Investing In My Crippled Wife Every Return Makes Me Stronger Chapter 223

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[ … words ]

Soren watched Ethea closely, sensing the storm of dark emotions brewing just under her quiet exterior. An urge to reach out and comfort her stirred in his chest, but with the bowl and spoon still in hand, he was forced to hold back.

“…Ethea,” he called out softly, holding out another spoon toward her. “Here.”

“…” As she leaned forward, he spoke the rest directly into her mind, letting his thoughts carry a steady warmth.

’Ethea, you do not have to feel guilty about protecting your family, nor should you keep blaming yourself for my involvement. As you said, our reasons were nearly identical. I agreed to this marriage to save my sister, and you accepted it to shield your mother and little brother. So there is no reason for you to carry all the fault alone.’

He paused, letting his gaze hold hers.

’I do not regret my choice for a second. In fact, I am genuinely glad that I married you. What about you? Do you regret marrying me?’

She swallowed, her answer coming through without hesitation. ’N-No.’

’Good,’ Soren smiled wider, bringing up another portion. ’Then let’s stop dwelling on the past and focus on what lies ahead.’

’…Mm. You are right.’ Ethea replied softly, a subtle tightness in her voice fading away. ’Sorry for making you listen to all that.’

’Don’t be,’ Soren thought back gently, bringing the last spoon forward. ’…Now that I think about it, I have not told you about my visit to the Bureau before the incident, right?’

’No, you haven’t.’

’Good. Let me share it with you then. It is actually important for what we need to talk about next.’

’Okay. I will listen carefully.’

’Hmm… After leaving the house…’ Soren picked up his own bowl and started eating while recounting the events of that morning. He told her about how the President had brought him to a magic beast sanctuary, leading to an encounter with its director, who was an elf, and a cute Aurora Kitsune, which he almost bonded with, before ultimately ending up face-to-face with Kalmira’s Nightmare.

’…Then, I ended up reuniting with Raine.’

’…Raine?’ Ethea caught the affectionate tone in his voice immediately. A strange prickle of curiosity stirred in her chest. ’W-Who is she?’

Soren blinked, then let out a small laugh as he realized how it sounded. ’Ah, right. I haven’t told you about her yet, have I? She is a small black cat I ended up taking in. We lived together for a few years back then.’

’…I see…’ Ethea let out a small breath, an unexpected wave of relief washing over her. ’It was just a cat, not a girl…’

The second the thought crossed her mind, a sudden warmth rushed to her face as the truth of her reaction hit her.

She… She had actually been jealous. Over a name she had never even heard until a moment ago.

’What is wrong with me?’

She quickly shifted her gaze down, hoping her burning cheeks wouldn’t give her away.

’…’

She stole a quick glance at Soren. He was taking another bite of his own food, completely oblivious to her internal turmoil. The heat in her face slowly began to cool, replaced by a sudden realization as her mind drifted back to the past.

’…I think I understand it now.’

She remembered the morning after the wedding. There was no hesitation in his hands when he calmly helped her wash her face and hands. Later, when he practically forced that first spoon of porridge past her lips, he had casually called her a “good girl” — a phrase that had completely thrown her off back then, but made total sense now.

It was not because he was flustered or overthinking things. He was simply comfortable because he had done all of that before. Between raising his little sister and looking after a pet cat, tending to someone was second nature to him.

Calling her that must have just been a slip of habit. Perhaps he had momentarily viewed her as another little sister or a pet, acting on instinct before he could overthink it.

’…’¹

Or… he had acted that way because he did not want to make things awkward between them.

’…ea?’

“Ethea?”

“Huh?”

Ethea snapped out of her thoughts, her eyes refocusing on Soren as the heat in her cheeks flared up all over again.

“Are you alright? You seem distracted,” Soren asked, his brow furrowing slightly with concern as he searched her face.

“N-No, I am alright! Do not worry,” she replied hurriedly, trying her best to shake her head, though her limited movement only made the panic more obvious.

Soren held her gaze for a beat, his eyes narrowing just a fraction. “Are you sure?”

“Mm. Please… just continue eating.”

“…Alright. But tell me if something is wrong,” Soren said softly.

He turned back to his bowl, scooping up the remaining contents and clearing the rest of his food in a matter of seconds before setting the bowl down empty.

“(っ º – º ς).”

Ethea blinked at him, left speechless by how fast he had just finished.

“Done!” Soren licked his lips before wiping his mouth with a napkin. He set the paper aside and looked at her. “Wait just a moment.”

He then quickly cleared the table and washed the dishes. Once the kitchen was tidy, he returned to her side and brought her back to the bedroom. Laying her gently onto the bed, he adjusted the pillows behind her head and looked down at her.

“Are you comfortable now?”

“…Yes,” Ethea replied softly before her voice trailed off. “You should… lay down… too… to sleep…”

“Ok.” Soren nodded and, recalling he had trained intensely and cooked not long ago, added. “Let me wash up first.”

He took a few steps out of the bedroom, only to freeze in his tracks as a sudden realization struck him.

’…’

He mentally retraced the timeline of the day: it had been hours since Clara helped her back in the morning, and Ethea had been confined to either her bed or wheelchair the entire time.

Soren gulped inwardly as a knot of worry formed in his stomach. Was that why she had looked so flustered and distracted earlier?

’Ethea…’

She was likely enduring the discomfort in silence, probably embarrassed to bring it up to him.