Chapter 6

* * *

When she returned to the mansion, the one who greeted her was her younger brother, Ferdon, who was about to go up to the second floor.

With his shining golden hair and blue eyes, his face was so beautiful that it was hard to distinguish him from Abelia if he grew his hair.

"Big sister! Where did you go?"

"Ferdon."

The boy, who was about to go up the stairs, quickly ran down.

"Wow, it smells delicious."

True to his sensitive sense of smell, like an animal, Ferdon sniffed and quickly snatched what she was holding.

"Big sister, is it heavy? I'll carry it for you."

"You only act like a big sister when it's convenient. Go eat it with Abelia. She asked me to buy it on her way back."

"Yay! Thanks, big sister!"

Ferdon kissed her cheek and quickly took the paper bag and ran up the stairs.

Karina, without a word, sniffed the smell of the skewers on her clothes and slowly went up to the second floor.

'I should change my clothes.'

She was quite exhausted from moving around after a long time.

Struggling to keep her heavy eyelids open, she headed to her room, feeling extremely tired.

The moment she arrived, Karina locked the door and collapsed.

* * *

"…Lina!"

It's too bright… and too noisy.

"Karina Leopold!"

Karina, who had been deeply submerged in sleep, opened her eyes reflexively at the sound of her name, which seemed to boom.

Shaking off her drowsiness, she lifted her head and saw a familiar silhouette.

"…Father?"

Karina, still half-asleep and puzzled, sat up straight in bed.

Looking out the window, it wasn't morning yet.

'Is it just past evening?'

Karina, estimating the time roughly from the window, sighed inwardly and lifted her head.

"What brings you here?"

His expression was far too angry to be just coming to invite her to dinner. A sense of unease ran down her spine.

Behind her father, Lord Leopold, she saw Ferdon fidgeting.

Karina's mouth was tightly shut.

"Karina, did you buy street food for Abelia?"

"Yes, I went out for a bit and bought it on my way back."

"Ha… Karina!"

Lord Leopold raised his voice.

Karina's body shuddered reflexively. She tried to steady her trembling shoulders.

"You know Abelia's body isn't well. You should know better than to feed her just any food!"

"…"

Lord Leopold, rubbing his temples as if in pain, spoke sternly.

Karina's face hardened at his words.

She had thought he had come to her room for something important, but this was the most disappointing thing she could have imagined.

Karina's head throbbed as she struggled to think. It seemed Abelia had some kind of problem.

She knew she should apologize or ask if Abelia was okay, but her mind felt cold and numb.

'…I just bought it because she asked me to.'

"…Is something wrong with Abelia?"

"The food must have disagreed with her. She vomited everything and is now dehydrated. How can you be so thoughtless as a big sister!"

His angry voice echoed in her head.

Her body was tired, her mind was still half-asleep, and her strength was drained. Her stomach churned just as much as his.

"You're right, Father. You're an adult now, why are you so thoughtless?"

"It's… Abelia who…"

Her stomach churned at the accusing tone.

Being woken up forcefully and having a throbbing headache, she grabbed her forehead and opened her mouth to explain.

"Don't make excuses!"

Faced with the usual situation, Karina gave up on explaining. She remained silent.

"Father, Mother! Big sister just…"

"…So what?"

Karina, with a determined look in her eyes, lifted her head and cut off Ferdon's words.

She knew she had to endure. She knew she should just apologize and end it, as usual.

She knew she was worried about Abelia, who often fell ill, and that she was the only one to blame.

But why?

Why was she the only one to blame?

"…What?"

Karina's retort made Lord Leopold's eyes widen in surprise as he looked at her.

She knew it in her head, she knew it. She had made hundreds of vows, trying to understand.

'But how long do I have to endure?'

Until the year I die? She asked herself.

Who would understand her heart after she died? No one would.

Karina Leopold would remain a naive, kind, and frustratingly immature person for the rest of her life. The thought made her heart burn and her head cold.

"What did you just say?"

"I asked, 'So what should we do?'"

"How dare you be so disrespectful…!"

"I just bought skewers and juice for Abelia because she asked me to."

Karina spoke dryly with a completely expressionless face.

"And you should tell Abelia. She shouldn't eat such food if her body isn't well."

"How can you be so unaware of your own sister's condition?"

"I thought it was fine because Abelia asked me to buy it."

The more she spoke, the more wronged she felt. She didn't receive regular updates on Abelia's condition. She had no way of knowing what she could or couldn't eat.

Did the word 'death' give people such courage?

Karina felt the words she had always held back spill out effortlessly, and she inwardly sneered.

Lord Leopold, Ferdon, and the Lady's faces were filled with surprise.

Karina Leopold was always a kind and considerate child who smiled gently. She would apologize sincerely and admit her mistakes.

This was the first time they had seen her with such a cold expression.

'My head hurts.'

In fact, she was in pain too. Her head ached, and her stomach churned. She felt like burying her face in the toilet.

"Karina, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

Lord Leopold said in a stern tone,

"What do you mean by 'what's gotten into me'? I don't think I've violated any etiquette by expressing my opinion."

"You should have gotten the doctor's permission before bringing her such food."

What kind of food was he talking about? It was food that everyone ate, and she had even tried a bite herself when the vendor offered it.

"I tried it myself and thought it was fine. I'll be more careful next time, Father."

"…Really?"

"Yes."

"…Alright, I understand. Please be more careful."

Lord Leopold, though puzzled by Karina's behavior, nodded at her sincere response.

As he turned to leave, Lord Leopold paused and looked at Karina intently.

He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"…You know your sister has been unwell since birth, right? Karina."

"Yes."

"And you are healthy, aren't you? So please understand."

That health.

Was she the only one born healthy? Infrik and Ferdon were also perfectly healthy.

Why did being born healthy always feel like a sin, and why did they, always, only demand sacrifices from her?

Karina clenched the sheets until her knuckles turned white, then let go and dropped her head.

"Yes, I know."

Suppressing the surging emotions, she averted her gaze and answered indifferently.

The Lady stepped forward to defend Lord Leopold.

"Your father was just very worried when Abelia collapsed."

"Yes."

"Being born healthy is a blessing. Karina, are you hurt?"

A sneer threatened to escape, and Karina pressed her lips together.

What was there to be hurt about when she had no expectations? Karina's eyes met Ferdon's, who was fidgeting behind her.

But she ignored it.

Instead, she turned to Lord Leopold and the Lady, who were about to leave, and spoke.

"Is that all you have to say?"

"What?"

"Is that all you have to say?"

"…Yes?"

At Lord Leopold's puzzled response, a sneer formed and then vanished from Karina's lips.

"You know where my room is, Father and Mother."

"Of course we do."

The Lord frowned, as if wondering why she was asking such a thing.

"You haven't visited in years, so I thought you had forgotten."

At Karina's words, Lord Leopold's face hardened.