Chapter 59. Love Yourself More
‘Good luck…?’
Leticia blinked because she didn’t understand what he was saying.
So far, she’d been accused of causing bad luck or misfortune. She even questioned herself whether it was really her ability.
Suddenly she was lucky instead.
Seios was watching Leticia with a serious look.
“I’ve seen an intense sunlight coming from you that is only given to people blessed with luck.”
“From me?”
“Yes, on your sister’s birthday.”
“But still…”
It was hard to believe, and she started to fiddle with her fingers. Seios brought up the stories he had discovered one by one, so that Leticia could accept that her ability was luck.
“I believe something good happened to Marquess Leroy after you were born.”
Leticia didn’t understand and tilted her head in confusion.
“But my parents said good things started happening after Diana was born.”
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That’s why Marquis Leroy always lectured her to be grateful to Diana, he said this to her so often that she was sick and tired of hearing it.
Somehow Seios’ expression was a mixture of bitterness and resignation.
“Leticia, your mother couldn’t have another baby after she had you.”
“What?”
“She was diagnosed by the doctor to be too weak to safely have any more children.”
As soon as he discovered Leticia’s ability, Seios began to research all the good things that happened to the Leroy family.
“The timing tells us that things began to go well for them after you were born.”
With Leticia’s ability, it was clear that Marquis Leroy’s wife became healthy again and was able to have Diana. However, everyone seems to have attributed it to Diana after she was born.
“In fact, the Leroy family rarely awakened to special abilities, even though they have a lot of unusual abilities. Look at your siblings, they all have good abilities.”
“That means…”
“It means they may have been influenced by your ability.”
She wasn’t sure, but it was possible.
He then listed all the good things that had happened to the Achilles family after she arrived, while bad things kept happening to the Leroy family.
Leticia was quietly listening to Seios’ explanation and said weakly.
“Then why did I get kicked out?”
“Leticia…”
“There was no need or reason for me to be kicked out…”
She no longer felt frustrated or conflicted. She was just confused about how to feel about the years of hurt, neglect and discrimination she’d suffered.
On the other hand…
‘It ended up rather good.’
It didn’t make a difference even if her family knew what her ability was.
From what they’ve done to her so far, it was obvious that she’d be hurt or used again.
“Did you happen to tell my family?”
“I didn’t want to say anything to them until I talked to you.”
It was Leticia’s ability, so he thought it was best that she knew first. It was also her choice whether he informed her family or not.
“If you don’t mind, can you keep it a secret from my family?”
“If that’s what you want, I will.”
As their conversation ended and he prepared to leave, Seios told her to contact him whenever she needed help.
Left alone in the drawing room, Leticia thought about the conversation she’d had with Seios.
‘Lucky…’
The ability to convey good luck to others, even if it doesn’t bring good luck to herself.
Seios couldn’t confirm that she was lucky, but it was clear that something good was happening to those around her.
‘Is that really true?’
She thought he was right, but it was hard to believe. So Leticia sat in the drawing room lost in thought for a long time.
Then Enoch, who’d been waiting outside for Leticia, entered cautiously.
“Did he tell you good news?”
“Yes, in fact… He told me what my ability is.”
Leticia’s face looked strangely dark though.
Enoch noticed this and asked with a curious look.
“Didn’t you want to know what your ability is?”
He didn’t know why she was more depressed than happy.
Worried, Enoch kneeled down in front of Leticia. She felt a bit lighter as soon as she was faced with his warm gaze. She slowly began to explain to him.
“Good things happen to the people around me when they’re with me.”
“Is that so?”
That sounded like it was a good ability, so why did she look like there was a problem. Leticia was silent for a moment, then said.
“It’s hard to believe.”
“Leticia.”
“Actually, I can’t believe that good things happen when I’m around you.”
She wanted to believe it more than anyone else, but she hesitated to believe it because she’d been neglected for so long.
Recognizing what she was thinking, Enoch slowly rose and reached out to Leticia.
“Then we can check.”
“How?”
Is there such a way?
She couldn’t think of a way, no matter how hard she thought about it. She blinked up at Enoch as he smiled down at her and said.
“Let’s go for now.”
When Leticia hesitated, Enoch gently took her hand and left the mansion. Leticia was dragged away by Enoch without knowing where she was going.
It was none other than the square where Enoch took Leticia.
Leticia stared at him, wondering what they could do here to prove that her ability worked. Enoch was still smiling and looking around with her.
“Now! Which cup is the ball under?”
Leticia turned her head towards the sound of a loud voice.
There were three cups and a small ball on an old wooden table.The operator[1] gestured flamboyantly towards his cups, beckoning people to guess where the ball was.
“Do you want to try?”
“What? No, I was just watching in amazement.”
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When Enoch stopped walking and asked Leticia, she waved her hands in denial.
Enoch already grabbed her hand and quickly approached the operator.
“I really don’t want to try.”
“I want to try.”
What he said was absurd and she was forced to follow him.
“In fact, I‘m not good at this kind of game.”
“What? Then why are you here?”
“We’re supposed to be checking.”
“No way…”
Leticia looked up at Enoch to check if he was serious.
“Do you really think being around me will work?”
“Yes.”
Even when she was looking at him like he was being absurd, Enoch was seriously focusing on which cup the ball ended up in.
“Now, where’s the ball?”
“Second! I saw the cup with the ball stop at the second spot.”
“What are you talking about? It’s obviously in the third one.”
Everyone said it must be the second or third cup. Leticia also thought she last saw the ball between the second and third cup.
Enoch thought differently.
“Then I’ll pick the first cup.”
“Unfortunately, the ball is in the third cup… What?”
The operator smiled nicely and picked up the third cup, but there was no ball under it. Then he checked the second cup, just in case, but there still wasn’t a ball. When he lifted the last cup, curiously the ball was under it.
“Huh… It was under the first cup.”
The operator muttered with a blank look. He didn’t know why the ball was under the first cup and not the second or third one. Enoch smiled at Leticia as they received their winnings from the confused operator.
The smile on his face was quite smug, and it made Leticia laugh. However, there were still some doubts.
“You’re actually lying to me, aren’t you?”
“It’s the first time I’ve ever won that game.”
After that, they went to play more games of chance. They kept smiling at every little good thing, like when Enoch caught the one and only golden fish in the tank.
It was already evening and the two of them were about to return to the Achilles mansion.
Stopping in front of a large fountain, Enoch whispered softly to her.
“If you put a coin in the top part of the fountain, your wish will come true.”
“Really?”
Enoch hands over a coin to Leticia as soon as he realizes she wants to give it a try. Unfortunately, Leticia misses and it falls into the water.
Then Enoch threw a coin, and it went straight in.
“Wow! It’s in!”
The coin went straight in, as if it knew its way. It was fascinating to see, and Leticia clapped in excitement.
“Hurry up and make a wish.”
Leticia was happier than Enoch, and rushed him to make his wish.
After a moment of confusion, he closed his eyes. His wish was quickly made, as if it was merely an afterthought. Leticia then cautiously asked.
“What did you wish for?”
“Secret.”
“Why is it always a secret?”
Leticia pulled Enoch’s arm with a look of frustration, but he remained adamant.
“I heard it doesn’t come true if you say it.”
“That’s just a superstition.”
“Still can’t tell.”
She told him that he was too much, Enoch laughed and held Leticia’s hand.
Maybe it was because of all the discrimination and disdain she had been subjected to, Leticia didn’t seem to know how to trust or love herself. She was infinitely affectionate to others, but she did not know how to receive it.
So he prayed with all of his heart.
‘May you love yourself more.’
May she cherish herself as much as he cherishes her.
***
“How can you disgrace us by not being able to beat some random stranger who rolled in off the street!”
Marquis Leroy shouted at Xavier, and stared at him in disgust.
It had been like this for some time. When something good seemed to happen, something bad immediately came up.
‘Just when my business is finally going to pick up, my children are in trouble.’
A colorful ore had come out of the mine and his spirits had been lifted.
As he sighed deeply in frustration, Xavier bit his lip and said.
“It’s all because of my eldest sister.”
“What?”
“It’s because she doesn’t want me to do well.”
It was ridiculous that he’d lost the swordsmanship tournament, there was no other explanation. Xavier told his father that Leticia had placed a curse on him to cause misfortune to befall him.
The Marquis was listening to him quietly, so Xavier was thinking that he was in agreement, and said even more loudly.
“There’s been rumors recently about my eldest sister. They’ve been saying her ability is to cause bad luck.”
“For now, stay put. I’ll look into it.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t bring shame to the family again.
Xavier nodded quickly when his father said he’d let it slide this time. As there was nothing more to be said, Marquis Leroy left and Xavier could breathe comfortably again.
However, the memory of losing that final match came to mind.
‘Damn it, I could’ve won…’
On second thought, he was furious. He thought there wouldn’t be that much of a difference in skill between them, but he was overwhelmed. It was no different than being treated like a toy.
Xavier gritted his teeth and promised himself that he’d win next time.
“Anyways, this was all my eldest sister’s fault.”
These days, the atmosphere in the family was unsettled and he was falling behind in his work.
Xavier went to his room, thinking about how he’d rather go somewhere far away.
Irene, who’d been hiding nearby, slowly crept out.
*********
[1] This is the term used for someone who runs a shell game.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_game
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