#24. Preparation (1)
Pavel continued his explanation.
“I can hear what people are thinking inside, what emotions they’re feeling—things like that. I can hear it all.”
After speaking, he lowered his gaze like someone awaiting judgment.
He was afraid of Sasha’s reaction. If she treated him like a monster, he didn’t think he could handle it.
‘…I shouldn’t have said anything.’
He regretted speaking. He should’ve just stayed quiet. Why had he opened up?
Sasha stared at him silently.
To nervous Pavel, her lack of reaction felt ominous.
Cold sweat dripped from his clenched fists. The longer her silence stretched, the more anxious he grew.
But then—
“How does it work? Do you just hear people’s thoughts without doing anything?”
Sasha asked in a calm, unaffected voice. There was no fear or suspicion in her tone.
Pavel hesitated, then answered,
“No. I have to make contact—skin contact. That’s when I can hear them.”
Sasha asked again.
“Only people? You said you liked animals because they don’t think bad things—so you can hear animals too?”
“…Yeah. If I can touch it, I can hear it.”
“I see.”
It was a story hard to believe in a world where magic was rare.
Others might dismiss it as a mad child’s delusion—say Pavel Volkov had lost his mind, corrupted by illness.
But Sasha had experienced enough strange things herself.
More importantly, she knew Pavel wasn’t the type to lie.
So she listened seriously.
This sincerity caught Pavel off guard.
She didn’t recoil or mock him. She didn’t brush it off with a joke.
Startled by her unexpected reaction, he asked:
“You believe me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Sasha looked at his confused expression and replied firmly:
“Because it’s you.”
“Because you said it, I believe it.”
Pavel still looked uncertain, like he couldn’t believe she meant that.
Seeing his unease, Sasha reached out.
Flinch.
When her fingers touched his skin, he shuddered.
Slowly, she intertwined her fingers with his and held his hand tightly.
“Okay. Now…”
She was going to speak, but then she changed her mind.
[Well?]
Sasha spoke to him in her thoughts.
[Can you hear me now?]
Pavel stared at her in a daze, still silent.
She scrunched her nose playfully.
[No? But I’m holding on just right…]
Then Pavel finally answered softly.
“I hear you.”
Sasha’s face lit up.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but instead shut her eyes tightly and focused.
[Then… can you feel it? That I believe in you? I’m not pretending—I truly, completely believe you.]
[So if there’s anything you want to say, you can. It’s okay. Whatever it is, do what you want. Okay?]
Pavel stared at her.
From her tightly held hand flowed everything—like a current into him.
Her immense trust. Her affection. Her sincere concern that he might retreat again.
Feeling all that, Pavel finally spoke:
“…As long as I touch someone, I hear them. Even if I don’t want to. It forces its way in—pounding into my head. It’s a horrible power.”
“Humans are all the same. Outwardly polite, but inside—it’s just filth.”
“There’s not a single decent one. Not one!”
His voice cracked as memories overwhelmed him.
But Sasha’s feelings, flowing through their joined hands, calmed him quickly.
“…That’s why. I just didn’t want to hear it anymore. So I avoided contact. It became a habit.”
His voice trembled as he recalled the past.
“Even when I pushed you away… it was just because of that.”
It wasn’t that he hated Sasha or did it intentionally. It was just a reflex from years of coping.
Sasha, who had listened quietly, looked down at their joined hands.
His hands were trembling visibly.
This boy who always acted so fearless—now shaking like a leaf.
She could sense how important this confession was to him.
“I can’t take this lightly.”
Choosing her words carefully, Sasha finally spoke:
“You really are a special kid.”
When she was young and bullied for being different, her parents used to hug her and say over and over:
“You’re a truly special child.”
Recalling that tender warmth, her heart swelled.
Drawing from that feeling, Sasha said:
“Even without your ability, you were always special to me.”
When Pavel looked confused, she smiled teasingly.
“Because you’re my husband.”
She continued gently:
“Do you remember what I said at the wedding? We swore to cherish and love each other before God. We’re family now. That’s why I asked you to respect me.”
Pavel turned his eyes away, embarrassed by the reminder.
Seeing that, Sasha laughed quietly.
“You’re my family. The closest person to me in the world. Of course you’re special.”
She lifted his chin gently and looked into his eyes.
“Everything about you is special to me. Your pretty eyes. The way you grumble but still care. Your determination. The way you eat broccoli even though you hate it.”
All these tiny, ordinary things. Could they really be special?
Pavel looked at her like he couldn’t believe it.
But Sasha didn’t flinch. Her golden eyes met his steadily.
“Whether others find it normal or weird—I don’t care. It’s just part of who you are. So…”
“Thank you, Pavel. For telling me. For letting me learn something new about you.”
She squeezed his hand gently.
She hoped her sincerity would reach him.
And it did.
Pavel bit his lip and stared down at their hands.
Trying to hide his emotions, he muttered,
“…No need to thank me.”
Sasha quickly replied,
“You shared something you’ve hidden from everyone—just with me. That means you trust me. So I’m thankful.”
Pavel didn’t reply.
Sasha stayed quiet too.
The atmosphere between them turned soft and intimate.
Eventually, Sasha cleared her throat.
“I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“About what?”
She shook their linked hands lightly.
“Touching you without warning. I won’t do that anymore.”
Pavel raised a brow.
“Why not?”
“Well… You said when people touch you, you hear their thoughts. I might be noisy. Or it might bother you—”
“It’s fine.”
“Huh?”
“I said it’s fine.”
He turned his head quickly, scowling in embarrassment.
Sasha looked at him.
Then she repeated his words.
“You said you hated hearing people’s thoughts. Because they’re disgusting—”
“Not yours.”
Pavel cut her off again.
Sasha never lied. Her actions always matched her words.
That’s why he didn’t feel bad when she touched him.
“You’re okay. So just act how you always do.”
It was more moving than when a stray cat finally came close.
Sasha beamed.
“Okay.”
Her smile radiated like sunshine, so warm and dazzling it made his chest ache.
Pavel looked away.
Meanwhile…
One bitterly cold day in early winter, Sasha noticed something strange at the main estate.
Even from the annex, the commotion was impossible to miss.
“What’s going on?”
The main house hadn’t been this noisy since their wedding.
“Is there a big event?”
What kind of event would cause such a stir?
“Hmm… I’m curious.”
Deciding to investigate, Sasha turned to her special ability—something she’d secretly developed to protect herself and Pavel after uncovering Count Tula’s schemes.
“Are you nearby, my friends?”
Her soft voice carried a mysterious magic.
And then—
Shhh—
White wisps of light fluttered toward her and transformed into dozens of tiny winged creatures.
They looked like fairies, with wings the size of their bodies.
「Here we are!」
Their clear, childlike voices answered.
They were elemental spirits.
