she thought she would run to her the moment she discovered she had an ability. Yet, she was strangely calm.
‘Maybe it’s the fear of disappointment after so many failures.’ ‘What if it’s all in my head, and I don’t have an ability?’ The despair had already taken root.
‘…Still, maybe I’ll subtly hint at it to Mother when Kin leaves.’
Fear gnawed at her, but the potential reward filled her with anticipation. She looked at the bracelet, its violet light shimmering, and pushed down the strange mix of fear and hope.
