Chapter 2

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

“Hehe, it’s all thanks to Mom and Dad bringing me good medicine every day.”

“Ugh, but the stuff you drink looks so bitter…”

“Fer, you know Lia has a weak body. She has to drink it all, no matter how bitter it is.”

The conversation, started by Count Leopold, quickly passed through the youngest twin siblings and ended with their mother’s gentle scolding.

Seated right beside Count Leopold was the heir of the family, the eldest son, Enrich, who watched the scene unfold with a faint smile.

Enrich Leopold was an exceptional talent, be it intellectually or combat. Everyone believed he was more than capable to take over the county at any moment.

As for the twin siblings, they were so adorable that they brought smiles to everyone’s faces.

Karina loved them. She really did.

Even though she had never been the warmest older sister, the twins always greeted her with bright smiles.

Yet, at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy. It was ironic.

The Leopold family was full of strikingly beautiful people. As Karina looked around the dining table, where golden blonde, fiery red hair, and deep blue eyes coexisted, she couldn't help but think about it.

Back then, I used to wonder why I was the only one with dull brown hair.

It wasn’t until later that she learned she had inherited her hair color from one of her grandparents, but there had been a time when it felt unfair.

She picked at her salad, taking a few bites before setting her fork down.

Her stomach felt unsettled, and she didn’t think she could eat any more.

She rinsed her mouth with the water in her glass before rising from her seat.

"I'm finished with my meal, so I'll head in first."

"Go ahead," her mother responded.

No one else paid much attention to her. They were all engaged in conversation, and even her mother quickly turned her attention back to Abelia and Ferdinand.

In that familiar sense of insignificance, Karina instinctively lowered her head and quietly withdrew.

As she walked down the corridor, pressing her palm against her uneasy chest, a wave of nausea suddenly surged from within.

She took a deep breath, glancing around to maintain a composed expression before straightening her posture and continuing her steps.

She walked through the well-known hallways without guidance, making her way directly to the second floor.

But it didn’t last long. Before she could even reach the top of the stairs, nausea overtook her.

Covering her mouth, Karina rushed into the bathroom of her room just in time.

She buried her face in her hands, retching violently as she emptied the little food she had managed to eat earlier.

She barely chewed before forcing it down, and now, she hastily flushed away the remnants. Stumbling, she made her way to the bed and sat down, utterly drained.

They never said it would get worse this quickly.

Karina thought bitterly.

A few days ago, she had secretly slipped out of the estate to visit a renowned physician.

"I hate to say this, but I'm honestly surprised your organs are even functioning at half capacity."

"…Is it serious?"

"Very. Frankly, it's a miracle you're still walking. If you were perfectly healthy before and this decline was sudden, I’d suspect something called Art Disease.”

"Art Disease?"

She murmured the unfamiliar term, her expression unreadable.

"There are those born with exceptional artistic talent capable of creating 'miracles.' Among them, some require their own life force as a condition to manifest their art."

Even as a mere supporting character in life, how could the world be so cruel as to suddenly throw the word ‘death’ at her like this?

Karina thought it was unfair.

But what could she do?

"You create miracles too, don't you?"

"…Yes."

"Your health must have deteriorated every time you used your ability. Have you never undergone a medical examination? Typically, those blessed with miraculous abilities are required to get regular check-ups."

"…"

"If you had known earlier, it wouldn’t have come to this."

"Is that so?"

Karina numbly nodded at the physician’s pointed words.

She had never considered that the miracles she created were consuming her own life force.

Quietly, she pressed a hand to her forehead.

She had refused to reveal her ability out of sheer pride when no one had taken her seriously the first time she tried. And later… Later, she had only worried about what would happen if they knew.

If she revealed her ability, her family would surely start paying attention to her.

But would they be looking at her or merely at her power?

She could never be sure.

So she had hidden it.

She never expected it to come back to her like this.

"You have anemia and have been coughing up blood, you said? And you often vomit because you can’t properly digest food?"

"Yes."

"It’s serious. I hesitate to say this, but… at this rate, you have at most a year left. And that’s being generous. If you can’t even keep food down, your body will only grow weaker."

The old physician, dressed in a simple white coat, was running a humble clinic, treating commoners for little pay.

But Karina had no doubts about his diagnosis. His gaze was sharp, his judgment unwavering.

"I understand."

"What, you’re not even going to ask if there’s a way to survive? I thought that’d be the first thing you’d say."

"Is there one?"

"No. As far as I know, not yet."

At the physician’s words, Karina merely nodded, placed two gold coins on the table, and turned to leave.

The physician stared at the coins for a moment before sighing. As she walked away, he called out one last remark, his voice laced with meaning.

"Still… there may be a way to extend your time. If you ever feel like it, come back."

But Karina barely registered his words as she stepped out of the shabby clinic.

***

Her health had been deteriorating so rapidly that she had come to an independent physician instead of the family’s doctor, just in case.

No… the real reason I didn’t go to the family physician…

It wasn’t because she was worried about her family being concerned.

It was because she didn’t trust him.

The physician in charge of the Leopold household’s health was young, skilled, and highly regarded.

But from what Karina had observed, he had no qualms about lying when it suited him.

And he cherished Abelia like his own sister.

Maybe I’m overthinking it… but if he thought Abelia would be devastated by my illness…

If he decided it would harm her, he would probably lie.

After vomiting, her stomach felt slightly more settled. Rubbing her chest, Karina perched herself by the window.

Under the sunlight, her skin appeared even more translucent. Her gaze followed a bird soaring through the sky, fluttering before landing gracefully on a tree.

If only I had wings.

If she was going to die, she at least wanted to fly as much as she pleased before then.

She wanted to do what she desired before the end. A shiver ran down her spine at the sheer intensity of her yearning.

Truthfully, Karina had not been completely unloved.

Her parents had always tried to be fair. But fairness was difficult when one child was sick and another was too young to stand on their own.

In such moments, true equality became impossible.

In that sense, being the second-born was painfully ambiguous.

Among the Leopold twins, one was frequently ill. The other was a reckless troublemaker, constantly returning home with new scrapes and bruises.

And Karina, unlike her eldest brother, was not an heir.

So, as the middle child who managed on her own, the attention she received was as insignificant as grains of sand.

After experiencing it all firsthand, Karina decided to call it “attention not even worth having.”

The world seemed to revolve around the Leopold family. Wherever they went, it was as if coins, someone had carelessly dropped, would always end up in their path.

But in Karina’s path, there were only endless stumbling stones.

She truly loved the twins. Really. 

Yet, she couldn’t deny the jealousy simmering inside her.

They were born from the same womb, raised in the same household, so how was it that she bore not even the slightest resemblance to them?

After spending so long envying and resenting others, she could no longer see herself as anything but pathetic.

The fact that they were her own siblings only made it harder to bear.

So, I’m really going to die.

Actually, she had already suspected it, just a little, ever since she first coughed up blood.

Should I just leave?

As long as she remained in this mansion, she would always have to force a smile.

She had always been expected to be a resilient person who could handle everything alone, someone with a generous heart who could yield in any situation.

But she didn’t want to be that person anymore, not when death was looming right before her.

She couldn't even imagine what kind of expressions her family would make.

If they were to look at her with the same gaze they reserved for troublesome burdens, she felt she would never be able to rise again.

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

She didn’t even have the strength to scream that she wanted to live.

No one had visited her room for a long time. She had always said she could manage on her own, so they simply let her be.

No one paid attention to Karina.

If I leave… Where would I go? And for what?

Perched on the windowsill, she leaned her forehead against the cool glass, lost in thought.

One year at most.

Compared to the twenty years she had already lived, it was such a fleeting, insignificant amount of time.

She had always been overshadowed by her eldest brother, who excelled at everything, and her younger twin, who was adored for their charm and playfulness.

Between the two, she had never truly made her presence known.

What she needed was someone who would see her, whether they loved her or hated her, she just wanted to be seen.

"Are you some kind of squid, Lady? Swaying this way and that, doing whatever you're told. If you had no will of your own, you shouldn't have come. If you'd refused, this whole matter would have been dismissed."

Suddenly, she recalled her first meeting with her fiancé.

His face had been so flawlessly sculpted that it felt like a divine being had been excessive in bestowing beauty upon him.

With an expression of disdain creasing his inhumanly perfect features, he had sharply reprimanded her.

If you think about it, he didn't refuse either.

Back then, she had been too overwhelmed to respond to his rapid-fire criticism, but in hindsight, wasn’t he just as complicit?

Her narrowed blue eyes reflected in the window.

Even to her own eyes, her complexion had grown paler than before.

Her anemia had worsened.

Fortunately, she hadn’t needed to move around much, which had allowed her to maintain a semblance of normalcy.

Should I go to the North?

With nothing but her own two feet.

Moving forward on her own.

Her lips, which had been firmly pressed together in stubborn silence, slowly parted.

Let’s go.

The hesitation was brief, and the decision even shorter.

She had made up her mind. She would go to the North, alone.

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