Chapter 5: The Monster His Wives Still Loved

Chapter 5. The Monster His Wives Still Loved

Lily gently pushed me backward.

I looked at her. Then obeyed.

The servant’s eyes widened.

Apparently, I had just performed a miracle.

Lily didn’t notice. She adjusted the pillow behind my head and sighed. "You shouldn’t be getting out of bed yet."

The system appeared.

[Lily Faye]

[Race: High Fairy]

[Identity: Princess of the Faye Court]

[Relationship to Host: Second Wife]

[Current Emotional State: Relief / Worry / Suspicion]

[Affection toward Rey Valen: Extremely High]

I almost smiled. Extremely high again.

Apparently Rey had done at least one thing very well in life.

Marrying women who genuinely loved him.

Lily touched my forehead. "No fever." Her fingers moved down to my cheek. "You’re pale."

"I’m naturally pale."

Her eyes narrowed. "No. You fainted. Ariel carried you here crying."

That made my chest tighten.

"She healed you and stayed until you stabilized."

Ah. That explained why all the cuts were gone.

I glanced down at myself.

Even the shallow blade marks I had seen earlier were gone, leaving only faint pink traces that were already fading.

"Where is she?"

"Resting."

"Is she okay?"

Lily blinked. "That question should be for you."

I was silent.

"No," I said after a moment. "It’s for her."

Lily studied me.

I didn’t explain further.

There were some things she clearly didn’t know yet.

Like the fact that Ariel had been lying inside a sacrificial circle and had calmly offered me her life because she thought it might save mine.

That was not exactly something I wanted to casually drop into conversation while lying in bed.

Lily sighed. "You need to eat first, Rey. You’ve eaten almost nothing for three days. I brought you soup."

She gestured toward the servant.

I looked over.

The young woman was standing several steps away with a tray held so tightly between both hands that I was surprised the porcelain hadn’t cracked.

Creamy soup sat in a white ceramic bowl.

Warm steam curled upward.

There was bread beside it.

And some kind of herbal drink.

The servant noticed me looking.

She immediately lowered her eyes.

Her hands trembled.

A memory surfaced.

Yesterday.

Same servant.

Different tray.

Porridge.

Lily had brought it personally.

Rey had been in pain.

Bad pain.

The curse had been tearing through his mana channels for hours.

Lily had tried to make him eat.

He had snapped.

Knocked the tray away.

And when Lily tried to stop him from getting up... His hand had moved.

A sharp slap.

The memory hit hard enough that I went still.

Lily and the servant had frozen.

And Rey had looked horrified immediately afterward.

But pride, pain, anger, corruption...

All of it had tangled together.

So instead of apologizing, he had simply ordered everyone out.

I exhaled slowly.

That explained the servant.

She wasn’t afraid I would refuse the soup.

She was afraid I would throw it.

Possibly at someone.

"I like soup," I said.

Simple.

The servant looked up.

Lily paused. Then smiled. She took the tray from the servant and sat on the edge of the bed.

Then she lifted the bowl.

I expected her to hand it to me.

She didn’t.

Instead, Lily scooped up a spoonful.

Blew gently across it.

Then raised it toward my mouth.

I stared at the spoon.

Then at her.

She stared back calmly. As if feeding an infamous S-rank Royal Magus in bed was a perfectly ordinary afternoon activity.

The servant behind her looked like Lily had just voluntarily placed her hand inside a wolf’s mouth.

I looked at the spoon again.

Strange.

I couldn’t remember the last time someone had done something like this for me.

By eighteen, I was already living more in laboratories than at home.

By twenty-two, most of my meals came from delivery boxes, or whatever food remained edible after I forgot it existed.

Nobody sat beside me. Or blew on soup because it might be too hot. Or looked at me like eating one proper meal mattered to them personally.

Something warm settled beneath my ribs.

Lily tilted her head. "Rey?"

I opened my mouth.

She fed me.

The soup was warm.

Creamy.

Mildly sweet from some root vegetable I didn’t recognize, balanced by herbs and something rich underneath.

I swallowed. "It’s delicious."

Lily froze.

The servant’s jaw dropped.

I almost laughed.

Lily blinked once. Her eyes shimmered.

She looked away quickly enough that I almost missed it.

"Of course it is," she said, trying for confidence. Her voice betrayed her slightly. She scooped up another spoonful. "I made it myself."

That made it better somehow.

She blew on it again. "Eat more."

I opened my mouth.

The spoon went in.

The servant looked seconds away from running to the temple to report a miracle.

Spoon after spoon.

I ate.

Lily fed me patiently.

Sometimes she waited until I swallowed.

At one point, a drop touched the corner of my mouth.

She wiped it away with a folded cloth.

By the time the bowl was empty, I already felt better.

The weakness in my limbs eased slightly.

Mana circulation felt steadier too.

Lily placed the spoon inside the bowl. "Do you want anything particular for dinner?"

"Tender meat."

"That’s all?"

"Yes."

Protein.

This body had spent three days surviving on herbs and stubbornness.

It needed rebuilding material.

Rey apparently understood multidimensional spell construction but had decided starvation was a medical treatment.

Genius really was selective.

Lily handed the bowl back to the servant. "Prepare something with meat tonight. Soft. Easy to digest."

"Yes, Princess."

The servant took the tray.

Before leaving, she glanced at me once.

Still stunned.

I gave her a tiny smirk.

That somehow made her walk faster in fear.

Rude.

The door closed.

Lily turned back toward me. "Now sleep." She pulled the blanket higher. "If you need anything, call me."

I said nothing.

Lily rose and turned.

I caught her wrist.

She stopped.

Slowly, she looked back.

Her expression changed immediately.

Not fear.

Concern.

"Rey?"

I looked at her hand in mine. Warm. Even after yesterday. That bothered me. "I won’t do it again."

Lily frowned. "Do what?"

I raised my gaze. "Torture myself."

Her lips parted slightly.

"Or abuse you. Or the others."

The room became very quiet.

Lily’s expression softened. That tenderness almost hurt worse than accusation would’ve.

She sat back down. Then placed her free hand against my cheek. "Don’t think too much."

I frowned. "That doesn’t sound like forgiveness."

"It isn’t about forgiveness." Her thumb brushed lightly beneath my eye. "You saved us."

The memories stirred again.

A burning forest.

Lily trapped beneath corrupted roots.

Rey tearing through an entire demon battalion to reach her.

Lily smiled gently. "We owe you our lives."

My expression hardened. "No. You don’t."

"Rey—"

"A debt doesn’t mean someone can hurt you."

She went silent. Lily studied me for several seconds.

Then her smile returned, smaller this time. Sad. "You always say things like that when you’re yourself."

That sentence landed strangely.

’When you’re yourself.’

So they had noticed.

The wives.

Maybe more than anyone else.

They knew when the curse was speaking louder than Rey.

Lily combed her fingers through my hair. "But if you requested it," she whispered, "we would still give it."

My chest tightened.

"As long as you’re safe." Her fingers paused. "And back to yourself."

I couldn’t answer.

Because what could I say to that?

Lily brushed my hair away from my forehead. "Rest."

She tucked the blanket around me like I was five years old.

Then she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against my forehead.

My brain stalled.

She stood. "I’ll check on you later."

I watched her walk to the door.

"Lily."

She glanced back.

"Thank you."

Her expression softened.

Then she left.

The door clicked shut.

Silence.

I remained completely still.

Five seconds. Then I slowly opened one eye.

Sorry, Lily.

I could sleep later.

There was forbidden magic to test.

I threw the blanket aside.

Stood.

My legs wobbled.

I froze. Waited.

They held.

"Excellent."

I straightened. The training chamber was two floors below and behind the western courtyard.

Rey’s memories supplied the spell structure effortlessly.

Spatial coordinates.

Destination anchor.

Mana compression.

[Teleport]

Normal mana stirred.

I immediately felt the curse react.

A faint pressure behind my ribs.

The system flashed.

[Curse Stability: 97%]

I winced. "Right."

Normal mana usage.

Dangerous if overdone.

Still manageable.

Space folded.

The bedroom vanished.

For half a second, there was nothing.

Then my boots struck stone.

I appeared inside a vast circular chamber.

The training ground.

Black reinforced walls rose three stories high.

Protective runes covered every surface.

Stone targets stood across the arena.

Metal dummies.

Barrier pylons.

Mana-resistant constructs.

Perfect.

I breathed in and smiled. "Alright." My fingers flexed. "Let’s see what kind of monster history was so afraid of."