DSMBL Chapter 06

Chapter 6

It was confusing.

The Charlotte that Cassius knew was not someone who would do something to help Theo. She was a woman who obsessively cared only for herself.

That’s why Charlotte had been a burden for him, and the heavy responsibility of having to take care of her had sometimes weighed him down.

Cassius spoke in a heavy tone.

“…Let’s focus on recovery first. What can Theo eat?”

“Meals like onion soup, which are easy to digest, would be best,” Miller replied.

Cassius nodded at Miller’s answer. Leaving a puzzled Theo behind, he led Miller out of the room. There were things they couldn’t discuss in front of Theo.

If Charlotte had done something, Miller would have noticed.

“Can you explain how Theo regained consciousness?” Cassius asked.

“…I can only describe it as a miracle. To be honest, given Young Master Theo’s condition, it would have been correct to say there was no hope,” Miller said firmly, with conviction.

“A miracle, huh.”

“My assumption is that it might be due to divine power.”

Cassius’s eyes widened. Divine power? The era when divine power was used to cure diseases and save lives was so long ago that its very existence had become uncertain in the present day.

‘Did Charlotte possess divine power?’

Even if someone did have divine power, no one would reveal it. How many people would be willing to sacrifice their own life to heal someone else?

Cassius asked in a low voice,

“Then has Theo’s illness been cured now?”

“As I mentioned before, Young Master Theo’s illness is not the kind that can be easily cured. It’s a condition caused by exposure to magical power when the late Duchess conceived him.”

Cassius spoke slowly.

“At that time, renowned doctors said the same thing—that Oonly divine power could cure Theo. But they also said that finding someone with divine power strong enough to heal him was impossible, so we should give up.”

“Yes, Your Grace. That is correct,” Miller affirmed.

Then how could this be explained? Cassius turned his head in the direction of Charlotte’s room.

“…You must keep this matter a secret until the day you die.”

“Understood, Your Grace,” Miller said, bowing deeply.

Cassius’s heart pounded. Divine power was something Theo desperately needed. There was no way to explain this other than calling it a true miracle.

If this truly was a miracle bought by divine power, the empire would be shaken to its core. Those who wished to survive would flock to the Duke’s household, for divine power.

The divine power which everyone thought to have vanished, had reappeared.

****

I was deep in thought about the misery of life when Cassius came looking for me. About two hours had passed since I’d been driven out of Theo’s room. I nervously looked at him.

Was he here to kick me out immediately?

No, that can’t happen. I don’t want to die such a miserable death.

“Um, Cassius—”

“I’ll speak first,” Cassius interrupted me.

Ah, what now? At least give me a chance to explain!

“Let me start with my story—”

“I’m sorry, Charlotte.”

“What?”

What was he apologizing for? Wasn’t he here to throw me out?

As I blinked at him in disbelief, Cassius continued.

“I didn’t even try to listen to you properly before. I will listen now, Charlotte.”

Cassius looked at me. His gaze was calm and cold. At this moment, Cassius was perfectly different from before.

“Theo has woken up, Charlotte.”

I jumped to my feet without realizing it. That’s when I understood why Cassius was acting so differently.

I thought God had abandoned me, but no—He hadn’t!

Right, after sending me into this world, it wouldn’t be fair to just leave me hanging!

“That’s such a relief!”

“The doctor said it’s something that can only be explained as a miracle. But I don’t think this miracle was a coincidence. I believe Charlotte did something.”

I nodded.

Yes, it couldn’t have been a coincidence! The timing was miraculous.

Do you have any idea how much I’ve been through?

Cassius had to acknowledge my efforts, no matter what.

“Did you help Theo, Charlotte?”

Finally, he recognized it. I felt like crying. Memories of my struggles flashed through my mind.

I replied, my voice trembling with emotion.

“Yes…!”

“And one more thing,” Cassius said, gazing at me with sharp, deliberate eyes. His next question came carefully, almost cautiously.

“Do you… possess divine power?”

I swallowed hard.

“Yes, Cassius,” I answered in a low voice.

I figured he’d already suspected. Theo’s illness was clearly stated in the novel to be something that only divine power could cure.

I must have seemed suspicious to him.

“It’s not much, though. If it were powerful, Theo would already be completely healed. And I only discovered I had it recently,”

After all, if someone who had been acting like a lunatic suddenly became normal and offered to heal her brother, there had to be a reason.

“To be precise, it feels more like I recently gained divine power. It was as if my mind cleared up. Like something that had been controlling me had disappeared.”

Cassius listened intently. Was I acting well enough right now?

Claiming my soul had been swapped would’ve sounded too absurd, so I stuck with a scenario that seemed more realistic. My story needed to be convincing.

“And then I started thinking about what I could do. I also remembered the wrongs I had committed.”

“…You used to hate Theo.”

“Not anymore. Truly, I don’t. I don’t know what happened to me, but I must’ve been completely out of my mind before.”

“Do you know the side effects of divine power? And why the temples declined and why people started hiding their divine power?”

“Yes, I do,” I replied.

“…Are you aware of how dangerous what you did was?”

I took a deep breath.

Cassius was right. If it became known that I had divine power and had cured Theo’s illness, people might flock to me, desperate for help.

Ugh, just imagining it sent chills down my spine.

If I hadn’t known what kind of person Cassius was, I wouldn’t have made such a risky choice so easily.

“…I know. But, I believed that you, Cassius, would protect me.”

He had the ability and the sense of responsibility to do so. After all, he was the one who had cared for Charlotte all this time, even when she had nowhere else to go.

“I’ll heal Theo.”

Please, let me do this. No matter how I looked at it, this was my only way to survive.

Cassius ran a hand through his hair. He looked troubled. And I understand him even if I were in his shoes, I’d be just as confused.

A wife he thought was insane suddenly declares, “I’ve come to my senses, and I’ll heal your brother.”

But Cassius was a righteous and virtuous man.

“…Today, I misunderstood you, Charlotte. I thought you were trying to take your anger out on Theo.”

“…It was understandable. But that’s not what happened,” I replied, trying to sound sincere.

“I think I see that now.”

I clenched my fists and declared resolutely, “I’ll give everything I have to heal Theo, Cassius.”

So please, give me a chance.

Cassius stared at me with a complicated expression.

“I don’t know what brought on this sudden change in you, Charlotte,” he said.

Fair enough. Even I couldn’t fully explain this situation.

“…I’ve just found something I want, Cassius. When Theo is completely healed, I want you to grant me one wish.”

A divorce with a settlement. That’s what I wanted.

I knew better than anyone how hard and miserable it was to be out on the streets without any money.

I still had vivid memories of when I left the orphanage, my support cut off, with nowhere to go and nothing to eat.

I could never forget the cup of instant ramen I ate while crying in a jjimjilbang (Korean sauna). That fear of the streets haunted me.

But right now, I couldn’t lay my cards on the table because Charlotte had done far too much wrong.

First, I needed to save Theo.

I felt a little guilty about using a child for my own plans, but saving Theo’s life would make it worth it, wouldn’t it?

I’ll really save you, Theo.

Cassius asked in a low voice, “…Is that all you want?”

“Yes.”

“…Alright. I’ve grown desperate enough to cling to even a rotten lifeline. Charlotte, I hope you can hold onto that resolve to the end.”

It was only natural that Cassius’s suspicions hadn’t entirely disappeared. The Charlotte he had known for the past six months had committed too many unforgivable acts.

But his doubts didn’t matter right now.

What mattered was that I had earned a chance.