Chapter 125: For who she was

After returning home, Jean barely spoke. Her mind kept drifting back to the conversation she had with Kai.

No, it wasn’t so much the conversation itself as the memories it had stirred within her, particularly the incident when they had resorted to forceful methods to awaken her mana core, only for the attempt to end in failure.

So many expectations had been placed upon her, above all by her own father. As the years passed without any sign of her awakening, her family had begun resorting to increasingly desperate methods. And with every failure, her heart sank a little further.

Yet what hurt more than the grief of her own perceived inadequacy was the way her family began treating her, especially the man whose love and approval she had once cherished above all else.

Their attitudes toward her changed. The warmth she had once taken for granted gradually disappeared, replaced by coldness and contempt.

Her sister openly mocked her, expressing her disdain without the slightest shame because she knew Jean had no one she could turn to for support.

As the only person in the family incapable of wielding magic, she had become an oddity, someone others either forgot about or deliberately avoided associating with.

Even her mother, regardless of whatever affection she might have still held for Jean, sometimes had to look the other way to avoid provoking the displeasure of the Scarlette patriarch.

Before she could fully comprehend what was happening, Jean had become a burden in the eyes of her own family. And until the day she finally found the courage to leave that house, the weight of their rejection had continued to eat away at her from within.

It was almost unbelievable how the life she had once considered perfect, along with the family she had once adored, had eventually become the very reason she could barely breathe in their presence.

And now, all those buried memories were resurfacing once again.

Jean knew, perhaps better than anyone, that Kai had never intended to make her feel this way. She finally understood why he had been so hesitant to bring up the subject.

He had dreaded precisely this reaction, the possibility of reopening wounds she had spent years trying to heal.

At the same time, she understood why he believed this change was necessary.

If she possessed the strength to protect herself, Kai wouldn’t have to rush back to them every time danger threatened. She would at least have the means to escape with their daughter if things ever took a turn for the worse.

The rational part of her understood all of that. She knew Kai was thinking about her safety, about their future, and about ensuring she would never again be left helpless in a situation where she couldn’t protect herself.

And yet, the tears gathering in her eyes told a different story.

They reflected a past she had believed herself to have long since forgotten. A past she had thought she had overcome.

But perhaps...

I’m still that same weak, pathetic girl, desperately searching for validation.

Jean was just about to get up and take a walk around the living room when she suddenly heard a knock at the door.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

It went without saying who was standing on the other side.

She glanced at the mirror and hurriedly wiped her eyes, though the redness remained. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself as best she could before approaching the door.

"Jean..." Kai called softly, almost as though he had sensed her approaching. "Can you open the door? I want to see you."

She bit her lower lip.

"C-Can we meet tomorrow? I’m not dressed properly."

Her voice trembled despite her efforts to keep it steady. For heaven’s sake, she didn’t want him to realize she had been crying over this. He already felt guilty enough about bringing up the subject, and the last thing she wanted was to make him feel even worse.

However, the very fact that he was standing outside her door, asking to see her, made it clear that he was worried about her well-being.

"It doesn’t matter," Kai replied gently. "I’ll come inside with my eyes closed."

Jean sighed and rested her forehead against the door, almost as though she could feel his warmth through the wood.

"Then how would you even see me?"

"I don’t know," he admitted. "But I want to be with you. I want to sit with you and make sure you’re okay. So, please, open the door."

Jean pressed her lips together, trying to hold herself together for just a little longer.

But in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse him.

She slowly opened the door, and the moment Kai saw her face, his expression softened. He had evidently suspected she had been crying, and the redness around her eyes only confirmed it.

Sighing, Jean shook her head and complained, "It’s not fair that you can sense my distress so easily. At least let me fight a few battles on my own, too."

Kai reached out and gently cupped her cheeks, his thumbs brushing against her skin.

"We’ve both fought plenty of battles alone," he said softly. "So, just as I always share my burdens with you, let me help you from time to time as well."

Jean melted into his touch.

It was almost unbelievable how a single, gentle gesture could make the weight pressing down on her shoulders feel so much lighter. The turmoil in her heart hadn’t disappeared, nor had the memories suddenly become any less painful, but with Kai standing before her, she no longer felt she had to face them alone.

It was surprising, perhaps even a little unfair, how quickly she had grown accustomed to his presence and how naturally she now turned to him for comfort.

And yet, no matter how much she might have wanted to prove that she could stand on her own, she could never bring herself to resent this particular weakness.

Because this man wasn’t the proud, egotistical patriarch of the Scarlette Clan, who saw her as nothing more than an investment.

This man before her was someone who loved her, not for what she could become or what she could offer him, but simply because who she was.

He loved Jean.