[IFITAOAMV] Chapter 52

'How dare he covet my bride. There's no way I'll let him live.' 

A deadly gleam flashed in Edwin's narrowed blue eyes. "It's strange," I murmured to myself, holding the pieces of broken opal that Edwin carried with him. "They’re the same opal." 

On the surface, the only noticeable difference between the shattered pieces and the newly acquired opal was that the former was broken. However, I could sense a distinct difference when I infused them with my energy. 

Once a gemstone is activated, it no longer absorbs my energy. But despite being already activated, the broken opal absorbed my energy. Another peculiar difference was that when I infused the broken opal with energy, some kind of marking appeared on its surface. It looked like a script or a symbol, though it was hard to be certain.  

Since not all of the pieces had been recovered after Edwin's rampage, it was impossible to decipher the exact nature of the markings from the fragments I had. 

"Why is it different?" I wondered aloud. Was it because I wasn't a complete Jueri? 

Frustrated, I fidgeted with the pieces in my hand.  

'Let's focus on understanding the other gemstones for now.' 

The table before me was covered with various gemstones that Edwin had brought. A few of them stood out as I examined them one by one. 

‘It wasn’t my imagination.’ 

When I first awakened my powers as a Jueri, I noticed some gemstones didn’t reveal their inherent abilities, which puzzled me. Now, I found that this was still the case. 

Five gemstones—diamond, aquamarine, ruby, topaz, and sapphire—did not reveal their powers even when I tried to discern them. There might be more such stones that I had yet to encounter, as I didn’t have every type of gemstone. 

I picked up the aquamarine and sang the song of the Jueri, infusing it with my energy. Unlike the opal, however, the aquamarine didn’t reveal its power or activate. 

"Sigh, is it really because I'm only half Jueri?" 

A wave of despondency washed over me. I stared at the gemstones with a sense of betrayal but quickly tried to steady my resolve. 

'Even a half-Jueri is better than having no abilities at all.' 

Sharpening my gemstone abilities was crucial for my survival and Edwin’s. Now was the time to train hard. 

Determined, I picked up each of the remaining gemstones to discover their powers. The garnet had the ability to stop bleeding and heal wounds, the emerald could cure diseases, and the amethyst provided peace of mind. Among them, a gemstone with an unusual power—lapis lazuli- could temporarily enhance memory retention. 

"Now, what kind of power does this one hold?" I wondered, picking up the last stone, a pale yellow citrine. 23 As I held the citrine and sang the Jueri’s song, I felt a pulse I hadn't noticed before. 

Thump. Thump. Thump. 

There wasn’t any visible change, no glowing or colour shift, but it felt like I was holding something alive. The stone had been activated. Holding the citrine in my hand made me feel more energised, even without channelling my energy into it. However, I also sensed that the energy stored within the citrine was gradually depleting. 

‘I wonder if it works on plants too?’ 

Curious, I pulled a vase from the table. In it was a zinnia that Jenny had placed there the day before. I carefully touched the flower's stem with the citrine, and the slightly wilted petals perked up, becoming vibrant again. 

“Oh, it works.” 

“What works?”  

“Ah!” I jumped in surprise, dropping the citrine, as Edwin’s voice suddenly broke the silence. Before I could react, Edwin swooped in and lifted me onto his lap. 

“Why are you so jumpy? Are you still scared of me? I promised not to kill you, didn’t I?” Edwin’s eyebrows drooped, making him look like a sad, wet puppy—an image that seemed out of place on a fierce Dragon like him, but his stunning looks made it work. 

“It’s not that I’m scared. You just startled me. I was alone, and then suddenly you were here.” 

“Didn’t you hear me come in?” 

“No, I didn’t hear anything. That’s why I’m asking you to knock next time.” 

Edwin usually barged into my room, but sometimes, like today, he’d slip in silently, like a cat burglar. Both ways were bad for my heart, so I requested he knock. 

“Why should I knock when I enter my bride’s room? That’s so… formal,” Edwin pouted, clearly displeased with the idea. 

“It’s so I don’t get startled.” 

“Sigh, fine. My bride’s heart is as small as a pea, so I must take care of it.” 

As I began to suspect his compliance, his next words left me speechless. 

“I won’t knock, but I’ll shout when I enter. I’ll announce that I’m here.” 

Of course. As expected, reasoning with a Dragon was futile. I let out a sigh of resignation. 

“So, what were you so focused on?” he asked. 

“Oh, this citrine. It doesn’t just work on people—it can also restore plants’ vitality. Look at this.” 

I showed Edwin the now-blooming zinnia, and he squinted at it momentarily before suddenly leaning into me.