Chapter 2

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“Lia, you look much better today. That’s a relief.”

“Hehe, it’s all thanks to the good herbs Mom and Dad bring me every day.”

“Ugh, I think what you eat looks too bitter.”

“Fel, Lia is weak, so she has to eat everything, even if it’s bitter.”

The conversation initiated by Lord Leopold, the father, ended with a scolding from the mother, passing over the twin youngest siblings.

Beside Lord Leopold, the heir and eldest son, Enfrick, sat and smiled faintly as he observed the series of events.

Enfrick Leopold, the eldest, is a highly skilled individual in both literary and martial arts. It was said that he was more than capable of becoming the head of the household immediately.

The two younger twin siblings are so adorable that they make everyone smile.

Karina also loved them.

Even though Karina wasn’t particularly affectionate, the children always smiled brightly at her.

However, she couldn’t help but feel jealous. It was an ironic feeling.

The Leopold family is a household of beautiful people. Karina thought this as she looked at the table where the vibrant blonde hair, beautiful red hair, and blue eyes coexisted.

‘...I used to wonder why only my hair was a dull brown.’

It was only later that she learned she had inherited the hair color from one of her grandparents, but there were times when she felt deeply saddened by it.

Karina put down her fork after picking up a few pieces of salad. Her stomach felt heavy, and she didn’t think she could eat any more.

She rinsed her mouth with the water in her glass and stood up.

“I’ve finished my meal, so I’ll go in first.”

“Go ahead.”

She heard her mother’s response.

Everyone was so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t pay much attention to Karina. Her mother also soon turned her gaze back to Abelia and Ferdon.

In her low presence, Karina bowed her head and naturally retreated.

As she walked down the corridor, rubbing her heavy chest, she felt something rising from within.

She took a deep breath, looked around, and walked with her shoulders straight, trying to look as if nothing was wrong.

She walked the familiar corridor without any guidance and headed straight to the second floor.

However, it was only for a moment. Before she could even reach the top of the stairs, the urge to vomit overcame her. Covering her mouth, Karina ran into the bathroom of her room nearby.

She leaned over the sink, making retching sounds, and vomited out the little food she had eaten.

She hurriedly flushed the toilet and stumbled to her bed, feeling drained.

‘I didn’t hear that it would get this bad so suddenly.’

Karina thought resentfully.

A few days ago, she had secretly left the mansion to see a renowned physician.

“Though it’s a bit embarrassing to say, I’m amazed that your organs are functioning at even half their capacity.”

“...Is it serious?”

“Yes, to be honest, it’s surprising that you can even walk. If you were originally healthy and this happened suddenly, we might suspect an ‘Artistic Disease.’”

“Artistic Disease...”

“There are people born with the talent to create ‘miracles,’ and among them, some require their life force to manifest their artistic talent.”

Even if she was a minor character living a life that didn’t attract much attention, it was still shocking to be thrown such a word about death.

She thought the world was unfair.

But there was nothing she could do about it.

“Don’t you also create miracles?”

“...Yes.”

“Your condition must have worsened each time you used your ability. Didn’t you have a health checkup? People with the blessing to create miracles are usually required to have regular checkups.”

“...”

“If only you had known earlier, it wouldn’t have gotten this bad.”

“Is that so.”

Karina nodded blankly at the piercing words.

She never thought that the miracles she created would consume her life force.

She quietly pressed her forehead.

It was mere stubbornness, not telling anyone about her ability.

When she first tried to speak, it was out of unnecessary pride and stubbornness because no one listened properly. Later, it was out of concern.

If she revealed her ability, her family would surely look at her differently.

But she couldn’t be sure if they would see the real her or just her ability.

So she kept it hidden, never expecting it to come back to her like this.

“You also have anemia, and you mentioned coughing up blood? And you often vomit the food you eat?”

“Yes.”

“It’s serious. Though it’s hard to say... with your condition, you have at most a year. Your body will weaken further as you can’t properly digest food, so a year is a generous estimate.”

The old physician in a white coat treated the common people in a shabby clinic for a meager fee.

But his diagnosis was not in doubt. His eyes were sharp and clear.

“I understand.”

“What, aren’t you going to ask if there’s a way to survive? I thought you would.”

“Is there a way to survive?”

“No, as far as I know, there isn’t yet.”

Karina simply nodded, placed two gold coins, and turned to leave.

The physician looked at the gold coins she left, sighed, and as she was about to leave, he said meaningfully,

“Still, there might be a way to extend your time. If you have the will, come back.”

Karina half-listened and half-ignored his words as she left the shabby clinic.

It was a bolt from the blue.

She had come to the physician, not the family doctor, because her condition had suddenly worsened.

‘No, the reason I didn’t go to the family doctor...’

It was more because she didn’t trust him than because she was worried about her family’s concern.

The physician in charge of the Leopold family’s health was a very young, highly skilled, and renowned doctor.

But from what she had observed, he often didn’t hesitate to lie when necessary.

And he doted on Abelia like a younger sister.

‘Maybe it’s just a thought, but if he thinks that my illness might shock Abelia...’

If he believed it would harm her, he might lie.

She felt a bit better after vomiting. Rubbing her chest, Karina sat by the window.

In the sunlight, her skin seemed even more translucent. A bird flying in the sky caught her eye, perching on a nearby tree.

“I wish I had wings.”

She wanted to fly in the sky as much as she wanted before she died.

She wanted to do what she wanted before she died. She shivered with the surging desire.

To be honest, Karina wasn’t unloved. Her parents always tried to be fair. But someone was sick, and someone was young and needed help. Inevitably, there were times when fairness couldn’t be maintained.

In that sense, the second child was in a very awkward position.

One of the Leopold family’s twins was often ill, and the other was mischievous and often got hurt.

She wasn’t the heir like her eldest brother, so the attention given to the second child, who handled things well on her own, was as small as a grain of sand.

After experiencing all this, Karina described it as “attention that is worse than none.”

It seemed as if the world revolved around the Leopold family. It was as if money was scattered on the path they walked.

But Karina’s path was filled with countless pebbles.

She loved the twins, but it was also true that she envied them.

They were born from the same womb and grew up in the same household, yet how could they be so different from her?

Continuously envying and hating someone made her feel very low.

The fact that they were siblings also made Karina feel deeply distressed.

“...Am I going to die?”

In fact, she had suspected it a little when she started coughing up blood.

“Should I just leave?”

In the mansion, Karina always had to force a smile.

She had to be the composed person who could handle anything and the one with a broad heart who could give up anything.

But she didn’t want to be that way even in the face of impending death.

She couldn’t even imagine what expression her family would have.

If they looked at her as a troublesome problem, she might never be able to get up again.

Karina had no intention of telling her family about her condition.

She didn’t have the strength to shout that she wanted to live. No one had come to her room for a long time. She said she could handle everything on her own, so no one paid attention to Karina.

‘If I leave, where to, and for what...?’

Sitting on the window frame and leaning her forehead against the window, Karina pondered.

At most, she had a year. Compared to the 20 years she had lived, it was a very short and fleeting time.

She had never revealed her existence between her eldest brother, who excelled at everything, and the adorable twins who received much affection.

She needed someone who would see her completely, whether they liked or disliked her.

“Is a noble lady a squid? If you don’t have the will, you shouldn’t have come. If you had refused, this matter would have been resolved.”

Suddenly, she remembered her first meeting with her fiancé.

The man’s face was so perfectly chiseled that it seemed almost inhuman.

With a frown, he sharply criticized her with a face that didn’t seem human.

‘Come to think of it, he didn’t refuse either.’

At the time, she couldn’t retort to his sharp words, but now, thinking about it, wasn’t that the case?

Her narrowed blue eyes reflected in the window.

Her skin looked paler than before.

Her anemia had worsened, but fortunately, she didn’t have to move much, so she could live a normal life.

“Should I go to the north?”

On her own, with nothing.

By her own will.

Her stubbornly closed lips slowly parted.

“Let’s go.”

Her contemplation was brief, and her decision was quick. She decided to go to the north alone.