The Ugly Lady’s Secret Pouch

Lila woke up, and a day had passed. When Michael saw her standing, he burst into tears.

Seeing Michael’s tears, Jessie, Vincent, and Owen also had tears in their eyes.

Sitting by the sunny bed through the window, Lila stared intently at Lucas.

After she got up, Lucas, who had moved to the center of the bed, still had his eyelids tightly closed.

She held his firm hand with a gloomy expression.

“Why won’t you wake up?”

Just one day had passed, but that time felt too long.

Click.

“You need to rest a little longer.”

Michael, who first entered her room, said. Lila weakly turned her head and gave a faint smile towards Michael.

“You came?”

“Let’s lie down a little longer, okay?”

Michael approached her and took her arm. He was worried about her, who had woken up after two weeks but neglected her own body.

“Just a little longer, just a little longer… and then…”

“First, we have to check on Auntie’s condition. Uncle will surely say the same.”

Although she deliberately mentioned Lucas, she didn’t react well. Lila quickly shed heavy tears and choked as she opened her mouth.

“I feel too selfish. I always receive help. I believed only his words, which were always firm, and I thought poorly. Why did I think Lucas would always be there? Hmph.”

Her heart tightened with self-blame. She couldn’t leave his side for a moment, thinking that Lucas was hurt because of her.

“Auntie…”

Michael, with a voice filled with pity, called out, but it didn’t reach her ears.

It sounded like Michael was talking to her, but Lila scolded herself.

“I need to take care of myself, but I don’t want to leave him alone. What if something happens while I’m away? How sad Lucas will be knowing he was alone.”

Michael couldn’t urge her further with her continued words.

“Okay… let’s wait together then.”

Michael brought a chair and sat next to Lila. Seeing her wiping away tears with her hands, he asked.

“Do you have time? You’re busy.”

“It’s fine.”

Gently stroking the head of the resilient child, Lila focused her gaze on Lucas again.

As Michael watched the two of them, a sudden thought occurred to him.

It felt as if only these two were in a different space.

Even though they were right next to each other, it felt distant. But he didn’t feel any bitterness.

He simply wondered for a moment if he and Chloe could also be like that.

She couldn’t feel the passage of time as if being submerged in waves. Lila disregarded the sunlight changing position with time, only looking at Lucas.

She didn’t even notice Michael quietly leaving beside her. She clasped his hands in hers and murmured a prayer.

“Lord Lupus, please bring back my husband.”

Tears, unceasing, continued to stream down her cheeks onto the back of Lucas’ hand.

As she closed her eyes in silence, a faint voice whispered in her ear.

“Lila…”

Instantly, Lila raised her head as if that small voice would dissipate any moment.

“Lucas?”

Her tightly shut eyelids opened wide. Dark chocolate-colored eyelashes fluttered before settling on her.

Lila couldn’t properly catch her breath, trapped by Lucas’ mint-colored irises. His gaze, which she could see after such a long time, blurred faintly.

Starting from his pupils, a monochrome color engulfed the surroundings. Although a distinct voice must have flowed through his slowly moving lips, she couldn’t hear anything.

Lila couldn’t make a move amidst this uncanny sight. At that moment, a large hand clasped her own. The temperature felt slightly unfamiliar compared to usual, but unmistakably, it was Lucas’ hand.

As she sensed his warmth, the black-and-white vision began to ripple and fade away. Various colors seeped into her surroundings, starting from the periphery.

Lastly, mint hues tinged his irises. In the moment of reconfirming his dazzling eyes, her heart pounded as if it would burst.

“…ila.”

The pounding of her heart resonated so strongly in her ears that she could barely hear his voice.

“Lil…”

“Haa…”

She took a deep breath as her breath became heavy. Not until then did his voice come through clearly.

“Lila.”

“……”

But once again, she couldn’t respond. Tears welled up and obstructed her vision. She hurriedly wiped away the tears. She wanted to see him, but she couldn’t, and it was frustrating and heartbreaking.

“Wife…”

Lucas couldn’t hide his trembling expression. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw his mate getting imprinted, so he couldn’t help but be overwhelmed.

“As soon as I opened my eyes, you give me such a gift. Indeed, my wife, you are lovely.”

She rushed to him and embraced his upper body, bursting into tears.

“I-I’m sorry.”

The fact that Lucas almost died because of her was a tremendous shock to her. That’s why she started apologizing without thinking.

“Thank you.”

And she wanted to express how grateful she was for waking up, but the words that came out of her mouth were monotonous.

There was no word that could suffice. As if being born anew, she felt grateful to everything in the world.

“Thank you for waiting for me.”

Lucas said as he embraced her. He couldn’t tell her how relieved he was to see her as soon as he opened his eyes.

Their scents blended sweetly. The imprints engraved on their hearts bound them even more strongly.

* * *

After Lucas woke up, not long after, Michael, who came to the room, burst into tears.

Except when he was very young, Lucas felt strange seeing Michael, whom he embraced for the first time.

But that feeling was short-lived.

“Uncle, are you stupid? Didn’t you even think of magic tools? You should have brought magic tools! What’s the point of storing magic tools in the Duke’s house anyway?”

Michael, hitting the bed with a cute hand, said.

“Uncle, you have a tendency to think too low of yourself! You didn’t anticipate what would happen if Uncle were not in the duchy?”

Lucas didn’t have anything to say in response to Michael’s accurate words, almost questioning if he was a child. So he honestly apologized.

“Yeah, I’m sorry.”

A big hand brushed through his chocolate-colored wavy hair. Michael, taken aback by the sudden contact, paused momentarily before grabbing his head and started thrashing around frantically.

“Don’t treat me like a child!”

“Michael, calm down.”

Lila said, holding the child in her arms. Despite being angry, she knew better than anyone how sorry he must have felt, and Michael being angry was endearing to her.

“Now, both Uncle and Auntie are okay. Sorry for causing you worry all this time, okay?”

Hugging Lila, who patted his back gently, Michael buried his blushing face.

Meanwhile, a faint hum came from somewhere.

“I won’t forgive you next time.”

“Got it.”

“I got it, I’ll be careful.”

After receiving promises from both of them, Michael finally quieted down.

After a few days, Lucas had fully recovered. She already knew he was a physically strong and healthy man, but it was astonishing.

On the other hand, Lila was still not doing well. In particular, her stomach felt uncomfortable, so she couldn’t eat well.

“Madam, would you like me to bring you some tea?”

“…It would be nice if there’s something refreshing…”

“Yes, I will find and bring it.”

Jessie hurried because he was still concerned about her slow recovery. He wondered what dessert to bring for her, who couldn’t eat properly.

As Jessie walked out of the room, he heard Lila, who was lying down on the sofa, mutter to herself.

“I only had a watery soup to eat, why does my stomach feel so queasy?”

Thinking that her body must have been greatly strained during her unconsciousness, Lila closed her eyes.

Lying straight on the sofa, quietly inhaling and exhaling, the discomfort gradually subsided.

“Madam, I brought some lemon iced tea. Would you like to try it?”

Jessie quickly returned and suggested to Lila, who was lying there. She groaned as she sat up and took a seat on the sofa.

The refreshing scent of lemon slightly relieved her stomach.

“Ah, it feels better.”

Lila emptied the cup in one gulp and let out a sigh. Jessie promptly refilled her cup and offered the dessert he had brought.

“It’s a lemon cream tart. It’s not purple lemon, but it’s refreshing and sweet. Please give it a try.”

Although she hesitated to put solid food in her mouth, Lila picked up the fork while thinking about Jessie.

Fortunately, the lemon cream tart tasted good. The cream smoothly melting in her mouth was indeed refreshing and sweet, just as Jessie had described.

“It’s delicious, Jessie.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Seeing Jessie’s joyful smile, Lila also felt uplifted.