(From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "So, what''s the first step?" I asked.


    "Firstly, I need to be sure about it. It''s not like I am not now, but I still want to check again her ck mana," Luc said. "For that, she needs to be at least a bit better than now. I need to cut a bit of her skin. But right now, she is so frail that I can''t bring myself to even think about doing so."


    It was true. Even I was afraid to touch her. It felt like she would break apart. She always looked frail. But this time, it was to the point that even if she gained ten more kg, it would perhaps not be enough.


    "Isn''t the new doctor the famous Doctor Dimitri?" he asked and I nodded. "I heard a lot about him. He is really young, perhaps even a year younger than us. He got famous this early and I heard his treatment is better than most doctors. It''s perhaps because he makes his medicines personally."


    "I checked them before feeding her though... Can''t trust anyone."


    "Of course, you did. I have known... It''s easy to guess, especially since it''s for your wife," he muttered. "By the way, what did he say? Can he cure her? Well, I know that he can''t since she is a human and there is actually no permanent way."


    "He said that he can cure her temporarily and she can get better if she takes the medicine regrly. But there is no guarantee," I said.


    "Then if she gets better even the slightest and I see that I can touch her without feeling guilty, I will proceed. And if it turns out to be true which I''m almost sure of, it will be the time to awaken her power," he said.


    "And judging your facial expression, it doesn''t seem like you can do so," I said.


    "I can''t," he said. "For this, you need to find a ck mage."


    "A ck mage...," I mumbled. "It can be managed. If she gets better before the banquet, then it can be done."


    "You mean, that mad old man?"


    I nodded. "He might be mad, but he knows his business well. And he is a natural traitor who can do anything as long as it''s fun for him. He once admitted that he wants to awaken a dark mage since he has never done it. He will dly do it," I said. "The advantages to working with a mad man..."


    "So, she will go to the banquet with you?"


    "If she gets better, of course."


    "For some reason, I think she will get better," he said. "Doctor Dimitri is kinda capable; at least, his poprity says so."


    "Hmm..."


    Luc sighed and walked towards the window. The only person I talked to a bit properly other than my wife was Luc. Since we grew up together and I hung out with him a lot, he knew a lot about me. He was trustworthy and knew how to grasp a situation quickly. It had been a long time since I talked to him for this long.


    "Don''t make your wife feel too anxious," he said as he leaned against the window frame.


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    "She is worried that you don''t a kid, yet you''re keeping up with her because it''s her and you love her. But when the child is born, you might not care for it," he said.


    ''Well, it''s not a lie fully. I don''t even know how to react.''


    "She is right, isn''t she?" Luc muttered.


    "She told you this?"


    "No, she was sleep talking..."


    ''Her sleep talking has gotten out of control. It''s all because of that fucking bastard Ezekiel. Because of him, she keeps talking about her thoughts in her sleep. It doesn''t matter if I''m with her and she does this. But it''s a problem when she is with others.''


    "Now you''re thinking about telling the doctor for a medicine for her sleep talking, aren''t you?" Luc asked. "You really try to control her..."


    "Yes, I do."


    "You admitted it so quickly as well? Can''t say I''m not impressed..."


    "So, what if that''s how I think? She wants to be happy and I promised to do so. It doesn''t matter what I think. As long as she is happy and alright, that''s all matters. It''s true that I want a lot of things that might not seem normal, but she said it''s okay to be myself as long as I don''t cross the line. And I''m careful not to cross it as well," I smiled bitterly.


    "So, keep yourself out of it. My wife has epted me and that''s all matters."


    ''I won''t be surprised if your wife dies because of you...''


    "Don''t cross the line, Luc. I won''t hear this a second time," I warned.


    The night air was fresh and cold. At least, it was to everyone else. But to me, it was heavy and gloomy. Nothing felt good at all. It was just like before when everything felt suffocating.


    What Luc thought could never be true. She could never die because of me. I tried to make her happy. Then was it because of my thoughts? But I could not change my way of thinking. It was how I always thought.


    I did not know how to think otherwise.


    I sighed. I decided not to care about what others say or think about our life. As long as my wife was happy, everything was alright. And she said that she felt safe with me. She could not say so if she did not actually feel it. In the beginning, it was true that she had lied to me that she liked to be with me.


    But it changed as well. Now, it was clear that she truly felt it. And that was all I needed to care about.


    It might seem odd about how I loved her so quickly. But then again, even I had no idea how it happened. It just did. Just like that.