Chapter 78
Chapter 78
My body was as weak as Kin claimed.
“From now on, you should exercise with me. You’re too weak. You won’t even be able to play properly with me, wife.”
He clicked his tongue. I wanted to retort, but I was too exhausted to argue, so I just glared at him.
Ignoring my glare, he continued massaging my calves, clicking his tongue. Too thin, too weak. He kept repeating those words. Then, he moved to my arms, seemingly intent on giving me a full-body massage.
My stomach was full, my body clean and refreshed after the bath, and the spring afternoon was too languid to stay fully awake.
Normally, I would have told him to stop, but today, after all the dancing and my generally poor condition, I couldn’t bring myself to do so. Leaning against the pillows, my body gradually sank lower.
My eyes closed. His touch was soothing. He seemed to know instinctively where my muscles were tight and where I held tension.
“Feels good?”
“Yes.”
“I can do this at night too.”
Speak for yourself.
Exhausted, I weakly slapped his back. He sighed, lamenting how difficult it was to receive affection from his wife.
After he’d massaged my entire body—legs, back, arms—I was finally released from his grasp. I was in that in-between state of neither lying down nor sitting up, dozing off.
“Don’t doze, lie down properly.”
He brushed my hair away from my face. The soft touch made me drowsy. No, I couldn’t sleep. I had promised to visit his father with his mother.
‘I need to find a clue to wake him up.’
Kin’s father. The former Grand Duke.
If I woke him, Kin would be happy, wouldn’t he? His mother would surely be overjoyed, too. Then, perhaps the guilt I felt towards Kin would finally disappear. It was the only thing I could do for the two people who showered me with such undeserved kindness.
Even though I would be leaving soon. If there was anything I could do for them, I wanted to do it. Amidst these thoughts, a voice suddenly emerged.
‘…You just want to absolve yourself of guilt.’
My guilt stemmed from accepting their excessive affection, knowing I shouldn’t, yet lingering awkwardly. The guilt of leaving a stain on this loving family.
Perhaps my desire to help was driven more by guilt than genuine altruism.
‘Call me selfish, but this is the best I can do.’
I excused myself to the other, more moral part of me.
Half-asleep, half-lost in thought, I continued my internal struggle as Kin gently laid me down on the bed.
He traced the line of my eyebrow with his thumb. “Even your eyebrows are beautiful, just like you,” he said, uttering such embarrassing words as if it were nothing.
I forced my eyes open, my body heavy. I couldn’t sleep; I had to see his father. Seeing my eyelids flutter, he gently pressed the space between my eyebrows.
“You look like a hamster guarding its territory.”
“….”
“Just sleep.”
His large hand covered my eyes, plunging me into darkness.
I blinked, trying to stay awake. He wiggled his fingers, complaining that it tickled.
My body was so tired that even speaking was difficult. After a few attempts, I finally managed to get the words out.
“I promised… to visit… your father… with your mother…”
My voice trailed off.
“I’ll wake you up later.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. Now sleep.”
With those words, my eyes finally closed. Surrounded by the soft blankets, I drifted off to sleep.
***
“My dear, you really came back!”
After my nap, I arrived at the tower, my arms linked with Kin’s mother on one side and Kin on the other. Before we even opened the tower door, his father appeared.
I looked at him, then glanced at the two beside me. They were clearly oblivious to his presence. He wanted them to remain unaware that I could see him, so I kept quiet, pretending not to notice him.
Kin’s mother opened the tower door and explained, “Officially, he’s said to be bedridden but able to communicate. However, as I briefly mentioned before, Dale has been unconscious for years now.”
“….”
“Perhaps you already knew. The reason for his unconsciousness is the surge. Don’t be alarmed by the word ‘surge.’ Strangely, the surge hasn’t progressed since he collapsed. Usually, a typical surge doesn’t stop just because someone loses consciousness. It continues. But Dale simply hasn’t regained consciousness; his condition hasn’t worsened. Of course, it hasn’t improved either… It’s strange, but I believe a miracle happened. I believe he might wake up someday.”
“My love…”
As I listened to her explanation, I organized my thoughts. It was truly strange that he remained stable after so many years without any further surges. And the fact that his spirit was visible to me was also undeniably strange.
‘There must be a reason why he appears to me like this, and why he’s still alive, even if only unconscious.’
I glanced at him, and he smiled, replying, “You seem to have a lot of questions! That’s a good thing. I’ll tell you what I know later, my dear.”
I gave a small nod, only noticeable to him. Turning my gaze forward again, I continued walking slowly.
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