Investing in My Crippled Wife: Every Return Makes Me Stronger

’Ethea...’ A sharp ache tightened in Soren’s chest, but he forced it down, steeling his resolve to push into the dark corners they had both been avoiding till now. ’Ethea... What exactly happened back then? Who did this to you? Is it... connected to the Zero Circle organization?’

The relaxed atmosphere vanished instantly. The mental link went completely rigid, the lingering warmth from her childhood memories snapping shut like a heavy vault door.

’Where did you hear that name?’ she asked, her voice dropping to a sharp, defensive whisper that seemed to echo directly in his mind.

’The Emperor and President Craig,’ Soren replied, keeping his focus steady. ’They told me about it when I asked who the enemy might be. I heard you fought with them a few times before, and they excel at manipulating gates.’

’I see...’

The connection fell still again as Ethea went silent for a few minutes, gathering her thoughts before finally deciding to reveal everything.

’...The truth is... I can’t recall anything about that day. There are only a few blurry fragments left, but they make absolutely no sense when I try to piece them together. It is as if my memory of those exact moments has been completely hollowed out. I don’t know whether the people who planned the incident did it to protect their identities, or if someone else altered my mind.’

She paused, a detached, almost clinical tone taking over as she analyzed her own tragedy.

’Perhaps it was just a natural consequence of the trauma. Considering the state they found me in, wiped clean of mana and on the verge of death, it was a miracle that I even survived long enough to fall into that coma. And...’

She paused, a sharp knot of tension tightening the connection as she brought up a detail that had been quietly conflicting with her view of her father.

’And... I think the one who actually saved me... was my father.’

’...’

’Actually... my father is a spirit master.’

’And... In one of those blurry fragments, right as I was losing consciousness, I remember falling into pitch-black darkness. But it wasn’t the natural darkness of losing consciousness or dying. It felt... alive. It felt like something was intentionally wrapping around me to pull me away from the brink.’

The connection pulsed with uneasiness.

’That must have been one of his contracted spirits. It must be the one who kept me alive until I was rescued. That’s exactly what makes me so conflicted. Because it doesn’t make sense. If he truly wanted me dead, or if he was entirely indifferent to my survival, he shouldn’t have saved me in the first place. He could have just let me die right there.’

So that’s why...

Soren clenched his fists even tighter, as everything was starting to line up.

’After a lot of thinking, the only logical conclusion I can come up with is that he used me as bait. As I told you before, he absolutely loathes it when someone messes with his treasured things. To him, the family’s reputation and my value as his successor were his ultimate possessions. He would never tolerate outside forces trying to destroy what he built. And, perhaps realizing they didn’t want me truly dead, he must have deliberately allowed the attack to happen just to lure out the ones operating behind the scenes. He must have used that opportunity to try and catch them, or at the very least, force them to leave a clue.’

’I see,’ Soren replied, his mental voice steady despite the dark realization settling in his gut. ’It finally makes sense now.’

Everything Darius had done aligned perfectly with the actions of a man who calculated every move based on risk and reward.

’But that is just my theory,’ Ethea added, a flicker of fresh doubt rippling through the connection. ’And to be honest, I am not so sure about it since his visit today, suddenly wanting to take us with him. Or... perhaps he had already uncovered whatever he was looking for and judged he would be able to protect us from now on, and changed his plans accordingly.’

’...What about that Julian guy then?’ Soren asked, squinting slightly as he turned the problem over in his mind. ’That is the only thing that doesn’t click. If your father controlled the entire sequence, why did he let that happen?’

’Perhaps my father simply made a mistake,’ Ethea replied, her thoughts drifting into a more contemplative rhythm. ’Or... it must be a part of his schemes that I haven’t figured out yet. But at least, we can rest assured that he doesn’t want us dead now.’

Soren remained silent.

Well, she might be safe, but he was probably not included in that calculation. To Darius, he was just a pawn thrown into the equation to see how the board shifted.

Fortunately, she seemed unaware of this distinction for now, still grouping them together as a single unit in her father’s eyes, and he had no intention of ruining her fragile peace of mind by pointing it out. So, before she got suspicious, he could only shift the topic.

’Then what about the Zero Circle? Do you think they are connected to what happened to you?’

’Since I have no concrete memories of that day, it is incredibly difficult to say for certain. But they must be involved, at least when it comes to the gate-related matters. An anomaly of that scale couldn’t have been triggered by ordinary means.’

She paused, the connection growing heavy as she weighed the sheer complexity of the past.

’I also suspect they weren’t acting alone. There must have been multiple parties involved in the background. The entire incident was simply too massive and intricate for a single organization to orchestrate without leaving a massive trail.’

Soren frowned, the sheer scale of the conspiracy making his chest tighten. ’That many factions targeted you? Just who exactly were you fighting against? And why did they even do it? Did they want... something from you?’

’...I’m sorry, Soren,’ Ethea murmured, a wave of regret bleeding through the link. ’I cannot tell you. Even if I wanted to, I simply can’t.’

Soren blinked, sensing the abrupt wall she had just put between them. ’Why not?’

’Because...’