The Abandoned and Terminally Ill Lady Married a Monster - Chapter 32
Chapter 32
I wanted their his etched clearly in my memories, so I traced his features with my eyes, slowly imprinting them in my mind.
‘Let’s create one more happy memory for both of us.’
I couldn’t afford to be consumed by sadness. Time was slipping away, and we might never meet again. I didn’t dream of a reunion with Kin.
This brief, fairytale-like encounter was enough. I had met a fairy named Kin who comforted me and then disappeared.
He vanished into the forest to comfort other children like me. The fairy was gone, but the bracelet remained.
This was the perfect ending for me. Much better than some absurdly happy ending where a prince comes to rescue me.
Smiling at Kin, I took his hand with my less injured left hand. Then, I made a clandestine proposal.
“Do you want to go outside?”
***
If it were spring, I would have shown them the tulips. Tulips were the pride and specialty of the Lizziana County.
I’d never been outside the mansion, so I didn’t know if the entire Lizziana territory was truly covered in tulips.
The books said so, and colorful tulips bloomed beautifully within the estate grounds every spring, so I assumed it was true.
Since tulips couldn’t possibly be in bloom now, I had to show him something else.
‘I’m afraid to go outside, but with Kin, I feel like I can do it.’
Even if I get caught and kicked out… Strangely, that didn’t worry me. Not that I wasn’t worried about being kicked out, but about being caught.
‘No one has ever checked on me, to see if I’m home or what I’m doing.’
No one cared about me. So, whether I was in the gardener’s cottage or the main house didn’t really matter.
It was just the difference between being outwardly isolated and not. It was a painful truth, but it was the truth.
Only the twins, who occasionally visited to tease me, showed any interest. But I wasn’t sure if that could even be called interest.
‘The maid who brings lunch has already come and gone, and this part of the garden isn’t being watered today, so the gardener won’t be here. He’s probably pruning the main garden.’
Even when I lived in the main house, I had nothing to do. All I could do was watch the servants through the large windows, wander the gardens, and loiter around.
That’s how I knew the servants’ routines. Not because I tried to learn them, but because it was all I ever saw.
I released Kin’s hand. Multicolored cosmos, resembling autumn, swayed in the breeze.
“I wanted to show you the tulips, but they bloom in spring.”
“What if someone comes…?”
I answered Kin’s worry with certainty. No one would come here.
“They won’t. And on days like this, when the whole family is out, they don’t really work. They’re probably playing in their quarters.”
As I’d said, the vast cosmos field was empty. Not a soul in sight, not a sound to be heard.
I began picking flowers, clumsily trying to assemble a bouquet with one hand. Kin had given me so many gifts, but I had nothing to offer in return.
I wanted to give him at least this. But making a bouquet with one hand was proving difficult.
“What are you doing?”
“Making you a bouquet. But it’s hard.”
“You’re silly. Give it here.”
Kin began to gather the flowers I’d picked, arranging them one by one. I unfolded the paper I’d brought from the cabin—a page from my favorite book, bearing a passage I loved.
I’d boldly torn it out, intending to use it in the bouquet.
‘I’ve memorized it countless times, so it’s alright.’
It was a book I turned to whenever I felt down, and I knew this passage by heart. I didn’t want to give Kin just any meaningless scrap of paper, even if it might be discarded later.
I fumbled, trying to fold the paper and create a bouquet, but my injured hand wouldn’t cooperate.
Kin, sensing my struggle, took over, assembling the flowers himself. He plucked a stem, using it to bind the others, and the bouquet began to take shape.
“This is your gift.”
“But I made it.”
“Don’t you like it?”
“…Who said I didn’t? Why do you seem to get more and more shameless?”
I felt like I was constantly being coaxed into agreeing with him. Kin murmured something, glancing at the bouquet. I tilted my head and asked again, “So, you don’t like it?”
“No.” Kin’s eyes met mine briefly before darting away. His ears flushed as he added, “I like it.”
‘If he doesn’t dislike it, that’s enough.’
I giggled. Kin gazed at the bouquet with a careful eye, and I watched him.
Under the clear autumn sky, his eyes, the same color as the heavens above, were beautiful. They sparkled.
Gazing at him, I softly called his name. “Kin.”
“Yes, why?”
“You said I saved your life. Are you sure you’re okay leaving?”
The words, once spoken, sounded like I was trying to hold him back. I’d only asked because I was genuinely worried.
But I didn’t correct myself. I simply held Kin’s gaze. He stared at me intently, then smiled, a bright, sky-like smile.
“No. That’s why I’ll come back.”
I couldn’t respond. I couldn’t ask, “Really?” I couldn’t scold him with, “Liar.” I simply wanted to believe his words.
Kin held the bouquet in one hand and reached for mine with the other. His eyes were serious. “Ailee, that reminds me. My name is…”
At his words, I reflexively dropped his hand.
Samara
They are so cute 🥰