Chapter 2
For a moment, it felt as though cold water had been poured over my head. His purple gaze carefully scanned our pale faces, one by one, and then it stopped at Lethias's wide-open eyes.
"First of all, I asked them to take all the necessary measures, so we'll have to wait and see, but I think you should prepare yourself mentally, just in case."
What on earth is he saying with such a serious tone? Hey, male lead, what are you talking about? Prepare ourselves mentally! Our Estelle just has pneumonia!
Yet, in some ways, it might have been an inevitable outcome.
Estelle has always been frail. Besides, given our confined life in that cramped and poorly ventilated space, along with her prolonged illness in such a poor environment and a nutritionally deficient diet, this situation was likely to happen.
Perhaps unconsciously, I might have sensed it already. I might have been trying hard to deny it, frequently reassuring myself that it was just a symptom of a cold. Still, even so...
... No, Estelle will survive. She didn't die in there; she came out alive.
She went out a few months earlier than in the original timeline. This time, too, there will surely be different variables. Everything will be different from the original...
"And Lethias, you should seek treatment immediately. It could be a big problem if the infection has already spread."
Looking at Lethias' eyes, which had already changed so much from the original, I knew there was no rule saying Estelle couldn't survive.
Yes, Estelle will survive it. My milk sister will undoubtedly survive...
After Lethias and the prince left, the two of us sat in silence by Estelle's side. Neither Benya nor I had the courage to say it, but we were already imagining the worst scenarios in our minds.
Benya's hand held mine tightly as I struggled to hold back the tears.
It was at that moment that Estelle, who had been sleeping heavily as if lifeless, looked our way with an impatient cough.
Her beautiful sky-blue eyes, veiled with a dreamlike haze, locked onto her older brother and young nanny.
"Where are we?"
"We're in the imperial palace."
Since I couldn't speak, Benya answered instead. His voice sounded rough as if he had exerted effort to speak.
"The imperial palace...?"
"Yes."
"Did the prince come to rescue us?"
That was the story of Rapunzel. They lived happily ever after, just like that. A tale I had narrated countless times in that tower.
Estelle turned her gaze away from Benya, who remained silent and looked at me. A wide smile spread across her pale face as if something magical had occurred.
"Sasha, sing me a lullaby. I'll fall asleep quickly and get well soon."
There is a saying that sleeping is the best medicine, and it was true for us while we were trapped inside the bell tower.
Whenever we sleep, there was no pain, no boredom, and time didn't drag on like an eternity.
I held Estelle's hand tightly, trying to dispel the ominous thoughts clinging to me. I sang her favorite lullaby, almost like a prayer rather than a simple song.
Mommy... The mother I miss, the Duke and Madame... Please save Estelle.
She barely escaped from that terrible life, so I beg you to let her experience only happiness and live a life filled with goodness. Grant her a long and happy life, like the main character in a fairy tale.
Is it impossible to change a predetermined fate?
Unfortunately, we are not the protagonists of a fairy tale and the hope we held onto as a possibility turned into dark afterimages, like the soot left behind by a once warm stove.
Estelle passed away suddenly, exactly two days after our escape from the bell tower.
Fifteen days before her 14th birthday, she left so peacefully, as if she were merely sleeping, and it was hard to believe that she had been suffering from painful coughing.
Lethias lost one eye permanently.
Despite the best medical care, they couldn't restore his already damaged eye. As an aristocrat, he will have to live with the most challenging handicap β physical disability.
* * *
On a seemingly ordinary spring day, with a colorful rainbow adorning the clear sky after the rain, Estelle was buried beside her parents' graves.
The official cause of death was pneumonia, but the truth was that she was murdered.
After Estelle's passing, I was in a daze for a while. Perhaps I wanted to deny reality, but I experienced hallucinations and lost touch with reality.
One night, Benya found me wandering and humming a lullaby. I learned later that they were terrified, fearing I might try to follow Estelle.
No matter how much I tried to deny it, I eventually had to accept the fact that Estelle was gone, and I would never see my milk sister, my sweet little girl, again.
Moreover, the people responsible for her death would not face any consequences.
It was the emperor's order.
If it became public knowledge that the Serpente siblings and their young nanny had been imprisoned together for nearly two years, it would have caused a massive scandal, and the decision was made to protect Serpente's reputation and prevent similar crimes from spreading.
In the long run, it would not have been favorable for us if the truth came out. As the royal family restored us to our original position, we owed them a significant debt.
Both Lethias and Benya readily agreed to the plan, making it seem as if they had returned from studying abroad.
Their relatives who had treated us so cruelly would simply withdraw and go back to the province as if nothing had happened.
Only a few people knew the truth β us, the Emperor and the Crown Prince, the collaborators in the Serpente incident, and the Python Knight Commanders who came to rescue us that day.
The substitutes, who posed as us, were executed long ago, and it seemed absurd to me when there were people who truly deserved to be punished.
As spring drew to an end, with the warm, blue sky deepening and the season of festivities approaching, I boarded a ship leaving the Empire at Valencia Harbor.
Its destination was Vibrato. As I had once confessed while lying beside Benya on the dark and musty library floor, I was heading to school for the first time in my life.
The International Academy, funded by the Python Foundation, was open to anyone with enough money, regardless of their social status.
"You ended up going to study abroad. It's ironic that you're the only one leaving."
Lethias became the Duke at the age of 17 without any countermeasures, and he became extremely busy, so only Benya came to see me off.
His silver-gray hair, which had once grown haphazardly, was now neatly groomed, and his grown body was clad in new clothes that fit him perfectly.
It was an image of a perfect young master that made the memories of the bell tower seem unbelievable.
"How do you feel?"
"... Honestly, I don't know. I'm just nervous. I wonder if I can handle it."
"You said it was your wish. Remember? Since your wish has come true, enjoy it to the fullest. Don't entertain negative thoughts."
His voice was low and gentle. His pale eyes, akin to the cold winter sky, carefully examined my hair, face, newly tailored velvet dress, and satin shoes, as if trying to memorize my current appearance.
"And you. Don't entertain negative thoughts either. Eat plenty of delicious food and study hard. I have no intention of serving a young master who is less intelligent than me."
As I responded playfully, he smiled β a mischievous and ruthless smile, just like the one he had when we were children.
"Oh, right. I'll have to work hard not to become an obnoxious aristocrat who relies on the intelligent elite to handle everything for me. Hyung seems to be staying that way."
"Oppa doesn't really seem to have time for sleep. Won't he be dying from overwork while I'm gone?"
"If he does, then I'm fine with that. Because I will inherit the title."
A sea breeze brushed through our hair. It was time for me to board the boat, but my feet hesitated to move. Passersby glanced at us with curious eyes as we stared at each other.
"Benya."
I cautiously spoke up, tightening my grip on my suitcase with both hands. I thought my tears had already dried up, but my voice trembled as if I were about to burst into tears.
"We can meet again, right...?"
It was such a foolish question to ask, and I felt foolish for even saying it. But to my question, Benya responded with a smile. His rough, gloved hand gently brushed my disheveled bangs.
"This is for the best. It's too dangerous for you to be here, and I'm not capable of protecting anyone yet... We're parting ways for a while until then. To make your wish come true."
As a commoner girl holding the deadly secret of the Serpente family, I had plenty of reasons for them to want to get rid of me, "them" being either from the imperial family or the collateral family's side.
And Lethias and Benya were still young. He was young, and his precious time of nearly two years was tragically taken away.
Not to mention, there were no adults we could trust and rely on.
We were all in the same situation, unable to trust anyone anymore, and establishing himself in an aristocratic society filled with all kinds of otherworldly stories wouldn't be easy.
Even so, I could leave with confidence, knowing that he would survive, grow stronger than anyone else, and become a cunning and skilled adult, like a poisonous snake.
Amidst the cackling of seagulls, the powerful whistle of the boat echoed. It was time for me to leave.
"I will write you a letter. Take care."
"Watch out for seasickness."
With those parting words, I hesitated for a moment before finally turning around and rushing up the stairs leading to the ship, tightly holding my suitcase.
The crowd was massive, as it was a super-large passenger ship.
This somehow reminded me of a movie I saw in my previous life. The Titanic or something...
My room was in first class, the exclusive domain of the nobility.
In the past, thanks to Estelle, when we all went to Vibrato together, I stayed in a third-class room with my mother. Should I consider this a success?
"Welcome aboard the Viento, Lady. I will take care of your luggage."
"Thank you."
After handing my suitcase to the sailor, who seemed a bit gloomy, I glanced back at the port one last time before heading to the first-class room. Benya was still standing there, looking up in my direction.
I smiled widely for the last time and waved my hand. He waved back.
That was the last time we saw each other until seven years later.
πΌππ π π ππ ππ¦ππ π:
πππ βπ π‘ππππ€π€ βπππππ π¨
α΄/Ι΄: α΄Κα΄ Ι΄α΄xα΄ α΄α΄α΄ α΄α΄α΄ α΄‘α΄α΄Κα΄ Κα΄ ΙͺΙ΄ α΄α΄Ι’α΄κ±α΄ 6,
α΄α΄α΄’ Ιͺ'α΄ Κα΄α΄ ΙͺΙ΄Ι’ α΄ κ±Κα΄Κα΄ ΚΚα΄α΄α΄. Ιͺα΄'κ± α΄Κ ΚΙͺΚα΄Κα΄ α΄Κ, Κα΄Κα΄.
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