Chapter 5 - I Wish I Had A Family Like This

Leticia laughed a little without realizing it, but as soon as she let go of his hand, she asked.

“Come to think of it, is your hand okay?”

“Thanks to you, I recovered quickly.”

“Thank God.”

“But why don’t you try it yourself?”

“What?”

As she tilted his head, Enoch naturally winked toward his younger siblings.

Only then, did Leticia touch her cheek embarrassingly when she realized that he meant to play the game.

“Well, I’m unlucky.”

“What?”

“But people around me are good at things like that.”

It was a fascinating thing.

Oddly enough, she always failed when she played such games, but her family always won. Perhaps that’s why the Marquis loved his other children more, and he always lamented that she was an unlucky one.

It was then.

“Oppa!”

“Brother!”

At the same time as the sudden cheers, Enoch’s younger siblings ran over with a big smile.

“We won a bag of flour!”

The owner was preparing a bag of flour with a mixed expression when the kids screamed with excitement. Enoch’s sister approached quickly as Leticia clapped her hands saying they did well.

“Oh, where are my manners? I have to say hello first. My name is El. Elle Achilles.”

“And I…….”

“This is my spoiled twin brother, Ian Achilles.”

Ian glared at El, who intercepted his introduction. However, El, who ignored him, just stared at Leticia as if waiting for something.

Recognizing what that meant, Leticia slowly opened her mouth.

“Oh, I’m Leticia Leroy.”

“I see, thanks to Miss Leroy, I got a bag of flour! I’ll give you half a bag….…….”

“No, it’s fine.”

Right away, Leticia hurriedly waved her hands and refused. Elle then pursed her lips in disappointment.

Enoch, who was quietly watching the three, said to Leticia.

“But it’s true.”

“What?”

“I mean, people around you are lucky.”

At first, he didn’t believe what she said was true, but now he believed it.

When Enoch glanced at her with a curious look, Leticia smirked as if she understood.

“See? I’m right, right?”

They had met for the first time today, but Enoch’s younger siblings treated her as if they had known her for a long time. Thanks to this, Leticia didn’t feel awkward about all the time she spent with the three.

“Come visit our mansion sometime. I’ll make you a tart. I’ll make it with the flour I got thanks to you, so make sure to come,” said El. But next to her, Ian disagreed.

“You’ll get sick if you eat what she makes.”

“Who are you to interrupt? I’m making it!”

El was annoyed, lightly pushing Ian’s arm away.

At this point, Enoch felt ashamed of his siblings who started arguing. Leticia, who quietly alternated between the three, began laughing without even realizing it.

The three naturally turned toward Leticia.

Smiling brightly, Leticia wriggled her hands with a bewildered look on her eyes.

“I’m sorry if I offended you. I’m just……….”

“…?”

“I’m jealous.”

Even if they looked at each other disapprovingly, she could feel the affection.

They were so close that she felt like a part of the family.

‘What I want is something like this……’

A relationship that when they get into a fight, they would quickly make up and laugh again.

A family that can get close together.

Unknowingly, Leticia became depressed again. She lowered her head, but then she heard a slight chuckle. When she lifted her head in surprise, she met Enoch, who smiled lightly.

“You can come and play comfortably.”

“…”

“If you feel burdened……….”

“Oh, no, no! Never, it’s not a burden at all!”

Leticia, who answered belatedly, waved her hands.

Enoch’s mouth went up smoothly when he looked at Leticia as if she had made a promise.

“Then I’ll be waiting.”

“Yes, thank you………….”

Somehow, a corner of her heart tickled, Leticia gently lowered her eyes and held her hands tightly.

The gentle gaze she hadn’t felt in a long time was unfamiliar, and somehow she felt embarrassed and ashamed.

***

The sun was setting and before she knew it, it was evening so she had no choice but to say goodbye to Enoch and his twin siblings.

The carriage ride back to the mansion was strange, she found herself smiling constantly.

‘It’s been a long time since I have had this much fun.’

She wondered if it was because she was too used to being ignored for so long. Perhaps, that’s why she felt touched and her heart only kept getting excited.

‘She was talking about tarts the whole time. Does she like tarts?’

Leticia thought, recalling El’s words, invited her to come to eat tarts.

A picture of a well-baked tart appeared in her mind.

‘Come to think of it, I think my siblings would really enjoy it.’

The memory of baking cookies for her siblings, who loved sweet desserts as children, came to mind. At first, she didn’t know how to make them and it took her a long time to finish. However, the moment she saw her siblings eating them with so much delight, she forgot all about her hardships and felt inexplicably full of joy.

‘There were times like that.’

Laughing helplessly, Leticia looked out the window.

A nostalgic time that could no longer be captured or returned.

“Miss, we’ve arrived.”

And now it’s time to face the merciless reality.

It was similar to having cold water poured over her head.

Leticia swallowed a sigh, took the horseman’s hand, and slowly got out of the carriage.

A moment later, as she was about to enter the mansion, she stopped dead in her tracks.

“…”

A huge, magnificent mansion, and her family living in that mansion.

‘Is it okay for me to be here?’

Suddenly, she felt suffocated by sudden doubts. The way Enoch and his siblings had joked around with each other today, one after the other made her heart ache.

“I wish I had a family like that…”

Then as if knowing it was nonsense, Leticia stopped thinking.

“What am I saying? My family is here.”

Leticia sighed slowly and entered the mansion.

***

Incidents always hit like an unpredictable storm.

“I’ve heard that you’re close to the Achilles family.”

Leticia barely swallowed the sigh that was building up to the edge of her neck, and was questioned by Marquis Leroy.

Marquis Leroy clicked his tongue.

“Why are you associating with such an unlucky family?”

When the former sturdy Duke of Achilles died suddenly, the Duchess could not endure for several years and passed away due to illness. And all that remained were the eldest son Enoch Achilles and the twin siblings El and Ian Achilles.

However, strangely enough, when the duke and his wife left the world, the status of the Achilles family dropped as if it were a lie. Now they were struggling with huge debts. So, nothing was ever good enough, and people looked at the Achilles family and whispered that it was an unlucky family.

One of them was Marquis Leroy.

“Misfortune is contagious. You should be more careful, especially since you have no luck.”

“But father, I…”

“Keep that in mind.”

Marquis Leroy cut off Leticia’s words as he didn’t need to hear them. He immediately got up from his seat and walked away, as if she wasn’t worthy to converse with.

Left alone, Leticia held her hands tightly as she slumped down.

‘Misfortune is contagious. So stay away from people with bad luck.’

That’s what Marquis Leroy always said. But today was the only time she didn’t want to hear those words.

‘What is it….?’

Why does he think that misfortune is like a contagious disease? Leticia tightly gripped her teacup, which had gone cold.

In fact, she had heard rumors about the Achilles family. They said that if you spend too much time with them, you will be unlucky.

But unlike the rumors of bad luck and bad fortune, they treated her more humanely than her own family. She even wished she could be a part of their family.

Enoch’s eyes were neatly folded between his disheveled black hair.

Unlike his cold and sharp impression, his gaze on her was like the sunshine of spring.

It was warm and soft.

‘I don’t want to be far away.’

They were the first people she wanted to be close to.

However, it was obvious that Marquis Leroy would not leave her alone when she wanted to spend time with them, and all she could do was sigh.

Eventually, she walked out into the hallway alone and saw a familiar face.

“Hello.”

It was Seos, the Godfather of Marquis Leroy.

Leticia immediately greeted him. However, Seos looked at Leticia with an unknown expression.

“Can I have a moment of your time?”

“Yes?”

“I’d like to talk to you.”

Somehow, his words scared her, but she couldn’t reject him. Eventually, Leticia followed Seios to the parlor.

“What would you like to talk about?”

As soon as she sat down, the maids served her hot tea and a sweet dessert. But that didn’t make her feel better.

Leticia, who was looking down with uneasiness, popped her head up. But Seos seemed to be watching her from the beginning, and their eyes met immediately.

Before she could react, Seos said in a calm voice.

“There is nothing to be nervous about. I just want to talk to you about your ability.”

“I see.”

“Have you experienced anything strange or strange happening around you?”

At Seos’s  words, Leticia touched her lips and searched her memory.

“I don’t think I have, sir.”

She had been thinking about it, but she couldn’t think of anything that she found strange or odd about it.

“I’m not sure.”

“Please feel free to talk to me about even the most trivial things.”

Seos said again, as if he thought there must be something. Reluctantly, Leticia went back a little deeper into her memory.

Then another thought occurred to her.

“I have no luck.”

“What?”

“Compared to my family, I don’t think I’ve had any good things that happened to me.”

Seos could not hide his disappointment, as he had expected something in those words.

There must be something. But there was no way to know what it was, and it was frustrating.

Leticia, who was watching Seos’s frustrated face, spoke carefully.

“I did my own research on my abilities, but I couldn’t find anything.”

She was more desperate than anyone else, because she believed that if only her ability could awaken, she could restore the relationship with her family and her fiancé.

She thought there was something wrong with her body that prevented her from awakening, so she visited a famous doctor and tried all kinds of folk remedies, but to no avail.

In the end, when Leticia bowed her head in disgrace, Seos said.

“There is no need for you to be awakened.”

“Huh?”

“Because you already have the ability.”

“Are you certain?”

Thump. Thump.

The beating of her heart thudded in her ears. Unbelievably, Leticia couldn’t even breathe.

“Then do you know what my ability is?”

Her hands were trembling with anticipation, so Leticia grabbed the hem of her dress tightly, trying to calm down.

But apparently Seos’ expression was gloomy.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know that well either.”

“….”

“But it’s an excellent ability. I assure you.”

Seos’ face was filled with sincerity. At once, Leticia smiled faintly.

“Thank you.”

She felt a little relieved to have someone assure her of having an ability even though it was unknown.

But she didn’t realize that someone was secretly listening outside.