Chapter 49
‘Then what about me…?’
The thought suddenly struck her.
‘Do I… also like Mr. Hunter just as he is?’
She gazed quietly at Hunter, who was hammering nails into the fence, and questioned herself.
It was true she liked him…
But, in truth, it was hard to say ‘yes’ with confidence.
That was because she still didn’t fully know him.
From Prina’s perspective, Hunter had many things he kept hidden. She knew she had deliberately turned a blind eye to the various incongruities she had sensed while living with him.
There were no servants in this mansion.
Though Prina helped with the housework, it was far too large a mansion for just the two of them to maintain.
Moreover, cooking was entirely his responsibility.
The meals remained abundant, yet there was never any trace of cooking utensils having been used in the kitchen, and the mansion was always clean even without anyone tidying it. Of course, a few kitchen items used for trimming and storing herbs were there, but that was the only sign that anyone lived here.
Then there was the wound on his shoulder from that day of torrential rain.
It had healed unbelievably fast. It was at a rate no human should be capable of.
Considering everything Prina had experienced in this mansion so far, there was no doubt Hunter had some kind of secret.
Yet Prina couldn’t bring herself to pry into it.
People had made all kinds of unpleasant assumptions about her black hair.
That she carried the blood of a heretic, that she was the daughter of a witch, that she came from a demon’s lineage…
Every rumor about her was something common folk could point fingers at, scorn, and deem base and contemptible.
From his actions thus far, it was clear Hunter had some connection to magic. In other words, the part of him that weighed on her mind was not what he was.
The problem was that he was hiding what he was.
Because he wouldn’t reveal himself, she couldn’t say she liked him as he was. That was only natural.
Prina herself had nothing in particular to hide, and nothing worth hiding.
If she had her way, he would be the same.
If he told her everything openly, she would gladly listen and accept it.
Wanting to know everything about someone you love was only a natural instinct.
Just as his acceptance of her as she was gave her great strength, Prina wanted to be that kind of presence for him, too.
But how? How could she get him to be honest with her?
Would telling him to be open with her be a form of pressure that would only make him uncomfortable?
No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with a clear answer.
Should she ask him outright? The thought had crossed her mind, but she hesitated.
‘Until Mr. Hunter tells me himself, I don’t want to ask.’
That was Prina’s unvarnished, honest feeling.
She knew better than anyone how painful it could be to be different from others.
‘Then, if I found out Mr. Hunter’s true identity, would my feelings change?’
She decided to turn the question around. And thinking in reverse made the answer all the clearer.
No.
No matter what his identity was, she would still care for him.
Just as he cherished her as she was, she would do the same.
Covering her black hair with a veil was still a part of herself. It had been her choice to blend in among people, it was not a worse version of herself.
They were all equally herself, and none was better or worse.
It was merely a matter of preference. For example, which version of myself do I like better?—a matter of taste.
If hiding his identity was also a part of him, if it was the result of his own choice, then she could accept it.
Because he was a good person.
Because she wanted to remain by his side. She liked staying in this mansion.
But if the mansion didn’t have Hunter in it? Then it would all be meaningless.
It was only with him here that staying in this place held any meaning.
That was Prina’s conclusion.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.