The Abandoned and Terminally Ill Lady Married a Monster - Chapter 95

Schedule: Tue and Fri

“We’ve scheduled a family portrait and a portrait of just the two of you next week, but it wouldn’t hurt to hang that little sketch in your room in the meantime.” Mother urged Kin and me forward.

“Let’s do the family portrait next week. We’ll have both a painter and a mage then. It’s all the rage these days to have a mage capture the moment, then transfer it onto canvas. We’ll all sit for that one together then. For now, just have some fun and get that sketch framed.”

[Next week? I wonder if I’ll even be up for it then. It’s too soon, darling. Please wait a little longer.]

‘Next week won’t do.’

I hadn’t considered the family portrait. It would be undeniable proof of my existence here. A portrait of someone who wouldn’t live a year shouldn’t be left behind. Besides, since yesterday, my body had ached as if I were dying, and I’d even coughed up blood. At this rate, I really would show them my pathetic end. It seemed I needed to move up my return to the County. I couldn’t keep my promise to Kin any longer. Not only was the family portrait out of the question, but I didn’t want them to see me dying. I didn’t want to see their sadness as I withered away.

Should I leave tomorrow? I wrestled with my anxious thoughts when Father came into view. I wanted to heal him somehow, to put him back in the place I’d taken. I knew I couldn’t fulfill all of Kin’s wishes, but even if I couldn’t keep every promise, I wanted to at least attend the ball with him.

I forced a smile and looked at the painter. Mother, watching me, added, “We’re planning to have the portrait done the day after the ball, so please keep your schedules clear then.”

The day after the ball? Could I possibly heal Father before then? Could my body even last that long? I had to choose. Flee tomorrow, or push myself to help Father, go to the ball with Kin, and then escape.

‘Just until the ball… Please, let me hold on until then.’

If I could just save Father, I’d leave immediately. So please, just let me last until then. It was the only way I could atone for this doomed marriage.

Lost in thought, I erased the one-month reprieve I’d promised Kin from my mind. In its place, I forced in the words, ‘after the ball.’ After a moment of silence, I lied, saying calmly that the date sounded perfect. “…Yes, we’ll definitely keep our schedules clear.”

[Oh dear, that won’t do at all. It simply won’t do. I’ll have to try my best.]

***

“Could you look here and smile, please?” Kin and I sat side-by-side in front of the easel as the enthusiastic painter clapped, drawing my attention. Kin casually draped an arm around my shoulders and looked at the painter. I hesitated for a moment, then mirrored his bright smile.

A long shopping trip had finally ended. It had been a very long day. Fresh from a bath, my body felt warm.

***

‘Kin isn’t back yet?’ I looked around the room, which exuded a soft ambiance despite its quietness. On the wall, a small, framed sketch of Kin and me hung in an elegant frame. Hastily drawn, it was utterly simple, with only lines and no color, yet recognizable.

The scented candles Mother had bought were placed on the nightstand beside the bed. I hadn’t opened the wardrobe, but I knew it would be filled with the clothes I’d bought today. The vanity drawers overflowed with glittering jewels. As if the drawers weren’t enough, necklaces and bracelets hung from a stand on the vanity.

Having brought nothing for the wedding, I originally had no belongings in this room. It was simply a room in the Grand Duke’s residence. Everything I’d worn, used, and consumed since the wedding day belonged to the Grand Duke. I’d used them, but they weren’t mine. I’d never thought of them as mine, even though Kin and Mother had insisted from the start that they were.

These new items, also gifts from Mother and Kin, still weren’t mine. In that sense, nothing had changed. And yet…

‘My space is being filled.’ They were giving me ‘my things,’ decorating and expanding the space I occupied. Just a week ago, this room had been devoid of any personal touch, just another room in the Grand Duke’s residence. Now, it was being imbued with things related to me.

I smiled quietly. Once I finished everything I could do, I would tell them I had business in Lizziana and return to the County. I clutched my aching chest, catching my breath. Please, just grant my wish this once. Let me hold on until then. I’ve never even asked to be saved. You can grant me this much, can’t you? I want to leave at least that much as a gift.