episode_0090

“Get out.”

It was the first voice she uttered.

Yet, it was an infinitely cold sound, considering it was directed at her family.

Charlotte’s lips faltered.

“……Elize.”

“I said get out. I don’t want to see your disgusting face.”

“But.”

“Can’t you hear me? All of you, get lost.”

“……”

The harsh words struck cruelly.

Her blue eyes wavered.

Though she seemed to shrink from the fierce reaction, it wasn’t long before Charlotte clenched her fists.

It was a firm resolve that she could not give in this time.

“You need to receive treatment. An opportunity like this won’t come again.”

“What does that have to do with you?”

“Because I’m your older sister.”

“Ha… What nonsense.”

Rose let out a hollow laugh.

Her slender fingers picked something up, then hurled it directly at the girl in front of her.

It was an empty vase sitting on the desk beside the bed.

Crash!

It narrowly missed Charlotte, then fell to the floor, shattering into pieces.

The shards of glass scattered at her feet were particularly eerie.

“……”

The violent action ultimately silenced her older sister.

The younger sister, enveloped in a chilling cold, merely glared at her close kin.

Her bloodless lips murmured a warning.

“I clearly told you. Whether I die or not, it’s none of your concern.”

“……”

“I don’t need your pity.”

“You know it’s not pity.”

“I didn’t even want to know. I’ve never once thought I wanted to live by your side.”

“You… why do you always say such hurtful things?”

The conversation flowed in a suffocating manner.

I belatedly recalled the setting.

Elize’s characteristics.

Her relationship with her older sister Charlotte was poor, and her personality was notoriously difficult.

There were many similar scenes in the original story.

‘Was it this bad?’

Watching the sinking Charlotte, that thought naturally remained.

The atmosphere had grown cold beyond retrieval.

It seemed neither of them paid me any mind.

As I stood, wondering what to do, Elize suddenly grabbed her chest and began to cough.

At the same time, blood mixed with her agonizing breaths.

“Cough, ugh…!”

A painful expression.

The momentary coughing up of blood added a red hue to her pale lips.

Charlotte stepped forward as if to rush to her, but the immediate command to ‘get lost’ prevented her from moving further.

Unable to do anything, she froze.

It was an uncharacteristic display of agitation.

She wanted to stop the seizure, but she didn’t know how.

She wanted to hold her hand, but it was clear that would only provoke a stronger reaction, leaving her truly helpless.

I instinctively knew this was the perfect timing.

“Your Highness.”

I gently gripped Charlotte’s shoulder.

When her trembling pupils turned to look back, I smiled reassuringly and spoke confidently.

“I will attempt to help.”

“Can you…?”

“Of course. Isn’t that why you summoned me?”

Trust is truly cunning.

In the most difficult moments, whispering the most desired words is enough.

Because people are weak.

They often base their trust on what they wish to hear.

I whispered sweet words.

“I believe I can cure her.”

Her blue eyes widened.

The single word she most desired.

Though merely a short utterance, it filled a void.

Amidst the loosely tangled threads of trust, I whispered a condition she could not refuse.

It was the first step towards putting a leash on herself in the future.

“However, for the treatment, Your Highness’s active cooperation is required.”

“Cooperation…?”

“You must trust me.”

Poor little princess.

The possibility of her, who had cherished Rose for so long, refusing this condition was…

“……Alright. I’ll follow whatever you say.”

Non-existent.

***

A few minutes later.

Only I and Rose remained in the room.

It was what I had requested.

I said that there shouldn’t be other people present to proceed with the treatment.

Charlotte, already half-entranced, nodded and headed out the door with the maid in charge of nursing.

The scene, devoid of human presence, was as still as death.

“Cough…!”

Only the occasional cough broke the silence.

I gazed at the bed shrouded in darkness.

A single rose, blooming pitifully.

She seemed to be enduring as much as she could, but her face already clearly showed signs of agony.

Her complexion was so bloodless it was pallid.

“How pathetic.”

I murmured it, as if intentionally for her to hear.

Fortunately, her ears seemed to be working, as Elize, having heard my words, lifted her bowed head.

Her eyes were glaring upwards.

“Pant, pant…”

Even as she panted with difficulty, a venomous glint flickered in her pupils.

I met that gaze head-on.

A confrontation without an inch of retreat.

I provoked her with a mocking tone.

“Are you not in pain?”

“Get, out… I clearly told, all of you, to leave…!”

“This is to treat Your Highness’s illness. Please forgive this incapable subordinate’s disloyalty.”

“That kind of thing… cough, I don’t, need it.”

“It’s because I need it. I never let go of what I want.”

“You’re, talking, nonsense…!”

Smash!

As I moved closer to the bed, a glass cup suddenly whizzed past my cheek.

The missed object shattered noisily once again.

“Oh dear.”

She has a bad habit of throwing things.

If I were to tame her, it seemed I’d have to correct habits like this first.

“Ugh, groan… cough!”

For now, stopping her seizure seems to be the priority.

I immediately approached the girl.

Elize hadn’t stopped coughing up blood since earlier.

Although her fierce reactions might make it seem less severe, she must have been suffering from indescribable pain.

Because the ‘illness’ she suffered from was exactly that.

‘Manastone Disease’

A symptom where every mana line within the body hardens like stone, eventually causing the entire body to shatter into pieces.

It is an unknown disease with an unclear cause.

It has existed in records for a long time, but not a single person has survived it to date.

An incurable disease with a survival rate approaching 0%.

In short, it is like a curse that leaves nothing but despair.

Theoretically, it is known to be incurable, but the story changes if I am the one performing the surgery.

Because I intended to twist the natural order and save this girl.

‘Not too hastily.’

Taking my time.

So that I can fully engulf everything remaining around me.

Snap!

I lightly snapped my fingers.

An invisible barrier formed within the room, completely blocking out any sound directed outwards.

Thus, the surrounding space became a perfect sealed room.

Charlotte would be guarding the entrance, and no sound from inside would be heard from outside.

Even if any screams were uttered, the outside would not perceive them.

“Hehe.”

Before long, I was standing before Rose.

Was she trying to resist?

The red-haired girl sat up, pushed away the blanket, and clenched her fists.

She seemed about to thrash about to avoid treatment.

Of course.

“No chance.”

Clap!

I lightly clapped my hands.

Following the distinct crackling sound, several tendrils of shadow stretched out.

Black ropes bound the girl’s limbs one by one, then fixed her body so she couldn’t move.

Elize flinched in surprise.

“Wha, what is this all of a sudden…?!”

This was the first time she had shown agitation since I entered the room.

I drew an ominous smile.

Had she realized something was wrong?

Rose hastily tried to resist, but the tightly bound knots showed no sign of coming loose.

She merely lay there, spread-eagled.

“Wait, what are you trying to do…! ”

“I will fix you in many ways. Be it a painful illness, or a bad habit.”

I slowly extended my hand.

Perhaps due to her illness, the girl was only wearing a thin nightgown.

Her body’s curves were clearly visible.

Slide.

I grasped the fabric covering her skin and slowly lifted it upwards, as if peeling it away.

With a shallow movement, the girl’s stomach was exposed.

Skin that retained its pristine white complexion.

I gently traced her slender abdomen with my fingertips.

‘I need to concentrate.’

As this was the part where mana lines converged within the body, it required delicate work using lies.

Because I intended to regenerate it slowly, so no after-effects would remain.

As I placed my palm on her stomach, her warm body heat seeped into me.

“Hmph…?!”

Elize let out a groan at the unexpected situation.

She then saw her own state and trembled uncontrollably, unable to suppress her horror.

She couldn’t bring herself to scream, only stammering.

“You, you, you… Do you, dare, know what you’re doing?!”

“I know better than anyone.”

“Let go! Cough! Wa-was this your intention from the start, telling everyone else to leave the room?!”

“You’re quick to catch on. It was all for this.”

Her green eyes trembled violently.

Reflecting myself in her clear pupils, I curved my lips into the gentlest smile I could manage.

It was the smile of a doctor looking down at a patient.

“You don’t have to worry. I won’t hurt you.”

I then gently pressed down on the girl’s lower abdomen.