CH 2

Chapter 2

It wasn’t until Radis was alone that she wrinkled her brows and groaned painfully.

“Ugh…”

When she forced herself to sit up, she saw the bandages that the maid wrapped over her body. Blood was already spreading over the newly wrapped bandages and the thinly spread medicine.

The person known as Davis, the eldest son of the Tilrod family, who now no longer needed to disguise herself as a knight of Willingham, opened her pale lips.

“It hurts…”

It hurt.

It really, really did.

The maid did her best to treat her wounds, but it was only a temporary solution.

Her body was already beyond salvation, with older wounds mixed in with the fatal injuries she received during the demon subjugation.

‘It was a failure this time. I shouldn’t have gone. It was a trap.’

Radis’ troops battled the demons for three days and three nights just to survive. She was able to come back alive like this, but many of her comrades lost their lives.

Those who were left alive were fatally wounded just like her.

Injuries such as these would have still been manageable, but the problem was the demonic energy that seeped through the air and into their bodies when the powerful demons were vanquished.

That’s why she realized this.

‘I was foolish to fall for such a trap.’

Laying on her bed, a mess, Radis laughed self-deprecatingly.

But strangely enough, it didn’t occur to her that this was all unfair.

Because her whole life was one long thorny path.

One step would be empty, another step would be a fiery pit.

She couldn’t imagine a straightforward, easy path.

All her life, she lived always struggling to navigate through those traps, tearing her body and mind apart countless times, but now that she had finally fallen into one, she was angry.

But most of all, she was exhausted.

”Cough, cough!”

She couldn’t even lift a hand to cover her mouth.

Radis coughed, her body spasming as if she was a fish out of water. It felt like her lungs were tearing apart.

Then, she could feel something trickling out of her mouth. She must have vomited blood.

The door opened again.

“Now, your favorite rabbit soup…”

Margaret, holding the plate, freaked out at the sight of the blood-soaked Radis.

“Oh, oh my god! Someone come! Maggie, Maggie— wipe it off!”

The old maid, who had gone to the laundry area, returned once more at Margaret’s scream.

The maid wiped Radis’ face carefully with a sad face. After Maggie went out, Margaret placed the bowl of soup on the table next to Radis.

“Eat this and get some rest. You’ll be better after you sleep.”

Margaret still couldn’t bring herself to look into Radis’ eyes.

Radis, who looked at Margaret quietly, took her bloody coat jacket from the ground and pulled something out.

In an instant, the room was filled with a radiant light of five colors.

“W-what?!”

Margaret took a step back, her frightened face looking as if she would faint any second.

“H-hey, what—!”

What Radis pulled out was a jewel the size of a fist that radiated five colors.

“This is a mana stone that I brought back from the last expedition.”

Margaret’s eyes widened at the word ‘mana stone.’

Mana stones were sometimes priced higher than diamonds of the same size, depending on the quality of the magic it contained in it.

This mana stone was shining so extraordinarily, with a brilliance that even the naked eye could see.

Besides, look at the size of it!

“No, this… Just how much is this? You did a great job!”

Radis replied to the excited Margaret.

“I was told there was a priest who fell from grace and was expelled from the temple. They’re trying to cover it up with money. If it’s this, you can call that priest in secret.”

The weight of the stone left Radis’ hand as it was handed over to Margaret, and the older woman’s jaw immediately dropped.

Her mouth was watering.

Margaret walked out of the room without saying a word, as if hypnotized by the brilliance of the mana stone.

Radis lay in bed and looked out the window to see the sky.

‘It’s alright. I’ll get better after the priest’s purification.’

There were lots of thoughts swirling through Radis’ mind, but one thought in particular consumed her.

That… once she woke up from her slumber, she would still be alone.

…She just let the sad thoughts wash away.

* * *

A few days later.

“Mother, what about the priest?”

“I’ve sent a messenger to the temple. He’ll be here soon.”

Another few days passed.

“Mother… Is the priest here yet?”

“Didn’t I just say I already sent someone?!”

Margaret clicked her tongue.

“Did you hear a false rumor? Maybe the priest you’re talking about isn’t there.”

Now, Radis didn’t even have the strength to sit up anymore.

Lying on a small bed that barely fit her body, Radis looked up at Margaret, who squirmed defensively, folding her arms to cover her chest as she tried to control her expression.

And Radis realized that the priest would not come.

Radis opened her lips to say something, but she closed her mouth without saying a word.

Her throat was tight with all sorts of emotions that she couldn’t speak properly.

After a while, she could barely string together a few words.

“Why… are you doing this to me?”

Looking at her nails, Margaret said nonchalantly.

“What? Did I do something?”

A single drop of tear flowed down Radis’ cheek, which was already such a dark shade of purple that it was almost black.

“Did I… do something wrong?”

“…”

“Are you doing this because I’m bad? Was I… a bad daughter?”

Margaret turned away, her arms still folded, and looked at the dilapidated wall.

The silence that stretched between them consisted of Radis waiting for Margaret’s reply, and Margaret reflecting on what Radis had said, as if she was thinking about all this for the first time.

Radis was a daughter that Margaret didn’t want since the beginning, so she never liked her. Not once did Margaret ever feel any affection for Radis.

Maybe it was because she was a cold mother?

Who knows.

Margaret loved her eldest son, David, very much.

For David’s sake, she could even give up her life.

She also loved her daughter, Yurhi.

She could give the world to Yurhi.

So, Margaret was sure that she wasn’t a bad mother.

What about Radis? To Margaret, she was just an annoyance. For some reason, she didn’t like her.

But was it because she was a bad daughter?

“Oh, I don’t know.”

It was all too annoying just thinking about it.

“What else? You deserve it!”

At Margaret’s words, Radis’ soul was shattered.

Just like that.

To her parents, that was all they felt about Radis.

That she deserved it.

They didn’t even feel guilty whenever they used her as an emotional trash can where they rolled and poured out all their frustrations to. Until the very end, they didn’t feel guilty at all.

Not precious, not someone to be proud of, not even lovely.

It’s not that Radis didn’t know this.

She was aware of it.

But she still tried.

With all her might, she tried everything she could to become a true part of her family, to the point that she didn’t care how her flesh would melt, how her bones would break.

That’s why now, she was broken.

Radis spoke.

“Father…? Where’s father…?”

Her father, Jade Tilrod, always looked away from her.

Maybe, if he saw her in this pitiful state, he’d be a little sad. Her father might try to help her if he saw her now.

But her mournful call seemed to have triggered Margaret’s anger more.

“I don’t know where he is!”

Margaret shouted in a loud voice.

But contrary to her words, she knew exactly where he was.

Jade was with his mistress, Flora.

As if they were just playing house, Jade and Flora had a small abode with their two bastard children.

Just the thought of it made Margaret feel like she was going crazy.

Frustrated, Margaret began to sneer, completely forgetting Radis’ serious condition.

“Come to think of it, your name comes from ‘Gladiolus,’ right?”

Even as she was suffocating with despair, Radis continued to listen to her mother.

“Did you know that the gladiolus flower is usually dedicated to a virgin’s grave? Your fate has been tied to that name since you were born, so don’t blame me.”

Margaret spoke coldly, lifting a bowl of soup that had not been touched.

“Take a good rest. You might get well that way.”

The door was shut behind her.

Radis looked up at the ceiling blankly.

She believed that happiness would come to her someday if she continued to endure it all.

But she believed that even though Margaret was a heartless mother, because she needed Radis, she might come to like her even just a little bit.

A little… just a little… Radis thought Margaret would come to love her.

And as she continued to support her family, she believed that her father would one day look at her.

She thought that if she just kept enduring, just kept sacrificing, she would be able to hear a thank you from her younger siblings someday.

Alone on her bed, Radis coughed up blood.

Her mouth was burning.

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Even if she couldn’t see herself, she could feel the black crystals mixed with her blood.

“Just once… Mother… Father… I wanted to feel the warmth of your embrace…”

The sensation in her hands and feet slowly disappeared.

“I wanted you… to be proud of me…”

But it was a dream that would never come true.