The Abandoned and Terminally Ill Lady Married a Monster - Chapter 110

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I was so excited to be talking to someone for the first time in five years that I completely missed such a ridiculous lie!

Dale glanced at where his hand had been. There was nothing. He looked further down at his torso. It was still there, but faint. He couldn’t do anything in this state.

Now that he knew about the child’s lie, the gift in Minerva’s hand felt ominous. Didn’t it seem just like a parting gift?

Could it be that she was in such a hurry to save me because she doesn’t have much time left?

Though there had been no need to rush, the child had worked as if she were being chased by someone, always seeming frantic. A girl who couldn’t even properly assert herself had stubbornly used her powers, even begging for the chance to do so.

“The ball is tomorrow. We should let her go to that first, and then have her examined.”

Minerva familiarly stroked Dale’s cheek.

“It seems to be her first ball, so I’ll have to help her a lot. To do that, I need to go give new orders to the maids. Skin care, sleep management… I should have them put a scent in her room that’s good for sleep. She needs to rest well to have fun.”

[…My love. That’s not the problem right now.]

Dale circled anxiously around Minerva. He tried everything to get her to see him, but Minerva couldn’t. Instead, she even began to rise from her seat.

“I should get going. The fact that our new daughter is giving you a gift is a secret. You have to pretend you don’t know.”

[I think she’s going to leave us. My love.]

Powerless, Dale could only clench and unclench his fists. If only he could move just a finger on that pathetic body lying there. He tried with all his might, but it was still too much for him. In the end, Dale could only watch helplessly as Minerva left, having achieved nothing.

***

Morning came. As if the pain from before had been a lie, I felt perfectly fine today, just as I had yesterday.

What a relief.

I had been so worried yesterday that I might ruin everything. The pain could strike suddenly in the middle of it all, but for now, there was no sign of it.

Please, stay this way.

I rose from my seat, praying earnestly to my own body.

Everyone was busy from the morning on, preparing for the ball. The busiest of all seemed to be the lady’s maid by my side. A maid who was too good at her job was also a problem. I had to sit perfectly still, my body rigid, to have my makeup done.

My body feels fine, I need to go see Father-in-law!

The clock was already ticking toward afternoon. There was no time for this.

I tried to escape to see Father-in-law whenever there was the slightest gap, but I failed every time, gaining nothing. In fact, each attempt was met with a gentle smile and a threat from my maid.

“If you keep trying to run away, I’ll just have to add another hour. Did you realize how much I enjoy decorating you, my lady, and are you being this considerate on purpose? If you’d just leave it to me, I’d be happy to do this for ten more hours!”

“S-sorry…”

“Don’t apologize to me, my lady. I’m enjoying myself!”

That’s why I’m sorry…. I shut my mouth and submitted to the maid. She moved her hands about joyfully.

Finally, only after I had changed into the custom-made fairy dress did I get a very brief moment of freedom.

I’m supposed to see Father-in-law in… in this?

A light purple fabric, beautifully pleated like a garment from ancient mythology, fell to my knees. Though made of multiple pieces of cloth, the design made it look as if a single piece of fabric was draped around my body.

Attached to my back was a shimmering, light-green cloth that resembled wings. It fluttered whenever I moved, as if my wings were truly beating. My hair was tied up in a half-ponytail, and the ornament on my head was also shaped like butterfly wings.

A fairy, at my age. A fairy!

“Oh my, my dear. You’re truly a fairy, a real fairy! I’d know you were a fairy in an instant even without the wings on your back. It’s a shame you have to wear a mask.”

I was glad the mask was large. It looked as if it were made of several overlapping leaves and came down to just above my lips, hiding my face.

Fuming, I went in search of Daykin. I felt like I wouldn’t feel better until I kicked him squarely in the shins for making me wear this.

“My fairy, were you looking for me?”

“You!”

I spun around at the touch of a finger poking my back. My eyes met Daykin’s, who had bent down to my level. He had pushed his mask up with his hand, so his face was in plain view.

“How do I look? Like a fairy’s husband?”

“You…”

A translucent butterfly, just like mine, rested in his hair. His clothes were a darker shade of purple than mine, similar to what a male god might have worn in the old myths. In contrast to sleeves that covered his elbows, his chest was subtly exposed.

I’m supposed to be angry.

But I wasn’t. The fairy costume suited Daykin so well. If we hadn’t gone with the fairy concept, I wouldn’t have gotten to see this, would I? The foolish thought even crossed my mind.

I continued to stare at Daykin’s unmasked face. As if he knew just how handsome he was, he simply grinned and didn’t put his mask back on. I was about to bite him on the nose, but decided to let him off.

I cleared my throat with a pointed cough.

“I’ll let it slide, just for today.”

I shot Daykin a glare and went into my room. Come to think of it, I didn’t have time to deal with him. I glanced at the clock. There was still enough time to go see Father-in-law.