Chapter 7: Choosing Them
"Huh? Why?"
Theo couldn’t follow her reasoning.
"Why would you even suggest that?" he asked, a worried edge slipping into his voice.
Thaleria shook her head somberly.
"You don’t understand. I’m dying. I don’t want to add to the burden, and I have maybe six weeks to live. But those two, if they can overcome this, then they’ll be well again. Their illness is not as chronic as mine. If I die without making sure they’re taken care of, they’ll die too. And all our suffering, all our holding on, will have been for nothing."
She paused to look into Theo’s eyes.
"Marrying people who are burdens is not an easy decision to make, I know. And I apologize for asking you to do something like this. To ask you to throw your life away tending to people who may never be well again, without ever getting paid for it."
She made an absurd little chuckle, then fell into an awkward silence.
Theo was quiet too, turning it over. He watched her fingers work at a loose thread on the blanket over her knees, worrying it thin.
’Marrying three people... is a lot.’
He’d be saddled with the care of all of them, and his rank was too low for it. He wasn’t even counted as F-rank, so he couldn’t pass for a Hero and get licensed to the Tower and the other royalties. That meant working multiple jobs, probably several at once, the kind that left a man with hands but no hours. He ran the arithmetic anyway, three mouths and his own, medicine on top, and the numbers came up short every way he stacked them.
Of course, his alternative was the system, dangling its fifty thousand dollars. With fifty thousand, one right investment decision, and he’d have money that would last them a while.
’I could even build multiple streams of income. It’s not impossible. I just need to unlock investment, which I have no idea how to do. The system did mention I’m supposed to invest my money, my business, for returns, but investment has to be unlocked for each individual first. And I don’t see how that’s happening right now.’
Theo sighed.
’I don’t want to bank on the system. It’s uncertain, and it doesn’t sit right with me, doing good for people just because of the returns. This is difficult, but they need my help. They’re three gorgeous ladies who need my help.’
His eyes had been glued to the floor. Now they lifted, slowly, and came to rest on Thaleria.
"Landlady..."
"It’s Thal."
"Lady Thal."
"Thal."
"Lady Thal..."
Thaleria stared at him and sighed.
"I see you’re stubborn."
Theo smiled.
"Then this wouldn’t be a surprise."
Thaleria tilted her head, curious, as Theo declared it.
"I can’t leave you alone, and I can’t let you die. We’ll find your medications together, and I’ll earn the money and use it to make sure you’re well cared for and that we find the cure for your illness. So don’t give up on yourself."
He paused, weighing the words.
"I’m not saying this is gonna be easy, but I have a pretty useless and easy life myself. And this is not bad for me at all. It’s a bit strange, getting married to three people, but I’ll take care of you all with everything I’ve got."
He smiled politely, the words still falling.
"My dad was a caregiver. I assisted him at the Nursing Home all the time, turning old men in their beds, spooning broth into people who couldn’t hold a cup. So I promise not to be useless to you."
Thaleria blinked at him, disbelieving.
"Theo, are you sure about this? I... we... have nothing." Her hand went still on the blanket, and she looked away toward the far wall. "We are mere villainesses, and everything we managed to amass has been stolen from us. Sesan has lost Neiflheimr, and Estea’s lair has been blocked. They, we have nothing we can give you in return."
Theo glanced up at the sky. The sun was slowly setting, and because of it a flood of golden light was already spilling across the rooftops of Meteor City, catching the edges of the skyscrapers and sliding down them toward the gutters below. It pooled in the cracked windows, turned the water tanks to copper, and for a moment he only watched it settle over the tin and the brick.
He smiled as he answered. "I’ve never assisted anyone expecting something in return. My dad said that’s the most inhuman thing there is. I love being of help to people. And you’re beautiful, too. I think my satisfaction is just in being able to help you."
Thaleria stared blankly at him as he said it, so plainly. There was a satisfied look on his face as he spoke, unforced and easy, and she could tell he really meant every word.
She sighed and scoffed.
"To think you were this decent of a person. You should really stop gooning, Theo. I’m sure people would have a better first impression of you, if you did."
The words went and stabbed Theo right in the heart.
’Justice for all gooners, the fact that we goon don’t mean we are shitty people!’
He was silent, not knowing how to respond. After everything, the atmosphere between them had gone somewhat calm.
Then the door opened, just a crack, and someone was wheeling her out in a chair.
The woman had crimson hair that flowed loose and scattered over her shoulders, and her eyes were a golden amber, the color of the kind of flames that could burn the world. Her skin was smooth ivory, her face hardened, and she wore a flowing cream-colored dress, a grey cardigan, and a blanket over her legs. Even seated, even wrapped against the cold, she held herself like someone used to being obeyed.
She stopped beside the table, glanced at Thaleria, then at Theo. Slowly, her mouth parted.
"...wh... o?"
Thaleria hurriedly stood and knelt beside her.
"Estea, this is Theo... he’s going to be our husband."
A hostile frown pulled at Estea’s face as she stared at Theo. She glared at Thaleria, and then glared even more darkly at Theo.
Theo could tell... she was very displeased about this.