Chapter 07

Night.

Lorelia opened her eyes and briefly took in her surroundings.

The dark window came into view—

And beside it, surprisingly, stood her older brother.

Moonlight poured in through the window, illuminating Kabil’s platinum hair.

Every time he blinked, his long eyelashes fluttered beautifully.

The light around him was almost dazzling.

Kabil.

Lorelia silently mouthed his name.

Even without sound, it was enough to pull her back to reality.

“You’re awake.”

Kabil closed the book he had been reading with a soft thud and spoke.

His eyes were always curved in a gentle shape.

His red eyes gleamed.

Kabil was one of the people Lorelia disliked the most.

She always looked into people’s eyes.

Some would flinch, avoid her gaze, or tremble.

But Kabil—

No matter what he felt—

Always maintained the same expression.

Whether he was angry or pleased.

She hated that.

She could never tell what he was thinking.

Still, there was one thing she could understand.

“Did Mother send you?”

Kabil nodded leisurely.

…Damn it.

Lorelia swallowed the words she couldn’t say and slowly turned her head.

“Well, I said I’d come myself too. I had something to tell you.”

Even though he had the same blond hair as Hailan—

Kabil’s felt warm and radiant.

And that always made Lorelia weak.

She pushed herself upright.

Then Kabil immediately asked—

“Why do you keep going to the knights?”

“There’s someone I need.”

As expected… not a single word about my condition.

Her voice came out rough, perhaps from sleeping too long.

Touching her throat, Lorelia looked at him.

“It’s strange. You never even looked toward the training grounds before.”

For a brief moment, her gray eyes wavered—

Then steadied again.

“I guess I’ve changed. You too, Brother.”

“That’s exactly why I’m asking. Why did you change?”

There was something cold in his eyes.

For a moment, those eyes reminded her of the prison.

It was probably just her imagination—

But it was enough to shake her.

“I’m not a child anymore. I can’t keep being controlled by childish nightmares and ignore what I need to obtain.”

Kabil nodded slowly.

“Even so… you’re a disturbance.”

“…Why?”

She hadn’t meant to ask.

Normally, she would have accepted it.

Startled by her own reaction, she hesitated.

“Everyone in the knights despises you. You should know that better than anyone. And that will affect their performance.”

“What about Arhen?”

She spoke immediately after he finished.

Her gray eyes turned cold.

Whenever Arhen was mentioned, it was always like this.

Jealousy and resentment, long buried inside her, mixed together.

She knew the truth.

She and Arhen were different.

And they would always choose Arhen.

That would never change.

Which meant—

Lorelia would always be the one who got hurt.

“She’s different. No knight would dislike her.”

Lorelia lowered her gaze weakly.

Her eyes settled on the white blanket she was clutching tightly.

Watching her, Kabil continued—

“Isn’t it too late to start copying Arhen now? The more you try, the more ridiculous you’ll look. It just makes your jealousy obvious.”

“I understand, so please leave.”

“Arhen is someone who should only ever receive love. Don’t hurt her anymore. No matter how much you try to ruin her, she won’t break.”

Kabil kept speaking—

Each word cutting into her.

Even he knew, vaguely, that this wasn’t right.

She had collapsed from crying because of her siblings—

(That’s what Ferin had said, roughly covering for her.)

This wasn’t something he should be saying to her.

But he couldn’t stop.

He was anxious.

And as the eldest son, the only thing he could do—

Was blame the one he believed responsible.

“…Is that all you wanted to say?”

She lifted her head and asked.

Tears pooled in her eyes.

Still, she forced strength into them—

And lifted the corners of her trembling lips.

She didn’t want to cry.

She had to show that she had changed.

That she was no longer the weak person she used to be—

That she wouldn’t beg for their love anymore.

“You’re… a really terrible brother.”

Her lips formed a bright smile—

But her eyes were still filled with tears.

For once, her usually dull gray eyes were sharp—

And clearly blamed him.

For a moment—

Kabil couldn’t say anything.

Then, forgetting even the book he had been reading—

He quickly left the room.

“I need some fresh air…”

Lorelia covered her tearful face for a moment.

She couldn’t cry here.

If she showed weakness—

It would become a habit.

And she would become weak again.

No one must see me like this.

She held her breath tightly.

Then grabbed a shawl nearby.

“I can’t show weakness.”

***

The place she went to—

Was a rarely visited garden.

Since this was a “villain’s ducal house,” the garden was full of rumors—

Ghosts, curses, and other nonsense.

It was dark, with no bright flowers.

That was why Lorelia liked it.

There were reasons it hadn’t been closed off.

One was that the Duchess loved this garden.

Another—

That closing it would bring a curse.

Mother is sick, so she rarely comes here.

That was a relief.

No one would see her like this.

Covering her face with both hands, Lorelia took a deep breath.

Then she thought—

I need to leave this house.

This place only ever hurt her.

If she stayed—

Her wish to be loved even once would be destroyed.

So she needed a plan.

She bit her nail.

Running away blindly wouldn’t work.

She had no money.

No plan.

No mana.

She would be caught within a day.

If she wanted to escape properly—

“…Sigh.”

She ran a hand through her hair.

A vague plan wasn’t enough.

Damn it.

A dark feeling rose inside her—

Like a thick swamp pulling her down.

Her chest tightened.

It felt like she would never be able to escape.

Then—

Footsteps echoed in the quiet garden.

Lorelia held her breath.

Had she stayed too long?

Quickly, she composed a sharp expression.

As a villainous noble lady, chasing off servants would be easy.

“…Lady Shailen?”

But the moment she heard the voice—

That resolve shattered instantly.

It was Ferin.

Under the moonlight, his blue hair shimmered faintly.

Not a vivid blue—

But enough that anyone would notice.

“Sir Ferin.”

Lorelia blinked in surprise.

Why was he here?

“Ah… well…”

As he hesitated, she noticed something in his arms.

A small white puppy.

It looked only a few days old.

Her eyes widened.

“Is that your dog?”

“No… I found it collapsed in the estate. Its leg seems injured…”

“What?”

She immediately stepped closer.

Blood dotted its small leg.

Against its white fur, the red stood out vividly.

Yet it stayed conscious—

Watching her warily.

“It looks like it got caught in a magical trap. There’s been a trend lately among nobles trading dogs…”

“Do you have bandages?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then help me.”

She took a breath.

Seeing the tiny body trembling—

Made her chest ache.

A small light of purification flowed from her hand.

The surroundings brightened.

The blood on its fur disappeared.

The remaining mana in the wound vanished.

“The disinfection is done. Let’s bandage it and take it to a doctor.”

Seeing the puppy recover so quickly—

Ferin’s eyes shook.

“…What exactly is that ability?”

“Later. Let’s treat the puppy first.”

Lorelia avoided answering as she took the puppy.

It struggled energetically.

…Was that really “recovered”?

“Ah—wait!”

The puppy suddenly slipped out of her arms—

And ran off.

Before she could react—

It had already disappeared from sight.