[IFITAOAMV] Chapter 44
“Huh? You did this?”
When I awkwardly raised my foot, Edwin proudly touched it.
“Of course I did. Who else would I let touch my bride’s body?”
"Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? They say people change when they’re close to death. Could it be because he survived something so severe?"
Startled by his unfamiliar behaviour, I slowly leaned my head back.
"Are you hurt anywhere? You fainted again yesterday."
"I'm fine. I was weak yesterday, but I feel completely fine now."
Edwin, still not reassured, carefully checked my forehead with his hand.
"It seems like we don't need to call the doctor."
Since I agreed with him, I nodded and saw the tension in Edwin’s eyes ease slightly.
‘So, he was worried because it was his fault, huh?’
Realising that, the sense of injustice I had felt started to fade. Edwin sat up against the headboard and pulled me onto his lap. Just then, I caught a glimpse of white hair before my eyes and opened them wide in surprise.
"What? How did this happen?"
I quickly grabbed a handful of my hair to check, thinking I might have been mistaken, but it was white. I looked at Edwin, confused about how this had happened, and he smiled warmly.
"I changed it. It looks prettier than the blonde."
My mind was in turmoil while he happily ran his fingers through my hair. Why had it changed? Had the potion’s effect worn off? No, Edwin clearly said he changed it himself.
Oh no, does he know I tried to run away last night?
Feeling uneasy, I glanced at Edwin and hesitantly asked, "But you told me to change my hair colour even inside the mansion. Is it okay to leave it like this?"
"I just wanted to see it for a moment. Only certain people are allowed in the bedroom anyway."
I sighed in relief, knowing he hadn’t caught on to my thoughts. But his next words made me sit up straight.
"You managed not to run away. You could have avoided being discovered as a Jueri."
Edwin grinned as he returned my hair to its original blonde colour, playfully tugging at it.
"Where would I go? You were in danger, Edwin."
His eyes widened as if he hadn’t expected me to say that. Then, he smiled deeply and caressed my face.
"You’re so admirable. How could I ever let you go when you act so sweetly?"
As if he ever intended to let me go in the first place.
I snickered inwardly but smiled outwardly.
"Shall I tell you a secret?"
"What secret?"
"If I die, your hair and eyes will return to their original colour. The magic is linked to me."
Bang! It felt like something struck my head, making it ring.
‘Ha, haha. So that's how it was?’
If I had let Edwin die yesterday, my future would have ended too.
A chill ran down my spine as I realised this.
I patted my chest, calming my nerves, and praised myself for resisting the night's temptation.
Once I had settled my nerves, resentment toward Edwin began to rise.
‘Why didn’t you tell me something so important sooner? Were you testing me?’
The thought that Edwin had been watching to see what I would do sent shivers down my spine.
He is a scary person.
The pity I had felt for him last night quickly vanished.
"I had hoped to show you that side of me much later."
Edwin muttered gloomily.
Knowing how much he had suffered last night, my anger quickly subsided as well.
"Could you tell me why you felt so much pain yesterday?"
"It’s because of a curse."
He wore his usual smile, but there was a sadness in his eyes.
He calmly began to explain the history of the Crawford family.
In the beginning, various races lived in the world alongside humans. The gods wanted humans, the weakest of all the races, to live peacefully and safely. It's natural to be more concerned about the weakest finger.
The gods separated the human world from the other races to protect humans and forbade intermingling.
But one dragon disobeyed the gods' command and visited the human world for amusement, where he fell in love with a woman.
They had a child, and as punishment for breaking the taboo, the gods cursed the child and all of the dragon’s descendants.
The curse was a lifetime of suffering from madness and a short life.
The dragon, realising his mistake, begged the gods for forgiveness, but they ignored his pleas.
Desperate to save his descendants, the dragon searched everywhere for a way to break the curse, but no one could undo a curse cast by the gods.
The child, despite the dragon's desperate efforts, died before reaching the age of twenty, even though he had managed to survive until his coming-of-age at eighteen.
The dragon, heartbroken, knew he couldn’t just mourn forever. He had to save the last remaining bloodline of his child.
So, the dragon offered his life to the gods in exchange for sparing his descendants.
The gods were troubled. The dragon's offspring were also humans whom they loved. But they couldn’t lift the curse, fearing it would encourage others to break the taboo.
After much deliberation, the gods decided to send the Jueri, a race with special powers, to help alleviate the madness.